Chapter 84 Ginger Milk Pudding

Chapter 84 Ginger Milk Pudding

As lunchtime approached, the tea restaurant became increasingly crowded.

A stranger sat across from Wang Muxun, sharing his table. Various local dialects were heard around them, but the conversation was mainly in the local vernacular.

The noise was overwhelming.

Wang Muxun had lost his appetite, but to avoid suspicion, he hastily finished his plate of fried noodles, paid at the door, and left.

At the roadside, he flagged down a rickshaw and headed straight for Princess Avenue.

Turning off into a narrow alley from Princess Avenue, the rickshaw stopped, and Wang Muxun rushed up the stairs to the office.

The colleagues were lunching on the rooftop, and the office was quiet, with only Wen Li at her desk, eating.

Wang Muxun asked, "Is the President available?"

Wen Li whispered, "She's having her lunch in the office. Are you looking for her?"

After Lin Yufan became pregnant, Zhao Zhiao worried that the publishing house's staff meals lacked nutritional balance. If she came to work, Gui Xiang would invariably deliver lunch at noon.

Wang Muxun thought for a moment, not minding the mealtime, and smiled, "It's fine, I'll wait until she's done."

He perused a book in the outer office until he saw two young women exit Lin Yufan's office carrying food containers, then he instructed Wen Li to knock and announce his presence.

Lin Yufan had just finished eating and was about to take a nap, as she was scheduled to review plans with Gu Huiling that afternoon.

Hearing that Wang Muxun wanted to see her, she quickly said, "Show him in."

Soon, Wang Muxun entered and told Lin Yufan about his midday encounter with the bearded man at the tea restaurant.

Lin Yufan knew Cui Yuan, Wang Liu, and Deng Kuan, but the name Long Jing was unfamiliar to her.

It was very strange.

She promptly phoned Zhao Zhiao.

About an hour later, Zhao Zhiao dispatched a messenger with an envelope. Opening it, there was a photo inside.

The photo depicted a group of close comrades from Special Operations Team 1.

Lin Yufan handed the photo to Wang Muxun.

Wang Muxun recognized it at a glance, pointing to the person on the far right, "This is the bearded man."

Lin Yufan turned the photo over, and there was a mark on the back. The young man on the far right was indeed Long Jing.

She was taken aback that the special operations team leader was so young.

Could this individual be Director Gao's superior?

She was surprised, finding it somewhat unbelievable, truly proving that you can't judge a book by its cover.

Returning home in the evening, Lin Yufan called Ms. Guan into Zhao Zhiao's study, and she and Zhao Zhiao shared a partially truthful account of Long Jing with Ms. Guan.

*

On the cross-harbor ferry every morning, it was bustling and crowded with people.

There were those going to work, those going to school, and those carrying loads to sell goods, all squeezed on the ferry deck, crossing from the suburbs to the urban area of Hong Kong Island.

Deng Kuan wedged himself into the corner, facing the sea, smoking a cigarette.

Beside him stood a produce vendor in his thirties holding a shoulder pole, with two bamboo baskets filled with fresh fruits and vegetables behind him. Clearly, this man was a vegetable seller.

After listening to the produce vendor, Deng Kuan frowned slightly, "How could it possibly be him?"

"How could it not be?"

Deng Kuan prided himself on knowing Long Jing quite well, "My gut says it’s not him. He doesn’t have that kind of guts."

The produce vendor asked, "Besides intuition, do you have any other evidence?"

The news caught Deng Kuan off guard, and he indeed had no evidence at hand. "Long Jing has told me many stories about his childhood. He’s from Zheng County in the Central Plains region, with many habits of people from that area. He loves noodles, lamb, is afraid of the fishy smell of seafood, and doesn’t eat sweets. But Eagle is from Jiangsu, and his taste should be more Jiangsu-Zhejiang style, preferring sweet foods."

"These could all be faked or altered," the produce vendor said, muffling his words with his hand, making it impossible for outsiders to see him speaking.

Deng Kuan still didn't quite believe it: "I've worked with Long Jing for many years, and he doesn’t have the fierceness that Eagle should have. His eyes are... unremarkable. Could his acting really be that good?"

The produce vendor said, "Now he’s the prime suspect. Keep a closer eye on him, and once you’ve identified him, don’t make any hasty moves. The organization wants to dig out the three major branches under Eagle through him."

Deng Kuan took a drag of his cigarette: "Got it. I’ll focus on him next."

