Chapter 20: Dropping to Her Knees Before Lin Yufan

Chapter 20: Dropping to Her Knees Before Lin Yufan

Zhao Mingjie sat by the bed, trimming his nails, still pondering the anti-Japanese chronicle in the newspaper.

Had there been such a report in the past life’s newspaper? He couldn’t recall.

"Do you think Lin Yufan knows about what happened at 54 Ping’an Lane?"

Third Madam Jian Suzhen was tidying up the chests. "Probably not. I only found out later. Do you suspect she wrote it?"

"Lin Yufan worked at a newspaper or publishing house while in Hong Kong. She must be good at this."

Third Madam shook her head, "Impossible, I heard it was written by a great writer, a man."

"How do you know?"

"That’s the rumor going around. Otherwise, do you think anyone could cause such a stir? Do you think it might end up exposing you?"

Zhao Mingjie: "Elder brother said it’s aimed at Qin He."

Jian Suzhen couldn’t help but complain: "I’m worried Qin He might expose you all! The relatives of the first madam are no good. They don’t help you when things are good, but they’ll drag you into trouble."

"Enough, let’s not talk about it anymore. Let’s get things ready early. Once I sell the property, we’ll leave as soon as we can."

*

Lin Yufan had already written the final manuscript and the letter of denunciation.

The manuscript was sent to Guangming Daily, and the letter of denunciation was sent to the Japanese puppet investigation section of the investigation team, a double-pronged approach.

After sending the letters, Lin Yufan set off for He Mansion, as Sun Jingxi's family was about to leave for Hong Kong the next day, and she was going to see them off.

He Mansion was a small Western-style house, with both upstairs and downstairs filled with packed items.

Although Lin Yufan had once tried to persuade Xi Gu to sell the house, they wouldn’t listen, and she didn’t insist, as the most important thing now was to ensure Xi Gu’s smooth departure.

Xi Gu's family had two sons and one daughter. Both sons were still young, and the eldest daughter had just turned seventeen, having graduated from middle school but not yet gone out to work.

For girls from families like theirs, finding a job is tricky.

If the job isn’t respectable, it’s better to stay home, and once they turn eighteen, they can start matchmaking, looking for a man of equal social standing to marry.

Marrying a promising man is the best career a woman can have.

Whether you agree or not, this society is just that realistic and backward.

Of course, many women are willing to be backward themselves.

Sun Jingxi was more open-minded, and she didn’t want her daughter to be a typist or a salesgirl, lowering her status for nothing.

She worried this long stay in Hong Kong might delay her daughter’s chance to find a husband.

Lin Yufan comforted her: "Xi Gu, don’t worry. Once in Hong Kong, you might find someone more suitable."

Sun Jingxi herself was just average in looks, and her daughter took after her, which worried her even more. "She doesn’t have many strengths, just fair skin."

"She has more than just fair skin. I’ve read Xiaoqing’s articles before. Her handwriting is neat, and her articles are well-written."

Sitting by the balcony as the old maid combed her hair, He Xiaoqing originally didn’t want to join in the discussion of these boring topics, but hearing Lin Yufan praise her articles, she couldn’t help but put down the magazine in her hand, turned around, and said: "It’s a shame my mom says that no matter how educated a woman is, she’ll still end up managing the household and raising kids."

Sun Jingxi picked out some lower-quality fabric to give to the servants. She said: "If you can support yourself, I won’t say a word against it."

He Xiaoqing pouted a little, "If I go out to find a job, you'll find it embarrassing. How am I supposed to support myself?"

"Going out to work is naturally a man's job. Isn't it nicer to stay home and be comfortable? Why go looking for trouble? But if you insist on trying to find a job, I won't stand in your way."

"You stopped me from working in Haicheng, but you won't stop me in Hong Kong? Here I know a few classmates and friends, but who do I know there? Sister Fan, listen to what my mom is saying—isn't it maddening?"

Lin Yufan nodded emphatically, "Maddening."

Sun Jingxi herself laughed, "You should learn from your Sister Fan. She remarried into such a good situation, wherever she goes, people have to show her respect, bowing and kowtowing."

"You didn't make me as beautiful as Sister Fan, how am I supposed to learn?" He Xiaoqing retorted sharply.

"Dress up a little, walk with good posture, don't slouch and look all droopy. Since you know your flaws, you should work even harder to improve."

