Chapter 66

  "Today is a day of historic significance, and it will be remembered forever. Many years from now, young people will ask with reverence and curiosity about everything that happened today. Today is a day of historic significance, and you are all part of it.

  For thousands of years, the lives of ordinary people have never been truly recorded. No matter who wrote the history books, whether they were official or unofficial, whether they were records of daily life or local gazetteers, no one has ever really studied the daily lives of ordinary people.

  Especially after the foreign powers invaded China, all we heard was someone shouting that the country was in danger, that the nation was on the verge of collapse, and that China would be destroyed! But why was the country in danger? Why would China be destroyed?

  Under these slogans, what was Chinese society really like? Why did it become this way? No one has ever really researched the actual lives of ordinary people. At most, there were rumors and unclear stories circulating on the streets.

  But today, a group of people - ourselves - will conduct social investigations. The mysteries will be uncovered, and the chaotic pulse of society will be clearly revealed. The people will no longer be an ambiguous term but real individuals who exist clearly in the functioning of society.

  So, today is a day of historic significance!"

  This speech was made by Qi Hui at the "Oath-taking Conference" of social survey, after Chen Ke read it, he felt extremely familiar with it. At that time, Chen Ke improvised a mobilization slogan when urging comrades to grasp the social survey work at the party meeting. A few sentences were imitated from the speech of the SS officer in Schindler's List. Obviously, Qi Hui had made use of it.

  The letter is written in a beautiful handwriting, which can be considered the best among all the letters of the Communist Party at this stage. The person who dictated this letter should be Qi Hui Shen. Qi Hui Shen gave a detailed introduction to the preparation situation of the recent investigation in the countryside. At the same time when Xie Ming Xian was ordered to set out for Beijing, the 12 research teams also set out for the countryside. Between the lines, it reveals an optimistic mood. It's understandable, after all, Qi Hui Shen has been promoting "revolution" for several years, and this is probably his first time organizing hundreds of people to take action with the same purpose. Not to mention that they are all young people with the same ideals. Therefore, Qi Hui Shen's article is full of emotions.

  Chen Ke put down the letter and gazed out of the window at the vast blue sky. He had no idea what results this batch of young people would achieve in the countryside. Chen Ke recalled his own feelings when he first returned to the rural areas. Apart from rational thinking, there was also a faint sense of disgust, but not much deep sympathy for the laboring people.

  However, Chen Ke did not take his own ruthlessness as a shame. After all, he had gone through countless exams and read many party theoretical books. In Chen Ke's subconscious mind, he had completely accepted that this world was a world of struggle. Struggling with heaven, struggling with earth, struggling with people. In such a world full of struggle, it is not the case that everything will be fine once you see the problem. To liberate oneself, one must fight against all unreasonable things to the end. If someone dares to stand up and fight, Chen Ke would gladly include him in the ranks of comrades. Even if it was someone like Pang Zi who rose up in revolt just for his own desires, Chen Ke did not give up on him. The reason he spent so much effort teaching Pang Zi various revolutionary theories was that he hoped Pang Zi's struggle could become a real revolution.

  But those who are resigned to their fate, the People's Party does not yet have enough strength to fully mobilize the masses. So Chen Ke did not even think of "lamenting his misfortune". The education in industrial society has instilled in Chen Ke's instincts the concept of "efficiency". He can tirelessly complete many tedious tasks. Because these tasks are what Chen Ke thinks is the most effective way to promote the revolution at this stage. What seems like a grand and widespread mobilization of the masses, in Chen Ke's view, is actually the least efficient move.

  I hope those comrades can gain something from it. Chen Ke silently wished.

  He picked up the letter and continued reading. Qi Hui reported to the Shanghai Party branch on the latest resolution. After discussion, the Shanghai Party branch passed the latest plan for developing party members and formed a resolution.

  According to the letter, Chen Ke took out the last page, which was a copy of the latest resolution document. In this document, the party branch required party members to abandon purely theoretical education and instead focus on results, explaining the reasoning process, and then directly leading enthusiastic new recruits to conduct social investigations for verification.

