Newborn 1927

As Yang Jiefang walked out of the kitchen, he ran into Lin Baozi. Lin Baozi was accompanied by Liu Yishou, clearly there specifically to see Yang Jiefang. Yang Jiefang stepped forward and greeted him with a smile. Lin Baozi said, "Brother Yang, I heard from Brother Liu that you're providing meals for everyone who trains with you?" Yang Jiefang replied, "Yes." Lin Baozi said, "My brothers really need some serious training, and I've had this idea for a while. Before, we only ate half-full at two meals a day, which made it easy for accidents to happen during training. Now that Brother Yang is providing meals, that's really great! However, we can't eat for free, and I don't like owing favors. Brother Yang, I'm a straightforward person, so please don't take offense if my words aren't pleasant. I just want to ask: Brother Yang, are you planning for me to pay you back in the future, or will you pay with your life?" As he spoke, his eyes were fixed on Yang Jiefang.

Yang Jiefang's heart skipped a beat, but he remained calm on the surface, saying, "Brother Lin, you're being too polite. From the moment I officially joined Qinglong Village, everyone in the village is my brother or sister. Since we're family, let's not be formal. To survive in this chaotic world, we brothers need to work together! We'll face difficulties together and share the good times. I happen to have a little money on me now; I can't eat meat all by myself while the brothers just watch, can I?" Lin Baozi smiled but didn't reply, simply looking at Yang Jiefang quietly.

Yang Jiefang had no choice but to continue, "Of course, my money didn't grow on trees, so this meal isn't something just anyone can eat. I think those who can consistently complete the training I set every day are truly capable. If something happens to the stronghold one day, we'll have to rely on these capable people to help, right? Brother Lin, you should understand now!" Lin Baozi chimed in, "That makes sense, but we're all grown men, we can't just take advantage of you. How about this, we'll keep track of the meal expenses for now, and when we make a fortune in the future, we'll pay you back in full. But if one day, our brothers die defending the stronghold, that'll be considered repayment. What do you think?" Yang Jiefang said helplessly, "Brother Lin, actually, there's no need for that... Ah, this works too."

They set aside the matter for now and went to the training ground together. The training ground was in chaos, and only quieted down when Yang Jiefang arrived. Yang Jiefang took a quick look around and saw that in addition to his own team, Bai Lang's Wolf Team and Lin Baozi's Leopard Team were also present; there were also some people from the Dragon Team and Tiger Team, but their commanders were not there; in addition, there were some people from the middle hall, who did not belong to any of the five upper hall teams.

Yang Jiefang shouted, "Brothers, please be quiet! Listen to me. I'll explain the key points of each training exercise later so you all know how to do it. But before that, you must temporarily organize yourselves to facilitate the arrangement of everyone's training and monitoring of their progress. Brother Bai from the Wolf Team and Brother Lin from the Leopard Team, please be responsible for arranging the training for your teams and supervising their progress! Brothers from the Dragon Team and Tiger Team, please each elect one person to serve as a supervisor! This supervisor is temporary and will only be responsible for arranging the training exercises and supervising the completion of training during training. As for the remaining brothers, form a separate team, and Hou Fei will serve as the temporary supervisor." Everyone had no objections and quickly organized themselves. Then, Yang Jiefang explained all the training exercises again and even demonstrated them personally before having everyone divide into teams and begin training. Yang Jiefang patrolled the area, correcting any non-standard movements.

After lunch, more than a hundred people had participated in the training. Although the leaders of the Dragon and Tiger teams were absent, their second-in-commands, Black Dragon Wang Yang and Smiling Tiger Peng Fangtao, were present and naturally became their team's supervisors. They first greeted Yang Jiefang and then organized their respective teams to continue training. By noon, most people had completed the required number of training exercises through repeated practice. A few people had not completed the required number, but Yang Jiefang did not pursue the matter seriously and let everyone go to eat lunch. Fortunately, he had informed the kitchen in advance, and they had prepared enough flour; however, there wasn't enough mutton offal to go around, so everyone could only smell the aroma.

Yang Jiefang told everyone to rest for a while, then went to the carpentry shed alone. Only the young carpenter was practicing his work there; the planks were already prepared. Yang Jiefang found a brush and began reciting and writing down an excerpt from "A Young China's Manifesto." The young carpenter stopped his work and squatted down beside him, watching.

After Yang Jiefang finished reciting, the young carpenter asked, "Brother Yang, what does 'young person' mean?" Yang Jiefang patted his head and said, "You are a young person." The young carpenter then asked, "What about my dad? He's an old man, right?" Yang Jiefang laughed and said, "Whether he's an old man or not is a question for him to answer. No matter how old he is, if he has the heart of a young person, he is a young person; otherwise, he is an old man." Not expecting the little guy to understand, he picked up the plank and left.

