Insufficient balance
"Where did you come from, fake foreign devil, daring to be so arrogant in Shaoxing?"
Back in this era, it was the first time someone had scolded Chen Ke like that. Chen Ke wasn't angry at all, since returning to this time and space, he found that his anger emotion had been weakened to an extreme degree. For more than a month, Chen Ke felt that everything he saw was fresh, even though he had gradually identified with this era, but he still couldn't produce true anger. How many people in this era understood him? Since they were all people who didn't understand him, their prejudices, misunderstandings and hostility towards Chen Ke were meaningless.
Having heard the new title of "Fake Foreigner", Chen Ke tried his best to hold back his laughter. Not only was the title amusing, but the man's speech was also in Mandarin, or rather, the Henan dialect that was popular in official circles during the late Qing dynasty. Moreover, his pronunciation was incorrect, making it sound quite ridiculous.
Xu Xilin had already gone up to greet him, saying a few words in Shaoxing dialect to the leader. The man obviously didn't listen, and walked straight towards Chen Ke. Chen Ke didn't know what this person's background was, but since he came with those hooligans who were beaten by Chen Ke yesterday, plus that angry shout just now, it was impossible for him to be here to give himself a gift. Chen Ke's body began to tense up in alertness, if he got beaten again, it would still hurt.
The man opposite looked at Chen Ke's movements and sneered, "Oh, still a member of the Lian family. I am Wu Huajun Mao, do you still want to fight with me?"
Xu Xilin hastily came up to block Hua Xiongmao, who was shouting and scolding with a dirty mouth. Just as they were entangled, Chen Ke asked loudly: "Are you going to walk the public road or take a shortcut? Get out of the way."
"What's going on with the officials and the smuggling? Tell me clearly." Hua Xiongmao grabbed Xu Xilin and asked loudly.
Chen Kesheng replied in a deep voice, "The few people behind you are trying to rob us. Let's talk it out. If we can't come to an agreement, let's settle it with our fists. You seem to have some skills too, I don't think you'd be like those petty thieves who cling to their prey."
"Haha, you fake foreign devil can talk indeed. What's the difference between public and private? My grandfather is reasonable in both public and private." Hua Xiongmao said with a big laugh. As soon as he finished speaking, he felt a strong gust of wind hitting his face, and when he looked again, Chen Ke's fist was already in front of his nose.
Hua Xiongmao was shocked and hastily retreated. When he looked again, Chen Ke had already withdrawn his fist and stood there. The several ruffians behind Hua Xiongmao started shouting and cursing. A very dangerous smile floated onto Chen Ke's face, "Is this what you call smuggling?"
"Damn your mother!" Hua Xiongmao cursed, "I'm not afraid of you, even if you're a smuggler." As soon as the words fell, Chen Ke had already pounced forward, and Hua Xiongmao hastily dodged. However, Chen Ke didn't stop at all, charging straight at those thugs. His fists flew out like lightning, swiftly punching each of them in the chest with precision. Then, he took two consecutive steps back, creating distance between himself and the crowd. The thugs were momentarily stunned, unsure what had happened. Although their bodies had been punched backward several steps, they didn't feel excessive pain. Several people wanted to shout out loud, but suddenly their entire body was paralyzed, unable to move as if struck by lightning. Then, they felt severe chest pain, as if something was constricting them, and they couldn't muster any strength. Their bodies shrunk smaller and smaller, eventually curling up on the ground, writhing in agony without making a sound.
Chen Ke turned around, his eyes fixed tightly on Hua Xiongmao. Hua Xiongmao felt as if he was being stared at by a fierce beast and didn't dare move.
Before crossing over, Chen Ke's hobbies included playing fighting games with a group of friends who were former soldiers turned police officers. After crossing over, he discovered that his body had changed and become stronger than before. With this new strength, he was able to travel from Henan to Anhui, a journey fraught with danger. The few thugs they encountered wouldn't be a problem for him. Chen Ke had been hit by his friends during practice many times before, but the impact earlier had left the thugs' internal organs shaken, and they couldn't get up for a while. Now, he only needed to face Hua Xiong Mao alone. As the saying goes, "a thousand ants can kill an elephant," as long as Hua Xiong Mao didn't have any other helpers, Chen Ke was confident that he could take him down by himself.
Xu Xilin hastily blocked the two, saying something in Shaoxing dialect. Hua Xiongmao also responded with something in Shaoxing dialect. Although their tone was fierce, Chen Keming could clearly feel that Hua Xiongmao's momentum had weakened a lot.
