TYSUF – Chapter 64 Vast Old Rivers and Mountains (2)

Tan Qingxiang cooked for everyone, sending the others to eat in the living room, leaving himself alone in the kitchen. He looked out through the glass at the neighbor’s grapevine and took a bite of stir-fried rice cakes.

Faint fragments of old dreams flickered across the glass like silent film scenes.

“Sir, may I ask your surname?”

“…Tan.”

“Mr. Tan, hello. I’m Xiao Su San.”

“I know, I know.”

“Sir, would you like to enjoy some wine and listen to music first, or… undress and go to bed?”

What had he answered back then? Tan Qingxiang himself couldn’t recall.

She was called “Xiao Su San” and lived in the Shihuaguan where Su San once resided, excelling at performing Yutang Chun. Tan Qingxiang didn’t know much about opera, but he had heard this play repeatedly—it told the story of a famous courtesan and a nobleman’s son who met, got to know each other, endured hardships, and ultimately became devoted companions.

And he, Tan Qingxiang, was supposed to be just a spectator.

Tan Qingxiang took another bite of rice cake.

Suddenly, the reflection of Zhou Lixun appeared on the glass.

He thought he was seeing things until a knock came at the door, prompting him to open it. “Why are you back again?”

Zhou Lixun raised the telegram in his hand. “Great news! Tongwen?”

“He’s on the second floor.”

“Then let’s go up and talk.” Zhou Lixun had stayed here before and moved upstairs confidently.

Tan Qingxiang followed behind him. “You’re not very polite, rushing straight up like that?”

“Polite? There’s no time for that,” Zhou Lixun laughed over his shoulder.

By the time he said that, they were already on the second floor.

The bedroom door happened to be open.

Fu Tongwen had just asked Wan An to brew some tea and hadn’t yet closed the door when Zhou Lixun barged in, ignoring everything else, handing over the telegram and its translation. “Quick, take a look.”

Fu Tongwen took it and heard Zhou Lixun say, “The victorious nations are holding a conference in Paris! They’ve invited China to participate!”

Years of planning—sending a large number of workers to European battlefields, even preparing troops for deployment—had all been for this one purpose: to have a voice on the international stage, to reclaim Shandong…

Unexpectedly, the good news arrived tonight, like a sudden gift from heaven.

Fu Tongwen felt as if he were in a dream, frozen for a few seconds, before eagerly opening the translated telegram.

Several telegrams had been sent today.

Zhou Lixun poured himself a cup of tea, tilted his head back, and laughed without stopping.

Seeing that the translated telegrams were dated in January, Fu Tongwen immediately asked, “When do we depart? If the conference is in January next year, we’ll miss it if we don’t leave soon.”

Zhou Lixun replied, “Immediately! Everything must be ready within ten days; we leave immediately!”

“From where?” Fu Tongwen asked anxiously. “There aren’t enough ships on the Eurasian route; have you considered that?”

“Tongwen, rest assured,” Zhou Lixun laughed heartily and found the third translated telegram for him. “The route is here. We’re not taking the Eurasian route. For safety, this time we’ll go from Shanhaiguan, through the Northeast, Korea, to Japan, then cross the Pacific from Yokohama to San Francisco, New York, and finally across the Atlantic to Paris.”

Shen Xi mentally mapped out the route. It was a detour but the safest one.

As Fu Tongwen said, the Eurasian route had too few ships. Waiting for a schedule would only cause delays.

Soon, Zhou Lixun went through the arrangements for traveling to Paris. The delegation had over fifty people, and Zhou Lixun was among them. Fu Tongwen was invited as a “non-delegation member” to accompany them.

“Tongwen, you have two choices: join the delegation, or wait in Shanghai for a ship to Paris. The first option is arduous, and I worry about your health; the second might make you miss the conference…” Zhou Lixun hesitated. “It’s up to you.”

“I’ll go north with you, to Paris together,” he decided without hesitation.

“Good. I’ll get ready. You hurry too. My train leaves tomorrow night; if you arrange tickets early in the morning, it’s still on time. We’ll meet tomorrow night at the station!”

Zhou Lixun finished speaking and rushed downstairs, talking to himself the whole way.

He came and went in a rush, not treating himself like a guest at all.

Though Zhou Lixun was gone, he had ignited the entire apartment. Lights that had been off were turned back on. Tan Qingxiang directed everyone to pack. Time was tight, the journey long, and the entourage large.

Tan Qingxiang and Wan An were running around like their pants were on fire, upstairs and downstairs, shouting instructions.

Shen Xi had just opened the wardrobe when Fu Tongwen stopped her.

“Going out with Third Brother?”

“Where to?” she asked, turning back. “If we run around again, there won’t be enough time to pack.”

“To the hospital,” he said with a smile. “I need to see Xiao Wu immediately; it’s important.”

Shen Xi glanced at the grandfather clock. “Then we should hurry. It’s almost time for the ward to quiet down for the night.”

They didn’t waste a moment and headed straight for the hospital.

By the time they reached the inpatient ward, it was already nine in the evening. Shen Xi could vaguely hear the nurses laughing from the first floor; by the second-floor ward area, the laughter was clearer, coming from the room of Young Master Wu.

