Chapter 14 chapter 13

The autumn wind is blowing, and the autumn night is getting cooler.A signal flare suddenly rose in the cold night sky, like a meteor rising from low to high, and another one soon rose, illuminating the canals in the suburbs of Shanghai.Near the canal, there is a vast expanse of reeds, in which there are hidden wooden boats, and inside the wooden boats are hidden soldiers of the New Fourth Army. The soldiers in the night are on full alert, waiting for an order to start their operations. Wang Mutian hid himself on one of the wooden boats. In front of him, a soldier leaning on the bow of the first boat turned his head, waved the pistol in his hand to the soldiers of the New Fourth Army behind him, and ordered in a low voice: "Get ready! Go forward! "

A dozen or so wooden boats ambushed in the reeds quickly drove out of the reeds, and quickly drew dozens of arrows on the calm water. Soon the wooden boats had landed, and out of each boat jumped out a man wearing a camouflage hat made of reed leaves. Soldiers of the New Fourth Army ran silently but swiftly among the reeds. He Xiaohui, who left Shanghai and was recalled to the army, conducted a half-year cadre training at the Anti-Japanese University and was appointed as the deputy chief of staff of the security regiment directly under the Southern Anhui Military Headquarters of the New Fourth Army.At this moment, he stood majesticly among the reeds, and gestured to the soldiers who were running, and the soldiers stopped their advance immediately.

He Xiaohui's gaze was like a shining sword in the darkness, "Comrades, the light in front is the Japanese military airport in Longhua. Our movements must be light and precise, and we must try our best to avoid combat loss. We must fight a good battle, and put a knife in the hinterland of the Great Shanghai, which the devils think is the safest place!" The soldiers were excited, and they were all gearing up, as if victory was in sight. He Xiaohui led the soldiers to sneak to the airport and rushed to a transport plane parked on the tarmac. He took a barrel of gasoline from the soldiers beside him and poured it on the plane. Throw away. With a "boom", the fire burst into the sky.

The sharp siren rang through the entire airport in an instant. After hearing the report from his subordinates, the head of the Japanese army was puzzled: "Absolutely impossible! The nearest New Fourth Army guerrilla group is at least 200 kilometers away from Shanghai. Why did they suddenly appear?" In the small woods outside the tarmac, Wang Mutian and his young comrades were lying in the grass, excitedly watching the fire in the distance.The transport plane being engulfed by the fire is like a desperate giant eagle, unable to fly anymore.His blood was boiling with excitement, and he suddenly got up from the ground, and was about to rush over with his rifle in his hand. The comrades around him hurriedly held him down: "Chief He, let us guard the canned food!"

Wang Mutian snorted: "Canned food can't run away, what's there to see!" Another soldier ran up and said sternly: "You can run, so the chief of staff asked me to watch you!" Although Wang Mutian refused to accept it, he had to stay in the grass obediently. Two to three hundred meters away from the transport plane, a small passenger plane was parked. He Xiaohui led the soldiers to rush towards the passenger plane. There was another "boom", and the small passenger plane also shot up huge flames. The night sky was brightly illuminated, and countless sparks were lively. Fly happily to the sky.

He Xiaohui's excitement was beyond words: "We have enough money, let's withdraw!" Several Japanese soldiers chased after him. He Xiaohui pulled out the grenade on his waist and threw it at the Japanese soldier. He turned around and threw another grenade at the Japanese soldier. Second row cover!" Seeing that He Xiaohui was in danger, Wang Mutian couldn't bear it any longer, broke free from the young soldier who was holding him down with brute force, and rushed towards He Xiaohui who was blocking the pursuers. The Japanese army's bullets were as dense as a shower, and the machine gunner of the New Fourth Army fell down. He Xiaohui took the machine gun from his hand and fired violently at the Japanese army, retreating while fighting.After entering the bushes, he looked sideways and found Wang Mutian running over, he was furious: "What are you doing here! Are you here to die or to live?"

Wang Mutian ignored him, put the gun on a branch of a tree, aimed carefully, and pulled the trigger steadily. A Japanese soldier who was approaching fell down with a cry. He Xiaohui yelled: "You son of a bitch, I tell you to withdraw!" Wang Mutian still ignored it, changed to another tree, and aimed carefully again.Against the flames, a Japanese soldier was shot in the forehead, blood splashed out like red broken glass, and fell down softly. When Wang Mutian took part in the battle for the first time, he easily killed two enemies. He couldn't help being ecstatic, and almost forgot that it was on the battlefield. He Xiaohui pushed him angrily: "If you don't withdraw, I will kill you!" Run deep into the woods.

He Xiaohui changed his position to shoot at the Japanese army, and suddenly heard Wang Mutian shouted behind him. Looking back, he saw a bright red patch on Wang Mutian's left shoulder that rapidly expanded.The ignorant Wang Mutian was injured. He Xiaohui rushed behind Wang Mutian, stretched out his hand to support him, carried a light machine gun in one hand, supported him in the other, and ran deep into the woods. When he arrived at the reeds by the river, He Xiaohui quickly tore off Wang Mutian's military uniform and bandaged him. He gasped in pain. He Xiaohui looked at Wang Mutian coldly: "Is the pain comfortable? Make you stubborn! Make you not afraid of death!"

Wang Mutian asked stupidly: "Chief of Staff, will I be disabled?" He Xiaohui sneered: "Who is your chief of staff? Don't say that I can't advise you, and you don't even accept orders! You are disabled, but I will be charged with the blame! The chief of the army told me that Wang Mutian was short of one Hairy hair, I'm asking you, He Xiaohui!" "why?" "How do I know? Go on and find out why!" He Xiaohui tightened the bandage with all his strength, then took off a cloth bag from his back, untied it, and took out a set of cloth shirt and pants, "Hurry up and put on! "

Seeing Wang Mutian's movements slowly, He Xiaohui came up impatiently and helped him take off his military uniform jacket two or three times. , if you slow down, you won’t be able to eat Shanghai wontons tomorrow.” Wang Mutian stared and asked, "Shall we go to Shanghai?" "Yes, hurry up, live through today, and see your mother tomorrow!" The Japanese yelled in the distance, and more than a dozen flashlights came over. He Xiaohui pushed Wang Mutian, and said in a low voice, "Run to the river!" He aimed at the aperture of an approaching flashlight, and the aperture went out , Then he turned his head and ran again, stopped again, aimed at the aperture of another flashlight that was approaching and shot, and as the flashlight fell to the ground, there was a scream.

