Chapter 113: Return
Yes, Ma Xiwen was Butterfly Flower.
Choosing to disguise himself as a down-and-out gambling addict had been Ma Xiwen’s own proposal.
Both the Japanese intelligence services and the Party Affairs Investigation Department had analyzed Butterfly Flower’s possible identity, and the common conclusion was that this person must be a highly learned scholar.
Professors and teachers from the major schools and universities of Hangzhou were key subjects of investigation.
No one would connect Butterfly Flower, the compiler of the codebook, with a degenerate gambler, much less a degenerate gambler who had “driven his wife to death.”
Fang Jinghua looked at the grieving Ma Xiwen, and his own heart felt equally heavy.
Old Ma was a true intellectual, highly cultivated and profoundly knowledgeable. For the sake of revolutionary work and concealing his identity, he had sacrificed far too much.
“Zhong Guohao, twenty years old, native of Hangzhou’s Lower City District. Father Zhong Xiaoyi made his living by fishing. In the twenty-second year of the Republic, his fishing boat was rammed by a Japanese warship, and Zhong Xiaoyi was shot dead by Japanese sailors.”
“Mother, Madam Zhong, supports herself by mending clothes for neighbors.”
“Younger sister Zhong Xiaohua, eleven years old, currently a student at Fuhua Girls’ School.”
“Zhong Guohao joined the Special Service Office in the twenty-third year of the Republic...”
With a serious expression, Cheng Qianfan glanced at the somewhat nervous Haozai.
“Haozai.”
“Present, sir.”
“These past days, you’ve worked under me. I’ve seen your performance with my own eyes.”
Cheng Qianfan said.
“My principle has always been that merit deserves reward.”
“I’ve arranged two paths for you.”
“First, I can recommend you to Group Leader Wan Delong. Group Leader Wan is highly respected and exceptionally capable. Following him, you’ll naturally have a promising future.”
“Second, you can follow me...”
“Sir, Haozai will follow you.”
Haozai immediately replied.
“No rush.”
Cheng Qianfan waved his hand.
“I’ll be leaving Hangzhou this time. If you follow me, you’ll have to leave your hometown behind, and the danger will be far greater than staying in Hangzhou. You still have an elderly mother and a young sister. Think it through before giving me your answer.”
Haozai fell silent.
Cheng Qianfan was right.
He still had his elderly mother and younger sister.
He was the pillar supporting the entire family.
If he left Hangzhou, how would they survive?
Yet Haozai knew very well that this was an opportunity.
If given a choice, he longed to follow Officer Cheng.
Although the officer would recommend him to Group Leader Wan Delong, Haozai understood the situation clearly. Even with Officer Cheng’s recommendation, Group Leader Wan would not pay much attention to him.
He had already earned Officer Cheng’s favor.
Only by following Officer Cheng would he be making the best choice.
About two minutes later, Haozai gritted his teeth.
“Sir, Haozai still wishes to follow you.”
“What about your mother and sister?”
Cheng Qianfan asked.
“I’ve saved some money over the years. Leaving it for my mother and sister should be enough to support them for a while.”
Haozai looked at Cheng Qianfan.
“I want to follow you. Following a superior like you is my good fortune. And...”
“And what?”
“I can tell that you’re a man destined to accomplish great things. Following you, I’ll be able to kill more Japanese.”
Haozai said.
“Following me is dangerous. You could lose your life at any moment.”
“I’m not afraid.”
Haozai gritted his teeth.
“When I joined the Special Service Office, I never intended to cling to life. I only wanted to kill as many Japanese as possible.”
Cheng Qianfan looked deeply at Haozai.
This was precisely why he had considered taking Haozai back to Shanghai.
The young man was quick-witted and efficient, qualities Cheng Qianfan appreciated.
Moreover, Haozai had a blood-deep vendetta against the Japanese, making him relatively trustworthy.
“Good.”
Cheng Qianfan nodded.
“Tonight’s train. I’m giving you three hours. Go home and say goodbye to your mother and sister.”
As he spoke, Cheng Qianfan pulled out a thick stack of French currency notes.
