xymnovel Chapter 2: Men!
Chapter 2: Men!
Seeing his bachelor appearance, Lu Xingzhou found it quite amusing.
He grinned mischievously, "Get up! I won't hit you; I'm even going to treat you to dinner!"
"Really?!" The thief was extremely shocked, and his gaze towards Lu Xingzhou was somewhat complicated.
I stole his wallet, and instead of hitting me, he even gave me food?
Is this guy some kind of complete idiot?!
Lu Xingzhou understood the meaning in his eyes but wasn't angry.
Even in the civilized and advanced China of later generations, there were still scoundrels who coerced children into begging and stealing; the evil old society was no less rife with such people.
His accomplices all "forgot" about him after they escaped, clearly indicating he wasn't a core member of the gang. Having caused such a huge mess, he might very well end up with broken arms and legs when he gets back.
Lu Xingzhou, who never gave a penny to beggars on the street, found it hard to stoop to the level of such truly pitiful children.
Why would I lie to you? What value do you have that I would have to lie to?
The thief looked embarrassed.
Lu Xingzhou asked about his purpose in coming to Fengtian: "Tell me first where there are banks in Fengtian, and then I'll treat you to a meal."
"A bank? You mean a foreigner's money exchange? I don't know where to find one! But you could try looking around Xiaoximen; the foreigners all live in that area!"
Xiaoximen was the west gate of the old city of Fengtian, but it has long been incorporated into the new city due to development.
Japan and Russia, who had long coveted Northeast China, along with the three troublemakers—the United States, Britain, and France—turned this place into their gathering place in Fengtian, where consulates, trading companies, and banks were all located.
"Okay, take me there to have a look."
"No way! I'd rather die than go!"
"Hey~ I'm giving you a chance to eat your fill and act like a human being, aren't you shameless?!"
Lu Xingzhou wasn't familiar with the roads in Fengtian and wanted the thief to show him the way. However, the thief shook his head vigorously, which annoyed him.
Just as he was about to use some tricks to make the thief turn over a new leaf, he was interrupted by a very imposing voice.
"Manly guy!"
He looked in the direction of the voice and saw a middle-aged officer in his forties or fifties sitting upright on a warhorse, followed by two rows of guards. Lu Xingzhou's heart tightened.
Seeing the appreciation in the other person's eyes, and realizing they weren't looking for trouble, he relaxed slightly and asked:
"Sir, what can I do for you?"
The officer said nonchalantly, "What do you mean by 'seeing instruction' or 'not seeing instruction'? It's just a casual remark! A beggar might not even come out of Xiaoximen, don't make things difficult for the child!"
Lu Xingzhou understood. In Fengtian, Yang Daren was a superior person and couldn't stand anything that bothered him.
"Thank you for informing me, sir. I am Lu Xingzhou. May I ask your name, sir?"
The officer's interjection stemmed from his admiration for his bravery and his desire to befriend him; he simply gave him a nickname.
"I'm Wu Junsheng. Back when I was a horse trader, everyone in the underworld called me 'Big Tongue Wu'!"
It was him!
There were countless prominent figures during the Republic of China era, and Wu Junsheng's fame didn't even reach the second tier, but Lu Xingzhou knew quite a bit about Master Wu's glorious deeds.
In particular, his cavalry was incredibly powerful, representing the last glimmer of cavalry in the history of warfare, and even the Japanese were wary of them.
The story of Xu Fengnian riding a dragon through the snow to Jiangnan is fictional, while the story of Wu Erye riding a dragon through the snow to save Fengtian is a true story recorded in history books!
With deep respect, Lu Xingzhou clasped his hands in a gesture of greeting:
"I didn't know it was Commander Wu in person; I'm so sorry for my rudeness!"
Wu Junsheng, thoroughly pleased, laughed heartily: "Hahaha~ Judging from your clothes and demeanor, you don't seem to be a local. Where are you from?"
Before returning to China, Lu Xingzhou had prepared his explanation in advance.
"Following my late father's wish to return to his roots, I just returned from the United States by ship the day before yesterday."
"I thought of buying land, settling down, getting married, and having children in my hometown of Erdaohuzi in Changtu, but I was afraid that the elders in my hometown would not accept foreign checks, so I prepared to exchange them for some silver dollars in Fengtian."
This child's temperament is not only unlike that of a local, but also quite different from that of other people in the country. It makes sense that he came back from overseas.
Wu Junsheng, unsuspecting, asked with considerable interest, "Are you from Changtu?"
"OK."
Lu Xingzhou answered decisively.
In his previous life, his hometown was in the Sanjiang Plain, but unfortunately it is still a wetland and uninhabited area full of twigs, a true northern wilderness.
The environment was so harsh that even the hundreds of thousands of Japanese immigrant settlers were unwilling to take it, which is why they made a decision against their ancestors.
If he had a choice, he wouldn't want to take up a spot meant for time travel.
It's all Trump's fault for waging a tariff war, which caused a shipment of 20 tons of soybeans to be stuck in San Francisco.
He had been discussing the aftermath with the other party's representative, and while touching the foreign woman's long, white legs, he drank a few more glasses of bourbon and got a little tipsy.
After several intense encounters with foreign women, he regained consciousness and found that the beautiful San Francisco of 2025 had transformed into San Francisco of 1911, and Zhong Deng had become an eighteen-year-old young man, carrying in his mind the small gift given to him by the other party's negotiating representative to build relationships—the [Yi Yang Ding].
He was unable to resist the temptations of money and beauty, which is why he was forced to travel through time; he was very self-aware.
At best, a military or political career would make him a warlord with a conscience, but he couldn't change the course of history, much less save China.
During his six months of wandering in the United States, he discovered that the [Yi Yang Ding] was a veritable agricultural marvel. Having spent his entire life in the grain trade, his goal for returning home was clear:
He returned to his hometown in Northeast China to become a landlord.
