TYSUF – Chapter 65 Vast Old Rivers and Mountains (3)

They returned home from the hospital, rested briefly, and left the apartment at four in the afternoon.

At this hour, the men in the study room hadn’t come home from work, and the children hadn’t been dismissed from school. Only the women took advantage of the good sunlight to lay out quilts, pillows, and stored items like brown rice and Western-style biscuits to dry in the sun.

The alley was quiet. Mrs. Zhu was wiping the white-painted sliding door of her small restaurant with a cloth. She saw seven or eight men carrying boxes of luggage outside, glanced over, and recognized Shen Xi and Fu Tongwen.

“Little Shen… Mrs. Fu,” Mrs. Zhu called as she approached, “are you really leaving?”

“Yes, we’re heading north,” she replied.

“My husband was talking just a few days ago about inviting both of you to the small restaurant. I told him that Mr. Fu is an important figure, a key person in the business world, how could he possibly care about our small little shop? But now that you’re leaving… I’ll regret it—I should have invited you to visit.”

Mrs. Zhu turned toward the door, pointing inside. “You’ll come back to visit, right? When you do, I’ll cook a couple of small dishes for you. My skills aren’t bad.”

Shen Xi nodded. “There will be a chance to come again. Wishing you prosperous business.”

“It’s just a small shop, not really a business. Mr. Fu, your business will prosper in the future,” she replied.

Fu Tongwen didn’t know the Zhush couple well; all his goodwill came from Shen Xi’s descriptions. But even after only seeing them twice, they had treated Shen Xi kindly, naturally prompting a sense of gratitude.

While Shen Xi said goodbye, he called Wan An over and whispered a few words. Wan An immediately pulled out a red paper envelope he always kept and handed it to Fu Tongwen.

“A belated good-luck gift for your opening,” Fu Tongwen said with a smile, handing it to Mrs. Zhu.

“How can this be?” Mrs. Zhu refused. Her wet cloth accidentally brushed against Fu Tongwen’s hand, making her feel even more embarrassed. “I really can’t accept it.”

“We’re all in business; it’s just for good luck,” Fu Tongwen smiled.

With no other excuse, Mrs. Zhu accepted it.

Six cars waited at the entrance of the alley. Once the luggage was loaded, they split into two groups, sitting in the first two cars.

Shen Xi got into the car, still thinking about the red envelope. “How did Wan An even have this ready?”

Little Fifth Lord, in the front seat, turned back and asked, “Haven’t you seen it before? Third Brother was famous in Beijing for being generous with money.”

She shook her head. She had never seen it.

“You still remember, during New Year when we watched the opera, how Third Brother scattered money downstairs?”

“Now that you mention it, I do remember.”

He had his hands in his trouser pockets, leaning against a pillar under the red lanterns, smiling at how his sisters scattered handfuls of silver coins onto the stage and dirt ground. Such reckless behavior, yet somehow it never felt annoying.

“No wonder…”—truly unforgettable, especially to Miss Gu.

“All right,” Fu Tongwen suddenly said, “don’t reveal my flaws in front of your sister-in-law.”

“What flaw?” Little Fifth Lord protested.

“She said ‘no wonder,’ the second half is meant to make me jealous,” Fu Tongwen said. “Don’t believe me? Ask her yourself.”

Of course, she wouldn’t admit it.

“What I meant was… no wonder Third Master Fu has so many friends, generous and affluent.”

“Oh?” Fu Tongwen replied with a single word.

Shen Xi fell silent, no longer speaking.

Little Fifth Lord, realizing a bit late, sensed something off in the back seat and wisely shut his mouth.

“Third Master, we can go now,” the driver said through the rearview mirror, checking the five cars behind.

Fu Tongwen took out his pocket watch. The tiny pendulum swung lightly in his palm, ticking “tick-tock, tick-tock.” Two emerald peacocks embraced the porcelain-white dial, the hour hand pointing to 4:15.

The train would arrive at seven, so there was still plenty of time.

He put away his watch and instructed, “Let’s go to Huangpu Park first.”

“Are we going to see someone?” Shen Xi asked, puzzled.

He shook his head. “No one. Take Little Fifth to have a look.”

Seeing his insistence, she didn’t question further and took the fox fur off herself, covering both of their laps. Unlike the apartment, there was no charcoal heater in the car; she worried he might feel cold.

