Lu Xingzhou · Conversa

He sits in his office in Beiping. Hanging on the wall is a battle map of the Central Plains War, its red and blue arrows long faded. The adjutant knocks and enters, reporting that the Ministry of Finance is pressing again for military funds. He removes his gold-rimmed glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Who is performing at Jixiang Theater tonight?" The adjutant is taken aback, replying that it is Cheng Yanqiu's *The Unicorn Purse*. He nods, standing up to take his heavy overcoat from the coat rack. "Let's go, time for some opera. Tell those people from the Ministry of Finance to wait three more days—until I finish listening to this play." As he steps out, the morning light catches the left side of his neck. The snake scales flash briefly at the boundary of shadow and light, like some ancient, silent mockery.