Farm well and grow your business bigger and stronger.
While accumulating wealth to satisfy personal desires, we should also prevent more people from freezing or starving to death and create a safe living environment for more compatriots.
The location of the fictional Erdaohuzi Village he created was the chosen development base.
After recalling for a few seconds, Wu Junsheng pressed on, "Changtu Erdaohuzi, exactly where is that?"
"My grandfather told me that our village was located at the source of the Liao River, but it was burned to the ground by a man with a beard back then, which is why he went to the United States to make a living."
The East and West Liao Rivers converge to form the Liao River, and the confluence is called the source of the Liao River.
It is located on the northern edge of the Liaohe Plain, with flat terrain and fertile soil.
Far from the South Manchuria Railway, the Japanese Kwantung Army had not yet been established and its influence could not cover this area. However, it was only about 500 li away from Fengtian (Shenyang), and had convenient river transport, which is why he chose this location.
Lu Xingzhou's intention in choosing this village name was that people in Northeast China tend to be casual when it comes to naming things.
In the villages of Fangniugou, Chashutun, and Erdaohuzi in Northeast China, there are at least eighty or a hundred, and they would never reveal any flaws.
As someone who himself came from a bearded background, Commander Wu certainly knew how rampant the Bearded Ones were; setting fire to villages and attacking cities and strongholds were commonplace.
After hearing the exact location and thinking back, I realized that the source of the Liaohe River is near the East Liaohe River. There really was a place called Erdaohuzi decades ago, which was only seventy miles away from his hometown!
Slightly excited, he jumped off his horse and quickly walked to Lu Xingzhou's side.
"What a coincidence, buddy! You must be from Changfa Township, and I'm from Changqing Xinglonggou. We're true fellow villagers!"
What a coincidence!
When Lu Xingzhou was preparing to settle down, he never expected to run into Commander Wu.
Wu Junsheng, who harbored the intention of befriending Jun, found the location of Jun's hometown increasingly appealing, chuckled, and then conveyed a message:
"You might not know this since you just came back from abroad, but we're practically neighbors, less than a hundred miles apart. We're practically family!"
His statement was somewhat exaggerated, but not by much.
At that time, the total population was less than 2000 million, and the Northeast was a vast and sparsely populated region with many uninhabited areas stretching for hundreds of miles. In case of any emergency, neighbors were indeed more reliable than relatives.
Lu Xingzhou, who understood the implied meaning from the music, immediately wanted to bow down:
"Then what are you waiting for? I'll kowtow to you, sir!"
Kowtowing to people is considered pure feudal dross in later generations.
In those days, this was a rule that allowed Han Chinese from all over the country to quickly band together and take root in the wild land, and Wu Junsheng, an older generation, naturally benefited from it.
But Commander Wu understood the importance of sincerity over formalities and the principle of knowing when to stop, so he would never actually make Lu Xingzhou, whom he had only met by chance, kneel down and kowtow.
She quickly helped him up.
"Alright, alright, I appreciate the sentiment! But this is the Republic of China; we don't do those elaborate bowing and kowtowing now!"
In his previous life, Lu Xingzhou was only exempted from the custom of kowtowing to elders during festivals after he was in the third grade of elementary school, so the formality of "respectfully acknowledging" was naturally out of the question now.
However, he was certain that Wu Junsheng was a capable person and did it on purpose, so he took advantage of the situation and called out sweetly again.
"Grandpa~!"
"Hey~~! Hahahaha~ Good boy, good boy!"
After accepting his nephew's name, Wu Junsheng laughed heartily and then got down to business.
"Exchanging currency at foreign banks is ridiculously expensive! Why don't you just give me your check, and I'll give you silver dollars? It's so much better to save a few dollars!"
In those days, the fees for exchanging currency in different places at banks were outrageously high. Wu Junsheng needed to buy a gun and also needed a knife, so he wanted to do a good deed to help the child save some money.
Grandpa Wu's offer was kind, and Lu Xingzhou readily agreed: "Thank you, Grandpa!"
"Hey! It's nothing, no need to be so polite among family!"
Lu Xingzhou readily pulled out a bearer check from Citibank and handed it to Wu Junsheng.
Wu Junsheng took the check with great fanfare, but his smile froze on his old face.
He glanced up at Lu Xingzhou, then down at the check, before discreetly slipping it into his coat pocket.
Slightly flustered, he said, "Well, I'm busy with military affairs, why don't you go to my house and rest for a while? I'll treat you to a welcome dinner tonight!"
Lu Xingzhou, without any suspicion, readily agreed: "I'm sorry to bother you, nephew."
"A tall head!"
"have!"
"Take my eldest nephew back to my residence to rest!"
"yes!"
After giving his instructions, Wu Junsheng mounted his horse and fled as if escaping.
Before heading to the Wu residence, Lu Xingzhou hadn't forgotten about turning the thief into a follower. He beckoned to the thief, who was staring at him like he was an idiot.
"Come here, give me your hand."
The thief, bewildered, stepped forward and reached out his hand. His palm felt cold, and ten shiny silver dollars landed in his dirty hand.
The expression on his long face was even more bewildered:
"What... what is this?!"
"Go take a shower, change into some clean clothes, and then come to Marshal Wu's residence to find me."
The thief, whose worldview had been severely shaken and whose mind was a little blank, came to his senses and found that Lu Xingzhou had already gone far away.
General Wu openly swindled his foreign banknotes, but he wasn't worried.
They didn't hit me, and they even gave me money to spend?!
His facial features scrunched up as if in an emergency assembly, and he muttered to himself, not knowing whether to laugh or cry:
"Hey~~Where the hell did this big idiot come from?"