Dai Peilin: What Do You Think of the Red Party?

Fang Jibai sat straight-backed in his chair. When he saw someone enter, a flicker of surprise crossed his face before he snapped to his feet, stood at attention, and saluted. "Greetings, Sir!" "I am no sir of yours." Dai Peilin waved a dismissive hand. "You have mistaken me for someone else." "You jest, Sir," Fang Jibai said. "A dragon commands respect by its very presence, and a man of great stature carries an unmistakable aura. Though my eyes may be clumsy and dull, I can still recognize an extraordinary man when I see one." "Anyone capable of saying that is hardly clumsy or dull." Dai Peilin chuckled, shaking his head. He pulled out a chair and sat down directly across from Fang Jibai. Seeing that Fang Jibai, looking sharp and heroic in his military uniform, had not fawned over him by pulling out the chair, Dai Peilin felt no irritation. Instead, he gave an appreciative nod. "Sit," Dai Peilin said, pressing a hand downward. "Yes, Sir!" Without the slightest hesitation, Fang Jibai resumed his seat, hands resting firmly on his knees, eyes fixed straight ahead. "I am Dai Peilin," Dai Peilin stated. "Greetings, Director Dai!" Fang Jibai bolted upright once more, saluting him again. The moment the man had walked in, Fang Jibai had already harbored a suspicion. Sure enough, this was Dai Peilin—Director of the Lixingshe Special Services Department. "Sit down and speak." Dai Peilin looked Fang Jibai up and down, nodded, and motioned for him to sit. "Yes, Sir!" Fang Jibai sat right back down. "Dongfang Xu told me that when you first arrived at Xufuxiang, you were so nervous you could hardly string a sentence together." Dai Peilin offered a faint smile. "You look quite composed to me now. It seems I, Dai Peilin, am not so terrifying after all." "Reporting to Director Dai—" Fang Jibai rose to his feet. "Stay seated to answer. No need to be so stiff," Dai Peilin said, though a look of genuine appreciation flickered in his eyes. He had always taken immense pride in his Whampoa background, so whenever he encountered subordinates displaying superior military bearing, he invariably held them in higher regard. "Replying to Director Dai, I certainly was nervous, and right now I am merely forcing myself to appear calm," Fang Jibai said. "Besides, I have been giving myself pep talks all along..." "Oh?" Dai Peilin looked intrigued. "Pep talks? How so?" "First, I had made a small contribution, and at Xiaguan Pier I happened to lend Secretary Dongfang a bit of help. I figured that since Director Dai is a reasonable man, you would surely not make things difficult for me over that. Once I realized that, much of my anxiety cleared up." "No need to flatter me. Those who fear me and curse me are as plentiful as carp crossing a river, but those who call me reasonable are rare indeed," Dai Peilin said in a deep voice. He pointed a finger at Fang Jibai. "Setting aside your so-called 'small contribution,' at Xiaguan Pier you saved that fool Dongfang Xu's life. That is an act of lifesaving grace, not some 'bit of help.'" His expression darkened slightly. "Speak plainly. A young man like you shouldn't talk with such slippery tact." Dai Peilin stared at Fang Jibai, his expression stern. "Speak to me now exactly as you would normally." "Yes, Director Dai!" Fang Jibai barked at the top of his lungs. "That's right, it was a lifesaving grace! If I hadn't stepped in twice, that dumbass Dongfang would already be cold in the ground!" Accustomed as Dai Peilin was to keeping his composure, hearing such colorful Nanjing slang burst from Fang Jibai's mouth left him utterly stunned. He pointed at Fang Jibai, as if about to say something, but ultimately shook his head and laughed. "Fine, fine. I was the one who told you to speak as you normally do." The words had slipped out in the heat of the moment, and Fang Jibai clearly realized he had crossed a line. Though he remained ramrod straight, an unmistakable awkwardness washed over his face, leaving him stammering and afraid to say another word. ... "The Lücheng Police Department arrested a Japanese spy and seized an enemy radio transmitter." Dai Peilin spoke at an unhurried, measured pace, his piercing gaze seeming capable of tearing right through a person's psychological defenses. "The greatest credit in that case belongs to you, does it not?" "Yes, Sir." Fang Jibai nodded, making no attempt to deny it. "The Capital Police Department's report told a rather different story," Dai Peilin said. "Standing before Director Dai, I would not dare conceal the truth," Fang Jibai said earnestly. "Then tell me what really happened." Dai Peilin eyed him. "Yes, Sir." Fang Jibai did not answer immediately. He paused for a dozen seconds in thought before continuing, "Discovering that Japanese spy was actually a matter of luck. It all stemmed from a stray remark I overheard from a boy in the neighborhood." Dai Peilin listened quietly to Fang Jibai's account. His expression remained placid throughout, and he never once interrupted to ask questions. "Reporting to Director Dai, that is the whole story," Fang Jibai said in a clear voice. "A passing remark from a neighborhood boy, yet the moment it reached your ears, you cracked a major Japanese espionage case." Dai Peilin looked at Fang Jibai with undisguised admiration in his eyes. "You call it luck? No, no, no. Luck never favors the ignorant or the foolish." "It was your own ability that brought it about," he said with a smile. "An old classmate of mine from Whampoa once said that luck is the ultimate sycophant—it only ever hitches its wagon to the talented and successful." "Director Dai flatters me far too much," Fang Jibai said. Yet even as he spoke those modest words, the delight written across his face was practically spilling over. Dai Peilin chuckled inwardly. This Fang Qiming was still a hot-blooded youth after all—impatient, easily pleased, unable to keep his feelings under wraps. Then again, had a twenty-one-year-old like Fang Qiming mastered an unreadable poker face, Dai Peilin would have grown suspicious instead. "Was it also your idea for Chen Xiuqi to come to Nanjing?" Dai Peilin asked abruptly. "Yes, Sir." "Why?" "Chen Xiuqi was languishing with no prospects at the Danyang Police Bureau. If he wanted to make a name for himself, getting out of Danyang was his only chance," Fang Jibai said. "Chen Xiuqi and I are distant relatives, and we grew up playing together. We have always been close." "Why was he languishing?" Dai Peilin let out a cold snort. "Why didn't the Danyang Police Bureau target anyone else? Why was it only Chen Xiuqi who couldn't get ahead?" "Chen Xiuqi had a clan uncle named Chen Pengju, who served as a committee member and branch secretary for the Red Party's Danyang County Committee," Fang Jibai explained. "Although Chen Pengju was subsequently brought to justice, the fact remains that a Red Party member came from the Chen family. Naturally, Chen Xiuqi was tainted by association." Dai Peilin stared directly at Fang Jibai. When Fang Jibai used the term 'Red Party' instead of 'Red Bandits,' Dai's eyes sharpened noticeably; but when he heard Fang Jibai describe Chen Pengju's death as having been 'brought to justice,' his gaze softened again. ... "Chen Xiuqi felt deeply ashamed that his family had produced someone like Chen Pengju. He has always worked hard, hoping to prove his worth and earn merit for the Party-State to wash away the disgrace Chen Pengju brought upon the family..." Fang Jibai said. "Chen Pengju is Chen Pengju, and Chen Xiuqi is Chen Xiuqi. The Party-State is not the Qing dynasty; we do not practice collective punishment. The Danyang Police Bureau's original intention was caution, but they inevitably took things too far." Dai Peilin looked at Fang Jibai, his expression suddenly shifting into a warm, gentle smile. "How much do you actually know about the Red Party? Tell me your thoughts and views on their ideology and doctrines."