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墨書 Inktalez
Sun Puyi and Tao Gongjin were both wearing white lab coats as they conducted an experiment.
Sun Puyi dropped a clear liquid into a test tube, and the liquid inside changed to another color.
Tao Gongjin asked Sun Puyi, "How is it?"
Sun Puyi replied, "It should be safe this time."
"Good!" Tao Gongjin said, personally picking up a syringe and drawing ten milliliters of the liquid from the test tube.
Sun Puyi asked, "Chairman, do you want me to do it?"
Tao Gongjin politely declined, saying, "I'll do it this time!"
Sun Puyi stepped aside. Tao Gongjin held the syringe and pushed open a glass door, entering another Glass Room.
A boy was unconscious and tied to a hospital bed.
Tao Gongjin used tweezers to pick up a cotton swab and gently disinfected the boy's shoulder before inserting the syringe into the boy's shoulder and injecting the liquid into his body. After withdrawing the syringe, the unconscious boy let out a weak groan, and then his body began to tremble.
Tao Gongjin tossed the syringe into a nearby trash can while removing his gloves and mask, expressing his dissatisfaction with the result: "It's still the same, no progress at all!"
Angrily, Tao Gongjin threw the gloves and mask into the trash can and turned to push the door open.
Sun Puyi helplessly said, "Chairman, all the children that Guo Zhuanghuai brought have been used up!"
Tao Gongjin replied, "If they're used up, we can just capture more! During last night's banquet, the Supreme Commander gave his tacit approval; what are we afraid of?"
Sun Puyi nodded, "Should I call Guo Zhuanghuai?"
"Sure!"
Sun Puyi walked to a corner of the Laboratory. There was a phone mounted on the wall.
Sun Puyi picked up the receiver and dialed. At that moment, he suddenly heard the sound of a child moaning.
Tao Gongjin also heard the child's moans.
Tao Gongjin turned around and returned to the doorway of the Glass Room. Through the glass door, Tao Gongjin was shocked, his eyes widening.
Inside the Glass Room, the boy who had just been injected was slowly losing signs of trembling, but his skin was bulging with veins.
Tao Gongjin stopped Sun Puyi, saying, "Don't make the call yet!"
"Chairman, does this mean it was successful?"
Sun Puyi hung up the receiver and returned to the front of the Glass Room.
Tao Gongjin and Sun Puyi watched as the boy's skin bulged with veins and sweat poured down.
Tao Gongjin said, "This has never happened before; let's observe first!"
In the evening, the last couple walked out of the café.
The café was about to close, and Cheng Yuyao and Cheng Yuwan were tidying up the café's interior. At that moment, Tao Ziwen pushed the door open and entered.
Cheng Yuwan said irritably, "We're closing!"
"I know," Tao Ziwen replied, but still walked over to the bar.
As Cheng Yuwan was rearranging the tables and chairs, she reminded him again, "Tao Ziwen, we're closing!"
Tao Ziwen blurted out, "I know, I came here to find you!"
"Find me? Why?"
"I... I wanted to invite you for coffee, but... you already run a café... actually... actually..." Tao Ziwen still couldn't muster the courage to say that important thing. Just then, the phone at the bar rang. Cheng Yuwan, being closer to the bar, quickly grabbed the receiver.
"Hello! Are you looking for my sister? Oh!" Cheng Yuwan shouted to Cheng Yuyao, "Sister, it's for you! A guy named Guo Zhiqian is looking for you!"
"Oh!"
Cheng Yuyao hurried over to the bar and took the receiver. "Yes, this is me... Watching a movie? This late... Alright!"
Cheng Yuyao hung up the phone, unable to hide her joy on her face.
Cheng Yuwan asked, "Sister, is this Guo Zhiqian the same one who often comes to our café? When did you two start dating?"
"I didn't get close to him at all! He just bought an extra Movie ticket!" Cheng Yuyao said, her cheeks already flushed. Then she picked up a handbag from behind the bar and added, "Sister, you tell Mom that I'll be home late tonight."
"Got it! You should hurry, or Guo Zhiqian will get anxious waiting and give the ticket to someone else!"
Cheng Yuyao turned to leave but saw Tao Ziwen. She turned back to her sister and said, "Since this gentleman wants to treat you to coffee, why don't you two stay here in the café and chat?"
Cheng Yuwan pouted, "Sister, he's just a blockhead. What do I have to talk about with him?"
