Newborn 1927

Qi Xiaobao, as expected, couldn't make the decision himself. He told Yang Jiefang to wait a moment, turned around and went out, quickly returning with a foreign man not much older than him. The foreigner opened his mouth and said, "Hello..." Yang Jiefang frowned and said, "Are you taking advantage of me because I don't understand foreign languages? This is China, speak Chinese to me, or we can forget about this business." Jack, who didn't understand Chinese, turned to look at Qi Xiaobao. Qi Xiaobao quickly explained, "This is Mr. Jack, Mr. Henry's assistant. Mr. Jack doesn't speak Chinese, so I'm responsible for translating." Only then did Yang Jiefang realize that Qi Xiaobao was just a translator. Yang Jiefang sneered, "Who do you think you are? Just some random Tom, Dick, and Harry dare to talk business with me? Don't I have any dignity? Er Gou, you talk to this Mr. Jack. I think you two are equals. But what you say doesn't count!" After saying that, he slumped onto the sofa, put his feet up on the coffee table in front of him, looking like a spoiled brat.

Chen Ergou grinned and stepped forward, saying, "Jack, right? My name is Chen Ergou. We sound like brothers. I wonder what your birth order is?" Jack looked at Qi Xiaobao, waiting for him to translate. Qi Xiaobao's lips twitched again. He understood that Yang Jiefang and his group were not easy to meet. So he told Jack that Mr. Henry had to come in person for them to discuss things, as if a big client was coming. Jack hesitated for a moment, but finally compromised. He instructed Qi Xiaobao to entertain the guest first, then turned and left.

Qi Xiaobao had a cup of coffee brought out, just one, and placed it in front of Yang Jiefang. Yang Jiefang picked it up, took a sip, and then spat it out with a "pfft!" Qi Xiaobao and the waitress were both startled, looking at Yang Jiefang in confusion. Yang Jiefang angrily retorted, "I'm perfectly fine, not sick at all, why would I take Chinese medicine? Can't you even bring me a cup of tea?" Qi Xiaobao looked at this country bumpkin with disdain, but barely managed to suppress his anger, and told the waitress to bring him another cup of tea. The waitress quickly wiped the coffee table clean and brought a fresh cup. Yang Jiefang picked up the tea, smelled it, and put it down, saying, "What kind of lousy tea is this? Is it even fit for my palate? Forget it, when it comes to food and drink, we have to rely on our ancestors. What do foreigners know?" Qi Xiaobao didn't argue with him, simply standing quietly to the side.

A moment later, a middle-aged man with blond hair walked in. Qi Xiaobao first introduced the situation in a low voice in English, then turned around and said, "Mr. Yang, this is our General Manager, Mr. Henry." Yang Jiefang asked, "Really? You're not trying to fool me with a fake, are you?" Qi Xiaobao countered, "How can Mr. Yang be sure this is him?" Yang Jiefang replied, "Andrew told me that Mr. Henry is Jewish. Jewish men are circumcised. Have him take off his pants so I can verify it." Qi Xiaobao couldn't hold back any longer and said angrily, "Mr. Yang, don't you think your request is excessive?" Yang Jiefang replied, "Just translate it. Whether it's excessive or not is not for you to judge." Qi Xiaobao was somewhat helpless and translated it according to Yang Jiefang's meaning. Henry was indeed very angry, feeling that this Chinese man was extremely rude, and roared loudly. Qi Xiaobao turned around and said, "You saw it too, Mr. Henry is very angry." Yang Jiefang said indifferently, "Then ask him again, if he's angry, will he still talk business? If he won't, I'm leaving. It doesn't matter who I buy from, right?"

Qi Xiaobao translated it again, and Henry, as expected, forcibly suppressed his anger, instructing Qi Xiaobao to ask Yang Jiefang what weapons he wanted to buy and in what quantities. He threatened that if the quantity was too small, they should be thrown out. Yang Jiefang, upon hearing Qi Xiaobao's words, replied directly: "How much is an M1917 Lee-Enfield rifle? Give me a thousand to check the quality, each with 3,000 rounds of ammunition. One hundred Czech light machine guns, each with 10,000 rounds of ammunition. Sixty Browning M2 heavy machine guns, each with 10,000 rounds of ammunition. Oh, and one hundred Browning pistols and one hundred Mauser pistols, each with 1,000 rounds of ammunition." When Qi Xiaobao translated Yang Jiefang's purchase list for Henry, Henry immediately put on a smiling face, sat down in front of Yang Jiefang, and earnestly discussed the prices.

