Insufficient balance

  "My name is Qi Hui Shen." The young man said with a smile, his white teeth gleaming in the light of the oil lamp. Chen Ke looked at him under the oil lamp and estimated that he was about 22 or 23 years old. He didn't have any particularly striking features, but had a middle parting in his hair, giving him a student-like appearance. At this moment, Qi Hui Shen unbuttoned his top, revealing his slender build, and from his pale and smooth skin, it seemed that he was the child of a wealthy family.

  Hua Xiongmao, who was skilled in martial arts and knew some simple treatments for injuries, was currently examining Qi Hui's body. Earlier, a stick had hit Qi Hui's ribs, and Hua Xiongmao and Chen Ke had carried the unconscious Qi Hui back to the workshop. Seeing that Qi Hui was in so much pain he couldn't even speak, Hua Xiongmao took it upon himself to check for any life-threatening injuries.

  You Yun suddenly pushed the flashlight, and the light beam shone directly on Qi Hui's face. Qi Hui subconsciously raised his arm, which pulled the injured area, and he let out a cry of pain. You Yun didn't have any tender thoughts, "Then why did you run?" she asked fiercely, "I heard someone telling you not to run in the yard. You still ran, if I don't take you as a bad person, who should I take as a bad person."

  "Ah!" Qihui Shen cried out again. Huaxiong Mao finally let go of Qihui Shen, "Luckily, no ribs are broken. He'll be fine after a rest." After saying that, he picked up a flyer from the table and took a look. Only reading a few lines, Huaxiong Mao laughed and said: "Wenqing, this person is just like you, surprisingly also a revolutionary party member."

  "Ah? Brother Chen is a revolutionary?" You Yun asked in surprise.

  "In these times, those who claim to be revolutionaries are as numerous as the hairs on an ox's hide. I am merely making such a claim myself. However, Mr. Qi, you're posting flyers in a place like this - does anyone even read them?" Chen Ke asked curiously.

  Qī Huì deeply breathed in and put on her top, "Of course someone is watching, not only is someone watching, but someone is also hitting."

  After hearing these grievances, Chen Ke and Hua Xiong burst out laughing, while You Yu's face showed a somewhat embarrassed expression. Zhou Yuanxiao, on the other hand, remained completely expressionless.

  Chen Ke Fang had just moved Qi Hui Sheng back to the workshop, and then he specially picked up all the flyers. At this time, he took a look at one of them. This was a handwritten flyer. The content was criticizing imperialism and the Qing government. Chen Ke brushed off the dirt on the paper and picked up several others. Although they were handwritten, the content was exactly the same, and the font was also exactly the same. It seemed like they were printed. It can be seen that the owner of the flyers had put a lot of thought and effort into them.

  Chen Ke tidied up the flyers, even trying to clean up the dirty ones. The neatly stacked flyers were placed on the table. "Mr. Qi, this is a misunderstanding. I apologize here." After that, Chen Ke deliberately added another sentence, "Mr. Qi's writing of these flyers really took great effort. Admirable, yet regrettable."

  Since being knocked down just now, Qi Hui Shen felt that something was wrong. This area is all ordinary Shanghai local residents, he had never posted revolutionary flyers here before, and didn't expect that as soon as he entered the alley, several people with flashlights suddenly popped out, which really scared Qi Hui Shen. Being able to use such a convenient lighting tool, they must be important figures. Qi Hui Shen used to post revolutionary posters and gather revolutionary comrades, and was caught by the police station several times. This time, he was caught in a place where the police station never appeared, and it seemed that things would not end well.

  Unexpectedly, after being carried into the yard, it turned out that this was a dyeing workshop. The four people inside the yard were all wearing strange deep blue robes with a lapel design. Upon closer inspection, these wide robes were actually draped directly over their outer garments. The girl who had knocked him down completely regarded herself as a villain.

