Chapter 67

  No matter whether he wanted to or not, objectively speaking, every person has to go through the 24 hours of a day. Chen Ke's feeling was that there were too many things and not enough time. Finding a house, Wu Xingchen personally took care of it. Teaching classes, Chen Tianhua took over Wu Xingchen's teaching duties. Chen Ke brought Xie Mingxuan to Jingshi University to teach classes, and after returning, he began preparing for the beehive coal business, and the whole day passed by like this.

  The next day, the He family came to buy medicine early in the morning. Then, Bo Guan Shui came to invite Chen Ke and others to dinner. After finally settling these things, I continued to give lectures in the afternoon. After returning from giving lectures, Wu Xingchen took Chen Ke to look at houses.

  On the third day, Chen Ke got up early to prepare for the people brought by He Ruming. The gathering place was a teahouse not far from Beijing Railway Station. At this time, everyone's sense of time was not strong, at 10:30 in the morning, only 13 out of the 20 people who had agreed to come arrived. Faced with such efficiency, He Ruming still felt that it was quite good.

  Chen Ke didn't know what to say, so he could only continue waiting. In his mind, he was thinking about Chairman Mao's early years, it is said that when the old man did things alone, he failed in business and didn't persist for long in the army. Some people say that the chairman used the money given by his father-in-law for marriage to pay the party membership fee, only then did he join the party organization. However, at that time, there were only about a dozen or so national representatives, and there were already several hundred party members nationwide. Chairman Mao had enough comrades to work with.

  But himself started from scratch, and at this stage, there are only eight party members. Among them, some people can't even be considered party members, they are just clerks. Not to mention that there is a guy like Wu Xingchen who has an unclear revolutionary stance. Who should we learn from in order to break through the revolutionary situation? After thinking about it, I couldn't find any model. Mr. Li Dazhao was already a well-known scholar when he founded the party, and Chen Duxiu was a famous writer. They had great appeal with just one call. Chen Ke also imitated these people, but in the early days of the party organization, there were many unpredictable changes, and there was even an incident where a large group of anarchists collectively withdrew from the party. Compared to the later party with iron discipline, the early party organization was like a vagabond.

  The party's growth was completed in the trials of blood and fire, and the premise of the trial was to have enough manpower. Chen Kehua reflected on his initial purpose for going to Beijing, which was to gather enough manpower. Moreover, these people must be those who are dissatisfied with the existing system. If they just wanted to come here to eat and drink or work for money, as soon as they heard that government troops were coming to suppress them, they would immediately scatter like birds and beasts, or even "turn their guns around" and attack the People's Party.

  Thinking of this, Chen Ke's gaze towards those people also became more critical.

  He Ruoming didn't notice Chen Ke's expression, he just sat there with an official air. Although he was no longer an official of the Tianjin Machinery Bureau, he hadn't thought about changing his ways. On the contrary, he maintained his "official authority" at all times. Chen Ke looked down at the people sitting at the table who didn't dare to make a sound, everyone's age wasn't very big, ranging from twenty-something to thirty-something. The gaze in their eyes also had some discomfort. Chen Ke felt that he couldn't let He Ruoming's accumulated dissatisfaction be directed at himself. He stood up and picked up the teapot to pour tea for everyone.

  Doing things requires attention to detail, even in the 21st century, the etiquette of pouring tea is quite grand. It's a common habit to pour tea for older or higher-ranking people first. Chen Ke simply started pouring tea counterclockwise. He Ruoming wasn't the last one, but just received ordinary treatment. Although Chen Ke was particularly respectful when pouring tea for He Ruoming, saying "Lord He, please have some tea." However, He Ruoming's expression had already shown some dissatisfaction. Chen Ke knew that He Ruoming had noticed this detail, and he wasn't sure if others would notice it either. But a thoughtful person should understand the meaning behind this action.

