Once We Lived in Nanjing

"Zhao... Uncle Zhao?"

Bai Yang was startled.

"You're still alive... You've come back?"

Zhao Bowen grinned at him, "Of course I'm still alive."

Old Zhao left home in late October, gone for over ten days, without a trace, vanished from the face of the earth. Just when everyone thought he'd been locked up in a hospital as a lunatic, he suddenly returned, not even bothering to announce his arrival, just popping up out of the blue in Bai Yang's living room, and brought back a group of people with him.

Bai Yang entered, changed his shoes, and took a glance around the living room. Holy moly, it's like the Kaifeng Prefecture here, with Zhao Bowen seated at the center, Zhang Long, Zhao Hu, and Ma Han flanking him on either side. Only the canine-headed executioner's ax was missing; instead, a blue stapler rested on the coffee table, which, if magnified greatly, could pass for one. Before leaving home, Zhao Bowen had boasted about bringing an army, but counting everyone, Bai Yang noticed, besides his dad, mom, Uncle Wang and Uncle Zhao, there were two unfamiliar faces.

Two middle-aged men, sitting side by side on the sofa, big and burly, dressed in black sweats, definitely on the level of characters like Zhan Zhao and Imperial Cat. One cat was intimidating enough, let alone two Imperial Cats arriving at once. Each held a disposable paper cup, sipping tea, while the other pinched a thick stack of documents. As Bai Yang looked at them, they were also sizing him up. They leaned in close to Zhao Bowen and whispered something, and Old Zhao looked up at Bai Yang, nodding to them.

Bai Yang, having changed his shoes and with his backpack slung over his shoulder, headed for his room. Zhao Bowen also stood up and followed him; when Zhao Bowen moved, everyone else did too. They all gathered around.

Seems like they were waiting for me.

"Where's the mighty army you promised?" Bai Yang tossed his backpack on the bed, turned around, and asked Zhao Bowen, "Uncle Zhao, you talked about bringing a mighty army, so why are there just a few people here?"

"Even with a mighty army, I couldn't bring them all into your living room, Yangyang." Zhao Bowen squeezed his shoulder, "You wouldn't believe how many people I've managed to mobilize, and what a colossal project I've completed. In the words of Archimedes, 'Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I will move the world'... I really did move the earth."

Bai Yang looked at him seriously for a moment. Zhao Bowen's face was smiling, but he had indeed lost weight and looked haggard, with deeper dark circles.

"Where have you been all these days? Uncle Zhao, did you receive the messages I sent you?" Bai Yang asked.

"I can't answer your first question for now, it's top secret for the next two hours, I'll only be able to tell you after midnight," Zhao Bowen said, "I've seen every message you sent me, to be honest, the information you provided was a great help to us. Well done, Yangyang, people all over the world should thank you."

With that, he patted the young man's shoulder.

"Then, where did you come back from?"

"That's classified too." Zhao Bowen waved his hand, "I'll be able to tell you after twelve o'clock."

"Get out of my room, Riddler." Bai Yang sneered, Zhao Bowen was being all mysterious, keeping secrets, then just keep them, why the two-hour suspense?

Why wait until after midnight?

"Let's talk business, how's the radio station doing?"

"Everything's normal," Bai Yang replied.

"What about BG4MSR?"

"That's also normal." Bai Yang said, "Recently we've been spending time building a data transmission system, and it's on the verge of success."

"I've heard about it from your dad and Old Wang, you guys are doing great." Zhao Bowen pointed at the Icom725 amateur radio on the shelf, "Now, contact BG4MSR, we're all waiting for you to come back and do this."

Bai Yang glanced past Zhao Bowen's shoulder to the doorway, where his dad, Uncle Wang, and the others were standing. The two Zhan Zhaos were watching him intently, their gazes sharp as lightning.

He nodded, sat down in the chair, put on his headphones, turned on the power, and like always, began calling for BG4MSR.

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"Eh? The weather?"

Ban Xia was taken aback.

She peered outside, "The weather is nice."

"Good, BG4MSR, now go to a place where you can see the night sky, OVER."

"The night sky?"

Ban Xia didn't understand what the other party was up to. Technically, tonight was supposed to be for testing image transmission, but BG4MXH said the test was postponed to tomorrow, tonight there was something more important to do — what could be more important than going outside? Ban Xia didn't get it, but she did as told nonetheless. The girl grabbed her walkie-talkie, left the room, climbed up to the attic, and sat on the roof.

The late autumn night breeze in November was cool. The girl stuck her body out slightly, shivered, pulled her clothes tight, then cautiously found a spot on the roof to sit down where she could lift her head to see the vast, velvet sky.

"Okay, BG4MXH, I can see the sky now, what next?"

Ban Xia asked.

"Next...watch the stars?"

The girl widened her eyes.

She didn't understand the point of all this seriousness and formality, calling her out just to sit on the rooftop and watch the stars?

Bai Yang didn't know what this was for either. It was Zhao Bowen's directive, with Old Zhao behind him commanding—tell her to go out, find a spot to see the night sky, look up at the stars, but he wouldn't explain what for, being all mysterious and composed, inscrutable.

"How long do I watch?"

"Keep watching until the stars fall from the sky, OVER."

Bai Yang relayed Zhao Bowen's words exactly.