  Then, the few people who came over actually treated themselves with kindness. Moreover, from their words, it was learned that the tall northern youth was also a revolutionary party member. This sudden change made Qi Hui feel at a loss for a moment. However, looking at the few people, although they were strong and powerful, they had no malice towards themselves, and this heart was put down.

  When the young man from the north carefully organized the flyers he had written with great effort, and then heard him apologize voluntarily, Qi Hui's resentment dissipated by half. Unexpectedly, the young man from the north suddenly came up with such a strange sentence, which piqued Qi Hui's curiosity.

  "I just heard what that gentleman said, you should be Mr. Wenqing, right? Excuse me, Mr. Wenqing, what did your last few sentences mean?"

  "Mr. Qi, this area is inhabited by ordinary people, who are you planning to show these flyers to?"

  Nature is for everyone to see.

  "How many people in this area can recognize characters? I'm not saying that Mr. Qi's flyer has a problem, but if someone can understand this flyer, wouldn't they spread it around everywhere? The people living here are ordinary folks, and spreading this flyer would either earn them an extra penny or get them an extra bite to eat."

  Upon hearing this, Qi Hui Shen did not become as enraged as Chen Ke had imagined. Instead, he simply lowered his head and after a moment, let out a sigh, "Mr. Wen Qing is right."

  Just as they were talking, Zhou Yuanxiao, You Ou, and Hua Xiongmao had already gotten up to continue working, and no one invited Chen Ke to join them. Chen Ke knew that this was his colleagues being considerate, not wanting to disturb him while he talked about the revolution with someone else. What good colleagues they were! Chen Ke thought to himself, if he were to recruit Qi Hui now, everyone would be in an awkward situation and it would be impossible to have a deep conversation. On the contrary, it would make his current colleagues unhappy. After weighing this, Chen Ke said: "Mr. Qi, why don't you take a rest here for a while? Once you've recovered, you can head back home first. As for posting these flyers, it's not very effective, and it would be better to post them in places where people usually put up posters."

  After finishing, Chen Ke stood up and went to the courtyard to start working. Qi Hui Shen saw that the four of them were still working so late and felt quite curious. Were they also printing something that didn't work out? But the smell wafting through the entire courtyard was clearly not the smell of printing ink. Standing at the door, he saw the four people busy around several pots under the light of lanterns and flashlights, indeed looking like they were dyeing cloth. Qi Hui Shen found it very strange that these people didn't sleep even in the middle of the night, and even with new lighting tools, there was no need to waste so much. Couldn't they work during the day?

  But then I saw the two sturdy young men pulling different ropes, putting piece after piece of cloth into the water tank. The one who had hit his own daughter was carrying a flashlight and shuttling back and forth between the steamer and the large vat, occasionally inserting a thermometer into the steamer and the large vat to measure the temperature. The one who had been silent all along was doing some kind of mysterious work that I couldn't understand among several large vats and water tanks. The four busy people didn't say much to each other, but their coordination was very skilled. This should be a home dyeing workshop, but it looks like there's something different from other factories.

  The pain in the place where Qi Hui was hit gradually eased, and as he looked at the busy four people, Qi Hui originally wanted to bid farewell, but somehow didn't want to leave. This hardworking scene had a kind of inexplicable attraction, and Qi Hui really wanted to figure out what was attracting himself. As China's largest city, Shanghai has many workers. Qi Hui has seen many labor scenes, and compared with the few people he saw in front of him, there is always some strange difference.

  After watching for a while, Qi Hui finally realized that these four people were different from the others. Compared to those who worked hard, these four people had the same fatigue, but not a bit of laziness. The laborers Qi Hui saw gave him an impression of bitter struggle, they used all their strength just to hold on until the end of work, and the heavy labor had numbed them. This numbness, in a sense, was also protecting these laborers, making them unable to feel the hardship. The laborers who were numbed by life looked dull and matched the heavy scene of labor, giving people a feeling of depression and oppression.

