I knew exactly what was the matter, so I got my food and started gulping it down. My idea was to eat up and then go and find Comrade Zha to see if Huang Yiyi was OK. I wasn’t expecting that Comrade Wang would get his breakfast and then come and sit down next to me, looking inquisitive. I had no idea that later on this same man would cause such terrible trouble in our efforts to break RECOVERY, nearly destroying both Huang Yiyi and myself! If I had had the slightest premonition, I would have ordered him to leave the table. But I had no inkling of the future, and there was no way for me to know what was in store. However, I had always hated outsiders trying to find out what was going on in my division, particularly anything to do with Huang Yiyi, and the moment anyone started in on it, I got cross. So when Wang was getting ready to ask his questions, I looked as unhelpful as possible, shovelled in a few more mouthfuls and left.

I went to her office, but I didn’t find Huang Yiyi. I asked little Comrade Zha, who was cleaning up the place, and she said Huang Yiyi hadn’t come to work. An hour later I went back and asked again, and Comrade Zha said she still hadn’t come in.

I got angry and criticized her. ‘You’re supposed to be her assistant, don’t you care that she hasn’t come to work? Go to her home and get her.’

Comrade Zha said in a put-upon tone: ‘I’ve already been and there’s nobody there. I have no idea where she’s gone.’

I stood there for a moment, and then a horrible thought suddenly crossed my mind. I was scared practically witless, and ran to find her with Comrade Zha at my heels. We went to her room first, banging hard on the door, shouting and calling to her, but there was no response from inside. But I could sense that she was in there. I went round to the neighbours’ to rustle up some strong young men, and they broke the door down. We found Huang Yiyi lying unconscious on her bed, running a high temperature. We immediately phoned the hospital, telling them to send an ambulance, and they took her off to hospital.

They gave her a check-up and discovered that there was nothing much wrong with her other than a really bad cold. I could relax.

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Young man, it’s getting late, let’s carry on tomorrow.

You know, time lets you forget many things, but there are some that you remember all your life. What I need to tell you now is something I have tried hard to forget, but have never been able to …

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