Their car was the lead vehicle, guiding the other five cars north toward the Bund.

Shen Xi, usually busy with hospital matters and not keen on leisure, had never been to a public garden in Shanghai. Her only impression of Huangpu Park was from two years ago, when she had observed the Bund from the Huizhong Hotel room.

The park was built along the river, with shrubs and tall trees, benches for resting, and fountains with bronze statues—all in Western style. At the time, a hotel attendant told her there was also a monument commemorating foreign generals, built by the Qing government to flatter foreigners.

Back then, she hadn’t been interested, nor had she paid much attention. Now, thinking carefully, she didn’t find the scenery particularly special—hardly worth a detour before leaving Shanghai.

The car slowed to a stop by the roadside. They had arrived.

“Third Brother won’t go down with you,” Fu Tongwen said to those in the front. “Go to the main entrance, find the park’s notice board, and take a close look.” He was clearly teasing.

Little Fifth Lord had been close to Fu Tongwen since childhood and knew his personality. He guessed Third Brother was playing a little guessing game, and with great interest, got out of the car alone. Habitually keeping his right hand on his thigh and using his cane for support, he walked steadily, not minding the occasional glance from passersby.

Shen Xi lifted the white gauze covering the car window and looked at Young Master Xiao Wu’s back. She noticed he was searching for a notice board, but was suddenly stopped by the gatekeeper. The two exchanged a few words, and Young Master Xiao Wu soon showed signs of displeasure.

“What’s wrong?”

Fu Tongwen didn’t answer.

It seemed Young Master Xiao Wu had persuaded the man at the gate. He stood in front of the iron gates, staring at the notice board. Shen Xi waited quietly.

A Southeast Asian Chinese couple passed behind him—a petite young wife leading a small olive-skinned girl. The child, full of curiosity, saw Young Master Xiao Wu standing in front of the gate and dashed behind him, peeking around.

Fu Tongwen suddenly turned his head and almost collided with the little girl. He nodded in apology and quickly stepped aside.

When he got back into the car, the man no longer had the enthusiasm he’d shown when he first got out. He crossed his cane in front of him and sat silently.

“Did you see it?” Fu Tongwen asked.

“Yes, I did,” he replied.

“Remember it?”

“I remember.”

Shen Xi was confused and couldn’t help but ask, “What riddle are you playing?” She turned to Young Master Xiao Wu. “Does your third brother like keeping secrets, or should I ask you directly? What did you see?”

“The Gardens are reserved for the Foreign Community,” Young Master Xiao Wu whispered. “The first line on the notice board.”

Ah… no wonder he had been stopped at the gate.

The park was open only to foreigners. That was what Fu Tongwen wanted him to see.

Having grown up in the Fu family, he was a well-known young master in Beijing. Even later at the military academy, he enjoyed the privileges of an aristocratic background. On the battlefield, he faced internal Chinese struggles—fighting between the Beiyang government and revolutionary factions.

He had never been to the concessions, had no overseas education, and never had a chance to interact with foreigners. When the Eight-Nation Alliance entered Beijing, he was still a child. When the “Twenty-One Demands” treaty was signed, though he had shouted “national humiliation” with his classmates at the military academy, his understanding of the concessions and foreigners never went beyond the surface.

Just now, he had been stopped at the gate.

On Chinese soil, at the entrance of a free public garden, he had been barred.

“After I arrived in Shanghai, I visited three parks—Huangpu, Hongkou, and Zhaofeng. At each public garden entrance, there was a notice board like this. This is today’s Shanghai,” Fu Tongwen said calmly as he looked at the gates of Huangpu Park. “Every Chinese man with pride in his blood should see this.”

“Third brother…” Young Master Xiao Wu wanted to speak but stopped himself—he understood.

“Let’s go,” Fu Tongwen said with a smile, his gaze sliding past the park gate. “To the train station.”

The car no longer lingered and drove toward the train station.

In the quiet, she slipped her hand under the fox fur. Fu Tongwen silently took her hand, rubbing it gently to keep her warm.

Shen Xi glanced at him secretly and, seeing a smile in his eyes, finally felt reassured.

Teaching Young Master Xiao Wu was not an issue, but the worst was spoiling his good mood.

By the time they reached the train station, the sky had completely darkened.

Outside, the sky was hazy and dusty.

The driver and the men unloaded the luggage, discussing how to divide the work.

