For the next two days, the city continued as usual. The radio reported on the war situation, and various fundraising activities were organized outside.

He Feng didn’t appear again, but every night a black shadow would often appear downstairs at the qipao shop, sometimes flashing by quickly, sometimes lingering for a moment.

Xie Chi knew it was He Feng.

So every night she went to the balcony to bring in the flowers. If she didn’t see him, she would move the flowers out again and bring them in once more.

Yesterday, the constitutional special agencies executed nine traitorous spies.

This morning, a Japanese man and two Chinese died at the clock shop on Taiping Road.

Two of them were again killed by chopsticks through the throat.

Xie Chi also knew it was He Feng’s doing.

From the moment the first chopstick murder case occurred, she immediately thought of He Feng, remembering how in the mountain stronghold long ago, to show off his skills, he went to the kitchen and took out a handful of chopsticks, sharpened each one, and arrogantly said to her: “See that? As long as you’re accurate and have enough force, anything can become a weapon.”

The first one killed the gray rabbit she had raised for a long time.

They even had a fight over it.

The memory was vivid, as if it happened just yesterday, but in fact over two thousand days and nights had passed.

What Xie Chi couldn’t understand was why He Feng didn’t come to find her.

According to his usual style, he shouldn’t be keeping such a low profile.

…

Xie Chi rushed to make qipaos all morning. Near mealtime, Xue Dingqing came, bringing some food with him.

Looking at the neatly arranged slices of duck, she thought of He Feng’s knife wound and couldn’t eat at all. She picked up two pieces of pastry to be polite and just said “I’m not hungry.”

Xue Dingqing couldn’t very well eat alone, so he wrapped up the duck again and placed it on the counter for her to eat later when she got hungry. He wiped his hands clean and stood behind Xie Chi, watching her embroider.

Xie Chi looked up at him, “Something you want to say?”

Xue Dingqing clasped his hands behind his back. He did indeed have something to say, “I’m going back to Wuxi tomorrow, on the morning train.”

“Oh, go back then.”

“Do you have any message for your fourth brother?”

Xie Chi was stunned for a moment. She and Xie Chi hadn’t been in contact for over six years. Although she returned to Wuxi every year to burn paper money for Xie Zhaoting and Zhang Yuwan, often passing by the Xie family home, she had never gone in. She didn’t want to cause trouble and wasn’t sure if others wanted to see her. She and Fourth Brother had never had deep sibling affection to begin with, and after so many years apart they had grown even more distant. If they really met face to face with nothing to say, it would be even more awkward.

Seeing her spacing out, Xue Dingqing waved his hand in front of her, “What are you thinking about?”

Xie Chi snapped back to attention and said lightly, “Nothing in particular to say. If you see them, you could send regards on my behalf. Thank you for the trouble.”

“By the way, Xie Chi has a child now. My father mentioned it casually when I called him the other day.”

“Really?” Xie Chi felt a rare joy in her heart, “A boy or girl?”

“A daughter, just two months old.”

“She probably looks like Fourth Brother, definitely beautiful.”

“The Xie family daughters are each more lovely than the last, and the younger generation too—” Xue Dingqing stopped, realizing he had probably said the wrong thing, and quickly changed his words, “Would you like to go back together to see?”

“No thanks.”

“Are you going to stay in Nanjing forever?”

“I might leave.” Xie Chi lowered her head and continued embroidering, “Actually it’s all the same. In wartime, nowhere is safe. Who knows where the Japanese shells will fall tomorrow.”

“I actually want to join the army, but my family absolutely refuses.”

“You’re an only son, Master Xue definitely can’t bear to let you go.”

“Not only that, they keep urging me to get married. I’m sure this time when I go back I’ll have to meet several young ladies again.” Xue Dingqing sighed, “With the Japanese invaders pressing in, what’s the point of thinking about continuing the family line? The country is almost gone.”

Xie Chi glanced at him hastily and selected new thread to thread her needle, “Meeting them wouldn’t be bad.”

Xue Dingqing’s gaze grew dim, and he hesitated as if wanting to say something, “If you leave Nanjing, where would you go?”