The produce vendor warned, "Watch your back. If Long Jing really is Eagle, you might already be compromised. He hasn’t acted against you, possibly because, like us, he wants to dig out our people through you. We’ll need to be extra cautious when we meet in the future."

"Understood. You watch your back too." Deng Kuan stamped out his cigarette butt and squeezed through the crowd in another direction.

It was time to disembark.

After getting off the ferry, the produce vendor carried his load of fruits and vegetables to the parking lot outside, finally stopping at a beat-up truck. He loaded the two bamboo baskets onto the truck and then drove to Yunping Mountain to deliver the goods.

Entering the Zhao family garden at No. 5 Yunping Mountain, he dropped off the produce in the kitchen. Once the chef checked them over, he took the receipt and went with a servant to the small villa to find Ms. Guan to collect the payment.

Ten minutes later, the produce vendor left, and Ms. Guan went upstairs to find Zhao Zhiao.

Zhao Zhiao had just finished bathing and was playing chess with Lin Yufan in the living room. Ms. Guan came in and filled him in on the details.

"Yang Liu conveyed Thorn's opinion. Thorn doesn’t think Long Jing fits the profile of Eagle. He said Eagle is from Jiangsu, while Long Jing's tastes and other aspects are more like someone from the Central Plains. He also said Long Jing's eyes are too mediocre, lacking fierceness."

Zhao Zhiao was not familiar with Long Jing and didn't know much about him. This person was previously unknown and suddenly jumped into their sight, so caution was indeed necessary.

He said, "I’ve already arranged for someone to keep tabs on Long Jing. We’ll keep tabs on him for a week to see if there's anything suspicious about his movements."

Ms. Guan nodded: "Long Jing shares an office with Thorn. If Long Jing needs to make an external call, he might use their office phone. Yang Liu has asked Thorn to plant a bug in their office phone."

Zhao Zhiao said, "Tell Thorn to stay sharp and avoid detection. Whether Long Jing is Eagle or not, one thing is certain: Long Jing knows a lot. How does he know? He’s definitely more than just a low-level operative. Keeping tabs on him is the right move."

The latest issue of Fenghua Magazine published a novella titled "Waiting" by a new author, Fan Yi.

*

The end of the novel was personally reviewed by Chui Zhu. Once published, it made waves in certain circles.

Because it wasn't just Chui Zhu who liked this article, but also many literary writers.

Everyone was hooked by this razor-sharp writing style with a hint of cold humor. For several days, people wrote reading reviews of "Waiting" in different newspapers and magazines.

Some even praised Fenghua Magazine as the best soil for cultivating writers in Hong Kong.

After reading these reports, Lin Yufan put the newspaper aside and went back to snacking on walnuts.

She skipped work today, spending half the day writing and the other half playing mahjong at home.

Around six, He Xiaoqing came over after work to personally deliver a letter to her.

"This is from Chui Zhu, addressed to the great writer Fan Yi. Please sign for it," He Xiaoqing said with a mischievous grin.

Lin Yufan opened the letter and saw that Chui Zhu wanted to commission her for a piece.

However, the editor-in-chief Chui Zhu probably thought Fan Yi was a new writer, so the payment offered was very low.

It was like those bosses who shower you with praise, calling you excellent and talented, but then lowball you with a pitiful salary.

He Xiaoqing leaned in to look and couldn't help but complain, "Is old man Chui Zhu out of his mind? He still expects you to write for him. Sis Fan, when are you going to put him in his place and make him admit defeat?"

Lin Yufan wasn’t rushing to humiliate him; this might be an opportunity to bring Splendor down for good.

"Give me a minute. I’ll write him a reply, and we’ll mail it from near your place."

He Xiaoqing was slightly displeased, "Why bother replying to him at all?"

Lin Yufan said, "If I humiliate him now, it’ll just be a minor embarrassment for him. I don’t just want him embarrassed; I want him to pay dearly."

He Xiaoqing's eyes widened with excitement, "Sis Fan, when you talk like that, it gets me fired up. How do you want him to pay the price?"

Gui Xiang was also listening with curiosity; she just wanted that so-called cultured editor-in-chief Chui Zhu to fall flat on his face!

Lin Yufan gently poked Xiao Qing's forehead, "Some secrets are best kept hidden."

"Eh!"

“Don’t ‘eh’ me—I’m your sister,” Lin Yufan laughed as she got up and went into the room to write her reply.

She replied to Chui Zhu, thanking him for his appreciation and explaining that she writes slowly, finds serializing a novel stressful, and can only work on it piece by piece. If Editor-in-chief Chui Zhu could accept this method, she would consider collaborating.

