Episode Ten: Xintai Meets Disaster and Suffers Amnesia; Zhiling Rescues Him and Love Begins
11
Liao Yingjun arrived in Xiamen, his bad habits unchanged, often idling and frequenting the red-light districts for eating, drinking, and entertainment.
One day, Yingjun, accompanied by his two subordinates, Hongtong and Heigui, got into a jealousy dispute with customers at a local tavern, and both sides fought violently.
Outnumbered, Yingjun was defeated, so he drew a knife and killed and injured several of the other side. Wounded, he fled the scene in haste with his two subordinates and returned to his uncle Liao Mingtang’s (45 years old) wholesale dry-goods store.
Seeing the three injured and looking very disheveled, Mingtang asked: "Yingjun, did you get into a conflict with someone again?"
Yingjun said: "Uncle, I just met a group of ruffians on the road; they came to provoke us."
Mingtang scolded: "You! No matter how much we talk, you don’t listen. Your father wanted you to learn business from me, but you treated his instructions like the wind through a horse’s ear. You spend every day idling outside; no wonder you constantly stir up trouble."
Yingjun said: "Uncle, I’m just not made for business by nature, right?"
Mingtang said: "Nonsense! You are unwilling to learn seriously from me. Otherwise, you would already understand by now."
Yingjun said: "Alright, alright. From now on, I’ll go out less and stay in the shop to learn business from you."
Mingtang sighed and said: "Sigh! You are already in your twenties. You need to think for yourself if you want a future. Stop being so playful; wandering endlessly achieves nothing…"
12
Not long after, Yingjun and his subordinates Hongtong and Heigui were still captured by the detective squad and imprisoned.
Yingjun’s uncle, Liao Mingtang, tried in many ways to save them, but he was powerless to rescue the three.
Mingtang sent a telegram back to Taiwan to Liao Wuxiong, and Wuxiong and his wife were very worried.
Wuxiong sighed and said: "Truly, cow dung cannot be used to plaster a sugarcane wall! This tail-end brat, always causing trouble every now and then, expecting me to clean up his mess."
Chuntao, hearing this harshly, scolded: "Although Yingjun is less disciplined, you, as his father, should not speak of our filial son like that."
Wuxiong gloomily said: "I’m being polite describing Yingjun this way. Having such a son, I do not know what bad deeds I committed in my past life to deserve this. Look at other children; whose son constantly makes the family worry like our Yingjun?"
Chuntao said: "Talking about this now is of no use. You need to quickly think of a way to get them to release our Yingjun."
Wuxiong said: "To rescue Yingjun, I have to personally go to Xiamen, bringing gold bars to negotiate. Maybe they will release Yingjun out of consideration for the gold bars…"
Chuntao said: "If so, I will quickly prepare your luggage."
Wuxiong instructed: "I will take a ship to Xiamen. I may not return to Qingshui for a month. You must take care of the store business."
Chuntao said: "Married to you for thirty years, just by watching and listening every day, I have learned how to run a business."
13
Yingjun originally thought he was doomed, preparing to serve his prison sentence.
Liao Wuxiong, dusty and weary from travel, took a ship to Xiamen.
Liao Mingtang led Wuxiong directly to Detective Du Jincheng’s (40 years old) house.
Wuxiong said: "I am Liao Yingjun’s father, coming all the way from Taiwan. My son was reckless and caused a major incident. I ask you, sir, to be magnanimous and let him go."
Du Jincheng said: "Your son is truly unreasonable. He went to someone’s shop for fun and drinking, got into a conflict over a tavern girl and customers, and both sides fought. Your son even drew a hidden knife, injuring several customers. This assault charge is not serious, but the other party threatened not to spare your son. To enforce the law and maintain local peace, I naturally had to arrest him. I captured him also to prevent him from falling into the other party’s hands; this was for his own good…"
Mingtang, hearing the official tone, signaled Wuxiong with his eyes.
Wuxiong understood and said: "Sir, we naturally wouldn’t ask this favor for nothing. The proper etiquette is here." Saying so, Wuxiong took out a wooden box from his backpack and placed it on the table.
Du Jincheng immediately changed expression, smiling: "Mr. Liao indeed understands official protocol."
