Republic of China, 1928: Starting from a Wonton Shop

"Yes, yes, yes! We're leaving now! We're leaving now!" Scarface was so scared that he wet himself and led his men to slink away into the crowd.

After Ma San finished dealing with the matter, he looked up and saw Li Chunsheng standing not far away.

"Hey! Manager Li!" Ma Sanyan strode over. "Happy New Year! What a coincidence, you're here to pray for blessings too?"

"Happy New Year, Third Master!" Li Chunsheng said with a smile, cupping his hands in greeting. "It's the New Year, so I came to stroll around the temple fair and join in the fun. You were really impressive, Third Master!"

"Hey, please excuse my rudeness, Manager Li." Ma San waved his hand. "These bastards are used to being wild, even during the New Year they can't stay still. I'm just here to burn some incense for the gang leader today."

As he spoke, his gaze fell on Yunniang and Yaya behind Li Chunsheng.

Although Yunniang was somewhat afraid of Jianghu people like Ma San, she still offered her blessings: "Happy New Year, Third Master."

Ya Ya happily shouted, "Happy New Year, Third Master!"

"Good! Good! All good!" Ma San looked at the three of them and felt a pang of envy for no reason.

He spent half his life living a life of danger and hardship. Although he was successful and had been with countless women, this kind of peaceful life was exactly what he needed most.

Ma San rummaged in his pocket for a while, then pulled out a few copper coins and handed them to Ya Ya: "Here, little girl, these are from your third master. Take them and buy some candy!"

Ya Ya hesitated to answer and looked at Li Chunsheng.

"Take it since it's from Third Master." Li Chunsheng nodded.

"Thank you, Third Master!"

Ma San exchanged a few more pleasantries with Li Chunsheng before leading his men toward the main hall.

Watching Ma San's retreating figure, Yunniang sighed, "This Master Ma, though he looks fierce, isn't an unreasonable person."

"Everyone has two sides," Li Chunsheng said calmly. "In this world, who hasn't been forced to act against their will? We just need to do our best."

After praying for blessings and strolling through the temple fair, the three of them carried a bag of things back home. Ya Ya was holding a large windmill and ran quickly against the wind.

Back at Li's Restaurant, I could see a person standing at the entrance from afar.

The man, dressed in an old long gown, was hunched over in the cold wind, pacing anxiously back and forth.

Li Chunsheng looked closely and frowned slightly.

This person was actually Master Tong, who claimed to be from the Tongjia clan of the Plain Yellow Banner!

Upon seeing Li Chunsheng get out of the car, Master Tong rushed over as if he had seen a savior, and knelt down on the snow with a thud.

"Manager Li! Boss Li! Help!"

This shout startled Yunniang and Yaya.

Master Tong knelt in the snow. His once decent long gown was now tattered and worn, with black grease stains clinging to the cuffs.

Li Chunsheng looked at the man who had once spoken so eloquently about the majesty of the Eight Banners in front of him.

At this moment, where was the slightest bit of the arrogance of the Plain Yellow Banner? His once fair hands were now covered with chilblains, and he didn't even bother to wipe the snot running down his beard, he just clung tightly to Li Chunsheng's trouser leg.

"Manager Li, please have mercy on me!"

"Master Tong, what kind of show are you putting on?" Li Chunsheng took a half step back and pulled his trouser leg out of the other man's hand. "It's the first day of the Lunar New Year, I can't accept such a big gift. Your pair of walnuts are still on the counter. If you're here to redeem them, just leave the money and take them. If you don't have the money, according to our agreement, it hasn't been three months yet."

"No, it's not walnuts! It's fate! It's fate!" Grandpa Tong lay on the snow, his voice hoarse, sobbing as he recounted what he had been through these past few days.

It turned out that ever since he was humiliated at Li's Restaurant that day, Master Tong's fragile self-esteem had been rekindled. He felt that these unruly people in Beiping did not know how to be virtuous. He remembered the rumors circulating in the newspapers these days that Puyi, the deposed emperor of the Qing Dynasty, was living in Zhang Garden in the Japanese concession in Tianjin, recruiting his old subordinates and planning to restore his ancestral property.

