Berechnen

Kapitel 2

Zhang Qing glanced at the press pass in my hand and asked, "Is there something you need?"

"Here's the thing, you've been a long-time resident of this building since it was built. Recently, this building has been facing the danger of being demolished. The Xinmin Evening News already reported on this yesterday, and our newspaper would like to follow up with a report as well. We hope that the relevant departments will change their minds and preserve these two remaining three-story buildings."

"Go ask the neighborhood committee, I have nothing to say." The old man showed no intention of letting me in for a detailed discussion.

"But you're a long-time resident, and there are some things the neighborhood committee doesn't know, so we have to ask you. It won't take up too much of your time, just half an hour." I bowed slightly, a friendly smile on my face.

"What do you want to know?" the old man said softly, still blocking the doorway, motionless.

"I found a photograph in the Shanghai Library. It's a picture of four buildings that remained undamaged after the Japanese bombing in 1937. It's simply a miracle. I can't even imagine how that happened, so..."

Old Zhang's eyes suddenly narrowed. He glanced at me, his gaze instantly becoming sharp, causing me to pause slightly.

"There's nothing much to say, I'm going to take a nap."

The vermilion door closed in front of me, and I couldn't even get through.

Left with no other option, I had to go up to the third floor.

When I asked for directions to Su Yicai's house, I rang the doorbell.

The person who opened the door was a slightly plump old man with snow-white hair and eyebrows, and deep wrinkles on his face, especially on his forehead.

"Hello, I'm Nado, a reporter from the Morning Star. Could I take a moment of your time?" I changed my strategy and decided to go inside first.

"Oh, okay, please come in." The old man smiled and led me into the house.

The room was well-lit. It was about fifteen or sixteen square meters, sparsely furnished, with the most prominent feature being the four large bookshelves. On the octagonal table by the window lay a silk manuscript with ink still wet, a brush resting on an inkstone beside it. It looked finished and was being dried in the sun. I glanced at it; it appeared to be a Buddhist scripture, with the inscription "Respectfully copied by Yuantong" on the last page.

As I noticed the handwritten Buddhist scriptures, Su Yicai had already begun to put them away and place them in the bookshelf. Looking at his movements, I was taken aback; the bookshelf was almost entirely filled with such handwritten copies.

"Are you a Buddhist?" I asked Su Yicai as he gestured for me to sit down at the octagonal table.

Su Yicai smiled and asked, "You just said you are...?"

It's normal for an elderly person like Su Yicai to be unfamiliar with this new newspaper, so I quickly repeated what I had heard and took out my press pass. Su Yicai waved his hand, indicating that I should put it back; it seemed this old man was much easier to get along with than the one on the second floor.

"You are one of the longest-living residents in this building. We came here to learn about the history of the building. After all, this building has considerable historical value, and it would be a pity to demolish it. We hope that through the efforts of the media, we can save the 'three-story building'."

“Speaking of the longest stay, I’m not the only one here. Looks like you’ve already run into a wall on the second floor, haven’t you?” Old Su chuckled.

I laughed too: "I didn't even get through Old Zhang's door."

"Actually, Old Zhang is a pretty good guy, just a bit eccentric. What would you like to ask?"

I felt much more at ease; this elderly man seemed like the perfect interviewee—he was willing to talk and didn't seem to waste any time. I hoped his memory was good enough to provide me with as many details as possible.

"After the Japanese bombing in 1937, the 'Three-Story Building' was the tallest building in Zhabei for quite some time, which is why it has commemorative value. I saw a photo in the Shanghai Library that was taken shortly after the bombing. The scene was amazing. The surrounding area was in ruins, but the 'Three-Story Building' was preserved. I was very curious about how all this happened."

A photo from 67 years ago (6)

After saying this, I suddenly had a bad feeling, and the smile on Su Yicai's face disappeared.

"It's been too long, I'm old, and I can't remember it very clearly anymore."

"It's said that the foreigners living in the building at the time raised the flag..." I tried to remind him.

Su Yicai's expression turned serious: "I'm sorry, I lied just now, it's not that I couldn't remember."

I was secretly pleased; it seemed his devotion to Buddhism had truly been a great help. But Su Yicai's next words froze my smile on my face.

"However, that's a memory I'd rather not recall, so all I can say is I'm sorry."

After leaving the central three-story building, I headed towards the three-story building where the neighborhood committee was located. I found nothing, but it only fueled my curiosity to get to the bottom of things.