Realizing that something was wrong, the Japanese soldiers quickly extinguished the flashlights, but found that they had lost their pursuit target, and looked around hesitantly. He Xiaohui and Wang Mutian crawled close to the river beach, and when they reached the river, He Xiaohui held Wang Mutian up with one hand and paddled with the other to swim towards a small boat floating in the middle of the river. He asked Wang Mutian, "Can you dive?" Wang Mutian gritted his teeth to hold back the pain, and nodded. The Japanese soldiers chased them to the river, and the light of the flashlight swayed on the river, and they fired randomly.He Xiaohui suddenly pushed Wang Mutian's head under the water, and buried his head in the water himself.Large and small water columns rose and fell around the boat, and the water surface seemed to be boiling. Seeing no one, the Japanese soldier turned on the flashlight again, and threw four bundled grenades towards the boat. With a bang, the boat's canopy and hull shattered into countless pieces and flew into the air.They observed the scene for a while, and left without hearing any movement. At the bottom of the blue river, water plants danced seductively. He Xiaohui carried Wang Mutian to shuttle between the water plants. Wang Mutian suddenly twitched, his body became heavy and stiff, and He Xiaohui couldn't move.Wang Mutian's epilepsy broke out at this terrible time.He Xiaohui planned to change hands to grab his back collar, but Wang Mutian grabbed his arm and led him to sink to the bottom of the water... He Xiaohui struggled desperately, but the confused Wang Mutian was extremely powerful, and he was pulled deeper and deeper.At this time, he suddenly saw a ship's ridge floating over the heads of the two of them, and with all his strength, he led Wang Mutian to swim towards it.Finally reached the ridge of the boat, hugged it, and passed the weight of the two of them on it. He poked his head out of the water and saw the other shore sinking and floating towards him, and looked back at Wang Mutian, but there was no sound. He Xiaohui stepped onto the mud on the river bank, picked up the unconscious Wang Mutian, and moved to the bank with difficulty.He put Wang Mutian on the grass, pressed his knee against his abdomen, and slowly rubbed it.Wang Mutian opened his mouth and vomited out a stream of river water. He Xiaohui patted his cheek lightly: "Wake up!" Wang Mutian's complexion was similar to the belly of a dead fish, his lips were pale, and his eyes were tightly closed.He Xiaohui leaned on his chest and listened, and then put his hand on his pulse. He panicked: "Wang Mutian, I beg you, don't hurt me! I can't afford you to die..." Wang Mutian's white and blue face is like a young martyr, his eyes are closed quietly, and there is a kind of detachment that has entered eternity between his brows. He Xiaohui burst into tears: "You are good at everything, but you are missing one muscle, the nerve to be afraid and protect yourself!" He put his mouth on Wang Mutian's mouth, blew a breath, and looked at it again. He still showed no signs of returning to the sun. He held down Wang Mutian's chest, up and down for artificial heart pacing... That day, Wang Mutian tasted the taste of death.He will never forget the feeling of waking up from the death-like deep coma, the feeling that the soul and the body are gradually becoming one, and He Xiaohui's face is the coordinates of his resurrection, and that is the first time he saw Lao He wept. It seems that from a dense fog, or from the deep bottom of the water, a group of faint lights gradually revealed... A blurry face appeared in the faint light, and the facial features on the face gradually became clear, turning into the anxious and frightened He Xiaohui's face. Wang Mutian opened his eyes and saw that He Xiaohui's face was full of tears, but his voice was excited: "Little bastard, you scared me to death!" Wang Mutian said weakly: "Chief of Staff..." "What chief of staff? Just like in the past, call me Lao He!" Wang Mutian smiled with difficulty: "Old He..." He Xiaohui laughed loudly: "You're really alive! Little bastard!" He turned his back and quickly wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "We... this is... where?" "It doesn't matter where he is, as long as you are alive, I can do business!" He Xiaohui was exhausted, lying on his back, with his hands behind his head, looking at the brightening sky. The stars had fallen quite a bit, and the few remaining ones shone dimly, while the bright pink line in the east was widening, brightening, and becoming more colorful.Wang Mutian stared blankly at the night sky.Up to that day, He Xiaohui had saved Wang Mutian's life three times. Even if he was a cat with nine lives, He Xiaohui took back three lives. The two slept next to each other in the cold reeds all night.After Wang Mutian woke up, he found that He Xiaohui was not by his side. He got out of the reeds sleepily and looked around on the river.Suddenly he saw some fish lying on the river beach. Although they were dead, they were very fresh. With a "plop", He Xiaohui emerged from the river, holding a herring weighing two catties in each hand, He Xiaohui said happily, "The devil threw so many