Once We Lived in Nanjing

Old Bai wished the Hope Command Center could make some big moves too. Compared to other teams that took the sci-fi route, his side's realistic approach seemed less cool. Day after day of endless meetings, signing inexhaustible documents, the perpetual mountains of paperwork made Old Bai feel like he was working in human resources at the Provincial Organizational Department—a thorough desk job! This didn't suit his own style at all. When would he, Bai Zhen, content himself with just sitting at a desk and typing—except when he was online, being a keyboard warrior and verbally sparring with others.

All in all, the current affairs at the Command Center were different from what Bai Zhen had imagined, and unlike Hollywood sci-fi blockbusters, there were no earth-shattering, grand actions. Could this even be called saving the world?

Old Zhao said not to rush, the big moves would come.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Before Old Zhao had even finished speaking, the cellphone in his pocket rang. He took it out, glanced at the caller ID, and his expression changed.

"What's wrong?" Bai Zhen and Wang Ning asked.

Zhao Bowen didn't reply, just waved his hand and scurried off to answer the call.

Old Bai and Old Wang glanced at each other and crept up to eavesdrop.

"Hello? It's me... What's the situation?" Old Zhao lowered his voice, "Give me a clear answer, can Miss Qiu leave the bachelorette life?"

The next day.

Bai Yang was blasted out of bed early in the morning, blasted by his mom. Not only was she not on his side, but she also colluded with outsiders, which was heartbreaking for Bai Yang.

"Put on your thermal underwear!"

Bai Yang wrapped himself up tightly and shivered as he stepped out. Being woken up at 6:20 in the morning was nothing short of torture, cruel and inhuman. Every minute in the warmth of bed on a cold winter morning was as precious as gold. Every additional minute he could stay under the covers was a huge satisfaction for Bai Yang. In his quest to extend his time in bed, Bai Yang used every trick in the book to outsmart his mom—the first rule was, if she doesn't move, I don't move. He knew his mom would enter the bedroom after giving him three warnings, so when she called him to get up for the first time, Bai Yang would draw out his voice and answer, "I'm getting up," then continue to sleep.

Three minutes later, his mom would call a second time, and he'd reply with "I'm getting up" once more, then carry on sleeping.

After another three minutes and the third call from his mom, Bai Yang would sit up just as his mom was about to push the door open to check on him. Seeing Bai Yang getting up, she'd stop the wake-up calls.

After sitting up, Bai Yang would spread out his sweater over the blankets, pretending to be getting dressed, but in reality, he'd slip back into sleep.

Putting on clothes could win him another five minutes of sleep. As the saying goes, "An inch of time is an inch of gold, but an inch of gold can't buy an inch of time." With the current gold price at 340 yuan per gram, the five minutes Bai Yang gained, i.e., five minutes of gold, were worth at least 3,400 yuan.

That's how money is saved.

Nanjing's winter mornings are very cold. Before leaving, Bai Yang checked the weather for the day—sunny turning to cloudy, with a low of only 4 degrees Celsius.

Under the forceful oppression of his mother, he dressed like a Michelin man. As he went downstairs, he saw Lian Qiao standing on the edge of the lawn, wearing only a thin sweater and a pair of jeans, with her hands in her pockets, humming softly to herself.

Bai Yang thought she had a really good constitution, truly cold-resistant.

The girl saw Bai Yang coming down and checked the time on her phone; it was 6:30 a.m.

"Pretty punctual."

Lian Qiao nodded her head.

The two left the house and headed north along Muxuyuan Street, turning onto Zhongshan Gate Street, then jogging slowly toward the direction of Zijin Mountain. At this time, there were few pedestrians and the road was clear. Lian Qiao planned to run five kilometers in half an hour. In the military, a light-load five-kilometer run in twenty-three minutes was considered passing, and Lian Qiao could usually finish in under twenty minutes. She thought that extending the time to half an hour was more than generous, but she still overestimated the other party's ability.

Soon, Bai Yang could no longer keep up with Lian Qiao's pace and speed. Her short black hair bobbed rhythmically, her strides steady and unwavering. He thought to himself that this lady had impressive stamina; she wasn't even out of breath after running two or three kilometers.

Bai Yang breathed heavily, his throat felt as if he had a mint inside. The icy cold air filled his lungs and was exhaled, carrying the warmth of his body, turning into a mist in the air. Lian Qiao was running faster than him, and Bai Yang could see her bouncing black hair and faintly flushed ears, rolling clouds of white mist dissipating in the air.

What was supposed to be a pleasant morning exercise became terrifying because Lian Qiao started chanting a military cadence.

