Chapter 13 Chapter Thirteen

one Although Qiu Peng went to bed with an optimistic mood, when he woke up at dawn, he felt a severe pain reaction.That's when people's "morale" is at its lowest. However, when she went downstairs to breakfast, she found a letter on her plate, written in a left-handed slant, with great effort.See this letter.Her spirits revived again. It wasn't the kind of smoke bomb letters that were often sent to her.For example, in the mail she received today, there was a brightly colored postcard with these words scrawled on it: "I didn't write to you before, I'm sorry! Everything is fine, brother Mao." That postcard is a Smoke bombs.

Qiu Peng threw the postcard aside and opened the letter.Putraxia: Aunt Grace's condition may have deteriorated today.The doctor didn't say for sure that she was getting worse, but I thought she might not have much hope.If you want to see her before she dies, I think it would be best to come today.A friend will pick you up in a car if you catch the 10:20 train to Aru. Though it has been a miserable time, I am very much looking forward to seeing you again.Enter A Peng Qiu Peng tried his best to hold back, but he didn't show any joy. Ah, old friend Apeng! She put on a sad face with great difficulty, sighed deeply, and put the letter on the table.

Mrs. O'Rourke and Minton were present at this moment.So she told them the contents of the letter.They were very sympathetic when they heard this, and when they talked about their aunt's behavior, she arbitrarily added oil and sauce.She said how indomitable her aunt's spirit was, how indifferent she was to air raids and other dangers, but finally she let the disease break down.Miss Minton asked with some curiosity what her aunt was afflicted with, and, with great interest, compared her ailment with that of her own aunt.Qiu Peng hesitated, not knowing whether to call it edema or diabetes, and finally made a compromise and said it was a complication of waist disease.Mrs. O'Rourke is particularly concerned about whether the aunt will inherit a fortune once the aunt dies. However, Qiu Peng told her that Cyril has always been the aunt's most beloved grandnephew and her adopted son.

After breakfast, Qiu Peng called the master tailor and canceled the appointment to try on a dress in the afternoon.Then he went to Mrs. Pliner and told her that she was going out and would not be back until a night or two. Mrs. Pliner said something that is often said on such occasions.She looked tired this morning and had a worried, troubled expression on her face. "Haven't heard from Mr. Meadows," she said. "It's very strange indeed, isn't it?" "Some accident must have happened to him, I suppose," sighed Mrs. Brunken. "That's what I always say."

"Ah, but, Mrs. Brunken, if there is any accident, it should be reported by now." "Well, then, what do you think?" Qiu Peng asked. Mrs Pliner shook her head. "I really don't know how to put it. I also thought that his going out this time would not be voluntary. But by now, he should try to send a letter." "Damn Major Brechelle, what he said is so unreasonable," said Mrs. Brunken passionately. "Yes, if nothing happened, then memory loss. I think, especially in these stressful times we're living in, that memory loss is more common, but people don't know much about it."

Mrs. Pliner nodded, pursing her lips in a suspicious air.She glanced quickly at Qiu Peng. "Mrs. Brunken," she said. "We don't know much about Mr. Meadows, do you think?" Qiu Peng suddenly said, "What do you mean by that?" "Oh, please don't interrupt me so suddenly. Me, I don't believe it! Absolutely not!" "Don't believe what?" "Is that what everyone said?" "What? I didn't hear anything." "Yes, this—maybe people won't tell you. I don't know how I got it. Mr. Carlyle, I think, is a rather suspicious man, of course. You know what I mean." stop?"

Qiupeng tried his best to endure without showing any emotion. "Would you please tell me what it is?" she said. "Ah, just an opinion. He said Mr. Meadows might be an enemy agent, a sort of dreadful Fifth Column." Qiu Peng tried to pretend, as if the mistreated Mrs. Brunken suddenly became angry. "I've never heard of such a nonsense." "Yes, I thought there wouldn't be any articles in it, too. But Mr. Meadows is often seen with that German boy. I think he must have asked him a lot about the way chemicals are made in factories, so, It was thought that the two of them might be together."

