Chapter Seventeen: The Spy Comes Knocking—The Commander’s Little Windfall

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Because of Jiang Xiaxia’s enthusiasm, Qian Neng had no choice but to accept the candy. Seeing the little girl watching him with hopeful eyes, Qian Neng couldn’t help but smile and slipped the candy into his pocket. “Don’t worry, little one. Uncle will cherish this candy!”

Only when he put it away did Jiang Xiaxia nod in relief. Turning back to her grandmother’s side, she resumed her clingy, childlike manner.

After greeting each other, Qian Neng and his companions pushed their bicycles and left.

Jiang Jing, having seen the little girl give out the candy, didn’t make any further fuss and politely took his mother and little niece to leave as well.

But Officer Zhang, seeing that Jiang Jing seemed intent on leaving, grew anxious. His eyes darted about before he said, “It’s getting late. Let me treat you all to a meal at the state-run restaurant!”

Jiang Jing shook his head with a smile. “No need. I still have to visit the police station.”

Hearing this, Officer Zhang could only regretfully see them off.

After watching the group leave at the factory gate, he turned and unexpectedly met Qian Neng, calling out in surprise, “Engineer Qian, what are you doing here?”

Qian Neng smiled and pushed up his glasses. “I accepted the little girl’s candy and wanted to bring her some ribs from the cafeteria. Didn’t expect I was just a bit late!”

Officer Zhang sighed. “If you’d come earlier, that little girl likes you a lot. Maybe we could have invited them all for a meal!”

Qian Neng looked at him with some surprise. “Is he an important guest at the factory?”

“No, he’s a veteran! Supposedly well-connected in Beijing. The factory director hopes that if we can keep him here, it would add another layer of security for our factory’s future!”

Hearing this, Qian Neng’s eyes behind the glasses flickered with regret. “If only I had come sooner.”

Officer Zhang waved his hand. “It’s uncertain. Ultimately, it depends on Comrade Jiang’s own decision.”

With that, the two parted ways at the factory gate.

State-Run Restaurant

By the time Jiang Jing finished reporting to Bai Chu by phone and arrived at the state-run restaurant with his mother and Jiang Xiaxia, dusk was falling.

The restaurant was nearly out of food, but Jiang Hua had bought some steamed buns earlier. Seeing her youngest son arrive, she said, “Let’s just go to the guesthouse; there’s hardly anything left to eat here.”

Jiang Jing pondered for a moment. “I’ll check the police station’s cafeteria. There’s always someone on duty there, and the kitchen fires never go out at night.”

Jiang Hua considered it. She and her son were fine, but Xiaxia was young, and eating only dry buns seemed unfair to the child, so she nodded in agreement.

After Jiang Jing left, Xiaxia tugged at her grandmother’s sleeve and pointed behind her. “Apprentice!”

The waitress had said the apprentice was practicing for the sake of chasing a girl. Maybe there was still some food left!

Jiang Hua understood her granddaughter’s meaning and went to the counter. “Miss, did the apprentice make anything else this afternoon?”

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“Oh, don’t mention it!”

Waitress Xiao Fang rolled her eyes. “I told Brother Xiaohua from the start that girl seemed strange. Who meets a girlfriend without any friends around? It didn’t seem genuine! But Brother Xiaohua didn’t believe me! Now, the girl sent word this afternoon that she wants to break up! She told him to get all the books she gave him ready because she’ll come tonight to take them back!”

Books?

Jiang Xiaxia tilted her head, puzzled. Nowadays, do people give books when they date?

Shouldn’t they give flowers?

“That’s right! The books she gave him before!”

As if recalling some taboo, Xiao Fang glanced around and then lowered her voice. “Even though we’re supposed to be revolutionary companions nowadays, it’s not like every time Brother Xiaohua gives her ration coupons, she gives him notebooks or books! Those two are clearly not on the same page!”

If they aren’t on the same page, how could they be revolutionary partners?

“Why not?”

