Chapter 10: I won't let you bully my little sisters

  The Second Founder

  Ningwu Prefecture belongs to Shanxi Province's Yanping Road, and Ningwu County was promoted to Ningwu Prefecture in the third year of Qing Dynasty's Yongzheng (1725), governing Ningwu, Shenchi, Wuzhai, and Panguan counties. This place has always been an important channel for various exchanges between inland China and northern ethnic minority areas. People from all over the country come and go, business is prosperous, but also chaotic. Opening a hospital in Ningwu County town would have no problem with customer flow, but it's worrying about the students' safety. So, Kang Fan bribed the carriage driver to secretly bring 88 sniper rifles, 92 handguns, and related ammunition and equipment into Ningwu County town.

  Kang Fan and Mei Xiang were both very satisfied with the house that He Shui Chang had found in Ningwu County. The house occupied about 2 acres of land, with a vermilion gate and high walls, gray tiles and green bricks, and the houses were densely packed. At first glance, it looked quite magnificent! In front of the main gate was a wide street, and standing on the stone steps at the entrance, one could see the majestic city gate tower and the winding city wall. The surrounding neighborhoods were densely connected, with people and horses passing by in a hurry, and shops lined up, making it more prosperous than Ma Fang Village.

  Mei Xiang and her medical classmates made every effort to renovate the house according to modern hospital standards, but only limited to the interior of the house, while keeping the exterior appearance basically unchanged. The students were all very curious and excited when they arrived in the provincial city, especially the four female students who chattered non-stop. Kang Fan understood everyone's mood, so during the renovation period, he gave each of them some silver coins, letting them go around the county town, buy whatever they wanted, and come back for more if they spent it all. The female students went out to play together in high spirits. The remaining two male classmates did not go with them because they had to supervise the workers who were hired to do the work.

  Mei Xiang and Kang Fan couldn't help but feel excited inside, sitting on the stone steps in front of the courtyard gate to appreciate the street view with great interest.

  A row of tall willows in front of the hospital gate just blocked out the scorching sunlight, and under the cool shade of the willow trees, Mei Xiang leaned against Kang Fan, lazily like a small cat. Passersby kept casting surprised glances at the two, and they also cast similarly meaningful glances back at the passersby, unable to tell who was more aware of whom.

  You're just like a nouveau riche, never saw money before, now that you have it, you've forgotten yourself. Mei Xiang said.

  Kang Fan's eyes widened, what's wrong? I'm just rich, I can do whatever I want. It's not me, who else can afford to buy such a big house? Can't you just let me be proud for once?!

  When you're proud, you forget your shape. I advise you to calm down. Mei Xiang smiled and said.

  Kang Fan pulled out a silver ingot from his pocket and waved it in front of Mei Xiang, saying "How about I also give you some money?"

  Mei Xiang pushed his hand away and said with a pout: I don't care about that!

  At this time, several women swayed past the door, and with each step, the long skirt was lifted to reveal the small feet unique to Qing dynasty women. Kang Fan couldn't help but feel interested: This is the actual size of the bound feet he saw with his own eyes, and it seemed that they were indeed only about 3 inches long.

  Kang Fan pointed at them and said to Mei Xiang: I should be able to marry dozens of such wives now, shouldn't I?

  Mei Xiang sat up straight, shouting in surprise: "Kang Fan, you risked your life to get this silver just to marry a few more wives? Are these little-footed women really that attractive to you? Where do they compare to me?"

  Kang Fan couldn't help but laugh, and then lowered his head to admire Mei Xiang's feet.

  Mei Xiang wore a pair of newly bought embroidered shoes to the county town today, with bright-colored flowers embroidered on the soft green satin shoe surface, setting off her fair and delicate feet outside, which were indeed much more beautiful than the sickly small feet of those women on the street. Unconsciously, she looked up along her feet and felt a little flustered in her heart.

