12. Little Bei

To avoid arousing suspicion, Zhou Hongyi lightly cut his own arm with a small knife. Fresh blood seeped out. He frowned, endured the pain, and rode his bicycle to the pharmacy.

Inside the pharmacy, he feigned a serious injury and purchased anti-inflammatory medicine, hemostatic drugs, and bandages. After leaving, he bought some dry rations from a street vendor before mounting his bicycle again and heading toward Guanyintang.

Along the way, Zhou Hongyi was exceptionally cautious, making sure no one was tailing him.

When he returned to Guanyintang, he saw the refugees who had been bullied by puppet police finally eating a warm meal. They huddled together, their faces bearing the smiles of survivors, speaking gratefully of the kind person who had given them silver coins.

A warm surge rose in Zhou Hongyi’s heart, strengthening his resolve.

He lowered the brim of his hat, stashed his bicycle in a concealed spot, then surveyed the surroundings carefully with the food and medicine in hand. Confirming no one was following, he proceeded stealthily toward the Earth Temple, each step as light as a night prowling cat.

At the temple entrance, he tapped the wall rhythmically according to their secret code and whispered, “Who goes there?”

A faint voice answered from below, “Four-Faced Buddha.”

The hidden passageway was slowly moved aside, revealing the pale, bloodless face of the young woman he had seen earlier. Yet in her eyes flickered a glimmer of hope.

“It’s safe outside now. You can come out,” Zhou Hongyi said softly.

He reached out and steadily pulled the girl from the passage. She was light as a feather. Zhou Hongyi awkwardly began dressing her wounds with the medicines and bandages he had brought.

As she ate the food he offered, the girl weakly reminded him, “Sir, you should clean the wound first before applying medicine, or it will easily get infected.”

Zhou Hongyi scratched his head sheepishly. He poured some of the clean water he’d brought onto a cloth and gently cleaned her wounds.

His movements were gentle. After cleaning, he carefully dried the wound, then applied the medicine and wrapped the bandages.

The bandages were unruly in his hands, crooked and uneven, but he persevered to wrap them securely. He found the process more nerve-wracking than the gunfight with the secret agents in the alley, each motion cautious, afraid of hurting the girl.

His clumsy care drew a faint smile from her, a blossom of innocence blooming amid the grime.

“Sir, it seems you’re not skilled at this. But thank you all the same. Without you, I would have died in that dark tunnel and never avenged my family…”

Zhou Hongyi exhaled gently. “Rest assured, young lady. Your brother was an outstanding party member. As his comrade, I will ensure your safety. You won’t face revenge alone. This blood debt is remembered by all, and the day of reckoning will come soon. Can you walk now? I’ll take you somewhere safe.”

She nodded lightly, tears shimmering in her eyes. “Benefactor, my name is Ma Beibei, but my family calls me Xiao Bei. You can call me that too.”

Zhou Hongyi gave a reassuring smile. “Alright, Xiao Bei, no need to call me sir. My name is Zhou Hongyi. You can call me Brother Zhou. Let’s go.”

---

Zhou Hongyi carried Xiao Bei on his bicycle, leaving behind the sorrowful memories of Guanyintang.

He rode steadily, careful not to jostle her. They stopped in front of a Western church in the International Settlement.

He dismounted, supporting Xiao Bei as they entered.

Inside, a serene and peaceful atmosphere enveloped them, as if another world apart from the outside chaos.

“You’re studying at Tongji, so you must speak English, right? I’ll settle you here, disguised as a nun. The Japanese and secret police won’t find you here for now. Once the heat dies down, you’ll regain your freedom, but you’ll need a new identity. I know the nuns here—one is a devout missionary and pacifist. But to be safe, don’t reveal who you really are. Say you are my sister who ran away from an arranged marriage and is temporarily staying here. Remember?”

Xiao Bei listened intently, nodding firmly. “Got it, Brother.”

Zhou Hongyi was pleased. Though young, she was mature beyond her years. Despite the massacre that took her family, she kept composure—an excellent quality for an underground party member.

Most ordinary people would break under such trauma; she was a rare and resilient seed, destined to grow into a towering tree, bringing hope to this war-shadowed land.

Leading Xiao Bei into the church, they found a few people praying quietly. A nun wearing a headscarf recognized Zhou Hongyi and immediately approached, making the sign of the cross four times: “Mr. Zhou, may God bless you…”

Having received a Western education along with his sister, Zhou Hongyi was half a believer and often came here to give alms.

He returned her greeting with four crosses and quietly explained Xiao Bei’s situation.

Sister Waranda, facing such a benefactor, didn’t hesitate and agreed at once.

“Mr. Zhou, rest assured she will be safe here. She speaks English, which will help me greatly as I’m short-handed.”

“Thank you, Sister,” Zhou Hongyi said, taking out three silver coins and dropping them into the donation box, their pleasant chimes echoing.

Sister Waranda crossed herself again, bowing her head. “May God bless you.”

With the family of a fallen comrade finally settled, Zhou Hongyi stepped out of the church, inhaling deeply then exhaling slowly.

He mounted his bicycle, his mind racing with thoughts about the tasks ahead.

By the time he reached the garden villa’s gate, his resolve had hardened.

---

Zhou Hongyi resolved to use his unique position to help more people.

First, he had established contact with the Red Party, enabling him to help rebuild their network and safe houses in Shanghai. Traitors within the party must be swiftly purged to send a deterrent message.

As for the enemies responsible for the Qingdong Massacre, he would never let them off easy. Those whose hands were stained with the blood of innocent civilians were unworthy of living in this world.

At this thought, Zhou Hongyi’s eyes burned with lethal intent. Suddenly, he noticed a black car parked across the street—the notorious traitorous brother-in-law had arrived.

Director Ding Mucun of Unit 76 was a ravenous glutton for vice. Though Zhou Hongyi called him “brother-in-law,” he and Zhou Pan’er had never truly married. She was merely one of his many mistresses—likely not even among the top three, perhaps fourth or fifth.

But in these times, such things were commonplace, and no one gossiped about her status; rather, some envied it.

As Zhou Hongyi walked from the gate into the villa, a dark thought crossed his mind: perhaps he should kill this great traitor tonight.

Yet, upon entering the house, he donned a smile and suppressed the impulse.

To kill Ding Mucun now would be easy, but helping many people was harder.

His mission was to leverage this connection to provide intelligence and assistance to the party and guerrillas. Besides, even if he killed Ding, another traitor would rise—an outcome he did not wish to see.

“Sis, is that brother-in-law back?” he asked, burying his thoughts deep inside as he warmly approached the sofa.

Seeing the traitor sitting and drinking tea, Zhou Hongyi cheerfully sat beside him.

“Brother-in-law, it’s been a while. My sister misses you so much she’s nearly become a scold, and she’s been taking it out on me. You owe me some compensation.”

Ding Mucun smiled at his scholarly brother-in-law. “Zhongliang, with you by her side, I can rest easy. If she bullies you, you just have to endure it. I hear you’ve been doing well at the police station, even catching a spy in the Tokkōkai? Colonel Shimazu mentioned you and admires you greatly. He wants to send you to the Army Academy for further study.”

Zhou Hongyi poured Ding another cup of tea and said with a smile, “Brother-in-law, although the Japanese Army Academy is famous, I graduated from West Point and have no desire to return to such a place. Besides, with the current chaos, the times call for heroes. Here is where I’ll truly make my mark.”

Ding sipped his tea and nodded approvingly. “Good. Your mindset is correct. In these turbulent times, it’s the moment for men to achieve greatness. By the way, Zhongliang, how did you discover that there are Red Party members inside the Tokkōkai?”