Wu Xingchen settled his affairs and departed first. Once he was gone, Hua Xiongmao asked, "Wenqing, now that the foreign patients are coming to our door, can they imitate our medicine?"

"I can make it, so naturally others can too. But under the current circumstances, if foreigners want to imitate it, they'll have to rely on luck."

"Even with your medicine in hand, they can't copy it?"

"Without our formula, they can only guess."

After Chen Ke said this, Hua Xiongmao and Qi Huishen couldn't help but glance at You Gou. Although she knew they meant no harm, You Gou couldn't help but look stern and say, "What are you looking at me for? I will absolutely never betray everyone. Um, I will absolutely never betray the Party."

Everyone had seen how hard You Gou had been working these days. Spending day and night together, working towards a common goal, basic trust between comrades had been established. Since You Gou spoke up, Qi Huishen said, "You Gou, we all trust you. If you encounter any problems you can't solve, you must tell us. We will definitely support you."

"That goes without saying. This isn't just my hard work; it's the fruit of everyone's labor. If anyone tries to pry into this medicine, you all must help me."

Chen Ke didn't want to dwell on this matter. The next topic became the content of the public lectures. Chen Ke's intention was clear: this time, the public classes would be divided into two types. One type was for the opening of the school, aimed at attracting students to enroll. Everyone agreed on this. The group just had doubts about how to run the school.

In those days, missionary schools opened by foreigners didn't charge tuition. However, fees for uniforms and books still had to be paid. The new school Chen Ke planned to open naturally couldn't charge fees either.

Qi Huishen had attended a missionary school, so he had experience. According to his explanation, students who "performed outstandingly" in missionary schools—that is, those who got close to the foreigners—would generally get recommendations and job opportunities after graduation. In those years, to expand their influence in China, schools were an important channel for foreigners to recruit talent and cultivate cronies. Since studying made it easier to find work, the enrollment rate at missionary schools was decent.

Chen Ke smiled after hearing this. His own ancestors had attended missionary schools but hadn't thrown in their lot with the foreigners. After graduating from high school, his ancestor attended a domestic engineering "University Hall." In those days, there was no distinction between junior college and undergraduate studies; attending a "University Hall" meant graduating from university. Especially for engineering students, becoming a "technician" in a domestic auto repair shop after graduation could easily earn a few hundred silver dollars a month. Back then, attending a missionary school was a very common path to changing one's destiny.

"We will also advertise that upon graduation, we will prioritize job placement," Chen Ke said.

"Will there be that many jobs to arrange then?" Hua Xiongmao asked.

"How do you know there won't be that many job opportunities then?" Chen Ke was using sophistry now. But Hua Xiongmao indeed couldn't come up with a reason to refute him.

"We are opening hospitals and factories, so we can definitely provide opportunities. Nowadays, as long as you have a skill, it's easy to find a job. The key is whether you go to school or not," Chen Ke continued.

The group could only agree with this.

The other part of the lectures was aimed at progressive youth, especially friends of Qi Huishen and You Gou. Chen Ke stated frankly that he would first explain the fundamental knowledge of his revolutionary philosophy to everyone. If one only talked about revolution empty-handedly, it would be "Utopian Socialism." Marx's communist theory was called "scientific" because these theories were the product of combining modern scientific knowledge with materialist dialectics.

Since he wanted to promote his political philosophy, simply bringing out revolutionary concepts would be useless. If revolutionary theory lacked reality as a foundation, it would appear illusory. Besides *Das Kapital*, Chen Ke prepared to let those revolutionary youths learn basic scientific knowledge, *The Theory of Evolution*, and *Materialist Dialectics*—these three most basic courses.

"Huishen, You Gou, you need to prepare for setting up cultural seminar classes and night schools. When radishes are in high demand, you don't wash off the mud. As long as young comrades are interested in our revolutionary concepts, we'll pull them all into the seminars and night schools. Let's just get it started first."

Chen Ke didn't want to be picky anymore. Without a base number, nothing could be discussed. Moreover, the recent establishment of the hospital and school provided enough positions to arrange for outstanding youths.

"Wenqing, although I also claim to be a revolutionary, up to now, I don't know what the revolution Wenqing advocates actually is. Since Wenqing has decided to recruit people on a large scale, can you talk about your revolutionary principles?"