grenades last night, all the fish that were killed belong to us today!" He pointed to the two or three fish floating in the river, "Did you see that? It's enough food for a squad of us soldiers!" Wang Mutian stared at his cold blue face, smiled slyly, and stared at him pretending to be surprised: "Where are your lips?" He Xiaohui became confused: "Where is my stuff?" "Lips, why are your lips gone?" He Xiaohui walked up to Wang Mutian, threw the fish on the ground, touched his face and mouth, and stared at Wang Mutian: "Nonsense!" Wang Mutian suddenly realized: "Oh, that's how it is—the lips are as cold as the face, blue and purple, it looks like the lips are gone!" He Xiaohui pushed Wang Mutian, and Wang Mutian staggered back. He covered his shoulders, but his smile was extremely bright.Having experienced life and death together, their friendship has become indestructible, and there seems to be no distance or boundary anymore. It was evening when Hong Wangnan arrived at Wang's house.Zhu Yuqiong and Sun Bining's family members were playing mahjong. When they saw Hong Wangnan coming back, they stopped mahjong and greeted each other in a flurry of tongues.Zhu Yuqiong's voice was the loudest: "Wang Nan, have you checked your injured eye?" Hong Wangnan laughed: "Check eyesight? No need! The U.S. Air Force who overhauls aircraft in our factory told a joke that at the beginning of the war, the conscription had to check the degree of each person's eyes, and wait until the end of the war before conscripting. I don’t check the degree of the eyes, just count if the eyes are enough, and if there are two eyes, I will get a seal and pass! Now is the time to count the eyes, which means that the battle is almost done!” Sun Bining felt distressed and chattered with relief: "Look at him, he can still laugh!" As if there was a feeling, Wang Duoying was restless all day long. She locked herself in the bedroom and played Chopin's ballad over and over again, but the piano seemed to be against her, and she couldn't play any satisfactory music. tone.Hearing Hong Wangnan's voice, she didn't go out immediately, but came to the cabinet with a candle, examined her face by the candlelight, and then used the other hand to stroke the hair on the temples on her forehead in a panic.She pulled open the door of the closet, rummaged through the clothes, and took out a rose-colored cheongsam, looked at it, and hung it back again, and then took out a dark green cheongsam, hesitated, or hung it back.In the end, she chose to wear her usual home clothes. A large drop of candle tears rolled down and burned her hand. She shivered suddenly, put the candle on the bedside table, and put the burning finger into her mouth. Zhu Yuqiong shouted outside the door: "Aying, come out and see who is back!" She raised her head again and looked at herself in the mirror. The door opened, and Hong Wangnan appeared at the door.Wang Duoying turned her face slowly.The long silence between the two of them seemed to be filled with mixed feelings, and it also seemed to be close to each other, and they froze there.Wang Duoying came up and fixed her eyes on Hong Wangnan's right eye.Hong Wangnan pretended to be indifferent, and teased her with a smile: "Are you disappointed? Unexpectedly, wait for a one-eyed dragon to come back." "The one injured on the day of the bombing?" Hong Wangnan comforted and said, "Well, don't worry, you won't become a one-eyed dragon." Wang Duoying smiled lightly: "It's you, calling one-eyed dragon one by one. I don't care." "You really don't care?" Wang Duoying gently took off the glasses for Hong Wangnan: "I heard you tell a joke about American soldiers just now. I can't even count your eyes, so I will stamp you." Wang Duoying became calm, no longer that crying little girl.This surprised Hong Wangnan, he wanted to re-examine the person in front of him.He suddenly held Wang Duoying in his arms and kissed her passionately.But Wang Duoying gently pushed him away and said, "I'll take you to see your father." It turned out that Zhu Yuqiong's bedroom was given to the Hong family couple.Hong Jianchen had already fallen asleep, his breathing seemed to be very difficult, and there was a slight whistling sound when he was panting.On the bedside table was a blood-stained towel.The door was gently pushed open, and Hong Wangnan appeared at the door. He stared at his father's pale face, gray stubble, and slightly parted lips... Tears slowly rose in his eye sockets. Sun Bining reminded her son softly: "He just fell asleep, don't wake him up. The coughing of blood has just stopped a little in the past two days..." Hong Wangnan nodded, and tiptoed to his father's bedside, picked up the blood-stained towel on the bedside table. When Wang Duoying came to the door, she saw Hong Wangnan kneeling down to her father slowly, her eyes were filled with tears, and she felt relieved at the same time, as if the anxiety and worries of the past year had also been washed away by these tears. The sky is high and the clouds are light, the sun shines brightly on the green and yellow leaves, it is a good weather.The sycamore trees on both sides of the street were shedding their leaves, and a sweeping truck drove up, rolling the withered and