Chapter 55: The Prolonged Affection of Children

  This is a very Burmese-style brothel, and those who come here, apart from whoring, also get to smoke.

  Opium was a major source of income for the Burmese government at that time, because neighboring China had a large population. Before World War II, opium (also known as "smoking oil") was transported to the Sino-Burmese border through horse caravans, and most people who did opium business were well-connected individuals, especially warlords, who not only smoked opium themselves but also secretly operated opium dens.

  After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, the amount of opium sold to China decreased, and many opium dens were affected by the war and had to close down. However, this did not affect the demand within Burma. In Rangoon, most of the opium dens were run by Chinese immigrants who also engaged in prostitution. Among them, a small number were Japanese collaborators who pursued wealth at the expense of their national dignity, helping the Japanese do many bad things to their compatriots.

  However, the tobacco house that Dong Li Mao and his friends entered, which appeared to be friendly with Japan on the surface, was actually a cover for their underground organization's activities. Although they also did business in human flesh and sold opium, they didn't betray their compatriots; even the madams of the brothels had patriotic hearts.

  Two Burmese led Dong Li Mao and others to the backyard, where a Chinese was waiting. The manhole cover of the sewer had been opened, with a bamboo ladder placed inside. Seeing that the people who were supposed to meet him had arrived, the Chinese picked up his lantern and went down the bamboo ladder first.

  Dong Li Mao let Gou Hao follow him, then it was Li Yuanyuan, followed by the wounded... He was the last one.

  The sewer was filled with a foul smell, the polluted water overflowed over their knees, and people could not walk upright. They had to bow their heads and move forward in a difficult manner. Three uninterrogated commandos carried three heavily injured commandos on their backs, walking extremely hard.

  After turning several corners and walking for over twenty minutes, they stopped at a manhole of a sewer. The manhole had a steel ladder with rungs, and the person carrying the lantern climbed up first. He knocked three times on the manhole cover, which immediately opened with a loud creak. Someone looked down from above without saying a word.

  Still Dong Li Mao was the last one to go up.

  There were two people waiting upstairs, also Chinese. They led Dong Li Mao and the others through three courtyards to a large courtyard in front of which stood a reinforced concrete building that looked like a fortress. There was only one entrance, a steel door that was not very wide and just over a person's height.

  At the entrance stood three people, Xiao Sheng, Xu Hongming and another Chinese man. Seeing Dong Limao and others entering the yard, Xiao Sheng and Xu Hongming quickly walked a few steps forward to greet them, while the other person opened the steel door.

  "Come on in, I've already prepared clean clothes for everyone," said Xiao Sheng.

  Li Yuyuan glanced at Xu Hongming: "What are you doing here?"

  "I... that... is Xiao Mr.... he..." Xu Hongming seemed to have something on his mind, stuttering and unable to get the words out.

  "Let's talk about it inside." Zuo urged.

  From outside the courtyard, the sound of police cars passing by and urgent footsteps came in.

  Inside the fortress, the lights are very bright and not too big, divided into two rooms by a thick stainless steel door. Dong Li Mao estimated that the steel door must be the vault, where all the bank's cash and gold are stored.

  The man who opened the door brought in two sacks and opened them. Inside were clothes: "Quickly change your clothes, throw the ones you took off into the sack."

  Li Yuanyuan was a woman and couldn't change clothes in front of these men, nor could she watch them change clothes. Xiao Sheng led her into the house where the keeper of the gold vault slept.

  "Mr. Xiao, what about the people from the resistance organizations in those three places?" Li Yuanyuan didn't rush to change her clothes, but instead closed the door and asked in a low voice.

  "I've already thought of this. In times of war, it's common for a few people to die." Zuo said seriously.

  "But there's also a driver who knows the three of them followed us here, if the resistance organization asks you for people, how will you deal with them?" Li Yuanyuan said this to protect the intelligence station in the occupied area.

  "I knew they went with you." Zuo's voice laughed and said: "I understand Miss Li's kindness, rest assured, everything is arranged properly, as long as nothing goes wrong before 6 o'clock tomorrow, you can bring the gold back to our military camp safely."

  "Those three commandos were seriously injured. I think they'll have to stay behind and recover too. The goal of this operation is to transport back the gold," said Li Yuanyuan.

  "Hmm... I hadn't thought of that." Xiao's voice fell into contemplation, and after a moment, he lifted his head to say: "Please don't worry, Miss Li, I'll take care of this matter too." After speaking, he wanted to pull open the door and leave.

