They left the alley with their heads down and arrived on the streets of Shanghai in the early morning, all of them with their heads down and their collars up, like the "hidden people" hidden in their clothes.
Lin Hai walked to the roadside and tried to hail a taxi, but he felt that everyone in the empty car coming towards them was a Nochar Damas, waiting for them to get on.
They stood by the roadside for more than ten minutes, and he didn't dare to hail an empty car. He reluctantly walked back to Margaret and said, "It seems that we can only wander around."
They walked for a long time on a quiet small street until Margaret said she was tired and hungry, and Lin Hai stopped at a roadside snack shop to have some breakfast. The snack shop was filled with steam, and many office workers came here for breakfast. He looked around from time to time, as if there was someone hidden in the steam, and a pale face could appear at any time.
Lin Hai's heart trembled. He thought he shouldn't stay in one place for too long, otherwise Nochar Damas would soon find them. They hurriedly left here and turned onto Beijing East Road, heading towards the Bund.
The Huangpu River was shrouded in thick fog in the early morning, and Margaret was shivering with cold, gazing blankly at the turbulent river. Suddenly, a melodious bell rang from the Customs Building. She turned her head to look at the European-style buildings on the Bund, and exclaimed, "It's like Notre Dame de Paris."
Lin Hai nodded. "Notre Dame de Paris" is the famous Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.
They walked along the misty Bund for a long time. The damp wind messed up Margaret's black hair, and a few strands of hair covered her eyes. With the sunglasses, she looked like a fashion model. She stopped by the railing of the flood control wall and said softly, "Where should we go?"
"I don't know, let's just hide in this fog. Maybe everything we have experienced is like fog, difficult to see clearly."
They paused at the railing for half an hour until the fog gradually dissipated and they could see the buildings of Lujiazui on the other side of the Huangpu River. Margaret looked up at the Oriental Pearl Tower, and she was motionless, her eyes full of shock. If you came from four hundred years ago to the present, you would probably have the same feeling.
At this moment, they were exposed to the eyes of many tourists. Margaret immediately lowered her head and said, "Let's leave here quickly."
Lin Hai hurriedly took her forward and came to the ferry terminal on the Huangpu River, bought two tickets to Pudong, and squeezed into the crowd rushing to the ferry.
Margaret had never taken a ferry before and was extremely nervous when she faced the ferry. Lin Hai comforted her in her ear, "Just treat it as a bridge over the Seine River in Paris."
Lin Hai hadn't taken a ferry for a long time either, but when he was a child, he had relatives living in Pudong and often had to take the ferry across the river, leaving a deep impression on him. Catching the ferry was not as romantic as imagined. When the ferry landed, the waiting people rushed up, either walking or pushing bicycles, completely ignoring their manners and face. Several bridge-like passages connected the embankment to the pier, and the ground of the passages was hollowed out, allowing people to see the river water beating against the embankment through the grid-like gaps.
At this moment, they were exposed to the eyes of many tourists. Margaret immediately lowered her head and said, "Let's leave here quickly."
Lin Hai led her forward quickly until they reached the ferry terminal on the Huangpu River. They bought two tickets to Pudong and squeezed into the crowd rushing to catch the ferry.
Margaret had never ridden a ferry before and was extremely nervous facing it. Lin Hai comforted her in her ear, "Just imagine this as a bridge over the Seine in Paris."
Lin Hai hadn't ridden a ferry in a long time either, but when he was a child, he had relatives who lived in Pudong and often had to take the ferry across the river, so he had a deep impression of it. Catching a ferry was not as romantic as imagined. When the ferry docked, people who had been waiting for a long time would rush up, either on foot or pushing their bicycles, without regard for their manners or faces. Several iron bridge-like passages connected the embankment to the pier, with hollowed-out floors that allowed people to see the waves of the Huangpu River hitting the embankment through the grid-like gaps.
Lin Hai pulled Margaret and hurriedly crossed this iron grid, making a booming metallic echo. The ferry was very close to the pier, and they only took a small step to get on board. Margaret turned around nervously, and the iron railing of the ship's side was lowered. The ferry let out a few mournful cries and slowly started to move. The ship's side underfoot separated from the pier first, and the turbid white waves surged up. Lin Hai leaned against the cold iron railing and saw the pier and a row of giant ancient buildings get farther and farther away.
The ferry rocked with the waves, and the Bund receded in their sight. Lin Hai pulled Margaret through the crowd and all the way to the front of the ferry. The whistling river wind made Margaret's hair stand high, with many strands curling onto Lin Hai's face.
In the morning, they were still hiding in an old house, and now they were on a ferry after only a few hours. It was simply too strange, which reminded Lin Hai of an old saying, "It takes ten years to cross the same boat." As for the second half of the sentence, it belonged to a "wishful thinking."