"Fine, I can't argue with you. Once I'm in Hong Kong, I'll find a job. You said that as long as I can support myself, I can do whatever I want."

That's what she said, but Sun Jingxi couldn't just ignore her daughter, after all, she only has one daughter.

After talking for a while, Xiaoqing's hair dried after washing, and she got up and went inside.

Seeing that no one was around, Sun Jingxi nudged Lin Yufan with her elbow, "Once I get to Hong Kong, I'll help you figure out the details about those three concubines. When you come next month, you won't be left in the dark."

Lin Yufan was only concerned about how to transfer the property. As for Zhao Zhiao's concubines, if they got along, they could be good colleagues; if not, they would separate as soon as possible and live their own lives.

But she didn't want to dampen Xi Gu's enthusiasm, so she just smiled and said, "Find out if you can, but if you can't, don't worry too much. They're just three concubines, not royalty."

Xi Gu was amused, "You're so laid-back. I couldn't do that. If your uncle ever thought about getting a concubine, I'd scratch his eyes out."

Lin Yufan didn't say they were different; it was hard to explain.

During lunch at the He house, when discussing the transportation issue after the He family arrived, Uncle He Zhanhong said, "On your wedding day, Zhi Ao specifically asked me, saying he would arrange a car to pick us up..."

Sun Jingxi poured Lin Yufan a small glass of rice wine, "Zhi Ao is such a busy man, I'm afraid he might have forgotten. I wonder if it's easy to call a car in Hong Kong? Old He, I think it's safer to have your hospital send a car to pick us up."

He Zhanhong, not yet familiar with the hospitals in Hong Kong, thought that since Zhao Zhiao was one of their own and had a car service, it would be more convenient to ask him.

"Arranging a car now is quite difficult. I'm just worried that if we ask the hospital to pick us up and Zhi Ao also sends a car, we might end up offending both."

Lin Yufan understood. Her uncle meant for her to send a telegram to remind Zhao Zhiao not to forget to arrange the car.

If they were an ordinary couple, sending a telegram would be a simple matter, but she and Zhao Zhiao were not an ordinary couple.

But in others' eyes, they were, so Lin Yufan couldn't refuse. After returning home, she still wrote a short telegram and had it sent to Zhao Zhiao in Hong Kong.

Her telegram was just two lines with 12 characters: "Aunt arriving at noon on the 20th, don't forget the reception."

The next morning, Lin Yufan slept in. Before she got up, Gui Xiang slipped the latest "Guangming Daily" into her mosquito net.

"Miss, it's not published!"

*

Lin Yufan got up unhurriedly and quickly flipped through it. As she expected, Qin Hai did not publish her final article.

"When Tie Long went to buy the newspaper, the seller said many people were waiting to see it, but it wasn't there." Gui Xiang worried, "What should we do now? Should we ask the second young master for help?"

"No need." Lin Yufan took out another envelope she had prepared from the drawer, "Have Tie Long deliver it to the Guangming Daily and give it to the editor-in-chief, Su Yibai."

Gui Xiang repeated, "Su Yibai, the Editor-in-Chief?"

A while back, Lin Yufan had arranged for Tie Long to case the place around the Guangming Newspaper Office. Tie Long recognized Qin Hai and Su Yibai.

"Tie Long knows. Also, tell him to get someone who’s not easily recognized to deliver it."

Since Zhao Lixiang didn’t start work until after noon, Gui Xiang worried the office might be empty: "Should we go in the afternoon?"

Afternoon would be too late.

Lin Yufan shook her head: "Go now; the office is open mornings. If Su Yibai hasn’t been found by ten, tell Tie Long to call back right away—no delays."

Gui Xiang nodded and rushed out.

*

By eight, Tie Long was already posted across from the Guangming Newspaper Office.

But after over an hour of waiting, Su Yibai still hadn’t appeared, while Qin Hai had arrived early.

With barely half an hour to go before ten, Tie Long wasn’t about to sit around doing nothing. He hadn’t completed the First Madam’s task, and he’d failed her trust.

When he’d previously investigated Qin Hai and Su Yibai, he’d gotten their home numbers. Tie Long ran to a nearby public phone and called Su Yibai’s home, posing as someone from the newspaper office, notifying Editor Su to come to a meeting before ten.

