EIP 39

Zhou Jun returned home and slept all day until the sun set. Only then did he finally get up, looking disheveled. He threw on a jacket over his pajamas and went downstairs to ask the housekeeper for a cup of coffee. His sister-in-law had just come back from outside, holding a box in her hand. When she saw Zhou Jun, she exclaimed, “Just in time! I have something for you that a delivery person just dropped off.”

She noticed the bruises on Zhou Jun’s face and was surprised. “What happened to you? Did someone hit you?” This was followed by a lecture, repeating the same old lines, saying that if he had continued training with his master, he wouldn’t have been bullied today. Zhou Jun didn’t respond, nor did he want to point out that training wouldn’t do much against bullets.

Zhou Jun took the coffee cup and accepted the box. Inside was a suit, with a stiff collar, a faint fragrance, and a letter. Zhou Jun didn’t bother to open the letter and simply closed the box. His sister-in-law raised an eyebrow and asked, “Aren’t you going to read it?” Zhou Jun smiled. Since he had someone in his heart now, he had no interest in who the suit was from.

He asked his sister-in-law when his brother would return home, and she said it would be a while longer. After eating downstairs, Zhou Jun sat in the courtyard, admiring the flowers. At that moment, he saw his brother’s assistant, Xiao Fu, hurriedly crossing the yard toward the study. His brother hadn’t returned yet, so what was the assistant doing there?

Feeling a twinge of suspicion, he followed Xiao Fu closely. When he came out of the study, Zhou Jun entered. The study was empty, and Zhou Jun looked around but found no signs of anything being rummaged through. He couldn’t really blame himself for being paranoid. His brother’s business was dangerous, and Allen had once kidnapped him as a threat. It was very possible that Xiao Fu could also be bribed by someone.

As Zhou Jun searched around, he actually discovered a hidden compartment. The wall behind the antique-laden bookshelf was empty, concealing a hidden space. Zhou Jun carefully felt around and pulled out a small box.

Inside the box were newspapers. Zhou Jun knew his brother read the newspapers every morning, but why hide them so thoroughly? He recalled that when Xiao Fu arrived, he was also holding newspapers. What was going on? Did his brother know about this hidden compartment? What did the newspapers indicate? Zhou Jun took the newspapers out and flipped through them but couldn’t make sense of anything.

Sitting at the desk, he felt an unprecedented curiosity. He thought to himself that it was time to stop. His brother had hidden this so secretly for a reason, not wanting anyone to see. Besides, if there were truly things in here that shouldn’t be known, such as anything related to Yong Jin, could he really resist telling Yong Jin? On one side was his beloved older brother, and on the other was the person he cared for the most.

Zhou Jun held the newspapers, his hands trembling as he struggled internally. His gaze fell on his brother’s desk, where the same old items lay: account books, a kerosene lamp, a box of matches, and some scattered objects. Although the Zhou family lived in an old house, it was equipped with electric lights. People in the country loved to use convenient things. Suspicion crept in as he lit the kerosene lamp with a match and held the newspapers up to the light.

A few groups of jumbled four-character Chinese phrases emerged, likely a code, but he needed the original text to understand. As he stared at the characters in a daze, the study door was suddenly pushed open, and his brother stood outside with a dark expression: “What are you doing?” Zhou Jun hurriedly got up from his chair. He glanced at Zhou Yan and then at the newspapers on the desk, calling out to his brother in confusion.

Zhou Yan stepped closer and suddenly slapped him. Zhou Jun was stunned, holding his face as he looked at his brother. Zhou Yan said, “You useless brat, bringing trouble to the family. I see you’ve let a man cloud your judgment.” Zhou Jun lightly touched his injured cheek with his tongue and calmly replied, “This is a code, right?”

Zhou Yan didn’t respond, but a hint of panic was clearly visible on his face. Zhou Jun smiled slightly and asked, “Brother, what’s going on? Why do you have military codes here?”