Qiu Peng said: "Mrs. Pliner, don't you think there is something wrong with Karl's child?" For a split second she saw Mrs. Pliner's face twitch and become ugly. "I wish I could believe it wasn't true." Qiu Peng said gently: "Poor Sheila..." Mrs. Pliner's eyes sparkled. "My poor daughter! Her heart is broken. Why is that? Why doesn't she look at other young people?" Qiu Peng shook his head. "It's not like that in the world." "You're right," said Mrs. Pliner in a deep, vehement tone. "The truth is, we are doomed to live a life of shattered hopes... We are bound to suffer, torment, and in the end, nothing but death... I've had enough of this cruel, unfair world. I really want Crush it and let's start all over again without all this law and this bullying. I think—"

She was interrupted by a cough, a deep, rough voice.It was Mrs. O'Rourke standing at the door, her bulky figure covering the opening. "Am I bothering you?" she asked. Immediately the traces of excitement faded from Mrs. Pliner's face, like a slate whose writing has been wiped clean with a sponge.Now, it was the face of a hotel proprietress, looking rather worried because a tenant was causing trouble. "Oh, Mrs. O'Rourke, no," she said. "We're only talking about Mr. Meadows. What's the matter with him? It's strange that the police haven't found a trace of him."

"Ah, the policeman!" Mrs. O'Rourke said with natural contempt in her tone. "What good are they? No good at all! They're only good for finding lost cars, or reprimanding people without dog licenses." "What's your opinion, Mrs. O'Rourke?" Choupon said. "Have you heard everyone's thoughts?" "Are you saying whether he is a fascist or an enemy spy? We have heard it." Qiu Peng said coldly. "Now that I think about it, it might be true," said Mrs. O'Rourke thoughtfully. "I noticed this man from the beginning. I think there is something strange about him. I have been observing him." She smiled at Qiu Peng.Mrs. O'Rourke's smile had always had an element of dread in it, and she had the grin of an ogre.This time is no exception. "He doesn't give off that retired, idle air. I can attest that he's here for a purpose."

