Newborn 1927

Everyone looked at Bao Ziqiang with disdain; wasn't this blatant extortion? Yang Jiefang, however, didn't care; ten silver dollars was nothing. Now that the matter was settled, preparations needed to be made; the horses and supplies could be left to Sun Zhiyong and Yan Dong. Yang Jiefang and Bao Ziqiang went to report to Black Widow and apply for firearms.

Black Widow continued to receive Yang Jiefang and Bao Ziqiang in her living room. After listening to Yang Jiefang's request, she frowned and pondered for a moment before saying, "Are we really going to use guns? Can't we avoid using guns?" Yang Jiefang assured her, "If I can avoid using guns, I will absolutely not use them; but if it comes to using guns, I hope we have enough bullets." Black Widow stared at Yang Jiefang and asked, "Besides saving your sister, do you have any other ideas?" Knowing he couldn't hide it from her, Yang Jiefang bluntly said, "I do have some ideas. Yantai is one of the most prosperous places in Shandong, full of gold. We can't go into a treasure mountain and return empty-handed, can we? If there's an opportunity, I want to pull off a big heist; if there isn't, I won't act rashly. Boss, please rest assured, I won't risk the lives of my brothers!" Bao Ziqiang looked at Yang Jiefang with some surprise. Black Widow nodded and said, "Alright then, come and pick up the guns tomorrow morning. Baozi, you must cooperate well with Commander Yang's operation." Yang Jiefang and Bao Ziqiang both agreed and withdrew.

The two went to the accounting office, where Yang Jiefang withdrew two hundred silver dollars from his account. He told the clerk, Kong, who managed the finances, that Hou Fei could withdraw money from his account at will. Clerk Kong had no objection and instructed Kong Zongru to fetch the dollars and give them to Yang Jiefang. Yang Jiefang casually counted out ten silver dollars and gave them to Bao Ziqiang. Bao Ziqiang said embarrassedly, "Brother Yang, you really gave me so many silver dollars?" Yang Jiefang replied, "Ten silver dollars is nothing compared to the information you brought. Brother Bao, you are quite familiar with the situation in Yantai, so this trip to Yantai will depend on your efforts!" Bao Ziqiang nodded and said, "Of course." The two strolled along, with Bao Ziqiang explaining what he knew about Yantai.

After dinner, everyone returned to their lodgings, where Bao Ziqiang continued to explain the situation in Yantai. Yantai was a port forced open after the Second Opium War, and over sixty years of this opening had created a distorted economic prosperity for the city. Foreign firms from various countries were everywhere in Yantai, their counters overflowing with imported goods; at the same time, these firms were frantically buying up Chinese domestic products at rock-bottom prices. The group listened with rapt attention.

The next morning, Yang Jiefang and his group of nine went to Black Widow to collect their weapons. Black Widow had prepared five pistols and four rifles for them, each rifle with thirty rounds of ammunition and each pistol with fifty. As for melee weapons, it was inconvenient to carry broadswords into the city, but short knives and daggers were provided, ensuring each person had one. Yang Jiefang received his weapons and was about to leave when Black Widow suddenly said, "My daughter has business to attend to in Yantai. Wait a moment and set off with them!" Yang Jiefang was taken aback, but seeing Bao Ziqiang nodding slightly beside him, he didn't ask any further questions.

They didn't have to wait long before Miss Gao, the pretty girl, and the ugly girl emerged. The path down the mountain wasn't easy, and the group of twelve, each riding a horse, moved slowly, making for a rather long procession. Yang Jiefang deliberately stayed close to Miss Gao, chatting with her casually as they walked. In his previous life, he was a seasoned womanizer, and he knew all too well how to win a girl's heart. Before long, he had Miss Gao laughing and giggling. But seeing her imposing figure, Yang Jiefang secretly shook his head, finding it hard to bring himself to make a move!

