Siheyuan: All the birds want to die, I enjoy happiness

"Alright, Lao Wang, look at you, what's the rush? I'm just saying this, it's not like I really want it to be like this. It's been so many years. Back then, you told me to go to the west, and I went. You told me to come back, and I came back. Now the higher-ups aren't giving us any money. I don't even know who we're working for anymore. I don't think there's any point in continuing like this." Xiang Xiaobei said, handing Wang Yuan a cigarette.

"Damn it, do you think I don't want to? You can just ignore it all, but I can't. You know I had someone send my whole family to the south back then. Now, it's not for my own sake anymore. My dad even called me an unfilial son back then, but wasn't I doing it for him too? What good can come of staying here? My family is there. If I quit, they'll probably have a hard time surviving there." Wang Yuanyi took the cigarette, lit it, and started smoking.

He only felt he was being very filial. Everyone else used their own money to buy plane tickets so they could go, but he used the funds he had embezzled over the years to buy plane tickets for his parents, wife, and children so they could leave, while he stayed in Beijing as an undercover agent. He believed he could go back, but for their sake, he had to stay here and obey the organization's orders so his family could live a life of luxury there, and he could just endure his own situation.

He always thought he was being filial, but he never considered that his parents didn't want to go at all. They were just dragged along and forced to go. After all, this was their home. Although their son hadn't done anything good, the two old people hadn't been involved.

Moreover, the two elderly people had spare money and could have lived a leisurely life even in Beijing. You know, if Li Yuanyi hadn't insisted on bringing them there, the neighbors would have had no idea that his son was a member of the Communist Party. The two elderly people were already quite dissatisfied with their son becoming a member of the Communist Party.

The thought of being sent to a foreign land in their twilight years was unacceptable to the two elderly people. After arriving in Taiwan, they kept thinking of discussing it with their son. They couldn't get used to the place; it wasn't cold, but it was too humid. The two old people simply couldn't stand the dampness. You have to understand, Beijing is incredibly dry. If these northerners, who had lived their whole lives in the north, could be thrown into the south, it would be a miracle if they could stand it.

"Hey, alright, Lao Wang, stop saying anything. To put it bluntly, you're doing all this for your family. Look, at least your family has benefited. All these years I've been living under an assumed name, and my family is gone. I haven't gotten anything out of it either. Now I'm even afraid I'll be captured and eaten." Xiang Xiaobei took a deep drag on his cigarette and then frowned as he spoke.

The two were supposed to be meeting to hand over their mission, but somehow it turned into a rant session. On one hand, they complained about how inhumane their superiors were, and on the other hand, they complained about how hard their lives were. But who has it easy these days? Besides, they chose this path themselves. It's not like anyone forced their two groups. Over the years, they've had opportunities to withdraw every time, but they never did. Instead, they continued to follow orders from above.