Zhang Xiuhua worried that this crackdown on criminal acts would become the kind of killing in the early days of the refugee camp establishment. You Gou could understand. Actually, this opinion was not absent in the Party meeting.

The hardliners headed by Xiong Mingyang expressed that "rules must be set." The initial "Internal Troops" was a temporary organization, selecting hardliners. In the early stage, under the leadership of Hua Xiongmao and Chai Qingguo, they did some ruthless work. After the scale of the Insurance Corps expanded, this temporary organization was disbanded. But this group of people were still hardliners within the Party. If it weren't that the leader at that time, Hua Xiongmao, was now the actual number one in the army, I'm afraid these people might have become a faction now.

You Gou had good official and private relationships with Hua Xiongmao, and could be considered having quite a friendship. She wouldn't think so much. Looking at Zhang Xiuhua's fearful and anxious expression, You Gou didn't comfort her. On the contrary, she asked: "Comrade Zhang Xiuhua, I want to ask you a question. Do you want to join the People's Party?"

"Ah?" Zhang Xiuhua completely didn't expect You Gou to ask this. In the conversation just now, You Gou introduced the specific situation of the People's Party. According to You Gou, the Insurance Corps was just a subordinate of the People's Party. In Fengtai County, the People's Party was the one truly in charge. The Insurance Corps, those high-ranking leaders in the refugee camps, and even including Magistrate Shang Yuan, were all People's Party members. Only People's Party members could become leaders...

Thinking of this, a thought suddenly popped up in Zhang Xiuhua's mind. If she could become a People's Party member, then she might very well be able to save her brother. The despair in her eyes suddenly turned into hope. Zhang Xiuhua looked at You Gou's beautiful phoenix eyes, but suddenly shivered. There was not a trace of smile on You Gou's face, not a shred of emotion. That was the expression You Gou only had when doing business completely officially. It was also the expression Zhang Xiuhua feared most.

"This has absolutely nothing to do with releasing your brother. It's not that if you join the People's Party, your brother will be released." You Gou's voice was cold.

"Then Teacher You, are you going to kill people this time?" Zhang Xiuhua mustered up her courage to ask. This was what she cared about most.

"Not planning to kill people. As for your brother's little matter, definitely won't kill. You can rest assured." You Gou answered.

Hearing this, Zhang Xiuhua finally put her suspended heart back into her stomach. She pressed her chest and let out a long breath.

You Gou continued: "This time things are a bit untimely, but even if Comrade Zhang Xiuhua didn't come, I would have gone to find you to talk about this matter in these two days."

"About catching my brother?" Zhang Xiuhua couldn't help shivering.

"Haha!" You Gou was amused by anger, "Not about catching your brother, but about asking if you want to join the Party."

The People's Party had always faced a great dilemma, which Chen Ke mentioned repeatedly at Party meetings. But obviously, there was no good solution. This problem was that in Fengtai County, the system established by the People's Party was not considered a legitimate regime. Chinese people stress justification (*ming zheng yan shun*) most. An important reason why the Party could establish local regimes in 1927 was that there was no recognized regime system in China at that time. Baldy Chiang's regime was merely recognized internationally later; domestically, Baldy Chiang was just one of many local regimes.

Now it is 1906, not 1927. There is still a recognized national regime. The crumbling Manchu Qing is still the recognized national regime. No matter how majestic the People's Party and its subordinate Insurance Corps are in Fengtai County, even if they can break fortified villages and force landlords to hand over land temporarily—acts unseen in a thousand years—this new regime is still not a legitimate regime recognized by the common people.

Without legitimacy, one cannot get the support of the masses. There is a term in politics called "the silent majority." One layer of meaning of silence is "not resisting," in other words, support. If the majority of the masses are silent about the regime's actions, in other words, they approve of the existence of this regime. Letting the people shout out support for a certain regime actively is a rare case. Moreover, the potential true meaning of such a clear statement is that the people want to oppose another social existence by supporting a certain regime.

Now the People's Party cannot get the support of the common people in Fengtai County because the common people in Fengtai County do not accept the ruling status of the People's Party. The People's Party up and down is also burning with anxiety about this problem. Having done so much work, they still cannot become a legitimate regime. Many comrades have long been dissatisfied.

