Insufficient balance

  Wu Xingchen settled his own affairs and left first. Once he was gone, Hua Xiongmao said: "Wen Qing, now that the foreign devils' patients are coming to our door, can they imitate our medicine?"

  "I can do it, others can naturally do it too. But under the current circumstances, foreigners wanting to replicate it will have to rely on their luck."

  "Taking Wenqing's medicine, can't they counterfeit it?"

  "They can't get their hands on our formula, so they're just taking a shot in the dark."

  As soon as Chen Ke finished speaking, Hua Xiongmao and Qi Huishen couldn't help but glance at You Yun. Although they knew that everyone didn't have any malicious intentions, You Yun's temper still couldn't be restrained, and he said solemnly: "What are you looking at me for? I absolutely won't betray everyone. Hmm, I absolutely won't betray the party."

  These days, everyone has seen the hard work of You Yun. Living and working together every day, a basic trust among comrades has been established at least. Since You Yun said so, Qi Hui said deeply: "You Yun, we all believe in you. If you encounter something that cannot be solved, you must tell everyone. We will definitely support you."

  "This is natural. It's not just my hard work, it's also everyone's collective effort. If someone tries to steal this medicine, everyone must help me."

  Chen Ke was unwilling to get entangled in this matter, and the next topic became the content of the public lecture. Chen Ke's meaning was very clear, this public class is divided into two types, one type is a public class for running schools. These public classes are just to attract students to study. On this point, everyone had no opinion. The crowd only had doubts about how to run the school.

  These days, churches run by foreigners don't charge tuition fees. However, you still have to pay for school uniforms and textbooks. The new school Chen Ke is preparing to open will naturally not be able to collect fees either.

  Qī Huì Shēn's alma mater was a church school, and he had experience. According to Qī Huì Shēn's introduction, students who "stood out" in the church school, or those who were close to foreigners, generally received recommendations after graduation and got job opportunities. In this era, foreigners expanded their influence in China through schools, which was an important way for them to recruit talent and cultivate loyal followers. As a result, it was relatively easy to find work after studying at a church school, so the enrollment rate was not bad.

  Chen Ke smiled after hearing that, his own ancestors had studied at church schools but did not go to rely on foreigners. Chen Ke's ancestors graduated from high school and then attended a domestic polytechnic university. At that time, there was no distinction between junior college and undergraduate studies, so after attending the "university", it was equivalent to graduating from university. Especially for engineering students, after graduation, they worked as technicians in domestic car repair factories, earning several hundred yuan a month with ease. At that time, wanting to change one's fate, studying at church schools was a very ordinary way.

  "We also publicize that after graduation, we prioritize job arrangement," said Chen Ke.

  "Was there so much work to be arranged at that time?" asked Hua Xiongmao.

  "How did you know that there wouldn't be many job opportunities at the time?" Chen Ke was being evasive. But Hua Xiongmao also couldn't come up with a reason to refute him.

  "We have hospitals and factories that can provide opportunities. Now as long as you have a skill, it's easy to find work. The key is whether or not you go to school." Chen Ke continued.

  Everyone can only agree with this.

  Another part of the lecture is aimed at progressive young people, especially those who are deeply involved in the revolution. Chen will frankly tell them that he will first teach everyone the basic knowledge of his revolutionary ideas. If one only talks about revolution without action, it's "utopian socialism". Marx's communist theory is called "scientific" because these theories are products of combining modern scientific knowledge with dialectical materialism.

  If you want to promote your own political ideology, it is useless to simply take out some revolutionary ideas. Revolutionary theory without a realistic basis will appear empty and vague. Apart from "Das Kapital", Chen Ke prepared for those revolutionary youths to study the three most basic courses of basic scientific knowledge, "Evolution Theory" and "Dialectical Materialism".

  "Meetings are deep, and you need to make good preparations for setting up cultural discussion classes and night schools. A radish that is pulled out quickly won't be washed clean. As long as young comrades who have an interest in our revolutionary ideology, we will pull them into the discussion classes and night schools. Let's just do it this way first."

  Chen Ke was also unwilling to make any further selections. Without a foundation, nothing can be discussed. Moreover, the recent establishment of hospitals and schools has enough positions to accommodate outstanding young people.