“Take this. Two hundred French dollars.”
“Sir...”
Haozai stared blankly at the money.
“If I tell you to take it, then take it.”
Cheng Qianfan cursed.
“Now get lost. Time is short.”
Haozai accepted the money, his eyes reddening as he bowed deeply to Cheng Qianfan.
The countryside outside Hangzhou.
A newly built solitary grave stood in the desolate wilderness.
“Douzai, kneel.”
The woman wiped tears from the corners of her eyes and spoke to a boy of five or six.
Douzai obediently knelt.
“Bow.”
Douzai obediently kowtowed.
“Not enough. Again.”
Douzai obediently continued bowing.
The young child raised his head and saw his mother weeping.
“Mother, you’re crying?”
“Mother isn’t crying. Mother is happy. Your father has come home.”
“Father? Where’s Father?”
Douzai jumped to his feet happily and shouted.
“Father! Father!”
The woman pulled her son tightly into her arms.
“Stop shouting. Your father is sleeping.”
The child refused to listen. Struggling with all his strength, he shouted:
“Father! Father, stop sleeping! Douzai misses you!”
Not far away, Man Cang covered his face and wept uncontrollably.
Half a month earlier, he had found Sanni and the child.
Today he had come again, bringing “half” of Meng Qiang’s ashes.
The Party Affairs Investigation Department had severed Meng Qiang’s head and thrown it into the river, while his body had been discarded in a mass grave.
Only after waiting half a month had the organization secretly recovered Meng Qiang’s headless corpse and arranged for Man Cang to bring the ashes here for burial.
“Father! Father! Douzai misses you!”
The child’s voice drifted across the wilderness.
Light and faint though it was, it carried the weight of a thousand tons as it crashed into the hearts of the child’s mother and Man Cang.
The woman hugged the child tightly.
Man Cang pounded the ground with all his strength, gritting his teeth...
Hangzhou Railway Station.
The train, delayed for many hours, had finally arrived.
Haozai could not resist sneaking another glance at Cheng Qianfan.
Seeing Officer Cheng’s true face after he had “removed his disguise,” Haozai was stunned.
He simply could not connect the ordinary-looking, ruthless Officer Cheng Wufang with the handsome, elegant young gentleman standing before him now.
Beyond his astonishment, Haozai felt an even stronger determination to die for Cheng Qianfan if necessary.
The officer’s identity was extremely secret.
Now that he was willing to reveal his true appearance to him, what tremendous trust that represented!
His own life was worthless.
Since the officer trusted him, he would naturally protect the officer even at the cost of his own life.
A fine drizzle began to fall.
Cheng Qianfan brushed the raindrops from his suit. Before boarding the train, he cast one final look at the provincial capital city of his homeland.
“Boss, it’s time to board.”
Haozai spoke softly.
“Let’s go.”
Cheng Qianfan nodded and walked directly into a first-class compartment.
One day in early May of the twenty-fifth year of the Republic.
Fine rain drifted through the sky.
Patrol Officer Cheng Qianfan of the Central Police Station in the Shanghai French Concession concluded his month-long “official assignment” in Hangzhou and, carrying a letter left behind by a French businessman for Mr. Silva before his departure from China, hurried back to Shanghai overnight...
Number Fifteen Lafayette Lane, the home of Miss Ruth.
Having returned from dinner with Yingzuo Eiichi, the slightly intoxicated Keiko tossed her handbag onto the sofa and returned to her bedroom.
The maid silently tidied up after her.
“Keiko, Lord Yingzuo Eiichi...”
The maid pushed open the door and entered.
“Don’t mention that man to me!”
Keiko shrieked.
“Get out! Get out! Leave me alone!”
Bang!
The door slammed shut.
The beautiful woman shouted madly, crying and laughing at the same time.
After venting her emotions, she opened a drawer and took out a photograph hidden inside a book.
The photograph showed her standing beside a young man.
Both wore pure, innocent smiles on their faces.
Caressing the young man in the photograph, a faint smile appeared on the woman’s face.
“Hideya...” she murmured.