Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 83 Where to go?
The winter sun, like a dull knife, barely sliced ​​through the leaden-gray clouds, cutting a few pale streaks of light on the broken eaves.

Ice crystals formed in the cracks of the bluestone slabs, making a soft cracking sound when stepped on.

Yu Mo, Xiao Wenzi, Xiang Lan, Yi Chun, Dou Kou, Hong Ling, and more than a dozen other women from the Qinhuai River were squatting by the river, washing clothes and bandages for the wounded along with Meng Shujuan and dozens of other girls. The riverbank was filled with the chattering of the girls.

After the ordeal in Nanjing, the relationship between the female students of St. Paul's Church and Yu Mo and others improved considerably. At least they were no longer as disgusted with each other as before, even finding their clothes dirty. They could even talk to each other.

The morning glow bathed the river surface, and Yu Mo squatted on the blue stone wharf, washing bandages. The cuffs of his German military uniform were stained with blood and soap suds.

The river water, tinged with a rusty red, shattered her reflection into trembling spots of light. Those slender fingers, accustomed to plucking the pipa, were now holding a washing stick, forcefully pounding the clothes on the stone steps.

Her hair had long since come undone, with a few strands of black hair clinging to her sweat-dampened temples, brushing against the brass buttons on her collarbone as she pounded her clothes.

"Sister Yu Mo".

Doukou, with her apple-shaped face, quietly approached her and asked, "Sister Yumo, where do you plan to go after you leave here? Are you planning to go back to Nanjing?"

Having endured the trials of war, Yu Mo's world-weary air had largely disappeared, replaced by composure and calmness. She stopped what she was doing, paused for a moment, and then shook her head: "I don't want to go back."

“Oh…” Doukou nodded, “That’s true. Nanjing has been occupied by the Japanese. We’ll definitely suffer if we go there.”

But where can we go after leaving Nanjing? I heard that Chairman Chiang and those high-ranking officials have all gone to Chongqing. Why don't we go to Chongqing too?
But we don't speak Sichuan dialect, how will we do business there?

Seeing Doukou's self-absorbed and somewhat troubled expression, a gentle look flashed in Yu Mo's eyes.

She paused for a moment and then said, "Doukou, I don't want to do this anymore."

"Not doing this?" Doukou couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, then covered her mouth.

She turned her head and looked around, then said urgently, "Sister Yu Mo, are you crazy... What else can we do if we don't do this? Do you want to turn over a new leaf or something?"

Don't forget, in our line of work, once a prostitute, always a prostitute; you can never truly wash yourself clean!
Or have you fallen for some guy? Don't be silly, you said yourself that no man is reliable!

Yu Mo smiled faintly, a hint of melancholy and sorrow in her smile. She reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Doukou, I haven't taken a liking to anyone. It's just that after all these things I've been through, I don't want to live like this anymore. I want to do something, so that my life won't have been in vain."

Doukou hesitated and said, "You mean..."

Yu Mo nodded: "I want to follow Commander Su, work under him, and fight the Japanese together."

Although I can't shoot a gun, much less fight, I still have my hands. I can do some sewing and mending with the troops, and I can also help Manager Song treat the wounded, clean up their excrement, and wash their clothes.

"I..." Doukou was a little dumbfounded. After thinking for a long time, she murmured, "Sister Yumo, could it be that you have fallen in love with Commander Su?"

"Get lost." Yu Mo glanced at her sideways. "In your eyes, am I such a clueless person?"
"Going to compete with Manager Song and that girl Xiao Lu for a man? Do you want me to die even faster?"

Doukou smiled awkwardly, scratched the back of her head somewhat embarrassedly, and then said with a bitter face, "Sister Yumo, what will we do if you leave?" Yumo sighed softly, "Doukou, in our line of work, it's all about youth. Once you're over thirty, your value will plummet."

"At that time, you'll either have to change professions or become a lowly porter, serving those laborers. Before you die, you'll be riddled with illness, and in the end, you won't even have children to see you off, or even a coffin. You'll just be wrapped in a straw mat and thrown into a mass grave. I don't want to end up like that."

At this point, Yu Mo's eyes reddened, and glistening tears fell into the river, creating ripples that quickly disappeared.

"I...I..." Doukou's eyes also reddened, and she lowered her head and remained silent.

Throughout history, prostitutes have always been among the lowest of the low, even less respected than actors, and their fate was predictable.

Many courtesans on the Qinhuai River, in their youth, became the top courtesans on pleasure boats because of their beautiful faces, and high-ranking officials and nobles vied to spend lavishly on them. But once they grew old and their beauty faded, they immediately became neglected and forgotten.

Finally, he was kicked out of the pleasure boat by the madam and ended up on the streets. Because he had no skills, he eventually became a prostitute, working in a half-closed room or even as a prostitute, serving those smelly laborers or burly men, earning a few cents each time to barely make ends meet.

They've seen this kind of thing far too often.

Looking at the silent Doukou, Yu Mo sighed softly and patted her shoulder. "Think about it yourself, but I suggest you think about it quickly."

I reckon the team will be setting off soon. Could you also relay my message to the other women and see what they think before making a decision?

Like Yu Mo and others who were filled with anxiety and indecision, female students such as Meng Shujuan and Liu Anna were also worried about what to do next.

These female students had long lost contact with their families; otherwise, they wouldn't have risked their lives to flee the city with Chen Qiaozhi.

However, unlike Yu Mo and the others, these girls were around the same age as Xiao Lu, so they got along better and could speak freely about anything.

"Xiao Lu... could you talk to your young master and ask him to take us with him when he leaves?" A girl named Liu Anna asked Xiao Lu while washing bandages.

“Yes,” another girl said with a bitter face, “We’ve all been separated from our families and now we don’t even have a place to stay. If your young master kicks us out again, we’ll really be homeless.”

A group of girls pleaded with Xiaolu, and many of them looked worried.

People of this era were accustomed to war and death, and naturally knew how miserable the fate of girls like them, who had no one to rely on, would be once they lost the protection of a man.

Let alone the bandits, thugs, and hooligans everywhere, even if they were lucky enough not to encounter any bad guys, these little girls would probably starve to death in less than three days.

For them now, there is no safer place than remaining in the security force.

"I'm not quite sure about that either." Xiao Lu tilted her head and thought for a moment, then said, "I can ask for you, but our young master is always kind-hearted, so I think he should agree."

"That's great, Xiao Lu, you're so kind!" the girls cheered.

(End of this chapter)