  The role of the party branch has finally been brought into play. Chen Ke was very happy after reading the resolution. In fact, it's not just the Shanghai party branch, but also the Beijing party group adopted the same approach based on facts. After a discussion that lasted all night yesterday, the workshop-style chosen in the end is exactly the same as Shanghai's.

  It seems I was wrong. Chen Ke acknowledged this fact. As if to confirm Chen Ke's idea, laughter came from the side room, not just Pang Zi laughing alone, but several others also laughing happily. Last night, they confirmed the direction of development for the future, Wu Xingchen taught Pang Zi and the others, no longer focusing on "must take the revolutionary road", but instead adopting a way of imparting specific revolutionary skills. The result was that the side room, which served as the meeting venue, was filled with constant laughter. Chen Tianhua also participated in the meeting inside, whereas in the past few days, during Chen Ke's lectures, there was no laughter at all, everyone either looked up to the sky or had a gloomy face. It seems that listening to Chen Ke's lectures is a kind of torture for everyone.

  And today, just from the atmosphere, it can be judged that Wu Xingchen's class has grasped the emotions of Pang Zi and others. The effect should be very good.

  With a pleasant mood, Chen Ke continued to read on. The school's buildings had already been completed, and the teaching equipment and instruments that had been ordered earlier were starting to arrive. Before leaving, Chen Ke had also arranged for the construction of the glass factory, and You Yun had introduced several friends to take charge of this matter. Now, only two people from the Shanghai Party branch remained in Shanghai: Hua Xiongmao and Qin Wu'an. Everyone else had gone to the countryside. At the end of the letter, the comrades wished Chen Ke a smooth journey in Beijing and an early return to Shanghai to reunite with everyone.

  "It seems that our comrades have done a good job, but here in Beijing we haven't been able to achieve the goals of this stage." Chen Ke muttered to himself. Maybe I'm the one who's most off the mark within the People's Party, such a thought suddenly popped up. After reading the letter, Chen Ke could roughly confirm that his comrades in the south were now definitely making great progress. The results they would eventually get might not reach Chen Ke's current level, but they would surely have huge success in completing the task of absorbing new party members. Wu Xingchen and Chen Tianhua went to work in the northern countryside, and it was impossible for Pang Zi to become a steadfast party member. However, at least the revolutionary activities in the north would intensify. Compared to them, Chen Ke's own work progress was not great.

  Thinking of this, Chen Ke suddenly felt a sense of frustration. Maybe he had made the mistake of dogmatism. But thinking again, Chen Ke thought that maybe his idea was wrong. Although not familiar with the party history of those years, the party at that time had made many mistakes in its early and middle periods. Thinking about the activities of the Shanghai Party branch and the Northern Party branch, someone must have done it back then. Since these experiences were not recorded in historical books, it proved that these methods were not successful. In the end, Chairman Mao's pointed out revolutionary road led the party to victory. Since history has proven it, he should not easily doubt the route.

  After some thought, Chen Ke couldn't come up with a better answer and didn't want to waste any more time, so he simply prepared for his afternoon class.

  At noon, the door of the wing room opened. Wu Xingchen and Pang Zi walked out one by one with red faces, it seemed that the morning class was effective. Even Pang Zi was unusually polite to Chen Ke, the resistance in his expression had disappeared. Chen Ke naturally followed suit, he chatted and joked with everyone. At the same time, they started to prepare lunch, fiddling with the honeycomb coal stove.

  At this juncture, He Ruming's steward came to invite Chen Ke, and He Ruming returned.

  He Ruoming was visibly pleased with himself, and gave Chen Kejin a somewhat arrogant smile before asking, "How's the literary world been lately?" Then he went on to talk about the weather in Tianjin and some nonsense about changes in the city. Chen Ke wasn't too optimistic about He Ruoming's ability to spot talent. Moreover, his own mood today wasn't particularly good either. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Chen Ke suddenly thought of telling He Ruoming that he had to give a lecture at Beijing University this afternoon. But he swallowed his words just as they were about to leave his lips. This kind of show would definitely have an effect on He Ruoming, but it might not be a positive one. He Ruoming was someone who liked to save face, and Chen Ke's words implied that "you, sir, are nothing special." He Ruoming would definitely pick up on the underlying meaning, and they would inevitably end up in conflict.

