Chapter 47

  Generally speaking, when a merchant says "You've really come to the right place", it means that the merchant firmly believes that the customer has enough money in their pocket to pay. Chen Ke, being an otaku, didn't have much shopping experience. So he particularly valued other people's experiences. The experience he got from his female friends was that no matter what price the boss quoted, they would first offer a price of one-third of it and then negotiate. Wu Xingchen had said that the price from Tianjin to Beijing was at most fifteen taels for the best carriage, while ordinary carriages could be negotiated for ten taels. It seemed that because of his attire, the boss thought he could take advantage of this country bumpkin. Chen Ke was just about to quote a price of "five taels" when suddenly there was a commotion outside as a horse-drawn carriage came to a stop.

  Very soon, a man dressed in silk clothes, who looked like the butler, stormed in with a furious expression. The boss saw the arrival and immediately put on a smile, hurrying to greet him with quick steps. "Mr. He, why have you come personally? I would have gone to your place myself if you had just given me a word. What's wrong, Mr. He, did those little rascals of mine anger you?"

  That surnamed He butler was over 40 years old, but the action of rushing in was like that of a young man. Suddenly standing still, his braid slid from behind his back to his chest. Butler He used his hand to hook his braid and with a brush of his arm, swung it back behind him, then shouted breathlessly: "Mr. Yang, our master has gone to Beijing for his new post and thought highly of you before hiring your carriage. How could your people have smashed our family's foreign piano?"

  Chen Ke stared at this familiar hair-flipping action and almost burst out laughing.

  The car owner was not moved at all, his attitude remained humble, and his tone was neither soft nor hard. "Hey? Mr. He, we made it clear from the beginning that we are only responsible for providing cars, but not for moving things for you. If you break something, don't blame us."

  He Guanjia sneered, "I knew you'd say that. But your people moved our things and smashed the piano, which wasn't just any ordinary expensive thing... it was also our young lady's favorite instrument..."

  The boss immediately interrupted the butler's words: "He Ye, we discussed it early in the morning and made a written agreement. Our people won't move things, if something breaks in between, it has nothing to do with us. This written evidence is still here, you're talking about us like this, but that's not reasonable."

  It seems that what happened was true. Mr. He's family was anxious at the time, "That piano is precious, it's called...called Pianino."

  The housekeeper's angry words were listened to seriously by the car owner. However, Chen Ke couldn't help but burst out laughing beside him. From the moment he saw the housekeeper fiddling with his queue, Chen Ke had been trying hard not to laugh. When he heard the housekeeper say "Pi-eno" in all seriousness, Chen Ke immediately guessed that he was referring to the English pronunciation of "piano". He couldn't help but burst out laughing at this point. Chen Ke could understand that these two people were quarreling, but they both had somewhat pretentious attitudes, more like they were acting out a play on stage.

  At the moment when Chen Ke was smiling at the two of them, these two also stared back at Chen Ke with anger.

  "Sorry, sorry. I have something to attend to first." Chen Ke suppressed his smile and pulled Chen Tianhua out of the courtyard in a hurry.

  The two people in the courtyard looked at Chen Ke's appearance, and their original angry expression was replaced by a curious and helpless look. In their opinion, Chen Ke might be mentally ill. Not long after Chen Ke left the door, they heard a loud laugh coming from afar. The two who were still arguing forgot about the argument just now, and gave each other a surprised look.

  Chen Ke walked somewhat unsteadily on the streets of Tianjin, "Xing Tai, did you see that swinging... swinging ponytail move? Ah ha, haha, hahaha..." Chen Ke said with a laugh.

  Chen Tianhua glanced at the distance between him and the carriage, it seemed that the people in the carriage should not be able to hear Chen Ke's madness here.

  "What's so funny? Hipster." Chen Tianhua thought Chen Ke's behavior was truly ridiculous. More and more people on the street were glancing over at Chen Tianhua and Chen Ke, watching as Chen Ke held his stomach and laughed uncontrollably. The onlookers' gazes were half shocked, half curious, with a hint of disgust mixed in.

  Not far ahead was a teahouse, Chen Tianhua felt it was not suitable to be exposed in the public eye, so he dragged and pulled Chen Ke inside. The teahouse was quite large, with a row of rickshaws parked at the entrance. Today's sunshine was good, and there were many people walking their birds, sitting at tables on the first floor lobby taking a rest. Some bird cages were covered with blue cloth, some were partially open, or fully open. Painted eyebrows and other birds were singing in their cages.

