Newborn 1927

As everyone left the school, Jiang Xiaojun asked, "Did you compose this song on the spot?" Yang Jiefang smiled and said, "What do you think?" Jiang Xiaojun couldn't guess, so she stopped guessing and said, "After these students graduate, I'd like to take a group up the mountain. What do you think?" Yang Jiefang nodded and said, "Of course! What the mountain needs most right now is educated people. We're almost impatient for them to graduate. Can you contact your classmates who have graduated?" Jiang Xiaojun sighed and said, "It's a bit difficult! Not to mention those who went on to higher education, those who didn't have all started working. I'm the most useless one, still unemployed at home."

Yang Jiefang's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "What about their wages?" Jiang Xiaojun was slightly taken aback and said, "In Yantai, with their level of education, most of them work as apprentices. They get room and board, but no wages. If the employer makes money, they'll get a small bonus at the end of the year, but not much. Once they've completed their apprenticeship, they only earn three to five silver dollars a month. It's just a bit more respectable than ordinary manual labor, but the wages aren't actually high." Yang Jiefang exclaimed, "Isn't that easy? Problems that can be solved with money aren't problems. How about this? You help me contact those who have only graduated for a year or two, and I'm willing to pay five silver dollars a month to hire them." Jiang Xiaojun said irritably, "I'm not going to help you scam people. Even if you manage to get them here this way, it might not be a good thing."

Yang Jiefang quickly explained, "Who said I lied to them? I sincerely asked them to help me with the work. You know Xujiadian; they already have a vermicelli factory, a feed mill, a pig farm, a chicken farm, and a clothing factory, and they plan to open more factories there in the future. I want to turn it into an industrial park. This requires a lot of people, especially educated people; the demand is huge." Jiang Xiaojun asked doubtfully, "Is that all?" Yang Jiefang smiled and said, "Of course, there are conditions attached to the high price I paid to hire them." Jiang Xiaojun had an "I knew it" look on her face and asked, "What conditions?" Yang Jiefang replied, "First, they must take on the task of literacy education for the factory's employees. Second, they must undergo my retraining to improve their skills."

Jiang Xiaojun reminded him, "Have you thought about this? No matter what excuse you use, once they get to Qinglong Village, nothing will be kept secret." Yang Jiefang said, "Don't worry, the work location is Xujiadian, that's for sure. Even if we need to change the work location in the future, we'll get their consent beforehand." Jiang Xiaojun frowned and said, "Then how are you going to teach those employees on the mountain to read and write? There are so many people on the mountain now, our current number is far from enough." Yang Jiefang said, "Isn't that simple? Just have the employees on the mountain come down for classes, right? At most, we can travel an extra ten miles every day, no problem!" Jiang Xiaojun was surprised and said, "If that's the case, then that's feasible. I can go to Yantai to recruit people publicly." Yang Jiefang was overjoyed and said, "That's great. Sister Chu Gu, would you please come with Xiaojun?" Sister Chu Gu replied, "Of course."

As they spoke, the group descended the hillside. On their way back to the village, they encountered many passersby, including men carrying farm tools to work in the fields and women carrying baskets. They all greeted Jiang Xiaojun warmly, but couldn't help glancing at Yang Jiefang with those looks, which made her feel strange. As they passed the village stage, a kind-hearted woman pulled Jiang Xiaojun aside and whispered, "Xiaojun, I've been through this before, so let me tell you something from the bottom of my heart. You must remember it!" Jiang Xiaojun nodded and said, "Sister-in-law, go ahead! I'm listening." The kind-hearted woman said, "When it comes to marriage, you can't just look at family background. The most important thing is the man's character. Everyone in the village says this new son-in-law is a good person. Look at his appearance, he's really a good match for you! Don't miss out just because his family background isn't as good. Your father can be picky, but you have to be careful. Those wealthy families may seem to have no worries about food and clothing, but there's always a lot of gossip! It's still better for us small families to make a living. If you marry the wrong person, you'll have a lot to regret..."

Jiang Xiaojun felt her mind was a jumbled mess. Her enthusiastic sister-in-law rattled off a long string of words, and she couldn't keep up at all. Finally, after the other woman finished speaking, she managed to say, "Sister-in-law, what are you saying? I don't understand." The Jiang family naturally hadn't mentioned Yang Jiefang's behavior at the threshing ground yesterday to Jiang Xiaojun. As for the gong-banging and gun-firing, Jiang Tingqi told the women in the family it was a misunderstanding. Jiang Xiaojun and Auntie guessed that Ma Shangfei and the others had arrived and didn't take it to heart.

The kind-hearted sister-in-law replied, "Oh, still playing dumb with me? The new son-in-law's surname is Yang, right? He told everyone in the village, over a hundred people, that he was coming to your house to propose marriage. Now the whole village knows, what's there to hide?" Jiang Xiaojun's heart pounded wildly: This guy proposed marriage in front of the whole village without saying a word beforehand, catching me completely off guard! It's so embarrassing!