Perhaps life is like a ferry, forever shuttling between the two banks of a river. And the man and woman who might fall in love were standing on the two banks, staring at each other, and fate connected them together through the ferry.
Lin Hai shook his head, wondering what he was thinking about. Why did he think of such a question at a critical moment of life and death?
The ferry finally arrived on the other side, steadily docked at the pier, and the iron railing opened. The crowd rushed out like a small stream.
They walked out of the ferry terminal and onto the land of Pudong. Lin Hai didn't know where to go and could only wander around with Margaret. It gradually began to rain, and they had no umbrella, so they could only take shelter under a building.
They waited until noon, and the rain became heavier and heavier, shrouding the entire Lujiazui in a misty rain. Lin Hai felt extremely hungry, draped his coat over Margaret, and was left with only a shirt. The cold air was penetrating his body. He couldn't stand it anymore and grabbed Margaret's hand, covering both of their heads with his coat, and rushed into the rain.
Two people ran through the heavy rain, the icy raindrops hitting their clothes and splashing several raindrops under their feet. Lin Hai reached out and held her waist, just like a scene from a romantic movie.
After running in the rain for a while, they finally found a restaurant and had a quick lunch. Margaret was cold and tired, so she didn't want to go anywhere else and just stayed in the restaurant, quietly looking out at the rain.
On the street outside, people rushed by holding umbrellas, and many faces were hidden under the eaves of the umbrellas, as if they were hiding a face like the Phantom of the Opera. Lin Hai nervously watched outside, while Margaret seemed exhausted and leaned on his shoulder with her eyes closed, taking a nap.
With Margaret's head on his shoulder, Lin Hai couldn't help but have some wandering thoughts. He stroked her wet hair, which looked like the hair of a woman in legend with seaweed-like hair. At this moment, their bodies were close together, their clothes were mostly wet, and they could feel each other's body temperature, relying on it to dispel the cold.
After two hours passed, Margaret suddenly sneezed. This wouldn't do, she would catch a cold if she fell asleep like this. Lin Hai quickly woke her up, and she almost jumped up, loudly asking, "The Phantom of the Opera?"
"No, it's me," Lin Hai replied.
Margaret finally saw his face clearly and said anxiously, "Let's go quickly. Maybe he'll come soon."
There happened to be a bus stop outside the restaurant, so they jumped on a bus without even knowing which route it was. Fortunately, the bus was empty, and they sat side by side, letting the bus take them on a tour of the city.
Lin Hai always held Margaret's shoulders, and she had taken off her sunglasses. Her clothes were still not dry, and she would definitely catch a cold if they continued like this. He wondered if she had ever been sick during the four hundred years she was in the painting. No, they couldn't keep wandering like this. They had to find a place for her to change clothes and at least take a hot bath.
The rain outside the window was still heavy, and he suddenly remembered that he had a place to stay, his father's house. However, he didn't want his father to know about all this. His father would definitely look at him with the eyes of a psychiatrist and might even call the mental hospital to have him and Margaret treated.
But now he had nowhere else to go, so they decided to stay at his father's house for the night.
After more than an hour of travelling, they finally arrived at his father's house in the western suburbs when it was dusk. In the cold rain, they could see his father's farmhouse, with a few orange trees swaying in the wind in front of the door.
They struggled to the front of the building and knocked hard on the door. After waiting for a while, the door slowly opened, revealing his father's surprised face, who saw Margaret's face.
Margaret immediately lowered her head shyly, and Lin Hai awkwardly said, "Dad, she's my friend, we had some urgent matters."
His father let them into the living room and continued to stare at Margaret suspiciously, but still made her a cup of hot tea. Margaret grabbed the tea and started drinking, breathing hot air, and it seemed she was really cold. His father looked at her hair and said, "You got caught in the rain? Do you need to change clothes?"
Margaret didn't understand Chinese and looked at Lin Hai in confusion.
Lin Hai nodded hurriedly and led Margaret to a small room at the back for her to change clothes.
While Margaret was changing, Lin Hai's father grabbed him in the living room and asked nervously, "Who is she?"
"I told you she's just a friend, and she's French."
"French?"
Father was stunned for a moment, his gaze becoming empty as if directed at another time and space.
"Dad, what's wrong? We want to stay here for a night."
Father opened his mouth in surprise, "You two together?"
"Yes, but we're not like that. I'm just protecting her, it's not as dirty as you think."
"I'm the dirty one?" Father suddenly became angry. "You bring a foreign woman here to spend the night and then lecture me? Who's dirty?"
Lin Hai had enough, "We haven't committed any crime, why should we be burdened with the stigma of being dirty?"
