Newborn 1927

Yang Jiefang frowned slightly. His original intention in teaching everyone to sing was to teach them to read; if they only wanted to learn to sing and not to read, then it went against his original intention. It seemed he would have to have a serious talk with these people.

Yang Jiefang said loudly, "Brothers, do you know why a scholar like me has ended up here? It's because my mother is illiterate. When she borrowed money from others, the IOU she wrote on it didn't match what she said. She didn't notice and ended up being tricked into taking out a loan at exorbitant interest rates. The interest compounded and quickly wiped out our family's savings. Is there anyone among you who wants to get married, have children, and go down the mountain to live a normal life? It's not too late to learn to read now. You never know when you might need it."

Immediately, someone said, "What's the use of thinking about it? These days, we just live one day at a time. Getting married and having children? I wouldn't even dare to dream of it!" Most people in this mountain stronghold were just getting by, which wasn't what Yang Jiefang wanted. Yang Jiefang glanced at everyone and continued, "Brothers, have you ever heard this saying: 'Though born as ants, we should aspire to great heights; though our lives are as fragile as paper, we should have an indomitable spirit; the future is uncertain, and anything is possible!' Zhang Zuolin, the Great Marshal, was just a veterinarian who treated horses before, and Zhang Zongchang, like us, was a bandit. How are we any less capable than them? There's nothing we can't do in this world. As long as we dare to dream and act, who knows, one day we might just rise to prominence!"

The bandits stared in disbelief, deeply shaken, and unconsciously thought, "Yes, how am I any worse than them?" Yang Jiefang continued, "Since everyone enjoys listening to songs, I'll sing another one for you. It's called 'A Man Should Be Self-Reliant.'" He cleared his throat and began to sing:

"With pride facing countless waves, my blood boils like the red sun; my courage is as strong as iron, and my bones as solid as steel."

With a heart as vast as a hundred thousand miles and a vision as far as ten thousand miles, I strive to be a hero. To be a hero, one must be self-reliant every day.

A man of passion shines brighter than the sun; let the sea and sky gather my energy, to forge ahead and create new paths for my ideals.

Look at the towering blue waves, look at the vast blue sky, my spirit soars high. I am a man, I should strive to be strong.

Stand tall and proud, let's all be pillars of society and heroes. Let my hundred points of heat shine a thousand points of light, let's be true heroes.

My passionate heart shines brighter than the sun; let the sea and sky gather energy for me.

Go forth and create a new world for my ideals, and behold the majestic blue waves.

Looking again at the vast blue sky, my spirit soars; I am a man, and I must strive to be strong.

Stand tall and proud, let's all be pillars of society and heroes, let our hundred points of heat shine a thousand points of light.

Be a true hero, with a heart full of passion and a spirit that shines brighter than the sun.

Be a true hero, with a heart full of passion and a spirit that shines brighter than the sun.

The lyrics of "A Man Should Be Self-Reliant" also contain phrases about being a hero, but its spirit is higher than that of "Heroes' Song." The lyrics' soaring momentum is full of chivalrous spirit, making listeners' blood boil. Coupled with Yang Jiefang's words just now, they were like a wake-up call, giving these people a sharp blow.

Bai Lang stepped forward from the crowd and said, "Brother Yang, well said! A man should be self-reliant! I want to learn this song, and I want to learn the words in it too. I'll learn to read from you from now on." Sun Zhiyong, Yan Donglai, and the others echoed his sentiments. This was exactly the effect they wanted, so Yang Jiefang didn't refuse and immediately began teaching them, word by word. More and more people filled the canteen, and everyone started learning.

When it was time to eat, Yang Jiefang's roommates received an extra meal—a boiled egg for each of them. Hou Fei and the others all stood up to thank Bai Lang in the main hall. The extra egg made Bai Lang's men and Hou Fei's group extremely happy, while the others looked on with envy. Yang Jiefang shook his head; how scarce material resources were in this era, and how low people's aspirations for life were.