A pretty maid suddenly asked, "Commander Yang, are you trying too hard to please our young lady because you're interested in her?" Yang Jiefang was taken aback and shook his head, saying, "I don't understand what you mean. We're just chatting casually, what could possibly mean?" The pretty maid wouldn't let him off the hook so easily and pressed on, "I'm asking if you want to marry her?" Yang Jiefang was utterly dumbfounded. Did she have to be so direct? She was cornering him. Yang Jiefang turned to look at the pretty maid and smiled, "If I marry your young lady, will I get a maid like you as part of the dowry?" The pretty maid shook her head and said, "I'm not the dowry maid." Then she pointed at Ugly Girl and said, "She is the dowry maid." Yang Jiefang glanced at Ugly Girl, then at the tall and plump Miss Gao, and blurted out, "Buy one get one free? You get what you pay for."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the ugly woman beside him roared angrily, then lashed out with her right hand, whipping the horsewhip fiercely. Yang Jiefang, startled, ducked and narrowly avoided the blow. The whip, however, struck the horse squarely on the neck. The horse, in pain, suddenly neighed and bolted. Yang Jiefang was terrified, quickly gripping the reins and squeezing his legs, letting the horse carry him. Those ahead, though unaware of the cause, knew the horse was frightened and out of control, and quickly intervened, bringing the horse to a stop. Yang Jiefang was still shaken, secretly resolving never to provoke that ugly woman again.

Next, the group continued their journey in silence. In the afternoon, Bao Ziqiang led them off the main road and onto a side road, where a village soon appeared. An earthen wall surrounded the village, and an archway connected the two sides, above which were written two large characters: 'Chu Family'. As the name suggested, this village must be a village of the Chu family. Considering that the Black Widow's real name was Chu Ba, could she perhaps be from this Chu family? Looking back at Miss Gao and her two companions, he understood immediately.

Bao Ziqiang led his group to the gate of a house, dismounted, and pushed open the door. A robust man in his thirties came out to greet them, nodded to Bao Ziqiang, and ignored the group, walking straight to Miss Gao and her two daughters behind him. He called out loudly, "Xiao Lan..." The pretty girl had already dismounted and hurried forward, calling out, "Brother..." The man looked her up and down, saying, "It's been two years since I last saw you. Xiao Lan has grown into a beautiful young woman. Uncle Qi was just talking about you, and here you are..." Before he could finish speaking, the pretty girl ran inside, calling out, "Uncle Qi..." The man continued to greet them, "Ugly Girl, Fatty Girl, you've both grown into beautiful young women!"

Yang Jiefang felt a jolt in his mind and pulled Bao Ziqiang beside him, asking, "Brother Bao, introduce me!" Bao Ziqiang said, "This is Brother Chu Yi, our Qinglong Village informant, commonly known as 'Bao the Informant.' Uncle Qi is the old leader's cousin, and all the informants in Qinglong Village were originally under his command. But now he's getting old and his health is failing, so the leader sent Miss to check on him!" Yang Jiefang pressed, "Xiao Lan is Miss Gao Huilan, right?" Bao Ziqiang said with a puzzled look, "Yes, why?" Yang Jiefang asked weakly, "Then... what's the name of that tall, plump girl?" Bao Ziqiang replied, "You mean Fatty? She and Ugly Girl are Miss's maids and bodyguards. Aren't you quite familiar with her? You were chatting and laughing this morning..." Yang Jiefang felt his mind go blank. With Black Widow's figure, how could her daughter not be Fatty but that pretty girl? This didn't make sense! At this moment, Fatty and Ugly Girl happened to pass by the two of them. Fatty was still all smiles, while Ugly Girl remained as cold as ever.

Bao Ziqiang called out to Chu Yi, saying, "Brother Chu Yi, let me introduce you: This is Brother Yang Jiefang, now the commander of our Qinglongzhai Upper Hall Liberation Team." Chu Yi sized up Yang Jiefang and said, "I've heard of you. You're here to rescue your sister, right? Come in and discuss it!" Bao Ziqiang asked, "Where's Jianbing?" Chu Yi replied, "He's out at his stall today, gathering information in town. He'll be back before dark." Bao Ziqiang then explained to Yang Jiefang, "Jianbing is his younger brother, Chu Shiwu. He's the one who found out about your sister." As he spoke, Chu Yi led everyone into the main room, told them to find a place to sit, and then said, "You're the commander now, and you're rescuing your sister. How do you plan to do it?"