Father raised his hand in anger, about to slap his son like he did in the past, when suddenly the door to the inner room opened and Margaret emerged wearing a clean outfit she bought on Huaihai Road.
"Unfortunate!"
Father sighed and put his hand down. Margaret saw that his face was not good and wisely retreated behind Lin Hai. Father looked closely at Margaret's face, his gaze hiding something as if he had seen an incredible phenomenon. He stepped back several steps, shaking his head repeatedly and asking, "Who are you exactly?"
"Margaret."
Lin Hai hesitated for a moment and answered for her.
Father didn't say anything and turned to retreat to the kitchen. Lin Hai heard the sound of a frying pan and knew that Father was probably preparing dinner for them.
Finally relieved, Lin Hai said to Margaret, "Don't mind my father, he's actually a good person, just a bit reclusive."
The rain outside showed no sign of stopping, and the isolated house in the wilderness made Lin Hai think of English Gothic novels.
Father was busy for a while before finally bringing the food to the table. Both Lin Hai and Margaret were tired and hungry and ate without worrying about their manners.
They finished quickly, but Father chewed slowly, lost in thought. Suddenly, Lin Hai asked, "Dad, do you remember Grandpa's past?"
"Why do you ask Grandpa?"
"Did he go to France to study when he was young?"
Father answered decisively, "I don't know. He never mentioned it to me."
"Have you ever heard him speak French?"
"No, he hardly ever speaks any foreign language."
Lin Hai felt a wave of despair and said loudly, "Dad, why won't you tell me the truth? You know, I may die soon."
"Are you going to the mental hospital for treatment?"
"I'm not joking. If you don't help me, you may lose your only son!"
For the first time, the father was stunned by his son's words. He looked silently at his son and Margaret, and didn't speak for a while.
Lin Hai couldn't contain his excitement and pointed at Margaret's face, "Dad, take a look at this face! Ten years ago, did you really not see her in Grandpa's attic?"
The father's gaze immediately changed, and the deepest thing hidden in his heart was pierced by his son, making his face look unusually ugly. He nervously paced back and forth for a few steps, then turned back to stare into Margaret's eyes. Margaret could only blink her eyes and communicate with him through her eyes, hoping he would believe Lin Hai's words.
Suddenly, the father walked up to Margaret, staring into her eyes and said, "You really look exactly like the woman in the painting."
Lin Hai immediately jumped up excitedly, "Dad, do you finally admit it? Did you see that painting before?"
After a moment of silence, the father finally surrendered. He saw Margaret's face, and he couldn't refuse. He sighed and said, "You are really making trouble! Okay, I admit that there was a small painting hanging in your grandfather's attic ten years ago, and the woman in the painting looked almost identical to this Margaret."
"That's right!" Lin Hai grabbed Margaret's hand excitedly. "Dad, why did you answer no when I asked you last time?"
The father paused for a moment, "I'm sorry, son. That was your grandfather's last wish."
"Did grandfather forbid you from telling me? Why?"
"I don't know. Ten years ago, your grandfather suddenly fell ill and was taken to the hospital. He was about to die. On the night before he died, he held my hand and told me to take down the small painting in the attic and not let you know about it."
"Is that grandfather's last words? Did he say why?"
"At that time, he didn't say the reason, and I didn't know why. I could only obey. Shortly after your grandfather's death, I took the small painting down from the attic and put it in my own cabinet."
"So the small painting is with you?"
The father nodded slowly, "Yes, it's in my bedroom upstairs."
"Let me see it!"
Lin Hai couldn't wait any longer. Without waiting for his father's permission, he pulled Margaret and ran upstairs. His father could only follow behind them, opened the bedroom door, and took out a framed painting from an old cabinet under the bed.
Ten years seemed to freeze in this moment. Lin Hai widened his eyes and looked at the painting, then raised his head to look at Margaret's face. Yes, the woman in the small painting was her.
Lin Hai suddenly became excited and his nose felt a little sour. Although it was raining heavily outside the window, he seemed to have returned to the attic, the noon full of sunshine and dust.
The portrait was only about the size of an A6 paper, showing only the face of a Western woman. She had black hair and semi-transparent emerald eyes. However, the painting only went down to her neck, with almost no background visible. It was certainly copied from the oil painting "Marguerite" four hundred years ago.
Marguerite also looked at the painting in surprise, as if looking in a mirror. She shook her head and asked, "Who painted this?"
"I guess it was my grandfather," Linhai tried to calm down and carefully examined the frame, even looking at the back, but he didn't find anything special. This painting must have been around for some time.
Then, his father wrapped the painting back up and carefully put it back under the cabinet.
"How did Grandfather manage to copy 'Marguerite' before he died?" Linhai asked in French, "Did he see that oil painting in France back then?"
