When they woke up in the morning, there was no breakfast. The little bit of dinner from last night had already been fully digested, and Chen Ke felt his stomach growling. Being a guest at someone else's house meant following the guest's etiquette. Since Pang Zi didn't say anything, Chen Ke felt the two of them just had to stay hungry for now. These years weren't the 21st century with supermarkets and small shops everywhere. If you dared to go out and buy food, the news would probably reach Pang Zi's ears very quickly. Pang Zi not hosting guests well, forcing guests to go out and buy food personally to alleviate hunger—as the saying goes, guests should suit the convenience of the host; guests must consider the host's face. Chen Ke came to make friends, not to make enemies. What was the point of making Pang Zi lose all face?

Chen Ke began to reflect on himself: why didn't he bring a pile of gifts when visiting? Recalling Yan Fu's visit to him, even he brought pastries. Chen Ke thought he was really greatly mistaken. If he had brought a pile of food to the door, at least Pang Zi wouldn't have hosted them so poorly. Thoughts were just thoughts; past events couldn't be redone. Chen Ke observed Chen Tianhua secretly and saw him taking it as calmly as himself, so he felt relieved.

"Xingtai, let's not go out today for now."

Chen Tianhua hadn't seen Chen Ke go back on his word like this; he asked curiously, "Why? Didn't Wenqing say we were going to do a social investigation?"

Chen Ke told Chen Tianhua his concerns. Since Pang Zi didn't say anything, it wasn't appropriate to go out rashly. This worry was quite reasonable; Pang Zi's hospitality etiquette was rather poor, so they couldn't provoke any conflict now. Chen Tianhua also held this opinion, so the two simply holed up in the room talking, not even going out the door of the wing room.

It wasn't very convenient to talk about revolution, so the topic turned to personal issues. Chen Ke dared not mention his own family background, and he couldn't ask about Chen Tianhua's background either. There were few remaining topics; as they talked, they discussed marriage issues. Chen Ke was 25 this year; Chen Tianhua and Qiu Jin were the same age, both 30 today, five years "older" than Chen Ke. When asked why he didn't get married, Chen Tianhua gave a very traditional answer: "The Xiongnu are not yet destroyed; how can I have a home?"

Chen Tianhua thought Chen Ke was probably like him, so he asked Chen Ke casually. Chen Ke's answer was another kind of orthodoxy: "Haven't had time to find a wife yet."

"Wenqing's family didn't arrange a betrothal for Wenqing?"

"Been studying all along; where would the family have the mind to arrange such things for me? Originally they said they would wait until I finished my studies to arrange it, but then I ran out."

"There are actually such twists and turns," Chen Tianhua sighed. "I wonder what kind of girl Wenqing likes?"

"First, she can't have bound feet. Second, I want to find a lady from a good family, educated and polite. When I was at home, I was always criticized by my mother, who thought I acted like a savage. With a virtuous internal helper, at least there would be someone to discuss these issues with. Third, the prettier the better." After speaking, Chen Ke laughed heartily. Just after laughing twice, fearing he might disturb Pang Zi, he immediately stifled the laughter back into his belly.

"Going to the capital this time, Wenqing might be able to look for such a suitable one," Chen Tianhua teased.

"We'll see. Heaven knows what kind of virtue the young ladies of official families are educated into. If it's the kind who feels superior to others, I absolutely don't want her. But Xingtai, if you find someone suitable, I will definitely support you vigorously."

Chen Tianhua just chuckled but didn't answer whether he was willing or not.

Both were revolutionaries; even in idle chat, they naturally turned back to their profession as they talked.

"I met Liang Qichao when I was in Japan. At that time, hearing him talk about reform, I was somewhat moved. It was during the Russo-Japanese War; the Manchu Qing had no ability to restrain the belligerents, so they had to declare 'neutrality.' In January 1905, Japan's *Yorozu Chōhō* published an article predicting that China was about to be partitioned. We international students in Japan were in an uproar after seeing it. I wrote the *Opinion on Demanding Salvation*, demanding the Manchu Qing government implement constitutional government and save the nation from subjugation. Reform should be implemented, national policy should be determined early, giving localities the power of autonomy and giving the people the rights of freedom, writing, speech, and assembly. At the same time, citizens should undertake the obligations of serving as soldiers, paying taxes, raising public debt, and running around to enlighten the government."

"Oh, I haven't had time to read this great work yet. I must take a look when I have time."

"Wenqing, don't laugh at me; I was still ignorant then. Only after writing this book with Wenqing did I suddenly see the light. Everything I did before was actually wrong. But at that time, I was prepared to risk death to go to Beijing to submit a petition. If not for the comrades in Japan dissuading me in every way, I'm afraid I would have gone."