More than a hundred people had gathered in the kitchen, waiting for Yang Jiefang to come and teach. When Yang Jiefang came in carrying the wooden planks, Lu Ziqi and the others quickly stepped forward and hung the planks on the wall.

Once everything was ready, Yang Jiefang began the lesson, saying, "Today, I'm going to talk to you brothers about this essay, 'A Discourse on the Youth of China.' Before we begin, we need to understand a concept: what is a young person? What is an old person? Some might say, 'Isn't that easy to understand? A young person is just a young person, and an old person is just an old person.' Haha, that's not entirely wrong, but it's not entirely correct either. If we distinguish between young and old based on age, that's certainly true. But why isn't it entirely correct? Because we can't rely solely on age; we also need to consider our perspective." If a young person in their twenties spends their days idly, lacking ambition, and drifts along like an old person nearing death, can they still be considered a youth? Conversely, if a person in their fifties or sixties is still full of vigor and hope for the rest of their life, then they are not old. This is the difference in mindset! Today, we're going to explore this from a philosophical perspective: what should a youth be like? And let's all reflect on ourselves—are we youths or old people? Now, with these questions in mind, let me read this passage…”

This time, Yang Jiefang was better prepared, and his reading was rhythmic and captivating. Everyone present stared at him, craning their necks and holding their breath, afraid of missing a single word. When Yang Jiefang finished, the kitchen fell silent. After a while, a few crisp claps rang out from a corner, followed by thunderous applause. Yang Jiefang looked in the direction of the sound and saw three women standing in the passageway between the main hall and the central hall: the tall, plump Miss Gao, the pretty maid, and the ugly girl. Miss Gao was clapping vigorously, her eyes filled with admiration. The pretty maid smiled and clapped her hands slowly. The ugly girl, however, crossed her arms, expressionless; her face, in fact, didn't show much expression, but her eyes were clear as water. Standing beside the three women was a young man, Bao Ziqiang, who had gone to Yantai to gather information. Bao Ziqiang was smiling at Yang Jiefang. Yang Jiefang couldn't help but smile knowingly; it seemed there was news about his sister, Yang Lianhua.

The applause gradually subsided, and everyone followed Yang Jiefang's gaze, naturally seeing Bao Ziqiang and his three companions. Hou Fei, who was on good terms with Bao Ziqiang, couldn't help but shout, "Baozi, you're back!" Bao Ziqiang replied solemnly, "I told you before, please call me Bao Ziqiang! Bao Ziqiang, the Bao of self-reliance." These words were naturally meant for everyone present. Yang Jiefang stepped forward and said, "Brother Bao, it's good that you're back. We've been waiting for you." Bao Ziqiang replied, "Don't worry! I've gathered all the information. I heard your lectures are excellent, and I'd like to hear one too. How about you finish your lecture first, and then we can have a good chat?" Yang Jiefang responded, "That's a good idea." Turning back to Miss Gao and the other two women, he said, "If you're interested, sit down and listen too!" Miss Gao nodded mechanically, but the pretty maid beside her said, "I have to go back and collect the clothes. Maybe next time." Then she turned and left. Ugly Girl also turned and left. Miss Gao looked around, pursed her lips helplessly, and turned to leave as well.

Yang Jiefang shrugged and turned to begin his lecture. Considering the comprehension abilities of the attendees, he decided to only explain the first short passage: "To speak of the age of the nation, one must first speak of the age of its people. The elderly often think of the past, while the young often think of the future. Because they think of the past, they develop a sense of attachment; because they think of the future, they develop a sense of hope." This passage was short and easy to understand; Yang Jiefang had already laid the groundwork in his previous speech, so the audience found it easy to grasp.

After Yang Jiefang finished explaining, he let everyone practice on their own. Then he called Bao Ziqiang and the rest of the Jiefang team back to their lodgings to discuss matters. Bao Ziqiang and Hou Fei, arm in arm, looked around the lodgings and said, "It feels a bit different from before. Little monkey, keep warming my feet tonight!" Hou Fei cursed, "Get lost! If you want warm feet, go find a wife. With your stinky feet, don't even think about getting into my bed tonight unless I scald them three times with boiling water." Bao Ziqiang laughed, "You think this is scalding pig's trotters? Scalding them three times with boiling water? You scald one and let me see! Hmm, whose bed is this? Tsk tsk, the quilt cover is so fine and soft! It feels even more comfortable than a young lady's hand..."