  Mei Xiang changed into a Qing dynasty outfit tailored by He Shui, the bright and soft silk fabric perfectly accentuating her slender figure, complementing her delicate features and smooth, pale skin. Her healthy beauty was truly captivating! The several female students who came with her were dressed almost identically. In their time, these female students may not have been considered beauties, but in modern times, they would undoubtedly be considered beautiful women! Ordinary people of the time, except for a few from well-off families, generally suffered from malnutrition due to limited living conditions, which was reflected in their appearance: underdeveloped, thin, and pale skin. In contrast, these female students were well-nourished, well-developed, tall, and had smooth, lustrous skin, making them absolute stunners! The sudden appearance of such a group of beauties in the county town, strolling about with abandon, would undoubtedly have a profound impact on this chaotic era! It's crucial that these lovely prey don't catch the eye of someone with ulterior motives.

  What's wrong with you, what are you looking at! Mei Xiang was looked at by him and felt a bit hairy.

  Kang Fan absent-mindedly responded with an "uh-huh".

  Mei Xiang muttered: I was just about to let you see, you sleep like a pig. If I don't let you see, you won't stop staring...

  Kang Fan was getting restless. At first, he was infected by the emotions of the female students and did it without thinking, but now the more he thought about it, the more he felt it wasn't right, he had really lost his shape! Thinking of this, he subconsciously touched the pistol hidden in his pocket.

  How could you be so careless and let them go?! He scolded himself in his heart, the county town was not big, but once something happened, where would he find them?! He started to sweat.

  Mei Xiang took out her handkerchief to help Kang Fan wipe away the sweat from his temples. Are you hot?

  Kang Fan jumped up like he had been electrocuted, grabbed Mei Xiang's hand and ran.

  Mei Xiang suddenly couldn't defend herself and shouted: Kang Fan, be gentle, you're killing me!

  Kang Fan hastily let her go, his face anxious, Come with me quickly!

  Mei Xiang inexplicably grabbed onto Kang Fan's clothes and started running. The two of them followed the direction in which the female students had left, chasing after them. They ran through streets and alleys, asking people they met along the way, and after a long search, finally spotted the four female students at the corner of a shop.

  Three tall and sturdy foreigners with blonde hair and blue eyes surrounded four female students, allowing them to punch and kick, crying out in laughter, dragging them onto the street, heading towards the city gate. Many onlookers had gathered, hiding at a distance, pointing fingers, but none dared to step forward to stop it.

  Kang Fan was furious, he rushed over and kicked a foreigner to the ground, dodged another foreigner's punch, and countered with a fist that made his nose bleed profusely. The last one tried to run but was blocked by Mei Xiang.

  What nationality are you? How dare you be so arrogant in broad daylight?! Meixiang loudly scolded the foreigner, who was more than a head taller than her, in fluent English.

  The foreigner was very surprised and stood there at a loss.

  Kang Fan kicked him out several meters with a flying kick. He fell to the ground with a thud, holding his head and struggled for a few times without getting up. Kang Fan's kick was right on his ear root, he immediately lost the ability to balance his body.

  "Where are you from?" he asked, not understanding English. Kang Fan stepped forward and stomped on his face with his foot, asking in English through gritted teeth. The thick, hard sole of the hiking boot severely disfigured the foreigner's pale red face, his eyes, nose, and mouth were squeezed into a ball, and sticky saliva flowed out.

  The foreigner hastily replied: We are Americans. Although it was unclear, Kang Fan still understood.

  American? Kong Fan's eyes widened, and he squatted beside his head, saying: That is a country that claims to be 'civilized' and 'free', how did you three beasts come out of it?! As he spoke, he opened his thick fingers and slapped him in the face.

  In this foreigner's mournful cry, blood immediately gushed out from his mouth and nose.

  The guy who fell down first rushed over, his footsteps nimble, like he had practiced boxing. But one look and you could tell he had just finished drinking, his steps floating, no matter how fierce he was before, at this moment he was purely a decoration for Kang Fan.