Chen Ke didn't know there was such a thing. Thinking that Chen Tianhua, the author of *Meng Hui Tou* (Sudden Look Back) and *Jing Shi Zhong* (Warning Bell) who loudly called for anti-Qing revolution, actually wanted to kowtow three times and bow nine times under the vermilion steps of the Forbidden City in Beijing, petitioning the Qing emperor to grant a constitution... this was undoubtedly injecting a stimulant into the dying Qing government and would inevitably cause great damage to the revolutionary cause. It was reasonable for the comrades in Japan to stop him with all their might.

"After we open up base areas, we will build our own government. The matter of saving the country doesn't need the Manchu Qing to worry about," Chen Ke said with a smile.

Seeing Chen Ke full of confidence, Chen Tianhua showed a hesitant look. A moment later, he finally asked, "Wenqing, when comrades talk about you privately, quite a few say you must be a child of a high official. Otherwise, it would be absolutely impossible to view problems from such a strategically advantageous position. To be able to look from the perspective of the world."

Chen Tianhua knew Chen Ke never talked about himself, so he didn't have much confidence in saying this. Seeing Chen Ke had no intention of answering, he immediately changed the subject. "Wenqing, can China be saved? When I talked about the subjugation of Poland and India before, I felt China had all the weaknesses of the national character of those two countries. I wonder if Wenqing can teach me about this matter."

"National character is nonsense." Chen Ke's answer was blunt. "We talk about the materialist view of history, which says productive forces determine social relations. Take the bullshit about Chinese people being a tray of loose sand as an example. In an agricultural country like China, look at the countryside; everyone probably wanders within a radius of a hundred *li* all their lives. If you don't have special relatives, who would you find outside a hundred *li*? China is so big, so it looks like a tray of loose sand. Wait until we engage in industrialization later, factories with thousands of people are built, cities with hundreds of thousands of people are built, and the folk customs will naturally have a foundation for change. Later, when the railway network is built and the people have money, being able to go out and travel the magnificent rivers and mountains, visit and make friends everywhere, the folk customs will be even more different. So the talk of national character is pure nonsense. The Chinese people are a great people because even an illiterate knows to establish a good moral order and have a strong government. With such people, there is absolutely no reason for China to perish. Our current gap is the gap between an agricultural country and an industrial country; it has nothing to do with national character at all."

Hearing Chen Ke say this, Chen Tianhua nodded repeatedly. "Wenqing, these words are extremely brilliant. Might as well write them down."

The proposal was very good, and the two had nothing else to do anyway. Chen Ke simply sat cross-legged on the *kang*, discussing with Chen Tianhua while writing this article. Writing and writing, it became noon. Pang Zi called the two in the courtyard, "Two Mr. Chens, let's go out to eat."

With Pang Zi leading the way, plus many people having seen Chen Ke and Chen Tianhua yesterday, the situation of onlookers was naturally much better. At least the children didn't surround and watch like yesterday. There was a household at the east end of the village with a rather large courtyard. Chen Ke had also seen it before going to bathe yesterday; he didn't expect this to be actually an eatery. Pang Zi took the two in and called for the meal to start. There was no menu here either. Chen Ke waited for the boss to come over and gave the boss two silver dollars first. "Settle the bill after eating."

Pang Zi absolutely didn't expect Chen Ke to do this. He said a few polite words but didn't stop him. However, the eatery boss's face was quite awkward, making Chen Ke feel very wrong. He tentatively took out a few more silver dollars and stuffed them into the boss's hand. The boss's face improved greatly immediately, but the boss still had no intention of walking away. Chen Ke guessed Pang Zi probably owed quite a bit of meal money here. Watching the boss's face, he stuffed another five silver dollars over. Only then did the boss leave the table happily to prepare wine and dishes.

"This won't do, this won't do. Mr. Chen is too polite. I'm embarrassed now." Pang Zi finally gave Chen Ke a real smile.

"Just let Brother Pang treat the next meal. Everyone is brothers; what's there to be embarrassed about?"

While talking, wine and meat were served one by one. Pang Zi enthusiastically added wine and served dishes for everyone, very much having the boldness of a *jianghu* person.

Steaming smoked sausage was served on the dining table, smelling fragrant. Chen Ke tasted a mouthful; the main ingredients of the smoked sausage were pork belly and eggs, along with other spices. It tasted rich but not greasy. Paired with the white liquor brewed in the countryside, it was truly wonderful.

Chen Ke greatly praised the deliciousness of the smoked sausage. Pang Zi laughed, "I have a clan uncle who sells large pancakes rolled with smoked meat; that's what you call delicious."

"I've eaten quite a few Shandong pancakes rolled with vegetables; how is the method here different from Shandong?" Chen Ke was quite interested in this.

