Sun Duhe and the yellow-covered book

"Hey, young comrade, wake up."

Feeling someone pat his shoulder, Lian Youming instinctively opened his eyes.

Only when he focused did he see that it was already broad daylight outside the window and the train had reached the capital. A female attendant wearing glasses stood beside him.

Coming fully awake, Lian Youming hurriedly thanked her, picked up the luggage he had stuffed beneath his seat, slung his army-green satchel over his shoulder, and strode toward the rear of the carriage.

He had forgotten exactly when he had fallen asleep last night, but the scene of those three fighting to the death still seemed to hover before his eyes.

As though he had discovered a whole new world, his mind was now filled with the extraordinary bearing that man had displayed as he breathed in and out. He had even dreamed about it last night.

After getting off the train, Lian Youming wasted no time heading straight for the ticket office.

But when he arrived, the sight gave him a headache. Beneath the sun hanging high overhead, a long, winding queue stretched more than a hundred meters from the ticket window.

Lian Youming could only bake in the sun. After waiting more than half an hour, he finally bought a ticket to Harbin amid the ticket seller's impatient urging.

Seeing that he still had some time, he wandered aimlessly around outside the station, wanting to see what Four-Nine City was like these days.

At a glance, most of the people on the streets were still workers riding bicycles, with lunch boxes and canteens hanging from their bikes. Dressed in rather muted clothing, they wore bright smiles as they crisscrossed the bustling streets.

Unfortunately, he did not have much time and could only take a hurried look. Listening to the station announcements, Lian Youming refilled his military canteen and entered the waiting room.

Noise, clamor, and a deafening hubbub of voices.

Squeezing past all sorts of people, Lian Youming finally managed to find a seat.

Yet just as his thoughts settled, he inexplicably recalled last night's deadly fight.

The Xingyi Sect?

Could that mean Xingyi Quan?

And which side was the traitor on?

Was it that sallow-faced man?

Or the two who came afterward?

Although he could not work out the identities of either side for the moment, Lian Youming could now more or less piece together the course of the fight.

At first, the pair had held the advantage fighting two against one, but the instant that middle-aged man looked back at him, almost all of that advantage had vanished.

By the logic of martial arts stories, he had left his back exposed to the enemy and lost the initiative.

That was precisely why the man had resented him, but unfortunately, by the time he realized it, it was too late.

On top of that, the train had happened to enter a tunnel. The sallow-faced man seized the opportunity to launch a sudden attack, first driving one opponent back, then using a trick to make the old man hold back midway through his strike. That was how he defeated them both.

By that reasoning, the traitor was most likely the sallow-faced man.

Because if he had been the one pursuing a traitor, he would never have put himself at a disadvantage beforehand.

Lian Youming was also rather astonished. These extraordinary men had not merely decided victory and defeat in a thunderous flash; they had also matched wits and fought for the right moment. The slightest lapse in attention could make the chance of victory disappear in an instant.

Time ticked by, and it was almost time to board.

"Hey, buddy, you're from out of town, aren't you?"

Lian Youming was just about to rise when his view suddenly darkened. Looking up at the voice, he saw a short, skinny young man standing before him.

Despite the heat, the man wore a loose military overcoat, clutching its collar tightly with both hands, and a green army cap. With his shifty eyes and furtive features, he looked sleazy any way you looked at him.

Lian Youming grew wary. "Need something?"

"Heh, I spotted you when you were wandering around outside the station." The young man narrowed his eyes in a grin, showing two rows of white teeth with bits of chive stuck to them. Then, under Lian Youming's puzzled gaze, he gripped his lapels and suddenly flung his coat open. "Take a look!"

"You mother-"

Thinking he had run into a pervert, Lian Youming raised his thick eyebrows and was about to act, only to freeze when he saw what the man had been hiding inside his coat.

The young man kept glancing around as he held his coat open. Hanging inside were all kinds of things: hair clips, jewelry, glasses, cassette tapes, some newspapers, and several watches.