  The fellow saw Chen Tianhua supporting Chen Kejin and thought something was wrong. Chen Ke took out a silver dollar and tossed it to the fellow, who, although caught off guard, had seen many people before and quickly caught the coin. Then he heard Chen Ke say in a suppressed tone: "Get me a private room upstairs."

  "Ah! Two honorable guests, please go upstairs." The waiter shouted loudly.

  As soon as they entered the package, the partner had just put down the curtain, Chen Ke hugged his stomach and continued to laugh loudly. That's right, this is the end of the Qing dynasty, which should only appear in TV dramas, but it was so realistic that Chen Ke saw it. Apart from Chen Ke's uncontrollable laughter, he didn't have any other emotions.

  After returning to this era, every day was spent living in a very tense and stressful environment. Chen Ke was not inherently a person with a deep understanding of the city, nor was he enthusiastic about learning the southern dialect. However, within 5 months, Chen Ke had no choice but to diligently work on these two tasks. What needed to be done wasn't just these two things; he also had to carefully gather comrades, earn money, and build the party. If someone were to do this in later generations, it would absolutely be considered acting. When leaving Shanghai, Chen Ke was worried about what kind of situation his comrades would end up in, but at the same time, a feeling of relaxation couldn't help but emerge.

  And the two "foreigners" in the carriage, their behavior, that Tianjin dialect, those braids, those manners, were absolutely acting in the 21st century. But Chen Ke was very clear, this was the reality he faced. Chen Ke of the 21st century suddenly felt like he was living in a historical play in 1905 China. Zhuangzi dreamed of becoming a butterfly, but Chen Ke was actually living in a drama. "It's not you who are dreaming, it's you who are acting!" Far away from the Shanghai party organization and without the heavy pressure, this absurd realization thoroughly triggered Chen Ke's deep laughter.

  Chen Tianhua looked at Chen Ke with a mixture of helplessness and amusement, bursting into laughter in intervals, until tears streamed down his face. He laughed so hard that he knelt on one knee on the floor, gasping for breath. After repeated bouts of laughter, Chen Ke had someone bring in a basin of water, and as he washed his face while still chuckling, he gradually regained some composure.

  His bright red face turned into a faint red, and gradually became normal skin tone. The sharp and focused spirit in Chen Keming's bright eyes reappeared. "It's been a long time since I've seen these things, and I couldn't help it for a moment." Chen Ke said to Chen Tianhua.

  At this moment, no matter what Chen Ke said, Chen Tianhua could accept it. Just now, the partner secretly called Chen Tianhua out and asked if he wanted to help find a doctor. Chen Ke, who was laughing, didn't notice at all. "Don't worry, let's have some tea before leaving," Chen Tianhua advised.

  "Not going to stay at an inn? I've been busy all morning. If we don't stay at an inn, I'm afraid we won't be able to find one later. Besides, after sitting on the boat for a few days, I want to take a bath."

  "Since I've already been bothered for half a day, I don't mind resting for a while longer."

  Chen Tianhua said, Chen Ke nodded. While resting, he heard the sound of singing coming from outside. The second floor was all single rooms, and as long as the guests inside weren't too out of line, the owner usually didn't intervene. The singing girl's voice was okay, and the erhu sounded quite low and melodious. In the afternoon, there weren't many people on the second floor, and listening to the music had a certain charm. Chen Ke noticed that Chen Tianhua's fingers were tapping out the rhythm on the table. Chen Tianhua was very skilled at playing the pipa, and in Shanghai, he often sang and played for everyone. The content was all about foreign invasion and official corruption. It seemed that Chen Tianhua not only excelled at playing the pipa but also had a deep appreciation for Beijing opera.

  After laughing so much, Chen Ke's spirit was also quite excited, and he had a bit of an air of pride. When the music outside stopped, he asked: "Xing Tai, do you want to hear me sing a song?"

  "Can hipsters sing opera?"

  "He can't sing opera, he only knows how to sing blindly."

  Chen Tianhua knew that Chen Ke was not a deceitful person, and after listening to "My Motherland", he highly praised it. Since Chen Ke was interested, Chen Tianhua naturally wouldn't be a spoilsport.

  Chen Ke tapped his fingers on the table to the rhythm and began singing "Flower Field Mistake", a Chinese-style song with lyrics that didn't involve love.