Cheng Yuyao's figure disappeared at the café entrance. Now, only Cheng Yuwan and Tao Ziwen were left in the café. Cheng Yuwan shot a glare at Tao Ziwen and turned back to continue arranging the tables and chairs.
Tao Ziwen quickly stepped forward to help.
Cheng Yuwan said, "Your help is useless!"
However, Tao Ziwen insisted on helping Cheng Yuwan, so she didn't say anything further.
This pedestrian street was the same one where Tao Ziwen and Cheng Yuwan had walked together last time. Now, they were still strolling down this street.
Cheng Yuwan asked, "Was it Zhang Zhaolin's daughter you danced with last night?"
Tao Ziwen replied calmly, "Yes! That was really the first time I met her!"
"I believe you!"
"And I really have no relationship with her!"
Cheng Yuwan stopped, as if testing Tao Ziwen: "She's so beautiful, don't you like her?"
Tao Ziwen replied, "She's too pretentious. I..." He finally mustered the courage, "I like girls like you."
"But she can dance, and I can't!"
"I can't either! But we can learn together."
"Will you teach me?"
Tao Ziwen thought for a moment and said, "I learned a little bit yesterday. How about I teach you now?"
"Sure!"
Tao Ziwen and Cheng Yuwan reached out their hands to each other, awkwardly demonstrating half of the dance.
Tao Ziwen felt a bit embarrassed: "I might not remember those moves very well!"
Cheng Yuwan reassured him, "It's okay!"
Tao Ziwen's left hand clasped with Cheng Yuwan's right hand, while his right hand rested on her waist. Cheng Yuwan naturally placed her left hand on Tao Ziwen's shoulder. Without music, they swayed under the streetlights of the deserted pedestrian street. Their dance moves were unrefined, but they were both fully engaged.
The distance between them grew closer until they finally embraced.
Cheng Yuyao and Guo Zhiqian were watching a movie in the theater—"A River of Spring Water Flows East," which was released in 1947 and was one of the most popular films in China at that time.
This movie tells the story of a regular family undergoing tremendous changes during the Eight Years of Resistance Against Japan, while also narrating the tale of a "contemporary Pan Renmei." The protagonist, in his pursuit of personal advancement, abandons his First Wife and engages in an affair with another person, ultimately leading to the tragic incident of his First Wife committing suicide by drowning.
In the movie, there is a beautifully poetic dialogue between the male and female leads that touches countless young hearts at the time.
"Do you see that satellite next to the moon?"
"I do."
"Do you know who that satellite is?"
"I don't know."
"That satellite is me; you are the moon."
"Will I really be the moon?"
"In my heart, it will always be this way."
"Really?"
"Really."
As this scene plays out in the movie, accompanied by its soft and beautiful soundtrack, Guo Zhiqian cannot help but place his hand on Cheng Yuyao's. Cheng Yuyao quickly withdraws her hand, shyly lowering her gaze towards Guo Zhiqian.
As the movie approaches its conclusion, there is another poignant verse sung:
"The crescent moon shines over the land,
Some families are joyful, while others are sorrowful.
Some couples reunite,
While others are lost outside.
The crescent moon shines over the land,
Some families are joyful, while others are sorrowful.
Some drink fine wine in tall buildings,
While others are lost on the streets."
These lyrics convey a sense of deep sorrow and despair, reflecting the suffering and sadness of countless displaced Chinese citizens during the wartime period. It also strikes a chord with Guo Zhiqian's most vulnerable emotions.
When Guo Zhiqian was young, his father lost all the family fortune in gambling. To survive, Guo Zhiqian's mother had no choice but to take him to beg on the streets. It was during such a harsh time that Guo Zhiqian's mother fell ill and died of hunger.
As the movie reached this tragic and sorrowful part, Guo Zhiqian recalled the past and couldn't help but wipe away his tears.
After the movie ended, Guo Zhiqian said, "I've watched this movie many times, and every time I see Su Fen (the female lead from the movie 'A River of Spring Water Flows East') commit suicide by jumping into the river, I think of my mother."
"Why?" Cheng Yuyao asked curiously.
Guo Zhiqian reminisced and sighed, "Just like in this movie, my father abandoned my mother. He was a gambler who lost all our money ten years ago. To survive, my mother and I had to beg on the streets. Later, my mother fell ill and never recovered."
Cheng Yuyao sympathized, "I didn't realize you also came from such a difficult background."