  Although Zhi Hui Shen was watching from the side, these four people were oblivious to Zhi Hui Shen's gaze. Their eyes only had the work at hand, and everything they did was just to accurately complete their own work. The attention of these four people was highly concentrated, and their movements were filled with a sense of urgency. They spared no effort in order to complete their work perfectly. This initiative made them fundamentally different from the laborers Zhi Hui Shen had seen before. After noticing this point, the working attitude of these four people suddenly made Zhi Hui Shen feel a sense of reverence. It turned out that labor could be so impressive. Zhi Hui Shen was stunned.

  At the time when Qiu Jin and Xu Xilin were discussing Chen Ke, they did not see how hard Chen Ke was working. Except for Qiu Jin's visit to the workshop once, the two had no idea about Chen Ke's recent situation.

  "Xuan Qing, you said we're taking Wenqing to meet Mr. Cai tomorrow?" Xu Xilin asked, looking at Qiu Jin who was sitting across from him. He had mentioned this to Chen Ke during the day, but up until now, neither Chen Ke nor Hua Xiongmao had returned to their residence. Xu Xilin felt that Chen Ke wasn't very interested in meeting Cai Yuanpei.

  Qiu Jin smiled and said, "Bo Huang, it's not a bad thing for Wen Qing to be busy making money. This is better than those who only know how to borrow everywhere. I think Wen Qing also comes from a wealthy family. According to what Miss You Yun said, just this watch he pawned to me must be worth several thousand taels of silver. If he still has money in his hands, why would he work so hard?"

  When mentioning You Yun, Xue Xilun just hummed. Xue Xilun didn't have a good impression of You Yun. At that time, most overseas students would do something. But You Yun was a woman, and it was rare for women to show their faces at that time. As a female overseas student, You Yun neither did anything nor got married, but instead spent her days getting drunk, which was really unusual. According to Qiu Jin, Chen Ke and You Yun seemed to have some kind of familiarity with each other. Originally, Xue Xilun was dissatisfied with both of them, and when he thought that these two people were actually forming an alliance, his dissatisfaction grew even more.

  "I don't even know what they're up to, yet they didn't return home all night. Even Xiong Mao is hanging out with them, what kind of behavior is this?"

  As a Jiangsu-Zhejiang native, Xue Xilun was not good at making money and had an inexplicable aversion to doing business. As a revolutionary, what Xue Xilun yearned for was the feeling of being completely consumed by the cause. He firmly believed that in the moment when the old world, devoid of any hope, collapsed with a loud crash, a beautiful new world would slowly rise up.

  Perhaps it was because Xú Xīlín was this kind of person, he felt that Chén Kè had not chosen the same path as himself. When they first met, Xú Xīlín admired Chén Kè's insight. On one hand, he wanted to help Chén Kè out, and more importantly, Cài Yuánpéi had indeed invited Xú Xīlín to meet in Shànghǎi recently. So he brought Chén Kè along to Shànghǎi. However, Chén Kè did not join the revolutionary movement as Xú Xīlín had thought, but instead devoted himself to making money through business deals. This made Xú Xīlín feel that perhaps his previous impression of Chén Kè was wrong. This kind of thinking, which only considered personal gain, sounded harsh, and this "as long as there's milk, anyone can be a mother" attitude, made Xú Xīlín especially dissatisfied.

  Xu Xilin's face fell, and Qiu Jin consoled him, "Bohuan, I know you're upset with Wenqing and Xiongmao for taking matters into their own hands. But Wenqing was able to start his dyeing business just because of the few people you introduced to him. I think this is a good thing. From what I see, Wenqing isn't an ungrateful person; if he makes money, he'll definitely not mistreat you. You're not someone who can be at peace with doing these things anyway, so why bother?"

  "Hmph, I'm going to blame them for taking matters into their own hands. I was thinking that Wen Qing could help me persuade Mr. Cai. Didn't expect him to know how to do things on his own. At first, he said he had a request for me, I thought Wen Qing was just being polite, didn't think he was actually an honest and trustworthy person. Until now they still haven't come back, can they really come back early tomorrow? Who knows where they've gone to cause trouble." Xue Xi Lin grew more and more angry as he spoke.