Pang Zi had traveled extensively, Chen Ke was also considered knowledgeable, and Chen Tianhua had also run around both abroad and domestically. Everyone talked about delicacies from various places, hitting it off quite well. A mouthful of wine, a mouthful of meat, eating while talking. As their interest rose, everyone listed the delicacies they had eaten one by one, talking from China all the way to Japan. Even the eatery boss couldn't help shouting with envy; it turned out there were so many delicious things in various places.

After eating and drinking their fill, the boss wanted to settle the bill. Taking advantage of being slightly drunk, Chen Ke said drunkenly, "Put it on the tab first; we'll talk next time." After speaking, he got up and pulled Pang Zi and Chen Tianhua out the door.

When everyone returned to Pang Zi's house, they were immediately much closer. Still the bowls with chips, still boiled water. Everyone chatted about everything under the sun. After chatting for a while, Pang Zi asked, "Mr. Chen, Big Brother Wu said you are a revolutionary. Are you guys really going to rebel?"

"Of course we are going to rebel. If not rebelling, what kind of revolutionary would I be?"

"Both Mr. Chens are overseas students; you don't believe in foreign religions, do you?" This question actually troubled Pang Zi quite a bit.

Chen Ke answered without hesitation, "We don't believe in foreign religions at all. If our rebellion succeeds in the future, we must eradicate foreign religions from China completely."

"Must eradicate completely; those who believe in foreign religions must all be killed. Must make sure they all die bad deaths!" Pang Zi responded through gritted teeth.

Chen Ke didn't mean to kill people, but seeing Pang Zi hate with gnashed teeth like this, he dared not say more about this, so he changed the subject. "Brother Pang, I am preparing to rise in revolution and must overthrow the Manchu Qing government. So there are many things and places I have to prepare. I wonder, Brother Pang rising to make a disturbance—to what extent do you plan to make it?"

"This..." Pang Zi refused to speak.

"Brother Pang, I won't ask to what extent you can make a disturbance; this is your family's secret, I cannot inquire. But I want to talk about how I prepare to make a disturbance; how about Brother Pang give me some pointers?"

Hearing Chen Ke's words, Pang Zi's face had already darkened.

"I want to make a disturbance locally, nothing more than killing officials and rebelling, or making the local officials into decorations. Then I must have a gang of brothers who are dead set on following me. With this gang of brothers, I also have to let them eat and drink their fill." Chen Ke said, "Suppose there are such 200 brothers, each person eats one catty of grain a day. This is 365 days a year, which is 73,000 catties of grain. Where does this grain come from? Brother Pang, can one *mu* of land in our Hebei yield four hundred catties of wheat?"

Hearing Chen Ke talk about numbers in such detail, Pang Zi felt a bit guilty. "Not that much."

"Two hundred brothers following me, even if the monthly expense is half a tael of silver, hmm, let me calculate, this is 365 days a year, hmm... a year requires 3,190 taels of silver in expenses. Brother Pang, it's not easy to scrape together this money." Chen Ke said.

"Hitting a few big households should be about enough." Pang Zi was young after all; once Chen Ke started, he couldn't help but follow.

"Everyone is fellow villagers; if you hit big households, maybe among the brothers following you there are those related to the big households. If someone pleads with you, do you hit or not?" Chen Ke pursued.

"This?" Pang Zi felt he really hadn't considered this matter.

"If it's just a small disturbance, it's nothing. If you want a big disturbance, a long-term disturbance, it won't do without careful consideration first," Chen Ke summarized.

"How to make a big disturbance, how to make a small disturbance?" Pang Zi became thoroughly interested.

Looking at Pang Zi's enthusiastic demeanor, Chen Ke said, "For a big disturbance, you first find some brothers, get a few guns, surround the yamen, and say you want to rebel. The government will definitely come out to persuade everyone. Then the brothers still shouldn't agree. The government will definitely ask in the end, what exactly do you want? At this time, Brother Pang, you come forward and say, we want to organize a bodyguard agency. The government will absolutely agree."

"Good!" Pang Zi slapped the table.

"Then Brother Pang's bodyguard agency starts to organize some horse caravans or something, transporting goods at the train station. It's also a money-making business. Earning some money here, in the countryside, Brother Pang shouldn't hit big households either; you should pull the common people to reduce rent and interest. In the village, for weddings and funerals, borrowing a little money casually might ruin a family. Brother Pang, you have a bodyguard agency; pull the fellow villagers and big households to reduce rent and interest. They won't dare not to reduce. Relying on fellow villagers, each family gives you a little money and grain; many a little makes a mickle—tens of thousands of catties of grain is nothing."

