Newborn 1927

Wu Junxu's death meant Bai He had avenged herself, but remembering her parents who had died tragically, she couldn't help but weep. He Huan quickly went over to comfort her. Yang Jiefang ordered the body to be dragged away and buried. After Bai He had cried for a while, he stepped forward and said, "Miss Bai, I also lost my parents and know the pain of losing loved ones. However, the dead are gone, and the living must continue to live. If you'd like, stay in Qinglong Village and make this your home. If you don't mind, how about we become siblings?" Bai He looked at Yang Jiefang with teary eyes and said, "So you've lost your parents too? Then let's become siblings! That way we can take care of each other in the future." Yang Jiefang accepted Bai He as his sister, reassuring her to stay. He then chatted with He Huan for a while, arranging for him to work at the Xujiadian breeding farm and establish a veterinary health station. He Huan agreed, not asking to take Bai He away, but instead asking Yang Jiefang to take good care of her.

It was breakfast time. After eating, Yang Jiefang gave the special forces soldiers a few days off and went back to his quarters, collapsing into bed immediately. He was exhausted from the previous days of working day and night. He slept all morning, waking up in the afternoon with a rumbling stomach. Yang Jiefang washed up and went to the mess hall. It was well past mealtime, but the mess hall was packed with people; Jiang Xiaojun was giving a lecture there.

Yang Jiefang entered the kitchen, where only Bai Lang's mother was tidying up. He called out, "Aunt Bai, is there anything to eat? I haven't had lunch yet." Aunt Bai replied, "There are steamed buns, but they're cold, and all the vegetables are gone. How about I make you a bowl of noodles?" Yang Jiefang said, "Noodles are good, but please add some chili." Aunt Bai agreed and went to wash her hands and knead the dough.

Yang Jiefang then came out, went to the main hall, found a seat, and watched Jiang Xiaojun give her lesson. The girl was lecturing on "My Old Home." Yang Jiefang had learned this text as a child, and even memorized the entire thing. Listening to Jiang Xiaojun's lesson now had a unique flavor.

After cooking the noodles, Bai's mother, seeing that Yang Jiefang hadn't come in, brought the bowl out and placed it in front of him. The steaming bowl of noodles, topped with a poached egg, looked incredibly appetizing. Yang Jiefang immediately started eating, making slurping noises as he ate. Suddenly, Jiang Xiaojun stopped, letting out a soft "hmm," which caught Yang Jiefang's attention. Jiang Xiaojun glared at him and said, "I'm giving a lecture here! Can't you be a little quieter?" This girl had a bad temper and wasn't easy to deal with, so Yang Jiefang quickly apologized, picked up his bowl, and left. After finishing the bowl of noodles, he took it to the kitchen to wash the dishes. Bai's mother tried to wash the dishes herself, but Yang Jiefang refused, and the two chatted in the kitchen for a while.

When Yang Jiefang came out of the kitchen again, Jiang Xiaojun's lesson was over. In the past, everyone would go to the drill ground to listen to Yang Jiefang's military lectures. But Yang Jiefang hadn't been at the mountain stronghold for the past few days, so the military lessons had been suspended. He had just returned today and wasn't ready to start teaching yet. So everyone dispersed. Only one particularly eager student remained, pestering Jiang Xiaojun with questions. Jiang Xiaojun patiently answered them. Yang Jiefang immediately recognized the student as Gao Qiang, who had recently come from the Gao family; judging from his expression, it was clear his true intentions were not what they seemed.

Yang Jiefang stepped forward, patted Gao Qiang on the shoulder, and said, "Brother Gao, you've been going to school with Xiao Lan and Aunt Chu since you were little, and your grades are just as good as theirs. Aunt Chu can even be a lecturer now, and you're still pretending to be illiterate. Is that really necessary?" Gao Qiang was caught red-handed and blushed. Jiang Xiaojun, upon hearing this, disdainfully moved far away. Yang Jiefang continued, "You came to Qinglong Village to learn skills, not to pick up girls. I'll start teaching new material tomorrow, and I won't wait for you guys. Instead of wasting your time, why don't you find a way to catch up on the lessons you've missed?" Gao Qiang stammered, "Of course I can catch up myself. Asking Miss Jiang for some advice won't affect anything." Yang Jiefang shook his head, "Don't waste your time. She's not someone you can handle!" Gao Qiang retorted, "Why?" Yang Jiefang, not wanting to waste words, shouted, "Get lost! If you're not happy, go back to the Gao family!" Gao Qiang, unwilling but helpless, turned and left.