热心嫂子后面还说了些什么，姜小珺全然没记在心里，一张俏脸早就红透了，只一个劲地点头。好不容易等到对方说完了话，松开手离开，姜小珺才回过神来，盯着杨解放问道：“你到底做了什么？不应该给我一个解释吗？”杨解放笑道：“没什么，就是昨天下午给大家开了个玩笑。”姜小珺气得直跺脚，说道：“开玩笑？这种事情也能拿来开玩笑？现在大家都当了真，你说怎么办？”杨解放依旧一副欠揍的样子，笑道：“如果大家当了真，你爹真答应把你嫁给我，就算我吃点亏也是可以接受的。” “你还吃亏？”姜小珺不可思议地怒视着杨解放，心里在想：本小姐有那么差吗？ Yang Jiefang replied, "Otherwise what? Do you think I'll get the better deal?" Jiang Xiaojun retorted angrily, "Don't even think about it." Yang Jiefang said helplessly, "That's why I'm the one who suffers." When it comes to verbal sparring, how could Jiang Xiaojun be a match for Yang Jiefang? Knowing she couldn't win the argument, she stopped arguing and stormed off in a huff.

Chu Gu didn't run after them. When the people around weren't paying attention, she grabbed Yang Jiefang's clothes and asked sharply, "What exactly do you want?" Yang Jiefang let her grab his clothes and said softly, "Didn't you hear everything? Why ask so many questions? What man wouldn't want a girl as pretty and sensible as Xiao Jun?" Chu Gu pressed on, "What about Miss Jiang? In what way does she not compare to Jiang Xiao Jun?" No matter how good her relationship with Jiang Xiao Jun was, it couldn't compare to Gao Huilan, who had grown up with her. She still favored Gao Huilan. Yang Jiefang replied, "Miss is very nice! I like her too." Chu Gu pulled him closer, staring angrily into his eyes, and asked, "Then who do you choose?" Yang Jiefang took the opportunity to wrap his arms around Chu Gu's waist, pressing the two tightly together, and staring into her eyes as well, said, "Only children make choices, I—want them both!" Chu Gu clearly felt a powerful masculine aura, coupled with those extremely aggressive eyes, and immediately panicked. She hurriedly pushed Yang Jiefang away and, like Jiang Xiaojun, turned and ran away.

Hou Fei, Wang Dali, and Chen Ergou watched in stunned silence the entire time. Once Chu Gu had disappeared from sight, Hou Fei asked, "Young Master, we understand you like the two young ladies; but Chu Gu's appearance..." Yang Jiefang replied, "What do you know? You can't judge a book by its cover; you have to look at the heart. As for her appearance, well... she can get some work done later." Ignoring their astonished looks, he continued, "Go back and prepare the horses; let's go take a look around."

The four returned to the Jiang family home, led out their horses, and didn't return until evening. Jixian Village is about ten li from both the inner and outer Jiahe Rivers, and about thirty li from Fushan County. Yang Jiefang and his companions first headed north to the south bank of the inner Jiahe River, then went downstream to the confluence of the inner and outer Jiahe Rivers, then went upstream along the outer Jiahe River, and finally returned to Jixian Village.

Upon returning to the Jiang family home, Yang Jiefang was immediately invited to the study by Jiang Tingqi. In the study, besides the brothers Jiang Qingfu and Jiang Xingfu, Jiang Tingxuan was also present. Upon seeing Yang Jiefang, Jiang Tingxuan immediately stood up and complained, “Brother Yang, you kept this from me for a long time! You have no idea, I failed to protect Xiaojun properly and was severely scolded by my father, almost to the point of using family discipline. Xiaojun is my father's precious darling! He can't afford the slightest mishap.” Yang Jiefang quickly apologized, saying, “To express my apology, I plan to offer one million silver dollars to cooperate with the Jiang family on a big business deal; I'll provide the capital, you provide the labor, and we'll split the profits fifty-fifty. What do you think?” Such a huge temptation was hard for Jiang Tingxuan not to be tempted. He suppressed his excitement and said, “We can talk about making money later. Let me ask you, do you truly love Xiaojun and want to marry her?”

Yang Jiefang immediately replied, "Of course. Although my actions are sometimes dishonest, given my status, my feelings for Xiaojun are as clear as day! Uncle Jiang, please grant us your blessing!" He then bowed deeply to Jiang Qingfu. Jiang Qingfu accepted the bow readily, saying, "If you truly wish to marry my daughter, you must agree to two conditions." Yang Jiefang straightened up, listening attentively. Jiang Qingfu continued, "First, you must have a respectable status, worthy of Xiaojun. Second, you must have a proper betrothal ceremony, a legitimate and aboveboard marriage." Yang Jiefang was immediately relieved; he had expected some harsh conditions, but this was nothing. Jiang Qingfu added, "We have a three-year period. If you don't have a status that matches my family's within three years, I will not acknowledge this marriage." Yang Jiefang immediately agreed, "Please rest assured, Uncle! I will try my best and will not let you down, nor will I wrong Xiaojun." Jiang Qingfu nodded, then changed the subject, saying, "Although I hold an official position, I have to act according to the whims of the foreigners. Many times, I have no choice but to comply. Don't expect me to be of any help to you!" With that one sentence, he completely distanced himself from the situation, leaving Yang Jiefang speechless.