"What are you looking to buy? I've got all kinds of ration coupons too. Meat, grain, cloth, liquor, cigarettes-guaranteed valid nationwide. If you want the Three Rotations and One Ring, we can talk about that too."

Lian Youming clicked his tongue in wonder at the sight. This line of work carried considerable risks these days.

"You really do trade in a bit of everything. But you've got the wrong person. See this big red flower on my shoulder? I'm being sent to a rural work unit. I'm only seventeen. I have no money."

"Seventeen?"

The man's eyes widened, and he looked Lian Youming up and down in disbelief. "Damn, what did you grow up eating? How'd you get that burly at seventeen?"

To Lian Youming's surprise, the man instead sidled closer with a grin. "You haven't got money now, but you will when you return to the city. Your accent doesn't sound like you're from around Four-Nine City. Heading to the Northeast for your rural assignment? Heh, even if you have money up there, there's nowhere to spend it. You'll end up at either a logging camp or a farm, or get dumped in some village deep in the virgin forest. Damn, that's real poverty."

Lian Youming shifted over, making room for him on the bench. "How do you know so much about it?"

The young man rolled his eyes. "I just came back from that rotten place myself... Looking at your getup, are you from a military family? What a coincidence. So am I."

As he spoke, he produced a medal from inside his coat.

Lian Youming raised his eyebrows. "Then how'd you end up in this line of work?"

The young man curled his lip and gave a wry grin. "There are too many educated youths returning to the city. You think everyone can land a secure state job? There are nine mouths in my family, seven of us siblings, and my father has a bad leg. My eldest brother's carrying the whole load alone. As his younger brother, I've got to lend a hand... Though hardly anyone respects me. They all think I'm just loafing around."

As he talked, the young man was already scouting for his next customer. "All right, I've talked too much. Anyway, remember to save your money and come find me when you return to the city. Just for being from a military family too, I'll make sure you get a fair deal."

Without dawdling, the young man patted Lian Youming's shoulder, turned, and left.

But no sooner had he gone than he came running back with a nervous expression. His eyes darted around as he hurriedly plopped down beside Lian Youming, not forgetting to say, "Buddy, help me out of a tight spot!"

"Oh, shit! Brothers, scatter! The joint defense team and the industry and commerce bureau are here!"

Someone shouted at the top of their lungs, and several figures instantly sprang from various corners. Every one of them was a young person wrapped in an overcoat. Without a word, they plunged into the crowd, causing a chaotic commotion.

At the entrance, several female comrades in gray-blue uniforms stood with their eyes wide and hands on their hips. Accompanied by station security officers, they charged after them, shouting fiercely.

As for the young man beside Lian Youming, in the blink of an eye he had somehow produced a newspaper, put a red armband on his arm, and perched a pair of prescription glasses on his nose. He looked more like a student than an actual student, more like an educated youth than an actual educated youth.

But the female comrades had perhaps seen these tricks too often. Some pursued the others into the crowd, while one came straight up to them. After a brief appraisal, she fixed Lian Youming with a suspicious look. "Young comrade, are you heading out for a rural assignment?"

"To the Northeast."

Unflustered, Lian Youming took out his identification papers as he answered.

The woman took them and looked them over. Finding nothing wrong, she turned to the short young man beside him. "And you? What do you do? Are you two together?"

Holding the newspaper in both hands with his head half lowered, the young man's eyes darted frantically about. Sweat was starting to bead on his forehead.

Just as he was at a complete loss, someone unexpectedly patted him on the shoulder. Lian Youming had picked up his luggage and urged him calmly, "Brother, the train's here. Let's get going."

The young man reacted quickly. His eyes lit up as though he had found his savior, and after fumbling around, he somehow produced a crumpled train ticket. Bracing himself, he gave an awkward laugh. "Comrade, we're together. This is my younger brother."

The woman frowned. "Your younger brother? Do you have identification? Take it out and let me see."

The young man's expression stiffened, but he still reached into his pocket.