yellow leaves into the car.Sitting in a rickshaw, Wang Duoying held a bouquet of chrysanthemums and wanted to go to the clinic to see Hong Wangnan. When she came to Dr. Thompson's Eye Clinic, she opened the door and went in. The female receptionist sitting at the reception desk nodded to her, and she went straight to the big glass door with "Operating Room" written on it. She stood in front of the door, as if she could hear whether the operation was successful or not, but all she could hear was silence.The female receptionist came over with some fashion magazines in foreign languages ​​and gestured for her to sit down.She took the magazine, sat down on the bench restlessly, but put the magazine aside, fiddling with gloves subconsciously. The door of the operating room opened, and the female nurse came out and told Wang Duoying, "Mr. Hong invites you in." Wang Duoying was a little overwhelmed, she was afraid of hearing the ominous results.The female nurse looked at her with a smile. She tried to calm herself down, holding the chrysanthemum in her hands, and entered the glass door of the operating room with the female nurse. Hong Wangnan sat in front of the window, with his back facing the door of the operating room.The autumn sun is very bright, shining in from the window, bathing the whole consulting room in sunlight.Wang Duoying looked at him anxiously, then at Thompson, who motioned to Wang Duoying to let her go forward. Listening to Wang Duoying's footsteps, Hong Wangnan said calmly, "Aying, just stand there." Then he said to Thompson in English, "Doctor, nurse, let's continue." The nurse picked up the tweezers, carefully removed the gauze covering Hong Wangnan's right eye, then dipped a cotton ball in saline, and gently wiped the ointment on Hong Wangnan's eyes.The ointment was completely removed, and Hong Wangnan's thick black eyelashes looked very moist... Wang Duoying's heart rose to her throat, and she could hardly hold the chrysanthemum in her hand. Hong Wangnan still kept his eyes closed: "Doctor, my eyes haven't changed, have they?" "It's up to you to open it up to find out," Thompson said. Hong Wangnan called Wang Duoying softly: "Aying, come here." He wanted to share this moment with Wang Duoying.Wang Duoying walked forward slowly.Hong Wangnan turned the swivel chair to face Wang Duoying and stretched out his arms to her.Wang Duoying looked at him, walked up to him, and held his hand. Hong Wangnan slowly opened his eyes, stared at Wang Duoying for a while, seemed tired, and closed his eyes again. Wang Duoying observed Hong Wangnan carefully, and she saw a smile slowly appearing on the corner of Hong Wangnan's mouth: "Aying, you look so good in rose red. The rose red clothes and golden chrysanthemums are so beautiful." Wang Duoying's face turned red immediately, it was the color of excitement, for the recovery of his eyesight, and also for his praise. Thompson performed a series of tests on Hong Wangnan's eyesight and concluded: "Very good! The operation was a success! Congratulations!" Hong Wangnan was in high spirits at the moment: "I should congratulate you, you have set another record of success!" Thompson told him: "Everything seems to be fine now, but the medicine must be taken on time. After a week, we will check again." Hong Wangnan thanked Thompson and turned to Wang Duoying: "Aying, have you counted them clearly? They still have two eyes, right?" Wang Duoying frowned shyly and smiled, pushing him gently. Thompson was curious: "Count what?" Hong Wangnan looked at Wang Duoying with tenderness: "Count the eyes. She must be thinking on the way, whether Hong Wangnan still has two eyes after removing the bandage." Wang Duoying held the chrysanthemum to Thompson, pretending to be angry: "It was originally for him, but now I decided not to give it. Because I don't like cruel jokes." Coming out of the Thompson Clinic, the two were like a pair of birds that were suddenly released from their cages. Looking at the streets full of cars and people, the sky full of sunshine, they didn't know how to spend their luck and freedom. Hong Wangnan put on his sunglasses, put Wang Duoying's hand in his windbreaker pocket, and led her to the Huangpu River.The two walked to the railing, stopped, and looked at the warships and merchant ships of various countries on the river, and watched the gulls flying around.Seeing Wang Duoying's preoccupied look, Hong Wangnan squeezed her hand: "What are you thinking about?" Wang Duoying hesitated, and summoned up her courage: "Will you take me away this time?" Hong Wangnan seemed to be mentally prepared: "Do you want to go with me?" Wang Duoying nodded and gave the answer she had been thinking about these days.She looked up at the sapphire sky and felt much more relaxed.It is a miracle that Hong Wangnan escaped death this time, what is more important than a person's life? Hong Wangnan gently tucked Wang Duoying's scarf: "Then let's get married." Wang Duoying's lips trembled, as if she was about to express her unspeakable thoughts, but she held back.Hong Wangnan easily saw through her: "Aying, don't be stupid, you are young, your heart will always be dishonest and restless. But enthusiasm and impulsiveness will pass, and before it