Meanwhile, Su Yibai was still in bed. The maid woke him up, saying there was a meeting at the newspaper office and he had to be there before ten.

Lately, he’d given up on getting promoted. He’d planned to be lazy and go to the office in the afternoon, but he had to scramble out of bed, wondering why he was suddenly notified of a meeting.

Was there still a chance for the director’s position?

He rushed through brushing his teeth, skipping breakfast, went out, flagged down a rickshaw, and hurried to the newspaper office.

He made it just before ten.

As he was about to enter the office, he was stopped by a striking woman in a blue dress.

"What’s this about?" Su Yibai looked at her slightly warily.

The woman directly handed him a letter: "A gentleman told me to hand this to you. He said to open it right away."

With that, the woman in the blue dress left gracefully.

Su Yibai was stunned for a moment, looked down at the envelope, and saw the signature "Si Mu."

Si Mu!

Wasn’t this the author who had recently swept through Haicheng with a series of anti-Japanese chronicles?

According to Qin Hai, this was a writer he’d hired at a high price.

Why would he write to me?

He remembered that Si Mu was supposed to publish the final chronicle about Ping’an Li No. 54 in their newspaper today, but Qin Hai had said yesterday that Si Mu had written, citing family matters and wouldn’t submit the manuscript. The layout had already been prepared, and they’d had to temporarily fill it with a trainee’s article.

Su Yibai weighed the hefty envelope in his hand. Could it contain Si Mu’s submission?

Why didn’t Si Mu submit it directly to Qin Hai, but instead to me?

Have Qin Hai and Si Mu fallen out?

If that’s really the case, this is indeed a good opportunity for me to mock and undermine Qin Hai.

For a long time, Su Yibai believed that besides being lazy, he had no major flaws.

But to his bosses, laziness wasn’t a big deal; stinginess and poor judgment were.

Su Yibai, always out of step, didn’t understand this.

He only felt that he was full of talent but had been suppressed by Qin Hai at the newspaper office, and he was seething with resentment.

He quickly opened the envelope and saw that it was indeed the submission about the events at 54 Ping’an Lane.

Attached to the submission was a letter, and when he opened it, the handwriting was bold.

"Editor Su, the manuscript I mailed yesterday has not been published today. I don’t know if Editor Qin did not receive my submission or if your newspaper has other arrangements. If you can’t print it by tomorrow, I will submit the manuscript elsewhere. Please be informed. Sincerely, Si Mu."

After reading it, Su Yibai was startled. Why did Qin Hai receive the submission but not publish it?

Si Mu’s recent series of articles had been a hit, and the story of the little match girl had touched so many readers’ hearts. There was no reason for him to suppress the manuscript privately!

He recalled Qin Hai’s recent troubles—his third brother, a traitor, was under investigation, which to some extent had hindered Qin Hai’s smooth promotion.

Could it be...

Su Yibai quickly unfolded the manuscript to take a closer look, and indeed it was!

This was a stroke of luck, fortune favoring him!

Su Yibai hurried upstairs straight to the editor-in-chief’s office.

In one sentence, if the editor-in-chief refused to publish it, Si Mu would send it to another newspaper, and when the reasons were investigated, both Qin Hai and the editor-in-chief of Guangming Daily would be in trouble.

So, Si Mu’s strategy was masterful!

Su Yibai knew he was being used, but he didn’t mind; in fact, he was glad to be used, because he could also benefit from it.

At least Qin Hai’s promotion was now out of the question.

Standing across the street, smoking, Tie Long finally flicked the cigarette butt to the ground, crushed it underfoot, and left.

Lin Yufan waited at home for over two hours, and just as she was ready to send Gui Xiang after him, Tie Long finally returned.

After hearing Tie Long describe Su Yibai’s reaction after reading the letter, Lin Yufan knew that the matter was as good as settled.

All that remained was to twist the knife.

*

Another day passed.

The foggy morning saw no sun.

On the street, vendors hawked buns, fried dough, sweet potatoes, and taro, while stalls sold daily necessities, and newsboys shouted as they roamed the streets.

Next to them, a shoemaker hammered away, chatting with customers waiting for their shoes and reading newspapers.

"Two groups of traitors, three people, betrayed the national military intelligence personnel at 54 Ping’an Lane, resulting in the deaths of eight people and the suffering of little Wanping."