  But let He Ruming continue to talk nonsense, Chen Ke really didn't have the time. He simply asked directly: "Mr. He, you seem so happy, I suppose you've met many excellent friends in Tianjin?"

  After hearing Chen Ke's words, He Ruming frowned slightly and replied with a hint of dissatisfaction: "Friends haven't met many. But Wen Qing, you're lucky, I've found quite a few."

  "That's great!" Chen Ke smiled and said.

  "In just these two days, they will arrive in Beijing."

  "About how many people? I'll hurry up and prepare the accommodations." Chen Ke hastily replied.

  Chen Ke was very considerate and knew to prepare accommodations for the people who came. He Ming was also relatively satisfied. "First, prepare accommodations for twenty people. Maybe more later."

  "Since it's been two days and people have arrived, I'll go prepare first. If Lord He has no other instructions, I'll take my leave." Chen Ke Ba couldn't bear to leave immediately.

  "No rush for now, why don't you stay and have lunch with us?"

  What does it mean that He Ruming suddenly invited himself to dinner? Chen Ke was somewhat bewildered. Moreover, he really didn't have time, and if he let He Ruming entangle him, his plans for the afternoon would be disrupted. He hastily explained: "I have a friend coming from Shanghai, and we all agreed to have lunch together today. I can only wait until next time for Mr. He's kindness."

  When he heard that someone had come from Shanghai, He Ruming's eyes lit up. Chen Kexin said "This is terrible". As expected, He Ruming continued: "Wen Qing, this time in Tianjin, I saw many people suffering from illness, and they were miserable."

  What does this have to do with me? Chen Ke Xin said, "He Da Ren, you still owe me money that you haven't paid back yet. Do you think I'm a three-year-old kid? You say something and I'll just agree to it? People like He Ru Ming are not uncommon in the 21st century, they're very similar to pyramid schemes. In short, they draw a beautiful bubble for you, then let you jump into it yourself. The only difference is that those people know they don't have the power to force others to do this, so they focus more on their speaking skills. But He Da Ren thinks he's an official and believes Chen Ke should selflessly contribute to achieving He Da Ren's 'great cause'. If not for Chen Ke having Yan Fu backing him up, I'm afraid He Ru Ming would have already put on his official airs.

  So He Ruoming kept hinting to Chen Ke that the patient was very anxious. But he didn't mention anything about money, so Chen Ke pretended not to hear and remained noncommittal. Just as the two were bickering, Chen Ke heard a woman's voice. "Brother, it's time to eat." As soon as she finished speaking, He Qian walked into the living room.

  He Qian had actually been listening outside the living room for a while, and Chen Ke's increasingly impatient mood was very clear to her.

  He Ruming's trip to Tianjin was quite fruitful. Old Master He is an old foreign affairs official and also one of the founders of the Tianjin Machinery Bureau, where He Ruming works under his arrangement. Although Old Master He doesn't like socializing, whenever he attends a banquet, he always brings his daughter along. The adults would drink, and He Qian would also join in for a bit; her father never minded. Those who were invited by Old Master He were considered to be quite decent people, and they would discuss work-related matters at the dinner table. He Qian still remembered some of the people mentioned in those conversations. Before He Ruming left for Tianjin, He Qian specifically discussed with him who he should look for and how to approach them about coming to Beijing.

  However, He Qian did not expect that after He Ruming had handled the matter well, he would start to get confused at a critical moment. Although she had only met Chen Ke once, He Qian could be sure that Chen Ke was not someone who loved face-saving or cared about others' face-saving. Negotiating with Chen Ke required a straightforward and transparent approach. Chen Ke would respect the credibility of the transaction. He Ruming thought he held a good hand, so he wanted to make Chen Ke yield first. This would only lead to the failure of the cooperation. Hearing that Chen Ke was getting more and more impatient, He Qian had no choice but to step in.

  He Ruoming didn't expect his sister to come out in person. What's more surprising is that his own sister just exchanged greetings with Chen Ke, and then began negotiating like an old acquaintance. "Mr. Chen is also here." He Qian slightly bowed her head.