passes, you will be very reluctant and feel pain in your heart. , I'd rather die..." Wang Duoying's tears were about to come out again, and she was grateful to Hong Wangnan for her understanding.Maybe the days of mediocrity are coming to an end soon, she thought.Hong Wangnan leaned her face on his shoulder: "But are you willing to leave me? For your enthusiasm and impulsiveness, are you willing to leave someone who has liked you since you were very young? Besides, he is also the most suitable person for you , are you willing?" He looked at Jiang Ou flying in the distance and said, "I am reluctant." Wang Duoying buried her face in Hong Wangnan's chest, sobbing tremblingly, as if she was ashamed of her childish willfulness.Hong Wangnan patted her lightly, but his eyes seemed to be cold, he was like a calm prophet: "If you choose him, when you leave me, you will find that you are even more reluctant to part with me." Wang Duoying refused to raise her head, she shrugged her shoulders and sobbed: "How do you know?" Hong Wangnan's smile looks like a wry smile: "I am also a human being. People always live in abandonment and inseparability." Wang Duoying was intoxicated in her own world unknowingly: "How do you know everything?" The situation is somewhat comical: the two of them have a certain resonance because of two other people, they once suffered because of these two people, but now they are enjoying this resonance.Is it sympathy?Hong Wangnan didn't allow himself to think about it anymore, he suddenly raised Wang Duoying's face: "Aying, are you willing to marry me right away?" Wang Duoying avoided his gaze, watched Jiang Ou fall to the ground, and remained silent.However, she knew very well that it was time to make a choice. She couldn't live in the clouds forever, she needed to land on the ground.Finally, she nodded.She let out a long breath, which meant that she decided to let go of all the past. Mahjong is Zhu Yuqiong's spiritual morphine, a faithful companion, she plays it when she is in a bad mood, and even more when she is in a good mood. Right now, she can't tell whether she is in a good mood or not, so she can play or not. Anyway, she has nothing to do .With a long suet jade cigarette holder dangling from her mouth, she lazily threw out a card from her round and jade hands: "Four cakes." Mrs. Shen picked up the cards she played, thought about it, and put it down again.Guan Ma's voice rose outside the door: "Xiaoxia is back!" Zhu Yuqiong's heart skipped a beat, whether the mahjong was in his hand or not.The door opened, Guan Ma's hand was on the doorknob, behind her stood a smiling Sang Xia: "Your Majesty!" Zhu Yuqiong stopped playing and stood up, but because she moved too quickly, she touched the table and knocked several mahjong tiles on the table to the ground.She asked Guan Ma to beat her up, and Mrs. Chen rolled her eyes: "As soon as my niece comes back, she will ignore us!" Zhu Yuqiong walked over to meet Sang Xia. She was angry and didn't give Sang Xia a good look. She closed the door and said stiffly, "Come with me." Sang Xia followed Zhu Yuqiong, walked to the end of the corridor, and said thoughtfully: "Your Majesty doesn't look very well..." Zhu Yuqiong stood still and scolded Sang Xia impatiently: "Shut up! Who is your mother?" Sang Xia smiled again: "You are Sang Xia's empress, you are my empress. Now that she is gone, I will live for her, fulfill her unfinished business, fulfill her unfulfilled wish, and honor my mother on her behalf. " Zhu Yuqiong snorted, her words were better than her songs, and that's why she was fooled.She believed that Wang Mutian was abducted by Sang Xia. The room where Sang Xia used to live here became Zhu Yuqiong's temporary bedroom. Zhu Yuqiong opened the door with a livid face, her hands resting on the doorknob, meaning to invite Sang Xia in, and there will be no good results if she goes in. feed her.Sang Xia looked at the room, she couldn't help laughing, and it returned to its messy state again: many things were pushed to the corner and covered with a cloth curtain, but the cover was stretched.In the center of the room was Zhu Yuqiong's large mahogany bed, and the clothes and shoes were placed in a mess, as if "chaos" had become the hallmark of the Wang family. Sang Xia talked to Zhu Yuqiong: "I heard that Hong's mother and mother's family moved here and lived upstairs, and the empress gave up her room..." With a "snap", Zhu Yuqiong slammed a teacup on the bedside table, and she wanted to give this ignorant woman a blow: "Who is your empress? I can't afford you, the empress of the Communist Party! Besides, Let outsiders hear, I have you, the niece of the Communist Party, for no reason, and I don’t know why I lost my head!" Sang Xia looked directly at Zhu Yuqiong, and calmly defended herself: "Your niece is the one who introduced the ideals of the Communist Party to me." Zhu Yuqiong was even more excited: "So you came to my house with a fake name, and poured your ideals and ideals into A Mu's head, so that he would deny his relatives and abandon his mother, his uncle, and his sister in a good way. The family ran away." Sang Xia looked helpless: "Mother..." "Shut up! If you call me my niece again, I'll call the police!" Zhu