These comrades never thought revolutionary work would be so arduous. Leaving Shanghai, the number one metropolis in China, and running to this poor and remote place, these comrades aimed to launch the revolution quickly with the support of Magistrate Shang Yuan. Now, no matter how one looks at it, there is an unreachable distance from launching the revolution, yet they have already paid so much hard work. The early comrades of the People's Party were not from poor backgrounds. Such hard work, rough food, and harsh environment far exceeded their imagination. If it weren't for core Party members like Chen Ke, You Gou, and Hua Xiongmao, who had higher backgrounds, greater learning, and stronger abilities, setting an example in front and trying hard to maintain the atmosphere of the People's Party, I'm afraid many people in the Party would have started to have strange movements long ago.

The solution proposed by Chen Ke was simple: expand the number of Party members. And through propaganda, make the People's Party formally become a public political organization. That was why there was the task requiring the seven secretaries of the Party Central Committee to start recruiting probationary Party members.

On You Gou's list in mind, Zhang Xiuhua ranked very high. In these years, women who dared to come out and take on some public work were all unusual. Even if their purpose was merely to get a salary and better rewards, this courage already had much to recommend it.

"Teacher You, why do you want me to join this, this... People's Party? According to what you said, after joining this People's Party, one can have a say and make decisions. I never thought about this." Zhang Xiuhua was quite puzzled about this question.

"Comrade Zhang Xiuhua, do you think being a People's Party member is easy? Look at me, look at these Party members; who isn't tired to death? Who isn't working hard from morning to night every day? Do you think having a say and making decisions is that easy? So many people are waiting for you to do things."

Mentioning this topic, Zhang Xiuhua suddenly remembered her original intention of finding You Gou. She asked tentatively: "Teacher You, I didn't come for my brother's matter originally. Firstly, I missed you very much, Teacher You. Secondly, I wanted to ask Teacher You, why do you people treat the common people so well?"

"Mn... Xiuhua, why do you follow me as this guard soldier?" You Gou didn't answer directly but asked back.

"This, following Teacher You, I feel very at ease. Things I used to feel very afraid of, I am not afraid anymore."

"Xiuhua, what were you afraid of before?"

"I, I, I..." Zhang Xiuhua felt she couldn't answer. What was she afraid of? Afraid of starving? Afraid of having no money? Afraid of the dark? Afraid of being bullied? Or was what she feared basically everything in the future? Or was life itself terrible?

Female refugees had just begun to get familiar with life in the concentration camp. Everyone had no concept of the Insurance Corps, a completely strange organization. The flood destroyed everyone's life, and the brand-new lifestyle overturned the women's view of the world. These women had never lived in such a purely female environment, let alone lived with so many people together.

In a completely strange environment, female refugees showed great maladjustment. It was You Gou who personally taught these women how to live better under the brand-new environment.

It was You Gou who taught everyone the way to live in this completely strange environment. Or rather, You Gou provided a brand-new life to these women living precariously under natural disasters.

When these women covered in mud entered the refugee camp, married women were disheveled and dirty, girls wore big braids, clothes were tattered, wearing broken straw sandals or simply no shoes. This flood occurred in late spring and early summer, exactly when the green crop was not yet ready and the old grain was eaten up. The surplus grain at home was either eaten up or soaked bad. Everyone was hungry, panicked, and bewildered.

You Gou first led everyone to wash clothes, bathe, and remove lice every day. Teaching everyone to use thread to remove tartar from their mouths. God rained non-stop, so clean water sources were not lacking. These women maintained such good personal hygiene for the first time.

In the days of heavy rain, You Gou studied reading characters and also studied female physiological knowledge. Although many women blushed with shame when listening to the class, this was the first time they understood the secrets of their own bodies.

After the rain stopped, the Insurance Corps fleet began to transport supplies back. Cloth was also an important item among them. You Gou organized women to make clothes, collecting old tattered clothes to reorganize and tidy up. After medicines were transported in, eliminating intestinal parasites, using sulfur to treat skin diseases—You Gou taught the knowledge and ability of how to live to these women item by item.

Gradually, women got used to bathing every day, got used to the smell of lime water sprinkled everywhere to maintain cleanliness. Got used to rinsing mouths and cleaning teeth with dental floss after getting up every day. Although everyone didn't have a ruddy complexion, at least they no longer had strong body odor.

