Xu Xilin removed Yinghua Xiongmao and came in after a long time. Chen Ke felt a little strange, although the Xu family's house was large, and a normal turtle struggled to move forward, and at this time it was almost crawling from the hall. Just as he was guessing, he saw Xu Xilin leading Hua Xiongmao into the living room, although he was still a little depressed, at least Xu Xilin had returned to his normal demeanor. Hua Xiongmao saw Qiu Jin in the house, and shouted respectfully, "Aunt Qiu is good." Then he turned to this Chen Ke and said, "Brother Chen is good." I felt very happy to drink yesterday, and today I can drink Brother Chen to continue drinking. ”

These two titles made Chen Ke feel very wrong, and after thinking for a while, he realized that he was actually taken advantage of by Qiu Jin. Chen Ke stood up and said, "Huaju people, I really drank well yesterday. Then Chen Ke turned his head, "Sister Qiu, it turns out that this Huaju person is still your relative." ”

Qiu Jin is much more experienced in society than Chen Ke, and as soon as she heard this, she knew that Chen Ke was unwilling to suffer in seniority. For this childish performance, Qiu Jin couldn't help laughing. "Wenqing, you don't have to be formal. Xiongmao is my cousin's son. You can call him Brother Hua, call me Sister Qiu, it's okay. I won't take advantage of you, and I won't let you take advantage of Xiongmao. Feel free to do so, everyone. ”

"Sister Qiu, I grew up overseas, and I basically don't know the etiquette in China. I don't know how to call each other this kind of thing in China? Chen Ke hurriedly replied.

"You can call him Brother Huashi. Don't call Brother Hua directly. Otherwise, you'd be honest with your words. Xiongmao, Chen Kezi Wenqing, Wenqing, Xiongmao Zhenglan. ”

"Thank you, Sister Qiu, for your advice." Chen Ke hurriedly thanked him.

Hearing this, Hua Xiongmao just smiled. "Brother Chen, is he literate?" Chen Ke nodded, "Brother Huashi, my surname is Chen, my name is Ke, and my name is Wenqing." ””

Everyone sat down again, and Xu Xilin said: "Xiongmao, you and Wen Qing have some misunderstandings, I originally called you here to mediate." But as you said, you ran into it again yesterday. It still seems to be the same as if the ice released the previous suspicions. That's good. ”

After hearing this, Chen Ke finally understood why Xu Xilin was delayed at the door for so long. It turned out that he was helping himself mediate at the door, although Chen Ke was not afraid of Hua Xiongmao, but it was not a good thing to provoke a martial artist for nothing.

Hua Xiongmao said with a smile. "Uncle, you also know that what I hate the most are fake foreign devils and foreign religions. Yesterday we drank and chatted, Brother Chen is neither a fake foreign devil nor a foreign religion, what misunderstanding is there to speak of. ”

"That's good, that's good." Xu Xilin reluctantly said in a cheerful tone.

Hua Xiongmao felt that the atmosphere was a little wrong, so he asked, "Uncle, do you and Brother Chen still have something to discuss?" Then I'll visit you another day. ”

"There's no need to change the day, I, your Aunt Qiu, and Wenqing are going to Shanghai in the next two days. If you have anything else, say it now. Xu Xilin replied.

Listening to Xu Xilin's words, Chen Ke was overjoyed. Hua Xiongmao had a happy look on his face, "How about I go to Shanghai with everyone?" ”

The team from Shaoxing to Shanghai was quickly formed, the captain was naturally Xu Xilin, and the three official members were Qiu Jin, Chen Ke, and Hua Xiongmao. The temporary members include Qiu Jin's maid, named Lin Jian. There are no trains from Shaoxing to Shanghai, let alone long-distance buses. On the way to the wharf, Xu Xilin told everyone that he hired a big boat yesterday and expected to arrive in Shanghai in three or four days. Hearing the time of three or four days, Chen Ke just nodded. It is only a few hours to get from Shaoxing to Shanghai by train. The disparity in the efficiency of the operation is somewhat outrageous.

Qiu Jin was very happy, "Wen Qing, this is time to talk." ”

The early summer of 1905 was nowhere near as hot as the summer of the 21st century, and it was quite cool in the cabin. Looking out of the window, there are crops on both sides of the riverbank, and occasionally you can see the waterwheel slowly turning, and the farmers in the fields are buried in their farm work, which really has the taste of a landscape painting. The river is not wide, and there are many boats on the river, most of which are small boats. Chen Ke has seen a lot of such pictures in TV and movies, but Chen Ke, who grew up on the edge of the Yellow River, took a boat in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, where the water network is dense, and he really has a very novel feeling.