Yang Jiefang looked at Bao Ziqiang with a dark expression and said, "Looks like you've touched that young lady's hands quite a bit! Tell everyone, what do those young ladies' hands feel like?" Bao Ziqiang turned around and laughed, "I haven't touched other people's hands, but I've touched your sister's hands quite a bit." He meant it as a joke, but it angered Zhao Changgui, who shouted, "What? You've touched Lianhua's hands? Did you bully Lianhua?" Before he finished speaking, Zhao Changgui rushed over and grabbed Bao Ziqiang's clothes, his eyes glaring angrily, almost spitting fire. Bao Ziqiang was startled and asked, "Who are you? Let go!" Yang Jiefang said, "He's my sister's sweetheart, my future brother-in-law, Zhao Changgui." Bao Ziqiang quickly smiled apologetically, "Brother Li, don't misunderstand! I was just joking with Brother Yang." Zhao Changgui was half-convinced and said, "You really haven't bullied Lianhua?" Bao Ziqiang explained, "Really not. I have news about her here, do you want to know?" Zhao Changgui pressed, "Tell me quickly!" Bao Ziqiang said, "Then let go first!" Zhao Changgui immediately released Bao Ziqiang.

Bao Ziqiang straightened his clothes, his playful mood vanishing, and said to Yang Jiefang, "Your sister has been sold to the Yantai brothel, but she hasn't had any customers yet. She's currently undergoing 'training,' and it's hard to say when she'll be done. What are your plans to rescue her?" Yang Jiefang replied, "I don't know anything about the situation there. Do you know anything about it? What ideas do you have?" Bao Ziqiang smiled slightly and said, "There are essentially two options: one is to redeem her, and the other is to abduct her. Your sister is still a virgin, and she's beautiful. The madam is hoping to make a lot of money after training her, so redeeming her would cost a fortune. Abducting her won't be easy either. The brothel has three guards, each armed with a pistol. The brothel's backer is the Yantai police chief; he has men and guns at his disposal."

Yang Jiefang secretly pondered. His current identity was that of a bandit from Qinglong Village; how could a bandit pay ransom? How could he maintain his reputation after that? The only option was to kidnap the person, but how to do it was a skill. So, Yang Jiefang asked, "Brothers, did you all hear that? If I choose to kidnap someone, is anyone willing to come with me to Yantai to fight?" Zhao Changgui immediately replied, "I'll go! Whether it's to ransom or to kidnap, I'm definitely going." Yang Jiefang ignored Zhao Changgui, his eyes scanning the faces of everyone present, carefully observing their reactions. Everyone present was deep in thought, their specific thoughts unclear. Yang Jiefang wasn't in a hurry, waiting quietly.

Hou Fei broke the silence, saying, "Brother Yang, we're brothers, your sister is my sister. Saving my own sister is no problem. Even if Yantai is a den of dragons and tigers, I'm willing to go with you. It's just that I'm not very bright, I don't have any ideas on how to do it." Chen Ergou chimed in, "Although I'm not very capable, if you think I can help, count me in." The others also expressed their willingness to go to Yantai, but how genuine their feelings were was hard to say.

Finally, Sun Zhiyong spoke up, "Brother Yang, since we're planning to use force to rescue her, we'll naturally need our guns. I'm willing to go with you. But Yantai City is different from other places; once a gun goes off, it'll be hard to clean up. So, we need to be careful, brothers!" Yang Jiefang agreed, "Brother Sun is right. I think that's what everyone's concerns are. Don't worry! I'm not a reckless person. I'll definitely plan carefully before acting. I will never let my brothers get hurt just to save my sister." Yan Donglai interjected, "The operation in Zhao Family Village last time was all planned by Brother Yang, and everyone saw how it went. I still trust Brother Yang this time. Just tell us who you need and how you plan to go. We'll all listen to you." This remark drew unanimous agreement from everyone.

Yang Jiefang said, "We'll figure out the specifics of the operation once we get to Yantai. As for the participants, I'd like to select those who performed well in the physical training these past two days. Brother Sun Zhiyong, Brother Yan Donglai, Brother Gui Liqiu, Brother Lu Ziqi, and the two brothers from the Tie family. Brother Changgui, you're included too. The rest of you will stay and continue training every day."

Hou Fei immediately said, "Brother Yang, what about me? I can do it too." Yang Jiefang smiled and said, "You have more important things to do if you stay. You're quite familiar with the people in the Grand Secretary's household, so you can train anyone willing to participate." Hou Fei asked, "You mean, we'll take anyone, no limit on the number?" Yang Jiefang nodded and said, "As long as they can persevere, the more the merrier." Hou Fei laughed and said, "Aren't you afraid of going broke?" Yang Jiefang laughed and said, "It's just a little more money, right? Problems that can be solved with money aren't problems." Bao Ziqiang immediately stretched out his right hand and said, "Give me the money! Let's round up the cost of gathering information for you to ten silver dollars. Money's not a problem, is it?"