"When the police followed him, he disappeared. Do you mean this?" Qiu Peng asked. "Probably so," said Mrs. O'Rourke. "Mrs. Pliner, what's your opinion?" "I don't know," said Mrs. Pliner. "It's really annoying that something like this is happening and causing so much discussion." "Argument's all right. They're out on the balcony right now, figuring things out, and in the end they'll figure out that the harmless man is going to blow us all up while we're in bed." "You haven't told me what your opinion is." Mrs. O'Rourke smiled, that slow, murderous smile again. "I'm thinking the man is probably safe in one place, safe—" Qiu Peng thought: "If she knew, maybe she would say that... But, he is not where she imagined!" She went upstairs to make preparations for the door.At this moment, Betty ran out of the Carlyles' room with a mischievous, mischievous look of delight. "What are you doing there, crazy girl?" Betty giggled. "Elder Goose, Granny Goose..." Qiu Peng sang: "Where are you? Upstairs!" She dragged Betty over and held her head high. "Go downstairs!" So she put her on the floor and rolled again—— At that moment, Mrs. Spurrow appeared.So, Betty let her take her away, went to get dressed, and prepared to go for a walk. "Hide and seek?" Betty said hopefully. "hide and seek?" "You can't play hide and seek now," said Mrs. Spurrow. Qiu Peng went back to his room and put on his hat. (Hats are obligatory, what a nuisance! Choppong Bissoff never wears hats—but Mrs. Brunken is obliged to wear hats.) She found that in her hat cupboard, the position of the hat had been moved.Is someone searching her room?Well, let them search!Mrs Brunken was beyond reproach.They won't find anything suspicious. She cleverly put the letter from A Peng under the dressing table, then went down the stairs and went out. It was ten o'clock when she came out of the gate, which was plenty of time.She looked up at the sky, and accidentally stepped into a puddle beside the doorpost, but she didn't care, and kept walking. Her heart was beating wildly.Success, success!They have to be successful. two Yalu Station is a small station in the countryside.The countryside is still some distance from the train tracks. A car was waiting outside the station.The driver was a good-looking young man.He raised his hand to touch the brim of his hat and greet Qiu Peng, but this action seemed unnatural. Qiu Peng kicked the tire of his right hand suspiciously. "Isn't the tire a little flat?" "Ma'am, we don't have many roads." She nodded and jumped into the car. They are not driving to the village, but to the grassland.After rounding a hill, they turned onto a side road, which was steep and had a chasm below it.A man came out of the grove to meet them.The car stopped, Qiu Peng got out of the car and greeted Tony Marston. "Bi Cifu is fine," he said hastily. "We found him yesterday. He was imprisoned. The enemy caught him. For some reason, he had to stay there for a while. There is a boat coming somewhere. We are anxious to catch him." That boat. Bi Zhifu has to hide now, and that’s why. We can’t reveal it until the last moment.” He looked at her eagerly. "You understand, don't you?" "Ah, yes," Qiu Peng was looking at the strange half-covered pile beside the tree. "He's absolutely fine," said the young man very seriously. "Of course Tang Mi will be fine," Qiu Peng said impatiently. "You don't have to talk to me like that, and I'm not a two-year-old. We're both going to have some adventure. What's that?" "This—" said the young man hesitantly. "Here's what I'm going to explain to you. I have orders from my superiors to make a request of you. But, but f—frankly, I don't want to. You know—" Qiu Peng looked at him coldly and intently. "Why don't you want to do that?" "This—fuck! What am I supposed to say?—Because you're Deborah's mother. What am I going to say to Deborah? I mean—if you—if you—" "Suppose I have something wrong, right?" Qiu Peng asked. "As far as I'm concerned, if I were you, I wouldn't say a word about her. I remember someone said that the more you try to explain, the worse it gets. It's quite true." Then she smiled at him kindly. "Son, I know how you really feel. You and Deborah, and young people in general think that you should take risks and middle-aged people should protect. This is complete nonsense! Because, I think, if If the enemy wants to get rid of someone, I think it's better for them to get rid of the middle-aged people, because these people have lived most of their lives, so it doesn't matter. All in all, don't treat me as a sacrosanct figure anymore, don't Think I'm Deborah's mother and don't let me take risks. What dangerous and tricky job do I have to do? Just tell me." "I think you're amazing," the young man said enthusiastically, "it's true!" "Stop the compliment," Qiu Peng said. "I've had enough of my boasting, and you don't need to chime in. What's your big plan anyway?" Tony pointed to the crumpled pile. "That," he said, "is what's left of a parachute." "Oh!" Qiu Peng's eyes lit up. "Just a paratrooper," Marston went on. "Thankfully the Civil Defense Volunteers here are great. They spotted the enemy plane landing and captured her." "Is it a woman?" "Yes, a woman. A woman posing as a nurse." "I feel very sorry, why is she not a nun?" Qiu Peng said. "Recently there have been many interesting legends, saying that some nuns stretched out their hands when they were paying on the bus, and their arms were covered with men's hairs." "Well, this woman is not a nurse, and she is not dressed by a man. She is a middle-aged woman of medium build, with brown hair and a slender build." "Actually, that's what it is," Qiu Peng said. "A woman quite like me." "You hit the nail on the head," Tony said. "anything else?" "The rest is up to you." Qiu Peng smiled and said: "I'll do it. So, where do you want me to go? What to do?" "Mrs. Bisford, you are such a good person. You have great courage." "Where do you want me to go? What to do?" Qiu Peng couldn't help but asked again. "Unfortunately, I have had very limited instructions. In the woman's pocket is a piece of paper bearing the inscription in German: Rue St. Asaforth, 14. Directly east of the stone cross. Dr. Binnion .” Qiu Peng looked up and saw a stone cross on the top of a nearby mountain. "That's it," Tony said. "Of course, the road sign has been removed. But this place is quite a big place. If you walk due east from the place of the cross, you will definitely find it." "how far?" "At least five miles." Qiu Peng made a small grimace. "It's healthy to take a walk