  "Haha!" After hearing Xue Xilin's complaints, Qiu Jin couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Bohuan, I didn't expect you to care so much about the literary youth. Don't worry, Wenqing isn't someone who doesn't know what's important. I reckon they're busy with work at the workshop right now. If you're still worried, I can go call them back."

  Since Qiu Jin said so, Xue Xilun had to give her some face. "No need. I think they will definitely come back tomorrow. It's late, Junqing hurry up and rest." After saying a few more words, Xue Xilun got up and went back to his own house.

  Chen Ke was unaware of the conversation between Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin. Even if he had known, Chen Ke would not have been able to change anything. An hour's worth of busy work was completed as scheduled, and everyone rested according to plan. Zhou Yuanxiao and Hua Xiongmao lay down on their beds inside the house and soon fell asleep. The physical labor for tonight was complete, and according to plan, Zhou Yuanxiao needed to get up at 2:00 AM to check on the dyeing of the fabric, while Chen Ke had to keep watch until 2:00 AM.

  When he saw Qi Hui Shen, Chen Ke asked Qi Hui Shen to sit at the table. He said in a low voice: "Mr. Qi, everyone is resting. Let's keep our voices down and not disturb anyone."

  You Yun still carried his own pillow and rested on the edge of the table. Chen Ke had advised You Yun to lie down on the bed before, and even specially set up a new bed for him. However, You Yun only politely expressed gratitude but never used that bed. Whenever he was tired, he would always fall asleep on the table. Chen Ke didn't think much about it and could only let things be with You Yun.

  "Mr. Wenqing, you seem dissatisfied with my flyer, can you enlighten me?" Qi Hui asked in a low voice, having observed that everyone was either sleeping or lying down, all settled in for the night.

  "Mr. Qi, I see that your flyer is calling on the people to rise up, and the idea is quite good. But why should the people rise up with you and go through a revolution? To be honest, looking at these writings of yours, I think the people won't understand them." Chen Ke said as he poured a cup of tea for Qi Hui.

  "What do you mean by this? Are you saying I'm not revolutionary?"

  "Keep your voice down, don't shout in the middle of the night," Chen Ke said.

  Zi Hui let out a deep hum and stopped talking.

  "The people want revolution because they want to get a better life through revolution. Revolution means overthrowing the Qing dynasty and defeating the invasion of imperialist powers. This is a matter of life and death. What makes you think the common people will follow you to sacrifice their lives?"

  Chen Ke's voice was very low, with a somewhat dreamy tone that didn't match what he was saying at all.

  "The country has reached this point, if there is no revolution, it will really die."

  "Right. What you said is correct, but what's the use of saying it? If people believe your words, can they eat an extra bun or wear an extra piece of clothing? Revolution is to make everyone live a good life. Building a new world is not just about living well, but also about no one being bullied and being able to be a person with dignity. So, I think this kind of flyer is useless." Chen Ke said after finishing, pushing the teacup towards Zhi Hui's side, "Drink tea first."

  Contrary to Chen Ke's expectations, Qi Hui Shen did not get angry. He took a sip of tea and then asked: "Brother Chen, what advice do you have for the revolution?"

  "The principles of the world are all interconnected, we are selling cloth, so we must know who will buy our cloth. Why do they want to buy our cloth? You want a revolution, you must know if the people need a revolution? Even if they do need a revolution, each person's needs are different. For you, why do you want a revolution? Looking at your flyers, it's to overthrow the Qing and drive out the foreigners. For me, why do I want a revolution? To build a strong new China. In order to build this new China, we must overthrow the Qing and drive out the foreigners. Don't make everyone do something that is difficult and thankless." After saying these things, Chen Ke felt it was still not enough, he suddenly quoted the famous phrase "From the masses to the masses".