In the end, no one knew what Xú Xī Lín said, Huá Xióng Mào turned around to look at that rascal. Xú Xī Lín turned back and said, "Wén Qīng, you must come here early tomorrow."
"Brother Bohong, I will definitely come visit," after finishing speaking, the two bid farewell with a bow.
Hua Xiongmao shouted something, and Qiu Jin scolded him a few words, so Hua Xiongmao didn't make another sound. Although he really wanted to turn his head to see what was going on, Chen Ke finally restrained this impulse, it's better not to provoke unnecessary trouble.
Unconsciously, he had chatted with Xu Xilin and the others for a long time, and now it was already afternoon. Having caught up with Xu Xilin, Chen Ke's mood was quite good, and since there was nothing to do back at his residence anyway, Chen Ke simply strolled around Shaoxing. Today, the sun was shining brightly, and Chen Ke was walking westward, which meant that the bright sunlight was shining directly into his eyes. Although he knew it wasn't a good idea, Chen Ke still took out the 36-yuan polarized sunglasses from his pocket and put them on. Originally, he had already been quite eye-catching, but now he became even more of a focal point for everyone's attention.
Chen Ke had read many of Lu Xun's articles, and in 1905, Shaoxing was indeed as he described it - the city was not big, there were no industries, but there were a few handicraft workshops. People walked slowly, looking very carefree. This was completely opposite to the attitude of being calm and unruffled that people in the 21st century generally pursue. The common people Chen Ke saw would laugh at the smallest things and get angry over tiny matters. It must have been because daily life lacked fresh changes, so people were very sensitive to any changes.
The little kids looked at Chen Ke with a mixture of fear and curiosity, while the onlookers in the distance pointed and whispered to each other. Almost everyone's attention on the street was drawn to Chen Ke. However, Chen Ke took it all in stride. From Zhengzhou to Shaoxing, being stared at had become a normal occurrence for him, and there were always people trying to stir up trouble. But with his sunglasses on, Chen Ke looked somewhat like the "Terminator", and the fear in people's eyes actually reduced the hassle he encountered.
Now that he was in Shaoxing, it would be stupid for Chen Ke not to visit the "Xian Heng Hotel". But Chen Ke really didn't know where this Xian Heng Hotel was. After strolling around for a long time, he still couldn't see any sign of the store. When asking passersby, either they didn't understand the language or shook their heads indicating that they didn't know about the existence of this store.
After wandering for more than an hour, he still couldn't find the place. There was a shop on the roadside ahead, with a sign that read "Lai Heng Hotel" in four characters. It was also a three-room tile house, with a wine-warming table at the door. Chen Kexin walked into the hotel, and the young man at the door, who looked like he was only ten or so years old, looked up at him. From his movements, it seemed like he wanted to welcome Chen in, but when he saw that Chen was wearing sunglasses, he became visibly nervous, and ended up awkwardly blocking the doorway. The person behind the counter, who appeared to be the owner, hastily shouted a couple of curses, and the young man ran back behind the wine-warming table. The owner then came out to greet him.
"Does the gentleman want to drink wine?" The shopkeeper was over fifty years old, wearing a long shirt, with age spots on his face full of wrinkles, wearing a melon seed hat, and a white braid hanging behind him, looking clean and tidy.
"I want to drink wine." Chen Ke smiled and replied.
"Please, this way." The shopkeeper hastily led Chen Ke into the next room. As soon as Chen Ke entered the doorway, he stopped in his tracks. This place was really small, and to think that Hua Xiongmao, who had almost come to blows with him earlier, was sitting at a table, drinking wine with his head down. Just as Chen Ke was about to turn around and leave, Hua Xiongmao looked up. Seeing Chen Ke wearing sunglasses, Hua Xiongmao's elegant eyebrows furrowed. Chen Ke thought it was quite awkward - they hadn't managed to fight earlier, but now they couldn't just keep fighting, could they? But leaving like this would completely ruin the atmosphere of drinking wine. Chen Ke and Hua Xiongmao locked eyes for a moment, then Chen Ke took off his sunglasses. "This gentleman, I'm the one from earlier. My name is Chen Ke. I wanted to have a drink here but ran into you instead. What a coincidence. A real coincidence."