This was the first time You Gou formally asked about Chen Ke's revolutionary program, and the first time someone formally raised the issue of Chen Ke's revolutionary theory at a Party meeting. If it were before, Chen Ke would have thought thrice before speaking, but this time he answered straightforwardly. "My revolutionary path is the People's Revolution. The object of the revolution is the ownership of capital."

Chen Ke had explained some of *Das Kapital* to the other comrades, so they had some understanding of capital.

"Current capital is controlled in the hands of a few people and serves only a few people. My core revolutionary view is to redistribute capital and have it managed by the state."

"Who manages the state?"

"Our Party."

"Does that mean our Party rules the world?"

"The people supervise our Party."

"How exactly does this supervision work?"

You Gou was thoroughly confused. She hadn't been exposed to any revolutionary theories and couldn't make heads or tails of Chen Ke's words.

"Let's talk about the basics. For example, suppose there are 100 people and 1000 *mu* of land. If cultivated properly, everyone should have food to eat. But the reality is, out of 100 people, 20 people possess 850 *mu* of land, and 80 people possess 150 *mu* of land. Then those 80 people are very likely to starve to death. You Gou, are those 20 people afraid that the 80 people will rise up in rebellion?"

"They should be afraid, right?" You Gou said.

"So, those 20 people come up with a set of rhetoric, saying that their possession of 850 *mu* of land is perfectly justified by the laws of heaven and earth. Do you think there's a problem with this rhetoric?"

You Gou thought for a moment and suddenly laughed, "If I were one of those 20 people, I would naturally say there's nothing wrong with it. If I were one of those 80 people, I would naturally think that rhetoric is completely wrong."

Chen Ke nodded in agreement. He greatly appreciated You Gou's insight, or rather, her realistic attitude. "My revolution is to break this rhetoric. Because my revolution is to stand on the side of those 80 people."

"Isn't that just robbing the rich to help the poor?" Hua Xiongmao asked.

"If it were just a matter of dividing land, it wouldn't be much of a revolution. Revolution is something that involves a wide range of things, which is why we need to give lectures. But ultimately, my revolution isn't about those 80 people killing off those 20 people. That's meaningless. If the 80 people kill the 20 people, but that rhetoric isn't broken or abandoned, what difference is there from before? The object of our revolution is that set of rhetoric. Not only that, we also want everyone to be able to produce more grain, more products, open factories, and let everyone live better lives."

This passage plunged everyone into confusion again.

Chen Ke stood up and wrote a passage on the blackboard. This was a famous quote from Chairman Mao: "Who are our enemies? Who are our friends? This is a question of the first importance for the revolution. The basic reason why all previous revolutionary struggles in China achieved so little was their failure to unite with real friends in order to attack real enemies. A revolutionary party is the guide of the masses, and no revolution ever succeeds when the revolutionary party leads them astray. To ensure that we will definitely not lead the revolution astray but will achieve certain success, we must pay attention to uniting with our real friends in order to attack our real enemies. To distinguish real friends from real enemies, we must make a general analysis of the economic status of the various classes in Chinese society and of their respective attitudes toward the revolution."

Chen Ke had never been able to articulate his thoughts well. After writing this passage, he felt much more refreshed.

"Allow me to blow my own horn: I *am* the Revolutionary Party. Comrades, let's tentatively call you the masses. I want to make friends with you comrades. I can't lead everyone into a pit either. So under previous circumstances, I couldn't shout about overthrowing the Qing court, or organizing armed riots, or assassinating officials. I could only accumulate funds and wealth for the revolution. Continuously expanding social relations, making friends with you comrades—my true friends—and constantly pushing the revolution forward. And preventing us from becoming running dogs of the Qing court and imperialism. Maintaining the purity and independence of the revolution. The Qing court, the underworld, and imperialism are our enemies, and we are constantly struggling against them right now. Someone like He Zudao is our friend, so we must save He Zudao."

"Then how exactly does Wenqing judge who is a comrade?" Although You Gou felt these words made sense, she still didn't understand.

