Newborn 1927

After resting for a while, everyone got up at the crack of dawn. Chu Shiwu and Zhao Changgui went out early, rented two carriages, and returned. After the women had washed and dressed, they boarded the carriages and left the city. Sun Zhiyong, Yan Donglai, and the others, still in pairs, went out of the city separately, agreeing to meet outside the city gate. Yang Jiefang deliberately avoided Yang Lianhua, sitting side by side with Chu Shiwu in the front of the carriage, where Gao Huilan and the other two women sat. Chu Shiwu drove the carriage, chatting as they went. Yang Jiefang suddenly asked, "Fifteenth Brother, you said you could find those human traffickers, but how do you do it?" Chu Shiwu laughed, "It's simple. Just go to the mule and horse market and ask about Zhang Guolao's livestock trader, and you'll find them quickly." Yang Jiefang asked curiously, "A livestock trader?" Chu Shiwu said, "Traveling all over the country selling livestock, isn't that what a livestock trader is? Human trafficking is just a side job; he can't exactly go around shouting 'I'm a human trafficker.' It's almost the end of the year, and anyone with a little money will be slaughtering chickens and sheep for the New Year, right? So, he often sells livestock at the mule and horse market now." Yang Jiefang said fiercely, "Selling people like livestock, this is a serious matter that needs to be investigated."

The journey out of the city went smoothly, and they heard no news of anything happening at the brothel. Places like the brothel usually get up late, so under normal circumstances, something unusual wouldn't be discovered so early. Yang Jiefang and the others chose to leave the city early to create a time difference. After meeting up with the others outside the city gate, Chu Yi and Bao Ziqiang arrived in their carriages. They had transported the weapons to the Chu family overnight and came early to meet them, mainly out of concern for Gao Huilan's safety. Everyone boarded their carriages, and it didn't take long to reach the Chu family.

Now that everything was basically safe, everyone was very happy. Gao Huilan said she would treat everyone, and asked Chuyi and Shiwu to slaughter chickens and sheep and prepare flour. Chuyi was over thirty years old, married, and had two children. He immediately instructed his wife to prepare the flour, Shiwu to slaughter the chicken, and he went to find someone in the village to buy a sheep. Everyone happily helped with the preparations for a big feast. Gao Huilan called Yang Jiefang aside to the backyard and said, "Uncle Qi wants to see you!"

In a corner of the backyard stood a detached house with mud walls and a thatched roof. Yang Jiefang followed Gao Huilan inside, while Aunt Chu and Fatty stayed outside. The room was small; a wooden bed took up almost half the space. The light inside was dim, and one could vaguely see an elderly man with white hair and a thin face lying on the bed. Gao Huilan said, "Seventh Uncle, this is Yang Jiefang." She then stepped aside, making room for Yang Jiefang.

Uncle Qi's previously cloudy eyes suddenly gleamed with a sharp light, staring directly at Yang Jiefang. This made Yang Jiefang feel uneasy all over, a strange sense of unease welling up in his heart. Soon, the sharp light in Uncle Qi's eyes faded, returning to its dull and lifeless state, and then he sighed softly.

Yang Jiefang said, "Seventh Uncle, please don't sigh! I hate it when old people sigh; it makes me feel insecure, like I've done something wrong." Seventh Uncle replied in a hoarse voice, "I heard you're quite the troublemaker?" Yang Jiefang quickly said, "I don't think I'm that troublesome. If I've done anything wrong, please point it out! I'm a junior, and I'll listen carefully to your teachings!" Seventh Uncle chuckled and said, "You have such a mouth. I haven't even said anything yet. Being able to cause trouble means you're still young. When you can't cause trouble anymore, you'll be old and useless."

Gao Huilan interjected, "Who says old age makes you useless? Seventh Uncle, although you're old, you're the pillar of strength in our Qinglong Village. Even if you don't manage things much on ordinary days, everyone still comes to you for advice in crucial moments, right?" Seventh Uncle shook his head and said, "Old age is old age, you can't deny it! Sigh, some people are like that, they always want others to make decisions they don't want to make themselves. They benefit themselves and don't offend anyone. I used to be disliked for my words, but now that I'm about to be buried, people actually listen to me?" Then he turned to Yang Jiefang and said, "I heard you're a scholar, with ideals and ambitions, and you can even speak foreign languages. Hmm, more than ten years ago, a scholar who could speak foreign languages ​​also came to our Qinglong Village, just as idealistic, ambitious, and eloquent. Cough cough cough..." Seeing him cough violently, Gao Huilan quickly stepped forward to rub his chest, but Seventh Uncle quickly stopped her, saying, "Little girl, you speak! You young people should make your own decisions. Cough cough cough..."