This opening remark was quite embarrassing and beyond Huaxiong Mao's expectation. The shopkeeper didn't know that the two had almost fought just now, he smiled and said: "So this guest knows Mr. Hua?" After finishing speaking, he quickly led Chen Ke to the table next to Huaxiong Mao, "What wine and dishes does the guest want?"
Chen Ke looked at Hua Xiong's simple dishes in front of him and said, "The wine is only two bowls, 'just like this Mr. Hua'."
The shopkeeper looked and said, "42 cents." Chen Ke sat down and took out the money bag changed from his glasses case, counted out the money and handed it to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper asked Hua Xiongmao, "Mr. Hua, do you want any more wine or dishes?"
Hua Xiongmao waved his hand and the shopkeeper turned around and left.
There were only a few people in the house, Hua Xiongmao stared at Chen Ke for a few moments before continuing to eat with his head down. Chen Ke's position was good, he could see Hua Xiongmao on one side and the entrance of the house on the other. Even if several people suddenly rushed in, Chen Ke would definitely have time to pick up the stool beside him to attack. As he took out a cloth to wipe his glasses, his companion had already brought in a tray with a bowl of rice, two dishes, and two bowls of wine. After the food was placed properly, Chen Ke started eating.
The dishes taste good, and that braised pork with preserved mustard greens is far better than the 21st century's fattened pork that Chen Ke has ever had. Just as they were enjoying their meal, Hua Xiongmao brought over a wine bowl and sat down beside Chen Ke. "You just called him Brother Chen Ke, didn't you?" Hua Xiongmao asked.
"That's right." Chen Ke replied.
"Don't mind if I join Chen and you for a game, do you?" Hua Xiongmao suddenly said with a smile. Hua Xiongmao had the face of a handsome young man from Jiangnan, with a pointed chin, a straight nose that was not too high, long narrow eyes, and skin that was tanned to a dark complexion, but still looked smooth and fine. No matter how you looked at him, he didn't give off any unpleasant vibes.
"No problem," Chen Ke replied.
"Brother Chen, just now Mr. Xu mentioned that you're going to visit him tomorrow and also invited me. Let's resolve our conflicts between brothers. I see that Brother Chen is also a martial artist, if there's anything we can discuss it among ourselves, no need to trouble Mr. Xu." asked Hua Xiong Mao.
"I think it's just right." Chen Ke felt that there was a strong sense of gunpowder in these words, but still replied brightly.
Hua Xiongmao brought his own dishes to Chen Ke's table and then asked, "Brother Chen seems to have studied abroad."
"That's right."
"You must think it's quite impressive?" Hua Xiongmao said with a smile.
"I don't think so. Having studied abroad is nothing special, why should I feel different from others?"
This answer was beyond Huaxiong Mao's expectation, and what was even more unexpected was Chen Ke's calm and composed attitude. Before Huaxiong Mao could continue speaking, Chen Ke had already picked up his wine cup, "Brother Hua, please."
Hua Xiongmao didn't even touch his wine bowl, and Chen Ke didn't mind either. He took a sip of his own wine and continued eating.
"What I hate most are fake foreigners." Huaxiong Mao finally said what he wanted to say after holding back for a while.
"Oh, I see." Chen Ke's tone was devoid of any emotional fluctuations. "I don't like it either."
"In Shaoxing, those who are caught being unfaithful will have their queues cut off. Everyone can tell what wrong they've done just by looking at them." Hua Xiongmao continued to provoke Chen Ke.
"This was a rather strange piece of information for Chen Ke, and after thinking about it for a moment, he actually burst out laughing. "So that's how it is. Those fake foreigners mostly have middle-parted hair, which indeed looks like they've cut off their queues."
Hua Xiongmao suddenly felt that Chen Ke was an unreasonable existence, but Chen Ke's short hair looked more like a monk than someone who had cut off his braid. He thought to himself that this remark of his was actually quite unreasonable. Originally, Hua Xiongmao thought that by using words to provoke Chen Ke, Chen Ke would become angry and flustered, but unexpectedly Chen Ke took his own words as a joke. This made Hua Xiongmao feel even more humiliated and enraged.
"Can Brother Chen have ancestors?" Hua Xiongmao gritted his teeth and finally asked.
Chen Ke took another sip of wine before responding, "Of course there is. Without ancestors, how could I exist?"
"Can the ancestral attire be easily discarded?" Hua Xiongmao continued to ask. For such a fierce question, Hua Xiongmao believed that Chen Ke would not dare to joke around.
