Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.
I had first watched the the drama adaptation of Too Late to Say I Love You (来不及说我爱你) in December and the story was so riveting that I managed to marathon through it within three days. Wallace Chung (钟汉良) and Li Xiao Ran (李小冉) put on a brilliant performance as Murong Feng, the son of a warlord, and Yin Jing Wan, a capable young woman who saves Murong Feng in a chance encounter. When they meet again, sparks fly but Jing Wan, who is already betrothed, tries to resist her feelings for him. However, by the time she returns home, Jing Wan realizes that she has already been irrevocably tied with the young warlord and thus begins off a most epic story of love and betrayal.
Having already been engaged, she inadvertently saved a handsome young man with a bright future. Originally though to just be a chance encounter, who knew that he would suddenly appear at the wedding and take her? However, the fairy tale awaiting them was not that of Cinderella and her prince… How many times in a lifetime can a person fall in love with another, and the greatest tragedy throughout this love occurs when the phrase “I Love You” has yet to be spoken, the person you love has already disappeared into the sea. I (Fei Wo Si Cun) write with beautiful words about this place of tragic love along with the ups and downs of life and death… and etched the pain of love within the hearts of people of the new world of publishing.
The story is set in the Minguo (Republican) Era, specifically the Warlord Era from 1916 to 1928. Although Fei Wo Si Cun wrote the story as fiction, it is loosely based on the life stories of Zhang Xue Liang and Chiang Kai-Shek.
While the character of Murong Feng in the drama adaptation has drastically been changed from the character from the book, I still wanted to make an effort to translate the book because (1) I adore the angsty plot to bits, (2) it gives me an excuse to drool over pictures of my beloved Wallace Chung in his dashing warlord uniform, and (3) I want to practice my rather rusty Chinese. Be warned though, my translations are pretty amateur and might be few and far in between. The story is divided into three books, totaling 74 chapters and a two part introduction. It’s a hefty undertaking but here I leave you with the first taste of this novel.
The train made long whistling sound, and during the rumbling sound, it slowly arrived at the Yong Xin train station, while pale smoke diffused into the cold wind, the people within the car created a minor disturbance because the door of the car would not open as before. Yong Xin has always been a military stronghold, the Cheng army defense against the South camp is in that place. At that time, the platform was crowded with sentries, causing much anxiety until finally the people got used to seeing them and no longer found their presence strange. Then, the soldiers came fully armed for no apparent reason, causing the people to get anxious again.
The doors finally opened but no one was allowed to move and heavily armed soldiers guarded the doors of each compartment. The people in the car watched these soldiers with alarm as they, clothed in dark blue military uniforms, boots with shiny spurs and bayonets in their hand that were as bright as snow, were different from the sentries that usually guarded the station. They continued to watch the car coldly in silence, hearts constricting, knowing that this must be by the orders of the military commander, for they usually are not in the city of Yong Xin. However, the people are unaware of what problems may have occurred.
At the head was a plainclothesman, who unhurriedly strolled from the front of the car, his gaze swept over every young woman’s face, the atmosphere seemed as if it had frozen. Shi Cui met his eyes and unwittingly shivered; he directly walked over and seemingly arbitrarily, but also politely said: “Young lady, please come with us.”
Shi Cui, whose face suddenly paled, did not know what was the matter, He Jia Zhi shouted: “What are you trying to do?” That person, still in a cold tone, pretended not to hear him and looked at Shi Cui: “Please come with us.” Even though Shi Cui was used to seeing the Cheng army, her heart was pounding nervously. Jia Zhi took one step forward, raised his voice and asked again: “Is there any justice anymore? How can you just take someone in broad daylight?”
That person had been warned before against using force, and deep down, he was very angry, but he only gave a mirthless laugh and said: “Of course we still have justice, but this is a secret military affair. Since you are unwilling to be tactful, I shall let you know what justice truly is.” He nodded his head and the surrounding soldiers cocked their rifles, aiming at two people; the people in the car were so scared that they held their breath. Shi Cui quickly said: “ I will go with you.” Jia Zhi wanted to say something, but she pressed his hand, signaling for him to stop arguing. Jia Zhi knew that Shi Cui had history with the Cheng army, so he was not afraid. It was a good thing that those people were polite, as they did not grab and shove, nor did they verbally abuse her, but under the nozzle of a rifle, no one dared to resist.
