Newborn 1927

As Yang Jiefang passed by the front desk, he happened to run into Chu Yi and Bao Ziqiang, who were checking into the inn with Chu Gu and Pang Ya. Chu Gu was dressed as a wealthy young woman who had come to the city for medical treatment, her face covered, while Pang Ya was dressed as her maid. Chu Yi was still playing the coachman, and Bao Ziqiang was the older brother. The two had already restored their appearances and were arguing with the innkeeper. It turned out that the innkeeper disliked them for having a sick person with them, citing the fear of disturbing other guests. The innkeeper kept saying, "Hurry up and take the patient to the hospital! We can't afford to delay! Our inn has been inadequate in its service, we apologize!" This disrupted their original plans, which greatly annoyed Bao Ziqiang.

Yang Jiefang, understanding the situation, immediately said, "If you need medical attention, there's no need to stay at the inn. Just go to the hospital. I'll lead the way; we'll go now." Without waiting for their reply, he went out first. A carriage was parked in front of the inn, with Chu Gu and Pang Ya waiting beside it without entering. Chu Yi and Bao Ziqiang also came out, anxiously asking, "What's wrong?" They could tell Yang Jiefang was in a hurry, clearly something was wrong. Yang Jiefang said, "Chief Li of the police station wants to take Miss away..." Before he could finish, Chu Yi panicked and shouted, "Get in the carriage! Let's stop them!" He was joking; Miss was the daughter of a bandit, essentially a bandit herself. Being taken away by the police chief was a serious matter.

The group quickly boarded the carriage. Yang Jiefang briefly explained the situation, saying, "Miss seems to have come along voluntarily, so perhaps it's not as bad as it seems. My idea is to follow behind and observe the situation before making any decisions. This is Yantai City, after all. Getting into a fight with the police chief in broad daylight would be asking for trouble." Bao Ziqiang and Chu Gu quickly agreed with Yang Jiefang's suggestion. Chu Yi thought about it carefully and agreed as well, urging the carriage to catch up. In the movies and TV dramas of Yang Jiefang's time, from the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, horse-drawn carriages seemed to have suddenly disappeared, with rickshaws becoming the norm. When Yang Jiefang arrived in Yantai, he discovered that animal-drawn carts were the mainstream. Animal-drawn carts used specifically for hauling goods were generally called flat carts, which had no canopy but could still carry passengers; only carts specifically for passengers had canopies and seats, and the seats were removable, allowing cargo to be loaded after the seats were removed. Therefore, in Yantai City, horse-drawn carriages, mule carts, and donkey carts were everywhere, and animal excrement was everywhere, making the city's sanitation characterized by filth and disorder.

The carriage prepared for the first day of the lunar month had a canopy. Yang Jiefang and Bao Ziqiang sat on one side, facing Chu Gu. Chu Gu seemed reluctant to meet Yang Jiefang's gaze, turning her head to the side without saying a word. Director Li's carriage also had a canopy and was more luxurious. Two policemen sat side by side in front, one driving. The two carriages traveled one after the other through the street, not very fast. Turning left and right, the carriages unexpectedly headed east out of the city gate. Bao Ziqiang said, "They didn't go to the police station, so the young lady's identity hasn't been exposed. But this is the direction to the port, what are they doing here?" Chu Yi said in a deep voice, "I'm afraid it's nothing good, I hope it's not what I guessed!" Aunt Chu asked, "Brother Chu Yi, what did you guess?" Chu Yi was silent for a while, then said, "I heard that there's a cluster of Western-style houses by the sea where many high-ranking officials keep mistresses, and they specifically choose young, beautiful, and educated foreign students..." Before he could finish speaking, Aunt Chu said fiercely, "He wouldn't dare!" As if confirming Chu Yi's guess, a cluster of Western-style houses indeed appeared ahead, and there were almost no pedestrians on the road, making the place exceptionally quiet. Yang Jiefang casually said, "I have a house facing the sea, where spring is warm and flowers bloom. Hehe, what a paradise where spring is warm and flowers bloom!"

The carriage stopped in front of a Western-style building. Chu Yi quickly steered the carriage to a side road and brought it to a stop. The area was densely covered with bushes and lush vegetation, perfect for hiding. The people in the carriage immediately jumped down, turned around, and hid at the roadside, peering out. Two people alighted from the carriage at the front gate; it was Director Li and Gao Huilan, whom they had seen earlier. Gao Huilan deliberately looked around, surveying the surroundings, then nodded and offered her compliments. Then, Director Li, smiling, tried to take Gao Huilan's hand, but she refused. He could only gesture for her to enter the courtyard. The gate was a Western-style iron gate; a policeman unlocked it, indicating that no one was inside. After Director Li and Gao Huilan entered the house, two policemen drove the carriage into the courtyard and locked the gate.

