Volume 1: Laying the Foundation Chapter 3: Taking Stock of the Family's Assets

  It goes without saying that Gaozhangfang also asked questions according to the rules, and didn't think of going anywhere else. In fact, in this short period of time, he had a rough standard for Chen Xiaoqi. From his appearance, skin, and spirit, it was already certain that he was not from a poor family. Looking at how he washed his hands, ate, used a napkin, and walked, it could be seen that he had received good education or had good family teaching. His Mandarin accent was clear and natural, with a pleasant tone, which was a habit formed over many years. Looking at the strange clothes, shoes, and big bag, the materials, stitching, and color were all rare, even unseen before. Although other accountants didn't recognize them, Gaozhangfang knew that the zippers on the clothes and bag were valuable items! This was his first time seeing such things on clothes and bags, and he had only seen them in Japan a couple of years ago! Moreover, they were different styles and materials, so just this outfit alone was worth a lot of money! With these evaluations adding up, Gaozhangfang didn't dare to treat Chen Xiaoqi as an ordinary person anymore. Even without Chen Zhanggui's invitation, such a big client or even a noble client had to be fawned upon and served well, as they were long-term sources of income!

  As soon as the housekeeper quietly retreated and closed the door, Chen Xiaoqi quickly took off his clothes. In fact, there were no thick clothes on his body, just a quick-drying thin windbreaker and quick-drying pants, inside was a vest and underwear, and on his feet were pure cotton sweat-absorbing socks, only that pair of low-waisted hiking shoes had troublesome shoelaces.

  He stripped himself and lay in the bathtub, scrubbing his body with that foul-smelling soap while thinking wildly. In his backpack there was a small bottle of shampoo and shower gel, which smelled and felt much better than this inferior chemical product, but using it once would mean having less for next time, he couldn't bear to waste it. Besides, when in Rome do as the Romans do, so let's start with the basics, such as his attire, speech habits, and some very important common sense.

  He was still pleased with the idea of passing himself off as a returned overseas Chinese, in this era, it's almost impossible to go all the way to investigate the identity of a Chinese who is an ordinary person abroad, at least not now, and he also had enough time to make up for this lie.

  His body was originally very clean, except for a little salt and sand on the surface, there were no other stains, just lightly scrubbing and rinsing made it spotless. Washing with soap was unnecessary, he mainly did it to cover up the smell of other chemical products on his body, such as the shampoo and shower gel he had been using for twenty years, which definitely left a scent that sensitive people could detect at once.

  Wrapped in a bath towel, Chen Xiaoqi suddenly discovered the place that had felt somewhat off earlier when he stood in front of the tall mirror in the living room. It turned out that his appearance had changed. Before crossing over, he was already 24 years old, and frequent outdoor exercise made his skin tone slightly darker than people at that time, but still much fairer than those from the 20s. Now, however, it seemed to have become even more tender and pale, with a more youthful and immature face shape, making him instantly recall his high school appearance. The originally thick stubble had also lightened and thinned significantly. In short, he had become more delicate! Was this an aftereffect of crossing over?

  Chen Xiaoqi didn't know how to describe the changes in himself. But this way, his fabricated background excuse became even more perfect, at least the age advantage made it easier to fool others! So he immediately decided to shamelessly change his age to 19, or maybe 18 and a half would be better?

  After admiring himself in the mirror for a while, he didn't rush to change his clothes. Those flat-angle underwear without even a fly and shirts with buttonholes were something he was not used to at all - he still didn't know how to wear them properly. There were more important things to take care of right now - packing up his cross-dressing gear.

  The clothes are not a problem, just rinse them in water and hang them on the balcony to dry overnight. The key is that there's too much stuff in his backpack. Apart from the backpack itself, it contains a sweater, thermal underwear, wool socks, anti-cut gloves, an LED flashlight, a walkie-talkie, a military compass, 25mm red film monocular telescope, and an electric shaver, all wrapped in waterproof bags.

  Toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo, shower gel, soap, witch hazel, toilet paper, foot powder, small towels and other hygiene products.