He Xiaoqing read her reply and was quite worried, "Aren’t you worried you’ll end up helping Splendor beat Panorama?"

Lin Yufan shook her head, "Do I have that kind of influence? Besides, the magazine market is big enough for both Splendor and Panorama. If Splendor hadn’t been gunning for us, we wouldn’t have had to fight back."

"True."

A few days later, Chui Zhu agreed to Lin Yufan’s terms of serializing the manuscript as she wrote it. He wanted to meet Fan Yi in person to discuss details, but Lin Yufan politely declined, citing health reasons, and agreed to communicate only through letters.

A week later, the first chapter of Fan Yi's novel "The Peacock Flies Southwest" was delivered to Mrs. Muir.

After reading it, Mrs. Muir couldn’t help but praise, "The writing is truly unique, and the storytelling is unlike anything I’ve seen before."

Chui Zhu was quite proud, "Exactly. I don’t misjudge articles or authors. As soon as I read an article, I can tell if the author has depth and storytelling talent."

Mrs. Muir didn’t want to hear him boast, "If Fan Yi’s a good fit, we can promote him."

"He’s probably housebound and relies on writing for income. It’s clear he’s thrilled to work with us, and we’re paying him half what other writers earn."

Chui Zhu was practically calling him ‘cheap and easy to use.’

Mrs. Muir raised an eyebrow slightly, a rare compliment, "Good job! We need to nurture him and make him work for us. With Panorama gaining so much ground, if we don’t adapt, we’ll lose our top spot in Hong Kong’s literary magazine scene."

Chui Zhu promised to make good use of this Fan Yi and continue to work hard to discover other new authors.

"This is the way forward—constantly finding and nurturing new talent to overshadow those overpriced, high-maintenance, and unreliable so-called famous writers!" Finally, Mrs. Muir didn’t forget to flatter Chui Zhu, "I have high hopes for you, Chui Zhu."

Chui Zhu was over the moon, feeling like he was walking on air.

After Chui Zhu left, Mrs. Muir went back to reviewing last month's financial statements. She immediately picked up the phone, "George, get the finance manager to see me immediately."

A few minutes later, the finance manager knocked and entered, "Mrs. Muir, you asked for me?"

"What’s going on with this thirty thousand Hong Kong dollars?"

The finance manager had a rough idea of what Mrs. Muir was going to ask when he came. He was quite troubled, "Mr. Muir withdrew it. He said it was for cash flow and promised to cover the gap before the chairman reviews the accounts next month."

Thirty thousand Hong Kong dollars was a huge amount, and he took it without even telling her. Her husband must have gone gambling again.

Mrs. Muir was seething with anger but had no outlet for it. She was in charge of management, but her husband was the general manager of Muir Media. He could move money without her consent.

She had no choice but to turn a blind eye. If things escalated, her father-in-law would step in.

*

Zhao Lixiang had two spinal repair surgeries. They weren’t entirely successful, but there was still hope for improvement.

As his wounds healed, he began rehabilitation training.

Rehabilitation training was grueling and required enduring pain for extended periods, demanding immense willpower.

Zhao Lixiang had never experienced such hardship before. After venting his frustration a few times, he gritted his teeth and pushed through, thanks to Wang Junyao’s patient encouragement.

That day, Lin Yufan went for a prenatal checkup. Since Zhao Zhiao was tied up, Wang Junyao went with her.

After the checkup, the two women headed to the rehabilitation ward to see Zhao Lixiang.

As they walked, Wang Junyao said to Lin Yufan, "He’s been in better spirits lately. To sit up, he’ll have to endure some pain. Otherwise, Zhi Ao’s money would be wasted, and his suffering would be for nothing."

Lin Yufan was visibly pregnant and instinctively placed her hand on her belly while walking, wary of being bumped. She comforted, "Hard work pays off. He’ll definitely sit up."

"The Bodhisattva agrees. If only Mi Xian could give him a reading."

Lin Yufan knew her mother-in-law wanted her to find Mi Xian, "We don’t have Mi Xian’s address. She submitted her work without payment. We can’t find her even if we tried. Besides, she can predict, but she can’t heal. It’s pointless to ask her."

Wang Junyao was somewhat intimidated by Lin Yufan. Whenever Lin Yufan spoke firmly, she’d quickly back down, saying, "You’re right. I’m overthinking it."

When they reached Zhao Lixiang’s ward, two nurses were huddled at the door, peering in.

Wang Junyao panicked, fearing something was wrong.