Yuqiong looked at Sang Xia as if she were a stranger. "Someone whispered to me at the beginning, saying that you are not like my niece Sang Xia, I will call the police!" They all turned a blind eye and closed their eyes, and didn't want to pursue it. Why? Because I see it for Amu's sake, I think Amu respects you, looks up at you, and is with you. He is very good The result? You lied to me and took Amu away. What else do you have to say?" Sang Xia smiled apologetically: "I don't have anything to say. I'm here today just to listen to your scolding. You just scold me heartily. If you're really upset, you can just stretch out your hand and slap a few times." Zhu Yuqiong stared at her, but was speechless, making noise was not something she was good at. Sang Xia began to talk about the past and explained her original intention: “Three years ago, on a ship———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— We soon became good friends. We told each other about our families and backgrounds. She told me that she had a mother in Shanghai. When her father was alive, she often talked about this unique sister who could write and draw. Clever." Zhu Yuqiong listened very carefully, but she was also very vigilant - she must not be intoxicated by this woman again. "This girl has many similarities with me. For example, we both went to college in the United States and took music classes. At home, we are all overseas Chinese in Malaya. We were children who had no worries about food and clothing since childhood... We The only difference is that she has ideals. Her ideals are so lofty that I couldn’t even touch the margins. The ship was on the sea for seven or eight days, and the girl started to have a high fever... until she died, the doctors on board were all sick. I didn’t figure out what kind of disease it was, it would be so deadly. I only knew that it was a kind of fever, and it would be difficult to cure it. Before she died, she told me that she returned to Nanyang from the United States to raise funds for the war of resistance. When she finished After collecting donations, I have to return to the motherland to join the anti-Japanese army, go to the front line, just like the song sang, I have to fight to the death on the battlefield..." Zhu Yuqiong saw that Sang Xia lowered her head, her tears were shining, she relaxed her vigilance and sat on the bed. "People who die at sea must be buried at sea according to the ship's rules. I personally buried her. When I and the first officer on the ship put her into the Pacific Ocean, I found that my life had actually been changed by her. You must have guessed it, this girl is Sang Xia, your niece. I watched the sea take Sang Xia away, and thought, the sea should not take away her ideal... From then on, I wanted to change Cheng Sangxia, to finish her unfinished business and her unfinished life. I went to Malaya, found Sangxia’s organization, and began to mobilize overseas Chinese to raise donations. Later, I collected The money was sent to the office of the New Fourth Army in Fuzhou. In fact, I sent the donation on behalf of Sang Xia. I worked in the office for more than half a year, and during that time, I joined the Communist Party. I thought, if in the future I really Anyone who can make a little contribution to the party will be recorded under the name of Sang Xia. Later, I was sent back to Nanyang by the New Fourth Army to collect donations and prepare medicines. When I came back to China, the organization asked me to use the name of Sang Xia Name, work in Shanghai." Zhu Yuqiong was brought into Sang Xia's story without knowing it, because the protagonist of the story is her own niece, she naturally had a strong sense of substitution, at this time, the hostility and doubts on her face completely disappeared Unsurprisingly, she fell in love with Sang Xia again. After Sang Xia finished speaking, she approached Zhu Yuqiong slowly, as if seeking her sympathy: "This is how I became Sang Xia. For many people, I only have the name Sang Xia. But I like this name, It sounds so loud, as if it was named after a heroine..." Zhu Yuqiong stared blankly at Sang Xia. Sang Xia's big eyes glistened with tears, but also with hope. With such clear eyes, where could one see a trace of conspiracy? Sang Xia raised her head, looking sad: "Now I've told you the truth, and I haven't hidden anything from A Mu. If you still want to scold me, go ahead and scold me. I promise not to pay you back." mouth." Zhu Yuqiong was silent, her expression gradually softened, and it took a long time before she let out a weak sigh: "Where did you get Amu?" "Amu is in Shanghai." Zhu Yuqiong's eyes suddenly became watery, and she couldn't help but straighten up: "Amu, is he in Shanghai now?" Sang Xia nodded: "Well, he has been back for several days." "Then...then why didn't he come home?" "He'll be home." "When are you coming back?" "It doesn't have to come back here. The job he's holding is very important." Sang Xia looked at Zhu Yuqiong who was full of melancholy and couldn't bear it anymore. "I can arrange for you to meet." Zhu Yuqiong felt sad and wronged: "But...why can't he go home?" Sang Xia took Zhu Yuqiong's hand and said comfortingly, "Where the mother is, is home to