She remembered something and whispered to him, “I think I heard someone say there’s a young nurse at the hospital who really likes Tong Lin.”

Fu Tongwen didn’t seem to mind. “Only one? That’s nothing compared to me and Tongcheng.”

She muttered, “Bragging… fake charm.”

He smiled in response. “Oh? So I can be called ‘falsely charming’ too? That’s new.”

Shen Xi laughed to herself, ignoring him.

When they reached the ward door, she saw Young Master Wu sitting on the bed, holding a half-peeled mandarin. Each of the five nurses gathered around the bed had a peeled mandarin in hand, leaving only one quiet nurse standing behind, empty-handed.

“Third Brother, Sister-in-law,” Young Master Wu said in surprise upon seeing them.

“Why are you peeling mandarins?” Shen Xi asked with a smile. “Is it one for each person?”

“It’s my way of thanking everyone for taking care of me,” Young Master Wu explained. “Since they are all young ladies, of course I have to peel them.”

“I see,” Shen Xi said, quietly searching for the rumored nurse who liked Young Master Wu.

She quickly spotted the quietest one.

All the nurses politely called out “Dr. Shen,” then nervously left the ward one after another. In the end, the young girl hesitated, glanced at the unpeeled mandarin in Young Master Wu’s hand, and reluctantly followed the others out.

“Wait, this is for you.” Young Master Wu suddenly grabbed her hand and pressed the mandarin into it.

The girl’s face flushed red. She wanted to say thank you but was too nervous to speak. In the end, she made a deep bow in haste and ran out.

Young Master Wu hadn’t expected that peeling a mandarin could earn such a grand reaction. He laughed awkwardly.

“Third Brother, coming so late—was there something urgent?” Young Master Wu asked, not dwelling on the young nurse, and turned to Fu Tongwen.

Fu Tongwen took off his coat and draped it over the chair. Seeing Shen Xi lock the ward door, he finally spoke. “I originally intended to wait until your discharge to find a suitable time to talk. But since things changed today, I have no choice but to ask your thoughts now.”

“You can just ask, Third Brother. No need to pick a special time.” Young Master Wu straightened up, speaking seriously.

“Then listen carefully. Third Brother is going to ask.”

Fu Tongwen paused. Shen Xi sat on another empty bed, waiting for him to speak.

On the way there, she had calculated the time needed for travel to and from Paris—roughly six months away from the country—so she naturally assumed Fu Tongwen had come to the hospital to say goodbye and to arrange Young Master Wu’s life for the next half-year… but now, it seemed otherwise.

It wasn’t just Shen Xi; Young Master Wu was also at a loss.

Both of them waited for Fu Tongwen to reveal the matter.

Fu Tongwen, however, wasn’t in a hurry. He smiled, studying his younger brother for a long moment before asking, “Tong Lin, do you have any thoughts about your future life?”

“Future?” Young Master Wu echoed the words, his smile fading. “Though full of ambition, I can only resign myself. Third Brother, even if you hadn’t asked, I would have already thought about it…”

Fu Tongwen let him continue.

Young Master Wu reached for the last mandarin on the table and instinctively began peeling it. “So many things to consider…” He shook his head. “No, I should say, I have no idea where to start.”

Fu Tongwen nodded. “Since you have no idea, why not hear Third Brother’s thoughts?”

“Alright, Third Brother, go ahead.”

He said, “I want to arrange for you to go to England, to study diplomacy.”

“Diplomacy? But I—” Young Master Wu looked at his legs.

“Listen to me first,” Fu Tongwen continued. “With your current condition, it would be difficult to serve as an envoy at first, but you can start at the Chinese embassy. Tong Lin, you have military experience and loyalty to the country, which is a primary requirement for diplomacy. And your foreign language skills, taught by me, are on par with those who studied abroad. I believe you can handle embassy work.”

Young Master Wu had never considered this path. As Fu Tongwen spoke, he began to take it seriously.

“My language skills are fine,” Young Master Wu pondered. “But I don’t understand diplomacy. Sister Youwei also said that diplomacy isn’t something learned overnight; diplomatic talent can’t be formed instantly.”

Fu Tongwen laughed. “Did you think I’d just send you to the embassy? Of course not. I intend to take you to Paris and leave you with Miss Gu, so she can teach you. She has enough experience in diplomacy to guide you.”

He continued, “The Gu family has a prominent reputation in diplomacy. Miss Gu’s husband is also in diplomacy. They urgently need someone well-born and trustworthy in Europe to assist them. You fit their expectations perfectly.”

He added, “One more important point: the Gu family wants to collaborate with me. They need my resources and connections to support their European ventures. So, from both personal and strategic interests, Miss Gu and her husband would gladly help you. Tong Lin, are you willing?”

Fu Tonglin listened, heart racing, his eyes sparkling.

“Excited?” Fu Tongwen smiled slightly.

“Yes… excited. But I’m afraid of disappointing you.”

“Afraid of what?” Fu Tongwen asked. “Someone who dares to face the battlefield is afraid of dealing with foreigners?”

