Chapter 3

"Where do you come from, you fake foreign devil, daring to cause trouble in Shaoxing?"

After returning to this era, this was the first time someone had shouted at Chen Ke like this. Chen Ke was not at all angry. Since he had returned to this time, he found that his anger had been reduced to an extreme. For over a month, Chen Ke felt that everything he saw was quite fresh. Even though he had gradually adapted to this era, he still could not truly feel angry. How many people in this era understood him? Since they were all people who did not understand him, their prejudices, misunderstandings, and hostility were meaningless to Chen Ke.

Hearing the new title "fake foreign devil," Chen Ke tried hard to suppress a burst of laughter. Not only was the title amusing, but the man speaking was also using Mandarin, or rather, the Henan dialect popular in the late Qing bureaucracy. Moreover, his pronunciation was off, making him sound quite comical.

Xu Xilin had already approached and said a few words to the man in Shaoxing dialect. The man clearly did not listen and walked straight toward Chen Ke. Chen Ke did not know the man's background, but since this man had come with the ruffians Chen Ke had beaten up the day before, and considering the angry shout just now, this man could not possibly be there to present flowers or gifts. Chen Ke's body instinctively went on alert; if he were to be beaten, it would still hurt.

Seeing Chen Ke's movement, the man laughed viciously, "Oh, so you're a martial artist. I am the martial scholar Hua Xiumao. Do you still want to fight me?"

Xu Xilin quickly stepped in to block Hua Xiumao. Hua Xiumao, however, continued to curse. In the midst of the纠缠 (tangled situation), Chen Ke loudly asked, "Are you here to go through official channels or to act privately? Draw the line."

"What do you mean by official or private channels? Speak clearly," Hua Xiumao grabbed Xu Xilin and shouted loudly.

Chen Ke replied solemnly, "If you go through official channels, we can talk it out. If you act privately, we'll settle it with our fists. I can see that you are skilled; I don't think you would resort to纠缠 (tangled fighting) like a petty thief."

"Haha. You, fake foreign devil, can talk. Whether official or private, I am right either way," Hua Xiumao laughed loudly. As he finished speaking, he felt a gust of wind in his face, and saw Chen Ke's fist already stopped in front of his nose.

Hua Xiumao was greatly startled and quickly dodged backward. Chen Ke had already retracted his fist and stood there. The ruffians behind Hua Xiumao began to curse. Chen Ke's face showed a dangerous smile, "So, you want to act privately?"

"Damn your mother!" Hua Xiumao cursed, "I'm not afraid of you even if we act privately." As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Ke leaped forward, and Hua Xiumao quickly dodged. However, Chen Ke did not stop; he rushed straight toward the ruffians. His hands moved like lightning, striking each of the ruffians' sternums with a quick punch, then he leaped back to create distance from the group. The ruffians were momentarily confused, though they were pushed back a few steps, they did not feel much pain. They all wanted to shout, but suddenly their bodies felt as if they were struck by lightning, frozen in place. Then, they felt intense pain in their chests, as if their bodies were being tightly squeezed, unable to exert any strength. Their bodies gradually shrank and curled up on the ground, unable to make a sound from the pain.

Chen Ke turned around and stared intently at Hua Xiumao. Hua Xiumao felt as if he were being watched by a fierce beast, and he dared not move.

Chen Ke's hobby before he traveled through time was to practice martial arts, often sparring with friends who were former soldiers turned police officers. After traveling through time, he found that his body had become much stronger than before. It was this strength that allowed him to travel from Henan to Anhui, a journey fraught with dangers that were not easily described. These ruffians were not a concern for him. Chen Ke had been hit in the sternum by his friends many times before traveling through time. The strikes he delivered just now had shaken the ruffians' internal organs, making it impossible for them to get up for a while. Now, he only had to face Hua Xiumao. As the saying goes, "A multitude of ants can kill an elephant." As long as Hua Xiumao had no other accomplices, Chen Ke was confident he could handle him alone.

Xu Xilin quickly stepped between the two, speaking in the local Shaoxing dialect. Hua Xiumao also responded in Shaoxing dialect. Although his tone was harsh, Chen Ke could clearly feel that Hua Xiumao's气势 (momentum) had weakened significantly.

In the end, no one knew what Xu Xilin said, but Hua Xiumao turned to look at the ruffians. Xu Xilin turned back and said, "Wenqing, you must come to my place early tomorrow."

"Brother Bosen, I will definitely visit," Chen Ke replied, and the two bowed to each other and left.