Yang Jiefang turned around and saw Jiang Xiaojun's frosty expression, feeling somewhat embarrassed. He chuckled, "Miss Jiang, this guy has ulterior motives. Just ignore him from now on." Jiang Xiaojun replied sternly, "He has ulterior motives? And you're kind-hearted? I think you're even worse!" Yang Jiefang immediately agreed, "Yes, yes, I'm not a good person. You don't need to give me a 'good guy' card. Hehe, don't be so serious! Come on, smile. Actually, you look most beautiful when you smile!" Jiang Xiaojun snorted coldly and said... "I'm not a giggler, why would I smile for you?" Jiang Xiaojun retorted. "Have you ever heard the saying, 'A smiling girl is always lucky'?" She snapped, "Meeting you is the worst thing that could have happened to me! What luck could I possibly have? I don't know what sins I committed in my past life to deserve this." Yang Jiefang suddenly realized, "Oh, I get it. We were enemies in our past lives." Jiang Xiaojun stomped her foot angrily and shouted, "Who said we were enemies? Don't talk nonsense!"

Yang Jiefang laughed and said, "I went to Yantai this time to talk business with your brother. He thought you eloped with me, and he kept calling me 'brother-in-law,' I felt so bad refusing." Jiang Xiaojun's eyes widened, and she said, "How could that be?" Yang Jiefang said, "That's a question for you. What did you say in your letter back?" Jiang Xiaojun said, "What else could I say? Of course, I couldn't tell the truth. I just said I was at a friend's house and would be back in a while." Yang Jiefang said, "You didn't say which friend, right?" Jiang Xiaojun replied, "Of course I didn't say. If I had, wouldn't he have come knocking on my door?" Yang Jiefang said, "So, he shouldn't know you're here with me." Jiang Xiaojun replied, "Of course he doesn't know. Wait a minute, why is he calling you 'brother-in-law'? What did you say to him?"

Yang Jiefang said, "That day at the Yantai city gate, to shut you up..." Jiang Xiaojun blushed and interrupted, "Don't mention that again!" The memory of that fleeting kiss was still unforgettable! Yang Jiefang continued his rambling, "But someone who knows you saw it and told your brother. Your brother said that since we're like this, he can't refuse to acknowledge me as his brother-in-law. He even asked me when I'd bring him a chubby grandson..." Jiang Xiaojun was both ashamed and angry, shouting, "You're talking nonsense!" She picked up her book and tried to hit him. Yang Jiefang dodged, and Jiang Xiaojun chased after him to hit him again. Yang Jiefang dodged around the table.

Just then, Aunt Chu rushed over, calling out, "Xiao Jun, what's wrong?" She had heard Jiang Xiao Jun's cursing from afar and thought she'd been bullied; but seeing the two of them playfully fighting in the kitchen, she was stunned. Jiang Xiao Jun felt a little embarrassed and turned back to ask, "Why are you here?" Aunt Chu said, "I saw you hadn't returned and was worried something might have happened, so I came to check on you. I'm glad you're alright." In Qinglong Village, Aunt Chu and Jiang Xiao Jun were the closest, and Aunt Chu was very protective of her. Touched by her sister's concern, Jiang Xiao Jun went over and took Aunt Chu's hand, saying, "I'm fine. It's just that this guy is so annoying!" Aunt Chu looked at Yang Jiefang with a puzzled expression, not understanding why he had offended Jiang Xiao Jun again.

Yang Jiefang's smile faded, and he said seriously, "I really did see your brother. He suspects me, thinking I kidnapped you; but I didn't admit it. Sigh, I was planning to discuss a big deal with him, but his suspicions have ruined our conversation." Jiang Xiaojun couldn't help but ask, "What kind of business do you want to discuss?" Yang Jiefang replied, "That depends on your brother's capabilities. The bigger his capabilities, the bigger our business. Whatever his capabilities, that's the kind of business we'll do."

Jiang Xiaojun said "Oh," and then said, "Aren't you eager to cooperate with the Gao family now? Throwing in 100,000 silver dollars with a wave of your hand, what a bold move! If you have money, keep investing. That way you can also win over Miss Gao's heart, isn't that great!"

Yang Jiefang said, "The Gao family's strength is limited; they can't handle more money. I wonder how much strength your Jiang family has? If you're strong enough, I'd like to eagerly cooperate with you." Seeing that he wasn't joking, Jiang Xiaojun also became serious and asked, "So how much do you plan to invest? Another 100,000 silver dollars?" Yang Jiefang said proudly, "100,000 isn't enough. I want to invest in a project worth a million silver dollars."

