Crimson Dawn

Chapter 2

Xu Xilin's house is very big.His family's house is located in Sunjiayan, Dongpu Town, Shaoxing City, and it was built in the Qing Dynasty.It was purchased by Xu Xilin’s grandfather, Mr. Tongxuan, from a family surnamed Zhu, and then renovated and expanded. The building faces south, covers an area of ​​1100 square meters, and has a construction area of ​​575 square meters. The overall layout has three bays and three entrances. It is composed of a building, a library building, Tongying Bookstore, etc., with a brick and wood structure, white walls and black tiles, and a closed appearance. It is a very typical Jiangnan Qing Dynasty residence.

In the back hall, a table of authentic Jiangsu-Zhejiang style banquet was set up, the dishes were very simple.Ham, West Lake vinegar fish, bean curd, sweet-scented osmanthus taro, a few green vegetables, Xu Xilin enthusiastically gave Chen Kebu vegetables and added wine.The Shaoxing rice wine in the warm jug has full stamina. After only drinking two cups, Chen Ke felt a little overwhelmed.

Two of the three were well-known revolutionary seniors, and Chen Ke never dared to underestimate them.Be as respectful as possible when speaking.Answer both questions in as much detail as possible.Chen Ke's square face looked more honest, coupled with his polite speech, at least during the conversation, Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin's attitude towards Chen Ke became closer and closer.Unknowingly, Chen Ke has already started to change the title of "Mr. Xu" to "Brother Xu".

After reading Chen Ke's "masterpiece", the topic of the two revolutionary predecessors, Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin, has always revolved around how to build a strong army. Chen Ke responded a little strangely.Now China is building a powerful army, and the master of this army must be the Qing Dynasty.Facing such powerful armed forces, revolutionaries can only be slaughtered, so what kind of revolution is there?

After thinking about it, Chen Ke himself was fairly familiar with Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin, but these two seniors knew nothing about Chen Ke.Chen Ke is a "student who came back from overseas", and these two people's views on European powers are not very knowledgeable. It must be the set of "strong ships and sharp guns".

Chen Ke didn't want to just talk nonsense like this, so he changed the subject. "Brother Xu, the army you asked about in Europe not only has the army, but also the capitalist system. The operation of this system itself is very different from the current China. The current system of the Manchu Qing is for the interests of the upper class of the Manchu Qing .For the life and death of the Manchu regime itself. At the time of the Reform Movement of [-], the Manchus said that the reform was to save China and not the Qing Dynasty. Since the Manchu Qing had such an attitude, brothers, I want to save China, and the only way to do it is to destroy the Manchu Qing. , I just left home and joined the revolution." Chen Ke said here, and suddenly smiled a little shyly, "My words are a bit ignorant, I hope Brother Xu will forgive me."

"Mr. Chen Ke, you have such ambition, why don't you know what the sky is high and the earth is thick." Qiu Jin said with a smile, she patted the table lightly, and said with emotion: "If you fight for a hundred thousand blood, you must save the universe. Without people of insight like Mr. Chen Ke who are willing to sacrifice their lives for the country, the future of China must be as dark as it is now."

"Sister Qiu, I heard that you used to stay in the capital, but the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded China, and sister Qiu had to leave the capital. Such things..." Chen Ke sighed after finishing speaking.

After hearing Chen Ke's words, Qiu Jin's expression darkened immediately, but she didn't speak, she just raised her glass and drank it down.The three had been talking for a while, and Chen Ke felt that Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin were becoming more and more familiar. This was not only because the three drank together, but also because Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin's thoughts and conversations were very similar to the "patriotic angry youth" of later generations.Because of the history of humiliation, they hated the Manchu court and foreigners.

The 21st century that Chen Ke lives in is an era of China's rejuvenation and renewed struggle for world hegemony. Encountering setbacks is far from losing power and humiliating the country. Even so, the young people are still dissatisfied and angry.In 1905, the anger of patriotic youths was that "Yangyang China" was actually invaded, plundered, and insulted. This kind of anger was purer and more intolerable.Chen Ke can probably understand this kind of humiliation and anger, because when he read modern Chinese history, he really couldn't bear to open the book.That kind of humiliation and anger made even Chen Ke, a young man a hundred years later, heartbroken, and the pain of young people who experienced this era was a hundred times more painful than Chen Ke.

Thinking of this, Chen Ke couldn't help lowering his gaze.There was silence on the table for a while, and Qiu Jin asked suddenly: "Mr. Chen has words. We call each other Mr., it's too restrictive."

"I grew up overseas since I was a child. I only have a name but no words. This..." Chen Ke said with some embarrassment, "Uh, if you two don't dislike it, can you think about it for me?"