  After listening to it, Qi Hui nodded repeatedly. He looked at the people around him who had already fallen asleep and said in a low voice: "That makes sense. But what should China be like? Can Mr. Wenqing tell me about it?"

  The two of them were talking in low voices, the night outside was clear and starry, the streets were getting quieter and quieter, it was really a good time for conversation.

  The next morning, Chen Ke and Hua Xiongmao returned to their residence. They quietly opened the door and entered the courtyard, with Chen Ke pulling Hua Xiongmao to take a bath first. For several days, they had been working in the workshop, and besides the smell of sweat, the smell of dye was not pleasant either. Cai Yuanpei was no ordinary person, and Chen Ke did not have the courage to meet such a big shot with a strange smell on him. For this reason, Chen Ke specially took out shampoo and soap.

  After finishing the bath, it was exactly 6:30. The two of them changed into clean clothes to meet Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin. No matter how careful they were, the sound of water during bathing was always a bit louder, and usually at this time Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin had already gotten up.

  As soon as they sat down after entering the house, Qiu Jin smiled and said: "You two smell so good, even better than girls."

  "Auntie, seeing Mr. Cai's greasy hair is unbearable." Huaxiong Mao was very satisfied with the refreshing smell of the shampoo. Not to mention its washing effect.

  Chen Ke and Hua Xiongmao returned early, and after washing up, they looked refreshed. Xu Xilin was quite satisfied. Seeing that everyone had packed up, Xu Xilin led the group to set off together.

  A group of people finally stopped in front of a courtyard. As a modern person, Chen Ke had one major characteristic - he was not good at directions. After wandering through the alleys and lanes of Shanghai for a long time, Chen Ke no longer knew where he was. The paths were like a maze, and he couldn't remember them no matter how hard he tried. The group stopped in front of a courtyard with closed gates, and Xu Xilin, who was leading the way, knocked on the door ring. Soon, a small hole opened on the door, and someone peeked out from inside. Chen Ke suddenly had an idea - if he were to shoot into the hole like in those movies he'd seen, then burst in, how would the people inside react?

  The gate opened, and to Chen Ke's surprise, the person at the door was Tao Chengzhang. The group didn't exchange pleasantries and went straight into the courtyard. Tao Chengzhang closed the gate and led Xu Xilin and four others into the living room.

  Facing these famous historical figures, Chen Ke didn't feel excited, and it was the same when he saw Cai Yuanpei. Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin had both met Cai Yuanpei before, so Cai's gaze quickly fell on Chen Ke. As a relatively tall person in Shaoxing, Chen Ke was also tall in Shanghai, plus his northern facial features made him easily recognizable among the southerners. Cai Yuanpei asked Xu Xilin, "Is this Mr. Chen Ke?"

  Xu Xilin hastily replied, "It's Chen Ke." After finishing speaking, he glanced at Chen Ke. Chen Ke hurriedly walked forward and subconsciously stretched out his right hand. The people around were stunned for a moment, Cai Yuanpei quickly regained composure and also stretched out his right hand to shake hands with Chen Ke. "I heard Mr. Chen Ke has returned from abroad?" Cai Yuanpei asked.

  "Yeah, I just came back this year, it hasn't been long."

  "As expected, you look dignified and imposing." Cai Yuanpei praised.

  "Mr. Cai, this is Mr. Chen Ke, not Mr. Chen Ke's. Mr. Chen Ke's courtesy name is Wenqing, which I helped him come up with. You can just call him by his courtesy name." Qiu Jin said with a smile.

  "wenqing?" Cai Yuanpei repeated. The word had a "qing" character in it, and Cai Yuanpei seemed to dislike the feeling it conveyed.

  Xu Xilin introduced Hua Xiongmao to Cai Yuanpei, and Hua Xiongmao hastily paid his respects to Cai with a student's courtesy. This was Chen Ke's first time seeing the Qing dynasty's etiquette in a formal setting, and he suddenly recalled the etiquette he used when meeting people. When meeting Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin, Chen Ke simply used a bowing gesture, and didn't use any etiquette with Hua Xiongmao at all - they just fought first and talked later. When getting to know You Lun and others, there was also no etiquette. Thinking of this, Chen Ke felt that he should privately ask Qiu Jin about etiquette.