Chen Ke smiled, or rather, his face showed a smiling expression, but his eyes did not smile. Chen Ke's voice became low and muffled, and Hua Xiongmao could barely hear it, while people farther away couldn't hear it at all. "Which dynasty's ancestor are you talking about? The Song Dynasty? The Ming Dynasty? From the perspective of my Ming Dynasty ancestors, those who kept their hair in a queue were rebels or traitors, and at least they were slaves to a fallen nation." After finishing speaking, Chen Ke's bright eyes stared intently at Hua Xiongmao.
Hua Xiongmao's face initially had a puzzled expression, but suddenly he slightly froze, staring at Chen Ke in shock. Chen Ke did not avoid Hua Xiongmao's gaze, his sharp eyes fixed intently on Hua Xiongmao's eyes.
"So that's how it is." Huaxiong Mao let out a sigh, apparently he had understood Chen Ke's meaning, the provocative look on his face was gone. Huaxiong Mao wanted to say something more, but couldn't find the right words, so he repeated again, "So that's how it is."
"Hua brother, let's drink." Chen Ke raised his wine cup. This time Hua Xiongmao did not refuse and also raised his cup to clink with Chen Ke. "Chen brother, please."
The two never talked about Chen Ke again, and the topic turned to Shaoxing dishes. Chen Ke inquired about the Xianheng Hotel, and Hua Xiaoming told Chen Ke that the hotel had closed down.
At the end of the Qing dynasty, "revolutionary parties" were not uncommon in Shaoxing. In fact, among radical intellectuals, "revolutionary parties" were even trendy. The Qing court was defeated in every battle, losing power and dignity. Dissatisfaction was widespread, and the vast majority of intellectuals believed that change was needed; their differences lay only in whether they advocated "revolution" or "reform". Chen Ke dared to reveal his identity as a revolutionary party member largely because he understood this historical fact. In the agricultural society of the late Qing period, the government's power at the grassroots level was virtually nonexistent. Even if Hua Xiongmao reported Chen Ke to the authorities without solid evidence, no one would have come to arrest him.
Chen Ke looked at Hua Xiongmao's change in attitude and was somewhat curious about this martial artist. He asked, "Brother Hua, why don't you like overseas students? Is it because most of them are fake foreigners?"
"Not a few lesson plans were caused by these people." Huaxiong Mao replied.
"So that's how it is." Chen Ke suddenly realized, "Hua brother was right. It's indeed like that."
At that time, foreigners in China were very enthusiastic about missionary activities to support their power in China. In the conflicts between Chinese Christians and other Chinese people, foreigners always strongly supported Chinese Christians, and various religious cases emerged one after another. As a martial arts champion, Hua Xiong was originally from the upper class of society. It's natural that he was very dissatisfied with the "privileged class of believers" who relied on foreign power to emerge.
"I am Chinese and naturally will not believe in any foreign religion, so please don't worry about that, Brother Hua. Actually, I hate foreign religions the most." Chen Ke said.
Hua Xiongmao smiled slightly and said, "Brother Chen, I see you're also an outsider. What brings you to Shaoxing?"
"Tomorrow I still have to visit Mr. Xue, and Brother Hua said that he will also go to Mr. Xue's place tomorrow, why not talk about it again then? Today we can drink with Brother Hua, which is already very delightful, don't let those annoying things disturb the fun of drinking." Chen Ke lightly pushed aside Hua Xiongmao's question. Hua Xiongmao also knew his limits and did not bring up this topic again.
The next morning, Chen Ke got up early and returned to this era. Without electricity at night, Chen Ke's living habits naturally returned to the traditional habit of getting up with the sun and resting with the sunset. He looked at his watch and it was just past five o'clock. The sky outside had already brightened up. Chen Ke didn't have a habit of sleeping in, he got out of bed as soon as he woke up.
After washing and shaving, Chen Ke checked his belongings and left. Shaoxing also had breakfast stalls, but unlike the north, they mainly sold rice-based food instead of fried dough sticks. In Chen Ke's impression, the meat-filled glutinous rice was quite tasty. There were many vendors selling breakfast on the street, carrying their goods on poles. Chen Ke bought a meat-filled glutinous rice and ate it while standing there. Because he was going to meet Xu Xilin, Chen Ke carefully wiped his mouth and hands with a handkerchief, then crumpled it up and threw it on the ground. The people around him were already staring at him, and after seeing this act, many of them whispered to each other.