"Oh, Mr. Chen is polite." Xu Xilin said with a smile.

Qiu Jin did not refuse, "That's not bad. I wonder if Chen Ke has any favorite words or phrases?"

Chen Ke thought for a moment, then replied: "You are very literary, I follow Zhou."

"It's from "The Analects of Confucius". Hmm..." Qiu Jin thought for a while, "How about Wen Qing?"

When Chen Ke heard this word, he almost laughed out loud.He suppressed his smile and nodded, "I think so."

"If you don't like this word in the future, you can change it." Qiu Jin continued.

"I think it's good. Thank you very much." Chen Ke said hastily.

Originally, I thought that when I reached this point, I would turn to a lighter topic, but Qiu Jin's next words surprised Chen Ke.

"Wen Qing, after reading your article and what we talked about at the banquet, I always feel that Wen Qing is a little vague. Since Wen Qing came to visit Bosun in person, he seems to have heard about me. If we say that Wen Qing knows I don’t believe that what I learned is only from school.” Qiu Jin said with a smile, but there was something else underneath the smile, “I now believe that Wen Qing is not from the Qing Dynasty. If Wen Qing is from the Qing Dynasty , This article alone is enough to get ahead. However, Wen Qing does not look like a revolutionary party."

After hearing Qiu Jin's words, Xu Xilin's eyes lit up and he nodded slightly.It seems that he felt the same way, but he couldn't express it clearly like Qiu Jin.

Speaking of this, Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin's vigilance towards Chen Ke is already so obvious.Chen Ke breathed a sigh of relief.If the two parties had a happy conversation, Chen Ke would feel that they hadn't gained much.A pleasant conversation is often a sign of the need for lasting contact.Chen Ke doesn't have that much time to gradually get in touch with the two of them and gradually deepen their relationship.Now, in such a seemingly tense and tit-for-tat situation, the result is two, either the two sides cooperate, or the two sides fall out.In any case, the results are quick.

Chen Ke picked up the wine glass in front of him and drank it down.Putting down his wine glass, Chen Ke said: "I think the purpose of the current revolutionaries is to overthrow the Manchu Qing Dynasty. The better ones just make vague plans, roughly talking about what kind of country they want to build. From what I have read Books, the little things I know. Their new national plan is a pile of shit. What is revolution? Revolutionary Mandate of Heaven. You say that the Manchus stole China anyway, with human faces and animal hearts. Or wait, but Manchus can have this 260 In [-], it was not only because of handsome beasts and cannibals. There was a whole set of system behind the Manchu Qing that supported its existence. My revolution is to revolutionize the fate of this system. If you overthrow the Manchu Qing, China will still be like this With this system, do you two think you can defeat the great powers?"

Ever since he met Xu Xilin, Chen Ke tried to make himself look gentle and refined, but at this moment, Chen Ke didn't face the mirror, so naturally he couldn't see his own expression.Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin could clearly see that Chen Ke's eyes were wide open, and his expression could be said to be murderous.And as Chen Ke's emotions became agitated, a sharper expression almost gushed out.The kindly smiling young man just now was completely gone.

"I think the two of you want to eat Cixi's flesh and sleep on her skin. From my point of view, this can only mean that you have hope for her. If the Eight-Power Allied Forces did not rush into Beijing to burn, kill and loot, but were killed by the Qing army in one fell swoop Annihilation. Those foreign devils were paraded in the streets. Foreign countries were forced to pay compensation to all parts of China. I am afraid that the two of you will shout "Long live Lafayette?" Chen Ke's words were already considered vicious, and Xu Xilin's face immediately became ugly after hearing these words.

"But to me, it's completely different. Since the Manchu Qing system is definitely not an opponent of European countries, no matter who is in power, China will not be able to win. If you plant melons, you will reap melons, and you will reap beans. Is it possible to plant beans but want to harvest watermelons? Seeing that Europe has harvested watermelons, you complain that Manqing, who planted beans, did not grow watermelons. Isn’t that ridiculous?” At this point, Chen Ke couldn’t help but sneer .

"I don't hate the Manchus at all, at least now I don't hate them anymore. The Manchus, and the system represented by the Manchus, is hopeless. In today's world, it is completely impossible for China to seal itself off. We Now we have to look at the world and China from the perspective of the world. Why is China held down and beaten by those European countries with bigger farts, because China is not strong. Why is China looked down upon by the people of those European countries, because China has not contributed to the world. China does not have the trend to lead the world forward. My revolution is to abolish the old system in China, make China stronger, and lead the world to a better future." Chen Ke said here, his voice was sharp, almost as if he was about to growl stand up.