Looking at Chen Ke looking out of the window intently, Qiu Jin asked, "Wenqing, how is this scenery?" ”

"I've never seen such a nice view before. I haven't been on a boat much. Chen Ke replied casually.

"The scenery is so good, but the country is so dilapidated. Wen Qing had no idea. Xu Xilin answered. Listening to his meaning, he was still ready to take the revolutionary plan out of Chen Ke's mouth.

Chen Ke turned his head, since he decided to cooperate with Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin, Chen Ke felt that at least there must be a certain foundation for cooperation. Yesterday, he thought about it for a long time, and roughly determined a bottom line that could be said and what could not be said. "Brother Bosun, the price of cotton has risen a lot in the past two years, right?"

"Huh?" Regarding Chen Ke's answer that the donkey's head was not right for the horse's mouth, Xu Xilin didn't understand what was going on for a while.

"In recent years, more and more textile factories have been opened, and there are more and more foreigners trading in China. Domestic cotton is either exported or used locally. The demand for cotton is increasing, but the total amount of cotton production is not increasing. So the price of cotton is getting higher and higher. ”

Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin looked at each other when they heard this, and Chen Ke's words were very reasonable, but the two did not investigate the price of cotton.

"That's true." Hua Xiongmao interjected.

"Xiongmao, how do you know the price of cotton?" Qiu Jin asked.

"I was transporting cotton with a few friends a while ago, and the friend kept complaining about how high the price of cotton was. That's why I knew. Hua Xiongmao replied calmly.

After listening to Hua Xiongmao's words, Chen Ke felt a little strange, Hua Xiongmao was a martial artist, and he actually participated in the cotton transportation activities. However, after thinking about it, Jiangsu and Zhejiang have a strong business atmosphere, and it is not unusual for Hua Xiongmao to do some business. At this time, Xu Xilin asked, "What does Wen Qing want to say?" ”

"Cotton production has not increased, cotton consumption has increased, so cotton prices have risen."

"What does this have to do with the revolution?" Xu Xilin was confused.

"I believe that the government that the revolution wants to build is the one that can manage these things. For example, if you open a cotton mill, the worker has to eat, and you have to provide food? To open a cotton mill, you have to have cotton, and the price of cotton is high, and the cost of this cloth is naturally high. The price of foreign cloth is lower than that of Chinese cloth, and you naturally can't compare with foreign cloth in the market. None of these problems could be solved, so a large amount of money was invested in textile mills. But the price can't be compared with foreign cloth, the cloth produced by oneself can't be sold, and if you can't make money, you lose money. There's no need to trade at a loss. Chen Ke felt that his answer had reached this point.

After listening to this explanation, Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin both began to think about what Chen Ke said.

After a while, Hua Xiongmao suddenly asked: "Wenqing, is this going to let the country open a textile factory?" ”

Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin suddenly realized when they heard this, they were just stunned by Chen Ke's words about calculating costs, and they didn't even notice the premise proposed by Chen Ke. Chen Ke actually wanted the state to take on the responsibility of growing grain, growing cotton, opening textile factories, and organizing workers.

"This, this ......, Wen Qing, you revolutionary ......" Chen Ke said something that Xu Xilin couldn't accept. Our revolution is for the sake of China, and after this revolution, we should retire and let the people make their own decisions. Wenqing, your revolution is not about retiring after success at all. It's about taking it to the next level. ”

Hearing Xu Xilin's statement that "the people are their own masters", Chen Ke couldn't help but sigh in his heart. In Chinese history, many people have said similar things, such as "asking for the people's lives" and opposing "competing with the people for profit". But which of these people did not represent the interests of the propertied people, and when was this "people" not the landlords and merchants of the propertied class?

And these propertied people, they have always put their own economic interests first. These days, Chen Ke constantly recalls the political knowledge he has learned, and there is a sentence in it that he thinks is quite reasonable, "The petty bourgeoisie is the most reactionary." "Because the big bourgeoisie has penetrated into all aspects of society, it has a broader view of the overall situation when considering problems. The interests of the petty bourgeoisie are confined to its own one-third of an acre, and their considerations are narrow and stubborn. If the mainstream of the country is the petty bourgeoisie, it will be a disaster.

However, Xu Xilin at least did not hear the meaning of Chen Ke's words that the state wanted to deprive the landlord of land ownership, Chen Ke thought secretly. If Xu Xilin understood this meaning, I don't know what he would think. Now to put it mildly, Chen Ke needs to rely on Xu Xilin, if there is a conflict in revolutionary theory and annoys Xu Xilin, then it will be difficult to say what will happen later. Now it is necessary to convince Xu Xilin that Chen Ke is a real revolutionary party on the one hand, and on the other hand, to make Xu Xilin have expectations for himself without all-out conflict. In this way, the cooperation can be guaranteed.