Jiang Xiaojun was taken aback and replied, "My brother's trading company isn't very big. We can try a business of 100,000 silver dollars, but anything bigger probably won't work." Yang Jiefang said, "The Gao family is already handling the trade, so there's no need to invest again. What I want to do is open a bank and get into finance. Given my current status, I can only find someone to cooperate with. I wonder if your Jiang family has any connections in this area?" Jiang Xiaojun replied, "My brother majored in accounting, and my sister-in-law's brother works in a bank. My brother originally wanted to open a money exchange, but it didn't work out, so he started the trading company." Yang Jiefang was delighted to hear this and said, "Why didn't you say so earlier? Then we have a basis for cooperation. Doing finance is great! You can easily transfer other people's money into your own pocket. It's faster than robbing people on the highway!" Jiang Xiaojun said irritably, "It's not that easy. There are at least a hundred money exchanges and banks in Yantai City, most of which are barely surviving. The money exchange business is not easy."

Yang Jiefang said disdainfully, "What are those money shops in Yantai? They rely on their connections in both the legitimate and underworld circles to leech off others by lending money at exorbitant interest rates. If they can grow big, it's a miracle. Although there are a few that do legitimate business, their management philosophy is too outdated and they can't keep up with the times. If your brother partners with me to open a bank, I guarantee we'll make money. In the future, we can become one of the top banks in Yantai."

Jiang Xiaojun shook her head and said, "It's good that you have ideals, but you also need to be realistic. Right now, HSBC dominates Yantai. My brother returned from studying in Japan, and even with the support of a Japanese bank, he was helpless against HSBC and had to switch to a trading company. I admit you have some ability, but the financial industry, although I don't understand it very well, I know that ordinary people can't handle it." Yang Jiefang said, "I'm not an ordinary person. Actually, what I want to start is an industrial bank, absorbing depositors' savings and using the money to invest in real industries. Wouldn't that be more profitable than simply lending money?" Jiang Xiaojun sighed and said, "My second uncle thought the same thing, talking about how industry is the foundation of the nation. He did it back then, and the process was incredibly difficult. Investing in real industries isn't as simple as you think; it's actually fraught with difficulties and risks." Yang Jiefang asked curiously, "Tell me about it!"

Jiang Xiaojun recalled, "My second uncle once partnered with someone to start a match factory, with my father supporting it behind the scenes. This match factory was the first independent enterprise in Yantai founded by Chinese people, and it was very influential. The matches it produced were very popular with the people of Yantai, capturing a large share of the market. This seriously affected the interests of the Japanese, because previously all the matches on the Yantai market were imported from Japan. The Japanese used various excuses to pressure the Yantai government to shut down the match factory. My father was a government official, and he used his position to argue his case and negotiate many times to save the factory." The match factory. Later, the "Twenty-One Demands" signed between Yuan Shikai and Japan sparked widespread anti-Japanese sentiment in China, leading to a boycott of Japanese goods. This allowed the match factory to grow and expand, eventually employing over 300 people and producing more than 10,000 boxes of matches annually (each box containing 2400 matches and costing 24 silver dollars). Unfortunately, last year, the factory mysteriously caught fire, causing significant losses and its closure. The factory is now run by a businessman surnamed Wang and is resuming production. My father once said, "Foreigners can't stand seeing Chinese people engage in manufacturing; it's too difficult to do so!"

Yang Jiefang nodded and said, "It's true that industry is the foundation of national strength. If China wants to become powerful, it must have its own national enterprises to support it. If it's convenient, could you introduce me to your father? I think we have a possibility of cooperation." Jiang Xiaojun thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll write a letter back to him first. Whether it works out or not is not up to me." Was the Jiang family worth further cooperation? How far could the cooperation go? Yang Jiefang needed to understand this beforehand, so he said, "Now that we have the intention to cooperate, could you tell me about your family situation first? Doing business together is like a man looking for a wife or a woman looking for a husband; mutual understanding is essential."

Jiang Xiaojun immediately retorted, "You're talking nonsense again." After a pause, she continued, "My hometown is Jixian Village, Shuangshui Town, Fushan County. Jiang is the most common surname in the village, accounting for more than 60%. My father's name was Jiang Qingfu, and he was a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) during the Qing Dynasty..." Yang Jiefang praised, "Jixian Village? A place where sages gather, it must be a good place!" Jiang Xiaojun said, "Jixian Village is located between the inner and outer Jiahe Rivers. The land is fertile and irrigation is convenient, so it is indeed a good place. However, Jixian Village is called Jixian Village because there is a Jixian Temple there. Jixian Temple existed before Jixian Village. Over the years, only my father has become a Juren. How can it be called a place where sages gather?" Yang Jiefang smiled awkwardly and asked again, "Does Jixian Temple have a lot of temple property?" Jiang Xiaojun replied, "Yes, it has a long history and a large scale."