Ma Shangfei told everyone that the horses had been chosen and asked if they wanted to try riding them. Hou Fei had to entrust the sheep to someone else for a few days; Lu Ziqi, Tiechui, Tiedan, and the others also put aside their other matters to prepare for tomorrow's trip. The trial rides were necessary, so Yang Jiefang told everyone to go first, and he would teach them the song a few more times before they went later. Making the wooden boards and writing the lyrics would be put aside for now; the priority was to teach everyone the song while it was still fresh in their minds.

After dinner, Yang Jiefang taught everyone to sing the song several more times in the dining hall until his throat was hoarse. Then he tried riding the horses, and thankfully there were no problems. Before dinner, the dry rations prepared by Wu Laokou for everyone were ready, divided into nine portions. Ma Shangfei also prepared some horse feed, also packed into nine separate bags. After these preparations were completed, everyone went to bed early. In the middle of the night, Ma Shangfei called Hou Fei to help feed the horses. The saying "a horse won't get fat without night grass" is determined by the horse's digestive system. Although horses eat grass, they don't have the rumination ability of cattle and sheep, so their ability to digest and absorb grass is not as strong. In professional terms, their feed conversion rate is relatively low, and they are prone to weight loss if they are not fed at night. Resources on the mountain are not abundant, so they are generally not fed at night; they are only fed at midnight when the horses need to be used the next day.

The next day, before dawn, Sun Zhiyong woke everyone up to prepare for departure. Shang Mafei led the group to the stables to fetch the horses, while Sun Zhiyong and Yan Donglai took Yang Jiefang to Black Widow's place to collect the guns. The guns were already prepared in the yard: four pistols and four rifles. The pistols were Mauser pistols, often seen in movies; at this time, Mauser pistols weren't the fully automatic, twenty-shot type, but rather had only ten rounds per magazine and could only fire single shots. The rifles were domestically produced Hanyang rifles. Sun Zhiyong and Yan Donglai briefly checked them before carrying them on their backs. Black Widow handed Yang Jiefang a wooden plaque, saying, "Be careful! It's a bit far; if something happens, we won't be able to provide immediate support." Yang Jiefang agreed, took the plaque, and put it in his pocket.

They regrouped and distributed the weapons. Sun Zhiyong, Lu Ziqi, Tiechui, and Tiedan took long guns, while the others took short guns. It was still dark, and the surroundings were completely black. Relying on their familiarity with the terrain, they led their horses forward. Upon reaching the village gate, they found it guarded day and night. After checking the wooden plaque in Yang Jiefang's hand, they were allowed to pass. After traveling for a while, it gradually brightened, and a river appeared ahead—the Fulong River, another tributary of the Wulong River. This was the upper reaches of the Fulong River; the river wasn't wide, and there was a wooden bridge across it, built by Qinglong Village for easier travel. The horses and men creaked as they walked across it. After crossing the bridge, everyone continued on horseback. The mountain path wasn't good, so they couldn't gallop at full speed. By the time they reached Xujiadian, it was already broad daylight. The headman suggested they rest and give the horses water.

Xujiadian was a small town with only one restaurant, but it was a necessary stop on the route between Laiyang and Yantai, where passing merchants would eat and rest. There were no other customers in the restaurant. A young waiter came out and greeted them with a smile, asking, "Brothers, are you here for a meal or a rest?" Hou Fei laughed, "I want steamed buns." The waiter chuckled, "We don't have steamed buns, but would you like the filling?" Upon seeing Yang Jiefang, he looked him up and down and said, "Oh, it's you! I heard a new pretty boy who can sing has arrived in the village. You must be the one!" Hou Fei introduced him, "His name is Baozi, he's the village's informant." In other words, he was the village's spy. Hou Fei knew him well, and since no one else was around, they started joking around. Yang Jiefang quickly remembered that this body had escaped while resting here and was later taken to Qinglong Village, where he had met Baozi.

Yang Jiefang nodded and said, "My name is Yang Jiefang. Brother Bao, we're brothers from now on. If you want to learn to sing, I can teach you." As they spoke, the group entered the shop and sat down. Immediately, Baozi went to feed the horses. The waiter, Baozi, brought out a teapot and poured them some water. They then took out their own dry rations and began to eat. Baozi sat down in front of Yang Jiefang and said, "Of course I want to learn! Why don't you sing one for me right now?" Yang Jiefang, chewing his rations, shook his head and said, "We have to travel today, I don't have time. I'll definitely teach you when I get back." Although Baozi was always asking around, he didn't inquire about their whereabouts; he simply responded.

