Li Weiwen didn't know how she had managed to get back to Li Weibing's house. Sitting dazedly in the corner of the kang, she could do nothing but shed tears. Li Weibing sat beside her, gently wiping them with a handkerchief. She had asked Lin feng to sleep in the men's dormitory. And now two sisters sat together on the bed. It was then that Li Weiwen finally told Li Weibing what had happened at the riverbank last year and in the kitchen on Chinese New Year's Eve. She ended by saying:
"I have already made it clear to him that there is absolutely nothing between us. I thought it was all over but I never expected he would still..."
Hearing this, Li Weibing said with a trace of anger:
"If that's the case, how could he still do something like this? Didn't he think about your feelings when he had done such a thing in front of everyone?" Then she comforted her sister, saying, "Xue'er, I think the way you handled it right before. But now the problem is what he is thinking. You know, everyone knows that Doc. Liu has been pursuing Commander Guo all along. If you really don't want to have any further entanglement with the company commander, I think it is better for you to make things clear to her so she doesn't misunderstand. On the other hand, we can ask Sister Xu to help explain it to Instructor Zhang so he can talk to Commander Guo. Maybe he might be talking to him right now."
"Do you mean I should tell everyone about my background?"
"I know it has always been something weighing on your mind. If you don't want to do, of course, you don't need to do. And if your background were revealed, it would only bring you more trouble. The company commander is a leader. I think he must already know about it. From the current situation, it seems he has at least considered your circumstances and hasn't made it public. So for now, keep it to yourself. Take one step at a time and see how things go."
"Sister Liu'er, I am so scare that I don't know what to do."
"Don't be afraid. I am here."
Just as Li Weibing had guessed, at that very moment in the company headquarters, Instructor Zhang was pacing angrily back and forth in the room. He shouted at Guo Yungang:
"Do you have lost your mind? You have already fallen for her? Even if you like her, you can't just go up and kiss her like this. How is this girl supposed to to show her face after this?" He shot a glance at the blank-faced hothead in front of him and added, "You and I both know her background. Just like I know, you know it is impossible for two of you to be together because you wouldn't pass the political review for marriage. So why on earth would you go and stir things up with her?"
Guo Yungang smiled and said:
"Please stop pacing back and forth like that, which makes my head spin. All she has got is an American father, isn't it? But she has never even met him and she has completely cut ties with her mother. Like Commissar Lei said, she grew up under the Red Flag, educated by Chairman Mao's teachings and the spirit of New China. So why should we treat her like this? Just because she has a pair of blue eyes? I have to admit that her eyes are so beautiful."
Instructor Zhang pointed at him silently with his finger for a long moment, finally snapping in exasperation:
"You really ... have lost your sense of class struggle! My comrade, this is extremely dangerous. You are a leader, a Communist Party member. How can you lack vigilance like this? Fine, I admit she is a good girl. My wife told me that she can recite the Quotations from Chairman Man word for word. She also works hard in the kitchen. Of course, she is also pretty. But still, what will you do if you really want to apply for marriage? How are you going to pass the political review? If it fails, it is impossible for you to marry her. Then how will you do? At that time you would truly be letting her down. In addition, if anyone from the liaison teams or the Revolutionary Committee finds out about her background, this girl will be in serious trouble."
He continued pacing back and forth across the room and added:
"As we all know, this girl saved the lives of my wife and my son. Yumei works with her in the kitchen and she actually likes this girl too. Neither She nor I want anyone to hurt her. If you act recklessly and end up hurting her, mark my words, neither of will let it slide. So you'd better let go. You know Liu Yun has liked you for a long time. There is nothing stopping you two from being together in any aspect. It is no problem for you to pass the political review. Even though you have always treated her like a young sister but feelings develop gradually. Look at me, before Yumei and I married, we had just met each other for two or three times and barely exchanged a few words. But the Party organization thought we were in match so we got approval to marry. We married and now we have a child. why shouldn't it work out for you two as well?"
He glanced at the silent Guo Yungang who seemed convinced so he continued cheerfully:
"Okay, tomorrow you should apologize to Li Weiwen in front of the entire company. I will have Yumei have a nice talk with her. That should settle everything. That's how it will be done."
Hearing this, Guo Yungang looked up at Instructor Zhang and said:
"Why should I apologize to her? I truly like her. So what if there is the political review? Worst comes to worst, they can strip me of all my positions. As long as I can stay in the army and keep my Party membership, I'm fine with whatever happens."
At this, Instructor Zhang, unable to hold back his temper, slapped him on the head and shouted:
"What nonsense are you talking about? You have completely lost your mind! Why don't you listen to me? Strip you of all of your position and keep your Party membership? I can tell you that by the time you might lose everything and end up packing your things and going home to farm. No, no, I can't let you keep making a fool of yourself. Fortunately, only the people here know about this so I can make sure they keep quiet. As for you, I will send you away immediately. Isn't there a three-month training course in Lanzhou? You, being the company commader, will go. Take along a specialist ---- a college graduate familiar with this ---- to go with you. Until the, you'd better stay away from that girl. Don't go after her again. I will have my wife and her older sister, Li Weibing, keep an eye on her so you two won' t be alone together. That's how it's going to be. Now go! Don't stay here and make me even angrier!"
What Instructor Zhang hadn't expected was that, as soon as Guo Yungang left the company headquarters, he went straight to the girl's dormitory to look for Li Weiwen. He wanted to know how she was doing and what her mood was like. But when he got there, she wasn't there. The girls in the room all gave him strange looks. He shot them a glare and was about to turn and leave when Liu Yun came back the dormitory. The moment she saw him, the tears already brimming in her eyes spilled over completely. But instead of softening, she confronted him in anger:
"Commander Guo, what are you doing in our women's dormitory? Wasn't it enough for you two to show off your so-called pure love in front of everyone? And now you come here to act like a hooligan?"
Hearing this, Guo Yungang felt a flash of irritation, but then thought better of it and decided not to stoop to her level. He said evenly:
"You speak so harshly but I'm not going to argue with you."
After saying that, he turned on his heel and walked away. Seeing him like this, Liu Yun cried even harder out of frustration, her tearful eyes following him until he disappeared into the darkness. But not long after, Li Weibing stepped into the dormitory and said to Liu Yun:
"Doc. Liu, could I trouble you to come over to my house for a moment and check on me?"
Liu Yun replied resentfully:
"Don't you have your sister to check it for you? Why are you coming to me?"
Li Weibing said in a coaxing tone:
"All right, Doc. Liu, just think of it as me begging you. "
She stepped forward, half flattering and half tugging at Liu Yun to get her to come along. Liu Yun guessed that Li Weiwen must have something to talk with her in private and she was also curious about what Li Weiwen might say. So she let Li Weibing lead her away without resistance.
When they reached Li Weibing's home, they found Guo Yungang standing outside, knocking on the door and calling:
"Li Weiwen, open the door. I have something to say to you. Come on, open up. I know you are inside."
Liu Yun glanced at Li Weibing, who also looked just as surprised. Worried that Liu Yun might misunderstand, Li Weibing hurried to explain:
"I didn't know he would come here. If he wanted to talk to my sister, why didn't he go to the dormitory?"
Liu Yun rolled her eyes and said:
"He already went there but your sister wasn't in. It isn't hard for him to track her down. This place isn't a big place. There are only so few places she could be."
Li Weibing thought for a while and silently admitted to herself that Liu Yun was right.