The couple's peaceful and happy life was soon disrupted by the increasingly tense situation. The people on the streets talked constantly about the war raging in Northeast China and Huaihai region every day. According to reliable sources, the civil war between the Communist Party and the National Army under the KMT Party had already broken out in the Northeast China as early as 1946. By August 1948, the KMT forces, which once held an overwhelming advantage in Northeast China, had been pushed back by the PLA (the People's Liberation Army) and now held only some isolated cities like Changchun, Shenyang and Jinzhou, none of which had secure connections to each other. The PLA had taken control of 97% of the land and 86% of the population in the Northeast China. In addition, they had also controlled the Beining railway, cutting off land-based supply routes. The KMT forces were now entirely dependent on air transported for supplies, which caused the severe shortage of materials for the KMT army. In September, two sides engaged in a a decisive battle known as the Liaoshen Campaign. A month later, both forces were entrenched around Jinzhou. It was clear that the war in the Northeast would be over if Jinzhou was lost. Beijing and Tianjin would become the next targets. Meanwhile, the Huaihai region was also teetering on the edge of conflict. Following the successful conclusion of the Jinan campaign in September, the PLA's momentum only grew. The reason why Shen Hui had been unable to return home was because the train services couldn't be dispatched on time due to the battle in Shandong Province. Now apart from a few areas in Shandong province, like Qingdao, remained under the KMT army control, the rest had already occupied by the PLA. The PLA continued its advance southward and finally, both armies were assembled in the Huaihai area for what would prepare for a decisive battle.
Peking was engulfed in a state of panic, with all sorts of rumors spreading like wildfire. One morning, after breakfast, John urged Shen Hui to get dressed and insisted she must wear something nice. He also put on a suit and polished leather shoes. When she asked where they were going, he just smiled. Shen Hui, still weak from their passionate night, reluctantly went out because she could barely summon the strength to walk. But seeing John trying on one suite after another, she resigned herself to pick out one of her better outfits. Eventually, they took a rickshaw to the City Hall. So she asked in confusion:
"What are we doing here? Did the government invite you to some activities?"
Looking at her affectionately, John smiled and said:
"Hui, I love you. I know that for your Chinese people, a woman's reputation and honor mean a lot. I don't want anyone whispering behind your back, calling you a bad woman. I want to make it clear to the world that you are my woman, not in secret but also hope you with pride to be my wife, holding your head high as my lady. Hui, will you marry me?"
Hearing this, Shen Hui was stunned into silence. It was true that she had heard the cruel gossip in the alleyways, which neighbors whispered awful words about her but she had no choice but pretend that nothing happened. In fact these words had wounded her deeply and made her very sad. Some people even said to her in person:
"Foreign men are unreliable. They are all playboys who don't take responsibility for women. Once they get what they want from the women, they completely throw them away. You'd better leave him now, otherwise it will be even worse if you have a child."
She had thought about these words more than once but the idea of leaving John made her heart ache deeply. Though she had never said it out loud ---- she loved him, she knew she did ---- deeply. He cared for her and never let a day go by without saying, "I love you". Now, hearing his heartfelt proposal, she felt a great weight lift from her heart. She realized she had never misjudged him. With tears in her eyes, she finally whispered:
"I love you, John."
With Anut Zhang and Mr. Raymond as witnesses, they held a small wedding ceremony at City Hall. As soon as they stepped outside, Shen Hui overheard Mr. Raymond saying to John:
With Aunt Zhang and Mr. Raymond as witnesses, they held a small ceremony at City Hall. As they stepped outside, Shen Hui overheard Mr. Raymond say:
"John, all of us will be leaving Peking soon. The communists don't like the Americans."
John replied:
"I see. I will speak with my wife first."
"Okay. If you need help, you know where to find me. I'll stay there until the 25th."
"Keep in touch. So long."
"So long."
That evening, John explained the Americans situation in Peking to Shen Hui:
"The US government has issued a warning to all Americans to leave China or move to south of the Yangtze River. They estimate that China will soon be divided into two countries along the Yangtze River as the boundary. You know that the PLA has no navy and air force so it will be hard for them to cross the Yangtze River. Today Mr. Raymond told me that they will leave Peking on the 25th on a plane chartered by their newspaper to evacuate all American journalists in the north."
She asked anxiously:
"What about you? Didn't your government organize anything for the evacuation of all American citizens?"
"They did but I missed my chance because I don't want to leave you behind."
Hearing this, she was immediately furious and said with crying voice:
"You... You're so foolish! Don't you understand how dangerous it is for Americans? the Communist PLA don't like your Americans. If you fall into their hands, they might kill you. Can Mr. Raymond help you get on that plane?"
He looked at her gently and said:
"Accutally it is no problem for me to get on, but if you're only my girlfriend, they won't allow you come with me. Now that we're married, maybe it will be different, I hope. As you know, I don't want to leave you alone here. That is why I wanted to marry you today. For your sake, I'll ask Mr. Raymond to help us find a way to leave. If you can't leave, I won't go either."
Shen Hui was deeply moved by his words. She had never imagined that he would give up his chance to evacuate just for her. With tears in her eyes, she said:
"You don't need to worry about me. I am a Chinese, just a normal citizen. I don't think they will target me. But you're different. Your government has always backed the KMT government to fight against PLA. The Communists must hate the American like you so it is too dangerous for you to stay here. You must leave while you can. Please!"
John said:
"Don't worry. I don't think I am in any danger. Let's wait and see what comes of Mr. Raymond's efforts."
A few days later, John came rushing home from work, out of breath with excitement. He told Shen Hui anxiously:
"Hui, pack our valuables quickly. We're leaving tonight."