Du Jincheng opened the lid, glanced inside, then closed it, saying: "This amount can only roughly redeem half of your son’s body."
Without another word, Wuxiong took out another wooden box and pushed it toward Du Jincheng.
Du Jincheng smiled satisfactorily: "Golden bars are loved by everyone, but a gentleman acquires wealth rightly. Though my official rank is not high, I can decide whether to release him. Alright! Rest assured, go back and wait for news. I guarantee your son will be safe and meet you in three days."
Mingtang said: "Sir, your words are reliable. We will return and wait for news."
Both stood and left Du’s residence.
Wuxiong worriedly asked: "Will this Captain Du not keep his word? Take our gift but not release him?"
Mingtang said: "It should be fine. According to local reputation, he may appear upright but privately collects bribes. Since he accepts, he will release him."
Wuxiong said: "Hearing you say that, I feel slightly reassured."
14
Detective Captain Du Jincheng ordered his men to bring Liao Yingjun.
The three met in the office of Public Security Bureau Chief Lin Guangliang (45 years old) for a private discussion.
"Yingjun Liao, your father came all the way from Taiwan to see me," Du Jincheng said, opening two wooden boxes and placing them on the table: "These two boxes contain gold bars brought by your father. Do you want to examine them?"
"You…" Yingjun glanced at them, confused about their meaning.
Lin Guangliang said: "You must feel puzzled. Is there any official who does not love wealth?"
Yingjun nodded and said: "What exactly do you want?"
Du Jincheng said: "Your father is willing to spend so much to save you. You should feel ashamed."
Lin Guangliang added: "Of course we will accept the gold bars your father sent."
Yingjun sarcastically said: "It’s already fat meat in your mouth. How would you willingly spit it out?"
Du Jincheng said: "Accepting the gold bars, we have two ways to deal with you: One is to release you immediately, leaving you to face the enemies outside."
Lin Guangliang said: "You might be hacked into pieces as soon as you step outside. This could very well be a death trap."
Yingjun thought: "What exactly are these two officials up to? I need to figure it out first."
Yingjun asked: "And the other way?"
Du Jincheng said: "Join our organization. We will escort you to the rear for training."
Yingjun asked: "Join the organization?"
Du Jincheng said: "Yes, we are enemy agents sent by the Chongqing authorities stationed in Xiamen."
Yingjun asked: "What if I don’t want to join?"
Du Jincheng said: "We tell you our true identity, assuming you will join."
Yingjun asked: "It seems I have no other choice?"
Lin Guangliang said: "Correct. A wise man recognizes the situation."
Yingjun helplessly said: "Alright! I will join the organization, but I want to say goodbye to my father first."
Lin Guangliang said: "No problem. Captain, accompany him personally."
Du Jincheng said: "Yes, Director."
Lin Guangliang said: "We will keep these gold bars for you. After your intelligence training, we will return them to you so you can take them to Taiwan for your mission."
Yingjun asked: "Taiwan? So my mission will be…"
Du Jincheng said: "The organization will likely send you back to Taiwan to develop an underground intelligence network."
Yingjun thought: "So that’s why. Looks like I have no other choice…"
15
Accompanied by Captain Du Jincheng, Liao Yingjun returned late at night to Liao Mingtang’s shop and met his father Wuxiong and uncle Mingtang.
Yingjun said: "Dad, Uncle, I have come to say farewell."
Seeing Captain Du accompanying him, Wuxiong worried that they had taken the benefit but might go back on their word, so he asked: "So? They didn’t plan to let you return?"
Yingjun said: "Dad, you misunderstand!"
Yingjun stepped forward and whispered the truth of the matter to his father.
"I see!" Wuxiong, still worried, asked: "But isn’t this kind of work very dangerous?"
Yingjun helplessly said: "Of course it’s dangerous! But I don’t want to rot in prison, so I agreed."
Mingtang curiously asked: "What work? What conditions did they offer?"
Du Jincheng said: "Don’t ask about that. We will send him to a safe place."
Wuxiong advised: "It seems you have no other choice. Take care of your health. At your age, don’t make your father worry…"
Yingjun said: "I know! After some training, I will be sent back to Taiwan."
Wuxiong felt slightly relieved and said: "That’s good."