Thinking of these things, Chen Ke replied: "Brother Bosun, I also said that my ideal revolution is not to overthrow the Manchu Qing Dynasty. Rather, it is to reform the fate of China's old system. Until this is done, the revolution will not be successful. In my opinion, the state is the right way to manage this. In the past, what imperial power was not lower than the county, it was completely inappropriate in this era. ”

These words have been beyond Xu Xilin's imagination, as a patriotic and enthusiastic young man, Xu Xilin's feeling is to kill the Manchu Qing government that is now calaminating the country and the people, and China can enter a beautiful new era. The issue of system building in the new era raised by Chen Ke was never thought of by Xu Xilin. Now listening to Chen Ke's words, Xu Xilin feels reasonable, but he can't tell what is going on, Xu Xilin has an inexplicable sense of resistance to what Chen Ke said.

Qiu Jin listened to the conversation between the two and was silent. Emotionally, Qiu Jin is naturally more inclined to Xu Xilin, but Chen Ke's words make Qiu Jin feel more reasonable. Hua Xiongmao was very interested in this, and he interjected and asked: "What will be the new system that Wen Qing said, what will this official system be?" Is it still the imperial examination? ”

Hua Xiongmao's words surprised Chen Ke very much, and he couldn't help but stare at Hua Xiongmao for a moment. Perhaps Hua Xiongmao is a martial artist, and in a sense he is still an insider in the system, so his sensitivity to the system is even higher than that of Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin, Chen Ke replied: "In the end, we still have to go to the road of the imperial examination, but the new imperial examination is not an official, but an official." ”

"Huh? So how do you take the exam? "Hua Xiongmao can get to the point every time he asks.

"The content of the exam is not the Four Books and Five Classics, but mathematics, physics, chemistry, nature and so on. The most important thing is that the state builds schools where all children are educated. Everyone has the opportunity to go to the imperial examinations. ”

"Which officials are how to choose. Is it from among the officials? Hua Xiongmao became more interested.

Chen Ke was no longer admiring Hua Xiongmao at this time, but was a little vigilant. But it was really surprising to meet such an understanding person, Chen Ke replied: "What Brother Hua Shi said is right. In the future, this official will do a good job as a official. Gradually rising up. ”

"So the official government is what Wen Qing said is to manage the land, the cotton, and the factory?" When Hua Xiongmao said this, his face was full of joy.

"Is Brother Hua Shi a revolutionary party?" Chen Ke didn't know what to say anymore.

"I'm not a revolutionary. I'm just completely disappointed with the government. Although he took the martial arts exam, he had no place to serve the country at all. Hua Xiongmao said with a smile: "Wenqing, the reason why I hate fake foreign devils is because as soon as the fake foreign devils I see speak, it is how China is backward." How strong a foreign country is. Those who believe in foreign religions are even more likely to use the power of foreign devils to do evil. The group of people in the imperial court set up a civil and military exercise, but it was not the same thing at all. Even if you pass the exam, you can't serve the country. Wuju has been rotten for so many years, I won't talk about it. In the past, I used to read the article, but now the eight shares only depend on whether you write well or not. How the article is not at all the point. After listening to Wen Qing's words, I feel that this is the right way for the country. ”

Hua Xiongmao's words were so clear and clear that Chen Ke was strange, "Then why didn't Brother Hua go to apply for a new school?" He asked.

"Even if you graduate from a new school, you will only become the private disciples of those who run the school. I can't do that. My family is not short of this money, and I can do some business with my friends without worrying about food and clothing. I really can't do the work of being a slave to others. Hua Xiongmao replied.

There are really all kinds of characters in this world, Chen Ke sighed in his heart. I thought that Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin, who were revolutionaries, would be able to understand their revolutionary ideas, but they never expected that Hua Xiongmao, a martial artist, would be more able to accept the bureaucratic system constructed by Chen Ke. If Hua Xiongmao and others were brought under his banner, the revolutionary cause would really be able to be carried out.