Guo Zhiqian and Cheng Yuyao made their way out of the cinema through the crowd. Not wanting to let his tragic past ruin their current mood, Guo Zhiqian changed the subject: "Alright, enough of that. Let me take you somewhere!"
"Where to?"
Guo Zhiqian replied seriously, "To a place where I once lived. After my mother died, I made many friends there. I worked to earn money and even learned English and martial arts."
Next to the cinema were many rickshaw drivers waiting for passengers. In no time, Guo Zhiqian waved down a rickshaw and helped Cheng Yuyao into it.
Cheng Yuyao asked curiously, "Why do you want to take me there?"
"Don't you want to go?"
Cheng Yuyao looked at Guo Zhiqian and suddenly smiled. Guo Zhiqian waved again, and another rickshaw came over. He got in and said, "To Newport Orphanage!"
Two rickshaws raced forward, one behind the other.
Surrounding the Newport Orphanage were the remnants of war, with crumbling walls everywhere. The lights inside the orphanage were dim, and the surroundings were shrouded in darkness.
The two rickshaws stopped at the entrance of the orphanage. Guo Zhiqian paid the fare and helped Cheng Yuyao toward the orphanage.
The iron gate of the orphanage had been removed, and a large section of the courtyard wall had been pushed down. The three-story building inside was marked with a large character meaning "demolish."
Guo Zhiqian said, "My mother passed away when I was ten. At that time, I was all alone and wanted to find a place to work, but people thought I was too young. If it weren't for Mr. Bond from this orphanage taking me in and letting me volunteer here, I might have starved on the streets of Shanghai."
Cheng Yuyao remarked, "I didn't expect you to have such an experience."
As they spoke, Guo Zhiqian and Cheng Yuyao had already entered the courtyard and arrived at the door of the three-story building. Guo Zhiqian raised his hand and knocked on the door. A foreign voice in English came from inside, asking, "Are you Guo Zhiqian?"
Guo Zhiqian replied in English, "Yes, it's me, Mr. Bond."
The door of the orphanage was pulled open from inside, revealing a man from the United Kingdom, around fifty years old, dressed in tattered clothes with graying hair. He was holding a kerosene lamp. He was Mr. Bond.
Bond led Guo Zhiqian and Cheng Yuyao into the room. The furniture inside was old; many worn and repaired tables and chairs were used by children for meals and study. In one corner of the room stood an old blackboard with Chinese characters and English written on it.
Mr. Bond and Guo Zhiqian conversed entirely in English.
Bond asked Guo Zhiqian, "Who is this lady?"
Guo Zhiqian replied, "She is my friend, Cheng Yuyao."
Cheng Yuyao nodded at Bond.
Bond replied, "I thought you wouldn't come this week; the children are all asleep."
Bond led Guo Zhiqian and Cheng Yuyao up the stairs.
Guo Zhiqian asked Bond, "Is there another power outage here?"
"It has been out for four or five hours. This building probably can't be saved. I applied to your government for funding to build a new house, but it hasn't been approved yet."
They all fell silent. They reached the second floor, where the children rested. A large dormitory was filled with children lying in various positions, about a dozen in total. Each child looked as if they were dressed like a beggar.
Cheng Yuyao also asked fluently in English, "Mr. Bond, if this building is demolished, where will you and these children go?"
Bond shrugged helplessly and shook his head, "I don't know yet."
Guo Zhiqian took Cheng Yuyao to the rooftop of the building. The view was open, and despite the surrounding dark ruins, they could see the distant lights of the Bund.
Looking into the distance, Guo Zhiqian couldn't help but sigh, "Mr. Bond is a good person. He built this orphanage with his wife when he was just over twenty. They had no children of their own and treated these orphans as their own kids. Just a few years ago, during the bombing of Shanghai by the Japanese, the area around the orphanage was turned into ruins, and his wife was killed in the blast. Mr. Bond teaches us English and even helped me get a job at the World Book Bureau through his connections. He has been so good to me, and now that the orphanage is going to be demolished, I can't help him."
Cheng Yuyao asked, "Then who taught you all those skills?"
Guo Zhiqian replied, "A former caretaker of Mr. Bond's. He taught all the boys martial arts so we could defend ourselves in case of trouble. For a long time, I felt like he was my father too. He was also killed by a Japanese bomb."
Guo Zhiqian couldn't help but shed tears. Cheng Yuyao placed her hand on Guo Zhiqian's shoulder to comfort him.
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