She rushed over and peered inside—

She saw Zhao Lixiang gripping the bed rails, using his arm strength to support his waist as he slowly pulled himself up.

A nurse beside him kept cheering him on, "That’s it! See? I knew you could do it!"

Zhao Lixiang smiled.

Wang Junyao burst in, exclaiming, "Son, you’re sitting up! Look at you!"

Zhao Lixiang’s forehead was drenched in sweat. He smiled and nodded, slightly embarrassed as Lin Yufan entered.

Then, exhausted, he lay back down.

"Is this the new nurse?" Wang Junyao asked, glancing at the girl.

"Yes. Hello, ma’am, I’m Qian Zhenzhen, the new nurse in charge of Zhao Lixiang’s rehabilitation."

Lin Yufan looked at the person, so surprised she almost blurted out—how could it be her?

This was the girl she, Zhao Lixiang, and Sun Jingxi had encountered at a coffee shop in Haicheng—the girl they suspected of being a Communist.

Later, this girl had dealings with Zhao Zhiao at a pawnshop.

It was because of that chance encounter that Lin Yufan learned Zhao Zhiao’s identity was unusual.

Lin Yufan clearly remembered the girl’s name was Liang Yue. Did she change her name to Qian Zhenzhen to hide her identity?

However, the girl’s makeup was completely different from before. If Lin Yufan hadn’t been so sharp-eyed, recognizing a mole on her chin, she wouldn’t have been sure that the person in front of her was indeed Liang Yue.

Lin Yufan believed Zhao Lixiang hadn’t recognized Liang Yue, as he had only briefly met her once last year.

The identity of Qian Zhenzhen was likely arranged by Zhao Zhiao.

Qian Zhenzhen glanced at Lin Yufan, but Lin Yufan pretended not to recognize her, just smiling and thanking the nurse with Wang Junyao for her care.

*

Once the new batch of supplies was loaded at the dock, Wang Liu, Deng Kuan, and Longjing got into a jeep.

Wang Liu sighed, “Lately, the supply transfers have been going smoothly. I heard the Communists are too busy with the liberation war inland to bother with these. They’re liberating cities every few days. There’s a saying, something about ‘crushing’…”

Longjing twisted his neck, “I don’t get what you’re saying.”

Deng Kuan asked, “Is it ‘crushing the old and decaying’?”

Wang Liu: “Yes, yes, ‘crushing the old and decaying’! Maybe it’s not the perfect word, but you know what I mean.”

Deng Kuan asked them, “Has your hometown been liberated?”

Wang Liu sighed, “Just liberated. Communism, land redistribution—we’re poor, so it doesn’t make a difference.”

As he adjusted his gun holster, Deng Kuan casually asked Longjing, “Longjing, what about your hometown? What’s the situation there?”

Longjing replied without hesitation, “Our area was liberated last year.”

“Did your family get any land?”

Longjing smiled, “I don’t keep in touch with my family. My mom died early, and my stepmother never treated me well. I don’t bother contacting them. I heard from a fellow villager that not much has changed yet.”

Deng Kuan put away his gun holster, “You have fellow villagers here? I’ve never heard you mention that before.”

“Yeah, Brother Liu knows. When we first arrived last year, there was a Zheng County fellow villagers association. Somehow they found out about me and came over to ask me to join, scamming me out of 5 yuan.” As they passed a dirt road, dust billowed outside, and Longjing rolled up the car window.

Wang Liu, sitting in the front, cursed, “These damn fellow villagers associations, always scamming their own. Luckily, I’m broke, so they can’t scam me.”

Deng Kuan probed, “I’ve been to Zheng County once before. The spicy soup in Shicai Hutong is the best.”

Longjing corrected Deng Kuan with a smile, “Not Caishi Hutong, it’s Shicai Hutong. Many outsiders get the name wrong. The spicy soup there is indeed the most authentic. Too bad they don’t have it here in Hong Kong. Can’t have it even if I want to.”

After this line of questioning, Deng Kuan was even more convinced that Longjing was from Zheng County in the Central Plains, which should be quite different from Xiongying, who was from Jiangsu.

When they pulled up outside the Hong Kong office and got out of the car, as soon as they stepped through the gate, Xiao Wu, Wang Liu’s subordinate, rushed out.

“Brother Liu! Director Gao has returned.”

Wang Liu got nervous, “When?”

Xiao Wu: “This morning. He called you out during the meeting when you weren’t there.”

"Did he mention me?" Wang Liu’s legs turned to jelly.