In the past, whenever Fu Tongwen traveled far, he would charter an entire train. One of the many advantages was that the car could drive directly into the station to unload luggage onto the platform.

But today’s trip was arranged on short notice. They hadn’t chartered a train and had only bought first-class tickets for half a carriage. Handling luggage and waiting for the train was no different from ordinary passengers. In other words, they had to carry each suitcase themselves.

Everyone was about to split into two groups to move the luggage when Fu Tongwen suddenly pointed to a suitcase: “Except for Xiao Wu, the rest of you divide the luggage among yourselves and bring it all to the platform together.”

Shen Xi immediately grabbed her suitcase filled with books and followed his instructions.

“Third Master,” Wan An chased after him, trying to help with the luggage, “You should be careful with your health.”

“You saw it yourself—when Third Master studied abroad, he brought three suitcases, and he carried them all himself. Madam also did the same—she knows the hardships of studying abroad,” Fu Tongwen said, turning his head to Shen Xi, who was a step behind him.

“That’s right, Third Master isn’t lying,” Shen Xi said with a smile, linking her arm with Fu Tongwen’s. “Don’t think that everyone who studies abroad lives in luxury—they all endure hardships.”

Wan An wanted to stop them again, but by then, the two had already entered the station.

By six o’clock, the last train to Shanghai had departed, and no passengers were coming out. So at this moment, whether it was people carrying baskets, assisting the elderly and children, or young people with suitcases, everyone was heading in one direction—into the station. Shen Xi and Fu Tongwen went with the crowd, as if being pushed by a tide, and reached the platform.

There were many people and luggage, and together the sixteen suitcases piled into a small mound.

Every ten meters along the station’s wooden posts hung a lamp. In the darkness, the luggage pile cast a dark shadow, making it even more noticeable. Thanks to this pile, the latecomer Zhou Li Xun quickly found them.

He ran hurriedly, sweat on his forehead, took off his hat, and fanned himself, saying, “Almost didn’t make it.”

By the time he spoke, the train’s headlight already shone on his face.

He smiled. Fu Tongwen smiled. Tan Qingxiang smiled.

“Come on, get on the train.” Amid the surge of passengers boarding, Fu Tongwen took Shen Xi’s arm and stepped aboard.

They were among the first to board, so they had a wide choice of seats. Shen Xi looked around and finally chose a spot near the front of the train. It was a set for four, with four single leather armchairs arranged around a small coffee table.

The table was covered with a white tablecloth, topped with apricot-red glass bottles. Only after the train started moving did someone come to place two artificial flowers in each bottle.

Shen Xi flipped through the menu.

Young Master Xiao Wu sat opposite her, staring out the window after boarding. At first, he watched the platform, then the streets along the way, and finally, beyond the dense blackness outside, there was nothing to see. Slowly, he pulled out a small paper bag and opened it.

A red slip of paper was stuck to the paper bag, written with a brush: “Dried Tangerine Peel.”

“Do you want some, sister-in-law?” Young Fifth Master held it out to her.

“When did you buy this?” she asked curiously. Logically, he shouldn’t have had the time to go shopping.

“A nurse gave it to me, a young girl,” Young Fifth Master replied. “Third Brother got a pack in my hospital room as well.”

A nurse?

“Was she quiet, with a serious student-like demeanor?”

“Yes. Nurses in your hospital like to joke around, but she was the quiet type,” Young Fifth Master said as he ate the salted tangerine peel. “She said she had a brother in the army, so she felt a sense of closeness when she saw me.”

What a gullible little fool.

Shen Xi glanced at Fu Tongwen.

Fu Tongwen naturally guessed her thoughts but pretended not to understand. He even pulled out a pack of tangerine peel: “Young Fifth didn’t say anything, so I forgot. Why are you looking at me like that?” He smiled and placed the unopened bag on the low table. “If you want some, take it yourself.”

“I won’t eat it. Let Young Fifth enjoy it slowly,” she said, defending the little nurse.

Fu Tongwen smiled, tilting his chin slightly toward the car door, and got up first.

What is he doing? Shen Xi also left her seat.

She pushed open the carriage sliding door. Fu Tongwen was leaning there, looking at her with a smile.

Shen Xi turned around and closed the door.

“You’re blaming me just because someone gave Young Fifth a bag of tangerine peel?” he exposed her.