Yang Jiefang remembered something and asked, "Brother Bao, may I ask you something?" Baozi smiled and said, "Of course, but if it's important information, there's a fee." Hou Fei laughed, "Are you greedy? Even your own brothers need money." Baozi said, "There's no way around it, this is what we do, we can't break the rules. But, if you can sing me a little song, that can settle the debt." In the end, he still wanted to sing. Yang Jiefang replied, "Okay, I'll sing after I finish eating. What I want to ask is, do you know those human traffickers from the other day?" Baozi nodded and said, "Of course I know them. What you really want to ask isn't those human traffickers, but your sister's whereabouts, right?" Yang Jiefang answered, "That's right. If possible, I want to rescue my sister." Baozi said, "Your sister has already entered Yantai City. It'll be difficult to find her, and it'll cost money. Do you have any?" Yang Jiefang said, "I don't have any now, but when I come back, I'll definitely have money for you. You can prepare in advance." Hou Fei chimed in, "I'll use my sheep as collateral, with..." "I'll definitely have the money for you later." Baozi laughed, "You little rascal, weren't you saving that sheep for your wedding? Now you're taking it out? What? You've got your eye on her sister? I'm not saying this to criticize you, but with your looks, you're not good enough for her." Hou Fei retorted, "I'm doing this for my brother, you understand? Even my own brother needs money, it seems you don't understand." Baozi said seriously, "I can forgo making money, but this really costs money. However, since we've come this far, I can cover it first." Yang Jiefang said, "Brother Bao, thank you! Don't worry, I definitely won't let you suffer any losses."

Yang Jiefang hurriedly ate a few mouthfuls of dry rations, drank some water, and sang a song called "A Man Should Be Self-reliant." Baozi, deeply moved, clapped and cheered, saying, "A man should be self-reliant! That's so true! I grew up begging with my grandmother in Yantai, without even a proper name. From today onward, I'll no longer be called Baozi, I'll be called Bao Ziqiang. You'll all call me Bao Ziqiang from now on." Everyone nodded in agreement.

Yang Jiefang asked curiously, "So how did you get here and join Qinglong Village?" Yang Jiefang wanted to know the background of everyone; truly wicked people would be eliminated. Bao Ziqiang said sadly, "From the time I was old enough to understand, I followed my grandmother to beg for food in Yantai. I have no idea what my background was before. My grandmother always called me Baozi (steamed bun), I don't know if it was because she especially wanted to eat steamed buns or because I looked like one. That winter was particularly cold, and my grandmother froze to death on the street. The government officials threw her onto a cart and took her away. I chased after her, crying, all the way out of Yantai. I was still young then, and couldn't run fast, so I lost her and got lost. If I hadn't met the chief, I'm afraid I would have frozen or starved to death long ago." He rose from a begging boy to become the head of the informants, showing he was a very self-reliant person.

Yang Jiefang patted Bao Ziqiang on the shoulder, comforting him, "We're all unfortunate souls. Just live well, and that'll be enough to honor your deceased grandmother! Remember this: though born as an ant, one should aspire to greatness; though life is as fragile as paper, one should have an indomitable spirit! Let's work hard together, brothers! Maybe one day we can all rise to prominence." Bao Ziqiang shuddered, staring at Yang Jiefang, and said, "You've really touched my heart, Brother Yang. From now on, you're my brother." He then punched Yang Jiefang in the chest, catching him off guard and causing him to stumble. Hou Fei caught Yang Jiefang from behind, cursing, "You son of a bitch, that was too much!" Bao Ziqiang quickly smiled apologetically, "Sorry, I didn't stop myself." He placed a hand on Yang Jiefang's shoulder, rubbing his chest. Yang Jiefang knew he was just being friendly, so he didn't get angry, saying, "It's alright, I just lost my balance." But in his heart, he thought, "I'll have to be more careful next time, that really hurts!"