The middle-aged man poured a cup of tea for Wang Yueshu and said in a low voice, "Comrade Blue Moon, it has been eight years. It is truly wonderful to see you again!"
Hearing this, Qin Shuli’s heart skipped a beat. *Could he be my mother's old flame?* he wondered. *Though that code name is lackluster—it sounds like a laundry detergent.*
The man continued, his voice laced with emotion, "I always assumed you had sacrificed yourself in the chaos eight years ago. But I could not let it go. Every time I came to Beiping, I would place a missing person notice in the newspaper. I truly never expected that you would actually come."
Wang Yueshu wiped away her tears and said earnestly, "Life was too difficult back then; we barely had enough to eat, let alone money for newspapers. It is only recently that I’ve had the chance to look."
The man turned solemn. "Comrade Blue Moon, I am speaking to you on behalf of the organization. Are you still willing to strive for the future of this country?"
Wang Yueshu thought of her three children, who had just lost their father not long ago. What would happen to them if something happened to her? For a moment, she did not know how to answer.
The man’s heart sank. "Comrade Blue Moon, do you have reservations?"
Wang Yueshu let out a soft breath. "I am the mother of three children now. My husband was taken by the Japanese not long ago, and I have heard nothing since. I..."
The man had not expected such drastic changes in her life—at twenty-six, she was already a mother of three. He sighed and said, "Very well. Please compile a report of your experiences over these years and hand it to me. The organization will verify it. If everything is confirmed, we can discuss things further. This will also give you more time to consider your decision. I must leave Beiping tomorrow, so you don't have much time."
"I understand!"
Wang Yueshu could not abandon her children, but she also could not let go of the cause she had pledged her life to when she joined the Underground Party at fifteen.
The man stood at the second-floor window, watching Wang Yueshu leave before he finally exited the teahouse himself. Qin Shuli, who had been watching from another second-floor window, saw the man nod to two others outside before they departed. He quickly hurried downstairs to tail the last two men. He wasn't looking to uncover who was behind this faction, but he had to ensure Wang Yueshu would not be betrayed.
The tail led him all the way to the East Eight Corners in the Outer First District, not far from the Temple of Heaven. Qin Shuli watched the pair enter a small courtyard and breathed a slow sigh of relief. *Damn it, these people can really run. From the Inner Fifth District to the Outer First—straight from the north side of the city to the south. Is all this effort necessary just for a meeting?*
He walked into an alley next to the courtyard and crouched deep in the shadows, his ears twitching, hoping to catch their conversation inside.
In the front hall of the courtyard, the middle-aged man was talking with a younger voice. "Secretary Qi Daozhen, is it really necessary to take such risks to find someone?"
"He Ping, you don't know her. Years ago, when the Beiping Underground Party organization was sold out by a traitor, it was Comrade Blue Moon who risked her life to pass on the intelligence, giving our comrades time to evacuate. She was discovered in the process, and her fate became unknown. For a comrade like that, you tell me—should I have searched for her?"
He Ping went silent, then finally said, "You should have. But you shouldn't have been the one to go. You could have sent me."
Hearing this, Qin Shuli relaxed. *Good, good. They are Underground Party members. The risk of betrayal is low for now.*
Qi Daozhen laughed. "He Ping, you don't know her at all, and there are no secret signals between you to verify her identity. How could you have found her?"
He Ping started to protest, but Qi Daozhen cut him off. "We will go again tomorrow to retrieve her report of these past years. The subsequent vetting process will be up to you."
He Ping said earnestly, "Don't worry, Secretary. I will vet her thoroughly. But surely you don't need to go tomorrow?"
"If I don't go, who will she hand it to? You?"
Silence fell over the room. Having confirmed their identities, Qin Shuli decided it was safe to leave.
When he returned home, covered in dust, he found Wang Yueshu sitting in the front hall, holding a rattan switch. *Damn it, I forgot about the house.*
Qin Shuli closed the door and walked toward her. He saw the twins frantically batting their eyes at him and thought, *Stop blinking, you two. I can’t tell what you mean, and you’re going to ruin your eyes.*
Wang Yueshu said angrily, "I left you home to watch the twins, and you just ran off! They are only three; what if something had happened to them?"
Qin Shuli laughed sheepishly. "Mother, they didn't come to any harm, did they?"
"That’s because you were lucky. Do you want them to get hurt?"
"No, no!"
"Where did you go?"
Qin Shuli dropped his smile. "I went to see who you were meeting."
Wang Yueshu’s face stiffened. She said unnaturally, "You saw?"
"I saw. I even followed them to their residence. How else would you have discovered me?"
Wang Yueshu had a strange expression on her face. She knew all too well how strict the organization’s operational procedures were—and after all these years of adjustment, they were surely even more secure and secretive. The fact that her eldest son could follow a man and find his residence... was his ability a bit too great?
"Were you discovered?"
Qin Shuli tilted his chin up, looking at the ceiling. "Who am I? I am Qin Shuli, the eldest son of Qin Dazhu and Wang Yueshu. Who could possibly discover me?"
Wang Yueshu let out a breath of relief. "Don't follow them again in the future. If you are discovered, the consequences will be unimaginable."
"I know. I just wanted to see who they were and if they would pose a threat to us. Now that I know who they are, of course I won't follow them anymore. Mother, aren't you supposed to be writing a report? Why haven't you started yet?"
Wang Yueshu sighed; this child was terrifyingly sharp. "Come inside with me. I can see that if I don't tell you, you probably won't be able to sleep tonight."
Qin Shuli chuckled, handed the twins some candy to keep them occupied in the front hall, and followed Wang Yueshu into the bedroom.
Sitting by the small square table on the kang, Wang Yueshu wrote as she spoke. "In 1934, I was working for the Underground Party in Beiping. Because of a traitor, I had to pass information to the organization. Later, when the organization evacuated, I was injured and your father rescued me and brought me home. After I recovered, I lost contact with them. The atmosphere in the city was growing increasingly tense, so I followed your father to the countryside. We married the following year, and the year after that, I gave birth to you."
Wang Yueshu’s account was brief, but when she spoke of marrying Qin Dazhu, the expression on her face was filled with happiness. It was clear she had been truly content.
After listening, Qin Shuli felt that he should find a way to track down his father. No matter where he went, there had to be a trace, and even if he were truly dead, there should be a grave somewhere!
"So, you have decided to return to the organization and continue the fight?"
Wang Yueshu was conflicted and remained silent for a long time.
Qin Shuli did not want his mother to be troubled. "You don't need to worry about us. I will protect my brother and sister. They say that the country only exists because of the home, but in truth, it is by sacrificing the home that the country is saved. Follow your heart; the twins and I will support you. I think if Father knew, he would support you too."