At this moment, Yingjun felt his father Wuxiong’s care for him. Before this, he had always thought his father held a strong prejudice, believing he only caused trouble.
16
At Xinshan Orphanage, Zhilin and Sister Jenny were cooking dinner in the kitchen, and the aroma of the food drew Xintai.
Xintai said, “Sweet potato stick rice smells so good! Just smelling it makes my stomach hungry.”
Zhilin wiped her sweat and said, “Another half hour, it won’t be ready that soon!”
Xintai saw eggs and dried radish near the stove and asked, “Are we frying radish omelets for dinner?”
Zhilin said, “These are ingredients for salty porridge! What radish omelet?”
Xintai said, “Oh! I thought we would have radish omelet tonight…”
Zhilin said, “If you want radish omelet, you can fry it yourself!”
Xintai said happily, “Okay! I really miss the taste of radish omelet, I seem to have eaten it often before.”
Zhilin said, “As long as you’re happy! However, I heard the Allied forces are about to land in Malaya; recently, many grain merchants are hoarding food, and the prices of various supplies are fluctuating. I worry that if this continues, someday even with money we won’t be able to buy food…”
Xintai said, “We can consider producing some food ourselves, raising chickens and ducks! Then in the future we won’t have to worry so much.”
Sister Jenny, upon hearing this, thought it was a good idea and said, “Xintai, that’s a very good idea. Our orphanage never lacks manpower.”
Zhilin agreed and said, “You can take the children to find a plot of land, fence it, and raise chickens and ducks. But to produce rice and grain, what would be appropriate to plant?”
Xintai said, “Let’s try planting sweet potatoes and barley first, plus some vegetables and fruits. I’ll take responsibility for cultivating the garden.”
Sister Jenny said, “Take the older children with you, assign them work, don’t let them wander around idle.”
Xintai said, “Okay, I’ll take care of these matters.”
Zhilin teased, “I didn’t expect that you, a refined scholarly person, would also be interested in farming?”
Xintai said, “Labor is good for health! Besides, these are extraordinary times.”
17
Wuxiong returned to Qingshui and informed his wife, Chuntao, about the whereabouts of their son Yingjun.
Chuntao complained in confusion, “How could you let Yingjun go do such a dangerous job? Didn’t you try to persuade him on the spot? Aren’t you worried about him?”
Wuxiong said, “Of course I’m worried about his safety. Yingjun didn’t want to go to jail, so he agreed to join their organization. At that time, he seemed to have no other choice. What else could I have done?”
Chuntao said fiercely, “You better ensure Yingjun comes back safe, or I won’t forgive you!”
Wuxiong, hearing this, also got angry: “Do you make sense? Why blame everything on me? I traveled all the way to Xiamen to help him handle the aftermath.”
Chuntao said stubbornly, “I don’t care anyway! Just make sure Yingjun comes back safely.”
Wuxiong sighed, “Ah! Wicked wife and rebellious son, truly can’t do anything about it…”
18
Xintai, together with Awen, Axing, and a few older children from the orphanage, were sweating as they cultivated a piece of vacant land.
Awen swung his hoe and asked, “Big brother teacher, what do you plan to plant on this cultivated land?”
Xintai, still working with his hands, said, “Let’s plant sweet potatoes, barley, and some vegetables and fruits.”
Axing asked, “Later, should we also cut some bamboo to bring back?”
Xintai said, “Yes! Bring it back to make fences and raise chickens and ducks. Axing, your movements are very proper!”
Axing said, “My father was a farmer! Later, when the Japanese army came, my mother was captured by them. My father sent us siblings to the orphanage and then joined the guerrillas…”
Xintai said, “I see! These Japanese soldiers are really lawless!”
Axing said, “They are very cruel, completely different from you, teacher.”
Xintai said, “Because I am not a soldier!”
At this moment, Xintai was spotted by villagers near the orphanage; he was the person wanted in the missing persons notice.
Villager A said, “Hey! Look at that man, he seems to be the one on the notice on the street…”
Villager B said, “Yes! He really resembles the portrait! Amazing! Let’s report him secretly and earn the reward.”