  Chen Ke also nodded and bowed, "Hello, Miss He."

  "Mr. Chen, my elder brother has brought someone back from Tianjin. It's been less than thirteen days, I don't know how the preparations are going on your side."

  "The medicine has arrived."

  "So when will Mr. Chen meet with these friends from the Mechanical Bureau?"

  "The day after tomorrow. After I've got my place ready, I'll invite everyone over for a meal."

  "So when can we give Mr. Chen the money for his medicine?"

  "After dinner, I will make a special trip to visit your esteemed residence."

  "Then Mr. Chen should bring a few more people. Several thousand taels of silver notes, don't get robbed on the way."

  Upon hearing the words "a needle hidden in cotton", Chen Ke burst out laughing. "Miss He, are you saying that I don't trust Lord He? I absolutely didn't mean it that way. I'm just a businessman, and if Lord He doesn't bring up the topic of money, I wouldn't dare mention it."

  He Qian saw Chen Ke's attitude of rolling her sleeves, and there was no way to say anything else. Anyway, what needed to be discussed had been discussed, and what needed to be knocked out had been knocked out. She just smiled and didn't make another sound.

  He Ruoming saw his sister easily settle the matter, but didn't mention the key issue. Chen Ke had said that as long as He Ruoming was satisfied with the person he introduced, then twenty people would be much cheaper. However, neither of them mentioned the discount issue when discussing the medicine transaction. He Ruoming couldn't help but glance at his sister. He Qian knew what her brother was thinking in his heart and felt a sense of regret. Her brother's vision was still too narrow, only thinking about saving a few hundred taels of silver. If she were to handle this matter, she would directly buy the medicine with money, regardless of the cost, and let Chen Ke sell fifty doses first. This time in Tianjin, He Ruoming really did get in touch with patients who were waiting for the medicine. They wouldn't mind paying fifty taels, not just twenty. Not being anxious to make a lot of money, but instead being stingy about small amounts, heaven knows what her brother was thinking.

  But this is something that a girl like He Qian cannot say, it has to be said by He Ruming himself. However, when she sees her brother, she just can't bring herself to mention it. He Qian blinked and came up with a plan. She excused herself first.

  Sister threw down the gauntlet, but He Ruming didn't know what to do either. Chen Ke was not easy to deal with, and had an air of "not releasing the hawk without seeing the rabbit". What if Chen Ke said he wasn't interested in these twenty people? They were all personally invited by He Ruming. If they were sent back to Tianjin by Chen Ke, it would be a huge loss of face. Originally, when He Ruming mentioned this matter at the dinner table, Chen Ke refused to eat that meal. And his own sister had already set the delivery time for the day after tomorrow, how could he get Chen Ke to make a statement and treat these people well?

  Just as he didn't know how to speak, the butler entered the living room. The butler greeted Chen Ke and then said: "Mr. Chen, my master had me calculate it last time, that I should give you two hundred taels of silver for medicine money, I didn't make a mistake, did I?"

  "That's not urgent." Chen Ke smiled and said.

  "My master has instructed me that since he invited you, although the medical expenses should be borne by the Beiyang Army, but you are not familiar with the people of the Beiyang Army and cannot trouble you. My master is willing to pay the medical expenses first. I have been slow in handling this matter. Later when I went to find you, you were not at home. This matter has been delayed until now. I am really sorry." The housekeeper bowed to Chen Ke, "Please forgive me."

  He Ruoming didn't remember that he had told the housekeeper to give Chen Ke money. The doctor was an officer of the Beiyang Army, and Chen Ke wanted to get the money from the Beiyang Army. In fact, the Beiyang side had already prepared the money. You can get the money by finding Bu Guanshui. What is the housekeeper making a fuss about?

  However, He Guanjia was a person who had followed the old master since he was alive, and He Ruming knew that he would not be reckless. Sure enough, Chen Ke said: "Mr. He, thank you for your concern about this matter. Bo brother has already told me that he will give me the money. You don't have to worry, there won't be any problem with getting the medical expenses."

  "That's good, that's good." He Ruoming didn't understand what the housekeeper meant, but he had the basic ability to play along.