Two setbacks cannot block all paths. For a veteran journalist like me, there are still many ways to find the truth.

Old Zhang and Su Yicai's peculiar reactions made me begin to think that something must have happened during the bombing sixty-seven years ago, which not only saved this building but also silenced those involved.

Looking back, there have been many unusual phenomena surrounding the "three-story building." Besides the biggest mystery of its survival in the Japanese bombing, it seems that the four Sun brothers also had issues. Why did they build these four buildings so far apart, and why were they arranged in a triangular shape?

Back at the neighborhood committee, Deputy Director Yang spent half the day working on it before finally finding the information I needed.

Although the two elderly residents in the "three-story building" in front of me refused to reveal anything about what happened back then, I haven't forgotten that there are two other "three-story buildings" that I haven't visited.

Those were the two three-story buildings that have already been demolished.

There must be some elderly people living there who witnessed what happened back then, right?

The neighborhood committee did a very thorough job; although the residents of those two buildings had moved out, they still left their new addresses and phone numbers.

I received three more names.

Zhong Shutong, Yang Tie, Fu Xidi.

To my surprise, I saw Zhong Shutong's name. According to the information provided by the neighborhood committee, I wasn't mistaken. It was him! I even heard him give a lecture on the history of the Three Kingdoms when I was in university; it was very engaging. Zhong Shutong wasn't forced to move because of the demolition; he originally lived in that three-story building in the middle, but moved out seven or eight years ago after buying a new house.

This nonagenarian is undoubtedly a towering figure in Chinese historiography. He has studied the history of all dynasties in China, but his expertise lies in the Han Dynasty, especially the period from the late Eastern Han to the Jin Dynasty, commonly known as the Three Kingdoms period. His research on this period has reached a level that astonishes every historian. Many of his research methods were initially considered unconventional, but their fruitful results have led to their widespread adoption by historians today. Many scholars, when discussing him, describe his astonishing understanding of that period of history as "almost as if he lived in that era."

So, naturally, he was the first person I called.

Unfortunately, I was told over the phone that Professor Zhong had gone to Paris to attend an academic conference on Eastern history and culture and would not be back for some time. Disappointed, I couldn't help but marvel at how, if I remembered correctly, this elderly man was already ninety-two years old, yet he was still able to take a long-haul flight to attend such an academic conference.

Left with no other option, I had to contact the other two for interviews.

It's really a tough situation. Our Morning Star newspaper office is on the Bund, while Yang Tie moved to Century Park in Pudong, and Fu Xidi is in Xinzhuang. In other words, no matter where I go from the newspaper office, I have to drive ten or twenty kilometers.

On the bright side, since I traveled all this way to interview you, you couldn't just kick me out, could you? You have to tell me something.

Life is always full of surprises. The interviews with Yang Tie and Fu Xidi went surprisingly smoothly, aside from the travel.

However, the two interviews, which went extremely smoothly, cast an even darker and more murky cloud of doubt over everything that happened back then.

The four brothers carrying the flag (1)

I gave Blue Head a brief report on the situation, mentioning the miracle from back then and showing him the scanned photos. He seemed very excited. He agreed with my approach to the report, insisting on recreating the details of that miracle. It seems he does have some insight.

I told him that both interviewees lived far away, and that this report would be quite large, so it might not be ready in a day or two. My original intention was to ask him to send me a car for the interview, but he patted me on the shoulder and said, "Then you don't need to worry about it."

As long as you do a thorough and in-depth report, whether it takes a week or two, you don't need to worry about the workload this month. Once you get the report out, the payment and bonus will be no problem.

So, I took Metro Line 2 and arrived at Yang Tie's home.

The elderly couple lived in a two-bedroom apartment with their children. The children were at work during the day, so it was a rare treat for a young person to come over for a chat, which made the elderly couple quite happy.

Yang Tie looked much older than Zhang Qing and Su Yicai, and his spirits were not very good.

"Oh, how lucky we were! I still remember when the Japanese planes came, a whole swarm of them, flying so low, making a loud rumbling sound. At that time, I thought we were all doomed, so I hid in the house and didn't dare to go out." Yang Tie spoke of those days without any reservations.

"But why weren't these houses bombed? The surrounding houses were all damaged."

"The surrounding area? Our area wasn't bombed?" Yang Tie asked me, puzzled.

I was wondering if the old man's memory was failing due to old age when Yang Tie seemed to realize something.

