Chapter Sixteen: A Father Knows His Son Best

When Su Fang reached her father's bedroom and saw the door half open, she realized Kang Ning was nowhere to be found on the bed and began searching anxiously. When she finally spotted him slowly rising from the haystack beside the pigsty, tears welled up in her eyes.

"It's my fault for making you worry. I’m like a startled bird these days—always on edge," Kang Ning explained softly as he approached her.

Su Fang wiped away her tears, her eyes full of concern. "I don’t blame you. I just worry about you!"

Hearing the sincerity in her voice, Kang Ning felt a headache coming on. He knew well the feelings this young woman held for him, but for a moment, he didn’t know what to say. He could only point toward the outhouse to signal his need. Su Fang hurried into the house, grabbed a roll of toilet paper, and handed it to him. “Are you okay on your own?” she asked with care.

“No problem. By the way, please burn the clothes and trousers I took off, along with the safety helmet and tool bag, in the kitchen. If you don’t, they could bring trouble.”

Su Fang nodded, took two steps, then turned back. “What about the tools in the bag?”

Kang Ning pointed to a shallow pit beneath the big tree in the yard. “Please bury them there.”

By the time Su Fang had finished, sweat was streaming down her face. Kang Ning had also cleaned up by then. He walked to the base of the tree and thanked her sincerely. “You’ve worked hard, Su Fang. I’m so afraid of dragging you and your father into this. When things quiet down in a few days, I have to leave.”

“How can you leave? Your ribs haven’t healed yet. It’s only because you’re so strong—if it were someone else, they’d have collapsed long ago!” she said, worried.

Kang Ning took her by the sleeve and led her into her father’s room, sat down, and asked for paper and pen. He wrote a list of medicines and supplies, handed it to her, and said, “Please go to the city later and buy these things for me. Remember to buy them separately—visit several pharmacies, and don’t get everything from one shop. Do you understand?”

“I understand!” she replied.

“There’s four hundred and ninety-five yuan left in my trouser pocket. That should be enough,” Kang Ning said—and then suddenly remembered the trousers he’d asked her to burn. He looked at her, concerned.

But Su Fang had already exclaimed, “Oh no! I burned them without checking… I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Burned is burned. I suppose ill-gotten money really can’t be spent,” Kang Ning said with a self-deprecating smile.

“It doesn’t matter. I still have some money. I’ve saved over eight thousand yuan in the past two years. I’ll withdraw some from the bank. And you’re not allowed to object! Lie in bed and wait for me—don’t scare me again, all right?”

Kang Ning watched her graceful figure as she left, then let out a heavy sigh and lay down. In his mind, another woman’s image appeared—his lover, Liu Yiqing. They had fallen in love in their final year of high school, and now, not knowing how anxious she must be, Kang Ning felt a wave of anxiety. He couldn’t tell if Liu Yiqing, who worked at the newspaper, had learned of his situation, but he was certain that news of Mayor Lan Tao’s death would have already spread in secret, and as a journalist, Liu Yiqing would know more than most.

Kang Ning longed to call his sixty-one-year-old father and fifty-nine-year-old mother, but under the circumstances, any contact would only bring them trouble.

His thoughts shifted to the elderly man who was supposed to undergo surgery in three days, then to Zhen Qian’s corpse, and then to the series of false accusations he suffered without cause. Rage boiled within him, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead and temples.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his lower abdomen, in the dantian. Alarmed, he immediately sat cross-legged on the bed and began to regulate his breathing, steady and rhythmic.

Meanwhile, in the faculty housing complex of Lanning Medical College, Zhang Jianhan had just recounted the events surrounding Kang Ning’s predicament to the two elders. Though he concealed the fact that Kang Ning had been tortured into breaking his ribs and suffering multiple bruises, it was enough to make his foster mother weep silently.

Kang Jiming gently held his wife’s hand and, looking at Zhang Jianhan sitting across from him, said, “Xiao Han, yesterday the hospital leaders hinted to me that Xiao Ning was suspected of murder and told me to prepare myself. I cursed them out—I know my own son. I never told your foster mother because I was worried she couldn’t handle it, especially as nothing’s been concluded yet. Now, hearing your account, I realize it’s far more complicated than you say. I’ve been a Party member for thirty-eight years; I understand discipline. Say only what you can. I just want to know: is Kang Ning in mortal danger?”

Zhang Jianhan lowered his head. “Last night, my captain, the bureau’s political commissar, and I discussed this. We all believe there is such a possibility. But we firmly opposed opening fire unless my brother resists. Commissar Shen went to the Political and Legal Committee and City Committee for instruction and received their approval. This morning, the decision should be formally issued, so don’t worry, Dad, Mom.”

Kang Jiming watched Zhang Jianhan’s every move and nodded. “You know Xiao Ning’s character—he’d never go against the government or harm innocents. I’m certain of this. My guess is he’ll go into hiding for a while and reappear when the case progresses.”

Zhang Jianhan agreed. After Kang Jiming helped his wife to rest, he accompanied Zhang Jianhan out of the experts’ residence. In the courtyard, Kang Jiming stopped and looked him in the eye. “Tell me the truth—is Xiao Ning badly hurt?”

“Three ribs on his right side are broken. I think the sixth, seventh, and eighth,” Zhang Jianhan replied, head bowed and voice heavy.

Kang Jiming sighed. “Xiao Han, your skills and Xiao Ning’s are about equal. But given your line of work these years, I’d say you’re even better. With your abilities, unless someone ambushed you or you let your guard down, who could break your ribs? Remember, Guangxi isn’t full of hidden talents like the north.”

Seeing the shame on Zhang Jianhan’s face, Kang Jiming knew his suspicions were correct. He looked up at the sky and laughed heartily. “Xiao Han, go do what you need to do. Don’t worry about this old man—don’t let anyone look down on you. I trust the Party, I trust the organization, and I believe my son is as good as any man!”

Tears welled in Zhang Jianhan’s eyes. After a long while, he looked up and said gratefully, “Dad, take good care of Mom. And don’t talk about Xiao Ning on the phone—not at home, not at the office.”

Kang Jiming nodded, patting him on the head. “Don’t worry. I’ve decided to resign from all posts tomorrow. Your foster mother’s health is poor—I have to look after her. I’m old now; it’s time I enjoyed some peace.”

Zhang Jianhan stared in surprise at his foster father, always so vigorous, who now smiled gently at him. His nose stung; he turned away and left.