Yang Jiefang and the others exchanged glances, quickly racking their brains for a solution. Aunt Chu spoke first, saying, "Knowing Miss as I do, since she came voluntarily, she must have her reasons. She didn't run away halfway, so we don't need to force our way in to rescue her. Let's observe the situation first." Yang Jiefang asked, "The problem is, does she know we're following us?" Aunt Chu replied, "We've been following her for so long, Miss must have noticed us. She definitely has a backup plan; we'll just have to cooperate." Having no other options, the others had no choice but to agree with Aunt Chu's assessment.

Sure enough, after only a moment, the courtyard gate opened again, and a policeman came out. Aunt Chu whispered, "Take this policeman down." Actually, even without her reminder, everyone had the same idea. Time was of the essence, and there was no time to devise a battle plan; they could only act according to the situation. Yang Jiefang said, "I'll distract him; you guys act as you see fit." Chu Yi agreed, "I'll ambush him from behind; we must capture him alive." With no one around, it was convenient to act. Yang Jiefang waited until the policeman approached, then walked out through a side path, deliberately looking left and right at the intersection, lingering for a moment. Standing on the side he had come from, facing the direction the policeman had come from, he asked, "Excuse me, officer, could I ask you for directions?" The policeman had just reached the intersection; if he had glanced around casually, he would have definitely seen Chu Yi and the others, but he was distracted by Yang Jiefang's words and only focused on sizing him up, not paying attention to anything else. The policeman approached Yang Jiefang and asked, "What do you want to ask?" Yang Jiefang smiled slightly, but before he could speak, Chu Yi had already quickly moved behind the policeman, grabbing his neck with her left hand and covering his mouth and nose with her right, then quickly retreating and pulling him to a side path. The policeman skillfully grabbed Chu Yi's arm, trying to protect his neck. Bao Ziqiang swiftly snatched the long gun slung over the policeman's right shoulder. Chu Gu pulled out a dagger, held it to the policeman's eyes, and whispered, "Don't shout or move, or I'll cripple one of your eyes." The policeman's eyes widened, looking at the dagger so close to his face, and he indeed dared not move.

Yang Jiefang then approached the policeman and said, "We have some questions for you. If you promise not to shout or scream, we'll let you go." The policeman made a 'woo-woo' sound but couldn't speak. Yang Jiefang said, "If you promise not to shout or scream, blink three times." The policeman blinked quickly. Seeing this, Yang Jiefang said, "Brother Yi, let him go first." Chu Yi released his right hand, but his left arm was still around the policeman's neck. The policeman gasped for breath and said, "What...what are you going to do?" Yang Jiefang asked, "You just brought a girl from the brothel. Tell me what happened!" The policeman was slightly surprised and said, "She's a rich girl who was trafficked. Our chief said he wanted to help her find her family, so he brought her here to stay for a few days." Chu Yi shouted, "Nonsense! Who in Yantai City doesn't know what kind of person Chief Li is? Would he be so kind? Tell the truth, or we'll cripple you first." As he spoke, his left arm tightened its grip. The policeman smiled wryly and said, "That's what the chief said. How would I know what he's thinking?" He didn't even believe the chief's words.

Yang Jiefang didn't want to dwell on the issue, so he asked, "Besides the people who just arrived, is there anyone else in the house?" The policeman replied, "No. This house has been empty; no one lives there." Yang Jiefang then asked, "So, what are you going out for now?" The policeman replied, "Miss Gao said she's hungry and wants to eat. It's not far from the port, and there's a Western restaurant nearby. The chief wants me to go buy some food—bread, desserts, coffee, and maybe some steak." Having ascertained the restaurant's location, Yang Jiefang already had a plan in mind and gave Chu Yi a look. Chu Yi understood, forcefully tightening her grip on the policeman's neck and covering his mouth and nose again. The policeman struggled desperately, trying to break free. Chu Yi sheathed her dagger and swung a punch, striking the policeman squarely in the temple. The policeman tilted his head and fainted.