The marriage between Yang Jiefang and Jiang Xiaojun was thus settled. As for Jiang Xiaojun's own opinion, don't ask; asking means she won't agree, not asking means she won't object. Jiang Tingxuan called out, "Brother-in-law, you just said you had a big business deal you wanted to do, why don't you tell me about it!" He changed his mind so quickly! Yang Jiefang replied, "I heard you studied accounting, and I'd like to partner with you in finance; it's a quick way to make money!" Jiang Tingxuan immediately became disappointed, shaking his head, "You don't know the inside story, that's why you have this idea; in Yantai, HSBC controls the financial sector, we can't get involved. Don't expect to make money, just breaking even will be good enough." Yang Jiefang said, "What I want to earn is HSBC's money, and I'll do it openly, legally, and legitimately." This piqued Jiang Tingxuan's curiosity, and he immediately pressed for details.

Yang Jiefang said, "You've been in the trading business for several years, so you should be familiar with the prices of agricultural products exported from Yantai. I'll have you sign a futures trading agreement with HSBC, the larger the better." Jiang Tingxuan said in surprise, "You even know about futures trading? That's impressive! But that won't work. The prices of agricultural products have always been dictated by foreigners. We can't compete with them in futures trading." Yang Jiefang said, "That was in the past. I know that since Yantai opened its port, these foreigners have deliberately raised the prices of industrial products and suppressed the prices of agricultural products, plundering countless fortunes. I'll settle that score with them slowly. Starting this year, I'll control the prices of agricultural products from Jiaodong. I guarantee with a thousand guns that the prices of agricultural products exported from Jiaodong this year will rise sharply."

Jiang Tingxuan, Jiang Qingfu, and the others were all stunned by Yang Jiefang's imposing presence. Jiang Tingxuan thought for a moment and said, "If that's the case, we could team up with someone to pull off a big heist." Yang Jiefang pressed, "Who?" Jiang Tingxuan replied, "He's in Yantai. We'll go into the city together tomorrow to talk to him!"

The topic was now closed, and Jiang Tingqi, who had been silent until now, spoke up: "I went to the county town today to report the robbery that happened to our Jixian Village yesterday. I happened to run into Mayor Wang of Shuangshui Town. According to him, the Shuangshui Town government office was attacked by a group of bandits last night. Several security guards stationed there were disarmed on the spot, and Mayor Wang's house was robbed. The bandits even stayed overnight at Mayor Wang's house and left at dawn, crossing the river northwards." He kept his eyes fixed on Yang Jiefang as he spoke. In truth, everyone knew that the bandits were the same group known as "Ma Shang Fei." Yang Jiefang had passed through Shuangshui Town earlier that day and heard about the incident, but hadn't paid much attention to it. "I wonder how the county plans to handle this?" Yang Jiefang casually asked. Jiang Tingqi replied, "There's no good solution. We've notified all towns and villages to strengthen their defenses, and to report any trace of bandits immediately. The county will send troops to encircle and suppress them." Yang Jiefang pressed, "How many troops does the county have?" Jiang Tingqi replied, "The county police station has about two hundred men. But judging from their spirits, I'm afraid ten of them couldn't defeat one bandit. Besides, they only have two legs; how can they catch up with a four-legged horse?"

Yang Jiefang was relieved and said, "What should we do? We don't have enough manpower, we need to add more!" Jiang Tingqi replied, "If you don't want me to say it, someone else will. It's just that the county is short of money and is planning to increase donations and pay. Just wait, the more these bandits cause trouble, the more donations will be added." Yang Jiefang was speechless again. These guys never forget to make money these days. Fine, since you like making money so much, then let you make your fill, and we'll take you all down in one fell swoop. Then Jiang Tingqi continued, "The matter my father proposed yesterday has been settled. The county has allowed all areas to strengthen their security forces. The Shuangshui Town security team was disarmed last night and has disbanded. Mayor Wang ran back to the county seat and doesn't dare to come back, planning to find a job in the county. Now, the position of mayor of Shuangshui Town is vacant, and the security force has been disbanded, which gives you a perfect opportunity."

So Yang Jiefang approached Jiang Tingqi and said, "Second Brother, we're family now, so let's not be so formal. I'm not familiar with the situation in Fushan County at all, so I definitely can't handle this town mayor position. I wonder if our family has anyone suitable to take this position? I can transfer a few brothers down from the mountain to serve as the security force. Then Shuangshui Town will be under our control, right? After a couple of years, we can smooth things over and maybe even get the town mayor promoted."

Jiang Tingqi chuckled twice and said, "Actually, I'm the head of the Civil Affairs Section of the County Administrative Office. It's not like I don't have a chance to compete for the town mayor position." Yang Jiefang immediately patted him on the shoulder and said, "Then what are you waiting for? A local official has more power than a distant one. If you don't fight for the town mayor position in your own town, what are you fighting for?"