"There’s one surnamed Qin, who was previously arrested, and his relatives, two brothers surnamed Zhao..."

Another person leaned in, "I heard the Zhao brothers live in the largest old-style courtyard in the back of Qiufeng Lane; their ancestors were officials."

"Those damn traitors, the worst of the lot, spineless rich folks selling out to the Japanese, betraying their own."

"Such people deserve to be punished severely."

A fly buzzed past, flying through a narrow alley, over a courtyard wall, and finally landing on a broom.

Just as it landed, a basin of dirty water was splashed over it. An old servant woman shouted at the door, "The old lady’s nourishing soup is ready, aren’t you going to serve it?"

But no one paid her any attention.

Several servants crowded around the arched entrance of the kitchen, peeking toward the main house. Someone asked, "What are the Eldest Master and Third Master arguing about?"

"The Third Master secretly sold the southern property."

"How did he sell it? Isn’t the deed in the old lady’s hands?"

"Who knows! Stop talking. Quiet!"

Meanwhile, inside the main house, a white porcelain vase was smashed to pieces.

Everyone in the room looked grim, lost in their own thoughts.

Zhao Lijie flushed with anger. "You said you were attending a friend’s father’s birthday banquet, but you actually went to the south to sell the property! Tell me, how did you get the deed?"

Zhao Mingjie, sitting to the side, crossed his legs and didn’t bother to defend himself.

"Speak up!" Zhao Lijie grew even angrier.

Zhao Mingjie cleaned his ear with his pinky finger, indifferent. "What do you want me to say? You won’t listen to me anyway. In these uncertain times, who knows when the war will come? I told you to sell the land and properties, but you refused. So I compromised—let’s split the family property. I’ll sell my share, but you still disagreed. You insist on holding onto all the ancestral property by yourself. If you weren’t so selfish, would I have resorted to this?"

"Zhao Mingjie, stop blaming me! It’s not that I don’t want to split the family property, it’s that Mom doesn’t agree to it." Zhao Lijie couldn’t admit to hoarding the ancestral property, so he changed the subject. "I asked Mom, and she didn’t give you the deed. So did you steal it?"

"I took it. Mom gave it to me herself. The old lady is senile—she gave it to me and then forgot."

Zhao Lijie didn’t believe it. The property deeds had been locked in a bank vault before. After the Japanese surrendered, the old lady, distrusting her sons, insisted on keeping these important documents in her own hands. Given her temperament, she would never hand over her most prized possessions before her last breath.

"Mom? Senile? The old lady would never give you the deed. Tell me, where’s the money from the sale? Hand it over first. We’ll split the family property later. I’ll call Uncle Thirteen to oversee it."

The money was in Zhao Mingjie’s hands, and he wasn’t about to spit it out.

Zhao Mingjie said, "The real estate, shops, family antiques, and the old lady’s jewelry are all still in your hands. You’ve kept more than me. I agree to call Uncle Thirteen to oversee the division. The real estate and shops can go to you, but you should give me a share of the antiques and jewelry, right? You’ve hoarded them for so long—you don’t think they’re all yours, do you?"

Hearing this, Zhao Lijie shook with rage. He grabbed a vase from the table, ready to hurl it at his younger brother, but was stopped by the First Aunt, Second Aunt, and Nan Geer.

Smashing something cheap wouldn’t have mattered, but this vase was valuable.

Seeing the situation escalate, Jian Suzhen dropped her pretense. "If we’re going to call Uncle Thirteen, let’s get it over with. Let’s see who ends up with more. Honest people get taken advantage of. We’ve been honest for years and suffered for years. Why should we be bullied?"

"Who’s bullying you? Who dares to bully you? Don’t turn things around!" The First Aunt wasn’t backing down. "The Third Master stole the deed and sold the property. We could call the police and get him arrested."

Jian Suzhen sneered. "How is selling our own property theft? Threatening to call the police? Go ahead, call them. Let’s see who brings shame to the Zhao family."

The two sisters-in-law had lived together for over a decade, often gossiping behind each other’s backs, but this was the first time they had clashed so openly.

As they were arguing, the phone suddenly rang.

The ringing continued for several moments.

But it didn’t stop the people in the room from continuing their quarrel.

The maid who answered the phone said nervously, "Eldest Master, your phone call."