  As expected, He Ruming didn't drink the tea and his face turned a bit unpleasant. Originally, he had told Chen Ke that he wouldn't stay for lunch at noon. Around 11 o'clock, He Ruming got up to leave after a while. Chen Ke didn't try to retain him either, watching as He Ruming left with a huff, then continued pouring tea for everyone in the same order as before.

  As soon as He Ruoming left, the atmosphere in the venue began to liven up. Some people let out a long sigh, while others simply revealed a smile, and the previously suppressed atmosphere was swept away. Many people's gaze at Chen Ke already had a hint of kindness and respect.

  "My name is Chen Ke, I am a disciple of Mr. Yan Fu, the chief instructor of the Naval Academy." Chen Ke stood up and introduced himself.

  "You're Mr. Yan's apprentice."

  "Are you also a student of the Water Margin Academy?"

  The Tianjin Machinery Bureau and the Beiyang Naval Academy have a deep origin. As soon as they heard that Chen Ke was Yan Fu's apprentice, everyone immediately showed great respect for Chen Ke. Seeing this, Chen Ke regretted it, perhaps he shouldn't have offended He Ruming just now. But as the saying goes, "it's hard to recover spilled water", unless Chen Ke crosses again, otherwise what has been done cannot be undone.

  "Are you all from Tianjin Machinery Bureau?" Chen Ke continued to ask.

  "My name is Xu Tianqi, I am from Steel Wheel Factory."

  "My name is Xu Erba, I'm from the mechanical workshop, and these three are also."

  Everyone has their own introduction, and some even introduce others after introducing themselves. The thirteen people who came were all from the Mechanical Bureau. This was really beyond Chen Ke's expectations. He had not trusted He Ruoming's ability very much, but he had not expected that the people he found might actually be qualified.

  In the 21st century, people may not have enough connections, but in terms of treating others equally, they are absolutely first-rate. Chen Ke's attitude towards everyone is equal, and these young people were shocked by Chen Ke's background, and seeing that Chen Ke did not have any "official aura" like He Ruoming, they all became enthusiastic.

  While Chen Ke and the others were chatting, more people arrived one after another. Some were from the East Bureau and some were from the West Bureau, naturally sitting on both sides, vaguely forming two camps. When almost everyone had arrived, the large private room was already bustling with people.

  Just now in the conversation, Chen Ke roughly understood that among the eighteen people now, eleven are workers, five are technicians, and two are engineers. They were originally from Tianjin Manufacturing Bureau, working on steam engines and gun manufacturing. As for their origins, most of them are northerners, only Xu Tianqi and Xu Erba are from Anhui.

  Chen Ke continued, "Everyone comes from all over the world and sits here for a common goal. What is this goal? Who can say?"

  Everyone looked at each other in dismay, wondering what goal they had gathered here for. Since the Tianjin Machinery Bureau was destroyed in the year of Gengzi, most people have been in a state of semi-unemployment. These people relied on the Tianjin Machinery Bureau to make a living, and when it went bankrupt, they lost their source of income. He Ruoming summoned everyone, and in order to make ends meet, these people responded to the call and came to Beijing.

  "I'll speak first," said Xu Erba, "I'm a poor scholar who couldn't pass the imperial examination, so I came to Beijing to try my luck. After working at the Tianjin Machinery Bureau for only a few days, it went bankrupt. My purpose in coming here is to make money, and when I return home, I'll have some savings, so I won't be too ashamed to face my fellow villagers."

  After hearing this, the atmosphere became a bit more lively. Yin Ergou, who was born into a working-class family, said: "I never thought of making a lot of money, I just want to be able to eat my fill and marry a wife."

  Such a simple pursuit has made many people laugh out loud.

  "I've already gotten married and have no intention of taking another wife. But seeing my wife economize and cut back on food every day is unbearable for me. I want to make money," said Xiao Qi, who came from a small landlord family.