  In the first-aid kit, there are Fluoxetine capsules 2 boards, Huanglian Su 10 tablets (for diarrhea), for colds and fever, there is Compound Qingre Ye Pian 1 board of 24 tablets, Kangtaike 1 board of 12 tablets, Lingyang Ganmao Pian 2 boards. For inflammation, there are oral penicillin (Amoxicillin) and Acetylsalicylic acid each one board, Compound Xin Nuoming (Z) one board. These are his habitual effective medicines since childhood, which can no longer be found in city stores, but were bought from the old hometown pharmacy. For external injuries, there are band-aids and a small bottle of Yunnan Baiyao, as well as Jin Houzi Yanbao and Niu Huang Yi Jin Pian for tonsillitis and pharyngitis. There are also several medicinal plasters, Fenbide 1 board, Xisumin 1 board, gauze bandages two rolls, adhesive tape one piece, cotton thread one roll, potassium permanganate four tablets (unused for years), water purification tablets wrapped in light-proof paper, and the most important summer medicine, Liangsheng Zhengan Qi Dian to prevent heatstroke. There is also a small bottle of Honghua You oil, 12 condoms, and a surgical knife blade. Originally there were several mosquito coils, but they have all been used up. In order to prevent himself from taking the wrong medication, he bound the instruction manuals into a small booklet and placed it inside for easy reference when taking medicine.

  In the hundred treasure box, there are fish hooks, fishing lines, about 100 meters of 200-pound Kevlar kite string, Gillette razor blades and needles tied to small reels of fine thread, matches for ten thousand times, candles, magnifying glass, flint, small saw blade, a roll of thin steel wire. At the very bottom of the bag, there is also a bundle of spare 20-meter 8mm static rope and a foldable rain cloth.

  In the right side pocket was a Strider BT2001 that he had carefully crafted himself, made from special steel produced by a military factory, with a hardness of 58 HRC after processing. Chopping, cutting and digging were all done with ease, this was his only work that he had hidden away without being found and destroyed by his dad.

  A pirated version of "Lang Xianping Says" collection, a new map of China divided into provinces in 1948 (Ya Guang Yu Di) bought online, a detailed transportation and tourism map of China down to the village level, still folded up, also obtained through bartering with an old fellow traveler who had been traveling around for over a decade. Additionally, there is a can of Zippo lighter fluid.

  There's still a pack of compressed biscuits, a Dove chocolate, half a can of Dali ham and a pack of Wujiang pickled mustard. There are also small bottles of salt, chili powder, pepper salt and cumin. Everything else like sleeping bags, climbing ropes, water bottles etc were all thrown into the sea, the parachute umbrella and his camouflage hat are gone too, and the very cool glasses are nowhere to be seen.

  In the pocket of my clothes, there was a bunch of keys with a miniature laser pen attached to it, a Swiss Army knife "91mm Craftsman", a "Venetian" commemorative edition Zippo lighter, a waterproof domestic mobile phone with PDA and GPS functions that had gotten wet, which unfortunately failed the test and died.

  Inside the inner bag, there is a notebook, a Parker pen, and a wallet. The wallet contains five cards, over 1,000 yuan in cash, an ID card, which probably won't be used for a while in this era. Additionally, there is also a needle and a Gillette razor blade.

  On his wrist was a Japanese-made quartz electronic watch, which was indeed waterproof at this time and running normally. However, he knew that this thing couldn't be relied upon either. After being soaked in seawater for a while, it would soon deteriorate rapidly. First, the strap made of so-called resin material would go bad, then the sealing ring and plastic case, and finally, nothing inside could be saved.

  All of these things, currently none of them can be seen by people, especially ID cards and banknotes, bank cards and the like, one look and you know there's a problem, at the same time it can also expose his identity, so after a brief consideration, he gritted his teeth and endured the heartache to burn them all to ashes.

  Lang Xianping's book actually knew the content, just can't say it so logically and accurately, also can't keep it, burn it. The map is very useful, must be kept no matter what, as for other things, temporarily don't know how to deal with them, he simply wrapped all dry things in a bed sheet, wet ones were put on the balcony to air, ready to deal with them again tomorrow morning after they dried.