  "It's already late at night, why is the paper window still lit up? Isn't that the candle you stayed up all night to light for me?"

  It was just a chance encounter with the Red Chamber that one dream, all of my mountains and rivers lost their color as if washed away by a heavy rain.

  The scenery in the cup is enchanting me, I forgot who I am. My mood is like a cool night, holding a butterfly cup, flying alone without intoxication or return.

  Hanada made a mistake and promised to forget it before dawn breaks.

  The mistake in the flower field turned into a tormenting embrace.

  Hanada made a mistake, and it was a silly one, like being infatuated with a reflection in the water.

  "Tanaka-san made a mistake, please forgive me for disturbing you with my emotions."

  This song heavily borrows the tune of Peking Opera, while other parts are straightforward and refreshing. Chen Tianhua had heard the pipa version of Huatian Cuo and knew what story it was about. Hearing Chen Ke sing it out so sincerely, he also felt a sense of novelty.

  After listening to Chen Ke's song, Chen Tianhua couldn't help but laugh, "It's really the style of a literary youth, such a tactful story, you can sing it with such confidence. Admirable, admirable."

  The two of them chatted and laughed for a while, but then they heard the voice of a middle-aged man coming from outside the curtain, "Excuse me, sir. Would you like to hear some singing?"

  "No." Chen Ke flatly refused.

  The man outside hesitated for a moment and said, "Sir, it's okay if you give less."

  "We're leaving soon, don't listen to Qu."

  The door curtain was lifted, and a middle-aged man carrying an erhu walked in. He was not tall, somewhat thin, with many deep wrinkles on his face, looking much older than his voice suggested. Seeing the two people, he revealed a look of surprise, but it quickly passed. He bowed deeply, "I just heard your singing, I'm deeply impressed. I have an impolite request."

  "It's an unreasonable request, so let's just drop it." Chen Ke replied.

  His face suddenly showed a disappointed expression, he hurriedly made another bow, "I'm disturbing you." After saying that, he wanted to leave.

  Chen Tianhua had never seen Chen Ke reject someone so bluntly and with such an arrogant attitude. A hint of surprise appeared on his face. Chen Ke took all this in, thought for a moment, and said, "Wait."

  That person didn't know what kind of medicine Chen Ke was selling in his gourd. His expression seemed a bit nervous, though.

  "As the saying goes, there's give and take. Sir, we want to go to Beijing, but the train tickets are sold out, I wonder if there's any other way?"

  Upon hearing this, the man was startled. He looked Chen Ke and Chen Tianhua up and down, "Are you two gentlemen going to take a train to Beijing?"

  "The train is fast." Chen Ke didn't have any special feeling about it.

  "The little guy happens to know someone at the train station. There's a train going to Beijing today, maybe he can help get the two gentlemen on board. But as for the ticket money..."

  "How much is the ticket?"

  "From Tianjin Old Dragon Head Railway Station to Beijing Zhengyangmen, first-class ticket 5 yuan, third-class ticket 1.5 yuan."

  "How much is the train station fare?"

  "He takes you on the bus, just give him the money, don't add more."

  Another one who is self-satisfied. Chen Ke thought to himself. He turned his head and looked at Chen Tianhua, but Chen Tianhua was actually very excited. Seeing that Chen Tianhua did not object, Chen Ke smiled and said: "Are you going to teach me to sing after we arrive at the train station or after I buy a ticket?"

  Seeing that person not making a sound, Chen Ke knew what was on his mind. "Let's teach him the tune first."

  The middle-aged man immediately had a happy expression, Chen Ke Lian taught three times and wrote the lyrics. The middle-aged man handed the paper to the person outside the curtain. A moment later, a clear female voice sang from outside. Comparing these two, it was immediately clear which one was better. Indeed, as Chen Tian Hua said, the song that Chen Ke sang with a strong and straightforward tone, when sung by the woman, became soft and lingering.

  "There's a special skill for every profession." Chen Kezhan praised, having listened three times and being able to sing it with 80-90% accuracy, Chen Ke asked himself, absolutely can't compare. But this question isn't important, "What about the train ticket?" Chen Ke asked.

  "I'll just make some arrangements, you two gentlemen wait a moment, I'll be right back and take you to the station," said the middle-aged man.

  After the middle-aged man left, Chen Ke asked his partner to settle the bill. The two of them didn't spend much, and the partner found some change and left. Chen Tianhua asked: "Wen Qing, aren't you worried that the man cheated Qiu Zi and ran away?"