Once his cough subsided slightly, Gao Huilan spoke, "Seventh Uncle was injured before, and talking too much makes him uncomfortable. Let me tell you! The scholar Seventh Uncle just mentioned is my father. He was a revolutionary from the south, pursued by the Qing Dynasty. My mother rescued him and brought him to Qinglong Village. My father was eloquent; he talked to my mother about revolution, democracy, freedom, the restoration of China, and the republic. My mother was immediately captivated and decided to lead Qinglong Village to join the revolution. At that time, Qinglong Village was quite strong, but my mother had only recently taken over the village, and its foundation was not yet solid. Soon, the mountain split into two factions: one willing to join the revolution and overthrow the Qing Dynasty; the other plotted to hand my father over to the government to seek the Qing's forgiveness. My father, though idealistic, was somewhat bookish and..." He tried to persuade the other faction, but things didn't go as planned. They thought my father was weak and easily bullied, and a fierce battle ensued. They were very good at choosing their timing, attacking while my mother was giving birth. Without my mother's support, my father couldn't control the situation at all, and he and some of his cronies guarded the delivery room. After giving birth to me, my mother, despite her weakness, fought back and, with the only Mauser pistol on the mountain, killed several leaders before they retreated. Because of the heavy casualties, my mother was unable to organize a pursuit, and the remaining people escaped. This fierce battle severely weakened Qinglong Village; my father died from his injuries, his cronies suffered heavy casualties, and both Aunt Chu and Fatty's parents died. Especially Aunt Chu, whose face was disfigured before she was even a year old..." At this point, Gao Huilan choked up and couldn't continue.

Uncle Qi interjected, "Being a bandit has no future. Xiao Ba's choice was right. It's a pity those people were short-sighted and missed their chance. Without a guide, they can't do anything; they watched the Qing Dynasty being overthrown, yet they still bear the label of 'bandit.'" Yang Jiefang, having learned the inside story, suddenly understood many things and said, "So, from the beginning, you categorized me and that Mr. Gao as the same kind of people?" Gao Huilan countered, "Aren't you one too?" Yang Jiefang smiled bitterly and nodded, "Have there been two voices on the mountain? Divided into two factions?" Gao Huilan agreed, "Indeed, there have been two voices, but not quite divided into two factions. My mother can still control the situation." Yang Jiefang continued, "So, this trip to Yantai, no... to the Chu family, actually had another purpose: to decide my fate? And this decision seems to be in Uncle Qi's hands." Uncle Qi shook his head, "I'm old, I can't decide. Like I said, you young people should resolve your own affairs."

Gao Huilan said, "My mother said you and my father are the same kind of person. Although I've never met my father, I know his life story and his experiences. And you, I also know your life story and experiences. But no matter how I look at you, I can't see anything special about you." Yang Jiefang knew perfectly well that the original Yang Jiefang was indeed nothing special; it was the transmigrated Yang Jiefang who was different. Black Widow had a template in her mind, and what she saw was a transmigrated Yang Jiefang; but Gao Huilan couldn't see this. She didn't have a specific template in her mind, so her idealization was even more extreme. This ambiguous feeling made her unsure whether Yang Jiefang was the ideal person in her mind.

Yang Jiefang knew he needed Gao Huilan's approval, so he said, "If your father was a pioneer, then I will be the one who brings it all together." Gao Huilan frowned noticeably, clearly disagreeing with Yang Jiefang's statement, and said, "I'm not my mother, and I won't let your grand pronouncements cloud my judgment. However, I promised you I would give you time. If you can't prove your abilities, then you can only obediently be a leader in Qinglong Village." Women are generally emotional, and a rational woman is quite formidable; the Gao Huilan before him was clearly a rational person. Therefore, Yang Jiefang agreed, "That's perfect. I hope you won't interfere with my decisions during this time!" Gao Huilan also agreed, "Okay, from now on, I will support your decisions, but I need to know your plans." Yang Jiefang was somewhat resentful, but had no choice but to agree.