the son." Zhu Yuqiong, who was originally aggressive, was now softened by Sang Xia, and for a while she didn't know how to entertain her, and the atmosphere became a little awkward.Sang Xia picked up her purse and was about to leave when she heard a noise coming from outside the door.There was Hong Wangnan's voice, Sang Xia was stunned, and sat down again. Hong Wangnan's voice sounded elated, and he said to Guan Ma: "Let Lao Luo cook a table of local dishes, and our two families have dinner together. It's rare, and Aying and I have important news to report .” As soon as Zhu Yuqiong heard this, she immediately walked out the door: "What important news?" She seemed to have forgotten Sang Xia's existence. Hong Wangnan took a tender look at Wang Duoying, who was blushing all over her face: "Actually, it's nothing important...it's just that Aying and I are planning to get married." Zhu Yuqiong stared at Hong Wangnan in surprise, then at her daughter: "When will you get married?" Sun Bining came down the stairs, obviously she was startled by her son's words. Hong Wangnan glanced at his mother: "Tomorrow, if it's really too late, the day after tomorrow." Zhu Yuqiong opened her mouth wide and waved her hands again and again: "Impossible! Marriage is such an important matter, how can you handle it so hastily? At least wait for your father's injury to heal..." On the other hand, Sun Bining was full of joy: "Jian Chen will not object. The great joy may make his injury heal sooner! I have prepared all the things for the wedding. When I moved here, I was so hasty. I didn’t forget to bring it with me.” Zhu Yuqiong saw that the Hong family's mother and son were all in battle, and it seemed that they couldn't escape, but her expression was even more embarrassing: "Then we can't have a wedding tomorrow or the day after tomorrow! I'm really embarrassed to say it, but we, Aying, even have a wedding ceremony for a newlywed." There are no clothes, and the fastest tailor will take a week to make the clothes, and the embroiderer will need to be given a month and a half to embroider, right?" Hong Wangnan said nonchalantly, "Mother Wang, it's a time of war, and everything can be kept simple. Ah Ying's cheongsam today is pretty good, and it's not shameful to wear it to a wedding." "No, no!" Zhu Yuqiong walked up to Wang Duoying, lifted up the hem of the cheongsam, and turned it inside for everyone to see, "I didn't want to say it at first, because I was afraid of embarrassment. I can't say it now. Have you seen it? This is an old cheongsam I had when I was young. I turned it upside down and changed it to Aying. The inside is turned upside down, and anyone with a discerning eye can see it at a glance! It can be seen that they haven't poked a hole in the back of our Wang family? It should be said, that woman Zhu Yuqiong ruined the Wang family like this, the only daughter got married, wrapped it in an old clothes with a face lining, and then sent it out! In that case, I will feel sorry for both my daughter and the Wang family!" Hong Wangnan looked at Wang Duoying as if asking for help: "I don't have the same clothes, I believe Ah Ying will not deny me, right?" Wang Duoying glanced at him and nodded. Zhu Yuqiong seemed to be deliberately embarrassing them: "Where do you live when you get married? It takes time for the young couple to rent a house, right?" “结了婚我就把阿颖带到昆明，我们厂在那里有个办事处，可以接待家属。” 朱玉琼这下找到了理由：“到昆明去？上海的日子都越来越难过了，阿颖怎么吃得消内地的日子？” 孙碧凝有了主意：“我看不如这样，结婚呢，我们两家各自给新姑爷、新娘子准备一套衣服，一套被褥；新房的话，暂时可以在华懋饭店的公寓里租一套，就算我和涧琛送给小两口的蜜月房间……” 朱玉琼一拍脑门：“那还要征求一下三阿哥的意见啊！” 孙碧凝也没多想：“当然，三阿哥和涧琛的意见都要听听。正好涧琛刚才醒了，你们小两口子赶快上去，跟他报个喜！” 站在朱玉琼卧室的桑霞一阵茫然，她似乎被所有人抛弃了，冷落了，似乎根本和这里的人毫无关系。听见大家往楼上跑，趁机拉开门走出去。到了楼门口，朱玉琼从楼梯上下来，叫住她：“等一等。” 桑霞站住脚，回过头。朱玉琼看着她的眼光意味深长：“留下吃饭吧。” 桑霞勉强堆出笑容，说还有事情要办。朱玉琼摆摆手：“一顿饭不会耽误你多长时间的。今天望楠和阿颖决定要结婚了……” 桑霞几乎是本能地打断她：“我知道。”表情显得极不自然。 朱玉琼使劲看了桑霞一眼，有些不悦：“还有一会儿就要开饭了，我这个人，再穷都不会在饭前打发客人走，除了这个人我不想交往了。假如说你不打算再登我的门，就走吧。” 桑霞哀求说：“娘娘，我真的有事情。” 朱玉琼板起脸来，不过语气却是亲昵的：“假如你还把我当成你的娘娘，就留下来。”这话已经说得很明白了，她还是把桑霞当亲人的，“儿女的大事，我身边一个娘家人都没有。你留下来，就算我的娘家人，管他真的假的。” 桑霞感激地看了一眼朱玉琼，朱玉琼重新接纳了她，这也正是她期待的结果。不过朱玉琼又怎么知道她和洪望楠的那些秘密呢？几天前他们还在一起忘情缠绵，几天后就听到他要跟别人结婚的消息，无论如何，她都做不到坦然面对洪望楠啊。 朱玉琼走上来，孩子气地拉住桑霞的手，半真半假地摆出威胁的面孔：“我能这么便宜就让你走了？你说你会安排我和阿沐见面的。等你安排好了，我才放你走。” 朱玉琼软硬兼施，迫使桑霞答应留下。但是桑霞还是要坚持出门走一趟的，说自己作为娘家人，那就必须要给新人准备礼物。朱玉琼这才放了手。 桑霞暂时避开洪望楠，一路上脚步都是轻飘飘的，没有一点踏实的感觉。天空是蓝的，她的心是灰的。她心胸再大，碰到感情的事也没办法让自己轻易释怀。原来这一切激情都只不过是个命运的玩笑么？她苦笑，不甘心又能如何，她和洪望楠终究不是同路人吧。 不知不觉走到《纽约时报》驻沪办，洪望梅双手在打字机上跳跃，抬头看到桑霞脸色苍白，眼睛里透着伤感——这不是她熟悉的那个桑霞。她停下来，审视着桑霞：“出什么事了？” 桑霞从柜子上拿了一个玻璃杯，倒了大半杯水，背身喝了一口，似乎恢复了平静：“出大事了。你哥哥的眼睛做了手术，手术很成功，现在正在康复。他和多颖决定马上结婚了。”她仰起脖子把杯子里的水喝完。 洪望梅高兴起来，很快又狐疑地盯着桑霞：“听上去都是好事啊，那你看上去怎么会……我说不出来。” “我看上去怎么了？” “好像刚生了一场大病。” “我这人的毛病就是不生大病。” “心病呢？也不生心病？” 桑霞狠狠地说：“这种时候还生心病，就是无耻。前线每分钟有多少个战士在牺牲？每分钟有多少中国人被日本人杀害？”她这话明显是在生自己的气，她在痛恨自己的脆弱。 洪望梅顶嘴：“这不妨碍人们生心病。” 桑霞又气馁了：“对，也不妨碍人们恋爱、结婚。” “你来就为了告诉我这个？打个电话不就行了？” 桑霞意识到自己的失态：“你最了解你哥哥，他最喜欢什么东西？我想去给他们买点礼物，又发现对他们的喜好一无所知。在国外，我们讲究送礼要送得有意义，不然花很多钱，送的礼物又很蠢。还有，你跟多颖是好朋友，应该知道她需要什么，喜欢什么，我怕买错了东西，显得我在敷衍他们的大喜事……” 洪望梅似乎在研究桑霞：“从来没见过你这么不自信。走，我陪你去买。” 桑霞拉住洪望梅：“不行，你不能出去。你已经让日本人恨上了，很难说他们会在哪些角落设眼线盯着你。” 洪望梅诡谲地眨眨眼，快步向卫生间走去。摇身一变，成了一个戴鸭舌帽和黑框眼镜的年轻人，她有些得意地问：“怎么样？”桑霞打量着她——竟有几分像望楠，内心不禁又涌起几分凄然。 暗房的门开了，穿着工作服的戴维斯走出来，上前跟桑霞握了握手，瞥了一眼洪望梅：“这位先生是你的朋友？” 洪望梅诡秘一笑：“是你的朋友。” 戴维斯一愣，洪望梅却跳起来：“哈，成功了！”她拉起桑霞的手就走，“快走吧！” 戴维斯反应过来了，上前抓住洪望梅：“你以为日本特务这么傻？