Uncle Wang leaned back with a grin. “Twenty-three. I came back from the National Academy of War College in America last year.”
Father chuckled, shaking his head.
“Young people these days are amazing! We didn’t get promoted so quickly back then. I’ve been a jack of all trades, but only six levels in ten years. I can’t imagine how much gossip I’ve endured.”
He flipped through the file, squinting at the fine print.
“Hmm… born on July 7th…” He closed the folder and handed it back.
Uncle Wang teased,
“It’s over. No hope now. I was wishing you’d actually know my mother.”
Father laughed, and the uncles piled on with more stories, their banter filling the room. For once, Father was in high spirits, listening, asking questions, even smiling. They talked until my eyelids grew heavy.
When the gathering finally broke up, Father rose to see them off. They protested politely, “We wouldn’t dare,” but he stood watching as they filed out. I was about to whisper goodnight when his voice cut through the air:
“Shao Gong, I have something to tell you.”
Uncle Lei, the last to leave, froze. Once Father’s aide-de-camp, now a graying official, he instinctively straightened at the sound of his old title.
“Yes,” he answered, his tone still deferential.
I stifled a laugh at the sight. Something compelled me to linger in the shadows, pressed against the wall, waiting.
But Father said nothing. The silence stretched. My heart thudded.
At last, Uncle Lei spoke, his voice low but clear enough:
“Sir… what a coincidence… how is your birthday on July 7th?”
My pulse spiked. What did he mean?
Father remained silent.
Uncle Lei pressed on:
“Why don’t I get someone to check it out?”
My chest tightened. Check what out?
Finally, Father’s voice, heavy with memory:
“That child… didn’t he die at the age of three?”
Uncle Lei’s reply was grave.
“Yes. I was personally watching over him…”
The world roared in my ears, like fighter jets screaming overhead. My breath caught. A secret. A devastating, buried secret.
I strained to listen, catching only fragments—Uncle Lei’s repeated,
“Yes! Yes!…”
Then Father sighed, his voice breaking:
“It’s so similar, especially that pointed chin. Just like his mother…”
I bit my palm to keep from gasping. My father… had an old acquaintance. That striking young captain—could he be my father’s son?
Uncle Lei murmured,
“Don’t worry, I’ll send someone to check right away.”
Father’s voice trembled with pain.
“His mother back then…”
Thunder rolled through my skull. Who was she? Who was this woman who haunted him still?
Uncle Lei tried to soothe him.
“Don’t overthink it. I’ll check it out immediately.”
Then he left.
I bolted upstairs, collapsing onto my bed, my mind spinning. How could such a secret exist? How could such a person exist?
Sleep was a torment of nightmares. I woke drenched in sweat, dawn breaking through the curtains. The shower’s hot water steadied me, and I whispered to myself:
“I must do something. I must uncover the truth.”
So I acted.
I dressed quickly and told Director Liang I was visiting Grandpa Mu’s house. He suspected nothing and arranged a car.
Grandpa Mu’s grandson, Mu Shiyang—my childhood companion, clever and daring—met me at the door. I leaned close and whispered:
“I want to go to Fuhe River.”
He grinned.
“Okay, I’ll go with you.”
I glanced at the attendants.
“I don’t want to be followed.”
He laughed. We’d pulled this trick before. As Uncle Lei’s nephew, he had the authority to bend the rules.
“I have a plan.”
And he did. We pretended to retreat upstairs to play chess, then slipped down the servants’ staircase, through the garden, and into the garage. Moments later, his jeep roared to life, carrying us into the open road.
The rush of freedom made me want to shout. Two hours later, as the city of Fuhe loomed, I turned to him.
“I’m going to Wanshan.”
He frowned.
“Wanshan? It’s too late. I won’t make it back today.”
“I’m going to Wanshan!”
“No! My grandfather will scold me to death.”
I glared.
“If you don’t take me, I’ll ignore you forever. I mean it.”
He sighed, defeated.
“Okay, you’re so cruel.”
We pressed on until Wanshan rose before us. He asked, uneasy:
“Where are you going in Wanshan?”
I answered firmly:
“The Second Fleet Base.”
His eyes widened.
“What are you going there for?”
I turned away.
“Don’t worry about it.”
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