Just as his cover was about to be blown, Lian Youming suddenly pointed toward a crowded spot in the station and said solemnly to the woman, "Comrade, look! Is that person stealing something?"

"Where?"

The woman turned at his words and looked in the direction he pointed. At the sight, her face filled with anger. Rolling up her sleeves, she strode straight toward the person.

Good grief, without a word, she grabbed the person by the collar and delivered several full-swing slaps.

Lian Youming simply picked up his luggage and strode toward the ticket barrier.

Before leaving, he did not forget to remind the young man, "What are you standing there for? Run!"

"Ah, right, right, right."

The young man snapped out of it, clutched his overcoat, and bolted without so much as a thank-you.

Lian Youming shook his head with a chuckle. Seeing that his train had arrived, he joined the crowd boarding it.

This was both a terminus and a departure station, and there were even more passengers than on his previous train. The vast, densely packed sea of people seemed to stretch on without end. Caught in the crowd, Lian Youming felt his head swim, his ears filled with accents from every corner of the country.

The moment that dark torrent poured onto the platform, it split into more than a dozen streams, all rushing to be first onto the green train that had barely come to a stop.

His father had trained him physically since childhood, giving Lian Youming astonishing stamina. Even carrying his luggage, he could still charge ahead of the others.

Though there were many people, fortunately all the carriages were empty.

He had bought a third-class ticket, which meant there were no assigned seats at all. Whether he could grab one depended not only on luck and timing, but also on his own strength.

Spotting an opening and going for the nearest available seat, Lian Youming beat the others to one beside the aisle. Only when he felt the cold, hard wooden bench beneath his backside did he let out a long breath.

"This is going to kill me."

People surged around him, and in just a few breaths, the empty carriage was packed.

Unlike before, this carriage alone held quite a few educated youths who, like Lian Youming, had come from different places. Judging by the quick look he had taken while boarding, at least four or five hundred people on the train were heading to rural work units.

With so many people and such hot weather, the air began to stink.

Some puffed away on cigarettes, some took off their shoes and socks to air their reeking feet, and others carried slaughtered poultry or sets of livestock innards. They had not even wrapped them tightly, letting strange smells drift about on the breeze. Stirred together by the sweltering air, all the odors seemed to merge into one.

Lian Youming closed his eyes in utter misery, sighed inwardly, and prayed he would reach his destination soon.

But shortly after the train started moving, he heard a rather familiar voice beside him.

"You're way too quick on your feet. What a chase you gave me! I ran through five carriages."

Lian Youming opened his eyes and saw that the young man from earlier had actually squeezed aboard too. He was panting, holding two roast ducks wrapped in oil paper, and looked thoroughly exhausted.

Before he could react, the young man gave him a look and grinned. "I'm the sort who repays a favor. You did right by me, so I can't be stingy either. Come on, I'll take you somewhere roomy... This bench would rub your butt crack flat in an hour. I couldn't stand it."

Although the man was joking, his expression was exceptionally sincere. Lian Youming rose, gave his seat to a fellow traveler who had difficulty walking, and followed with his luggage.

"How come you got on too?"

The young man smiled casually. "Had no choice. There were lookouts outside the station too. They were probably trying to round us all up. Besides, you helped me out, so I had to repay the favor, didn't I? Don't worry, I'll get off after two stops. Happens all the time."

Walking one behind the other, they passed through four or five carriages in one go and came straight to a sleeper carriage.

The young man took out two tickets and handed them to the attendant, then winked at Lian Youming as though showing off his abilities. Sleeper tickets were hard to buy these days; generally, they required a letter of introduction and special connections, and were reserved for cadres and military officers.

The attendant looked at the young man, then at Lian Youming, and waved them inside without asking any questions.

Apparently long accustomed to this, the young man led Lian Youming inside, set down the roast ducks, took off his overcoat, and flopped onto a berth.

"You're going to the Northeast for your assignment, right? This ticket will let you sleep all the way to Harbin. It's already starting to snow up there. At least there's some heat in here, so you'll be warmer."

With his arms pillowed beneath his head and his legs crossed, the young man looked utterly devil-may-care.