This Shaoxing cannot stay for long, Chen Ke thought to himself. His appearance and demeanor were too different from the locals. How could he persuade Xu Xilin to hurry to Shanghai?
He slowly sauntered to the entrance of the Xu residence, taking less than fifteen minutes. Because he walked so slowly, he attracted even more attention from passersby on the road. Chen Ke raised his wrist; it was now 8 o'clock in the morning. He didn't know if Xue Xilun had gotten out of bed yet. As he pondered this, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him. Turning around, Qiu Jin stood right behind Chen Ke. "Wen Qing, good morning," Qiu Jin greeted him.
"Aunt Autumn good morning." Chen Ke hurriedly returned the greeting.
"Wow, you have a lot of watches. Want to pawn this one too?" Qiu Jin asked with a sly smile.
"Aunt Qiu, don't joke with me." Chen Ke's face turned slightly red.
"Haha." Seeing Chen Ke's awkward expression, Qiu Jin smiled and said, "Let's go in first." After that, Qiu Jin led Chen Ke into the Xu family's gate. Qiu Jin and Xu Xilin were relatives, so the Xu family servants only nodded and greeted them when they saw Qiu Jin. The two of them went to the back hall and sat down. Qiu Jin took out a piece of paper and handed it to Chen Ke. From her sleeve, a watch was faintly visible, which didn't look out of place on her slender wrist. Chen Ke glanced at it briefly before focusing on the paper again. It was an IOU. The content stated that Chen Ke had borrowed 50 taels of silver from Qiu Jin using his watch as collateral, with a two-year repayment period and no interest. After reading the beautifully written document, Chen Ke took out a pen and signed his name directly on it. Qiu Jin glanced at the ugly handwriting and then looked at the very ordinary disposable pen before handing a small package to Chen Ke. Chen Ke opened the package and found 40 taels of loose silver coins and 10 strings of copper coins inside. He had no idea what the exchange rate was between silver and copper coins at that time, nor did he want to reveal his ignorance, so he simply put the package into his bag.
As soon as the handover was completed, Xú Xī Lín entered the living room. After exchanging greetings, Xú Xī Lín hastily asked Chén Kè if he had brought new manuscripts over. Chén Kè took out the remaining manuscripts he had written. This was everything he had written since arriving in this era. More than a month of contemplation had finally turned into an article of over 30,000 words. It wasn't all finished yet.
Xu Xilin hastily sat down and began to flip through, Qiu Jin took out the manuscript from yesterday. "Wen Qing, I carefully read it again when I got back yesterday. I don't understand much about European affairs, how much do you know about Japan?"
"Japan, huh? I wonder what aspect Autumn wants to ask about." Chen Ke asked.
After hearing this, Qiu Jin's face showed a look of surprise. This kind of confident attitude was indeed rare. Qiu Jin asked excitedly: "Wen Qing, what do you think about the Russo-Japanese War this time?" After hearing Qiu Jin's words, Xue Xilun suddenly raised his head and waited for Chen Ke to speak.
"Fighting a war requires money. Japan doesn't have any now. What to do? Borrow some." Chen Ke said with a smile. Qiu Zhen really liked the Japanese, and in those days, most revolutionaries did too. Chen Ke knew this, so he had to force a smile. Although his face was smiling, Chen Ke decided that he had to make Qiu Zhen understand that Japan wasn't anything good.
"Where did you borrow the money from?" Xue Xilun asked before Qiu Jin could speak.
Chen Ke looked at Xie Xilin and replied, "The United States provided war loans to Japan. Japan used this money as military expenses to fight against Russia. So in this battle, Russia can afford to lose, and even if it loses, it will not have to cede territory or pay indemnities. However, Japan cannot afford to lose; if it loses, it will be difficult for it to recover. What Japan wants to gain is control over the entire Northeast region of China. After defeating Russia's military forces in the Far East, Japan can use this victory as a pretext to rely on its military power and plunder the interests of Northeast China. In this way, the war will have yielded profits. Even if Russia loses, it only needs to allow Japan to have special privileges in Northeast China; it is impossible for it to cede territory or pay indemnities."
After finishing speaking, Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin fell silent for a long time before Qiu Jin asked: "Wenqing, where did you get this news from? Why does America want to lend money to Japan?"
