Generally speaking, when a merchant says, "You really came to the right place," it means the merchant firmly believes the customer has enough money in their pocket to pay. As an *otaku*, Chen Ke's shopping experience wasn't rich. So he attached great importance to the experience of others. The experience gained from female friends was: no matter what price the boss quotes, slash it down to one-third first. Wu Xingchen had mentioned the price from Tianjin to Beijing; the best horse carriage wouldn't be more than fifteen taels. An ordinary horse carriage could be dealt for ten taels. It seemed that because of his attire, the boss thought he could fleece this stranger. Just as Chen Ke was preparing to quote a price of "five taels," the noisy sound of a horse carriage stopping suddenly rang out outside.

Soon, a person dressed in silk clothes, looking like a steward, entered the door angrily. Seeing the comer, the boss immediately went up to welcome him with a face full of smiles and quick small steps. "Master He, why did you come personally? If you just sent a word, I would have come to your door personally to listen to your instructions. What's wrong, Master He? Did my bunch of little brats make you angry?"

That Steward He was in his forties, but his movements rushing in were like a young man's. When he stopped abruptly, his queue slid from his back to his chest. Steward He caught the queue with his fingers and threw it back with a *swish*, then shouted exasperatedly, "Boss Yang, our master hired your carriage because he thought highly of you when going to Beijing to take up a post. How did your people break our family's foreign piano?"

Chen Ke almost laughed out loud watching this skillful braid-throwing action.

The car dealership boss was unmoved in the slightest; his attitude remained humble, and his tone was neither soft nor hard. "Eh? Master He, we made it clear from the beginning; we only care about providing the carriage, not moving things for you. If you broke something, you can't blame it on us."

Steward He sneered, "I knew you would say this. But your people moved our things and broke the foreign piano; that foreign piano isn't ordinarily expensive. It's also our young miss's favorite piano..."

The boss immediately interrupted the steward: "Master He, we discussed it early on and signed a document. Our people don't move things; if things break in between, it's none of our business. This written pledge is still here; for you to say this about us, there's no reason in it."

It seemed the matter of the written pledge was true; Steward He became anxious at that moment. "That foreign piano is very expensive; it's called... called *Pi-ai-nuo*."

The steward spoke indignantly, and the car dealership boss listened seriously. But Chen Ke beside them couldn't help laughing out loud. Since seeing the steward fiddling with his braid just now, Chen Ke had wanted to laugh very much. Hearing the steward say "Pi-ai-nuo" very seriously, Chen Ke had already guessed he was saying the English pronunciation of piano. Then he really couldn't help laughing out loud. Chen Ke could understand that these two people were arguing, but they both had somewhat pretentious postures, more like acting in some stage play.

When Chen Ke looked at the two and laughed, these two also glared at Chen Ke together.

"Sorry, sorry. I have something to do; I'll leave first." Chen Ke suppressed his laughter, pulled Chen Tianhua, and ran out of the courtyard gate in a trot.

The two in the courtyard looked at Chen Ke's appearance; their original angry expressions were replaced by a kind of curiosity and helplessness. In their view, Chen Ke probably had something wrong with him. Not long after Chen Ke went out, a burst of laughter was heard coming from afar. The two who were still arguing temporarily forgot the quarrel just now and gave each other a surprised look.

Chen Ke walked somewhat staggeringly on the streets of Tianjin. "Xingtai, you saw that braid... braid throwing action, right? Aha, haha, hahahahahaha..." Chen Ke laughed as he spoke.

Chen Tianhua looked at the distance from the car dealership; it seemed the people at the car dealership shouldn't be able to hear Chen Ke going crazy here.

"What's so funny about this? Wenqing." Chen Tianhua thought Chen Ke's performance was the truly comical thing. More and more people on the road looked at Chen Tianhua and Chen Ke. Watching Chen Ke clutch his belly and laugh incessantly, the gazes of passers-by were half surprise and half curiosity, mixed with a little disgust.

Not far ahead was a teahouse. Chen Tianhua felt it was very inappropriate to be exposed to everyone's gaze like this, so he dragged and pulled Chen Ke inside. This teahouse was quite large; a row of rickshaws was parked at the door. The sunshine was good today, and there were also quite a few people walking birds, resting at tables in the hall on the first floor. Bird cages were either covered with blue cloth, or opened a little, or fully opened. Thrushes and other birds were singing in the cages.