Xiaxia grew interested. It was her first time seeing people break up. She wondered if it would be like her grandfather’s quiet complaints behind the scenes—that those who couldn’t handle breakups were brainless and prone to crying, causing scenes, or worse.

Thinking this, she couldn’t help but tiptoe to peek inside.

Seeing Jiang Xiaxia’s adorable face, Xiao Fang thought of Brother Xiaohua sitting there for over an hour and said, “Little friend, can you come in and help me talk to him?”

“Me?”

Jiang Xiaxia was surprised, pointing at herself with her tiny fingers.

Realizing she had misspoken, Xiao Fang awkwardly smiled. “And ma’am! I saw you brought the child well-behaved with your son today, so I thought you might come in and talk some sense into him!”

She sighed softly. “Brother Xiaohua is a poor soul. His father died in battle, his mother remarried and had another son. He had an older brother who became a police officer but recently died too. Now he’s all alone.”

Her voice hardened with indignation. “That girl claimed to admire heroes and liked Brother Xiaohua, didn’t mind his inability to pay a bride price, and yet now, so soon, she wants to break up!”

Jiang Hua, who hadn’t wanted to get involved at first, now thought of her eldest son and the child they had lost.

If that child ever faced difficulties, if someone capable could give a helping hand, how wonderful that would be.

With that thought, Jiang Hua nodded and, with Jiang Xiaxia, followed Xiao Fang into the kitchen.

Inside, they found a solitary figure sitting with his head bowed.

Jiang Xiaxia ran over on her short legs, tilting her head to look at him.

Brother Xiaohua’s eyes were red, but he did not weep. His gaze was hollow and unsettling.

“Nana!”

Jiang Xiaxia took a few frightened steps back and looked up at her grandmother.

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Jiang Hua sat down beside him, holding the little girl, and opened with, “Feeling like there’s no one at home, hoping for a family, only to have those hopes dashed?”

Brother Xiaohua shuddered. Xiao Fang, eavesdropping from behind, was terrified by the sharpness of Jiang Hua’s words.

How could this lady be so harsh?

“Feeling that heaven is so unfair? Why is it that every time you approach happiness, it’s snatched away in an instant?”

Brother Xiaohua’s lips twitched. “I—I—”

His voice cracked, almost crying, but he quickly shut his mouth tight.

Jiang Hua sighed. “But you’re still alive, aren’t you?”

She stroked Jiang Xiaxia’s head and said softly, “Some people don’t even have the luxury to live.”

“Ma’am, I’m not going to lose hope. It’s just... I don’t understand.”

Brother Xiaohua caught the meaning behind her words and after a moment of silence asked, “I just wonder, what’s wrong with me that A-Ling wants to break up by sending a message through someone else?”

He rubbed the books beside him. “She gave me so many books, saying she wanted us to progress together. Maybe I’m just too slow, and she grew impatient and wants to leave!”

Jiang Xiaxia looked where his hand pointed—a red-covered book—and flipped through a small notebook beside it.

The neat handwriting copied revolutionary slogans.

At the back were some drawings.

Her eyes immediately fixed on these drawings.

“Don’t understand, huh?” Brother Xiaohua smiled bitterly. “Those are A-Ling’s whimsical ideas. She said she didn’t mind that I had no money. After we marry, we’ll make our own furniture at home. These are the designs she drew for me to see! I wanted to surprise her, so whenever I saw these, I’d memorize them and redraw them in a notebook, planning to make them someday.”

But before he could make anything, she had already broken up with him.

Jiang Xiaxia flipped through the notebook carefully—it was indeed furniture blueprints.

But after a closer look, she flipped back to the red book, then closed it. Standing on tiptoe, she sighed and patted his shoulder. “It’s okay.”

Brother Xiaohua looked at Jiang Xiaxia’s relieved expression, puzzled and unsure why.

Jiang Hua frowned. “Xiaxia?”

Jiang Xiaxia pulled out her little newspaper, searched for something, and then pointed to her grandmother: The blueprints rearranged like a puzzle read ‘Information’!

The first enemy agent seemed to have been found quite unexpectedly!