"You don't think I was living in a 'three-story building' back then, do you?"

"Oh, isn't that right?" I asked in surprise.

"No, no, I moved in in 1939, so I didn't experience the bombing in 1937. But I did go back there to check after the bombing, which is quite strange."

They moved in in 1939, which, from the neighborhood committee's perspective, makes them one of the oldest residents. But what I really want to know is who lived in the "three-story building" when the Japanese bombed it in 1937.

"Oh, it seems I made a mistake. I was going to ask you about the foreign flags." I felt annoyed, but I couldn't just leave like this after coming all this way. So I decided to ask something else.

"Foreign flag?"

"Yes, I heard that someone in the building raised a foreign flag and went outside, so the Japanese didn't bomb it when they saw it," I replied casually.

Yang Tie's face suddenly froze for a moment, and the flesh on his cheeks twitched.

"Flag, you mean the foreign flag? They raised that flag?"

"I read this in a reference book."

“That flag, no wonder, no wonder.” Yang Tie nodded, a strange look flashing in his eyes.

"You know about the flag?" I felt a sense of relief, as if a new path had opened up before me.

"Back then, everyone who lived there knew that flag."

"What country's flag is that?" Although I already had a feeling that the foreign flag might not be so simple, I still asked.

"I don't know. We recognized all the flags that flew in the Shanghai Concession back then, but we've never seen this flag before."

"Who is the person holding the flag?" As soon as I asked that question, I cursed myself for being stupid. Yang Tie wasn't there at the time, so how would he know who had displayed the flag?

"What nationality?" Yang Tie laughed. "Chinese, of course."

"Chinese?" It seems Yang Tie is very familiar with the flag and its owner, but could the information in that book be wrong?

"But it's no wonder. At first, we all thought they were foreigners, but later, they spoke fluent Beijing dialect better than anyone else. After getting to know them better, we learned that their family has had yellowish hair for generations and their eyes aren't black. They probably don't know which generation of their ancestors were non-Hu people."

"You know them?"

Yang Tie slapped his forehead: "I'm getting old, and I talk incoherently. Sorry. They are the people who built the 'three-story building,' the four brothers of the Sun family."

This was yet another answer I hadn't expected at all.

"So, they displayed their flags again in the building back then," Yang Tie muttered to himself, seemingly lost in memories of the past, though those memories didn't seem so pleasant.

From what Mr. Yang just said, I already know that the so-called foreigners do not exist, and there is only one so-called foreign flag. It was this flag that rose from the "third floor" and saved the entire area.

The four brothers carrying the flag (2)

What kind of flag is this?

"How could a flag have such a big impact?" I asked, voicing my doubts.

"That's because you haven't seen that flag." Yang Tie sighed deeply, and in his hoarse voice, he spoke of that memory that had been buried for decades.

At the time, the people of Zhabei only knew that the four Sun brothers spoke with a Beijing accent, but they didn't know where they were from or where they came from. They only knew that one day, they were riding slowly through Zhabei in a small, open-top sedan. Among the four brothers, one was an incredibly burly man, significantly stronger than the other three, standing inside the car, holding a large flag aloft. Later, Yang Tie learned that this was Third Master Sun. He didn't know Third Master Sun's real name, but he had heard that Third Master Sun had once been a deputy division commander under Sun Dianying. They all shared the surname Sun, and he wondered if they were related.

Sun Dianying? Hearing that name sent a chill down my spine. Sun Dianying, the warlord who desecrated Empress Dowager Cixi's tomb?

I heard that before coming to Zhabei, the four Sun brothers had driven all over many places, even the foreign concessions, using some unknown means to force them to drive around with that strange flag. Finally, they arrived in Zhabei.

Strangely enough, when the car arrived in Zhabei, it didn't just drive through like it had in other places. Instead, it drove through the streets and alleys of Zhabei one by one. After a few days, one day the four brothers suddenly stopped driving and started carrying a large flag and walking around the streets.

"How big is the flag?"

Yang Tie pointed to the door next to him: "That flag is huge, bigger than this door panel. When the wind blows, it flutters loudly."

"Such a big flag! The flagpole must be quite long. Walking down the street with this flag would be quite a show." As I spoke, I was mentally calculating how much strength and endurance it would take to hold such a large flag up all day.

"Show-off?" Yang Tie's expression turned very strange, and he slowly shook his head.

“What, isn’t this conspicuous enough?! If someone walked down the street with such a huge flag, the crowds would block the road,” I said.