Perhaps feeling his gaffe, Chen Ke let out a long breath, calmed down his emotions, and made his voice lower. "Everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the world. There is a saying in foreign countries that the country is so ruined that we are all despicable people. China has been at the top of the world for more than 2000 years. Today we blame others and attribute the responsibility to the Qing Dynasty. We have not When we were born in this world, whether China is strong or declining, it has nothing to do with us. But today we are in this world, and we do not seek to make progress, but only hate our predecessors for delaying China. That is a real insult to the revolution. One word. Since we believe that we want revolution, we will search for it up and down and do our best. If we want to search for it up and down, we must first throw away our own prejudices. What is the reason why China has weakened to this point? What is wrong? Is there a problem with the Manchu Qing Dynasty? Or is there a problem with the Chinese system." At this point, Chen Ke picked up the jug and poured himself a glass of wine. The degree of mourning. We must admit this. However, in my opinion, it will not be long before the old system can not continue. The era of mourning is coming soon. Let me ask you two, what is our enemy? Who is it?" After saying this, Chen Ke stared at Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin.

The two people on the opposite side were speechless for a while, their original impression of Chen Ke had changed drastically at this moment.Qiu Jin looked at Chen Ke, then at Xu Xilin, and suddenly burst into laughter. At first it was a sneer, but then he couldn't stop laughing.After a while, Qiu Jin managed to stop laughing. She took out her handkerchief and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and said in that breathless voice after a big laugh: "Mr. Chen, no, Wen Qing, Wen Qing I really didn't understand at first. You seem to be from a noble family, but you actually ran to the countryside of Shaoxing to ask to see a small country gentry like Bosun. I think there must be something wrong with it. After hearing Wen Qing's words, I am I really understand. Wen Qing, you are indeed a revolutionary. Besides, a revolutionary like you might not be able to survive a day in the capital. I suspected you of fraud before, so I apologize to you."

Hearing Qiu Jin's words, Xu Xilin also nodded, "I read Wen Qing's masterpiece before, but I still didn't understand it. Now I know what kind of mentality Wen Qing wrote that masterpiece. With Wen Qing's understanding, Brother Yu is not as good as me." At this point, Xu Xilin sighed deeply, "Today's revolutionary young people really come forth in large numbers. I read the masterpieces of Chen Tianhua and Zou Rong, and I am already amazed at the youth in their 20s. It's such a pity. , Zou Rong died unfortunately in Shanghai prison a month ago. If you can listen to Wen Qing and Zou Rong talking about the revolution together, brother Yu really has no regrets in dying."

Speaking of this, Xu Xilin sat down solemnly, "Wen Qing, you came to visit me earlier, and at the beginning you said you had something to ask for. Brother Yu, I have little morality, and I am powerless to be driven by Wen Qing. Now I just want to ask , how Wenqing wants Brother Yu to work."

"Brother Bosun is serious." Chen Ke quickly replied, "I know that Brother Bosun also has connections in Shanghai. If there is no funds for this revolution, it will never work. I want to do something in Shanghai, so I have a sympathy. I would like to ask Brother Bosun to take me to Shanghai. As a foreigner, I would die without a place to die if I rushed to Shanghai. Without the support of revolutionary comrades like Brother Bosun, what I said and thought would be false.”

"I see." Xu Xilin said, "I don't know what Wenqing is going to do when he arrives in Shanghai."

"Dye cloth." Chen Ke replied.

"Dyeing cloth?" Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin looked at each other strangely, "Dyeing cloth can make a lot of money?"

"You can't make big money, but you can make the first sum of money. To tell you the truth, when I left home, I only brought some belongings with me, and I didn't have any money. Hehe, I was actually kicked out." Speaking of this, Chen Ke couldn't help laughing, "So if you want to start a revolution, you have to start from the beginning. That's why you came to Shaoxing, and you are so presumptuous to ask Brother Bosun to support you. What I said just now, every sentence is true. It’s from the bottom of my heart. But it’s extremely rude for me to talk so loudly in Brother Bosun’s house. I hope Brother Bosun will forgive you.” After speaking, Chen Ke stood up and gave Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin a deep bow.

"Wen Qing doesn't have to be like this, it's not like this. People like Wen Qing are committed to revolution. If I can help, I will be overjoyed." Xu Xilin stood up, said while walking over to pull Qi Chenke.

Chen Ke straightened up, and continued, "I'm penniless now. If I can't get Brother Bosun's support within a few days, I will have to take other more reckless ways. So I ask Brother Bosun to tell the truth. My brother, I Let’s decide on the next step.”

