Anti-Japanese War Espionage: I Have an Omniscient Perspective

After receiving the deposit, Zhang, with his rotten face, didn't hesitate. He picked up the powder compact and handed it to Lin Rui, then patiently taught him how to use it:

"Let's start with changing your appearance. Your skin tone is fair, like a scholar, so let's change it to a yellowish one to make you look like a sickly merchant, so you won't attract attention. Remember, make sure to apply the powder evenly, don't just apply it to your face, also take care of your neck and the back of your hands, otherwise you'll be exposed at a glance."

Lin Rui had learned these techniques at the Qingpu training camp, but he didn't say anything. He simply followed Zhang's instructions, dipped his face powder in the powder, and applied it little by little to his face.

But compared to what he learned at the training camp, Zhang, with his rotten face, was much stricter, correcting his movements from time to time with a stern tone:

"Don't rush, slow and steady wins the race. I'll keep an eye on things for you and point out any mistakes so that you won't be recognized and ruin my reputation after you graduate."

"Your skin tone needs to be a bit lighter so it's closer to normal."

"Sometimes when you're just doing it yourself, you can't tell the difference, so you need to pass on your skills and knowledge. I'll point out the problems to you, and if you can correct them quickly, then you'll learn well and quickly."

Lin Rui nodded. Zhang with the rotten face was telling the truth. Even if it was just for the 50 yuan tuition fee, he was really teaching him practical skills.

He studied diligently, corrected his mistakes, and asked questions whenever he had them, making rapid progress.

Outside the courtyard, Huang Dazhu wasn't guarding the area. Instead, he was playing cards with a few of his men at the alley entrance, so he could easily spot who entered the alley.

........

After a thorough lesson, coupled with Lin Rui's existing foundation and his diligent study, he was able to learn effectively.

The learning outcomes came out quickly.

Lin Rui smoothed out his skin tone, leaving his face with a sallow complexion and making him appear sickly. Zhang, the man with the rotten face, picked up his eyebrow gel, preparing to teach him how to shave and redraw his eyebrows.

"Your eyebrows are too thin and too refined. They need to be thicker and more sparse to cover up your original refined look. Remember, the tails of your eyebrows should be turned down to make you look more composed and less flamboyant than a scholar."

He took out a small razor and carefully shaved off a small portion of Lin Rui's eyebrows. Then, holding Lin Rui's hand, he dipped his brush in eyebrow gel and slowly outlined the shape of his eyebrows, chanting the mantra of the Face-Changing Sect as he did so: "White face with ash, black face with powder, high eyebrows bent, straight back bent, eyes not looking at people, people not looking at you."

Lin Rui carefully memorized the formula, feeling the strength in Zhang's hands, and adjusted it little by little. Unconsciously, his originally thin eyebrows became thick and messy, and coupled with his sallow complexion, his whole demeanor was very different from that of Manager Chen from Lianhua Film Studio.

"Next, let's learn how to shape the nose."

Zhang, the man with the rotten face, took the nasal oil, softened it, and applied it to Lin Rui's nose bridge, pressing it gently.

"Your nose bridge isn't low. If you raise it slightly, you'll look more cheerful, which suits the image of a vendor, and it will also further conceal your original facial features."

He adjusted the shape of the nasal putty hand-in-hand, giving instructions as he did so:

"Make sure the nasal paste adheres tightly to the skin without leaving any gaps, otherwise it will fall off when you sweat. Also, don't speak too forcefully, so as not to deform your nose shape."

Lin Rui memorized everything and practiced repeatedly under Zhang's guidance, from changing his skin and appearance to adjusting his gait and tone of voice. He learned every detail with great care.

He knew that this skill was key to his investigation of the Tongfu Society and his evasion of Fang Dongcheng, and he could not afford to be careless.

.........

A day passed, from day to night, and Lin Rui did not leave that courtyard.

Huang Dazhu dismissed his men and sat at the alley entrance to keep watch.

At night, a sickly man with a sallow complexion emerged from the alley and came up behind him.

Huang Dazhu immediately became alert, abruptly standing up and looking at the sickly, sallow-faced man: "Who are you?"

"It's me. Can you tell?" Lin Rui asked.

Upon hearing his employer's voice, Huang Dazhu exclaimed in surprise, "It's even harder to recognize you than before. It's your voice..."

"We haven't finished learning yet. That's all for today. I'll come over myself tomorrow. Don't keep watch over me anymore, lest it arouse suspicion."

"Okay." Huang Dazhu got up and left.

Lin Rui turned around and went back into the courtyard to remove her makeup and change back into her own clothes.

She hasn't changed much overall, except that the edges of her eyebrows have been slightly trimmed.

He left the alley and returned to Lianhua Film Studio to rest.

The next morning, Lin Rui arrived at the alley and knocked on the door.

The man with the rotten face opened the door, his nose twitching: "What good food did you bring?"

"Homemade steamed buns, with filling." Lin Rui entered the courtyard, placed the food box on the stone table inside, opened the lid, and inside were four steaming hot meat buns.

These are steamed buns made by Zhao Erzhu.

Zhang, with his rotten face, couldn't wait to grab a steamed bun and eat it in a few bites.

"It's delicious. It tastes almost the same as the scallion and pork buns from Eryouju Bun Shop in Beijing. I love this kind of food. I never thought I could find it in Shanghai."

Lin Rui seized the opportunity to strike up a conversation: "I've never been to Beiping (Beijing). How does it compare to Shanghai?"

While eating the steamed buns, Zhang, with his rotten face, became talkative: "Each has its own merits. There aren't many truly delicious places in Beiping. The Eryouju Steamed Bun Shop I mentioned earlier is in the western part of the city, but it uses Tianjin-style techniques. Pure local products are either heaven or hell."

"What do you mean?" Lin Rui asked, puzzled.

"Hey, you haven't seen the hardships of life in Beijing. Those poor, destitute people don't even have a place to live. Being able to sleep in a dormitory is a blessing..."

He started talking, going on and on, and described the social landscape of Beiping 37 years ago.

Just looking at food...

Among the poor, even the better-off families could usually afford cornbread, sorghum rice, mixed bean porridge, and millet porridge, often mixed with bran.

Breakfast was usually thin porridge with pickled vegetable shreds and fermented bean curd; lunch was thick noodles and cornbread from a noodle shop with cabbage soup and radish soup; dinner was usually leftover porridge or roasted sweet potato to fill the stomach.

Eating "Zhe Luo" (a dish of leftovers from restaurants sold together), braised pork offal (pig intestines, lungs, and offal), and fermented mung bean juice with fried dough rings were the snacks for the poor to satisfy their cravings. They would usually spend a few coins at temple fairs and night markets. Pure meat was rarely available, and the meat that was occasionally seen was offal such as lamb offal and pig offal, which were parts that the rich would disdain.

As for the wealthy, although Zhang the Rotten-Faced had been in the underworld for many years, he didn't know much about them, except for their eating and drinking in restaurants.

In fact, the luxury that Lin Rui witnessed in Shanghai during his month-long stay was beyond Zhang's comprehension.

This is the rigid class structure of the old era. No matter how hard most poor people struggle, they can never escape their class and can only stand above them and look up.

But Lin Rui didn't say anything; instead, he quietly listened.

His attitude pleased Zhang, who then finished his buns and began his new day of teaching.

"You did very well. You learned about 70-80% of the disguise technique after just one day of study yesterday. You've already done a great job. Remember, disguise relies on practice. Practice more, think more, and make every detail second nature so that you can truly become 'unrecognizable'."