Republic of China, 1928: Starting from a Wonton Shop

After signing a written agreement, affixing a fingerprint, and paying the money on the spot.

Li Chunsheng counted out eight silver dollars from his pocket and handed them to Zhao Xiucai. This was two months' deposit plus three months' rent.

After leaving Zhao Xiucai's house, Li Chunsheng cupped his hands to Ma San and said, "Thanks to you, Third Master, today. Consider the money saved as payment for your tea."

As he spoke, he reached out to take out his money.

Ma San grabbed his hand, his face showing displeasure: "Manager Li, are you trying to embarrass me? That was official business within the gang, it's all settled now; today is a personal matter. Although I, Ma San, love money, I wouldn't stoop so low as to steal food from a friend!"

Seeing this, Li Chunsheng didn't stand on ceremony anymore: "Then I'll remember this favor, Third Master. I'll definitely come and support you when the new store opens!"

"Haha! Great! Then I'll be waiting for your delicious food and wine!"

Holding the key, Li Chunsheng bid farewell to Ma San and went alone to Old Liu's steamed bun shop.

The shop is located at the entrance of the alley, which is actually an excellent location.

Ahead was a wide street, and two hundred meters to the east was the Guanghelou Opera House, while to the west was the bustling Qianmen Street; the shop was a two-room tile-roofed house with a small courtyard in the back and two side rooms, which could be used as living quarters or as a storeroom.

Li Chunsheng unlocked the rusty iron lock and pushed open the creaking wooden door.

"Cough cough cough!"

A musty smell hit the door, the room was a mess, several broken tables were lying crookedly, the floor was covered with thick dust and rat droppings, and cobwebs were layered on the corners of the walls.

Li Chunsheng didn't find it offensive; on the contrary, he became more and more satisfied with it.

The house has a good frame and sturdy bricks and tiles. Although it's a bit dirty, once it's cleaned up, it will definitely be a good shop.

He went to the backyard and looked around. The two side rooms faced south, and the paper windows were already tattered and rattled in the wind.

Unbeknownst to Li Chunsheng, two figures were crouching on the dimly lit beams of the east wing.

These are two men.

The one on the left was a bit older, around forty years old, with a sallow complexion and a thick bandage wrapped around his left arm, with faint traces of blood showing through; the one on the right looked younger, around twenty years old, and was tightly gripping a dagger in his hand, looking nervous.

"Old Wu, what brings someone here all of a sudden?" the young man said in a voice only Old Wu could hear. "Looks like a scholar. Has Scholar Zhao rented out the shop again?"

The man called Old Wu frowned, enduring the sharp pain in his arm, and peered through the crack at the young figure looking around in the yard.

"This place is well-hidden. Climbing over the back wall leads to a maze of alleyways, and it's close to our contact point. It's the best hiding place we have right now." Old Wu's voice was very magnetic. "If this person rents it, he'll inevitably be walking around in the backyard and will find us sooner or later. Xiao Wu, the same old rule applies."

"Understood." The young man called Xiao Wu tucked the dagger back into his waistband, took out a piece of white rag and a few things that looked like pills from his pocket, and said, "When he comes in, I'll give him a 'ghostly death' spell. I guarantee he'll be so scared he'll wet his pants and have to check out tonight."

For the past six months, they haven't been hiding here all the time; they've been using it as a base on and off. The two tenants from before were scared away by Xiao Wu's ghostly antics. These days, what ordinary people fear most is these unclean things.

yard.

Li Chunsheng was unaware that two pairs of eyes were watching him from above. He stood by the dry well in the backyard, looking at the stone slab pressing down on the wellhead with some curiosity.

"Is this the well where women are said to cry at midnight?" Before his rebirth, when he was watching short videos, he loved watching case explanations at midnight. Wells were definitely the perfect place to hide corpses!

He took a deep breath, pushed aside the stone slab, and peered inside.

The well wasn't dry; it still had half a well of water. However, because it hadn't been used for years, a thick layer of algae floated on the surface, making it murky and giving off an unpleasant smell.

"There's nothing but mud and stagnant water." Li Chunsheng patted the dust off his hands. "If there really were a female ghost, she would have dragged me down with her by now."

After inspecting the well, Li Chunsheng turned to look at the two side rooms.

He casually pulled a thick wooden stick from the pile of firewood in the corner of the yard, weighed it in his hand, and although he did not believe in ghosts and gods, he could not be too careful. What if there were stray dogs or homeless people hiding inside?

"Squeak!" The wooden door was pushed open, raising a cloud of dust.

The room was dimly lit. Li Chunsheng frowned slightly, adjusted to the dim environment, gripped the wooden stick in his hand, and stepped inside.

Xiao Wu on the beam is ready to go.

However, at this critical moment...

Li Chunsheng, seemingly to bolster his courage, suddenly started singing to himself.

"We are the successors of socialism!"

"Inherit the glorious traditions of our revolutionary predecessors!"

"Love your motherland, love your people!"

"The bright red scarf flutters on my chest!"

The two people on the beam froze instantly.

Xiao Wu was just about to jump down when he realized he was caught in a dilemma – whether to jump or not. Old Wu was also shocked, his eyes filled with disbelief and astonishment.

What song is this?

They had never heard this tune before; it was neither Peking Opera, nor a popular folk song of the time, nor a Kuomintang song.

But these lyrics... socialism?

In 1928 Beiping, during that sensitive period of white terror, hearing these four words could mean losing your head!

Moreover, the uplifting spirit conveyed in the lyrics sent chills down Lao Wu's spine, a veteran underground party member who had been living on the edge of a knife.

"Fear neither difficulties nor enemies!"

"Study diligently and fight resolutely!"

Li Chunsheng sang with increasing enthusiasm, waving the wooden stick in his hand to the beat. He truly sang it to bolster his courage. In his previous life, when he was a child, he was afraid of ghosts when walking at night. But as long as he sang this Young Pioneers' song, he felt full of positive energy, and all demons and monsters would have to retreat.

"Marching bravely towards victory!"

"Forward, bravely march towards victory!"

After finishing the song, Li Chunsheng felt completely relaxed, and the unease he had felt earlier vanished.

"What demons and monsters? In front of the new socialist youth, they are all paper tigers!" Li Chunsheng sneered at the empty room.

On the beam.

Xiao Wu turned to look at Lao Wu, his eyes asking: Is this person... one of our comrades?

Old Wu's eyes were extremely complex.

"Are we still scared?" Xiao Wu asked in a very soft voice.

Old Wu was silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head and said in a low voice, "Let's observe first. Since he rented this house, he can't run away anytime soon. If he's an enemy, we can take action later; if he's one of our own or an innocent civilian, we can't hurt him."