Chen Ke's face wore a cold smile, "This isn't some secret message, all you need to do is ask around in the financial markets of Europe and America, and you'll know that Japan has issued bonds four times from 1904 until now. Anyone with any sense knows that these bonds are war bonds. With Japan's current military advantage, those bonds have risen a lot in value. Europeans haven't bought many Japanese bonds, but Wall Street in the US is the biggest buyer. As for why America would buy Japan's war bonds, it's simple: Americans also want to compete for interests in Northeast China. Right now, Britain has a strong presence in the Yangtze River Delta and Beijing-Tianjin region. It's very difficult for America to get a foothold here. The Northeast is exactly where America wants to intervene, but since Russia holds sway there, they need to break Russia's position, and there's no other way to do that except through war."
Xu Xilin's eyes widened in anger as he gritted his teeth and said, "Loss of power and humiliation to the country, loss of power and humiliation to the country."
"Bo Hu brother, what is the Qing dynasty going to fight with? Now Japan and Russia are at war in Northeast China, and the Qing dynasty has actually designated Chinese territory as a battleground for foreign powers and claims neutrality. Haha! Japan and Russia are fighting fiercely in China over privileges, and the Qing dynasty still dares to treat this piece of Chinese land as a foreign battleground and declare neutrality. Is there anything more ridiculous than this? Chen Ke's words and cold laughter were squeezed out from between his teeth."
With a loud bang, Xue Xilin slammed his fist on the armrest of the chair, and the manuscript in his hand was crumpled. After venting, Xue Xilin immediately saw that the manuscript was almost torn apart by himself. He hastily unfolded the manuscript with a guilty conscience, "Wen Qing, I lost my composure. Is there any way to make China strong in this manuscript of yours?"
"I didn't write it," Chen Ke replied.
"Why? Don't you believe me?" Xu Xilin stared at Chen Ke intensely.
"No, revolution is a step-by-step process. Even if I wrote something, it wouldn't be of any use. Let's put it this way, Brother Boqun, even if we wanted to go to the Northeast and drive out the Japanese and Russians, could the two of us do it? And how would we get there? I know you're wholeheartedly devoted to saving the country, but saving the country requires a method..." Chen Kejiang said this much before Xu Xilin interrupted him, "As long as it can save China, let me, Xu, sacrifice my life and be torn to pieces."
Qiu Jin's face was filled with sorrow and indignation, she said solemnly: "Today I heard Wen Qing talk about the war, it is completely different from what others say. Wen Qing, if you really have a way to save the country, please don't hesitate to teach me."
Chen Ke looked at the two revolutionary predecessors in front of him, who were heartbroken and indignant for the sake of national affairs. As a traverser, Chen Ke could also state some things with a calm attitude, but when he stated the Russo-Japanese War, Chen Ke truly felt it. The Russo-Japanese War was currently taking place in Northeast China, where Chinese civilians were being brutally slaughtered by Japanese and Russian people. A sudden anger arose in his chest, which he had not expected himself to feel. This was not the kind of anger one feels when reading history books, an anger that mostly comes from shame. The current anger was a feeling that could only be experienced in this era. Unconsciously, Chen Ke had already clenched his fists.
As his emotions became more and more agitated, Chen Ke almost couldn't help but tell Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin the strategy to save the country that he had been thinking about. Just then, a doubt suddenly arose in Chen Ke's mind. Looking at China's history, it was the Communist Party that ultimately saved China. The revolutionary program of this organization could be said without exaggeration to aim at eliminating the class to which Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin belonged. If he now spoke out just for his own satisfaction, what would be the result?
Can Xuxi Lin and Qiu Jin become staunch communist fighters? Chen Ke is not optimistic about this outcome at all. Thinking of this, Chen Ke became much more sober and his emotions were far from the excitement earlier. He suddenly thought that according to history, Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin are now at most "united front". If he can lead the revolution to achieve some success, will they continue to be part of the "united front" in the future as the revolutionary process changes?
Chen Ke was deliberating on what to say when he heard Xu Xilin's family members come in to report, "Young master, Hua Juren requests an audience." Chen Ke clicked his tongue and put on the air of someone who wanted to speak but had been interrupted.
Xu Xilin stood up and said, "I'll go greet him." As he watched Xu Xilin walk out of the hall, Chen Ke couldn't help but think to himself, when did I become so hypocritical? But his own actions were absolutely right, revolution requires secrecy, revolution is not a dinner party, revolution is not boastful words and "speaking one's mind" after drinking. Revolution is revolution, for that ultimate goal, it's necessary to consider revolutionary strategy, and be able to endure.
Suddenly, Chen Ke felt as if he had "grown up" a bit.