Villager C said, “That man seems to be from the orphanage over there…”
Villager A said, “Orphanage? How could they take in an unknown Japanese officer?”
Villager B said, “Who cares? Getting the reward is more practical. You report, I’ll stay here to watch him.”
Villager A said, “Let’s split the reward fairly; the three of us share it equally.”
Villager B said, “Got it! You two hurry…”
The two villagers quietly left, heading to the military hospital in Xinshan town.
19
The two villagers, motivated by the high reward, arrived at Matsushita’s 601 Military Hospital and reported secretly.
Matsushita asked, “Are you sure that man is the Nishikawa I’m looking for? Did you find out his surname?”
Villager A said, “We didn’t find out this part, but he really resembles the person in the missing notice. He should be the person the master is looking for, right?”
Villager C said, “This young man’s words and behavior feel like a scholar, rather than a soldier.”
Matsushita thought for a moment: “Based on their description, that person might be Zheyan. Whether he is or isn’t Zheyan, I must personally go to confirm.”
Matsushita instructed, “Deputy Saito, arrange a car. Have two people wait outside for me, then we’ll take the car together.”
Saito said, “Yes, Director.”
20
Deputy Saito drove the jeep with Matsushita Daisuke and the two villagers. They first went to the garden where Xintai had been cultivating, but Xintai had already taken the children back to the orphanage.
The vehicle then went straight to the orphanage. Matsushita got out and went directly into the classroom, indeed seeing Nishikawa Zheyan teaching the children.
Matsushita rushed forward excitedly: “Zheyan, may the Bodhisattva bless you, I finally found you.”
But Xintai felt this person was very unfamiliar: “Who are you? Do I know you?”
Matsushita was stunned; he didn’t expect Zheyan to respond this way.
Matsushita said, “What’s wrong? You don’t even want to see teacher Matsushita?”
“Zheyan Nishikawa’s head was injured, he might temporarily have lost his memory,” said Zhang Zhilin, who had just entered, in Japanese.
Matsushita said, “No wonder Zheyan said he doesn’t know me, I thought he was deliberately ignoring me!”
Zhilin, facing the slightly bald elderly man with a kind expression, asked curiously, “You are Nishikawa’s teacher, but he should be from Taiwan, right?”
Matsushita said, “It’s a long story. Zheyan is my old friend’s son and also my mentor’s grandson. His father sent him from Taiwan to Tokyo to attend Imperial University Medical School. I am his teacher, Matsushita Daisuke, who trained him.”
After hearing this explanation, Zhilin believed Matsushita and said, “Then, Matsushita-san, do you plan to take Nishikawa away?”
At this moment, Xintai also said in Japanese: “I don’t want to leave here.”
Zhilin had previously heard Xintai speak fluent Kanto-accented Japanese, confirming he had studied in Tokyo, Japan.
Matsushita said, “Why not come back with me? Do you know that since you went missing at sea, your family in Taiwan and Tokyo has been worried about you every day?”
Xintai said firmly, “This is my home; I don’t want to go anywhere.”
Seeing this, Matsushita had no way to persuade him, and said, “Fine! Stay here for now. Knowing you are safe, I can be at ease. I will come to visit often, Zheyan.”
Matsushita turned to leave, gave the two villagers a reward, and left with Deputy Saito in the car.
Zhilin watched Matsushita leave and asked, “Xintai, do you really have no impression of this Matsushita-san?”
Xintai responded evasively: “Why? You can also speak fluent Japanese?”
Zhilin said, “My father comes from Kansai Osaka! Like you, I am also half Japanese.”
Xintai said, “So you…”
Zhilin smiled: “When I first saw you, you didn’t have the aggressive killing aura of a Japanese officer. I suspected you were not an ordinary Japanese officer. I’ve seen many Japanese officers….”
In Zhilin’s memory, Japanese officers were always serious and majestic, sometimes almost cold-blooded and cruel. She had personally seen at a prison, officers wielding swords in front of hundreds of eyes, beheading captured guerrillas and escaping British POWs, then calmly lifting the bloody heads—horrifying and unforgettable. But the Japanese officer in front of her now reminded her of her childhood, when she lived at her grandmother’s in Kyoto and was kindly treated by a neighboring boy and often taken around by her cousin on a bicycle.