  In the end, the consensus reached by the young people present was two words: "make money". Just as they were talking, a person appeared at the door. The first to see him was Xiao Qi, who immediately changed color like a mouse seeing a cat. The others saw Xiao Qi's expression and looked towards the door in unison. At first, no one from the East Bureau made a sound, then people from the West Bureau also fell silent. The young people stood up one after another, but no one spoke. What was originally a lively welcome party suddenly became eerily quiet, as if it had suddenly turned into a funeral.

  The young man at the door looked about 30 years old, tall and slender, with a long face, thick eyebrows and big eyes. His expression was serious beyond words, matching his pale complexion. Chen Ke's first impression was that this person might be possessed by Bai Wuchang.

  He saw a group of familiar faces, and this man stepped into the courtyard. Yin Er Gou was already somewhat frightened, "Qin sir." He called out timidly. From their expressions, everyone seemed to know this person, who should be a high-ranking official from the Tianjin Manufacturing Bureau.

  That Mr. Qin walked up to Chen Ke, "May I ask which one is Mr. Chen Ke?" His voice was slender and gentle, but there was no emotion in it, with a very official tone.

  Chen Ke replied: "It's me."

  That Mr. Qin looked at Chen Ke and said: "My name is Qin Tongren, I was sent by Lord He to come here and participate in Mr. Chen's factory."

  As soon as Qin Tongren joined, the atmosphere of the meeting changed immediately. The young people who had been somewhat harmonious before became cautious and fearful. It seems that this Qin Tongren was quite powerful and influential back then.

  Chen Ke couldn't let outsiders dominate the situation, and every step of the procedure had to be followed. Qin Tongren also had to make a self-introduction. This requirement didn't make Qin Tongren feel surprised; he calmly went through his resume. At the age of five, he started reading books, at ten, he attended a Catholic church school, at twelve, he went to Germany for middle school, and at sixteen, he was admitted to Humboldt University in Berlin with excellent grades. He graduated from Humboldt University's mechanical engineering program at twenty and returned to China the same year, starting work at the Tianjin Machinery Bureau.

  Having heard this, Chen Ke couldn't help but ask: "I wonder if Mr. Qin knows You Yun and Wang Bin?"

  It wasn't until then that Qin Tongren's expression changed slightly, and he replied: "The year I graduated, they had just been admitted to Humboldt University. Did Mr. Chen know them?"

  "They are my friends," Chen Ke replied.

  Qin Tongren was not concerned about this, and he continued to introduce himself. At the Tianjin Machinery Bureau, Qin Tongren went from being an engineer to deputy chief engineer. It wasn't until after the year of Gengzi that Qin Tongren was forced to leave. For these two years, Qin Tongren was idle at home.

  "Mr. Qin, everyone comes from all over the world and gathers here for a common goal. What does Mr. Qin think this goal is?" Chen Ke continued with another question.

  Qin Tongren glanced around at everyone, "It should be for doing something and making some money."

  Chen Ke thought this brother would sing a high-pitched tune, but unexpectedly it was such an answer, and he really admired him somewhat.

  There were nineteen people present, plus Chen Ke, making a total of twenty. Chen Ke didn't plan to wait any longer and began to explain the plan for building the factory directly. The plan had been explained many times before, mainly about the benefits of honeycomb coal and its social significance. The purpose of these explanations was only one: it was a profitable business that could benefit both the country and the people. Chen Ke was calm and confident. The attendees were all experienced in running factories, especially military-industrial enterprises, and had a unique perspective. After listening to Chen Ke's clear explanation, they all became spirited.

  Yin Ergou originally wanted to speak, but didn't make a sound. He glanced at Qin Tongren. Qin Tongren's expression was calm and collected, without any intention of making a statement. Seeing Qin Tongren's expression, Yin Ergou swallowed his words back into his belly. The others also didn't dare to express their opinions.

  Chen Ke's expression turned cold. If Qin Tongren didn't speak up, no one else would dare to say anything either. He directly asked Qin Tongren, "Mr. Qin, what do you think?"

