Early November 1941. Shanghai.

Sifang Bookstore.

Although it was off-duty time, there were still not many customers, and the guy Ah Yuan was dozing off with his shoulders behind the counter, and the empty store seemed a little deserted, with only three or two customers wandering between the bookshelves.

Xia Ju sat on a bench by the window, casually flipping through the newspapers on the table, the categories of newspapers were very messy, there were tabloids specializing in reporting celebrity affairs, and there were also some emerging newspapers that analyzed and commented on current affairs. Judging from the degree of newness and age, it is clear that the current affairs newspapers seem to be read more often.

The bookstore owner's surname is Tang, and he is a short and fat middle-aged man in his forties, and he can't tell where he is from just by listening to his accent. But he should have lived in Shanghai for a long time, because he can understand many old Shanghainese dialects that Xia Ju feels embarrassed to speak.

"Miss Xia, are you waiting for your father again?" Boss Tang walked out of the inner room of the bookstore and greeted every guest.

Xia Ju: "I'm really sorry, I'm waiting here every day, I don't know if it will disturb your business." ”

Boss Tang smiled: "My business is very light, how can there be any disturbance." Miss Xia, you are free. ”

Xia Ju noticed that the young man who came out of the room with Boss Tang was holding a thick copy of "Three Kingdoms" in his hand, and when he passed by Xia Ju, the young man nodded slightly.

Xia Ju blushed and turned her head away, and when the young man was about to walk out of the bookstore, Xia Ju couldn't help but look at his back again.

Xia Ju had seen him a few times in the Sifang Bookstore, and he would buy one or two books every time, for Xia Ju, who liked to read, this big-eyed young man who loved to read would inevitably make her pay special attention.

Xia Ju's father was a clerk at the City Telephone Bureau, and every day when he got off work, he would ride a bicycle to school to pick Xia Ju home. Because of the cold weather in winter, Xia Ju was waiting for her father in the Sifang bookstore, which was very close to the school.

Xia Ju stood in front of the window, looking at the direction of his father's work, if there was no special delay, his father would definitely appear at the door of the bookstore on time, ten years like a day, it has never changed.

As far as the eye could see, Xia Ju saw the young man holding "Three Kingdoms", who was standing at the tram stop in front of the bookstore, casually looking around, as if waiting for the tram.

Pedestrians come and go on the streets, fruit vendors sell their fruits to the crowd, shoeshine people are working hard to wax and polish customers' shoes, and half-grown children with cigarette boxes are peddling cigarettes to everyone who passes.

Everything was as usual, there was no difference, Xia Ju even smiled kindly after making eye contact with the child selling cigarettes.

The child, Huzi, was an orphan who made ends meet by selling a few packs of cigarettes every day. Huzi's mouth is sweet and diligent, every time he sends cigarettes to Boss Tang, he will call Xia Ju when he meets him: "Sister Xia Ju, read a book." "Sister Xia Ju, come to buy books again?" Etcetera.

The figure of my father finally appeared on the street, and my father was pedaling a bicycle with a fresh fish tied to the handlebars of the bicycle.

When he went out in the morning, his father asked Xia Ju what he wanted to eat at night, and Xia Ju said that he wanted to drink the world's most delicious sweet and sour fresh fish soup. My father smiled and said, "Okay."

Xia Ju always exaggerated the fresh fish soup made by his father as the first delicacy in the world, which is not an exaggeration in Xia Ju's heart. Because she felt that the fresh fish soup cooked by her father was indeed the best fresh fish soup she had ever tasted.

When his father was about to cross the street, he stopped, because a silver-gray car was coming, and Xia Ju's father got off the bicycle and waited for the car to pass.

Xia Ju's father also noticed his daughter in the glass window of the bookstore, and his father smiled and pointed to the fresh fish on the handlebar.

At this time, a military truck suddenly rushed out of the oblique stab, and the car going straight could not dodge, and with a tom sound, the passenger door of the car was hit by the truck and recessed a large piece.

Two soldiers got off the military truck, and they seemed to be very annoyed, and they came over scolding. The driver of the sedan also got out of the car, and the two sides argued about responsibility for the accident.

Xia Ju's father didn't look at these people much, he was pushing his bicycle and was about to cross the road, and Xia Ju was about to push the door out of the bookstore.

At this moment, Xia Ju was stunned, because she saw the man in military uniform suddenly pull out his pistol and shoot several times at the inside of the car, and then two people rushed out of the car to fight back.

Xia Ju stopped, this was a scene she hadn't passed by, and the sound of gunfire frightened her. And then she saw a scene that she will never forget!

- The father, who was about to cross the road, shook his body and slowly sat on the ground with his chest clutched, when a ricochet accidentally hit him, and blood instantly stained his long shirt. The bicycle lost its support and fell at his feet, and the fish was tumbling and jumping on the ground.

The two sides ended quickly, and both men who rushed out of the car fell to the ground. A soldier took a quick look at the situation in the car, then glanced at Xia Ju's father, who was affected, paused slightly, and immediately ran into the alley at the urging of his companion.