Noticing Zhou Yan’s evident panic, Zhou Jun smiled again. “It seems you’re interested in these matters, brother. I’ve encountered a bit of this in Germany as well. It appears the men in our family all enjoy studying such things.” He casually brushed off the subject with a lighthearted tone. Zhou Yan, maintaining his composure, managed to suppress his earlier alarm, making it completely unnoticeable.

Seeing that Zhou Jun was willing to let it go, he remained stoic and said, “Get out.” Zhou Jun walked to the door, but just as he reached it, Zhou Yan added, “Tomorrow, take Miss Yang to see a movie.” Zhou Jun paused, then replied without turning back, “I’m not going.” Zhou Yan shot back, “Why can’t you go?” Zhou Jun turned around, pointing at his face. “I’m recuperating. Can’t you see my injuries? You really think I can go out like this?”

He felt indignant. His brother had always been strict, but knowing that and putting up with it were two different things. At least his sister-in-law would ask him a question first. But his brother? He just slapped him. If Zhou Jun had actually stolen something from home to give to Yong Jin, he might have accepted the punishment. But he hadn’t. The injustice stung, and he felt thoroughly wronged.

Then he thought of the confidential documents he had seen in Yong Jin’s room the night before. Had they been left there on purpose? With both Zhou Yan and Yong Jin treating him like a performing monkey, what did he owe either of them?

Zhou Yan sat firmly across from him, still speaking coldly, “If second aunt were still around, I wouldn’t bother with you.” Zhou Jun felt hurt by the words and retorted, “If my mother were here, you’d see if she wouldn’t scold you! It’s clearly your business that’s dragging me down.” Zhou Yan, angered by his defiance, replied, “I’m not talking about who you like. I’m saying you should like someone other than men! What does that have to do with my business?”

Zhou Jun rolled up his sleeve to show Zhou Yan the wounds on his arm. “Liking men isn’t going to kill me, but your business could! Did Allen sell you opium? He kidnapped me yesterday, tried to drug me, and even pointed a gun at me…”

Before he could finish, Zhou Yan slammed his hand on the table, sending the oil lamp crashing to the floor with a loud bang. His eyes were red with anger, and his face darkened. “What did he do to you?!” Zhou Jun flinched and shrank back, his earlier courage fading in the face of the older brother he had always feared. He tightened his lips and fell silent.

Zhou Yan’s anger only grew. He angrily swept everything off the table, his forehead vein pulsing. Zhou Jun took a few more steps back, nearly pressing himself against the door. Zhou Yan paced the room, hands behind his back, then suddenly fixed his gaze on Zhou Jun. “You… you should take your sister-in-law to Hong Kong for a while.”

“Why are both of you telling me to leave?” Zhou Jun exclaimed, lifting his chin defiantly. “You know my sister-in-law won’t agree to this.”

Zhou Yan’s expression suddenly went pale, and he bent over, clutching his stomach as if in sudden, intense pain. Zhou Jun instinctively moved closer but was stopped by Zhou Yan’s harsh command. “Get out, just get out!”

Zhou Jun shot a few glances at his brother, gritted his teeth, and turned to run out of the study. He needed to find his sister-in-law. She was the only one who could control Zhou Yan.

He hurried into the hall, asking people where his sister-in-law was. Someone told him she was in the backyard picking flowers. Zhou Jun rushed to the backyard and found her standing on the porch, feeding the pigeons. A few pigeons, not afraid of people, were perched on the stone slabs. As soon as Zhou Jun arrived, they startled and flew away, scattering feathers everywhere. Zhou Jun quickly explained the situation, and his sister-in-law’s expression turned urgent as she adjusted her clothes and headed towards the study.

The embroidered slippers shuffled quickly across the stone floor before disappearing into the distance. Zhou Jun took a deep breath, slowly leaning against the wooden railing of the porch. He opened his palm and examined the pigeon feathers he held. They were soft and light, and he blew the feathers away, feeling a twinge of pain in his head as he did so. In the dead of winter, where did these pigeons even come from?