  Qin Tongren thought for a moment, "Mr. Chen, you didn't finish what was important, and now I don't know how to look at it either."

  These words make a lot of sense, Qin Tongren said, and several people nodded slightly.

  Chen Ke nodded, "How much did the coal cost when it was transported here? Does anyone know?"

  No one answered.

  Chen Ke put a piece of paper on the table, told everyone the retail price of coal, then explained how ordinary households use coal, and finally calculated the actual cost price of a piece of honeycomb coal. After this calculation, it turned out that using honeycomb coal was half cheaper than burning coal balls for one household. Everyone let out a sigh of relief at the same time, their faces relaxed, and they all felt that this business would definitely make a big profit.

  Only Qin Tongren slowly furrowed his brow.

  Chen Ke saw this and secretly rejoiced in his heart. If Qin Tongren's frowning was for the same reason as he thought, then it would be great.

  Chen Ke smiled as he looked at the crowd, beginning to list new data on paper. A strong and sturdy coal miner, if making beehive briquettes, can produce 1,000 pieces in a day. If these people personally go door-to-door to sell coal, the price can be lowered very low. With one person earning 50 cents per day, they can make a living. As long as the coal-making machine is popularized, the beehive briquette factory can close down completely. Of course, Chen Ke was exaggerating, no matter what kind of coal miner, it's impossible to produce 1,000 pieces in a day even if they work themselves to death. This was just a setup for later events.

  Everyone listened to this reasonable explanation, and the people who were originally relaxed all looked gloomy. Qin Tongren was different from everyone else, his face eased up.

  "I want to compete with these self-mining people and win them. There is only one way." Chen Ke said, but did not continue. He wrote down four big words on the paper - "Machine Production".

  Several people nodded in unison and murmured a sound of agreement. Qin Tongren tried to maintain his composure, but the corners of his mouth finally curled up into a faint smile.

  "We use machines to produce beehive coal. Twenty people can produce 100,000 to 200,000 pieces in a day. We set up the entire Beijing city's beehive coal system. Absolutely cheaper than those who dig coal themselves, and our coal is better than theirs. Even if we only make 20 cents per thousand pieces of coal, but we produce 100,000 pieces of coal every day, which is one hundred times more than what others can do, so each person can earn almost 1,000 cents a day. And no one can compete with us. That's how the beehive coal yard can survive."

  This naked modern competitive mechanism relies on efficiency and price to crush all competitors. Yin Ergou is quite clever, after hearing this, his breathing became much more rapid. "Mr. Chen, I'll follow you." He said, not caring about the gaze of others gathering on him, "What Mr. He said was very clear, I came here to do whatever laborious work. After hearing your words, I feel capable. I will definitely follow you and do a good job."

  Against everyone's expectations, Qin Tongren said in that calm tone of his: "This can be done." Everyone's eyes fell on Qin Tongren. Following his lead, everyone else also expressed their determination to do a good job here.

  Wu Xingchen had been away from Beijing for a long time, but he still had connections. After the Boxer Rebellion, many people in the capital were killed and many fled to other places. As a result, Wu Xingchen managed to rent a very large house. This was originally a horse-drawn carriage depot on the outskirts of Beijing, which was occupied during the invasion of the Eight-Power Allied Forces. The owner of the depot and his two sons were killed, and the mules and carts were looted, leaving only this courtyard. Wu Xingchen rented it for 130 taels of silver for two years. In Chen Ke's opinion, it was indeed a very cost-effective deal.

  Leading everyone here, it can be seen that this place is quite dilapidated. Apart from the big one, everything else can be said to be useless. The courtyard wall is broken, the house is broken, and the people living here are all problematic.

  Chairman Mao once said, "Be self-reliant and hardworking to have enough food and clothing." Chen Ke firmly believed in this. Pointing at the dilapidated house, Chen Ke smiled and said, "Do you believe that we can restore it to its former appearance soon?"