“I don’t know yet. I might not leave either – moving around is troublesome. I’ve moved enough over the years.”

Xue Dingqing watched her deftly holding the fine needle, threading it line by line, “Wherever you go, be sure to tell me.”

Xie Chi was silent for a long while before making an “mm” sound.

“I keep hearing about assassinations lately, don’t know who’s doing it. The rumors are very mysterious. Be careful by yourself.”

“Alright.”

“I’ll be back in a few days and will bring you some hometown pastries.”

Xie Chi looked up and smiled politely at him, “Don’t trouble yourself.”

“It’s no trouble, just convenient.” Seeing she was busy with work, Xue Dingqing felt it inappropriate to disturb her, “Then I’ll head back.”

Xie Chi stood up to see him off.

“You’re busy, no need to see me out.”

“Alright.”

Just as Xue Dingqing walked out of the shop, Xie Chi called out to him, “Wait a moment.”

He stopped and watched Xie Chi go upstairs.

Soon, she came down with a small pouch and handed it to him, “This contains a bracelet I braided. Please help me give it to Fourth Brother’s child.”

Xue Dingqing took it, “Alright.”

Xie Chi stood at the door, watching him leave before going back inside.

…

Nanjing had entered the rainy season, and recently it had been both stuffy and humid. Yesterday there was continuous drizzle that lasted through the night until this morning. It had just stopped for half a day when heavy rain began pouring down again in the afternoon.

The bracelet in the pouch Xie Chi had Xue Dingqing take had a small golden gourd pendant, which an old customer had brought for her to weave. Now that she had given it to Fourth Brother, she needed to buy another one to make a new bracelet.

The rain kept falling.

There were no rickshaws nearby, so she had to walk farther with her umbrella, hoping to find one.

She had barely left the shop when a rickshaw stopped beside her.

She slightly lifted her umbrella brim and hastily glanced at the rickshaw puller through the fine curtain of rain, “Sir, are you taking passengers?”

The puller nodded.

Xie Chi folded her umbrella and got in the rickshaw, only then looking forward, her gaze falling on the puller’s back.

She stared at him blankly – wasn’t this He Feng?

She didn’t expose him, wanting to see what he was up to, “To the department store.”

The puller started the rickshaw and ran off lightly.

Had his wound healed?

It had only been three days, it couldn’t heal that quickly.

He wore a rain cape and hat, with a cloth wrapped around his face. Rainwater fell from the hat brim, seemingly unable to block the fierce incoming rain, and his collar was soaked through.

Xie Chi watched him the whole way, remaining silent until the rickshaw stopped at the department store entrance.

“Wait for me here, I’ll be right out.”

The puller kept his head down and didn’t respond.

Xie Chi bought the golden gourd and hurried out. He was really still waiting at the entrance.

Xie Chi pretended not to recognize him and politely said “Sorry to keep you waiting,” then got back in the rickshaw, “Let’s go back.”

He pulled the rickshaw and ran.

When they stopped at the shop entrance, Xie Chi took out money to give him, but he didn’t take it, keeping his head down the whole time.

Xie Chi tucked the money into his belt and turned to enter the shop.

The puller left with his rickshaw.

Xie Chi stood at the door watching him.

What was he doing?

Disguising himself?

Xie Chi was very puzzled. By nightfall, when the street lights came on, she came out to buy some food and again saw that rickshaw parked not far away by the roadside. The person was sitting in the rickshaw the whole time, with a knee showing outside.

The rain was still falling.

Xie Chi walked over with her umbrella. He Feng was smoking with his head down when he heard the sound of high heels in the distance. He glanced sideways and saw Xie Chi wearing a thin beige shawl, slowly walking toward him. With the cigarette between his lips, he grabbed the rickshaw handles and was about to leave.

“Hey.”

He stopped.

Xie Chi walked around to his front. Though clearly shorter than him, she adopted a condescending attitude, “Not being Japanese anymore, became a rickshaw puller?”

He Feng let go of the handles, stepped back, and sat in the rickshaw compartment, casually exhaling a puff of smoke, “You recognized me.”