After Xu Xilin heard this, he actually wanted him to express his opinion.Although he admired Chen Ke very much, after all, the two hadn't seen each other for half a day, and they couldn't say what they agreed to.At this moment, Qiu Jin said, "Wen Qing, how can you help, how can I count the ways, see if I can help you, sister."

Since Chen Ke came from the 21st century and grew up under the red flag, he would never listen to Mao Taizu's "seek truth from facts".In this 1905 revolution was for the rich.Rich revolutionaries try their best to make friends with heroes from three mountains and five mountains, and these heroes are not poor people.In order to be recognized by these revolutionaries, Chen Ke strives for "style" in dressing.Although he has no money, this outfit is enough to prove it, and Chen Ke also has something that can be used to sell money.He took off a watch from his wrist and handed it to Qiu Jin. Chen Ke said, "Sister Qiu, I beg you to pawn this watch for me."

Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin had actually seen that Chen Ke was wearing a watch, but they were not familiar with it, so it was difficult to mention it.Chen Ke took off his watch, and the two of them were shocked when they saw it.These days, those who can wear watches are either rich or expensive.Most people carry pocket watches.Qiu Jin traveled all over the world, but she had seen a watch before. This was the first time for Xu Xilin to see a watch.

Chen Ke couldn't help but feel lucky at this time, his time travel unexpectedly happened after he made a lot of purchases in the Small Commodity City.In particular, Chen Ke himself felt strange when he suddenly thought of buying a watch by accident.To put it bluntly, it was just that Chen Ke had won a lottery with thousands of dollars. With the attitude of "money comes quickly, it goes quickly!", he bought some clothes, a bunch of daily official documents, and finally had some money left.

Just a few days ago, Chen Ke had a debate with a brother about whether it is better to wear a watch or use a mobile phone to check the time.Chen Ke was actually persuaded by his brother. In formal occasions, a watch can represent a formal attitude and politeness.

The flea market watches are not too bad.Apart from buying one for himself, Chen Ke also wanted to give a few watches to his friends.Although it is outrageous to give a watch these days, it can be considered an ingenious gift.After some bargaining, I bought four watches.Unexpectedly, this watch would come in handy for changing money in 1905.

This watch is a counterfeit of a mechanical watch, and the price is 230 yuan a piece.So the hallmark of knockoffs—the shiny, intricate decorations—this watch has none of.In Chen Ke's view, holding it in his hand is really a kind of vulgar beauty.But in the eyes of Qiu Jin and Xu Xilin in 1905, it was really extravagant.

Qiu Jin looked at it carefully for a while and asked, "How much money is Wen Qing going to make?"

"Three fifty taels is enough." Chen Ke said casually.

"Haha, haha." After hearing Chen Ke's words, Qiu Jin couldn't help laughing again, "Wen Qing, do you know that my family runs a pawn shop?"

"Ah?" Chen Ke was really not very clear about this, "Sister Qiu, didn't I find the right person?"

"You charge this price, obviously to make me cheaper." Qiu Jin smiled, "Your watch is new, and there is no trace of scratches anywhere. In addition to the rhinestones on the dial, it costs 50 taels. Hehe. Three 500 taels is easy."

"Sister Qiu, this is your boldness. If I hadn't met you, I, a foreigner, would have to pay three 500 taels for a watch. Do you think it's possible?" Chen Ke told the truth.

Qiu Jin nodded, played with the watch for a while, and then put it on her wrist, "I've accepted this order. How about I give you the money tomorrow."

"No problem." Chen Ke said heartily.Generally speaking, Qiu Jin's actions and demands are too much.Firstly, Chen Ke believed in Qiu Jin, but secondly, he didn't take the watch seriously. A mere watch is nothing if he can show his boldness and trust others.

"Sit down, let's continue drinking." Qiu Jin replied with a smile.

Having said all this, it is impossible to talk about it in depth. After drinking a few glasses of wine, the banquet was withdrawn.The three talked for a while in the living room, and they agreed to meet at Xu Xilin's place the next morning.Chen Ke knew that Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin must have something to say, so he offered to leave.Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin didn't hold back either. When they sent Chen Ke to the door, Qiu Jin repeatedly urged Chen Ke to bring as many other manuscripts as possible when he came tomorrow.

Chen Ke said with a smile, "It's only natural."

The three of them went out of the gate and were saying goodbye, but Xu Xilin looked over from a distance, and immediately lowered his face.Chen Ke turned his head curiously, and saw a few people walking over from the street.The leader is a strong figure, and looks powerful, but his appearance is quite delicate.The people behind him looked a little familiar.After careful identification, they turned out to be those rogues I met yesterday.

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