"Whoever stands on the side of the revolutionary people is a revolutionary. Whoever stands on the side of imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucratic capitalism is a counter-revolutionary. Whoever stands on the side of the revolutionary people only in words but acts otherwise is a verbal revolutionary. If one stands on the side of the revolutionary people not only in words but also in deeds, then he is a complete revolutionary." The Chairman's words were catchy and easy to recite. Chen Ke directly quoted the Chairman to answer You Gou's question.

"You mean, standing on the side of those 80 people... no, standing on the side of the revolution, breaking the rules set by those 20 people, and promoting the revolutionary system Wenqing talked about—those are comrades?" You Gou said slowly. "But I still don't understand Wenqing's revolutionary rules."

Hearing You Gou's words, Chen Ke's face reddened slightly. He seriously made a self-criticism, "This is my fault. In future Party meetings and lectures, I will explain my revolutionary system, or rather everything I have learned, clearly to everyone. Seeing that I haven't been able to do so, I apologize to everyone."

Hearing Chen Ke apologize, You Gou laughed, "Wenqing doesn't need to apologize. Although I don't know what Wenqing's revolutionary principles are, I trust Wenqing. I've truly never met a good person like you. No matter what, I will be Wenqing's comrade."

"That's right, I haven't met anyone like Wenqing either. I just want to follow Wenqing. Since we have to revolt sooner or later, following someone like Wenqing, at least I don't worry about being cheated. I won't do stupid things like helping count money after being sold," Hua Xiongmao laughed.

Qi Huishen had long since agreed with Chen Ke, so he wasn't in a hurry to express his views. He glanced at Zhou Yuanxiao, who had been silent beside him. He saw Zhou Yuanxiao looking at everyone thoughtfully.

For some reason, Qi Huishen didn't want to force Zhou Yuanxiao to take a stand. He always had an inexplicable intuition that if Chen Ke's theory could finally make Zhou Yuanxiao speak up in agreement, that would be true success. At that time, Qi Huishen would throw himself into the revolutionary path pointed out by Chen Ke without hesitation. And he would never regret it.

After Wu Xingchen left, drug sales didn't decline. Instead, they maintained a relatively stable upward trend. In particular, the number of foreign patients increased significantly. After discussion within the Party group, the comrades simply stopped rushing to expand sales and instead invested the money in the construction of the affiliated hospital. This way, the overall workload was much smaller.

Lectures required lecture notes. Chen Ke prepared the drafts intensely. Every time a draft was completed, he would explain it to the comrades first. The audience wasn't just the five Party members, but also the original youths and some new ones. Chen Ke didn't do anything special; his first lecture was Faraday's famous popular science model, "The Chemical History of a Candle." This text was an important popular science model that led countless youths to dedicate themselves to the chemistry profession. It was also a reading material Chen Ke liked very much in his childhood.

In those years, entertainment was scarce. Faraday's weekend popular science lecture series at the Royal Institution in the UK was always packed. In 1905 China, it also sparked everyone's enthusiasm.

You Gou was a chemistry major and liked the manuscript Chen Ke wrote very much. With Chen Ke's encouragement, You Gou volunteered to take on this lecture. Just as Chen Ke expected, although You Gou was usually cheerful, standing in front of everyone for the first time, her face suddenly turned bright red, her mouth went dry, and she stammered. Fortunately, everyone present was an acquaintance. Although they laughed, they didn't heckle. Watching You Gou's flustered appearance, Chen Ke just smiled. He hadn't been much better the first time he gave a lecture. But this was the first step after all. Chen Ke didn't know when the first female teacher appeared in China, but he believed that in the history he was currently in, You Gou was definitely the first woman to give a public popular science lecture. And she would certainly be recorded in the ranks of glory in his history.

The lecture was open to the public, and the doors weren't closed. A young man with shoulder-length hair entered the door, then stared in astonishment at You Gou, a woman wearing a suit with her long hair in a ponytail, standing in front of the blackboard. Various experimental instruments were placed on the table in front of her, and she was explaining chemistry knowledge in slightly flustered Shanghainese. In front of You Gou, rows of stools were filled with many men. After listening for a while, the young man also became interested and simply stood at the very back of the crowd to listen to You Gou's lecture. Standing in the crowd as well, Chen Ke noticed this heroic-looking young man. He smiled at the young man. The young man returned the smile, stared at Chen Ke's short hair in thought for a moment, and asked in a low voice, "Excuse me, do you know a Mr. Chen Ke?"