“If I changed clothes, wore a hat, and covered my face, would you not recognize me?”

“I would.”

“Exactly.”

He Feng was unusually quiet, seeming somewhat unhappy.

Xie Chi took a step closer to him, “What are you doing sitting here?”

He Feng laughed contemptuously, “Waiting for your lover. I’ll stab him the moment he shows up.”

“Lover?” Xie Chi immediately understood – he must have seen Xue Dingqing. She deliberately asked, “You saw him?”

He Feng looked away, not meeting her gaze, “What did you give him?”

“A pouch.”

“A love token?”

Xie Chi looked at his displeased expression and continued teasing him, “That’s right.”

“He’s not good enough.”

“Why not?”

He Feng couldn’t think of a reason for a moment. He had followed that man all morning – his appearance, build, and work were all decent, seemingly without fault, which made him even more annoyed, “He’s a bit thin, lacks masculine vigor.”

“Then who has it? He doesn’t, Xiao Wangyun doesn’t, do you?”

He Feng didn’t answer.

“He’s the overseas student who almost got engaged to me back then.”

“Mm, it’s all my fault. Otherwise you’d have a house full of children and grandchildren by now.”

Xie Chi suppressed her amusement, speaking in a flat tone, “You’re not really going to stab him, are you?”

“What? Can’t bear to part with him?”

Xie Chi curved her lips and stepped onto his rickshaw.

“What are you doing?”

Xie Chi pushed him aside and sat down.

He Feng turned his face away and took a drag of his cigarette, silently looking at the empty street scene.

She snatched the cigarette from between his fingers and took a light puff. Thin wisps of smoke curled between them, “It’s raining hard and won’t stop anytime soon. Want to come up for a cup of tea?”

“No.”

“Fine, if you won’t come.”

Xie Chi returned the cigarette to him, opened her umbrella, got out of the rickshaw and started walking back. He Feng caught up, snatched the umbrella from her hand, “One cup would be fine.”

So the two walked into the shop side by side.

Xie Chi closed the door, and He Feng put away the umbrella.

One looked up, one looked down.

“Squatting outside my building every day – are you stalking me?”

“Mm.” He took off his hat and smoothed his half-wet hair, “Checking if you have any wild men. Just caught you red-handed.”

“The one who pulled me to the department store earlier was also you, wasn’t it?”

He Feng sullenly made an “mm” sound.

“Why didn’t you talk to me?”

“To see if you were meeting your lover.”

“What if I was?”

“Then I’d kill him, then kill you.” He Feng leaned weakly against the wall behind him, “Rape first, then murder.”

“He’s just a friend. That pouch contained a gift for my niece. He’s going back to Wuxi, so I asked him to take it.”

“Explaining so much – afraid I’ll misunderstand?”

“Mm.”

He Feng hadn’t expected her to admit it so frankly.

“What about you? Do you have any misunderstandings you need to explain to me?”

Under the overhead light, his slightly lowered eyelashes cast shadows over his dark, lustrous eyes that looked at her with calm composure, “I do.”

Xie Chi showed a faint smile. Those two words confirmed all her speculation. She felt there was no need to pursue the matter further and raised her hand to untie his rain cape, throwing it on the ground, “You got my floor wet. You’ll have to clean it up properly.”

“Alright.”

“Is the wound better?”

“Minor injury, healed long ago.”

“So quickly.”

“Good constitution.”

“You stole a box of my anti-inflammatory medicine.”

He Feng pulled a box from his pocket, “Didn’t finish it, returning it to you.”

Xie Chi took it and set it aside, covering it with a cloth.

A drop of water fell from his black hair and hit the ground.

The rain outside was falling even harder, pattering and splashing against the ground.

The two looked at each other calmly for a moment.

“What kind of tea? Jasmine? Longjing? Maojian? Or—”

Before she could finish, He Feng wrapped his arms around her waist, pulled her forward, and with his other hand cradling the back of her neck, kissed her with overwhelming intensity.

Xie Chi didn’t refuse. She closed her eyes, gripped his half-wet clothes tightly, and responded to this storm-like reunion.

…