At the far end of Peace Lane there is only a single rusty iron lamp. It has been there for many years and emits a dirty, dull glow. It was during that hour of deathly silence that a long shadow crept into Peace Lane — it was Long Legs. Long Legs quietly parked his bicycle by the rear entrance to Wang Qiyao’s building, took out a key from his pants pocket, and unlocked the door. There was a sharp click as the lock popped open, but it was far from enough to break the deep silence of the world that night. Like a cat, he tiptoed up the stairs. Halfway up the staircase there was a small window, through which the moonlight shone down on him, but Long Legs was not himself that night and the light seemed to be shining on someone else. He surprised even himself with his own dexterity as he navigated around the staircase cluttered with junk. But he didn’t bump into a single thing and continued on up the stairs until he found himself standing outside Wang Qiyao’s door. The door to the common kitchen was ajar, letting in a little light and projecting his shadow onto the apartment door; his shadow too looked like someone else’s shadow. He paused for a moment before feeling for the other key.
Long Legs pushed open the door to find the interior bathed in moonlight, which projected the flower patterns from the curtains onto the floor. He felt calm and completely at ease. It was the first time that he had seen the room in the middle of the night like this and it looked completely different, yet he was able to find his way smoothly, without a single misstep. He saw the walnut chest against the wall, shimmering in the moonlight like a bride waiting to be taken to the altar. Anticipation overcame Long Legs. That’s it! So elegant and mysterious, it’s there waiting for me. It was like an assignation, at once stirring and tormenting. Long Legs’ heart pounded as he approached the chest; he pulled a screwdriver out of his pocket, itching to get it open. But in the moment that he fitted the screwdriver into the drawer lock, the light suddenly turned on.
The sight of his own shadow leaping onto the wall caught Long Legs by surprise, but as he scanned his surroundings, his eyes were reassured by the familiar scene. Even now he still hadn’t realized quite what had happened; out of habit, he wedged the screwdriver further in and, pressing down, popped open the drawer. Under the lamplight, the sound that it made was quite pronounced and it was only then that, startled, he turned around to find Wang Qiyao. She had gone to bed fully clothed, and was now sitting up, propped against the pillow. This had been a difficult night for Wang Qiyao to get through, and she had been awake the whole time. She had been counting the minutes, counting the seconds until sunrise, hoping that some miracle might turn up with the coming day. When she first saw Long Legs come in, she wasn’t in the least scared. She was aware that all kinds of bizarre events take place deep in the night, when even the most devilish of behavior seems normal. Even when she saw him pry open the drawer she wasn’t at all surprised, the middle of the night being a queer time when people witness all kinds of outlandish things with perfect composure.
“I told you,” Wang Qiyao said, “I don’t have any gold.”
Avoiding her gaze, Long Legs laughed in embarrassment, “But that’s not what everybody says.”
“What does everyone say?”
“Everyone says you were once Miss Shanghai and caused quite a stir on the Bund back then. Then later you got involved with some rich guy who left all his money to you before running off to Taiwan. They even say that he still sends you remittances in U.S. dollars every year.”
Wang Qiyao listened with curiosity to his version of her story. “And what else?”
Long Legs went on, “You have a chest filled with the yellow stuff, but you’ve only tapped into a fraction of it over the past several decades. You cash in a few bars at the Bank of China at regular intervals. If not for that, what would you live on?”
Wang Qiyao didn’t know what to say. After a brief pause, she said, “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard!”
Long Legs took a step closer and fell forward, kneeling before her bed. His voice trembled as he begged, “Please help me. Just loan me a little bit. I’ll pay you back double as soon as I get back on my feet.”
Wang Qiyao laughed. “Long Legs, has there been a time when you were ever on your feet?”
Long Legs’ pleading voice betrayed a hint of desperation, “Look at what I’ve been forced to resort to. Why would I lie to you? Please, Auntie, help me. Everyone knows what a good heart you have and how generous you are.”
Wang Qiyao had originally been ready to continue this little conversation, but as soon as she heard him start calling her “Auntie,” she found herself losing her temper. Her face became stern and she scolded him, “Who are you calling ‘Auntie’?”
Long Legs leaned on the edge of the bed and clung to Wang Qiyao’s leg as he pleaded yet again, “Please help me. I’ll write you an IOU.”
Wang Qiyao pushed his hand away. “Why are you coming to me for help and not your father? Everyone says that your father is a millionaire! Didn’t you just come back from Hong Kong?”
Those words pierced Long Legs to the heart. His face turned ashen and he withdrew his hands. Getting up from the floor, he brushed the dust off his knees, “What does this have to do with my father? If you aren’t willing to help me out, then just forget it!”
With that, he strutted toward the door.
But Wang Qiyao stopped him.
“You think it’s that easy to just walk out of here? I’ve never heard of someone trying to borrow money by sneaking into people’s homes in the middle of the night!”
Long Legs had no choice but to remain standing there.
Deep in the night, when people should be sleeping, their thoughts often wander off to strange places: they utter words that do not make sense and everything tends to degenerate into a farce. It seemed as if Wang Qiyao had successfully headed off a disaster and the story would end there, but just as the curtain was falling, she called “Stop”. . and forced the action to go on.
“What do you want from me?” asked Long Legs.
“Go to the police station and turn yourself in,” replied Wang Qiyao.
Long Legs began to grow anxious. “And if I refuse?”
“Then I’ll go report you to them.”
“You don’t have any proof.”
Wang Qiyao smiled complacently. “What do you mean, I don’t have proof? You pried the drawer open and your fingerprints are everywhere.”
Long Legs suddenly felt as if he had been struck by a train — he felt dizzy and his forehead broke out in a cold sweat. He stood there for a while and then a sinister smile appeared on his face. “Looks like the result will be the same whether I do it or not, so I might as well finish what I started.”