  "Master, you said last time when taking money that we should send a car to pick up Mr. Chen. Do you want us to do the same this time?" asked He Guanjia.

  "Send the car." He Ruoming immediately followed up on Guan Jia's words. Although he was thinking in his heart that he would ask clearly what was going on later and must severely punish Guan Jia, but He Ruoming also didn't want to lose face.

  Watching the master and servant singing in harmony, Chen Ke knew there was more to come. However, since He Ruming had given him this face, he couldn't let He Ruming lose face either. He bowed his hands to He Ruming, "Lord He, you're too kind, I really thank you. I can't take this car, but you've helped me out by introducing me to Bo Guanshui brothers, and we hit it off particularly well. Another day, I'll invite you to dinner with Brother Bo, please do us the honor."

  "Alright, alright." Hearing Chen Ke say that he had already addressed Beiguanshui, the Northern warlord, as a sworn brother, He Ruming felt a sour taste in his heart and was very jealous of Chen Ke.

  "I'm so grateful for Mr. He's help, I don't know how to express my gratitude. If Mr. He has any instructions, as long as I can do it, I will not decline." Chen Ke said this while hoping that the butler was sent by He Qian. He couldn't help but glance in the direction where He Qian had gone, although there was a bead curtain hanging, but the curtain was made of glass beads. Faintly visible was He Qian's figure hiding behind it.

  "Mr. Chen, saving people is like fighting a fire. I don't know if you can first sell me 100 doses of medicine for the adults in my family."

  Finally got to the point. Chen Ke felt relieved in his heart. It was not a big deal, and it could have been settled with just a few words, but He Ruoming had to go around in circles and still hadn't finished.

  "No problem, this hundred doses of medicine, I'll sell to Lord He at the price of eighteen taels per dose. This has nothing to do with what we agreed on earlier. That's a separate matter." Chen Ke said.

  "Sir, what do you mean?" asked the steward to He Ruoming.

  "This... " He Jiuming murmured, not expecting this matter to be settled so quickly, which was beyond his expectations. He Jiuming furrowed his brow and began to think, "Wen Qing, I've been having some cash flow problems lately..."

  "In that case, I'll first give Lord He 30 doses of medicine. As for the remaining 70 doses, I'll deliver them to you once you've made some arrangements." Chen Ke replied sincerely.

  Although the sound was small, Chen Ke vaguely heard He Qiang forcibly swallowing his laughter back into his throat. He Ruming stared at Chen Ke with a dumbfounded expression. Chen Ke thought to himself, You want me to lend you money? Do you have such credit, Lord He? If it were your sister, that clever woman, I might consider it. But how could your sister possibly make such a foolish move as asking me for a loan?

  Seeing He Ruoming no longer making a sound, Chen Ke also didn't want to delay any further, he bid farewell decisively.

  Chen Kiyi left, and before He Ruming could speak to the housekeeper, He Qian lifted the door curtain and entered the living room. "This is what I told Uncle He to say. Big brother must not blame Uncle He."

  The housekeeper hastily apologized to He Ruming, and He Ruming didn't want to say anything more, waving his hand for him to withdraw.

  "Big brother, why did you suddenly think of asking Chen Ke to pay the bill?" He Qian couldn't help but say, although she was smiling, the tone of complaint was very obvious.

  "That kid really doesn't know his place." Hearing his sister say this, He Ruoming felt annoyed.

  He Qian knew that she couldn't persuade her big brother, so she smiled and said: "How about this? I'll use my own private money to buy these 100 doses of medicine. We can split the profit seven-three between us siblings. You get seven parts, I get three, what do you think, big brother?"

  Hearing his sister say this, He Ruming knew that continuing the conversation would be pointless. Moreover, to be honest, this plan had really moved He Ruming. However, He Ruming still had some bottom line, although he almost agreed, but in the end he regained his composure and thought for a moment before saying, "You put up three parts of the money, I'll put up seven parts of the money. You can earn as much as you should."

  The big brother finally regained his composure, and He Qian was also very happy. She made a serious bow to the big brother, "Then thank you, big brother."

  Article 66