Shen Hui immediately began packing and asked:
"How sudden! Did they leave earlier than expected? Did Mr. Raymond succeed in make arrangement?"
He replied:
"No, it is impossible for us to take the airplane but he found another way for us to leave Peking. Tonight we will leave for Tianjin first and then take a ship to Qingdao."
"Qingdao?"
"Yes, it is still under your government control for now. From there, we might be able to find a way to Shanghai or somewhere else in the south. Peking and Tianjin will become the battlegrounds soon. Peking, an ancient city, is on the verge of destruction soon."
Shen Hui couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow but... She sighed and said:
"War, war, always war. No one knows how many things have been destroyed and how many lives have been lost. When will there ever be a time without war?"
That entire night they switched between several vehicles before finally reaching the Tianjin dock. First, in Peking, they took a jeep to a military camp; then from there they boarded a military truck to another camp, and then took a provisions cart to the third military camp located in Tianjin territory. Although there were no booming cannons and volleys of bullets nearby, sporadic gunfire could still be heard continuously along the way. They got off again at a barracks, where the officers in charge glanced at the two of them before reading the letter which John had handed him. Without a word, he arranged for a jeep to take them to Tianjin dock directly. By this time dawn had already broken. A KMT navy officer named Wu greeted them. Officer Wu said:
"So it is you two mentioned in the letter from Scretary Chen. I have already got a call that I need to escort an American couple to Qingdao, but..."
He didn't finish his words but rubbed his thumb against his fingers, making the universal gesture of money.
John smiled knowingly and said:
"Don't worry, as long as you get us to Qingdao, I won't cheat you. The money I gave you is in US dollars."
Upon hearing this, Officer Wu immediately began bowing and scraping repeatedly, saying:
"No problem, no problem. Don't worry about everything. Now you can board the ship and then buy somethings to eat. We will set sail this afternoon."
John said:
"My wife and I are both tired and want to take a rest. Could you help us busy some food? Thank you!"
Officer Wu led them to a small cabin and said apologetically:
"I'm sorry about this. This isn't a large warship, just a small patrol boat so the space is quite limited."
John smiled and said:
"You have already helped us more than enough. Thank you!" Then he handed Office Wu some money and continued, "Please buy some food for us and you can keep the change."
Office Wu took the money and left cheerfully. Shen Hui lay down on the narrow bed and asked the question that had been weighing on her mind:
"How did Mr. Raymond manage to find this way for us?"
John explained:
"Well, he once interviewed General Fu Zuoyi and got to know one of his secretaries, a man named Chen. Apparently, Secretary Chen asked the general to write a letter for us."
"You mean the one you showed to those officers?"
John nodded without saying more. Noticed the dazed expression on her face, he gently pulled a blanket over her and said softly:
"Just sleep for a while."
Then he lay down and fell asleep as well.
John was awakened by the hum of the ship's engine. Shen Hui was still sound asleep. He noticed there was a paper bag filled with some food on the table. He got up quietly and stepped outside. Just beside the cabin there was a narrow stairway led upward. He climbed it and emerged onto the deck.
A few navy sailors were busy working on the deck. Two soldiers were patrolling with rifles in hand, keeping their eyes on the coastline slowly fading in the distance. A machine gunner gripped his weapon, staring intently out over the sea. At this moment, Officer Wu came over and said:
"Sir, you're up. I left some food for you on the table. Did you see it?"
"Yes, thank you. When will we you arrive in Qingdao?"
"If all goes well, we should reach Qingdao around midnight. We will have to head back early tomorrow morning. To be honest, this trip was specially arranged to get you to Qingdao. There is another family on abroad too. Frankly speaking, it is completely unofficial work this time but the order came directly from my commanding officer."
John nodded and thanked him again. When he returned to the cabin, he found Shen Hui was awake but still lying in bed, looking somewhat drained and low-spirited. He asked:
"What's wrong with you? Are you feeling sick?"
Shen Hui said softly:
"I don't know. My stomach feels a bit off. I want to throw up."
He touched her forehead gently and said:
"Maybe it is just seasickness. You just lie down here. Let me check whether I have any seasickness medicine in my medical bag." He rummaged through his bag but couldn't find the right medicine. With a slight frown, he added, "I don't have it. We left in such a hurry so I didn't pack everything. Let me go ask around and see if someone else has some."
After a short while, he came back and said:
"Come, take the tablet. I got it from the other family on board with us."
Seeing Shen Hui take the tablet, he took out the food from the paper bag and gave the bag to her, saying:
"If you want to throw up, just use this bag. Try to get some more rest. Maybe you will feel better after sleeping."
Shen Hui nodded and closed her eyes again.
Later John was awakened by the sound of vomiting. He got up immediately and saw Shen Hui, weak and exhausted, leaning over the side of the bed. Luckily, he had borrowed a basin just in case before going to sleep. Now it was half full. He went over, gently patted her back and handed her a glass of water while saying softly:
"Rinse your mouth first. That was terrible. Why is your vomiting so severe?"
"I don't know. I want to go outside for some fresh air."
"No problem. Let me help you. It is really dark outside. Maybe it take a few hours for us to arrive in Qingdao."
They went out onto the deck. The sea breeze made Shen Hui feel better so she sat down casually. John, seeing she was alright, said:
"You stay here for fresh air and I'll tidy up inside."
She replied:
"Thank you."
He stole a quick kissed on her lip and said:
"You are my wife. It is my pleasure to do anything for you."
Looking at him with deep affection, she nodded firmly and replied:
"And I for you."
When he came back to the deck later, he saw Shen Hui leaning over the railing, vomiting heavily again.