The waiter saw Chen Tianhua helping Chen Ke in and thought something had happened. Chen Ke took out a silver dollar and tossed it to the waiter. Although unexpected, the waiter had seen many people after all; he caught the silver dollar nimbly. Then he heard Chen Ke say in a suppressed voice, "Get me a private room upstairs."

"Alright! Two guests, upstairs please," the waiter shouted loudly.

As soon as they entered the private room and the waiter lowered the door curtain, Chen Ke clutched his belly and continued to laugh loudly. That's right, this was the late Qing dynasty. What should have only appeared in TV dramas was seen by Chen Ke so realistically. Apart from completely uncontrollable loud laughter, Chen Ke actually had no other emotions.

After returning to this era, he lived in very tense days every day, under great pressure. Chen Ke was essentially not a person with deep shrewdness, nor was he a person keen on learning southern dialects. But in five months, Chen Ke had to do these two things very diligently. What he had to do was more than just these two things; he had to gather comrades cautiously, make money, and build the Party. If in later generations, if someone did this, they would definitely be acting. When leaving Shanghai, Chen Ke was worried on the one hand about what the comrades would actually do, and on the other hand, a relaxed feeling also emerged uncontrollably.

And the performance of those two in the car dealership combining "Chinese and Western," that local Tianjin dialect, that braid, that behavior—in the 21st century, it would definitely be acting. But Chen Ke was very clear that this was the reality he faced. The 21st-century Chen Ke in 1905 China suddenly felt that his surroundings were a living historical drama. Zhuang Zhou became a butterfly in his dream, while Chen Ke was living vividly in a drama. "It is not you in the dream, but you in the play!" Now that he was far away from the Shanghai Party organization and without heavy pressure, this absurd cognition thoroughly triggered Chen Ke's hysterical laughter.

Chen Tianhua watched helplessly as Chen Ke laughed for a while, stopped for a while, and then continued to laugh loudly with tears and mucus flowing, even laughing until he knelt on one knee on the floor retching. After tossing about repeatedly for a long time, Chen Ke asked the waiter outside to bring a basin of water. Washing his face while laughing, he finally recovered some normalcy.

His flushed red face turned slightly red, then gradually turned into a normal skin color. That usual sharp and focused look appeared in Chen Ke's bright eyes again. "Haven't seen these things for a long time; couldn't hold back for a moment," Chen Ke said to Chen Tianhua.

At this moment, whatever Chen Ke said, Chen Tianhua could accept. Just now the waiter secretly called Chen Tianhua out and asked if he needed help finding a doctor. Chen Ke, amidst loud laughter, actually didn't notice at all. "Wenqing, no hurry. Drink tea before leaving," Chen Tianhua persuaded.

"Not staying in a hotel? I've been tossing about for so long. I'm afraid we won't find one if we don't stay now. Besides, after sitting on the boat for a few days, I want to take a bath."

"Since we've already tossed about for half a day, it doesn't matter if we rest a while longer."

Hearing Chen Tianhua say this, Chen Ke nodded. While resting, they heard the sound of singing coming from outside. The second floor consisted of single rooms; however guests made noise inside, as long as it wasn't too outrageous, the shopkeeper generally wouldn't interfere. The singing girl's voice was okay, and the sound of the *erhu* was also quite deep and tactful. In the afternoon, there weren't many people on the second floor either; listening to the tune, it had some flavor. Chen Ke noticed that Chen Tianhua's fingers tapped the table gently according to the melody. Chen Tianhua was very good at *tanci* (ballad singing); when in Shanghai, he often sang *tanci* for everyone to hear. The content was all about foreign invasion and government misconduct. It seemed Chen Tianhua was not only proficient in *tanci* but also cared quite a bit about the northern Peking Opera.

Having laughed like this, Chen Ke's spirit was also quite excited, and there was also a flavor of high spirits. When the song outside stopped, he asked, "Does Xingtai want to hear me sing a segment?"

"Wenqing can also sing opera?"

"Can't sing opera, only know how to sing blindly."

Chen Tianhua knew Chen Ke was not a person who spoke falsely, and after hearing "My Motherland," Chen Tianhua appreciated it extremely. Since Chen Ke was interested, Chen Tianhua naturally wouldn't be a wet blanket.