"Yi er yi! Yi er yi! One—two—three—four—!"

"One two three four!"

The chants were thundering.

Bai Yang only wished he had gotten up even earlier. The occasional passerby on the road looked at them with curious and astonished eyes. If it were the peak hours of commuting to work or school, with crowds coming and going, wouldn't he be throwing his face into Xuanwu Lake?

But Lian Qiao held her head high and her chest out, fixing her gaze forward, chanting her cadence with rhythm and power in her voice.

"Wait... wait for me..."

Bai Yang ran until he was gasping for breath.

Lian Qiao stopped by the roadside and turned around to wait for him.

"How can you be so bad at this?" The girl shook her head. "Bai Yang, I have to say, I'm deeply worried about the fitness of Chinese youth, deeply worried about the future of the nation. If the youth are strong, the country is strong. How are you going to build a modern socialist superpower with such poor stamina?"

"You're the professional!" Bai Yang, hands on his knees and out of breath, felt a burning pain in his chest. "How... how could I possibly compare with you? Sister, consider us high school seniors; we sit in the classroom all day. How great do you think our fitness level can be? Can it compare to someone for whom running five kilometers cross-country is as easy as pie?"

Lian Qiao bent over and gently patted Bai Yang's back.

"Shall we take a break then?"

They had run to the Xia Ma Fang Ruins Park, covering just two or three kilometers in fifteen minutes. Bai Yang was exhausted, so the two of them stood by the roadside to rest.

"You're really hopeless." Lian Qiao commented. "As someone who's supposed to save the world, you're just not professional enough."

"You're not much better. When you were undercover as a waitress in the restaurant, you were spotted by us right away." Bai Yang also cast doubt on Lian Qiao's professional skills. "What kind of undercover agent gets recognized at first glance?"

"What undercover? What plainclothes?" Lian Qiao frowned. "Who's undercover? Who's in plainclothes? I'll have you know, of all the people around you, I'm the only one who doesn't need to hide or disguise. Have you ever seen a counselor who needs to disguise?"

"Then why did you become a waitress?"

"Who told you I was a waitress?" Lian Qiao retorted, "I just saw that the lady boss was too busy, so I kindly stepped up to help. That is called 'Learning from Lei Feng'."

She spoke confidently.

"Also, I warn you, don't you dare do anything strange. You're now a key surveillance target." Lian Qiao pointed at Bai Yang's forehead with her pale finger. "At this very moment, there are at least two sniper rifles aiming at your forehead. Can you see the targeting laser dot on your face?"

Bai Yang was startled and instinctively covered his forehead, feeling around with his hands.

"Really?"

"Fake."

Lian Qiao hummed and turned her head away.

She stood on the curb with her arms crossed, a tall lamp post behind her. Bai Yang turned and saw the young girl with short black hair standing in the thin morning fog of Nanjing, on tiptoes, tall and robust, curiously looking around. It was probably her first time in Nanjing, a new and unfamiliar city to her, she's not from Nanjing; "Ah, I want chili oil" was the only Nanjing phrase she had learned.

"What a great place. It would be such a shame if it were destroyed," she said.

"Then let's make an effort." Bai Yang suggested.

"Come on, let's turn around and run back. Two point five kilometers out, two point five back, that makes five kilometers." Lian Qiao pushed Bai Yang hard on the back. "Can you sing while running?"

"Sing while running?"

"Didn't you sing during your high school military training?" Lian Qiao asked while running.

"Yes, yes, yes. I know how to sing 'Unity is Strength', 'Military Green Flower', and 'Powerful Army Anthem.'"

"No, we're not singing those!" Lian Qiao said. "Come, follow me and get ready—"

She then hummed the intro, which sounded somewhat classical and ethnic to Bai Yang, with original instruments likely including gongs, drums, cymbals, and suona—far from any rousing march. Finally, Lian Qiao opened her mouth and began to sing in a loud voice:

"Five—— flowers—— horse——!

Green—— edged—— sword——!

Endless—— landscapes——!

Travel by night, travel by day, stars and moon rotating——!"

The girl's voice was melodious and powerful, capable of piercing through the sunlight of a winter morning, the tall sycamores on the roadside, and the eardrums of nearby people, at least Bai Yang thought she was no less powerful than Tu Honggang.

Lian Qiao raised the pitch:

"Travel south—— and wander north——!

Everything goes on and on——!

Who can judge—— the good and evil in the world——!"

Goodness, she's singing from "The Secret History of Kangxi," and she's actually an old song enthusiast too.