His father didn't understand French and asked in confusion, "What did you say?"
"Nothing," Linhai switched back to his native language. "Dad, besides this painting, what else did Grandfather say to you before he died?"
His father fell silent again, thinking for a moment while looking at Marguerite's striking gaze. He could only sigh helplessly, "I shouldn't have told you this, but now that you brought this girl here, there must be some reason."
"Yes, this is related to a major secret, and even to the life and death of your son!"
"Are you not delusional?" his father asked.
"Dad, at this point, please don't scare me anymore. Look, I brought Marguerite to you, and she is a real person. Are you delusional too?"
"Enough!" His father interrupted him and opened the window to take a few deep breaths. The night wind and rain blew on his face, making him look even more frightening. "Okay, your grandfather was right. After you grow up, you may encounter unbelievable things."
"Did Grandfather say that?"
"Yes, he told me before he died, and he also gave me a book."
After saying that, his father closed the window and took out the 1935 French version of "The Red and the Black" from the innermost cabinet.
Linhai touched the old book and said, "Grandfather must have brought this back from France when he studied there."
His father reminded him, "Open the book."
Sure enough, when he flipped halfway through the book, he found a bookmark-like piece of paper—a bank safe deposit certificate issued in January 1995, a few months before his grandfather's death.
With this certificate, within the fifty-year validity period, he could open a designated safe deposit box at a bank.
Yes, his grandfather must have hidden something in the bank safe deposit box!
But why wasn't there a key? Perhaps there was a password, but the password couldn't be printed on the certificate. Linhai shook his head and didn't want to think about it anymore.
He held the certificate and asked, "Did Grandfather only give you this?"
"Yes, it was given to me along with this book, and I haven't touched it in ten years." His father felt a little weak. He took a difficult breath and said, "Your grandfather instructed me before he died that I couldn't give you this book and its contents unless it was an extreme situation."
"Yes, now is the time of life and death!"
After getting his father's approval, Lin Hai stuffed the French version of "The Red and the Black" into his backpack, with the certificate still tucked between the original pages.
Now his father's expression had softened considerably, and he no longer pressed Lin Hai for specific details. He quickly arranged an empty room for his son, though it was the only one left in the house.
Margaret hesitated for a moment before saying, "It's okay, I can sleep here."
"Then I'll sleep in the downstairs living room."
"No, stay with me." Margaret grabbed his hand and said softly, "Maybe Nochdanmas will come soon, I can sense his scent and maybe I can warn you to escape in advance."
Lin Hai stood foolishly for a while, feeling that what Margaret said made sense. If they were separated, they would both be finished, but if they were together, they might still have a chance to survive.
His father didn't understand what they were saying. When Lin Hai said he wanted to share a room with Margaret, he was scared and said, "Son, she's a foreigner."
"So what? I've told you we don't have the kind of relationship you imagine. She needs me to protect her, that's all."
But his father still looked skeptical. "Can you guarantee that?"
"Of course!" Lin Hai said firmly, but immediately looked tired. "Dad, we're both exhausted, and we got soaked in the rain during the day. Can we take a hot shower here?"
His father nodded and took them to the innermost room on the second floor, where there was a small bathroom with tiled floors that was relatively clean. Lin Hai turned on the hot water and let Margaret take a shower first.
His father tactfully walked away, and Lin Hai opened the window on the second floor alone, looking at the continuous night rain, his heart increasingly uneasy.
Half an hour later, Margaret came out in her pajamas, with steam rising from her hair. She looked cold and didn't say a word before going into the room.
Lin Hai also hurriedly took a shower, feeling somewhat comfortable. He returned to the small room on the second floor and saw Margaret curled up in bed, her eyes fixed on the window.
"Aren't you sleeping yet?"
"I'm keeping watch for you. I'm afraid Nochdanmas will suddenly appear."
Lin Hai shook his head helplessly. "If he's coming, he'll come. It's just death. I'm tired of hiding like this. It's better to end it quickly."
She put her hand over Lin Hai's mouth. "No, I can't let you die."
"I know, you're afraid of losing your freedom."
"No, I've lost my freedom for four hundred years, losing it for another four hundred is not terrifying, but losing you is unbearable." Margaret's eyes suddenly became so intense, almost burning through Lin Hai's heart. She spoke with a voice full of sorrow, "I've waited for you for four hundred years, we've gone through so much hardship to finally reunite, why do you want to leave me again?"
"Four hundred years?" Lin Hai naturally thought of Count Dracula's love story.
"Yes, you must live on, even if it's for me, don't be afraid or retreat from any difficulties, that's the man I love!"
"Do you like me? No, you love De Lamole, not me, Lin Hai!"