这样的乔装打扮就能把他们骗过去？” 洪望梅轻蔑地说：“你不傻，可你就被我成功地骗过去了！” 戴维斯越发着急：“不行！你现在出去，我们掩护你这么多天，不是前功尽弃了！” 桑霞也同意戴维斯的话：“望梅，冒这种危险毫无意义。”洪望梅委屈地看着她，又回过头，倔强地把戴维斯抓握在她手臂上的手撸下去。 桑霞慢慢走下楼梯，洪望梅打开办公室的门，叫住桑霞：“派克牌的钢笔！” 桑霞不解地看着洪望梅，洪望梅解释说：“我哥喜欢收藏好钢笔。” “那王多颖呢？” 洪望梅想了想说：“阿颖对什么都可有可无，只要让她弹琴听音乐就行。不过你要是送他们两人礼物的话，可以给送一张施纳贝尔的钢琴唱片，记住是亚瑟·施纳贝尔。我哥哥和多颖都爱施纳贝尔的钢琴曲。” “他们还有什么共同爱好？” 洪望梅从楼梯上走下来：“多了。象棋，围棋，开始是我哥哥喜欢象棋，后来阿颖也学会了，就陪他下。” "anything else?" “听筱丹桂……” “什么桂？” “哦，就是越剧演员，现在最红的一个角！多颖爱听筱丹桂唱的《梁祝》，我哥哥开始听不惯，后来跟阿颖听了两年，也开始喜欢了。对了，要不你买两张筱丹桂唱的《梁祝》和《红楼》送给他们也行！还有……” 桑霞已经越听越泄气，越听越灰心，原来洪望楠和王多颖之间有那么多共同的爱好，而他们之间……却似乎什么也没有。她不愿意再听下去：“知道了。我走了。”她飞快地从楼梯上跑下去，握着扶手稳住自己，努力让自己振作一下，向门外偏西的秋阳走去。 大客厅一大圈人围着一桌菜肴而坐，洪涧琛也被安置在一张扶手椅上，他的气色看起来已经有所恢复。他旁边坐着三伯伯，三伯伯是被电话叫回来的。依次下来是朱玉琼、洪望楠、王多颖……朱玉琼喜欢热闹，把平常一起打牌的女眷们也给留了下来，一起吃晚饭。 管妈端着一个砂锅进来：“洪太太的拿手好菜，一品什锦锅！” “碧凝还在厨房里忙什么？就等她入座了！管妈，你把打牌的桌上那个灯泡摘下来，安在这边，吃饭的时候灯光可以亮一点！”朱玉琼又让管妈去叫孙碧凝赶紧就座，管妈想偷个懒，佯装未听到，洪望楠走出去叫母亲。 洪望楠从大客厅出来，一眼便看见拎着一个大纸包进来的桑霞，他吃惊地瞪着眼：“你……怎么来了？” 桑霞观察了一下洪望楠的右眼，看上去已经恢复得差不多了，笑笑说：“我给你们送礼来了。听你妹妹说，你和阿颖都喜欢亚瑟·施纳贝尔弹奏的钢琴曲，我买了一整套。” 洪望楠示意桑霞换个地方说话，径直从楼门出去。桑霞怔了一会儿，也跟着走出去。两人来到后院堆放杂物的棚子前面，洪望楠点起一支烟。 桑霞在外面转了一圈，心情已经不那么难受了。她甚至故作平常地开起玩笑：“你是主角，怎么不进去陪客人啊？” 洪望楠怔怔地盯着桑霞，忽然哀求说：“求求你，你不要进去，好吗？” 桑霞有些为难：“我答应娘娘了……” 洪望楠恨恨地抽了口烟：“你进去，我怎么办？我演不了戏。谁都会看出来我对你……” 桑霞冷静地打断他：“你对我怎样？都会过去的。别太当真了。” 洪望楠的目光充满惊讶和愤懑：“原来你是不当真的！” 桑霞不语，借着月光看着他瘦削的面孔，她的沉默是更有力的质问。 洪望楠看出来了，解释说：“我是想用结婚来逃脱你。我逃脱你，是因为我知道跟你长此以往是要坏事的。你的魅力和你的信仰混在一起，我抵挡不了，所以拉了个阿颖帮我抵挡，不然就被你吸引到你的信仰里去了……我搞不清楚，为什么有了你们这种信仰，人就变得有魅力？还是有魅力的人都被你们的信仰拉过去了？” 桑霞看着他冲动的脸，似乎要把他看明白。洪望楠看起来是沮丧的，狼狈的：“不光是我自己要逃脱，阿颖也要逃脱，阿颖差不多已经被拉进去了……” 桑霞哀愁地一笑：“你看我像在为我的信仰拉信徒吗？”她没有告诉他，她还信仰一种东西——爱情。可是现在，她的这个信仰被他打击得粉身碎骨。 洪望楠专注地凝视她，他猜不透她，更猜不透她的信仰。 桑霞抬起头来，秋夜繁星点点，她伤感起来：“那好吧，我不进去了。请你一定跟娘娘解释一下，说我有急事，把你们的新婚贺礼送来就走了，很遗憾不能参加晚餐。”说着把手里的纸包递给洪望楠。 洪望楠伸手接过东西，忽然又抓住了她的手。桑霞极力挣脱洪望楠的手，洪望楠却抓得更紧。桑霞摇摇头，似乎在自言自语：“你知道我们不是一种人，志不同道不合……我就在这里祝你们幸福。你说得对，我们长此以往，是要坏事的。” 洪望楠绝望地看着她的手从自己手中一点点抽走，她向外走去，他忽然又叫住她：“给我站住！” 桑霞站住，回过头来，她的神情就如这秋夜一样充满冷意：“请不要用这种腔调跟我说话。” 洪望楠不再冷静，他像个困兽一样扑上去，死死搂住她，把嘴唇压在她的嘴唇上：“你知道我现在在想什么？”桑霞紧闭嘴唇，拼命挣扎，却是无济于事。 洪望楠对着桑霞的脸，他的眼神忽然流露出一种温柔，狼一般的温柔：“我想把你捆起来，带你走，走得远远的，我看你会不会忘掉你的主义，你的信仰，我要试试，我对你的感情会不会恢复你的天性。一个女人的天性，就是把爱男人当成她的天职。” 桑霞猛烈喘息着，她吃惊地看着洪望楠，就像看一个陌生人：“放开我！你疯了？” 洪望楠的声音充满魅惑，不知道是魅惑自己，还是在魅惑桑霞：“只要你现在告诉我，放弃王多颖，你跟我走，我就会从这里把你带走。你可以替我选择……” 桑霞放弃挣扎，绝望地说：“你不害臊吗？国家蒙难，民族嗟伤，你心里就这点儿女私情……” 洪望楠冷笑着打断她：“你这会儿心里没有儿女私情？扪心自问去吧！就为了那点让你害臊的私情，你去找我妹妹，向她打听我喜欢什么。跟生了一场大病似的，跑到她那里，语无伦次，莫衷一是。听说共产党人是最浪漫的，现在我信了！可是共产党人也应该诚实一些，不要一边浪漫一边否认！” 桑霞平静地说：“我没有否认，我从一开始就没有否认我爱你。” 洪望楠充满犹疑，他需要一个确定的答案：“你爱我？” “是的。我爱你。”桑霞在说“我爱你”三个字的时候，声音却是冰冷的，悲哀的。 洪望楠有些痴了：“为什么你从不说？”他的拥抱变得温柔起来，她却轻轻抽身。 “再见了。”她轻声说了一句，不再看他一眼，头也不回地向前院走去。 接近大门时，桑霞回过头，看了一眼灯火明亮的大客厅的窗子，里面传来一片吵闹，朱玉琼的嗓门尤其大。她在这里有过许多温暖的回忆，但是以后她也许再也不会出现在这里了。 铁栅栏门的外面传来一声轻呼：“桑霞，你怎么走了？” 洪望梅一身男装，鸭舌帽压到眉毛，像个古怪的颓废男学生站在铁栅栏外。她趁戴维斯一不留神偷跑了出来。桑霞看到她，神色紧张起来，赶紧拉开门把她放进来，又往院子里面拉，她被拉得跌跌撞撞，不满地抗议说：“你干什么？” 桑霞轻声地，却是严厉地斥责：“你这样不单会给自己惹祸，也会连累别人的！” 洪望梅毫不以为意：“没关系，我就出来一会儿！我哥哥和多颖要结婚，我能不来吗？我就这么一个哥哥……再说，我也想看看我爸爸。” 两人不停拉扯，桑霞要洪望梅跟她一起回去，洪望梅死活不从，管妈的声音在她们身后响起：“那是小霞吧？来了怎么不进去啊？你娘娘问了几遍了！”说着便来到跟前，看见洪望梅，管妈大睁着一双眼说：“这位是少爷还是小姐？哦哟，是洪小姐呀！怎么这副打扮？反串小生啊？太太，桑小姐和洪小姐来了！” 桑霞转身就要离开，被管妈一把揪住：“唉，小霞，你是有礼数的人，洪少爷和我家阿颖要成亲，两家人在商量办喜事呢，你到了家门口不进去，像话吗？” 朱玉琼从楼门里出来：“小霞，你真打算不辞而别啊？”经过下午一番谈话，她已经彻底放下心结，她看着桑霞，目光又是凄凉，又是怜爱。 桑霞投降了。朱玉琼一手拉着桑霞，一手拉着洪望梅，欢天喜地地进来。洪望楠看到桑霞，眼睛里充斥着欣喜和恐惧。王多颖正在给洪涧琛喂汤，似乎感觉到某种气流的变化，抬起头，看见洪望楠狠狠地瞪着桑霞。 朱玉琼笑眯眯地看着洪望梅，又看看桑霞：“这下我心满意足了，娘家人，婆家人，还有亲家人，都来了！小霞，来，你坐在多颖旁边。” 洪望楠垂下目光，看着自己面前的细瓷碟子。 三伯伯打趣说：“望梅，你爸爸看见你，肯定会胃口大开。” 洪望梅抢过王多颖手中的小勺：“阿颖，我来喂爸爸吧。” 洪涧琛的气色的确好了不少，含笑看着女儿：“你们都去吃饭吧，我自己慢慢吃……” 三伯伯给桑霞倒了杯红酒，今天的他看上去对桑霞毫无敌意：“小霞很久没回来了，今天赶得巧。” 桑霞端起酒杯，站起来，她扫了一眼洪望楠，又看看王多颖：“望楠，阿颖，我敬你们两人一杯。” 王多颖站起来，举起酒杯，洪望楠也慢慢地站起来，看着桑霞，眼里的话只有桑霞读得明白——他和她就此要剪断一段人生难逢的真情，但也由此获释，因为他们可以解脱这段越理越乱的情愫了。 桑霞的语气真切到了沉重的地步：“你们的婚礼我不能到场，所以今晚就提前给你们贺喜：你们结合在国家患难之时，因此是名副其实的患难伴侣，我祝你们患难与共，同甘共苦，白头偕老。等到祖国光复之时，我们的重逢之日，能看到你们儿女绕膝，幸福美满。” 她面带笑容，眼里却泛起晶莹的泪水，席上众人无不动容。王多颖也泪汪汪地看着她。桑霞在他俩的杯子上碰了一下，喝了一口酒，放下杯子：“那我就走了。” 洪涧琛却叫了一声：“等一等！”他试图站起身，但身体一阵剧痛，只得又坐下，一只去抚伤的手在中途碰翻了面前的碗，碗坠落到地上，粉碎了。 所有人都感到紧张，场面有些骚动。朱玉琼拿着抹布过来，却被孙碧凝抢过去，擦拭着桌上的汤水，洪望梅用手绢替父亲揩去衣襟上溅到的菜汤。洪涧琛自己却是泰然自若的，缓缓说：“桑小姐刚才说得很好。说起来洪家和王家是要为儿女办喜事，喜从何来？我们都是屈原的后代，长太息以掩涕兮，哀民生之多艰。你们共结伉俪于国家破碎、民生艰难之时，所以更要相互珍惜。之后你们要远行，奔赴为国尽忠的地方，将来相濡以沫的日子还长。日本人不知道还要霸占中国多久，也不知他们会占领我们多大的国土。不过，我们内心的国土是永远不会沦丧的。一个人为个，二人便为双，将来你们有了儿女，三人便为伍，你们将来就是一个小队伍，用这个小队伍来抵抗日本人的占领，最重要的是抵抗他们对我们心灵的占领。何为患难夫妻，你们就是写照。” 说完这一大段话，洪涧琛的体力已经透支，将头靠在扶手椅的背上，闭上眼睛。洪望楠被父亲的一番话激励了，郑重地举起杯子：“爸爸，谢谢你送给我们的贺词。” 所有人都举起杯子。桑霞看了洪望楠一眼，发现他也在看她。两人现在的内心潜语已经改变了。 大家都怀着几分沉重的心情，喝了一口杯中酒。 桑霞拿起挂在衣架上的皮包和毛线外套，慢慢地穿上。朱玉琼为她系上围巾，她的目光带着一种怜爱，却又带着一种压迫：“阿沐的事，你要说话算话。” 桑霞轻声说：“您明天会接到阿沐的电话。电话里他会告诉您见面的时间和地点。我走了，您多保重……”她及时收住到嘴边的称呼，“王太太。” 朱玉琼凄然地看着桑霞：“叫惯了你就还叫我娘娘吧。” 桑霞走出门厅，转身，微笑着挥手：“多保重，娘娘。” 朱玉琼也抬起手来：“你也保重。” 桑霞大步向大门走去，三伯伯从后面追上她，递给她一张折叠得很小的纸张：“日本人找了一个住在香港的英国人拉皮条，跟蒋介石沟通了两三次，要跟老蒋达成谅解。蒋介石同意进一步接触。假如老蒋真的有心跟日本人做交易，整个局势就会完全改变。国共摩擦让老蒋对中共进一步怀恨在心，他有心借日本人的力量消灭共产党。我这份情报里还加上了我自己的分析。读完之后，一定要毁掉。” 桑霞点点头：“这份情报确实太重要了。可靠程度多高？” 三伯伯很认真地分析：“老蒋和日本沟通是确有其事，不过动机是什么还需要判断，不排除他跟日本人走近也有玩弄汪精卫的动机。他几次刺杀汪精卫不成功，对汪恨之入骨，现在只要他跟日本人勾结上，就把汪精卫晾出来了，想想看汪精卫会多窘？他的角色和他的伪政府不就成了一场滑稽戏？” 桑霞若有所思：“谢谢您。” 三伯伯那种玩世不恭的神色又浮现到脸上：“谢谢你们。你们说话算数，把阿沐送回上海了。这份重要情报，就算我付给你们的犒劳。” 桑霞微笑：“再见。” “再见。”三伯伯以过来人的语气说出一句话，“别太伤感。男女之间，什么做主？缘分做主。缘分太厉害了。” 他不留给桑霞反应的时间，说完便转身走向大客厅。大客厅传出施纳贝尔弹奏的贝多芬的《田园》。桑霞一动不动地听着，一直等到弹奏结束，才慢慢走出去。 1940年十一月初，王沐天又回到了上海，继续为新四军筹措药品，同时进行抗日宣传、组织地下学生运动。那年秋天到冬天，好几批药品和情报通过他们从上海转入皖南和苏北，到达新四军部队，也到达桑霞面前。王沐天只希望他的工作成绩，他们站的效率，能给在个人感情上不顺利的她带去安慰。 桑霞在十一月中旬离开上海，回到新四军军部去了。那时候王沐天毫无预感，一个重大的血腥事件正在酝酿，而那个夺去九千人生命的事件也差点让桑霞丧生…… 秋雨中的街道，各色雨伞形成好看的图案。一把黄色油纸伞收拢起来，露出王沐天的脑袋。他甩了甩伞上的雨珠，走进街边一个茶馆。