“A month,” Wendian said, tossing back her ponytail. “Too bad your group missed the last boat. You really fell behind. But you’re in time for the Lunar New Year. The celebrations begin in two weeks and we’re decorating the dining hall at Hunan University. There’s an interuniversity team planning all the festivities.”

“With so many universities in town, there’s lots to do,” another girl said. “On weekends and after classes, the streets are full of students. It’s like Wuhan, but with fewer military uniforms.”

“What about air raids?” Ying-Ying asked.

“We get them, but so far they’re not very frequent and antiaircraft defense is very well-organized,” Wendian said. “We get plenty of warning. Come see your rooms and then we’ll treat you to noodles. We’ve been here long enough to get money from our families.”

“We bumped into so many students on the way here,” Ying-Ying said as they trudged up the staircase. “How many schools are here?”

“The big three—Beida, Qinghua, and Nankai,” Wendian said. “They were the first to arrive, so they got the best accommodations.”

“Did everyone in your group get here safely?” Ying-Ying asked.

“Do you remember Huang An? He caught dysentery and died before we could get him to a hospital,” Wendian said. “And thirty of our boys enlisted after Shanghai fell. What about you?”

“We lost a graduate student, Mr. Shen, when a Japanese plane strafed the road we were on,” Ying-Ying said. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “And Wang Jenmei was murdered.”

Wendian gave a little cry, then covered her mouth with her hands.

“We think it was political, a Nationalist agent,” Meirong said, looking at Wendian. “Because Jenmei was leader of the Communist Students Club.”

“It happened when we were in Zhongmiao Village,” Ying-Ying said, “not far from Hefei. She was killed the night before we were supposed to leave. The local police didn’t do much to investigate.”

“Hefei is run by a fairly moderate faction of the military,” Wendian said. She seemed to have regained her composure. “Here in Changsha, it’s different. If Jenmei had been murdered here, I wouldn’t have been surprised at all. The left-wing elements here keep a low profile.”

“So how does one get in touch with left-wing elements in Changsha?” Meirong said. She saw Lian’s horrified expression and rolled her eyes. “I’m joking, Lian.”

“It’s no joking matter,” Wendian said. “The problem isn’t the military. In fact, the military liaison officer for universities is very tolerant. The problem is the Juntong.”

The dreaded military intelligence agency. Lian glanced over at Meirong and was glad to see her friend’s sober expression, all teasing gone. It was a good thing Wendian knew so much about the situation in Changsha.

“Oh, and there’s a big assembly tomorrow morning,” a third-year girl said. “Mandatory for all students. Some general making a speech because of Nanking.”

“Why, what about Nanking?” Meirong said.