  Kang Fan dodged the punches that he threw with all his might, not even letting him touch the hem of his clothes. He was somewhat disheartened and began to hesitate in throwing punches. Kang Fan didn't want to entangle with him any longer, so he knocked him to the ground with one punch. This time he was truly obedient.

  Kneel down and kowtow three times to these four sisters, and I'll let you go. Kang Fan said.

  Under the gaze of the crowd, three Americans bowed their heads one after another and fled in disarray.

  The female students came out of their shock and crowded around Kang Fan, not daring to leave for a moment.

  The pedestrians who were indifferent just now have become excited, with some applauding and cheering. A female student helped a young man who was lying on the ground to get up. The young man seemed to be dizzy from being beaten, his eyes still looking confused.

  It wasn't until the female students' disjointed accounts that Kang Fan learned what had happened: The young man had originally intended to stop the three foreigners, but he was limited by his own abilities and was knocked to the ground with just a few punches. The other passersby were intimidated by the foreigners' boxing skills and robust physiques, so no one else dared to step forward again.

  In a teahouse by the roadside, the young man told his story: His name was Yu Hao, and he was known for his good character and learning. As Ningwu Magistrate was his uncle, he had been invited to help with official duties due to his reputation. Today he was supposed to return home, but happened to run into this matter, so he stepped forward to dissuade them, never expecting to end up in such a predicament.

  Ashamed! Ashamed! Yu kept bowing to apologize to the students.

  Mei Xiang hastily helped him up and smiled: Just hearing your name tells me you're a good person.

  Kang Youwei sighed: "The Chinese people of today lack vitality, and are often bullied by foreigners. If there were more people with a strong sense of justice like my brother Xiang, would the foreigners dare to behave recklessly on the territory of the Qing Dynasty?"

  What Brother Kang said is absolutely right! You're good at talking, although I may not have the strength to bind a chicken, but can I just sit back and watch when I see injustice on the road?! If I had Brother Kang's skills, I would definitely take drastic measures and not hold back. After finishing speaking, he himself couldn't help but laugh awkwardly.

  Everyone also smiled with kindness.

  After having some dim sum at the teahouse and introducing themselves, everyone escorted Yu Hao back to the hospital. Several female students eagerly took turns serving him tea, fetching water, cleaning his wounds, applying medicine, and bandaging him up, showing great enthusiasm! Yu Hao was overwhelmed by such a commotion, breaking out in a cold sweat, feeling extremely embarrassed. When he found out that everyone was busy preparing for the hospital's affairs, he was quite approving.

  This is great! It's a good deed that benefits tens of thousands of people in Ningwu Prefecture, and the government must fully support it. Yu Hao said.

  Kang Fan got up and thanked him. Yu Hao returned the courtesy and said: "Today, the foreigner was beaten by Kang's brother, I'm afraid he won't let it go easily. However, this group of foreigners has an unclear background, and it's feared that they will cause trouble. For your sake, I'll return to the government office and order some soldiers to come and guard."

  Kang Fan thanked him again. Yu Hao stood up and bid farewell before leaving.

  Actually, He Shuichang had already made arrangements with the county government beforehand, otherwise Kang Fan's hospital wouldn't have been able to open so easily. Now, with Yu Hua's care, the construction of the hospital went smoothly. Due to Mei Xiang's high standards for the hospital, the old living facilities in the county couldn't meet her requirements, and a modern water supply, heating, and power system had to be built independently to meet the needs. Therefore, things like wells, water towers, power plants, boiler rooms, drainage ditches, and various pipes, valves, wires, lighting, and electrical equipment were needed. To establish and perfect these modern facilities in contemporary China was almost unimaginable. The only way was to spend money to hire companies and technicians from industrialized countries like the UK and US to help. That's when an American missionary named Duonuo Wan came in handy at just the right time.