  Although they hadn't met for long, many people could already see that Chen Ke was down-to-earth and approachable. Xu Erba plucked up the courage to say: "Mr. Chen, I've also built houses in the countryside. If you want to renovate this place, it'll probably take at least ten days or so."

  "Besides this Brother Xu, has anyone else repaired the house?" Chen Ke asked.

  Master Gao stepped forward. He was a rich man from Tianjin, had studied in a private school, and later entered the Tianjin Machinery Bureau. "Mr. Chen, I have also repaired houses."

  Others didn't know if they had similar experiences, Chen Ke saw a few people raising their eyebrows and making faces, but they didn't dare to speak out. Ignoring those people, Chen Ke asked: "If you let the two of them lead twenty people to build a house, how many days do you think it would take to finish?"

  "This is what twenty people have said. It will also take five or six days." Gao Huai De said.

  "It's been about this long." Xǔ èrbā also responded in agreement.

  "That's easy, aren't there twenty people here? You two take the lead and we'll all work together to fix the house."

  As soon as Chen Ke's voice fell, there was a stir in the team.

  "Mr. Chen, can't you just fix this house yourself?"

  "I'm not going to fix the house."

  Some people are surprised at Chen Ke's behavior, while others express their reluctance to participate. The crowd is in an uproar.

  Chen Ke stepped forward to the front of the team and swept his gaze around the crowd. Seeing Chen Ke's firm eyes, those who were speaking unconsciously stopped talking.

  "What the big man should have said before inviting you all here is that there are rules to follow, everyone has to work. This will be our factory in the future, so we have to do everything ourselves. If someone wants to come here and only do what they're good at, I won't be able to support them. Let me make my stance clear: I don't know how to fix houses, nor can I fix them. But if you ask me to put in the effort, I will. And I am willing to." After saying this, Chen Ke scanned the crowd again. Some people looked intimidated, some had a nonchalant expression, and others seemed dissatisfied but didn't dare speak up.

  "He Da asked everyone to come here, I couldn't let He Da down. Nor can I let everyone make a trip for nothing. So, if you all think it's not okay, can't accept the rules here, now you can propose to leave this place. I'll immediately give five silver dollars as travel expenses." After finishing speaking, Chen Ke took out a money bag from his pocket and weighed it in his hand, the money bag was heavy with many silver dollars, making a dull rustling sound.

  "Don't worry, I said I'd give you five silver dollars for free, and I'll make good on that."

  Chen Ke was so determined, and the money in his pocket must have been genuine, that many people were convinced. However, two people still expressed their intention to leave. Chen Ke publicly handed out money and sincerely shook hands with them, bidding them farewell and wishing them a smooth journey. The others did not expect Chen Ke to be so decisive, and as a result, they became quiet.

  "If no one wants to go, let's start. I'm not an expert in house repair. So how to repair the house, I think it's still up to those with experience to have a say. My requirement is that everyone can move in quickly, as for the specifics, I'll listen to you all." Chen Kesha said.

  Although it was said to be about renovating the house, Chen Ke did not really let those two have their way. On the contrary, following the party's key principles at that time, the first thing to do was to mobilize the masses. One of the core aspects of mobilizing the masses is to make everyone participate. Including Chen Ke, these eighteen good men were all workers. The working class is the most organized.

  First, Xu Erba and Gao Huade came to talk about the architectural features of the house, and then discussed how to repair those damaged parts. The party relied on "democratic life meetings" and "soldier committees" to organize a group of farmers back then. For workers, this model is more efficient. In less than an afternoon, everyone had already formulated a plan to repair the house.

  Everyone has never experienced such an organizational model. In the past, everyone was arranged to do what work, with different permissions based on their status. Even if someone is incompetent, as long as they can get permission, they can be bossy. Chen Ke's new model, however, is merit-based, and Xu Erba and Gao Huade have indeed fixed houses and had the opportunity to show off after getting a chance to perform. Seeing that Chen Ke didn't have any airs about him and instead listened to them seriously, others became somewhat dissatisfied. Xu Erba was a technician, and Gao Huade was a worker, neither of whom held high positions in the Tianjin Mechanical Bureau. Shen Songwen, who came from a background as a steam engine engineer, felt unfulfilled and also joined the discussion. However, he ultimately didn't have any experience with civil engineering and was quickly refuted.