Henry began, “The weapons you’ve chosen are the best on the market. The M1917 Lee-Enfield rifle is the best bolt-action rifle in the world, each costing two hundred silver dollars…” Before he could finish, Yang Jiefang sneered, “Are you trying to take advantage of me because I’m young? You sold it to John Bear for one hundred silver dollars, but you’re offering me two hundred. Is this what you call equality?” Henry was visibly taken aback and said, “John Bear is a long-time customer of mine, so I get a discount.” This reason was clearly untenable, and he continued, “Fine! My price for you is also one hundred silver dollars.”

Yang Jiefang shook his head and said, "This is our first transaction. If things go well, I'll do a second and third transaction. I hope the price can be more favorable, otherwise there's no need for me to buy from you." Henry countered, "How much can you offer?" Yang Jiefang replied, "Eighty silver dollars." Henry shook his head repeatedly, saying, "This price is completely unacceptable." Yang Jiefang immediately stood up and said, "Then forget it. I'll buy from the Japanese later; their prices are much cheaper." Henry shook his head and said, "How can a Japanese rifle compare to a Lee-Enfield rifle?" Yang Jiefang replied, "That's why I'm willing to pay double the price. If you don't want to do this business, just pretend I was never here." He turned to leave.

Henry immediately had Qi Xiaobao stop Yang Jiefang, indicating his willingness to discuss the matter further. Yang Jiefang turned around, simply looking at him silently without saying a word. In the end, Henry agreed to the price. The subsequent quotes for other weapons were much more reasonable. The Czech ZB26 light machine gun was priced at 1,000 silver dollars, the M2 heavy machine gun at 3,500 silver dollars, and the Mauser pistol with 1,000 rounds of ammunition was only priced at 100 silver dollars.

This time, Yang Jiefang didn't haggle and quickly reached a purchase agreement with Henry. Henry required Yang Jiefang to pay a 30% deposit upfront. The balance would be paid in full upon delivery, three months later. Yang Jiefang pulled out a HSBC bank draft and said, "While I'm not short of money, I'm not short of brains either. This 10,000 taels of customs silver is my advance payment for shipping. Send the goods over first, and after I inspect them, we'll exchange the money for the goods. If they don't pass my inspection, send them back to where they came from. A 30% deposit? Don't even think about it." Henry clearly didn't want to miss this deal and actually agreed. They then signed an agreement, thus finalizing the deal. When Yang Jiefang came out, Henry politely saw him to the door.

Yang Jiefang and his two companions left EC Trading Company and soon ran into Yan Donglai. Yang Jiefang went up to him and asked, "Have all the brothers come in?" Yan Donglai replied, "The checks were quite strict, so not everyone came in. A small team stayed outside to provide backup." Yang Jiefang said, "That should be enough. There's a translator in EC Company named Qi Xiaobao. Keep an eye on him. Report his information to me tomorrow." Yan Donglai agreed and walked away.

Weihaiwei was relatively safe, and Yang Jiefang encountered no trouble along the way, quickly arriving at the British Civil Hospital. This hospital, run by the British colonial authorities, primarily treated British citizens but also received upper-class Chinese patients. Naturally, they wouldn't turn away a well-dressed and distinguished-looking Chinese like Yang Jiefang. At the reception desk, a young Chinese woman greeted him, asking, "Are you here for a medical consultation, sir?" Yang Jiefang replied, "I'd like to consult about infertility." The woman immediately understood, saying, "Please follow me!" She led Yang Jiefang to a consultation room after he registered, asking, "This Dr. Paul is an expert in this field, but he doesn't speak Chinese. Would you like an interpreter?" Yang Jiefang smiled and said, "No need, thank you!" The woman then stepped aside. Yang Jiefang told Wang Dali and Chen Ergou to wait outside and went inside alone.

There was an elderly doctor and a young doctor inside. It was obvious without asking that the elderly doctor was Paul, and the young doctor was likely his assistant or student. Yang Jiefang greeted them directly in English and explained his purpose. Paul gestured for Yang Jiefang to sit down and asked directly, "Can you get a normal erection?" Yang Jiefang was taken aback and replied, "I'm here to consult about female infertility. What does this have to do with me?" Paul retorted, "It could also be a man's problem, so please answer me! Do you have erectile dysfunction?" Yang Jiefang was annoyed and said, "Of course I don't have that problem. I need to consult about how to treat female infertility." Paul immediately said, "You Chinese are always like this, blaming infertility on women. Can't you look for the cause within yourself? If you think you don't have this problem, then I suggest you get a biopsy." Yang Jiefang quickly shook his head and said, "You might have misunderstood. It's my sister who can't get pregnant because she took certain medications and suffered domestic violence. This has nothing to do with me." Paul said very seriously, "It's not that I misunderstood; you've come to the wrong place. You should go to a gynecologist, not a urologist."