  "Wen Qing, although I also claim to be a revolutionary party, but so far, I have no idea what kind of revolution Wen Qing is advocating for. Since Wen Qing has decided to recruit people on a large scale, can you explain the revolutionary principles of Wen Qing?"

  This was the first time that Youyun formally inquired about Chen Ke's revolutionary program, and it was also the first time that someone had formally raised Chen Ke's revolutionary theory at a party meeting. If it were before, Chen Ke would have definitely thought thrice before speaking, but this time Chen Ke answered directly and to the point. "My revolutionary road is people's revolution. The object of revolution is the ownership of capital."

  Anyway, Comrade Chen Ke and other comrades have talked about some Capital Theory, and for capital, comrades still have some understanding.

  "Capital is currently controlled by a small number of people and serves only a small number of people. The core revolutionary view I hold is to redistribute capital, have it managed by the state."

  "Who does the country belong to?"

  "Our Party."

  "So, our party is in charge of everything?"

  "The people supervise our party."

  "What kind of pipe is this?"

  You Yu didn't understand thoroughly. You Yu had no contact with any revolutionary theories and couldn't comprehend Chen Ke's words at all.

  "Let's talk about the basics. For example, there are 100 people and 1,000 mu of land. Originally, with proper farming, everyone should have enough to eat. But in reality, among these 100 people, 20 people occupy 850 mu of land, while 80 people only have 150 mu of land. So it's easy for these 80 people to starve to death. You see, are the 20 people afraid that the 80 people will rise up and rebel?"

  "It should be scary, right?" You Yun said.

  "So these 20 people came up with an argument that says their occupation of 850 mu of land is justified, don't you think this argument has a problem?"

  He thought for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said: "If I were one of the 20 people, I would naturally think that this statement is correct. If I were one of the 80 people, I would naturally think that this statement is completely wrong."

  Chen Ke nodded in agreement, appreciating You Yun's insight and pragmatic attitude. "My revolution is to break through this rhetoric. Because my revolution is to stand on the standpoint of those 80 people."

  "Isn't this just robbing the rich to help the poor?" asked Hua Xiongmao.

  "If it were just a matter of dividing the land, it wouldn't be considered a revolution at all. A revolution is something that involves a wide range of things, which is why we need to talk about it in class. However, fundamentally speaking, my revolution isn't about having 80 people kill off 20 people. That doesn't make any sense. If 80 people were to kill off 20 people, but the old way of thinking wasn't broken or abandoned, what would be different from before? The object of our revolution is that way of thinking. Not only that, we also want everyone to produce more grain and products, open factories, and make life better for all."

  This passage has led everyone into confusion again.

  "Who are our enemies? Who are our friends? This is a question of the first importance for the revolution. The basic reason why all previous revolutionary struggles in China achieved so little was their failure to unite with real friends in order to attack real enemies. The revolutionary party is the guide of the masses, and no revolution ever succeeds if the revolutionary party leads them astray. Our revolution also has its own internal contradictions. We must make a correct analysis of these contradictions and not confuse our true friends with our true enemies."

  Chen Ke had always been unable to express his ideas very well, but after finishing writing this passage, he felt a lot more relieved in his heart.

  "I'm boasting a bit, but I am the revolutionary party. Comrades are temporarily called the masses. I just want to make friends with comrades. I also can't lead everyone into the abyss. So in the past situation, I couldn't shout slogans like 'Down with the Manchu' or carry out armed uprisings or assassinate officials. I could only accumulate funds and wealth for the revolution. Continuously expand social connections, befriend comrades who are true friends, continuously promote revolutionary progress. And don't let us become the running dogs of the Manchu and imperialism. Maintain the purity and independence of the revolution. The Manchu, underworld, and imperialism are our enemies, we are now constantly fighting against them. Like He Zuodao is our friend, we must rescue He Zuodao."

  "So how exactly does a wenqing determine who is gay?" You Yun felt that this made sense, but she still didn't understand.