  Chen Ke really hoped that everyone could participate, and the two people who didn't dare to speak out before also stood up. They also had experience in repairing houses. They put forward different views on Xu Erba and Gao Huade's statement. After the debate, they finally reached two plans. The few people who were arguing with red faces looked at Chen Ke, waiting for him to make a decision.

  "This factory is everyone's factory, although I invested the money, but the construction and production of the factory requires everyone's participation. So my idea is that this matter needs to be put to a vote. Let me make it clear, what does voting mean? It means that after you've cast your vote, even if someone else's opinion gets passed, you must still accept the final plan."

  After explaining the rules of this "democratic voting" game, everyone looked at each other in dismay. Voting is good, but what if one's own plan doesn't get passed? Then one still has to listen to others. What's the point of voting for oneself then?

  Shen Songwen, after all, was an engineer by training and still had a nimble mind. Seeing that everyone was being examined, he felt it was a rare opportunity and proposed his own views. It was clear that Shen Songwen had absorbed some of the perspectives from the two plans and then summarized them according to his own thinking. The core content was essentially a compromise plan. This plan immediately gained support from some people. Suddenly, the two plans turned into three opposing attitudes.

  Qin Tongren, who had been silent and observing from the sidelines, finally spoke up. The deputy chief engineer's words were indeed vastly different. Qin suggested that they first quickly complete the repairs of the severely damaged parts of the house. Then, repair the damaged roof and walls to make it habitable for everyone. After that, they could proceed with repairs in other areas. This plan was obviously much better than Shen Songwen's. Focusing on "quick entry", the rationality of the plan became clear at a glance.

  This was a secret ballot, and in the end sixteen voted for Qin Tongren, two voted for Shen Songwen, and Qin Tongren's plan was passed. Next, Chen Ke entrusted the four brothers who had experience in civil engineering to bring out a comprehensive plan tomorrow.

  Party members have always been the focus of imitation, and Chen Ke has had ample experience in Shanghai. In the following three days, he did not challenge the final plan, nor did he shirk his work. With him leading by example, Qin Tongren demonstrated Chen Ke's style, and others naturally had nothing to say. The division of labor for each project was determined through collective discussion, and it wasn't that no one slacked off, but "when everyone points fingers, nothing gets done." While others were working hard, those who slacked off stood out. As a result, the project proceeded smoothly. By the third day in the afternoon, the first dormitory to be repaired was ready for occupancy. On the sixth day, other houses could also be put into use. Chen Ke even found some white powder to lightly paint the interior of the house, and the old house that had looked dilapidated just a few days ago now felt brand new.

  In this process, Qin Tongren performed extremely well. Although under the command of several ordinary technicians and workers, although doing physical labor, Qin Tongren, an overseas student, never complained about the hard work. Qin Tongren, a senior engineer, did the physically demanding tasks of carrying bricks and mud with great diligence. Could it be that this brother is also a time-traveler?

  Chen Ke's family teachings include one that says if you read books and then look down on jobs like cleaning toilets, it means the books were read in vain. As the saying goes, "A gentleman does not specialize," there is only work that needs to be done, no work that can only be done. The overseas students of this era all think they should do great things, not these "low-level" jobs. Qin Tongren's performance left Chen Ke shocked.

  Moreover, such serious work did not make others feel superior, on the contrary, as soon as Qin Tongren stood there, everyone's work seemed to get back on track immediately. The prestige brought by this kind of quality and performance is the hardest to establish, and it is also the hardest to shake after establishment. Chen Ke felt that something was not quite right, if Qin Tongren really made the beehive coal project a success, then he would be doing all the work for someone else's benefit!

  No. 67