"Wonderful!" Pang Zi's eyes burned. "Mr. Chen speaks wonderfully."

Chen Ke smiled. "Then later, I feel that if Brother Pang makes a big disturbance, in the end, you still have to revolt."

Hearing Chen Ke talk about revolution, Pang Zi immediately lost interest. He asked, "How about this small disturbance?"

"Small disturbance, forgive me for speaking frankly, Brother Pang, you can make a disturbance however you want. Anyway, once the disturbance starts, the government will send people to arrest and kill you and your brothers; the end is definitely death. So any way of disturbance is fine." Chen Ke said bluntly.

Hearing Chen Ke's words, Pang Zi slapped the table and stood up. "Fuck your mother!"

Parting on bad terms was just like this; Pang Zi left the table angrily. Chen Ke wasn't angry either; after finishing the water in the bowl, he returned to the wing room with Chen Tianhua and continued writing the morning's article. At dusk, the two went out to bathe just like yesterday.

On a northern autumn night, the stars in the sky were brilliant. With the atmosphere unpolluted, the starry sky seemed to hang so low it was within reach. Various insect chirps in the vegetation, and the sound of wind blowing through the jujube forest surrounding the village, were so comfortable they made one somewhat drowsy.

Chen Ke and Chen Tianhua walked slowly on the ridges of the fields outside the village after bathing; talking inside the room was always inconvenient. Chen Tianhua saw there was no one around, so he said, "Wenqing, why don't you start an uprising here together with this Brother Pang?"

Chen Ke knew Chen Tianhua hoped very much to rise up and overthrow the Manchu Qing immediately. He didn't expose Chen Tianhua's thoughts directly either, just praising, "Xingtai asks well. Why do you say uprising instead of revolution?"

"Having heard the revolution Wenqing talked about, I dare not speak of revolution rashly now."

"Even if Brother Pang starts an uprising now, it's not a revolution. What's more, whether Brother Pang really wants to start an uprising is still ambiguous; why should I mix in?" Chen Ke's voice was calm, as if discussing what to eat for dinner.

Hearing Chen Ke so obviously refuse to participate in Pang Zi's rebellion, there was a little excitement in Chen Tianhua's voice. "Wenqing, are you just going to let this opportunity go in vain? At least you have to explain revolutionary principles to Brother Pang."

"Revolutionary principles? Hehe." Chen Ke laughed. "I already explained them today. Brother Pang can't listen to them; I have no way either."

"Explained?" Chen Tianhua was somewhat strange.

"Revolution means having money, having people, mobilizing the people. What we discussed ourselves isn't revolution, merely revolutionary theory."

"Wenqing thinks Brother Pang can't understand revolutionary theory?" Chen Tianhua felt he somewhat understood Chen Ke's meaning.

"It's not that Brother Pang can't understand revolutionary theory, but that Brother Pang can't listen to revolutionary theory. In Brother Pang's view, rebellion is going against the government. This isn't wrong, but how to go against it, what to do—Brother Pang himself doesn't know now. I suggested he demand rent and interest reduction together with the people; Brother Pang refused to listen. I have no way either." Chen Ke still said leisurely.

Chen Tianhua stopped talking. The two walked for another while. Only then did Chen Tianhua break the silence. "Wenqing, can you tell me, if Brother Pang did as you said, what would he encounter?"

"Landlords would rise up collectively to oppose him." Chen Ke answered without hesitation. "Tianhua, the world today is a world of rentiers. The Manchu Qing controls political power, taxation, customs; they live on this. Officials control local power; so-called corrupt officials are just these people using the power in their hands to feed on profits. Landlords and gentry live on land rent. Rich people lend money. Compradors live on controlling some domestic sales channels. Those who have studied live on monopolizing this knowledge. The whole of China—Manchu Qing, officials, landlords, rich people, scholars—collude to squeeze the people together. The people who honestly rely on labor cannot live instead."

Hearing Chen Ke's words, Chen Tianhua answered depressedly, "The people have it hard."

"Injustice provokes outcry. If the world were peaceful, who would be willing to revolt with you? For the people to survive, they can only rely on revolution. The dry firewood of this revolution has long existed among the people. Our People's Party is but a little spark. A single spark can start a prairie fire. It just depends on where your spark falls. Exactly how to mobilize the people, and what purpose this revolution is to achieve."

"Is this the difference between people's revolution and property owners' revolution that Wenqing mentioned?" Chen Tianhua sighed.

"Brother Pang is a rebel, but he is not yet a revolutionary. We have so many things to do; it's impossible to spend huge energy to get him to join the Party now. So my words were unpleasant today, but there was no way. Just do my best."

Chen Tianhua thought through what Chen Ke said as a whole, and finally nodded. "It can only be so."