Yang Jiefang nearly fainted. Despite being a transmigrator, he'd made a complete blunder and quickly retreated. He went back to the information desk and explained the situation to the woman there. She apologized profusely and led him to the obstetrics and gynecology department, telling him it was the best doctor in the entire hospital. Yang Jiefang entered the examination room and found a Chinese woman inside. She was very young, looking about twenty-six or twenty-seven, though her actual age was likely older; a woman's age is always a mystery. She was very beautiful, exuding the unique charm of a mature woman.

The female doctor frowned and said, "You're a man, and you're here to see an obstetrician?" Yang Jiefang replied, "I'm here on behalf of a relative of mine." The female doctor asked, "Oh, what's her situation?" Yang Jiefang replied, "She overdosed on certain medications and suffered an external injury that caused a miscarriage. Now she can't get pregnant. What treatment options are available?" The female doctor said, "Could you bring her over? I need to examine her personally before I can make a decision." Yang Jiefang said, "She can't come over in person. Can you make a house call? Don't worry! The consultation fee isn't a problem." The female doctor smiled and said, "No, it's not about the money. I guess it must be quite a distance. I see several patients every day; I simply don't have the time." Yang Jiefang fell silent. This situation was expected, but he hadn't figured out how to handle it. The female doctor seemed to see through his thoughts and said, "If you really care about your family member, bring her over! I'm a woman too, and I know the difficulties women face. If it's treatable, I will definitely help you cure her. Making a house call is definitely not an option."

Yang Jiefang suddenly said, "Doctor, judging from your accent, you must be from Hunan, right?" The female doctor was taken aback at first, then replied, "Yes, um, you are?" Yang Jiefang immediately answered, "Yes, I'm from Yaoyang, Hunan." The two felt particularly close after speaking in Hunan dialect, and started chatting in Hunan dialect.

Yang Jiefang explained that he had been doing business here with his family and hadn't been back to Hunan for a long time. He sighed, "I wonder if the maple leaves on Yuelu Mountain are still red? Are the oranges on Orange Isle still sweet?" This clearly stirred some memories for the female doctor. Sensing her reaction, Yang Jiefang immediately struck up a conversation, completely forgetting their doctor-patient relationship. During the conversation, Yang Jiefang learned that the female doctor's name was Liu Yamei, that she was from Changsha, Hunan, and worked alone in Weihaiwei. Yang Jiefang, always quick-witted and eloquent, immediately launched a verbal offensive, soon addressing her as "sister" repeatedly.

The two were engrossed in their conversation when the door to the consultation room was suddenly pushed open. A plump foreign woman walked in and said, "Hello, May." Liu Yamei exclaimed, "Hi, Lucy, Oh my God. I'm... Sorry." Turning back, she added, "Young man, I have patients with appointments, and I've missed my time. I'm so sorry, let's talk another day!" Yang Jiefang replied, "Okay then. When do you get off work? Can we have dinner together?" Liu Yamei smiled slightly and replied, "Six o'clock in the afternoon." Yang Jiefang immediately smiled and said, "I'll wait for you at the hospital entrance." He then left the consultation room.

After leaving the hospital, Yang Jiefang first checked into a hotel and then bought a new outfit. He didn't like wearing suits but liked Zhongshan suits, which he usually wore. He left Wang Dali and Chen Ergou at the hotel and went on his date alone. Tonight's dinner was crucial to getting Liu Yamei to come to Qinglong Village, so Yang Jiefang had to prepare carefully. He booked a table in advance at a high-end-looking Western restaurant and even bought a bunch of flowers from a florist—not roses, but tulips. Tulips were a popular flower among European nobility. He guessed Liu Yamei would like them.

He arrived at the hospital early, holding flowers, and waited outside. His actions naturally attracted the hospital's attention. Whether out of kindness or curiosity, the receptionist informed Liu Yamei of Yang Jiefang's actions beforehand. Just after six o'clock, Liu Yamei emerged. She had clearly dressed up; she wore light makeup, her long, wavy hair was very fashionable, she wore a pink long dress and high heels, and her ample bosom stood out prominently. She smiled as she walked towards Yang Jiefang, her steps graceful and confident. Yang Jiefang went up to her and called out, "Sister Liu, these are for you! I hope you like them." Liu Yamei took the flowers, sniffed them gently, and said, "They smell so good! Thank you! These flowers are so beautiful! I really like them." Yang Jiefang said, "These flowers are nice, but compared to you, you are still more beautiful!" Liu Yamei laughed and said, "Look at you, so sweet-talking! Tell me—how many girls have you fooled with this trick?" Yang Jiefang replied, "Heaven and earth bear witness! This is the first time I've ever given someone flowers. Besides, I never deceive girls. Especially a woman like you, who possesses both beauty and wisdom, how could my little tricks possibly fool you?" Liu Yamei giggled and said, "You're wrong about that. Actually, girls do like to be fooled, because lies are more appealing. Let's go! Where should we eat?"