Afraid that Zhao Lijie wouldn’t pick up, she added in a trembling voice, "They said it’s an emergency."

Only then did Zhao Lijie walk into the room, while Jian Suzhen was still muttering, "Always threatening to call the cops, aren’t you embarrassed?"

This instantly infuriated Zhao Lijie. He spun around, snatched a nearby vase, not caring if it was worth anything, and hurled it toward Third Madam.

It missed her but hit Jian Suzhen’s foot.

Jian Suzhen was stunned for a moment, then immediately crouched down and burst into tears, "Ah! He hit me! You’ll get what’s coming to you! Weren’t you going to call the cops? If you don’t, I will!"

Zhao Lijie cursed fiercely, "You hag!"

Jian Suzhen was shouting about calling the cops, but Zhao Mingjie, of course, couldn’t let her do it. If they actually called the cops, it’d blow things out of proportion, and it wouldn’t benefit him either.

But since his wife had been hit by his elder brother, he couldn’t just stay silent. He grabbed a stool to fight back.

Second Aunt quickly intervened, "Stop it, you’re brothers!"

Back then, even if sisters-in-law from respectable families didn’t see eye to eye, they wouldn’t openly confront each other like this. Last time when Third Madam and Lin Yufan argued, Second Aunt felt embarrassed. She didn’t expect it to be even worse this time, with both brothers and sisters-in-law fighting each other.

How far we’ve fallen!

Zhao Lijie was so angry he was hopping mad, "Then call the cops! You stole the land deed and sold off our family’s property, and you think you’re in the right?"

Amid the chaos, a servant ran in, "Sir, the cops are here."

Everyone was stunned. No one called them, so why are they here?

"Who called the cops?" Zhao Mingjie was even more anxious than his elder brother.

As it turned out, besides the cops, there were also people from the investigation team.

At this time, anything that could alarm the investigation team was either a major case or related to the Communists.

Zhao Lijie was greatly alarmed. He had suffered physical torture at the investigation team before. Could Commander Ji’s death still be under investigation?

He suddenly remembered the unanswered phone call. Could it be related to this?

Zhao Lijie hurried to the side room and picked up the phone, only to find it was Uncle Duo calling.

Uncle Duo blurted out, "Are you all fighting? Is it over the Guangming Daily?"

Guangming Daily?

Zhao Lijie immediately thought of something, but before he could ask more, the investigation team had already followed him in, cut the call, and arrested him.

Zhao Mingjie was also arrested at the same time.

"What’s happening? What’s happening? I know Deputy Director Cui! Hey, what are you doing? We’re good citizens!" Zhao Mingjie shouted loudly.

The women stopped fighting, all frozen in shock, not knowing what to do.

Zhao Lijie’s mind was racing. At this moment, he could only think of one person and quickly instructed his wife and children who had followed, "Get Zhao Zhiao to help us, quick."

Third Madam looked completely lost. Was it that serious? But Zhao Zhiao had already returned to Hong Kong. How could they ask him for help?

Surely she wouldn’t have to ask Lin Yufan for help, right?

No, she absolutely wouldn’t.

She wouldn’t go even if the sky were falling.

She used to say that the day would come when Lin Yufan would beg her, but now it’s the other way around, forcing her to beg Lin Yufan. This... is out of the question; she won’t go.

Soon after, the Second Branch finally discovered why the two brothers had been arrested. It was because they had once been traitors alongside Qin He during the Japanese occupation.

Their betrayal caused the deaths of eight national soldiers at No. 54 Ping'an Lane, a capital offense.

The Second Branch could only protest their innocence, claiming that Zhao Lijie and Zhao Mingjie were patriots, not traitors, and that they were only distant relatives of Qin He.

But at this point, their protests were futile; they needed solid connections.

The only one in the Zhao family with such connections was Zhao Zhiao.

The First Aunt couldn’t bring herself to go, too proud to lower herself, but Nan Geer went twice and came back with nothing to show for it.

Wang Junyao was in Wuxi for a relative’s birthday banquet and wouldn’t return for a few days, and Lin Yufan simply refused to see Nan Geer.

In the old lady’s room, the women sat with furrowed brows, their faces etched with worry.