before lunch," she said. "When I get there, I hope Dr. Binnion will keep me for lunch." "Mrs. Bilford, do you understand German?" "Only know the ones that apply when staying in a hotel. I have to stand firm and only speak English and say that this is an order from the superior." "It's risky to do that," Marston said. "What? Who would have thought that a substitute had been replaced? Did everyone within miles know that two paratroopers were shot down?" "The two volunteers who reported to the police station kept the chief of police there because he was afraid they would brag to their friends how smart they were." "Perhaps someone saw the plane shot down and heard the news?" Tony smiled. "Mrs. Blessing! Every day there are rumors of seeing paratroopers. Sometimes there are one, sometimes two, sometimes as many as a hundred!" "Maybe it's true," Qiu Peng said. "Then take me there." Tony said, "We've got a makeup kit right here, and a policewoman who's good at it. Come with me." There was a small shack in the bushes, and a capable-looking policewoman stood at the door. She looked at Qiu Peng, then nodded in approval. After entering the shabby house, Qiu Peng sat on a cargo box and asked the policewoman to make up for her.After the female policeman used her special skills to make up for her, she stepped back a few steps, nodded approvingly, and said: "Well, I think that's a very nice make-up. What do you think, sir?" "It's really good!" Tony said. Qiu Peng stretched out his hand and took the mirror from the policewoman's hand.She looked at her face eagerly, and couldn't help but let out a cry of surprise. Qiupeng's eyebrows had already given her a completely different shape, and her entire facial expression changed.There is a small strip of sticking plaster over the ear, which cannot be seen because it is covered by curls of hair.The sticking plaster tightened her skin and changed its shape.A piece of fake nose was attached to the nose, which changed the shape completely, and when viewed from the side, it had an unexpected hooked outline.The clever make-up made her look years older.There are deep wrinkles under the corner of the mouth, and the impression of the whole face is not so much stupid as smug. "The technique of makeup is too clever." Qiu Peng touched his nose carefully and said in admiration. "You have to be careful." The policewoman warned her.At the same time, she took out two more elastic erasers. "Put this in your mouth, do you think you can bear it?" "I'm afraid I have to bear it if I can't bear it." Qiu Peng said with a sad face. The female policeman stuck two pieces of rubber into Qiu Peng's mouth, one under each cheek, and pressed them carefully. "It's actually not too uncomfortable." She had to admit it. Tony walked out of the hut knowingly so she could change.Qiu Peng took off his clothes and put on a nurse's outfit.The suit wasn't too ugly, just a little tight on the shoulders.After putting on the dark blue brimless hat, the last step of makeup procedure is completed.However, she refused to wear the sturdy square-toed shoes. "If I'm going to walk five miles, I'm going to have to wear my own shoes," she said firmly. Both of them thought that was quite plausible, especially since Choppong's own shoes were sturdy rawhide and matched the uniform well. She looked at what was in the handbag with great interest: it turned out to be powder, not lipstick.There were also some English coins, totaling two pounds fourteen shillings and sixpence, a handkerchief, and an identity card bearing the name Frieda Eldon of 4, Manchester Road, Sheffield. . Qiu Peng changed her own powder and lipstick, stood up, and was ready to go. Tony Marston turned his head aside and said in a rough voice: "I'll be damned for letting you do this kind of work." "I understand how you feel." "But it is absolutely necessary. We must know where and how the enemy is attacking. Don't you?" Qiu Peng patted his arm lightly. "Don't worry, kid. I'm happy this way. Believe it or not." Tony Marston added: "I think you're amazing!" three Qiu Peng stood at the gate of No. 14, Rue St. Asapho, feeling quite tired.She discovered that Dr. Binnion was not a physician but a dentist. She glanced sideways and noticed that Tony Marston had also arrived.He was in a new-looking car in front of a house down the street. Their plan in advance was that Qiu Peng had to walk to this place according to the instructions on the note.Because, if she takes a car, the other party will definitely see it. Indeed, two enemy planes flew over the grassland and circled at a low place for a while before flying away.Those on board may have noticed that the nurse was walking alone across the prairie. Tony and the policewoman drove in opposite directions and made a wide detour to get to this place, taking their place on the Rue St. Asaphe. Now, everything is ready. "The door of the arena has been opened." Qiu Peng thought so. "A Christian is already on the field, ready to be sacrificed to the lion's claws. Ah, now, who can say that I have no adventure." She crossed the road and went to ring the bell.On the one hand, he thought to himself: I don't know what Deborah's feelings for the young man are. It was an older woman who opened the door, with a dull face and a standard peasant woman's face, definitely not a British face. "Dr. Binnion?" Qiu Peng said. The woman looked her up and down slowly. "I think you must be Nurse Eldon." "correct." "Then, please go upstairs to the doctor's operating room." She steps back to let Qiu Peng in, and the door closes.Qiu Peng noticed that the hall was very narrow, and the walls were covered with tarpaulins. The servant girl led the way, walked up to the second floor, and opened a door. "Wait a moment, the doctor will be here soon." She went out and closed the door behind her. This is a very ordinary dentist's operating room, and the equipment inside is quite dilapidated.Qiu Peng looked at the dentist's chair and couldn't help laughing secretly.Only this time, she thought, she saw the dentist's chair without the usual fear. She certainly had a "dentist feeling," but for very different reasons. Soon the door will open and "Dr. Binnion" will come in. Who is Dr. Binnion?Is it someone you don't recognize?Or someone you've met before? What if it was the person she expected? The door opened. That person is not the person Qiu Peng expected, but an unexpected person.She definitely did not expect that this person would be the one calling the shots in the enemy lineup. It turned out to be Lieutenant Colonel Haidak.