Organizing guard teams, managing the camp, mediating conflicts. Although in a disaster year, women felt for the first time that life could be lived so orderly. Without men around, women didn't necessarily have to be panicked. As long as there was a job, whether farming or sewing. Women could survive.

This cognition made countless women feel an inexplicable uneasiness, which was a mixture of expectation and fear. Natural disasters were certainly terrible, but what if there were no natural disasters? Is ordinary life not terrible? In the Insurance Corps, no matter what, eating on time, sleeping on time, working on time, everyone could survive. Even living not too badly. For women in 1906, this was something completely beyond imagination.

And besides these, women heard for the first time that the earth under their feet was a round ball, floating in the boundless universe. The moon was also a round ball, revolving around the earth. The earth revolved around the sun. The whole world was composed of countless atoms. For these fundamentally incomprehensible knowledge, women just listened to it as a story.

But learning to write, learning the multiplication table, learning addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, learning the names of various weight and size units—these knowledges were much more useful. At least when making clothes, everyone could better calculate the actual amount needed. It was crucial for various effective work communications.

You Gou taught everyone a new life, used science to dispel the fog in the darkness, and tried hard to show everyone the true face of this world. For a considerable number of women, these were not important. They firmly believed that days would return to the old path of the past. But for women like Zhang Xiuhua who thirsted for knowledge, this cognition brought more confusion and deep fear.

Everyone had tried a new life. When this new life might disappear again, people who were used to this life would naturally have fear.

Return to that precarious life of the past again? Return to the life where no one cared and no one looked after again? Female camps were like male camps; information was public. Women knew that the Insurance Corps was about to preside over land distribution. Women's reactions to this news were basically the same; everyone wanted back their family's past land, and also wanted better land. When learning that it was impossible to get both things at the same time, women discussed the "good land" promoted by the Insurance Corps animatedly.

Zhang Xiuhua didn't care about this kind of problem. What she wanted to know was what this change meant, whether it meant that this life within an organizational system she had become accustomed to was about to end.

After You Gou introduced the current organizational structure of the People's Party and Insurance Corps to Zhang Xiuhua completely just now, Zhang Xiuhua had roughly understood the structure and scale of this organization. Knowing that the system she served was so powerful, Zhang Xiuhua made up her mind: she must not be excluded from this organization.

"Teacher You, I am willing to join the People's Party!" Zhang Xiuhua said seriously. After saying this sentence, Zhang Xiuhua suddenly felt a panic. If she was rejected by You Gou, would she never have the chance to become a member of this system again? The sense of security she once possessed would also vanish without a trace.

You Gou didn't answer immediately. She stared at Zhang Xiuhua for a while before nodding. "I will go back to the camp the day after tomorrow. I will have a good talk with you about this matter. Joining the People's Party is not for you to enjoy happiness; you have to be mentally prepared to endure hardship and suffering."

"Okay, Teacher You." Hearing You Gou say this, Zhang Xiuhua breathed a sigh of relief.

"In addition, don't run around everywhere for your brother's matter. The Party organization has its own plan; it won't wrong anyone. Nor will it let go of any criminal. It's useless for you to run. If I know you are still jumping up and down for this matter, just consider the matter of joining the Party as if I didn't say it."

"..., okay, Teacher You."

"Then you go; I have to work now." After You Gou finished speaking, she walked towards the cement kiln.

Looking at You Gou's back, Zhang Xiuhua had mixed feelings but dared not stay. Under the "gaze ceremony" of other male soldiers, Zhang Xiuhua ran away like a wisp of smoke.

You Gou finished today's experiment and didn't rest, but went to the Insurance Corps camp. Chen Ke asked everyone to hold a brief meeting. Used was the station of the Third Battalion of the First Regiment near the county town.

Work has been slightly easier recently, so people came very fully this time. Chen Ke's opening remarks were very simple, "Comrades have worked hard. Today I want to talk about a basic theoretical issue first."

As soon as the voice fell, the comrades below sighed almost in unison. Chen Ke had talked about these theories many times. At first, everyone was somewhat interested. By now, not to say calluses grew in ears, at least there was no high interest like before.

Seeing the comrades' performance, Chen Ke smiled, "Everyone feels they have learned well. Then let me ask, what is the definition of currency?"