Nan Geer said, "Our sources say Dad and Third Uncle are in serious trouble this time. If we want to save them, we must act quickly. Later, we may also need to pay reparations to the victims’ families. Uncle Duo advised us to sell our property quickly to prevent confiscation. He can’t help with other matters, and others are even less likely to help, avoiding me like the plague."

Jian Suzhen’s eyelids fluttered, her unease palpable. She asked, "Why do we need to pay money?"

Nan Geer replied, "To pay reparations to the victims’ families."

Jian Suzhen didn’t want to part with the money. "First Aunt, isn’t your Qin family going to bail out that criminal Qin He? Let them think of a way!"

If the Qin family had any pull, Qin He wouldn’t still be locked up.

The First Aunt sat silently, at a loss for words. She rubbed her temples, feeling completely drained.

Second Aunt turned to her nephew, "Did you try Jinghua Tower?"

"I went to Jinghua Tower, but Fourth Aunt wouldn’t see me either," Nan Geer’s voice lowered slightly. "No one else has Uncle Ao’s Hong Kong contact details. Moreover, contacting Uncle Ao might be too late. The best bet is for Fourth Aunt to appeal to the minister who arranged their marriage. He has the authority."

The old lady’s hands trembled slightly. "Lin Yufan holds a grudge against us, a result of your usual thoughtlessness. No matter how great the dissatisfaction, you should never say harsh words to someone’s face. Things that are not presentable should never be done."

The old lady was blaming the First Aunt for having made the relationship with Lin Yufan too strained.

"Whoever planted the seeds of discord should reap the harvest and choke on it," the old lady impatiently pushed away the water pipe handed to her by the maid.

Everyone looked at the First Aunt.

Jian Suzhen kept her past grievances with Lin Yufan to herself, only snorted coldly, and said, "I used to get along quite well with Lin Yufan, but now she probably doesn’t want to see me either. After all, seeing me wouldn’t relieve her anger. Now, who can appease Lin Yufan? Likely only the First Aunt. Besides, this trouble was caused by your Qin family relatives!"

The First Aunt stood her ground, too proud to lose face.

But no matter how unwilling she was in her heart, she finally had to compromise under the invisible pressure.

Armed with the family’s lavish gifts, she finally faced Lin Yufan at Jinghua Tower.

Lin Yufan came down from upstairs. She knew the First Aunt would come to beg her, so she just smiled and said, "To what do I owe the pleasure of the First Aunt’s visit?"

The First Aunt tried hard to force an awkward smile. "Yufan... I was unwell at the time and couldn’t make it to your wedding. Today I came specifically to see you."

Lin Yufan simply smiled, letting the lie hang in the air.

She didn’t harbor particularly strong resentment towards the First Aunt; her hatred was directed at Zhao Mingjie and Jian Suzhen.

Seeing that Lin Yufan remained silent, Madam was visibly uncomfortable. Lin Yufan must have known the purpose of her visit, so why the need for such awkward pretense? She decided to cut to the chase and get straight to the point.

After listening, Lin Yufan smiled slightly, "I remember Madam once said, 'The wheel of fortune turns, and there will be a day when Lin Yufan kneels down to beg you.' If today the roles were reversed, and I were the one asking for your help, would you help me?"

Madam was taken aback. Of course, she wouldn’t.

She was itching to slap Lin Yufan twice to avenge the humiliation she suffered in the kitchen that day.

Lin Yufan stared at Madam, "You wouldn’t, would you?"

"No…" Madam came to her senses and quickly tried to explain.

Lin Yufan didn’t give her a chance to speak, "Think about it from my perspective. Since you wouldn’t help me, why should I help you? Am I such a lowly person, Lin Yufan?"

Madam didn’t expect Lin Yufan to reject her so bluntly. Her head was spinning, and she wanted to lunge at Lin Yufan and claw her face.

But she couldn’t.

Lin Yufan’s words echoed in her mind.

—There will be a day when I kneel down to beg you.

Thud!

Madam, who had stood up in anger, finally dropped to her knees, sobbing in shame, "If we don’t save the master soon, it will be too late."

Lin Yufan looked at Madam’s kneeling with disdain, "Kneeling won’t change anything."

Was kneeling not enough?

Madam cried even harder.

Lin Yufan softly said, "You need to get Jian Suzhen here."

Jian Suzhen? Madam didn’t understand. Why call Jian Suzhen here?