When Director Gao was falsely accused of being a traitor, Wang Liu had provided testimony, as he was the first to discover that Director Gao had been shot in the back and had gone to the hospital.

He fretted, "I’m done for. Director Gao won't come back and make an example out of me, will he?"

Longjing comforted him, "I doubt it."

They rushed upstairs to the director’s office, where Director Gao sat in his usual spot, but he had changed drastically. He had shed a significant amount of weight, and there were white scars on his face from healed wounds.

It was clear he had endured harsh treatment in the Military Statistics Bureau.

"Director..." Wang Liu called out timidly, tears falling, "You’ve lost so much weight; it’s heartbreaking."

Deng Kuan eyed Wang Liu, a natural actor. To save his own skin, he could turn on the waterworks at will.

Originally, Director Gao had wanted to deal with Wang Liu first upon his return, but seeing his tears, he couldn’t help but curse, "Fake tears?!"

Wang Liu wildly gestured as he tried to explain, "No, Director, I genuinely care about you. Last time, Director Qiu suddenly questioned me, and I didn’t react in time, so I just told the truth. They already knew you’d gone to the hospital to have the bullet removed. I thought it was nothing, but I didn’t think it would blow up like this."

Director Gao knew that whether Wang Liu told the truth or not wouldn’t affect Director Qiu's punishment of him.

He eyed the three newcomers and said softly, "Shut the door."

Longjing, who was standing at the back, quickly ran over to close the door.

"I’m back to catch the traitor who set me up and make them pay—a thousand cuts!" As Director Gao said the last four words, his eyes scanned each of their faces.

Wang Liu gulped nervously, while Deng Kuan remained calm, and Longjing appeared completely bewildered.

Wang Liu quickly shifted the blame, "Director, Xiao Zepeng and Dong Yushan need to be looked into. When Director Qiu first came from Guangzhou, where did he get his information? Wasn’t it all from Xiao Zepeng? I don’t know if they’re traitors, but they’re definitely silencing opposition! Now that Director Qiu has fallen, shouldn’t we deal with Xiao Zepeng?"

Director Gao continued to stare at them without speaking.

Wang Liu added, "And that Dong Yushan, he was the one who transferred half of the guards protecting Zhong Dinghui, the head of the Beiping Bank, giving the communists the opportunity to strike, right?"

Director Gao scoffed, "Why do you three look so shady to me?"

The three of them, standing in a row, looked at each other. Deng Kuan innocently explained, "Director, we’re loyal to the core. We’re your people, the ones you brought from Nanjing."

Director Gao scoffed, "Your team has only been with me in name for years. The old members have left or scattered, and you all joined gradually. Even Cui Yuan—when I think about it, are there any old comrades left who followed me from the beginning? None!"

No one dared to speak.

Mentioning Cui Yuan, Director Gao suddenly changed the topic, "Has Cui Yuan been released from prison?"

The three of them weren’t sure how to respond.

Was Director Gao planning to deal with Cui Yuan?

"I'm asking you!" Director Gao raised his voice.

Wang Liu could only answer truthfully, "He’s been out for a while."

"Where is he now?"

"Out there, scraping by."

"Go find him and bring him here."

Deng Kuan interceded, "Director Gao, since Captain Cui was dismissed, he’s been trying to start over, and it hasn’t been easy for him..."

Director Gao clearly didn't want to hear it. He insisted, "I told you to find him and bring him here!"

*

At noon, Lin Yufan was taking a nap in her bedroom. As she was waking up, she vaguely felt something moving on her chest.

She opened her eyes and saw him eating happily.

She ran her fingers through his hair and teased, "Did you skip lunch?"

"Food is necessary, and so is this."

He kept track—once a week—and today was the seventh day.

He had plans for the evening, but he wasn’t about to skip this.

Lin Yufan chuckled, "You can’t even wait a day?"

"Other things can wait, but not us." He captured her lips, and they lay on their sides kissing, the sound of their kisses mingling with soft, wet smacks.

He hadn’t been home last night, and she wanted to ask him about Qian Zhenzhen, but he didn’t give her a chance to speak.

He positioned her carefully, and over the past two months, he’d learned the best way to do it.

If not from behind, then from the front, keeping a distance from her belly, he had to angle himself at ninety degrees. She lay down while he stood up, and during the heat of the moment, he watched intently, observing the sticky mess he was making.

This was his favorite spot to observe, and he could watch it with great patience.

The thick, milky substance reminded him of his favorite ginger milk dessert, with a scent that was intoxicating.