At this point, Chen Ke felt that there was no need to talk about any revolution, so he turned the topic to modern scientific and technological knowledge. Qiu Jin and Xu Xilin were both interested in assassinating high-ranking Manchu officials, and Chen Ke described the chemistry of the bomb and how to make it. and various precautions for storage, transportation, and use. In order to prevent the two revolutionaries from being sent to the sky by their own bombs, Chen Ke gave them preliminary training in chemical knowledge. Chen Ke writes all kinds of equations fluently, and to Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin, it looks like a ghost-drawn thing. Facing the two frustrated, Chen Ke said: "When we make money, we will open a school." When the time comes, the two of them will be able to learn these things in their entirety in school. ”

The closer you get to Shanghai, the more lively it is on the water. On the morning of the third day, I actually saw a familiar and unfamiliar building, with a towering chimney emitting thick smoke. Chen Ke has seen many chimneys, and he often climbed these tall equipment when he was a child, but he has not seen them in the city for many years. As one of the few industrial centers in China, Shanghai is home to a significant proportion of industrial enterprises. The closer you get to Shanghai, the more chimneys there are for these factories.

Not only that, but the number of ships is also increasing. The bustling city of Shanghai is not only home to factories, but also to a large number of workers. As an important foreign city in China, business is also prosperous. Of course, there are also negative effects, the closer you get to Shanghai, the worse the water quality. There was a foul smell wafting across the river. forced Chen Ke, who wanted to see the scenery, back into the cabin.

The docks are crowded with people, and the voices of soliciting customers in various local accents come and go. Workers living in shops, transporting goods, and wearing short clothes are all trying to get business for a day's rations. Except for the difference in transportation, there is no essential difference from modern stations. After getting off the boat, Chen Ke felt that his feet were soft, and the whole ground seemed to be shaking. Hua Xiongmao smiled and took Chen Ke's huge travel bag, "It seems that Wenqing doesn't take a boat very much." ”

"Let everyone laugh." Chen Ke said as he wanted to get his bag back.

"Cut. Blind and polite what. Hua Xiongmao said. Then he turned his head and shouted, "Here's a few cars." There were already rickshaw drivers pulling empty cars to this side, and when they heard Hua Xiongmao's angry shout, more rickshaw drivers rushed over.

Xu Xilin didn't want to spend money in vain, so he finally hired a big car and pulled everyone to the city.

Chen Ke is still wearing the same costume in Shaoxing, but no one is paying attention here. Suits and leather shoes are not an uncommon sight in Shanghai. The shops on both sides of the road are next to each other, there are many pedestrians, and beggars can be seen everywhere on the streets. This bustling and bustling Chinese metropolis is exactly as recorded in history.

Chen Ke didn't remember the road very well, and after walking through the streets and alleys, Xu Xilin took everyone to the place where the Shanghai Restoration Society was staying, and as soon as he entered the door, he heard someone shouting: "Bosun, when did you come to Shanghai?" Xu Xilin hurriedly rushed up to talk to the man. In addition to giving lectures to everyone these days, Chen Ke also learned some southern dialect, and vaguely understood that Xu Xilin called that person Tao Gong, and looked carefully, this Mr. Tao wearing a long shirt gave him the feeling that it was a "circle" character. The body is round, the face is round, but the eyebrows are deep, and he looks heroic.

The two talked for a while, and Xu Xilin introduced them to both parties. This Mr. Tao's name is Tao Chengzhang. Chen Ke had some impressions of this name, but he couldn't remember too much about it in more detail, it should be a well-known person of the Liberation Society. When Xu Xilin introduced himself, he was a little vague, just saying that Chen Ke came back from studying in the United States. Tao Chengzhang bowed with everyone one by one, and his attitude was very sincere. At first glance, I often walk around outside and make friends.

"Tao Gong, we want to meet Cai Gong. I don't know if Cai Gong is free now. Xu Xilin asked.

After hearing this, Tao Chengzhang showed a slightly embarrassed look on his face, "Mr. Cai has been in contact with those people in the Alliance recently, and I'm afraid it won't work these days." ”

"Then let's wait." Xu Xilin replied, "Tao Gong, do you have any friends in Shanghai who know foreigners from the concession?" ”

Tao Chengzhang was stunned, Xu Xilin doesn't like foreigners, everyone knows that few members of the Restoration Society like to deal with foreigners. Unexpectedly, Xu Xilin actually wanted to have something to do with the foreign bank in the concession this time, which was much unexpected for Tao Chengzhang. After thinking about it, Tao Chengzhang said: "I know a person named You Wei, you can find this person." ”

"Where to find this Mr. You?"

"Guangyuan Tavern."

“……”

Guangyuan Tavern is on Baochang Road, that is, in the middle of Xiafei Road, and the signboard on the door is neither new nor old, and it seems that it has not been wiped for a long time. The door face is not large, it is the afternoon at this time, and there are few customers inside. When Chen Ke, Xu Xilin, and Hua Xiongmao walked into the hotel, there were only three or four people inside. To be more specific, a Chinese and two foreigners sat at a table, and the boss stood at the counter, just a few people.