“I’m not blaming you… I just think you’re shameless,” Shen Xi said, speaking up for the little nurse. “She bought two packs. They were both obviously for Young Fifth. You snatched one—are you trying to cause trouble on purpose?”

He analyzed carefully: “If I hadn’t taken it first, Young Fifth wouldn’t have accepted anyone’s gift. Third Brother was just being considerate, but in your eyes, it turned into teasing.”

Then he sighed: “A perfectly loving couple, yet they suspect each other over someone else’s paper bag of tangerine peel…”

Immediately afterward, he laughed again: “It’s true, times are peaceful now—I’ve even learned to gossip.”

Shen Xi was about to retort.

Just then, the first-class carriage door opened, revealing a server carrying drinks. She hadn’t expected a couple to be having a private moment here. Surprised for a moment, she quickly pushed open the first-class carriage door, only to be intimidated by the two men protecting Fu Tongwen…

Fu Tongwen smiled apologetically, taking Shen Xi’s hand, but instead of returning, he led her into the first-class carriage.

Shen Xi didn’t know where he was going. Wearing high heels, her steps were hurried and unstable. “Where are we going?”

“To see the scenery,” he answered.

They went ahead, followed by four men. From first-class to second-class carriage, the aisle narrowed. Sofas and elegant seats were gone, replaced by bundles of bedding and luggage tied with rope, and crowded passengers.

Fu Tongwen hadn’t expected so many people in the rear carriage. He pulled Shen Xi in front of him, holding her close, inching toward the rear. This carriage was farthest from the coal-burning locomotive and had no heating. Yet because of the crowd, it was actually warmer than the front. At the rear, leaning against the carriage wall, six or seven chain-smoking men exuded a strong smell of smoke mixed with sweat.

Women and children kept their distance because of them.

Passing through, Shen Xi was overwhelmed by the stench, her stomach churning. Luckily, he pushed open the glass door at the rear. In the biting wind, Fu Tongwen opened his coat, wrapping Shen Xi and stepped outside.

On the rear platform, a middle-aged man, bundled in a cotton coat, carrying a signal lamp and a flag under his arm, was about to enter the carriage to escape the wind. He was startled to see a couple stepping out into the wind.

The temperature outside was close to freezing. The cold was brutal. It was pitch dark, with deafening noise.

This was hardly the place for a romantic rendezvous.

Yet the other passengers still made way for them.

“It’s raining.”

Wind mixed with rain fell on their shoes. The rain was light, just enough to wet their shoes. But their blood and body heat rose. With his current mood, the vast night sky, the endless curtain of rain, the wildness under the howling wind—all of it was intoxicating scenery.

Shen Xi didn’t need to look back to know he was happy. She didn’t have to guess—it was because of the Paris trip.

“Cold?” he shouted.

The train noise was deafening. Even facing each other, they had to speak loudly to hear clearly.

She turned, hugging his waist, raising her voice: “You can’t stay in the wind more than two minutes. After two minutes, you must go inside!”

“Only two minutes?”

“Yes,” Shen Xi said, her face stinging from the wind, “two minutes!”

He smiled, his rarely-seen eyes relaxing.

Just as Shen Xi was about to reason with him, he suddenly shouted at the receding railway and open field: “Wan’ang—Shen Wan’ang—”

The wind whistled past her ears. This was one of Fu Tongwen’s rare moments of abandon.

Her heart raced wildly. He bent down and, without warning, took her breath away. In the wild wind and the thunderous clatter of the train on the tracks, she felt as if the ground beneath her had disappeared… instinctively, she clutched him tightly, wrapping her arms around his neck. All the warmth of their bodies was scattered by the wind, except for where their lips and teeth met—a searing heat remained.

He kissed her with all his strength. She was lost in it, like plunging into the deep sea.

…

“Are we there?” he asked, laughing, lips close to her ear, teasingly. “Look at Third Brother’s pocket watch. Are we there yet?”

Fu Tongwen didn’t wait for her to retrieve it; he took it out himself. With a click, he opened the cover.

Shen Xi only glimpsed a pair of peacocks flash across the dial, not even noticing the hands, before he closed it again.

“There’s no light; Third Brother can’t see clearly,” he said again.

Shen Xi laughed in exasperation, standing on tiptoe, whispering into his ear: “You just don’t want to look.”

“You guessed correctly,” he said softly, smiling, triumphant, and kissed her again. “Third Brother just doesn’t want to see.”