Chapter 30

Lin Yuan, upon hearing this, felt a wave of confusion. Tang Fan was about the same age as him, usually the most enthusiastic and easy-going, always cheerful and talkative. Such a person wouldn't easily get into conflicts. What could have happened to him?

Shen Wanqing laughed from the side, "He didn't go and report spies again, did he?"

Lin Yuan said to Shen Wanqing, "Let's go and see together?"

Shen Wanqing laughed, "Sure, I want to see what our counter-espionage expert has discovered this time."

At this moment, the indicator lights on the eavesdropping device and receiver lit up. Shen Wanqing quickly put on the headphones and, after listening for a while, said, "It's Ito Shigemasa's voice; they are discussing our aircraft carrier."

Lin Yuan wanted to listen, but he was also worried about Tang Fan. Shen Wanqing noticed Lin Yuan's thoughts and said, "I'll record their conversation; you can listen to it when you come back."

Lin Yuan nodded, turned, and left the reception temple.

Following the guard's directions, Lin Yuan arrived at the local police station. After completing the necessary procedures, he saw Tang Fan, who was confined in a room. Since Tang Fan's identity was that of a Qing Dynasty negotiator, the Japanese police did not want to cause international disputes and thus did not treat him rudely.

Lin Yuan entered the room and first checked if Tang Fan was injured. Seeing that he was unharmed, even his clothes were not torn, he felt relieved and asked with a smile, "What happened, Mr. Tang the Great Journalist?"

Tang Fan puffed out his chest and said proudly, "I saved a beauty from some Japanese ruffians. I saw them bullying a girl and drove them away."

Lin Yuan looked at his frail appearance, wondering how he could have fought off Japanese ruffians. He then looked at his neatly pressed clothes and perfectly combed hair, which didn't look like someone who had just been in a fight.

Lin Yuan laughed, "Ruffians are masterless samurai; how could you beat them?"

At this moment, a police officer walked in, put down a camera, and said, "He can go now."

Tang Fan held the camera and said, "See, those Japanese ruffians' swords were defeated by this!"

Then Tang Fan recounted the incident. He was taking photos on the street when he saw three Japanese ruffians harassing a girl in a small alley. He went to stop them.

The ruffians, seeing someone interfering, immediately drew their swords! Tang Fan was not a martial arts expert and couldn't fight them. He had a sudden idea and raised his camera, aiming it at the ruffians.

Cameras were rare at that time, and the ruffians, being at the bottom of society, had never seen one. They thought it was some kind of weapon and didn't dare to move. Finally, one of the ruffians mustered the courage to approach Tang Fan. Tang Fan pressed the flash button, and a bright flash made the ruffian retreat.

The camera was invented in 1839, and the flash in 1887. The earliest flash was a magnesium powder flash, which produced a strong white light when ignited with potassium chlorate. The electronic flash used by Tang Fan didn't appear until 1931, so the 19th-century ruffians had never seen one.

Thus, they stood off for half an hour until the police arrived and took both parties to the police station.

After finishing his story, Tang Fan and Lin Yuan left the police station. As soon as they came out, they saw a young girl walking towards Tang Fan. She was petite and full of spirit, like a fairy from a myth. She wore a kimono made of rough fabric, so Lin Yuan knew her family wasn't wealthy.

The girl asked in Japanese, "Are you okay?"

Tang Fan's eyes lit up when he saw her and said, "I'm fine, are you okay?"

She lowered her head slightly, blushed, and said softly, "If it weren't for you today, I don't know how to thank you."

Lin Yuan, watching the girl's demeanor, immediately thought of countless martial arts films. He knew exactly what should happen after a hero saves a beauty, so he whispered in Chinese, "You can offer yourself to him."

To Lin Yuan's surprise, the girl turned her head, widened her eyes, and asked in Chinese, "What did you say?"

She spoke Chinese! In this era, how could a Chinese girl come to Japan?

Tang Fan was also surprised and asked, "Are you Chinese?"

The girl, hearing Tang Fan speak Chinese, said joyfully, "You're Chinese, that's great!" Then her expression darkened, "I wish I were Chinese."

Lin Yuan thought, "If she were a Japanese girl, she doesn't look like she's from a wealthy family. How could she speak Chinese?"

Lin Yuan, finding it inconvenient to speak there, said, "Let's find a quiet place to talk."

Tang Fan also said, "Right, right, we haven't eaten yet. Let's find a restaurant, and I'll treat you."

The girl quickly declined, "How can I let you pay? You helped me, I should treat you."

Lin Yuan quickly said, "Don't refuse, it's not right for a girl to pay on the first date. You two eat, I have something to do, I'll leave first."

Tang Fan and the girl quickly stopped him and persuaded him, and Lin Yuan finally went with them to a restaurant.

On the way, Tang Fan asked the girl, "What's your name?"

The girl smiled, "I'm Yun Lan, 'Warm breezes and pleasant weather, clouds and mist gather'—Yun Lan."

Tang Fan asked, "What did you say after that?"

Yun Lan smiled, "I quoted a poem by Bai Juyi. Don't Chinese people know these poems?"

Yun Lan quoted a poem from Bai Juyi's "Spring Tour to Two Lin Temples," which is not very famous. In 21st-century China, few people read classical poetry, let alone such an obscure one.

Lin Yuan smiled, "Not every Chinese person knows ancient poetry."

Tang Fan last read ancient poetry when preparing for the college entrance exam, but he said, "Of course I know, I just forgot this one."

Then Lin Yuan and Tang Fan introduced themselves. The three entered a restaurant on the street, went into a private room, ordered a few dishes, and a pot of clear wine.

Yun Lan poured a cup of wine and smiled sweetly, "Mr. Tang, this cup of wine is to thank you for helping me."

The term "Mr. Tang" made Tang Fan feel a tingling sensation. He quickly said, "It's nothing, anyone would help in such a situation."

Yun Lan smiled and asked, "Mr. Tang, China is so good, why did you come to Japan?"

Tang Fan said, "We came to negotiate with Japan."

Yun Lan asked anxiously, "Is it because of Korea? Did China win?"

Tang Fan, not knowing why she was so concerned about the Korean war, glanced at Lin Yuan and said, "We won, I guess."

Yun Lan suddenly burst into tears, crying, "The Japanese are so bad. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be like this, forced to come here and be bullied by ruffians."

Lin Yuan suddenly thought of something and asked, "Are you from the Ryukyu Kingdom?"

Yun Lan, crying, said, "My father is the king of the Ryukyu Kingdom, Shang Tai. The Japanese forced us to move from our home and live here."

Lin Yuan and Tang Fan were shocked to learn that this girl, Yun Lan, was a princess of the Ryukyu Kingdom. In Wen Yiduo's "The Seven Sons' Song—Taiwan," there is a line: "We are a string of pearls held up by the East Sea, the Ryukyu Islands are my brothers, and I am Taiwan." The Ryukyu Kingdom has historically been a vassal state of China, later occupied by Japan. In 1879, Japan changed the Ryukyu Kingdom to Okinawa Prefecture, and the same year, King Shang Tai was summoned to Tokyo by Emperor Meiji, where his family settled. In the 21st century, there are still movements in the Ryukyu Islands for reunification with China.

Lin Yuan thought, "Shouldn't they be in Tokyo? How did they come to Shimonoseki? It seems these two worlds are different."

Seeing her cry, Tang Fan couldn't help but sit next to her, gently hugging her shoulders. She didn't push him away and leaned on his shoulder, crying even harder.

Lin Yuan watched for a while and then said, "Don't cry, we can help you go home!"