118. Well played, you sly fox; you really were holding out on me. (Seeking full subscription)

It is Sunday, and the whole family is resting, with no work or school.

Mother Feng is busy cleaning the house, while Father Feng sits in the courtyard, basking in the sun with a newspaper. The younger sister-in-law is inside, reviewing her lessons in preparation for next year's college entrance examination. The eldest brother and sister-in-law have snuck out, no one knows where, and the second sister-in-law returns to her parents' home every weekend.

Cheng Xuemin is huddled in his room, focusing on his creative writing. The more Mother Feng sees such a diligent and motivated son-in-law, the more satisfied she becomes, which in turn makes her increasingly dissatisfied with Feng Jiayou, the "debt collector" who is currently in the courtyard teasing her niece and nephew.

Shaking out the laundry, Mother Feng said to the "debt collector," "Jiayou, let them play by themselves, and you go do something productive!"

She was mainly worried that her own "debt collector" would fall too far behind her son-in-law.

"Mom, you just can't stand to see me idle for half a day! Fine, fine, I’ll go in now and write for you!"

It’s such a beautiful day; what a waste it is not to be out here soaking up the sun! All she does is nag, nag, nag. Can she not be so pushy? After all, she is pregnant; why can't she just nurture the baby, enjoy some romance, and live a peaceful life?

"Huh? Who are you looking for?"

"Teacher Chen, is that you?"

Just as Feng Jiayou stood up, intending to return to the room to see how her husband’s inspiration was coming along, she saw four people at the gate: two elderly men, a young woman, and Chen Shumin.

Surprised, Feng Jiayou greeted them, and upon seeing Chen Shumin, she greeted him as well.

"Wait, aren't you Bao Ye, the gatekeeper at our Yanda University?"

Before Chen Shumin could speak, Feng Jiayou recognized the appearance of one of the old men and exclaimed in surprise, her confusion deepening. Why had the Yanda gatekeeper come to their house? Had he abandoned his "feng shui treasure land" of a guard booth?

This gatekeeper was somewhat of a legend at Yanda. Students had been mailing their manuscripts from his booth, and their publication acceptance rates had skyrocketed. In particular, her husband Cheng Xuemin’s *The Herdsman* (Old Xu), Kuang Yalan’s *Female College Student Dormitory*, and the piece called *Loess Plateau* published in *Yanhe Literature* were all front-page headlines with massive acclaim. It was this gatekeeper who first spread the news that the authors of these works were all Yanda students. To catch some of that creative luck, classmates like Huang Beijia and Cha Jianying started mailing their letters from his booth, even changing their mailing addresses to his. Suddenly, the guard booth became a "feng shui treasure land," and the gatekeeper was affectionately nicknamed "Bao Ye" by the talented students—short for "Bao" (treasure) from the treasure land.

"Master Ba, why are you here? And Master Tang, what brings you to my humble home?"

Mother Feng looked toward the gate and was shocked to see four people. When she recognized Ba Jin, the venerable literary elder from Shanghai, her eyes widened in awe. When she saw who was accompanying him—Master Tang, the renowned Yanda elder and Father Feng’s former mentor—she was even more stunned.

"Master Tang, Master Ba, what brings you here?"

"Quick, come in, please!"

Father Feng, who had been dozing off in the warm sun with his newspaper, looked toward the gate upon hearing the commotion. That one glance made him leap from his rattan chair. He scrambled to put down the paper and rushed forward, calling out in a hurried, excited voice.

It was such an unexpected surprise! He never imagined that his mentor, Master Tang, who had spent years in retirement at Yanda and was reluctant to travel, would come to his house, and with Master Ba in tow!

"Huh? This is your home, Jingren, Little Gu? Little Chen, you didn't tell me!"

Master Tang, known to the students as the gatekeeper Bao Ye, realized he was in the right place when he saw Feng Jiayou. But when the two inside started greeting him, he was flabbergasted. Why had Chen Shumin led him and Master Ba to the home of Feng Jingren and Gu Xueqing?

