Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 40, Triumphant Return to Jiaxing, Neighbors Praise the Place
A Stipunk car is driving on the road.

Yue Jinping, in the passenger seat, said, "They just let you go like that? You did so much, and there's no reward for it?"

"They said there would be a reward after the war and even invited me to join the National Air Force, but I didn't agree," Fang Wen replied.

“It’s better not to go. The Nationalist government is now full of factions and infighting. You are a capable person, and it would be easy for you to be envied and secretly targeted if you were there,” Yue Jinping analyzed.

"I didn't think that much about it, I just don't like being told what to do," Fang Wen replied evasively, then changed the subject: "How's the matter of catching Japanese spies going?"

Yue Jinping spoke with a touch of pride about this.

"The idea you gave me last time was very useful. During my operations at Suzhou Airport and Jianqiao Airport here, I was still searching around the airport area and ended up arresting another group of spies. Some of these guys had been lurking for a long time, had status and position, and their words and actions were flawless. If they hadn't been arrested along with other spies, I really wouldn't have been able to be sure they were Japanese."

Fang Wen remembered something and simply reminded him:

"Is that so? Since there are so many here, could it be that there are Japanese spies lurking all over the country? They infiltrated our country early on, compiling information on the geography, culture, and important facilities of various places into intelligence, which could then be used to invade us later."

"Impossible?!" Yue Jinping was stunned, looking astonished.

"It's quite possible. The Japanese invasion of Northeast China and their attack on Shanghai—you don't think it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, do you?"

Fang Wen's words silenced Yue Jinping. This was a problem that even if she knew the answer, she had no solution to. China was in disarray, and last year there was the Central Plains War, with various warlords vying for power. The Nationalist government was powerless in many places, so how could it possibly control the spies lurking everywhere?

Yue Jinping didn't want to dwell on the matter any longer, so she changed the subject.

"Where are you going?"

"I do not know either."

Fang Wen couldn't help but slow down. It was nearly 300 kilometers from Hangzhou to Nanjing, and the journey was likely to be turbulent due to the war. It was unsafe to drive or take the train.

I can't go back to Shanghai for the time being either.

He thought of something.

I am a native of Jiaxing.

Jiaxing is only a few dozen kilometers away from Hangzhou, so why not take this opportunity to go home and visit?

After all, in this era, people always need to have roots; they can't keep running away from it forever.

"I want to go home and visit my family. Will you come with me?"

Yue Jinping blushed, and her voice stammered slightly.

"Oh, yes, your home is in Jiaxing, you should go back. But it wouldn't be appropriate for me to go with you."

"I'm borrowing your car to go home and inviting you over for a visit. What's wrong with that?" Fang Wen replied.

"Yes, that's normal. Okay then."

After saying that, Yue Jinping stopped talking and stared blankly out the window, lost in thought.

"Uh, how do I get to Jiaxing?" Fang Wen asked.

"do not you know?"

“I left home after graduating from middle school and haven’t been back for many years. I don’t even remember how to get around here.”

In fact, Yue Jinping didn't know how to get from Hangzhou to Jiaxing either.

We drove along, stopping frequently to ask for directions.

The journey of less than 80 kilometers took more than two hours.

When you see a Grand Canal along the way, you've entered Jiaxing.

After the car had been driving for a while, Yue Jinping pointed out the window and said, "Look there, there are three towers by the river, they're so beautiful."

Fang Wen glanced to the side and saw three nine-story brick pagodas standing by the canal, their bodies mottled and looking quite old.

He had no memory of anything in Jiaxing and couldn't explain it to Yue Jinping.

He simply brushed it off: "Yes, I used to play in the tower a lot when I was little, and all these years later, it still looks the same."

This suggestion piqued Yue Jinping's interest even more. "Why don't we park the car here and go take a look?"

Fang Wen couldn't refuse, so he stopped the car. The two got out, removed the keys, closed the windows, and walked along the riverbank, looking for a way to cross.

There were covered boats on the canal, and one of the boatmen rowed over.

"Young man, do you need to cross the river? It only costs 5 coins to take my boat across."

Yue Jinping pulled Fang Wen onto the boat and gave the boatman five coins.

The river is not wide, and it takes only a short time to reach the other side.

Yue Jinping excitedly crawled into the tower, only to find there was no ladder to climb up, which disappointed her.

While they were at it, Fang Wen chatted with the boatman and figured out the correct way to get to Jiaxing City.

He also inquired about his own family situation.

"Do you know the Fang family in town who run a rice shop?"

"How could I not know? Every year, my boat has to transport grain to his rice shop to sell. But in the last two years, the old master of the Fang family retired and handed it over to the eldest and second sons to manage. I heard that the business is not as good as before."

Fang Wen was aware of this situation.

The letters exchanged with the fourth sister mentioned that the eldest and second wives were constantly fighting over the family property, and the old man had no choice but to let them have their way.

The second wife was able to stand out and fight for power only because her family was powerful.

Fang Wen's third branch of the family lacked this confidence.

This might also be another reason why he, the eldest son of the third wife, left home to make his way in the world after graduating from high school.

Thinking about these things, Fang Wen felt less excited about the journey home and treated it as just a task that had to be completed.

The car was on the road again. Fang Wen had the route in his mind. He pretended to be waking up his childhood memories and drove directly to Jiaxing City without asking for directions along the way.

This city, built along the river, features a variety of simple brick buildings with strong characteristics of a Jiangnan water town.

However, because of its coastal location, it came into contact with the outside world early on, resulting in a blend of Chinese and Western elements.

With its white walls and black tiles, upturned eaves, carved beams and painted rafters, it is a three-story Western-style building.

The house features a traditional Chinese-style roof with arched doors and windows and a separate balcony.

The car drove slowly down the wide main street without stopping. Fang Wen looked outside, searching for the signboard of "Fang's Rice Shop".

"Aren't we there yet?" Yue Jinping asked.

"Hmm, it probably hasn't arrived yet."

Fang Wen's palms were sweating; he was even more nervous than when he was piloting a plane.

Until a young man walked over and saw him in the driver's seat.

He asked tentatively, "Young Master Fang?"

The car stopped, and Fang Wen leaned out to ask, "I'm Fang Wen, and you are?"

The young man exclaimed in surprise, "Young master, I'm Shunzi. The accountant's son. We studied together at a private school when we were kids."

His words drew the attention of people in the shops on both sides of the street.

There was a lot of discussion immediately.

"It really is the third young master of the Fang family! Wasn't he flying planes in Shanghai to fight the Japanese?"

"Perhaps the war is over and he's gone home to recuperate."

"Then why don't you go and inform the Fang family?"

"And the county government, no, the county government, also needs to be notified. Just say that the air hero in the newspaper has returned."

Suddenly, the street became lively, with a large crowd surrounding the car and slowly moving forward.

(End of this chapter)