Tapping the rhythm gently on the table with his fingers, Chen Ke sang "Mistake in the Flower Field" (*Hua Tian Cuo*). In the lyrics of this Chinese-style song, at least there wasn't lovey-dovey stuff everywhere.

"The night is so deep, why is it lit inside the paper window? That's not the candle fire you lit for me while waiting all night.

It was just a chance encounter, a dream in the Red Mansion. My landscape has all faded as if washed by heavy rain.

The scenery in the cup is ghostly; I forgot who I am. The mood is like the night cool as water; holding the butterfly cup in hand, flying alone, not returning until drunk.

Made a mistake in the flower field, agreed to forget before dawn.

Made a mistake in the flower field, the embrace became torture.

Made a mistake in the flower field, made a mistake, like the boredom of being infatuated with flowers in the mirror and the moon in the water.

Made a mistake in the flower field, please, forgive my affectionate disturbance."

This song borrowed heavily from Peking Opera tunes; other parts were straightforward and still very refreshing. Chen Tianhua had heard the *tanci* version of *Hua Tian Cuo* and knew what story this was. Hearing Chen Ke sing it so directly expressing his feelings, he actually felt it was refreshing.

Hearing Chen Ke finish singing, Chen Tianhua couldn't help laughing. "It really is Wenqing's style; such a tactful story can be sung with righteousness and confidence by you. Admire, admire."

The two joked for a while, but heard a middle-aged man's voice coming from outside the cloth curtain. "Guest, sorry to disturb. Do you want to listen to a song?"

"No," Chen Ke refused flatly.

The person outside pondered for a moment. "Guest, giving a little less is also fine."

"We are leaving immediately; don't want to listen to songs."

The door curtain was lifted, and a middle-aged man walked in with an *erhu*. This person wasn't tall and was quite thin; there were many and deep wrinkles on his face, looking far older than his voice. Seeing the two, this person showed a surprised expression, but this expression was fleeting. He bowed deeply with clasped hands. "I heard the guest singing just now; I admire it very much. I have a presumptive request."

"Since it's a presumptive request, then no need to say it," Chen Ke replied.

A disappointed look immediately appeared on that person's face. He hurriedly bowed again. "Then sorry to disturb." After speaking, he was about to leave.

Chen Tianhua had never seen Chen Ke refuse others so crisply and neatly; his attitude was quite arrogant. A slight look of surprise appeared on his face. Chen Ke saw all this; his brain spun, and he said, "Wait."

That person didn't know what medicine was sold in Chen Ke's gourd. His expression was somewhat apprehensive.

"As the saying goes, courtesy demands reciprocity. This gentleman, we want to go to Beijing, but there are no train tickets left. I wonder if there is any other way."

Hearing this, that person was startled. He looked Chen Ke and Chen Tianhua up and down. "The two masters want to take the train to Beijing?"

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

"This humble one actually knows people at the station. There is a train to Beijing today; perhaps I can send the two masters onto the train. But this ticket money..."

"How much is the ticket money?"

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

"How much do the people at the station want?"

"He takes you onto the train; you just give the money to him. No extra charge."

Another one lining his own pockets. Chen Ke thought. Turning to look at Chen Tianhua, Chen Tianhua was very excited. Seeing Chen Tianhua didn't object, Chen Ke laughed, "Then should I teach you to sing and then go to the train station, or teach you to sing after buying the tickets?"

Seeing that person silent, Chen Ke knew that person's mind. "Let's teach the song first."

The middle-aged man immediately looked happy. Chen Ke taught three times in a row and wrote down the lyrics. The middle-aged man handed the paper to the person outside the cloth curtain. A moment later, a clear and bright female voice began to sing outside. Comparing the two, the difference was immediately clear. Indeed, as Chen Tianhua said, the song Chen Ke sang with righteousness and confidence became gentle and lingering when sung by a woman.

"There is specialization in skills," Chen Ke praised. Listening three times and being able to sing it pretty closely—Chen Ke asked himself honestly and absolutely couldn't compare. But this question wasn't important. "What about the train tickets?" Chen Ke asked.

"I'll arrange it a bit; two masters please wait a moment. I'll take the two to the station when I come back," the middle-aged man said hurriedly.

After the middle-aged man withdrew, Chen Ke called the waiter to settle the bill. The two didn't spend much at all; the waiter gave change and withdrew. Chen Tianhua asked, "Wenqing, aren't you worried that person will run away after cheating the song?"