Master Tong thought to himself, "My ancestors were once empresses, surely the emperor would remember some past favors? Once I get to Tianjin, I can meet His Majesty and be granted an official position. Wouldn't that be a thousand times more respectable than staying in the freezing cold of Beiping?"

So he sold the last few valuables in his house, borrowed some money, and headed straight for Tianjin with high spirits.

But when he arrived in the Tianjin Concession, he realized how naive he had been.

At the entrance to Zhang Garden, the guards were heavily armed, with many Japanese soldiers and guards. Want to see the Emperor? You'd need a letter of introduction, proof of your lineage as a member of the imperial family, and plenty of money to pave the way.

Master Tong waited at the door for three days, only to see a nobody come out to run errands.

The man glanced sideways at his wrinkled long robe and snorted, "Hmph, the Tongjia clan? These days, Tianjin is full of Tongjia people. Where would they get the spare money to support distant relatives like you? Get lost, and stop getting in my way!"

And those old retainers and their children who revolved around Puyi were all scheming and fighting for that little bit of remaining power.

In their eyes, a down-on-his-luck man like Master Tong was less than a dog. He wandered around Tianjin for half a month, only to have his last bit of money stolen by local thugs. He could only beg his way back to Beiping like a beggar.

But when he returned to Beiping, the sky had completely fallen.

His dilapidated ancestral home was originally his only way out, but before he left, he was short of money and borrowed a huge amount of money from an underground casino in the alley. He thought he could turn his life around after returning from Tianjin, but when the creditor saw that he hadn't returned for many days, he took back the property deed and changed the locks. In the middle of the New Year, he became a penniless ghost.

"Manager Li, I was wrong! I was really wrong!" Master Tong cried out. "In this city of Beijing, no one but you can give me a hot meal. Do you still need an accountant? I just need one silver dollar! Just a meal and a place to shelter from the storm, please!"

Li Chunsheng looked at him coldly, his heart unmoved, but instead filled with a strong sense of disgust.

"Master Tong," Li Chunsheng began, "when I first invited you, you mentioned the Eight Banners to me, saying that your hands were only for writing, painting, and raising birds, and that you couldn't move the abacus beads. How come, after such a short time, you can move those abacus beads now?"

Tong Ye was so rebuked that he couldn't say a word.

"Businessmen value not only integrity, but also integrity," Li Chunsheng sneered. "You used to think my restaurant was too smoky and disrespectful, but now that you've gone out and been humiliated and no one wants you, you suddenly remember that I have a hot meal here? This is a restaurant, not a charity."

"Manager Li! I, I can do the accounting, I really can!" Master Tong shouted urgently.

"I already have an accountant here. He's faster and more accurate than you," Li Chunsheng said expressionlessly as he turned around. "As for you, you should go find your emperor in your dreams. Sister-in-law Yaya, let's go inside and not let this bad luck ruin our family's fortune."

"Manager Li! Manager Li!"

The mournful cries echoed behind him, but Li Chunsheng didn't turn around. He slammed the restaurant door shut, shutting out the desperate pleas.

Once inside, it was finally a bit warmer.

Yunniang brushed the snow off her clothes, glanced hesitantly at the gate, and whispered, "Chunsheng, that Master Tong really looks pitiful. It's the New Year, wouldn't it be bad luck if he froze to death at the door?"

Li Chunsheng washed his hands in the basin, then poured the water on the ground and said in a deep voice, "Sister-in-law, some people can be saved, some can't. You can help in an emergency, but not in a long-term relationship; you can help someone who's poor, but not lazy. If you don't cut off that braid in Tong Ye's heart, he'll always be a useless person. That kind of vanity is the most harmful thing."

He turned to look at the doorway: "If he had stayed obediently that day, he would be our Li's accountant now, well-clothed and well-fed. But he couldn't let go of his pride. This kind of person sees us as a last resort, but never as a true home. If I bring this up today, he'll still look down on us tomorrow once he's recovered."

Ya Ya huddled behind Yun Niang and whispered, "Brother Chun Sheng, is he going to keep those beggars company?"

"He chose this path himself." Li Chunsheng patted Ya Ya's head. "Ya Ya, remember this: to live, you have to rely on your own hands. The achievements of your ancestors are theirs. Even if your ancestors were gods, if you don't live up to their potential, you'll still go hungry."