There were several cars waiting on the platform, that Shi Cui had just noticed. Being forced off the cars with her are six or seven other women, all of the same age. They did not know what was to become of them, and she stared into a pair of terror-stricken eyes while watching the fully armed sentries.
Shi Cui and three other young women were ordered to the second car, when the car drove out of the station, her heart was beating wildly. The center of Yong Xin City was still bustling, but because the Cheng and Ying armies have been at war for many years, sentries also patrolled the streets, so it seemed that the security was tighter now than the other days. The car in which they rode in zoomed through the streets, unhindered throughout the entire journey. Shi Cui raised her head and looked at the woman sitting across from her, whose eyes were staring blankly outside the window and whose hands were so tightly squeezed together, that the blood vessels stood out prominently in contrast to her delicate white hands. Even though she herself was a bit uneasy, when she saw how terrified and desperate this young woman was, she could not help but to calmly reassure her: “ Don’t worry, nothing will happen.” Actually, it seemed that she was trying to console herself.
The young lady’s mouth trembled slightly, and then smiled faintly, but the within smile was unending fear. After a short while, the car turned into a yard, and as usual, a sentry was stationed at the gate. Once he saw the car, he straightened and saluted with his rifle. When Shi Cui saw that the car had entered the gate, on both sides of the path were tall trees, underneath the deep blue skies of a winter day. The veins of the trees were as clear as the cracks in pieces of ice, but when the sun hit them, there was not a bit of warmth.
The car stopped, and they were sent into the house together. The house was old-fashioned, Western-styled with many floors. They went in through the side door into a room that was simply but elegantly arranged in a Western style. There was a dark green-colored couch and a coffee table on which a vase with a single branch of chrysanthemum flowers was placed; the heater was on at full blast, dispersing a light fragrance. Although the man who had ushered them in was dressed in military garb, he spoke politely, “Young ladies, please wait here for a moment.” Since he had used the word please, the unease in their minds had been lifted slightly. Once that person had finished speaking, he left, and only the six or seven young women were left in the room, looking at each other speechlessly.
The door was pushed open again but this time a woman with a flawless figure entered, holding a tray with tea prepared for everyone. No one dared to drink the tea and they just stood there holding the cups, still looking at each other with terrified expressions, like a herd of lambs waiting to be slaughtered. The heating with in the room was turned on high, and after a little while, everyone’s previously numb blood vessels were revived. Shi Cui held the glass cup with both hands, which had finally been warmed up; she turned around and saw the same young woman who had been sitting across from her in the car, who was feebly half-leaning against the corner of a wall, her body trembling slightly. She took pity on the woman and walked closer only to see that her face was covered in cold sweat, and asked: “What’s wrong?”
The woman only shook her head, unable to speak. Shi Cui saw that she was tottering, on the verge of collapsing, hurriedly guided her to sit down on the sofa. The others who had noticed them only stared at them with terrified eyes. Shi Cui saw that her hands were covered by streaks of cold sweat, and asked: “Are you sick?” The woman shook her head again, but Shi Cui noticed that her face was pale and her lips were dark, as she gripped her handbag weakly, her hands were also trembling faintly. She was originally a nurse, and seeing the woman so feeble, she took off her own overcoat and placed it on the woman, who quietly said: “Thank you.” Because she had no strength in her hands, her handbag slid onto the floor. Shi Cui quickly picked it up for her, and asked her: “What is your name?” Her lips trembled slightly: “My surname is Yin.” Shi Cui returned: “I am Yan Shi Cui.” The woman shivered a bit again, and suddenly, the sound of treading leather shoes came from the hallway, signaling that someone was coming this way. The women in the room could only look helplessly panic-stricken towards the door.