According to Tao Chengzhang, this Mr. You Gu has often been drunk at the Guangyuan Hotel recently. Speaking of this person, Tao Chengzhang had an indescribable taste in his expression. Half sympathy, half disdain. Chen Ke looked carefully at the few people in the hotel, he couldn't help blinking, and looked at it carefully. The Chinese who was with the foreign devil turned out to be a woman with a satin dress and long braids. The three of them were talking in English, and the woman seemed to have drunk a lot, her left arm resting on the table, her small fist supporting her cheeks, and her voice changed slightly. The three of them spoke unhappily, Chen Ke listened, probably because the foreigner wanted to invite the Chinese lady to play somewhere, and the lady disagreed.

Chen Ke didn't want to delay too much, he walked quickly to the shopkeeper and asked, "Shopkeeper, may I ask if there is a Mr. You Gu who often comes here to drink?" Chen Kexin's Jiangsu-Zhejiang dialect was not very good, and the shopkeeper was stunned and didn't wait for him to say anything. Chen Ke listened to the lady behind him say in English, "What? ”

"We're looking for a gentleman named Youyou." Xu Xilin interjected.

"Mr. Youyi, there is no such person. miss. The lady said in English.

"Oh." Chen Ke blinked again, "You're Ms. You?" ”

Two foreigners were visibly upset that their conversation was interrupted, and one of them stood up and said in English, "We're talking, get out of here." At least Chen Ke understands "getout" as a not-so-benign statement. Just as he was thinking about how to respond, he saw the lady turn around. Chen Ke thought that what he saw should be a drunken face, but what came into his eyes was a pair of sober and calm Danfeng eyes. But this is just an instantaneous impression, the gaze in those Danfeng eyes is gloomy and persistent, under normal circumstances, there should never be such eyes.

"You're Mr. You?" Chen Ke wanted to be sure. Before the lady could reply, the foreign devil was already impatient. Of course, perhaps they have long been impatient. Now find an excuse and start scaring Chen Ke.

"Shut up!" The lady shouted, and at the same time took a cylinder from her pocket and slapped it on the table. Chen Ke glanced at it, and it looked like a paper tube. Don't be a detonator, Chen Ke thought.

The foreign devil reached out to grab a paper tube, and the lady grabbed a chopstick and poked it towards the back of the foreign devil's hand. The foreign devil retracted his hand very quickly, and the bamboo chopsticks made a crisp sound on the table, and then broke. The already tense atmosphere was completely detonated at this time, and the two foreign devils stood up at the same time, and the one who was close to the Chinese lady reached out and pushed the lady. Chen Ke took a step forward and slapped the foreign devil's palm with his backhand.

“whoareyou？” The foreign devil asked angrily.

Chen Ke stared at them and said word by word:

“i”

“am”

“your”

“father！”

The store fell silent all of a sudden, both those who understood it and those who didn't. Several people looked at each other, "Ahahaha! The lady burst into laughter. After laughing a few times, I didn't think it was enjoyable, so I simply pounded the table with my small fist. At this time, the anger of the two foreign devils completely exploded, and one of them yelled something swearing, and then pounced. Chen Ke was ready to stop a long time ago, and when he saw the foreign devil start to move, his fist swung violently towards the foreign devil's nose.

Xu Xilin stood on the spot in surprise for a while, while Hua Xiongmao laughed, shouted again, and pounced.

Three minutes later, Hua Xiongmao raised his right leg and kicked the foreign devil who collapsed to the ground, "What next?" He asked.

Chen Ke's left foot lifted from the chest of another foreign devil, thought about it, and stepped back again. "May I ask if it's Ms. Yu Yu over there?"

The Chinese lady just stopped laughing at this time, and after seeing Chen Ke and Hua Xiongmao's style, she couldn't help laughing again, nodding while laughing.

"I heard that you know the foreigners of the foreign company, can't it be these two people?" Chen Ke asked with a smile.

"Unfortunately, it's not these two people." Ms. Yau replied in English.

"Why in English?" Chen Ke asked strangely.

"Because I speak Jiangsu and Zhejiang, I'm afraid you won't understand." Ms. Yau replied in a drunken tone of English.

"Then you can understand what I'm saying?" Chen Ke was even stranger.

"I can understand your accent." It's still English.

"Let's talk somewhere else." Chen Ke said with a grin.

“ok!” After the lady finished speaking, she stood up generously, "Where to go." "Still in English.