Xia Ju ran out in a panic, ran to her father's side, supported her father's body, and asked in a trembling voice, "Dad, what do you think?" ”

The father coughed, sat up straight with difficulty, and smiled reluctantly: "It's out of the way...... It's fresh fish soup...... I'm afraid it won't be able to do it......"

Xia Ju's tears flowed: "Dad, what kind of fresh fish soup do you care, I'll take you to the hospital." ”

"Ju'er, don't be busy yet. I have something to tell you...... If I have three long and two short, do you remember...... Go find your mother...... Your mother's name is Magnolia, and she lives at No. 60 Xiafei Road......"

"Daddy...... Didn't you say my mother died early......"

“…… I thought she was dead...... It's Daddy's wrong, Daddy lied to you......"

With a thud, the door at the back of the car was opened, and a man covered in blood crashed out of the door, he slowly sat up and pulled out a pistol from his waist, leaning weakly against the car door, but his eyes were looking around vigilantly.

Xia Ju was so frightened that she didn't dare to move, looking at this bloody person at a loss, the bookstore's boss Tang shouted on the other side of the road: "Miss Xia, do you want to help?" ”

Xia Ju cried and said, "Boss Tang, can you help me find a car?" My dad got shot, and he couldn't seem to hold on......"

Boss Tang: "Okay, Miss Xia, don't panic, I'll call a car...... Anyone else hurt? ”

The person leaning on the car door waved his hand at Xia Ju, but Xia Ju didn't see it, and said, "There is another person who is also injured......

Boss Tang promised: "Okay, I'll go and call a taxi, you wait." ”

Xia Ju noticed that her father's face was becoming more and more ugly, and her lips became purple: "Dad, don't scare me...... What happened to you? ”

"I ...... It is...... I felt a little cold......"

Xia Ju looked up to see if Boss Tang had found the car, but when he looked up, he saw the young man holding "Three Kingdoms" walking over briskly without saying a word, Xia Ju looked at him in a daze: "You ......"

The young man didn't come to Xia Ju, he suddenly opened the book "Three Kingdoms", and the inside of the book turned out to be hollowed, and a pistol was hidden in the middle of the hollow.

The young man held the gun sharply, quickly turned the front of the car, and in Xia Ju's exclamation, bang! Bang! Bang! Three shots were fired in a row. The man leaning against the car door, without even having a chance to fight back, fell to the ground limp, a large pool of blood flowing from the back of his head.

The young man did not delay, put the pistol back in the book, turned back to the opposite side of the road, and just in time to catch a tram, he flew into the car and left on the tram as if nothing had happened.

Boss Tang hurriedly came over with a board car: "Miss Xia, quickly help your father into the car......"

Xia Ju had tears on her face, and she couldn't cry anymore: "My father...... He's no longer good......"

The sharp voice of the military police whistle came from far and near, several corpses were lying around the car, and Xia Ju hugged her father's body helplessly and cried loudly.

The whole sky was gray, and there was not a trace of sunshine in sight, and the winter in Shanghai was particularly cold in this evening.

…………

Xia Ju's house is in the north of Jing'an Temple, and one was cut in half by shells in the Battle of Songhu, leaving a two-story single-story building. Xia Ju walked upstairs slowly, her face was a little dull, and the excessive sadness made her no longer tearful.

Opening the door, the empty room also seemed to be full of sadness, Xia Ju didn't turn on the light, she sat in the dark, and once again couldn't help sobbing.

A sigh suddenly came from the darkness, Xia Ju stood up from the sofa in shock, and quickly picked up a vase beside her: "Who!" ”

The lights came on, and the young man with a gun who killed people during the day was standing at the door: "Miss Xia, you don't have to be afraid, it's me." ”

Xia Ju flinched: "You...... What a person! I don't recognize you! ”

The young man smiled bitterly: "It doesn't matter if you recognize me or not......"

He placed a silver dollar on the table: "Today is a pity, Ling Zun unfortunately suffered an accident in our actions...... This is a little bit of our heart, and we ask Miss Xia to accept it. ”

Xia Ju glared at him vigilantly: "You...... Who are you? ”

Youth: "We are a military commander hoe and traitor team, and we are killing a traitor with a heinous crime today!" Originally, everything was very successful, and the only accident was that Ling Zun was innocently involved. ”

Xia Ju put down the vase dejectedly and sat on the sofa again, she heard her father say that there are always some traitors who do things for the Japanese and will be executed by the military commanders and even the secret service organization of the CCP, but she didn't expect to see it with her own eyes today.

"Miss Xia, this incident is indeed an accident, and we are also very sorry, I hope you will mourn."

"You go, no matter how sorry you are, you can't get my father's life back."

"Miss Xia......"

"Let's go! If you don't leave, I'm going to call someone! ”

The young man was silent for a long time before opening the door and walking out, listening to the footsteps in the corridor gradually disappearing, Xia Ju covered her face with her hands, and once again fell into great grief.

Under the light, every scene and object in the room made Xia Ju feel sad, because every scene in this room carried traces of her father.