Siheyuan (traditional courtyard house): Starting with the Korean War, returning home to take charge

The list arrived early the next morning.

Old Sun pushed the paper across the table; five names were written on it. He Yuzhu picked it up and saw the first one: Yang Deming. Following him were four deputy factory directors, the youngest forty-three and the oldest fifty-six, who had worked at the steel rolling mill for nearly twenty years. Some had been there since before Liberation, experiencing the factory's ups and downs.

He Yuzhu looked at the list three times.

"That's all?"

Old Sun nodded.

"Among those at the deputy factory director level and above, only these five have access to core data on military products."

He Yuzhu pointed to Yang Deming's name.

"Does he count as one?"

Old Sun remained silent for a while.

"Yang Deming has a clean resume, a respectable background, and has never made a mistake at work. But he was brought in by Zheng Huaiyuan back then, so we can't let this lead slip by."

He Yuzhu put the list down.

"How do I check?"

Old Sun took out a cigarette and lit it.

"Go back to the factory for a meeting, and under the guise of work-related contact, go through them one by one. Don't show any signs of anything unusual, just observe if they do anything out of the ordinary."

He Yuzhu thought for a moment.

"How long will it take?"

Old Sun took a drag of his cigarette.

"No rush. Zheng Huaiyuan was just arrested; they haven't reacted yet. Let's take it slow."

He flicked the cigarette ash into the enamel mug and added:

"Of the five people on the list, one is 'Old K,' so there's no way we can escape this."

The steel rolling mill's conference room was on the third floor, with windows facing north. In winter, there was no heating, and sitting there for a long time would make your feet numb.

He Yuzhu pushed open the door and went inside. There were already four people sitting in the room. Yang Deming was sitting in the main seat, looking down at documents. Hearing the door open, he looked up.

"Old He's here, have a seat."

He Yuzhu sat down next to him. His eyes swept around.

Of the four deputy factory directors, three arrived. One, surnamed Wang, was in charge of production, in his early fifties, with a perpetual smile that seemed welded onto his face. Another, surnamed Liu, was in charge of personnel, thin, wore glasses, and always kept his head down. The third, surnamed Li, was in charge of technology, in his early forties, with his hair neatly combed, and an enamel thermos on the table in front of him.

Yang Deming chaired the meeting and announced the production targets for the next quarter. He Yuzhu listened intently, his eyes glued to the screen.

Deputy Factory Director Wang kept smiling, but it seemed a bit forced. Deputy Factory Director Liu occasionally looked up, his gaze lingering on He Yuzhu's face for a moment before looking down again. Deputy Factory Director Li took notes in his notebook, writing very carefully. But He Yuzhu noticed that every time Deputy Factory Director Liu looked up, his eyes would linger on him for an extra second.

The meeting lasted for an hour and then ended.

He Yuzhu stood up and walked out. Just as he reached the door, Deputy Factory Director Li followed him from behind.

"Director He, wait a moment."

He Yuzhu stopped.

Deputy Factory Director Li walked over with a smile on his face.

"Director He, I heard that your lab's internal combustion engine is almost finished?"

He Yuzhu looked at him.

"It's still early."

Deputy Factory Director Li nodded.

"I've seen your high-speed steel data. That stuff is really amazing; even the military factories are envious. If you can get the internal combustion engine working, it will really bring honor to our factory."

He Yuzhu did not respond.

Deputy Factory Director Li smiled again.

"If there's a chance, could I visit your lab and learn something?"

He Yuzhu stared into his eyes.

"Is Deputy Factory Director Li interested in technology?"

Deputy Factory Director Li was taken aback for a moment.

"That's right. Having worked in industry for so many years, I've always wanted to learn more about the technology aspect."

He Yuzhu nodded.

"Okay. I'll let the lab know later."

Deputy Factory Director Li left with a smile.

He Yuzhu stood there, watching his back.

Those eyes were smiling, but when they smiled, their gaze didn't reach out.

The next day, He Yuzhu went to the factory again.

There was no meeting, so he used the excuse of looking at production reports to wander around the office building. He came to the door of Deputy Factory Director Li's office, which was ajar. He glanced inside.

Deputy Factory Director Li was on the phone, his voice low, so it was hard to hear what he was saying. Seeing He Yuzhu, he said something into the receiver and hung up.

"Director He, is something the matter?"

He Yuzhu pushed the door open and went in.

"Just passing by. By the way, have you seen any anomalies in your production data recently?"

Deputy Factory Director Li shook his head.

No. Everything is normal.

He Yuzhu sat down in the chair.

"How long has Deputy Factory Director Li worked at the factory?"

Deputy Factory Director Li was taken aback for a moment.