  After all the hustle and bustle, his fatigue reached its peak, and after releasing the tension and anxiety in his heart, he couldn't hold on any longer. He fell onto the bed and slept soundly for a whole 12 hours. When he woke up, it was already bustling with people outside, and the sky was bright. People of this era mostly didn't have much of a nightlife, going to bed early and waking up at 5 am. By this time, half of the day's work had already been completed, and breakfast had already been eaten.

  Chen Xiaoqi slept very soundly, lying in bed staring at the ceiling for a long time before realizing he wasn't living in the 21st century. His heart suddenly tightened and with a "腾" sound, he jumped up like a carp, hastily rushing to the balcony and shoving all the things that had been hung out to dry into his backpack. He wrapped the backpack in a bed sheet, checking himself from head to toe, making sure there was nothing eye-catching except for his underwear, tank top, and leather belt. He ripped off any logos or writing on these items and burned them, figuring that as long as he hid the things in the bag well, no one could prove his identity.

  After tidying up, he let out a long sigh and slowly walked into the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. His beard would have to wait for now; Chinese people couldn't afford Gillette razors yet, and he wouldn't know how to use those straight-blade razors anyway - who knows, he might end up disfiguring himself! The long gown was really uncomfortable for him to wear, no matter how he looked at it. So after some deliberation, he simply wrapped himself in a large towel and sat down on the chair, pouring himself a cup of boiling water to drink slowly.

  Before long, the housekeeper came up, knocked on the door and entered. He bowed slightly and asked with a smile: "Sir, did you rest well last night?"

  Chen Xiaoqi sat there nodding heavily and said, "It's okay, just this quilt is a bit too wet, and the mosquitoes here are quite fierce, they bite so big."

  Chen Xiaoqi lived in Qingdao for five years. When he first arrived in Qingdao, his reaction was crystal clear. As an inland person who came here, the tide, the sweltering heat of summer, and the imported hybrid mosquitoes would all leave a deep impression on people. This is what he said intentionally as the role he played.

  Gao Zhai Fang heard this and apologetically said: "This is really sorry, can't help it, the climate in Qingdao is like this, the humidity is high, our bedding here is already dried every day, but opening the window to ventilate will make it damp again. You'll have to put up with it. These mosquitoes..."

  Chen Xiaoqi waved his hand and said, "Don't mind the mosquitoes, I didn't tuck in the mosquito net tightly last night, and I guess you guys don't have any good mosquito repellent either. I'll just be more careful myself. Has my sixth brother arrived yet?"

  Gao Zhai Fang was taken aback, then thought of what he said about Chen Zhuanggui's Dahua Dyeing Factory. He hastily replied: "Not yet, Chen Zhuanggui's business has been really good lately, and he's busy from dawn till dusk. I reckon he must have gone to the factory early in the morning to arrange work. It won't be until lunchtime that he'll have a spare moment to come over. If you have an urgent matter, tell me about it and I'll send someone to run an errand?"

  "I don't need you to, I'll just ask. So, take a look at my size and go buy me a shirt, a pair of trousers - the kind that's part of a uniform, waist 34 inches, length...110 cm. Also get me a pair of leather shoes and socks, I wear US size 9.5 or UK size 8.5. And have someone bring up some breakfast for me. By the way, my surname is Chen, just call me Mr. Chen."

  "Ah, this Mr. Chen is really not shy at all! He speaks as if he's in his own home, without any reserve!" Gao thought to himself, but actually, he didn't think there was anything wrong with the request. Although last night when he arrived, he looked quite disheveled and unlucky, after a good rest and tidying up, now he looks like a completely different person - dignified and composed, sitting there with an air of confidence about him. Anyway, with Mr. Chen taking charge, he wouldn't be the one to lose out. Spending money? Ha! He's not afraid of that, not when Mr. Chen is handling things!

  He nodded repeatedly, and Gao Zifu went out, closed the door, and came downstairs. He beckoned to the young servant who had helped him serve Chen Xiaoqi last night, and in a low voice, he handed over a series of requests. Finally, he took out ten dollars from the cabinet and handed them to the young servant. After thinking for a moment, he grabbed another ten dollars and stuffed them into the young servant's hands, startling the young man. The young servant held the dollars with both hands, trembling and saying: "Uncle! Why did you ask me to take so much money? This must be something very expensive! I'm a little scared! I'm afraid of making mistakes and getting scolded!"