008

The day before Lude departed, he arranged to meet Lian Pu at Victoria Harbour. 

Compared to Lude's immaculate black cashmere coat, Lian Pu's noble scholarly demeanour remained unchanged. 

Standing at Victoria Harbour, the two exchanged few words, opting instead to gaze at the drifting lights and hearths. 

"Did you read the book I gave you last time?" Lude initiated, handing over an envelope to Lian Pu, catching him by surprise. It was a copy of "Maurice" he bought at the airport, with Lude having missed the ending before disembarking. 

In the days following his return, he stumbled upon some information, pondering how to make use of it effectively.

It wasn't until the Christmas Eve dinner at the Xing household that he noticed the familiar envelope in the dressing mirror, planning to find a secluded corner at the banquet to satisfy his curiosity about the story's ending. The banquet proved uneventful, but upon entering a splendidly decorated room, the Christmas night was mild and inviting. Spotting Lian Pu in a bookstore at the corner, he felt compelled to gift him the book. 

Suddenly, he was eager to hear Lian Pu's thoughts on the tale.

Lian Pu took out the envelope wrapped with a book from the bag and handed it to Lude, with Xing Lu's notes inside. 

"I've finished reading." 

Not surprised, Xing Lu opened the book and shook the notes, chuckling, "So, care to share the end of the story with me?" 

Lian Pu chuckled and glared at Lude, "It's a good ending."

"Is that all?" Lude asked. 

Lian Pu looked at him seriously, a hint of a smile on his lips, "That's it." 

Lude paused, and continuous siad, "Then tell me, which character do you like the most in it?" Lude seemed to have quickly adapted to the way of interacting with Lian Pu, finding it comfortable, "Maurice? Clive? Or Scudder?" 

Lian Pu seemed to see the figures of Maurice, Clive, and Scudder in front of him, greeting him before disappearing. 

"There is no favourite character," Lian Pu said, "They just stand before the era, like roses, like nightingales." 

Lude pondered over Lian Pu's words, remaining silent. 

Taking a step forward, his tall figure enveloping Lian Pu's, Lude leaned slightly forward, his lips lingering near Lian Pu's ear and the corner of his mouth, a breath grazing Lian Pu's cheek, causing a slight blush to appear on Lian Pu's face involuntarily. 

Lude placed another envelope into Lian Pu's hand, saying, "I accidentally learned some other information regarding your father's passing. Think it over before deciding whether or not to read it."

On June 27, 1970, Lian Bing was persecuted to death by the team of the Cultural Revolution and buried in the later Martyrs Cemetery along with other unfortunate literati and scholars. That year, the news of Lian Bing's passing was delivered to Bai Ting by two longtime friends, one of whom ambiguously concealed the past. 

Lian Pu was uncertain whether his mother ever learned the details of his father's persecution and death, but he was eager to find out. 

The light in the room remained on all night, and at dawn, Lian Pu tore open an envelope sealed with Lude's wax seal.

Performers in the arts were among the key targets for disarmament during the Cultural Revolution, regardless of the theatrical faction they belonged to. 

Persecuted and fleeing from south to north, safeguarding their possessions all the way, when they reached Shenzhen, the remaining group numbered only a little over a hundred. Lian Bing took charge of this remaining group. At that time, he had only been away from Chung Ying Street for eight days and was the overall leader of the group of artists heading to Hong Kong.

The individuals were categorised based on their theatrical factions, roles in the theatre, and occupational groups, then registered by name, date of birth, and ancestral origins. The "fleeing to Hong Kong" movement initiated by the Cultural Revolution led to a surge in ticket prices and scarcity of tickets. The tickets for this group of a little over a hundred people were scattered in various locations, requiring them to gather under designated flags upon arrival in Hong Kong before dispersing individually.

Two children who both practised martial arts were the last to register. One belonged to the Southern Yue opera school, while the other was from the Northern Peking opera school. Despite looking like they were only seventeen or eighteen years old, these two children, who once lived in the same courtyard, were taken away by prominent families from the North and South without even getting a chance to say goodbye. After ten years of separation, they coincidentally met in the chaos of the revolution and recognised each other instantly. At that moment, besides their respective opera troupes, they had no living relatives in this world. Upon reuniting, they became each other's only family.

Their tickets were not for the same ship, and they wanted to be on the same one. This request seemed unreasonable and stubborn. 

After learning about the situation of the two children, Lian Bing exchanged tickets with one of them, allowing them to sail together to the port.

Two years later, in February, Lian Bing was arrested by the Cultural Revolution Team and, along with over ten others, was publicly humiliated at the vegetable market, wearing placards slandering them, distorting truths, and defaming their characters. Members of the Cultural Revolution team even exposed that a year earlier, Lian Bing not only separated a loving couple but also engaged in illicit activities, disregarding his family, behaving worse than animals. After the public humiliation, Lian Bing was locked up in a pigsty, sharing food and sleep with the pigs. Seven days later, he was taken to a reformation center, where he resisted and was beaten to death on the way. Before dying, he left one last sentence imprinted in the muddy ground:

The childhood bond holds lifelong significance.

Standing at the boundary marker in Chung Ying St., Lian Pu gazed towards Shenzhen as he always did, looking through to Guangzhou. He stood the whole day, with moments of growth falling like raindrops, gradually coming together like a torrential downpour.

An address was left on the envelope.

This address, familiar to Lianpu, was at the entrance of Chung Ying St,, the small shop of Uncle Yuan and Uncle Kang. 

In Lian Pu's memory, Uncle Yuan and Uncle Kang had lived there since his birth. They were the ones who watched him grow up, like family.

Lian Pu straightforwardly asked, and Uncle Yuan and Uncle Kang did not deny. Though chaos may have marked the passage of time, it did not make them forget. They cherished the memories, reunited in adulthood, eventually love blossomed and they understood its meaning. 

Lian Bing had long seen through their bond, thus when life was fading, he wrote with blood, "The childhood bond holds the lifelong significance."

"Later, we received news of Mr. Lian's passing and knew the whole story," Uncle Yuan said with a guilty expression. "We feel unworthy of Mr. Lian's kindness, unable to repay it. Knowing that Mrs. Lian lived on Chung Ying St.,, we moved there too. We just want to watch over you and Mrs. Lian."

As Lian Pu left the shop, the moon hung on the branches like the night before, with calculations in his heart. His father had already expressed his stance in his own way, ancestors traded flesh for dawn, our generation exchanged youth for freedom. 

Love and freedom, eternal.