Gao Huilan changed the subject, saying, "You said you wanted to take action against Hei Xiazi, do you have any plans?" Uncle Qi's gaze sharpened noticeably upon hearing Hei Xiazi's name, fixed on Yang Jiefang. Yang Jiefang said, "Originally, I wanted to use Director Li to deal with Hei Xiazi, but now I have to change my strategy. With someone like Hei Xiazi, if we don't act, we don't act; if we do, we'll eradicate him completely. Uncle Qi must know Hei Xiazi very well, right? I want to know more information; could you tell me?" Uncle Qi said, "If I could kill Hei Xiazi, I could die in peace. The information I have about him is outdated. For years, Chu Yi has been in charge of gathering information; he should know more. You should ask him!" His mental state was deteriorating rapidly; it was clear to everyone that his days were numbered.

Yang Jiefang and Gao Huilan left the backyard and found Chu Yi. Chu Yi had bought a fat sheep, slaughtered it, and then skinned and deboned it with great efficiency. After cleaning the fresh mutton, he blanched it and quickly put it in the pot. Yang Jiefang and Gao Huilan called Chu Yi into a room alone and questioned him about Hei Xiazi. Chu Yi said, "This Black Bear is the local tyrant of Muping County, a true local tyrant. There's a saying: 'The city belongs to the government, the area outside the city belongs to Black Bear.' Muping County has many mountains and little grain production, so he has people grow opium. Opium is profitable, and with more money, he can recruit more people and buy more guns. Everyone says he has eight hundred men and guns under his command, but in reality, he can mobilize far more than that. However, he prefers British guns and looks down on domestic ones. He has connections in Weihaiwei and can buy guns directly from the British. You don't know, but the same guns, domestically made imitations are more expensive than the original foreign imports, yet the quality is inferior. This time, we discovered that Director Li was conducting arms transactions with him, probably not to buy guns, but to sell opium. Director Li didn't want to pay cash for the opium, so he used arms to settle the debt. Black Bear is a local tyrant in Muping County, but he's no match for Yantai City and can only accept Director Li's arrangements."

Yang Jiefang asked, "Where is his base?" Chu Yi replied, "In Rushan Village. It's nestled against the mountains and by the water, far from Muping County. It's truly a place far from the reach of the emperor." Muping County and Rushan Village are on opposite coasts of the Jiaodong Peninsula, one on the north and the other on the south, separated by high mountains, allowing Hei Xiazi to establish his own independent territory. Yang Jiefang then asked, "What are the backgrounds of his men?" Chu Yi said, "All sorts of people. There are plenty of people struggling to survive these days. They mainly join his ranks for food. However, his leaders are mostly from the Chinese Military Corps. After the Chinese Military Corps was disbanded, they had to fend for themselves." Yang Jiefang asked curiously, "The Chinese Military Corps was disbanded? Then who defends Weihaiwei?" Chu Yi answered, "There are police, but no troops are usually stationed there. However, the British Far East Fleet stays here for half the year, which they call 'summer retreat.' They come during the hot season and head south to Hong Kong after the autumn equinox when the weather cools down." Yang Jiefang was filled with rage. His homeland and territorial waters were being so ravaged! No wonder that fat guy was clamoring to send a few warships to teach the newly formed republic a lesson; they're used to doing that kind of thing.

Chu Yi's understanding of Hei Xiazi was rather superficial, lacking in-depth information. Yang Jiefang thought for a moment and said, "Brother Chu Yi, I have a favor to ask. We need to plant a few people in Hei Xiazi's ranks, or recruit and turn some within his ranks; ideally, a two-pronged approach, to gather as much information as possible about Hei Xiazi." Chu Yi asked, "What kind of information do you want?" Yang Jiefang frowned slightly; his question was clearly unprofessional. He replied, "I need comprehensive information, not only military but also economic. I want to know how much opium he grows each year, how much money he spends on it, who he sells it to, how many people he has under his command, what equipment he possesses, and who the British arms dealer he deals with is. In short, I want to know everything related to him, including his interests, hobbies, daily behavior, family members, and so on." The more Yang Jiefang spoke, the more unpleasant Chu Yi's expression became. Yang Jiefang asked, "Are there any difficulties? If so, you can tell me, and we'll figure out a solution together." Chu Yi turned to look at Gao Huilan and said, "Alright! But this kind of thing is very expensive. Is it really necessary?"

Yang Jiefang turned to look at Gao Huilan and asked, "How much money can I use?" Gao Huilan replied, "I can give you as much as you feel is necessary." Hearing this, Yang Jiefang felt relieved, and so did Chu Yi. Yang Jiefang said, "Brother Chu Yi, I'll give you a thousand silver dollars first; if that's not enough, give me a plan, and I'll approve the funds. Remember this: problems that can be solved with money aren't really problems. That's my saying; just come to me if you need money."