  "Whoever sides with the revolutionary people is a revolutionary. Whoever sides with imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat-capitalism is a counter-revolutionary. Whoever sides with the revolutionary people in words but acts differently is a revolutionary in words but not in deeds. If he integrates his words and deeds, then he is a complete revolutionary." Chairman's words are easy to recite, regarding Yu Yunwen's problem, Chen Ke directly quoted Chairman's quote.

  "In other words, from the standpoint of those 80 people... no, from the standpoint of revolution, breaking the rules set by those 20 people and promoting the revolutionary system that Wenyu talked about, are they comrades? Yu Xuan said slowly, "But I still don't understand Wenyu's revolutionary rules."

  After listening to You Yun's words, Chen Ke's face turned slightly red. He made a serious self-criticism: "This is my fault. In the future party meetings and lectures, I will make sure to clearly explain my revolutionary principles, or everything I have learned, to everyone. It's just that I haven't been able to do so yet, and for that, I apologize to everyone."

  When Chen Kedao apologized, You Yun smiled and said: "Wen Qing doesn't need to apologize. Although I don't know what Wen Qing's revolutionary principles are, I believe in Wen Qing. A good person like you, I really haven't seen before. In any case, I will be Wen Qing's comrade."

  "That's right, I've never seen anyone like this cultural youth either. I just want to follow the cultural youth. Anyway, it's going to be a revolution sooner or later, and following someone like him, at least I don't have to worry about being cheated. Being sold out and still helping others count their money is something I'd never do." Hua Xiongmao laughed.

  Zi Hui had long been in agreement with Chen Ke, but he was not anxious to express his own views. He glanced at Zhou Yuanxiao, who had been silent beside him, and saw that Zhou Yuanxiao was looking at everyone with a thoughtful expression.

  For some reason, Qi Hui Shen did not want to force Zhou Yuan Xiao to make a statement. He had always had an inexplicable intuition that if Chen Ke's theory could finally get Zhou Yuan Xiao to speak out in agreement on his own, that would be the real success. At that time, Qi Hui Shen would unhesitatingly throw himself onto the revolutionary path pointed out by Chen Ke, and he would never regret it.

  After Wu Xingchen left, the sales of medicines did not decline but maintained a relatively stable upward trend. Especially the number of foreign patients increased significantly. After discussion by the party group, comrades simply stopped rushing to expand sales and invested money in the construction of affiliated hospitals. In this way, the overall workload was greatly reduced.

  Lectures require a script, Chen Ke is preparing the manuscript in a tight and secretive manner. Every time the manuscript is completed, he will give his comrades a lecture first. Those who listen to the lectures are not only five party members, but also some young people who came before, as well as some new young people. Chen Ke didn't make anything special, his first lecture was Faraday's famous science popularization work "The Story of a Candle". This script is an important science popularization work that has led countless young people to devote themselves to the chemical profession. It is also a book that Chen Ke loved to read since childhood.

  In those days, people's entertainment was scarce. Faraday's weekend popular science lecture series at the British Academy of Sciences was always packed. In 1905, it also sparked enthusiasm among the Chinese people.

  You Yun was a chemistry major and loved the manuscript written by Chen Ke. Under Chen Ke's encouragement, You Yun volunteered to take on this lecture. As Chen Ke had expected, although You Yun was usually outgoing, when she stood in front of everyone for the first time, her face suddenly turned bright red, her mouth dry and tongue-tied, stuttering. Fortunately, they were all familiar with each other, so even though everyone laughed, no one teased her. Looking at You Yun's flustered appearance, Chen Ke just smiled, remembering that his own first experience teaching others wasn't much better. But this was a first step, and Chen Ke didn't know when the first female teacher in China appeared, but he believed that in his current time, You Yun would definitely be the first woman to give a public science lecture. And she would certainly be recorded in the glorious ranks of history.

  The lecture was open to the public, and the door was not closed. A young man with shoulder-length hair walked in and stared at Yu Xun, a woman wearing a suit and a ponytail, standing in front of the blackboard, with various experimental equipment on the table in front of her, lecturing on chemistry in a slightly flustered Shanghainese accent. In front of Yu Xun, many men sat on row after row of stools. After listening for a while, the young man also became interested and simply stood at the back of the crowd to listen to Yu Xun's lecture. Chen Ke, who was standing in the crowd, noticed this spirited young man and smiled at him. The young man also smiled back, staring at Chen Ke's short hair for a moment, and then asked in a low voice: "Excuse me, do you know a Mr. Chen Ke?"