Having been to military school and survived a battlefield once, Fu Tonglin’s fighting spirit was easily ignited by his words. He shook his head, smiling. “I misspoke.”

“It’s just that, in diplomatic matters, marriage is quite important.”

“But following Third Brother’s arrangements,” the Fifth Master—himself of noble birth—could hardly not understand, “if Third Brother thinks it’s necessary, then I’ll marry.”

Fu Tongwen let out a reflective smile. “Do you have a girl in your heart already? Tell Third Brother first.”

The Fifth Master was caught off guard, and for a rare moment, showed a long-missing shy smile. “I went to military school and then the battlefield. Where would I have had the chance to meet any girls? None at all.”

Fu Tongwen nodded. “Good.”

He stood up. “Get some rest. Tomorrow I’ll have someone come to pick you up.”

“Tomorrow?” the Fifth Master asked in surprise.

“What else?” he smiled. “I came here late at night because your sister-in-law and I are going to Paris. It’s best if we bring you along. That way, I can personally hand you over to the Gu family, and we can meet Qinghe in France too.”

“Yes, Paris, Qinghe,” the Fifth Master said happily. “Now that Third Brother mentions it, I want to leave tonight.”

The two brothers shared a smile.

Fu Tongwen was a decisive, swift man, and the Fifth Master was not one to dawdle.

In the shortest time possible, they settled the matter of going to Paris.

Before leaving the hospital, Shen Xi went to the duty room to see the head nurse, asking her to help arrange Fu Tongwen’s discharge the next day. Coincidentally, the nurse who had a crush on the Fifth Master was also there. Hearing the news, her face paled for a moment.

Shen Xi noticed, too, the peeled mandarin oranges left on the duty room table, each segment intact.

They must have been left by the young nurse, unwilling to eat them herself, keeping them there as company during her shift.

Back at the apartment, Shen Xi spent the entire night tidying up.

Before dawn, she completely collapsed on the sofa, turning over and falling asleep immediately.

The next day at the hospital, one of them went to handle the handover, while the other went to pick up the Fifth Master.

During the summer, Shen Xi had already submitted her resignation and prepared to return to work in Beijing with Fu Tongwen, so there were no important patients at the hospital and little work to hand over. After finishing business with her colleagues, she called Duan Menghe from her office to say a proper goodbye.

Unexpectedly, shortly after the call ended, Duan Menghe appeared at her office door, coming to see her off in person.

“After so many years of working together, is a farewell over the phone too cold?” Duan Menghe asked with a smile. “Are you really not planning to come back?”

“After Paris, at least half a year. I’m planning to go straight to work in Beijing.”

He nodded. “That works.”

Shen Xi said sincerely, “Thank you, Vice President Duan.”

Duan Menghe looked at her, still responding with a joke. “My senior has stepped down again, so now I think… Fu Tongwen really is a good man,” he handed her two newspapers, “once you return, hold a proper wedding.”

Shen Xi took the newspapers and saw several editorials circled with a pen, all about Fu Tongwen.

In less than a year, he had gone from a black-hearted businessman and traitor criticized by all, to a patriot praised by thousands, a resilient pillar of the nation…

Shen Xi had read a lot of these commentaries recently and had even shown them to Fu Tongwen. What impressed her most about him was this: whether people scolded him or praised him, he would simply smile and watch. All the criticisms and accolades of the writers had nothing to do with him.

“At first, I was blinded by my own perspective. Apologize to him for me,” Duan Menghe said before she left.

Shen Xi agreed, locked the office, and handed Duan Menghe the key. “Goodbye.”

“Goodbye.”

Though Fu Tongwen didn’t care about these things, she was still happy hearing others praise him face to face.

So Shen Xi, carrying the two newspapers, ran downstairs in a cheerful mood and saw the Fifth Master and Fu Tongwen standing side by side outside the main entrance, waiting for her. The Fifth Master wore a brand-new suit, his prosthetic leg hidden beneath the trousers. Accustomed to military uniforms, he was stiff in a suit, hands awkward whether in pockets or at his sides.

In contrast, Fu Tongwen stood with his hands behind his back, clasped together, completely at ease.

Previously, Fu Tongwen alone had come to pick her up from work—it was a common scene at the hospital. Today, with the handsome Fifth Master by his side, all the patients forgot about registration and stared at the hospital’s simple main entrance.

Shen Xi hid the newspapers behind her back and approached.

“What’s that? Smiling so happily?” Fu Tongwen looked at her and behind her. “A check? Has the Duan family finally admitted your medical skills and wants to buy you to stay?”

She shook her head with a smile. “All you see is money.”

“Third Brother is a businessman, of course he likes real gold and silver,” he said, not in a hurry, waiting for her to reveal the answer, while teasing the Duan family son, “I’m afraid that no matter whether he tries to keep you with money or with people, he’ll lose.”

Shen Xi handed him the newspapers. “He wants me to apologize to you on his behalf. For all the past misunderstandings, Fu Third Master.”

Without even looking, he passed the newspaper to the Fifth Master.

“No need for apologies,” he crooked his fingers and tapped her nose, then laughed. “Admitting defeat is enough.”