"He can't take the girl to follow us to the station." Saying tolerant words with his mouth, Chen Ke couldn't help thinking in his heart: if he didn't want to leave Chen Tianhua with an impression of being mean, Chen Ke estimated he would have driven these two away just now.

After waiting for a while, that person hurried back. The group went toward the station.

The streets of Tianjin were no different from countless old photos. There were quite a few pedestrians on the street, various shops on the roadside, stalls selling cigarettes, peeping shows, and occasionally performers doing acrobatics could be seen. The closer to the station, the more beggars there were. Those ragged, sallow, and emaciated children tried hard to beg from people. And those half-grown beggars, with flashing eyes, didn't beg much but tried hard to lean close to people; they looked like pickpockets no matter how one looked. Chen Ke asked for Chen Tianhua's backpack and carried it himself, following behind that middle-aged man. Chen Tianhua walked behind Chen Ke so there was also someone to look after him.

After waiting outside the station door for a while, the middle-aged man brought out a person who looked like a steward. That person looked Chen Ke up and down and said in that condescending tone, "There are still tickets for first-class seats. Pay now."

Chen Ke took out the money already prepared and weighed it in his hand. That person's eyes lit up immediately upon seeing the silver dollars. Chen Ke put the money back into his pocket. "Give money after getting on the train."

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

Chen Ke and Chen Tianhua sat in the first-class seats. According to Chen Ke's observation, the carriage wasn't full. Heaven knew why the station didn't sell tickets; presumably, someone withheld the tickets, and these tickets weren't sold. Two foreigners sat opposite Chen Ke; they held cigars in their mouths and looked at Chen Ke with surprised and slightly contemptuous eyes. Chen Ke refused to show weakness either; he took out the hard cardboard box of cigarettes and lit one for himself and one for Chen Tianhua. The foreigners saw the cigarette box printed very exquisitely, sparkling under the sunlight on the plastic paper outside the cigarette box. For a moment, they didn't know what exactly Chen Ke's identity was, and their contemptuous gazes were restrained a lot.

The journey was fairly stable, and the train arrived at Beijing Station. Chen Ke hurried to buy train tickets. Luck was quite good this time; he actually bought tickets. In the evening, the two had already boarded the train on the Beijing-Hankou line, advancing toward the direction of Xingtai.

When they arrived in Xingtai, it happened to be morning. The two hired two mules at a very cheap price and advanced toward Nangong County. Hebei is a plain area. Chen Ke grew up on the Central Henan Plain. In his memory, on the boundless great plain, dividing lines composed of poplar trees or paulownia trees like sentries cut out patches of grain fields. On the plain, tree-lined dirt roads with poplars or paulownias on both sides, or dust-covered tree-lined asphalt roads, connected various villages. Of course, indispensably, there were also roadside irrigation canals. This simple and infinitely repetitive scenery was his hometown.

In Xingtai, what Chen Ke saw were patches of sandy land. There was very little grass color; occasionally, some shrubs and trees could be seen. This was widely different from the 21st-century Hebei in Chen Ke's impression. Not only that, the closer to Nangong County, the more sandy land there was. In September, the harvested fields were empty. Chen Ke remembered what the elders said before: back then, only one season of grain was planted in the fields a year. Unlike after liberation, where two seasons were planted. It would be a strange thing if the people could be full planting only one season of grain on this barren land.

"Tianhua, when we are liberated, we will definitely be able to make this place plant two seasons of grain every year," Chen Ke said.

Before Chen Tianhua could reply, the muleteer who came with Chen Ke laughed, "This gentleman, planting two seasons of grain a year—you aren't joking, are you?"

"Old brother, don't you want to plant two seasons?" Chen Ke asked in return.

The muleteer just smiled and didn't speak anymore.

Mules were definitely not as fast as trains. The two had taken the train for a whole day; letting the mules shake them like this for a while, they were somewhat groggy. Dozing off while advancing. By evening, the group finally arrived at Gaojiazhai, Nangong County.

Asking about Pang Zi, the locals all knew. Looking at Chen Ke and Chen Tianhua's distinctive attire, they led the two into the street. Just arriving at the gate of a courtyard, a medium-build young man stood at the doorway. From the familiar look of the child peeping from inside the courtyard, that kid was the little imp Chen Ke asked first. It seemed he had notified this young man.

The young man asked in a suspicious tone, "I am Pang Zi; why are you two looking for me?"