Yang Jiefang turned around and said, "Brother Bao, quickly disguise yourself as this policeman and wait for me here. I'll go to the Western restaurant to buy some food, and we'll go in together to rescue him." Bao Ziqiang said, "That's not a good idea. It's too sudden. It'll be troublesome if they notice anything amiss." Yang Jiefang said, "Just make it about 70-80% convincing. I have a way to prevent them from noticing anything." Bao Ziqiang had no choice but to agree, "Okay, I'll try my best! And believe it or not, this policeman is about my height. Brother Yi, get him into the car so he won't be discovered." Chu Yi responded and dragged the man into the car.

Suddenly, Auntie Chu spoke up, "Let Fatty go with you and buy more things so we can have one more person in." Yang Jiefang agreed and took Fatty to buy things. Following the route the police had given them, they quickly found the Western restaurant, a French restaurant. It was neither too early nor too late, and the restaurant was not crowded. A blond, blue-eyed waiter listlessly greeted them, saying, "Bon après-midi—good afternoon." Yang Jiefang smiled slightly and said, "Bon après-midi!" He had traveled to Europe and had naturally been to France. Although he wasn't fluent in French, he could still manage everyday phrases. The waiter, slightly taken aback when Yang Jiefang spoke fluent French, immediately changed his attitude, bowing and saying, "Y a - t - il quelque chose que je peux faire pour vous (How can I help you?)" Yang Jiefang spoke fluent French the entire time, buying a large amount of things including bread, desserts, milk, and coffee, having them packed in cardboard boxes, and then he and Fatty each carried two boxes out of the Western restaurant. Fatty was completely dumbfounded, her eyes wide with shock. Once outside the restaurant, she finally asked, "You can speak Western languages ​​too?" Yang Jiefang smiled and said, "I can speak Japanese languages ​​as well." Fatty's mouth dropped open in even greater astonishment.

Yang Jiefang ignored the fat girl and strode forward, quickly returning to the fork in the road. Bao Ziqiang had already changed into a police uniform, carrying a gun and waiting there. After some simple makeup, he did look somewhat like him. Yang Jiefang took out a French bread and said, "Follow us at a distance, eat as you go, that should fool us." Bao Ziqiang laughed, "What a big fool! It can cover half my face, that's perfect."

Yang Jiefang led Fatty to the courtyard gate and knocked. A policeman came to the gate and asked through the iron gate, "What do you want?" Yang Jiefang replied, "We're here to deliver Western food; there's quite a lot." He then gestured to Bao Ziqiang, who was hanging far behind them. Bao Ziqiang imitated the policeman's walking posture, slowly munching on his bread as he walked. The policeman pursed his lips, muttered something, but didn't suspect anything and opened the gate. Yang Jiefang went in and said, "I heard our important guests are in a hurry, so let's hurry and bring them in!" The policeman had originally wanted to wait a bit, but hearing Yang Jiefang's words, he didn't want to wait any longer, leaving the gate open and leading Yang Jiefang and Fatty inside.

Seeing the empty living room, Yang Jiefang asked, "I heard the guest is a young lady, why haven't I seen her?" The policeman casually replied, "She's upstairs. Put your things on the table!" Yang Jiefang then asked, "Is your chief upstairs too?" The policeman, without suspicion, replied casually, "They're both upstairs. Be quiet, put your things down and leave quickly!" The two put down their things, and Yang Jiefang gave Fatty a look, moved a few steps to the side, and said, "Could you please pay?" The policeman raised an eyebrow, surprised, "Didn't that kid pay?" At this moment, the policeman was facing Yang Jiefang, his back to Fatty. Fatty swung her fist, imitating Auntie's earlier move, and punched the policeman in the temple. The policeman didn't even groan, fell to the ground, and passed out. Just then, Bao Ziqiang pushed open the door and entered. Yang Jiefang whispered, "Tie him up." Then he quickly walked to the steps beside him, pulling out a pistol as he went. Fatty followed closely behind, also pulling out a pistol. Bao Ziqiang knew that the policeman wouldn't be unconscious for long, so he had no choice but to keep him there for the time being.

Unsure which room Director Li and Gao Huilan were in, Yang Jiefang knocked on each door. When he knocked on the third room, a man's shout rang out: "Who is it? What are you knocking on?" It was undoubtedly Director Li. Yang Jiefang said, "Director Li, we've come to deliver Western food. Would you like it eaten downstairs or brought upstairs?" Before he could finish speaking, Gao Huilan's voice rang out from inside: "Come in!" Yang Jiefang's heart skipped a beat. He gently pushed the door open. When Yang Jiefang saw the scene inside, he was stunned.