"Master Tang, I... you didn't ask!" Chen Shumin shrugged, trying to dodge the question. He was just as bewildered! He wasn't even supposed to be at work today; Master Tang had pulled him out of bed to help him find someone—the author known as "Old Six" who wrote *The Traitor*.

"Old Six!?" Who the hell was "Old Six"? He had no clue! When Master Tang whispered that he was looking for Cheng Xuemin, Chen Shumin was stunned. How did Cheng Xuemin become "Old Six"? What was this *The Traitor* manuscript? He’d never even heard of it. But he knew where Cheng Xuemin was, so he ended up here, confused.

"Are you messing with me, kid?" Master Tang chuckled, making a playful gesture to strike him, which Chen Shumin dodged.

"Jingren, Little Gu, you two don't come to Yanda to see this old man, so I have to come see you myself! And I brought Master Ba along!"

He shot a glare at Chen Shumin; if he had known this was his student’s home, he would have had them summoned to the university rather than lowering himself to come here just for a cup of tea.

"No, no, we wouldn't dare, Master Tang. It's just that I’ve only recently been rehabilitated, and I didn't know where I stood. I didn't dare visit for fear of implicating you," Father Feng said, his face pale as he helped the elder inside.

"You are still as cautious as ever, Jingren. What is there to implicate? Hasn't everything come to light? Besides, it is I, the teacher, who lacked the ability to protect you all," Master Tang sighed, shaking his head.

"Master Tang, please don't say that!" Father Feng ushered them into the living room, calling for the stove to be stoked and tea to be served.

The young woman beside them spoke up, "Old Feng, Teacher Gu, it was I who begged my father to come along."

"Xiaolin, it’s been nearly ten years! You’ve grown even more beautiful," Father Feng said, nodding. Mother Feng pulled her aside, chatting warmly. This was Li Xiaolin, Ba Jin’s eldest daughter and a senior editor at *Shanghai Literature*. Mother Feng wondered why she had insisted on coming to their home, and why she had brought such prestigious guests with her.

"Is this Jiayou? I can't believe how much you've grown!" Li Xiaolin greeted her.

"Do you not recognize me? I used to come to your house for meals all the time when I was at Yanda! I remember you even secretly called me 'Big Sister-in-law'!" Li Xiaolin laughed.

"Oh... you're my big brother's classmate, Sister Xiaolin?" Feng Jiayou finally realized, exclaiming in shock. "You've changed so much, I didn't dare recognize you!"

"You didn't 'not dare' to recognize me, you just completely forgot me!" Li Xiaolin teased.

After catching up, Li Xiaolin explained, "I came to pick up my father and to solicit some manuscripts. My father was in Beijing for a conference, and I was worried about him traveling alone."

"Jiayou, this time it’s not about the author of *Female College Student Dormitory*, Kuang Yalan. I’ve been transferred to my father's journal, *Harvest*, as a chief editor. We received a manuscript called *The Traitor* from a new author at Yanda. It was excellent, so we accepted it. I’m here to deliver the proofs and payment, and to solicit more work."

"Speaking of Kuang Yalan, she is quite the character!" Li Xiaolin laughed, recounting how the author had written a pathetic, heart-wrenching letter claiming to be destitute, supporting eighty-year-old parents and five or six hungry children, all to secure a higher pay rate. It wasn't until later that Li Xiaolin realized the author was a student at Yanda—far too young to have such a family burden. She was determined to meet this "Kuang Yalan" in person.

"Wait, the author of *The Traitor* is also a Yanda student? The pen name is 'Old Six'?" Feng Jiayou asked, stunned.

"Yes," Li Xiaolin smiled. "Are all Yanda students this 'old'?"

Feng Jiayou was left speechless, wondering who this "Old Six" could be.