  "He can't bring the girl along with us to the station." Although he spoke leniently, Chen Ke couldn't help but think that if he didn't want to leave a bad impression on Chen Tianhua, he would have driven these two away just now.

  After waiting for a while, the man hurried back. The group of people went in the direction of the train station.

  The streets of Tianjin are no different from countless old photos, with many pedestrians on the street and various shops along the edge, including vendors selling cigarettes and showing foreign films, occasionally even seeing people performing acrobatics. The closer to the train station, the more beggars there are. Those shabbily dressed, pale and thin children are begging hard from people. And those half-grown beggars, with gleaming eyes, don't beg much but instead try to get close to people's sides, looking like they're about to snatch something. Chen Ke took over Chen Tianhua's backpack and followed behind the middle-aged man, while Chen Tianhua walked behind Chen Ke, so that they could take care of each other.

  After waiting for a while outside the gate of the station, the middle-aged man brought out someone who looked like he was in charge. The man sized Chen Ke up and down with an air of superiority and said: "There is still a first-class seat available. Pay now."

  Chen Ke took out the prepared money and flipped it in his hand. The man's eyes lit up when he saw the silver coins. Chen Ke put the money back into his pocket, "Pay on the bus."

  Looking at Chen Ke's smiling face, that person could tell that Chen Ke would absolutely not give money so easily. However, since he saw the money, he wasn't too worried either. "Follow me."

  Chen Ke and Chen Tianhua sat in the first-class seat. According to Chen Ke's observation, the carriage was not full, and he wondered why the station didn't sell tickets. It seemed that they had been withheld, and those tickets hadn't been sold out. Across from Chen Ke were two foreigners who smoked cigars and looked at him with a mixture of surprise and slight disdain. Chen Ke refused to show weakness, taking out a pack of cigarettes and lighting one for himself and Chen Tianhua each. The foreigners saw that the cigarette box was beautifully printed, and the plastic wrap on the outside sparkled in the sunlight. For a moment, they didn't know what Chen Ke's identity was, and their disdainful gaze retreated a lot.

  The train arrived at Beijing Station without incident. Chen Ke hurried to buy tickets, and this time he was lucky enough to get them. That night, the two of them boarded a train on the Jinghan Line heading in the direction of Xingtai.

  When they arrived in Xingtai, it was just dawn. The two of them hired two mules at a very cheap price and headed towards the direction of Nangong County. Hebei is a plain area, Chen Kesong grew up on the Henan Yu Zhong Plain, in his memory, the endless plains were divided by rows of poplar trees or paulownia trees that stood like sentinels, cutting out patches of grain fields. On the plains, roads lined with poplar trees or paulownia trees, or asphalt roads covered with dust, connected various villages. Of course, there were also irrigation canals along the roadside. This simple yet endlessly repetitive scenery was his hometown.

  In Xingtai, Chen Ke saw vast expanses of sandy land. The grass was sparse, and occasionally some shrubs and trees could be seen. This was far from the 21st-century Hebei he had imagined. Moreover, as they approached Nangong County, the sandy land became even more extensive. In September, in the harvested fields that were empty and desolate, Chen Ke thought of what his elders had told him before - back then, the land could only be planted with one crop per year. Wherever it was like after liberation, two crops were always planted. It's strange that people can eat their fill on this barren land that only yields one crop a year.

  "Tianhua, once we're liberated, we'll definitely be able to plant two crops of grain here every year," said Chen Ke.

  Before Chen Tianhua could respond, the mule driver who had come with Chen Ke smiled and said: "Sir, you're planting two crops of grain a year. Aren't you joking?"

  "Hey brother, don't you want to plant two seasons?" Chen Ke asked back.

  The mule driver just smiled and said nothing more.

  The donkey was definitely not as fast as the train, and after a whole day of train travel, letting the donkey sway like this made them feel a bit dizzy. They dozed off while moving forward. By evening, the group finally arrived at Gaojiayuan Village in Nangong County.

  Asking Pang Zi, the locals all know. They looked at Chen Ke and Chen Tianhua's unusual attire while leading them into the street. As soon as they arrived at a courtyard gate, a young man of medium build stood at the entrance. The familiar look of the little kid peeking out from inside the courtyard, that little devil was the one Chen Ke asked about first. It seems he informed this young man.

  The young man with a suspicious tone asked: "I am Pang Zi, what brings you two here?"

  The 47th