  "Wait a minute, Xiao sir." Li Yuanyuan hastily called out to Xiao Sheng: "How come Mr. Xu is also here? In the future, if something goes wrong, he might bring trouble to you and the organization."

  "He's going with you this time." Xiao Sheng hesitated for a moment, then said: "I just found out too, Mr. Xu is actually the only son of Xu Furen."

  "Xu Furen?" Li Yuanyuan seemed to be thinking: "Why does this name sound so familiar?"

  "Mr. Xu's father had studied in Europe and was one of the early supporters who funded Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Revive China Society." Zuo continued to explain.

  "Oh, I remember now. When my parents were alive, they often mentioned the name Xu Furen. It seems that Father was quite familiar with Mr. Xu's father." Li Yuanyuan relaxed her eyebrows.

  Li Yuanyuan's father and Xu Furen were more than just familiar, she just didn't know about the complex relationships between them when they were young.

  Xu Hongming decided to leave with Li Yuanyuan and the others, because he had unintentionally overheard his father and mother's conversation in their bedroom that night.

  Mother: "Fu Ren, has our house been robbed?"

  Father: "Don't talk nonsense, our family has been in business for generations and have encountered bandits many times, but we've never been robbed."

  "Mother: 'That's strange, where did that watch go?'"

  "Dad: "Oh, is that the Rolex watch? Look again carefully, you're always careless and might have forgotten where you put it."

  Mother: "I've looked for it! I saw it in the box when I got up to wash my face this morning, but before dinner, I wanted to go out and thought of wearing that watch, but even the box was gone."

  "Father: 'The box is gone too! Does this mean we've really been robbed?'"

  "Mother: 'That was our wedding gift when we got married!'"

  "Father: 'If it were just an ordinary valuable item, losing it would be no big deal. But this watch was something your uncle Li Shengyi and I bought together - one for each of us. At the time, Chairman Sun Yat-sen hosted a group wedding ceremony for us, and we both put our watches on your mother's and aunt Xiangzhi's wrists. Alas... now that Uncle Shengyi and Aunt Xiangzhi have passed away, I wonder if their orphans are still alive?'"

  Mother: "Fu Ren, don't be sad about this anymore. Life and death are destined. If that child Yuanyuan was lucky and had a good fate, she might have already married into a good family by now. You've spent so much heart on this over the years, almost searching all of China, but still there's no news of that child..."

  Father: "At first, I and Shengyi's older brother agreed that if we each had a boy and a girl, they would become a married couple..."

  Xu Hongming heard this and rushed into his parents' room, excitedly asking: "Is what Father and Mother said just now true?"

  "Look at this kid, always running wild outside and when he comes home, he doesn't even know the rules. Your father and I are already asleep, and you don't even knock on the door before entering." His mother scolded Xu Hongming.

  "Get out of here, you little scamp!" his father shouted loudly.

  "Dad, Mom, quickly tell me, the child you mentioned earlier called Yuanyuan, is her full name Li Yuanyuan?" Xu Hongming didn't get a clear answer and wouldn't leave.

  "Yes, what's wrong?" Mother asked: "Hongming, have you seen a girl named Li Yuanyuan?"

  "No... I've never seen it." Xu Hongming, of course, wouldn't answer honestly: "Dad, I need to return home immediately. Can you write a note to Xiao Shengxiao of the South Asia Bank? Tomorrow they have an armored car transporting military pay for the Japanese army to the Donggua front line. I can take this opportunity to go with them."

  "What a mess! With war and chaos everywhere, what are you doing back in the country?" Father asked furiously.

  "Go back and find that girl you mentioned, isn't Father always looking for her? I'm not a kid anymore, why can't I go back to the country to find her?" Xu Hongming replied with a smile.

  His father nodded after a moment of silence and said, "Well, you can take the opportunity to go back to your hometown in Shanxi Province and help me deal with some family matters."

  "No! Foran, the country is almost occupied by Japan, Hongming's going is too dangerous! I don't agree!" Mother loves her son dearly and can't bear to let this precious son take risks.

  "Hongming is no longer a child, besides, Hongming was kidnapped by bandits when he was young and followed the horse team to travel back and forth between the China-Myanmar border many times. He can handle things well, it's time for him to go out alone and be tempered." His father said, getting up from bed and walking to the desk, writing a note and telling Xu Hongming about his relationship with Li Yuanyuan's father.

  This is why Xu Hongming was here at Xiao Sheng's place, he deeply fell in love with Li Yuanyuan.

  Because of this long-standing affection between men and women, a series of troubles were buried later on.