  After everyone sat down, Xú Xī Lǐn said: "Mr. Cai, Wén Qīng has also heard of your great name overseas and admires you very much. I think Wén Qīng is a talented person, that's why I dared to introduce him."

  Chen Ke stared intently at Cai Yuanpei, the future president of Peking University, whose reputation was as extraordinary as his appearance in historical photographs. Chen had always been puzzled by the fact that famous people in Republican-era photos seemed to have an inexplicable air about them. Observing Cai up close like this was a rare opportunity for study and learning.

  Cai Yuanpei is 38 years old, and compared to people in the 21st century, he looks much older. This is also normal, as Chen Ke has seen that people of this era are all younger than he imagined. In the 21st century, due to good nutrition and a relatively easy life, everyone looks younger.

  When Xu Xilin spoke, Cai Yuanpei's face remained calm throughout. From a biological perspective, it can be said that the facial muscles were extremely relaxed. This is also a manifestation of sufficient concentration. After watching Cai Yuanpei's performance, Chen Ke couldn't help but glance at Qiu Jin, who was sitting calmly in her chair, looking around at the crowd with an expression identical to Cai Yuanpei's. Chen Ke imitated Cai Yuanpei's manner, trying his best to relax the muscles on his face and focus intently on Cai Yuanpei.

  Cai Yuanpei looked at Chen Ke with a gentle smile, "I heard from Bo Hong that you, Wenqing, are talented and a man of great promise. He also said that you come from a prestigious family but have left home for the revolution. I am full of admiration for you. But what can you teach me?"

  Cai Yuanpei, who was renowned among scholars, absolutely had real talent and substance. Chen Ke didn't dare to speak nonsense in front of such a great person, so he hastily said: "Mr. Cai is being polite. I'm just a humble person with some foolish ideas, wanting to do something for the country."

  "Wen Qing needn't be overly modest, I've read your manuscript. Indeed, it's a model for everyone. I only have one thing to ask Wen Qing: Wen Qing said that the Manchu Qing and the Westernization Movement missed the key point, why is this?"

  "When building a factory, one must know what the factory is for. Whether it's the Qing government or the Westernization Movement, they just build a factory without knowing how to use it after it's completed. They waste a lot of money and employ a large number of people, but to no avail. The Qing government is like this, and so is the Westernization Movement. That's why I say they don't get the point." Chen Ke said while observing Cai Yuanpei's reaction. Cai Yuanpei just nodded slightly. This future president of Peking University didn't understand industry. "Mr. Cai, when you think of powerful countries, what comes to mind first?"

  "Steel ships and strong guns."

  Chen Ke nodded in agreement, "That's right. The Qing dynasty's efforts to build strong ships and cannons are only a means to an end. Foreign strong ships and cannons, on the other hand, are products of an entire industrial system. Focusing on the superficial while neglecting the fundamental is where the Qing dynasty goes wrong. Moreover, the ruling powers in European countries are all industrialized capitalists who will inevitably promote national industrialization regardless of their goals. If China does not change its system, it has absolutely no future."

  "But I see the articles of Wenqing, and they don't seem to approve of foreign systems either." Cai Yuanpei continued to ask.

  Chen Ke said: "If we are to follow the path of foreign countries, let alone that there is no opportunity now. I only say one specific thing to Mr. Cai. More than 100 years ago, both Sweden and Britain were engaged in the textile industry. In Swedish textile mills, the mortality rate of child laborers exceeded 30%. In British textile mills, it was guaranteed that regardless of who you were, workers would be exhausted to death within three years. In the end, Swedish textile mills were unable to compete with Britain in terms of cost and were squeezed out by Britain. If we overthrow the Qing dynasty, Mr. Cai, are you willing to let China go through this as well?"