It was a Hunan accent. Chen Ke didn't know when he had made a Hunanese friend. He replied, "I am he. May I ask who you are?"

"I was introduced by Qiu Jin. My name is Chen Tianhua."

Among all the revolutionaries of the old era, Chen Tianhua was the only one Chen Ke thought should be recruited. In December 1905, Chen Tianhua committed suicide by drowning himself in the ocean in Japan. There were various theories about his death. Chen Ke didn't have the notion to delve into the reasons. Among revolutionary martyrs, those who dared to commit suicide were truly few. A person who didn't even fear death would be a great help if used well.

But thinking was one thing; looking at the living young man before him, Chen Ke almost couldn't help but ask Chen Tianhua why he wanted to commit suicide.

Then Chen Ke couldn't help but laugh. If he blurted that out without thinking, Chen Tianhua would surely think he was a lunatic. Next, Chen Ke felt infinite gratitude towards Qiu Jin. Although he trusted Qiu Jin's character, she was so busy participating in the preparatory work for the Restoration Society in Japan; would she remember Chen Ke's request in her busy schedule? Chen Ke hadn't been very confident. But Chen Tianhua's appearance here was proof enough of how much effort Qiu Jin had put in.

Chen Ke knew that Chen Tianhua came from a poor background and was particularly good at propaganda. Chen Ke wasn't worried about his own theoretical abilities; he was worried about his propaganda abilities. Among the great revolutionary propagandists of the late Qing Dynasty, Chen Tianhua and Zou Rong were the best. Zou Rong had already passed away in prison; even as a time traveler, Chen Ke had no power to bring the dead back to life and could do nothing. But Chen Tianhua was still alive, and Chen Ke wanted to try to pull Chen Tianhua into the revolutionary team no matter what.

Seeing Chen Ke smile, Chen Tianhua also smiled and said, "I respect Qiu Jin very much. Qiu Jin said that Brother Chen is an unparalleled talent in the Revolutionary Party. She told me Brother Chen wanted to see me and urged me to meet with Brother Chen no matter what. And thanks to Brother Chen's gift, I came right away." Chen Tianhua spoke with a Hunan accent.

"I have waited for this day for a long time. It is a great joy to finally meet Brother Tianhua. It's noisy in the courtyard; let's go inside to talk."

It turned out that Qiu Jin had already arrived in Japan. After arriving in Japan, the first thing she did was look for Chen Tianhua and politely urge him to meet with Chen Ke. Chen Tianhua had heard of Qiu Jin and had also received the travel expenses Chen Ke entrusted Qiu Jin to bring. He was also somewhat moved by Chen Ke's hospitality. Under Qiu Jin's persuasion, Chen Tianhua simply came directly to meet Chen Ke.

Everyone chatted for a few sentences, then heard a burst of good-natured laughter from outside. You Gou must have made some joke.

"I didn't expect Brother Chen to have a female teacher lecturing on chemistry here," Chen Tianhua laughed.

"Our Revolutionary Party advocates gender equality. It's not rare to have female teachers. She is just doing a trial lecture now. In a while, she will give formal lectures. There might be hundreds of people listening then."

"Oh? Advocating gender equality. Brother Chen, your Revolutionary Party is quite extraordinary."

After the trial lecture ended, Chen Ke dismissed everyone. A few key members stayed behind to hold a welcome party for Chen Tianhua. Chen Ke went out to buy food and wine, letting the other comrades entertain Chen Tianhua first. Carrying food and wine back to the workshop entrance, he heard someone singing *tanci* ballads in a Hunan accent. The core members of the Party group were sitting around Chen Tianhua, listening to him sing: "It's coming! It's coming! What is coming? The foreigners are coming! It's bad! It's bad! Everyone is in trouble!... From now on, we are all cattle and sheep in the foreigners' pens, fish and meat in their pots. They can kill us if they want, boil us if they want, and we can't move an inch. Alas! The day of our death has arrived!" "Woe! Woe! Woe! The money and property our compatriots accumulated through hard work will all be snatched away by the foreigners; our compatriots' beloved wives and children will be torn apart alive by the foreigners..."