"It's been thirteen years. It was here before liberation."

He Yuzhu nodded.

"Then you should be familiar with the people and things in the factory."

Deputy Factory Director Li smiled.

"I wouldn't say I know everything, but I do know most of it."

He Yuzhu looked at him.

Are you familiar with Zheng Huaiyuan?

Deputy Factory Director Li's smile froze for a moment.

"Consultant Zheng? I've met him a few times, but we're not close."

He Yuzhu nodded.

"You've heard he's in trouble lately?"

Deputy Factory Director Li's expression changed.

"I...I've heard a little bit about it."

He Yuzhu stood up.

He took two steps forward, as if he were about to leave. But when he reached Deputy Factory Director Li, he stopped.

"Director Li, what's that white mark on your left ring finger?"

Deputy Factory Director Li subconsciously pulled his left hand back.

"I used to have a ring. It was inconvenient to wear while working, so I took it off."

He Yuzhu nodded.

"It's good to pick them off. In our line of work, it's easy for things to get caught when we have a lot in our hands."

He left after he finished speaking.

As I walked to the door, I looked back.

Deputy Factory Director Li stood there, his hands resting on the desk, his knuckles white.

In the afternoon, Old Sun arrived.

He slapped a photo in front of He Yuzhu.

"Do you recognize this?"

He Yuzhu picked it up and looked at it. It was a magazine with German text and machine illustrations printed on the cover.

"A German technology magazine?"

Old Sun nodded.

"Found it in the drawer of Deputy Factory Director Li's desk."

He Yuzhu looked at him.

"What can a magazine possibly prove?"

Old Sun lit a cigarette.

"The code used by spies for rendezvous. Zheng Huaiyuan confessed that they had a rule: the person making the contact would carry a German magazine and place it in a conspicuous position to indicate 'safety'."

He Yuzhu paused for a moment.

"The one belonging to Deputy Factory Director Li is in the drawer."

Old Sun took a drag of his cigarette.

"Yes. It wasn't in a prominent position. But the fact that he has this magazine is worth investigating in itself."

He Yuzhu looked at the photo.

The photo was taken secretly from the doorway, at an angle, revealing a half-open drawer with magazines underneath several documents. Deputy Factory Director Li's profile is blurred in the corner of the photo.

He Yuzhu stared at the blurry face, and another image suddenly flashed through his mind: Deputy Factory Director Li was standing behind his desk, his left hand on the edge of the desk, with a white mark around his ring finger.

"Old Sun."

"Um?"

"Did you find a ring when you were going through his things?"

Old Sun was stunned for a moment.

"What ring?"

He Yuzhu didn't answer. He remembered what Deputy Factory Director Li had said—"It's inconvenient to wear it while working, take it off."

I picked it. Where should I put it?

He Yuzhu put the photo down.

"He has a mark on his hand from a ring he's worn for a long time. You need to find that ring."

Old Sun looked at him, and a piece of cigarette ash fell off.

"You mean...?"

He Yuzhu didn't reply. He stood up, walked to the window, and opened it a crack. A cold draft rushed in, carrying the smell of coal smoke.

"What else did Zheng Huaiyuan reveal?"

Old Sun said.

"He's explained quite a bit. But there's one thing I think you should hear."

"explain."

"Zheng Huaiyuan said that 'Old K' hid something in the factory. It wasn't documents or money. It was a few blueprints, the original blueprints for the earliest batch of military products from the steel rolling mill."

He Yuzhu turned around.

"Where are the blueprints?"

Old Sun shook his head.

"He said he didn't know. Only 'Old K' knew about this. He was already at the steel mill when it took on the military supply order."

He Yuzhu remained silent for a while.

"In what year was the earliest batch of military supplies produced?"

"Fifty-three years."

He Yuzhu walked back to the table and picked up the list.

Yang Deming. Deputy Factory Director Wang. Deputy Factory Director Liu. Deputy Factory Director Li.

In 1953, these people were all working at the factory.

Old Sun looked at him.

"What do we do now?"

He Yuzhu put the list down.

"Investigate. Investigate where they were in 1953, what they were doing, and who they had contact with."

He paused.

"And that ring. If we find the ring, we'll find the person."

Old Sun nodded and got up to leave.

He Yuzhu called out to him.

"Old Sun."

"Um?"

"Do you think there might be a sixth person on this list?"

Old Sun looked at him without saying a word.

He Yuzhu closed the window.

The room went dark. He didn't turn on the light, and just sat there in the dark.

The photo was still on the table. Deputy Factory Director Li's face was in the corner, blurry.

He Yuzhu recalled those eyes.

When he smiled, his eyes didn't reach out.