"Currency is a general equivalent." It was Hua Xiongmao who answered.

"Very good, everyone recite it together once," Chen Ke laughed.

Comrades were used to this primary school student-like practice. Everyone answered together: "Currency is a general equivalent."

After everyone finished speaking, Chen Ke laughed: "I prepare to issue our base area's currency. Of course, it can also be said not called currency, but called notes (*Piao Ju*)."

Although they could recite theoretical knowledge, facing practical problems, everyone still didn't understand. At least most people didn't understand what exactly was going on.

"Secretary Chen, what exactly is going on?" Someone already asked.

"A large number of refugees from other places poured in. We can't distribute land to them. Nor can we feed them for nothing like this. They have to work. These foreign refugees work; some do more, some do less. We can't provide basic rationed grain like local refugees. So issuing our own currency is very necessary."

These words made many people confused. Everyone looked at Chen Ke, completely failing to understand what was going on.

Chen Ke explained: "We encounter three problems now. First, we cannot sell grain. Second, we also don't have money to pay the people working. Third, we also don't have so much manpower to supervise how much work foreign refugees have done. Therefore, providing a currency quantitatively as remuneration proof is imperative."

Even with such an explanation, some comrades still didn't understand what was going on. Everyone either pondered or looked at each other puzzledly.

Among the comrades in the venue, Chen Ke understood the importance of this matter itself best. Currency is not just an equivalent; it contains too many things inside. Controlling a country's currency is equivalent to controlling this country. The base area will sooner or later have its own currency and its own financial system. Chen Ke didn't study economics, so he maintained a very cautious attitude towards this. But facing the current situation of a large influx of foreign refugees, currency issuance must be carried out.

Chen Ke didn't feel assured handing this matter to anyone, but this was the situation of the comrades now. Looking at the puzzled eyes of the vast majority of comrades, Chen Ke couldn't help sighing in his heart. Picking up the chalk, Chen Ke began to write and talk about the issue of currency issuance on the blackboard.

Issuance, circulation, withdrawal. The process of modern currency. Every circulation of currency means the completion of a production process. Chen Ke had not received any formal economic training; he could only conduct his own deduction according to what he had learned. And try to speak his knowledge so that comrades could understand.

What comrades liked to listen to most was Chen Ke explaining this knowledge. Originally varied social affairs became abstract and clearer under Chen Ke's explanation. These theoretical knowledges could be effectively applied in various ways in the ever-changing society. This really made these comrades who held themselves high feel that they could grasp the world in their palms.

After finishing speaking, Chen Ke only said one sentence, "Now discuss in groups first. If there are comrades willing to participate in this work, you can sign up with Secretary Shang Yuan. The organization will consider assigning tasks."

After speaking, Chen Ke called the other six secretaries over, "How is everyone doing with recruiting Party members?" he asked wearily. Asking Chen Ke, a layman, to explain such a subtle thing as establishing a currency system, just the preparation took Chen Ke's old life. He hadn't slept for two days.

"No problem in the troops; there are many activists joining the Party on my side." Hua Xiongmao said. He Zudao just nodded; he was also in the army and didn't want to say so much.

"The government affairs department is not quite good; five people are hard to find," Shang Yuan said.

Lu Huitian and Yuwen Badu looked at each other before saying. "Civil affairs work is also okay here. Secretary Yuwen and I have a dozen candidates."

"I'm going to the female camp the day after tomorrow; I have some candidates," You Gou answered.

After the comrades finished speaking, Chen Ke nodded, "Must find those who are desperate with the old order. Those who long for a new life. Once selected, add more tasks to them. The People's Party is not spoken out by mouth but worked out by doing work. Finding more people is also okay; we only complain about too few now, not too many."

Everyone nodded.

"In addition, increase propaganda now. Must let the common people know who is the master in Fengtai County exactly. The People's Party must stand out!" Chen Ke continued.

"Then let's just hold a general assembly," You Gou said.

The other few secretaries nodded one after another after hearing this.

"I will discuss the currency issuance issue with Comrade Shang Yuan now. You guys discuss these things. Come up with a plan. The main point is one: make our People's Party known to everyone in Fengtai County!" Chen Ke issued the order with a serious tone.