  At this time a Hunan accent, Chen Ke didn't know when he had made friends with someone from Hunan, he replied: "I am. May I ask who you are?"

  "I was introduced by Mr. Qiu Jin, and I am Chen Tianhua."

  Among all the revolutionaries of the old era, Chen Ke believed that only Chen Tianhua should be brought under his banner. In December 1905, Chen Tianhua drowned himself in Japan. There are various accounts of his death. Chen Ke did not have the idea of investigating the reason, and among the revolutionary martyrs, there were indeed few who dared to kill themselves. A person who is not afraid of death, if used well, would be a great help.

  But looking at this young man in front of him, Chen Ke almost couldn't help but ask Chen Tianhua why he wanted to commit suicide.

  Then Chen Ke couldn't help but laugh, if this word was spoken without thinking, Chen Tianhua would definitely think he's a madman. Next, Chen Ke felt infinite gratitude towards Qiu Jin in his heart. Although he trusted Qiu Jin's character, she was so busy, having gone to Japan for the preparation work of the Guangfu meeting, could she remember Chen Ke's entrustment amidst her busy schedule? Chen Ke wasn't very confident. But Chen Tianhua appearing here was enough to prove how much thought Qiu Jin had put in.

  Chen Ke knew that Chen Tianhua came from a poor background and was particularly good at propaganda. Chen Ke wasn't worried about his own theoretical abilities, but he was worried about his propaganda skills. Among the major revolutionary parties of the late Qing dynasty, Chen Tianhua and Zou Rong were among the best. Zou Rong had already died in prison, and even as a time-traveler, Chen Ke didn't have the ability to bring him back to life. But Chen Tianhua was still alive, and no matter what, Chen Ke wanted to try to pull him into the revolutionary ranks.

  Chen Tianhua smiled and said: "I have great respect for Mr. Qiu Jin, Mr. Qiu Jin said that Brother Chen is a talent in the revolutionary party who has no equal, he told me that Brother Chen wants to see me and advised me to meet with Brother Chen no matter what. And since Brother Chen invited me, I came immediately." Chen Tianhua spoke with a Hunan accent.

  "We've been waiting for this day for a long time. I'm overjoyed to finally meet Brother Tianhua. It's noisy in the courtyard now, let's go inside and talk."

  Qiu Jin has now arrived in Japan. After arriving in Japan, Qiu Jin's first thing to do was to find Chen Tianhua and invite him to meet with Chen Ke. Chen Tianhua had heard of Qiu Jin and even received the "tea money" entrusted by Chen Ke to Qiu Jin. He was also moved by Chen Ke's kindness. Under Qiu Jin's persuasion, Chen Tianhua simply came to meet Chen Ke once.

  Everyone chatted for a few more sentences before hearing a burst of kind laughter coming from outside, probably because Youyun had made some joke.

  "I didn't expect Brother Chen to have a female chemistry teacher here." Chen Tianhua said with a smile.

  "Our revolutionary party advocates for gender equality, so it's not unusual to have a female teacher. She is just trying out lectures now, but after a while, she will be giving regular lessons, and there will be hundreds of people attending."

  "Oh? Advocating for gender equality, Brother Chen, you're quite an unusual revolutionary."

  After the trial lecture, Chen Ke let everyone disperse and a few key members stayed behind to hold a welcome party for Chen Tianhua. Chen Ke went out to buy wine and dishes, letting other comrades entertain Chen Tianhua first. As soon as he brought back the food and wine to the workshop door, he heard someone singing in a Hunan accent. The core members of the party were sitting around Chen Tianhua, listening to him sing: "It's come! It's come! What's come? Foreigners have come! It's all bad! Everyone is doomed! From now on, we're all just cattle and sheep in the foreigners' enclosure, fish and meat in their pots. They can kill us or cook us at will, and we can't move an inch... Alas, this is the day of our death! Oh, the bitterness! Our fellow countrymen's hard-earned silver and property are all going to be taken away by foreigners; our fellow countrymen's loving wives and children are going to be torn apart by foreigners..."