Yang Jiefang looked around at everyone and asked, "Has any of you ever been to a brothel?" Except for Yan Donglai and Gui Liqiu, everyone else shook their heads vigorously. Yang Jiefang asked curiously, "None of you have ever been to a brothel to play with women?" Sun Zhiyong smiled bitterly, "I've never even seen a real woman." Lu Ziqi and Tiechui Tiedan nodded in agreement. Yan Donglai asked, "I've been with Lao Gui, why are you asking this?" Yang Jiefang didn't dwell on the question and said, "To rescue them, a direct assault won't work; we have to outsmart them. As the saying goes, a fortress is always breached from within, so I'm thinking of sending two brothers to stay in the brothel. After everyone is asleep, we can open the door from the inside and let everyone in and out, rescuing them without anyone noticing." The brothel wasn't a heavily guarded military base, so this plan wasn't difficult to implement. Chu Yi interjected, "That's not a bad idea." Then everyone looked at Yan Donglai and Gui Liqiu. Gui Liqiu laughed, "I have no problem with that, but staying overnight in a brothel will cost quite a bit." Yang Jiefang said, "Money is no problem, I'll take care of it. The key is whether you two can complete the task. Remember, you must get up quietly in the middle of the night, after the women sleeping with you are sound asleep, and open the back door; and you must not disturb the guards of the brothel, or you must kill them silently first." Yan Donglai said, "Don't worry! Leave this to us brothers!"

With the key issue resolved, Yang Jiefang felt a little relieved and continued, "Brother Chu Yi, you're most familiar with Yantai. Do you know how we can get our weapons in?" Chu Yi replied, "Although there are guards at the city gates, the checks aren't very strict. Generally, short knives and pistols can be brought in as long as they're hidden properly. Long guns are more troublesome, but I have a way to get them in—I'll hide them in the pancake-making oven." Yang Jiefang laughed, "If we can get them in, that's good. Things will be much easier from here on out. We can't stay together with so many of us; we have to split up. Brother Yan and Brother Gui, you two pack your things quickly and go straight to the Yihong Courtyard after we enter the city. You should familiarize yourselves with the layout of the Yihong Courtyard beforehand so you're well-prepared for the operation." Gui Liqiu smiled, "Don't worry, Brother Yang, we know what we're doing."

Yang Jiefang smiled and said, "Brother Sun and Brother Lu will be in one group, and Brother Tie will be in another group of two. You will all go into the city separately. After entering the city, first find Brother Chu to retrieve your weapons, and then find a hotel or similar place to stay near the Yihong Courtyard, preferably one with a view of the Yihong Courtyard. The four of you will each have four rifles, and your main task is to provide support. In other words, if the Yihong Courtyard's actions alert the local army or police station, you will be responsible for covering the retreat of those involved in the operation. If everything goes smoothly, you don't need to show yourselves." Everyone nodded, agreeing with Yang Jiefang's arrangement. Bao Ziqiang said, "The area around the Yihong Courtyard is quite bustling, and there are hotels, but you need to book rooms in advance. If you go late, there might not be any rooms available, let alone rooms that are convenient for observation and cover." Yang Jiefang then asked, "What about guesthouses? Are there any guesthouses for rent nearby?" Bao Ziqiang replied, "That's hard to say. Once we're in the city, we'll look around. If anyone has rooms for rent, they'll usually have a sign on the door."

Yang Jiefang continued, "You guys can stay here tonight and head into town tomorrow. Brother Bao, Brother Changgui, and I will go into town later to familiarize ourselves with the area. Tomorrow morning, we'll tell Brother Chu where we'll be staying. Once you're in town, ask Brother Chu for our address and then meet us." Everyone took notes. Chu Yi said, "Your plan is very thorough; I don't see any major problems." Since there were no objections, the matter was settled. Yang Jiefang stood up, opened his bundle, revealing a pile of silver dollars inside, and said, "Take ten silver dollars each as operating funds. If that's not enough, I'll add more when we meet tomorrow. If things go smoothly, I'll remember your kindness, brothers." He then distributed the silver dollars to everyone, including Chu Yi, who received ten silver dollars.

Gao Huilan and her two daughters went into the inner room to see their seventh uncle and didn't come out, seemingly having something to say. This operation wasn't originally related to the three women, and Yang Jiefang didn't intend to inform them. He then set off again with Bao Ziqiang and Zhao Changgui. The Chu family wasn't far from Yantai City; the three walked, reaching the city gate in less than an hour. City gates, which he had previously seen in movies and television shows as bare and empty, were now bustling with houses, streets, and people—a scene of prosperity. The checks at the city gate were indeed lax; Yang Jiefang, dressed like a wealthy young master and with money paving the way, entered the city smoothly.

Yang Jiefang had no interest in appreciating Yantai's prosperity and had Bao Ziqiang lead him straight to the Yihong Courtyard. Of course, they didn't go inside, but instead strolled around the area. Then, Yang Jiefang booked a private room at a hotel diagonally opposite the Yihong Courtyard. Looking out the room's window, he could see the main entrance of the Yihong Courtyard. At this time, the Yihong Courtyard was already open for business, and several heavily made-up girls were standing at the entrance soliciting customers.