Lian Youming sat down too. "Then I won't stand on ceremony."

The young man grinned at that. "That's just what I was afraid you'd do. If not for you, I'd have been in serious trouble today. Not only would all this stuff have been confiscated, I might've had to spend some time locked up. Now that would've been truly humiliating."

Then he added, "My surname's Sun, full name Sun Duhe. Those fellows who trade goods all call me Third Brother."

After saying that, he asked curiously, "How did you know there was a thief over there?"

Lian Youming smiled. "Mostly sharp eyes. Besides, these days, how could the stations in Beijing and Tianjin be short of thieves? They take advantage of the confusion to act. Pay a little attention, and it's not hard to spot some clues."

Then he added, "My surname's Lian. Lian Youming."

Sun Duhe's eyes filled with amazement, and he clicked his tongue. "Are you really only seventeen?"

Before Lian Youming could answer, he pushed one of the roast ducks into his hands.

"I traded five jin of sugar coupons for these. Quanjude..." But after taking a sniff, the young man rolled his eyes and cursed irritably. "Great, I've been fucking had again. That bastard said they were Quanjude roast ducks. I was in such a hurry to catch you, I didn't have time to smell them."

Then Sun Duhe laughed cheerfully again. "Ah, don't turn your nose up at it. We'll make do."

Lian Youming smiled along with him. "No need to be so particular. It smells pretty good. Out in the countryside, some people might go half their lives without tasting a bite."

Sun Duhe's eyes gleamed, and he gave him a thumbs-up. "Down-to-earth. I was the petty one."

As he spoke, he began sorting through the goods wrapped in his overcoat, saying without looking back, "Apart from those watches, take anything that catches your eye. Those bastards got caught, and they might name me too. Having too much stuff will only make it harder to get away."

Lian Youming had eaten quite a bit outside the station earlier, and after being assailed by the strange smells on the train, he had no appetite at all. Nor was he particularly interested in the things Sun Duhe laid out. But when the man pulled an old book, a dozen or so silver dollars, and various pendants and trinkets from his overcoat, he asked curiously, "You trade antiques too?"

"Antiques, my ass," Sun Duhe said. "These were all left by my elders. My grandfather used to be an itinerant doctor. He traveled all over the country and picked up plenty of strange odds and ends."

At that, Sun Duhe added with a wealth of feeling, "Come to think of it, my family used to be fairly wealthy back in the day. Unfortunately, the old man didn't make it through, and all that remained were a few battered books at the bottom of a chest. I sold everything that could fetch money. Only this one's a mystery. Neither old nor new, just dead weight."

The two chatted on and off, Sun Duhe busy putting his belongings in order while Lian Youming sat on the edge of the berth, looking out the window.

The farther north they traveled, the bleaker the scenery outside became.

As they neared the station, Sun Duhe suddenly opened the window and leaned outside, giving Lian Youming a fright. "What are you doing?"

Sun Duhe glanced outside and gave his habitual chuckle. "I'm worried someone might be waiting for me at the station, so I'm not getting off on the platform."

He actually meant to jump off before they arrived.

Lian Youming hurriedly tried to stop him. "Don't! This isn't something to fool around with."

But Sun Duhe looked unconcerned. "Relax. I'm an old hand at this. Besides, someone's laid straw mats beside the tracks. Nothing will happen."

As he spoke, taking advantage of the train slowing down, he really did climb out through the window.

"When you return to the city, don't rush straight home. Ask around at the capital's station, and you'll find out where Sun the Third is. Then I'll show you the capital's local sights and customs, and make sure you get a taste of authentic roast duck."

Clinging outside the window in the cold wind, Sun Duhe still would not stop talking.

The corners of Lian Youming's mouth twitched. "Stop talking and watch your footing."

Sun Duhe grinned at that. "I like you, kid. All right, we'll meet again out in the world and catch up another day."

With that, he really did jump.

But just before he went, he tossed the old book back inside.

"That battered book's yours!"

(End of chapter)