Hua Xiumao shouted something, but Qiu Jin scolded him, and he fell silent. Although Chen Ke was curious to see what had happened, he resisted the urge to look back, avoiding unnecessary trouble.

Unconsciously, Chen Ke and Xu Xilin chatted for a long time, and it was already afternoon. With Xu Xilin's help, Chen Ke felt quite pleased. Since there was nothing to do back at his residence, Chen Ke decided to stroll around Shaoxing. The sun was shining brightly, and Chen Ke was walking west, meaning the sun was shining directly into his eyes. Although he knew it was inappropriate, Chen Ke took out a pair of polarized resin sunglasses he had bought for 36 yuan and put them on. He was already quite noticeable, and now he became the focus of everyone's attention.

Chen Ke had read many of Lu Xun's works, and Shaoxing in 1905 was indeed as he described: a small city with no industry, only a few handicraft workshops. People walked slowly, looking very relaxed. This was in stark contrast to the calm and composed attitude people in the 21st century generally pursued. The people Chen Ke saw could laugh at the smallest things and get angry over minor issues. It seemed that daily life lacked new changes, making people very sensitive to any changes.

Children looked at Chen Ke, who was dressed in "strange clothes," with timid eyes, while idlers pointed and whispered from a distance. The eyes of the people on the street were mostly drawn to Chen Ke. He could handle this calmly. From Zhengzhou to Shaoxing, being noticed was a common occurrence, and there were always a few troublemakers. With the sunglasses on, Chen Ke looked somewhat like a "terminator," and people's eyes were filled with "fear," which actually reduced the trouble for him.

Since he was in Shaoxing, Chen Ke thought it would be silly not to visit "Xianheng Hotel." However, he did not know where it was. After wandering for a long time, he still could not find the sign. When he asked passersby, either they did not understand the language or they shook their heads, indicating they did not know the place.

After wandering for over an hour, he still could not find it. There was a shop ahead with a sign that read "Laiheng Hotel." It was a three-room tiled house with a wine-warming counter by the door. Chen Ke walked into the hotel, and the young apprentice, who looked to be about ten years old, seemed to want to welcome him. However, upon seeing Chen Ke with the sunglasses, the apprentice became timid and awkwardly blocked the door. The shopkeeper, who looked like the owner, quickly scolded the apprentice, who then retreated behind the wine-warming counter. The shopkeeper came forward to greet Chen Ke.

"Sir, would you like to drink wine?" The shopkeeper was in his fifties, wearing a long robe, with a face full of wrinkles and age spots, a melon-shaped hat, and a grayish-white braid hanging down his back, looking neat and tidy.

"I would like to drink wine," Chen Ke replied with a smile.

"Sir, please follow me." The shopkeeper quickly led Chen Ke into a room. Chen Ke stopped just inside the door. Shaoxing was a small place, and he did not expect to see Hua Xiumao, who had almost come to blows with him earlier, sitting at a table, drinking alone. Chen Ke was about to turn and leave, but Hua Xiumao had already looked up. Seeing Chen Ke with the sunglasses, Hua Xiumao's delicate eyebrows furrowed. Chen Ke felt quite awkward; they had not fought earlier, and he could not start a fight now. However, leaving in a hurry would ruin the mood for drinking. Chen Ke and Hua Xiumao stared at each other for a moment, and Chen Ke took off his sunglasses, "Brother, I am the one from earlier. My name is Chen Ke. I wanted to drink wine here and happened to meet you. It's fate. Fate."

This opening line was quite awkward and unexpected for Hua Xiumao. The shopkeeper, unaware of the near-fight, smiled and said, "So, this sir knows Scholar Hua." He then led Chen Ke to a table next to Hua Xiumao, "Sir, what wine and dishes would you like?"

Chen Ke saw that Hua Xiumao's table had simple dishes and only two bowls of wine, "I'll have the same as Scholar Hua."

The shopkeeper looked and said, "42 coins." Chen Ke sat down, took out a money bag, and counted out the money to give to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper asked Hua Xiumao, "Scholar Hua, would you like more wine or dishes?"

Hua Xiumao waved his hand, and the shopkeeper turned to leave.

There were few people in the room. Hua Xiumao stared at Chen Ke for a moment and then continued to eat. Chen Ke's position was good; he could see Hua Xiumao and the door. If anyone suddenly rushed in, Chen Ke would have time to grab a stool and attack. As he wiped his glasses, the apprentice brought in a bowl of rice, two dishes, and two bowls of wine. Chen Ke waited for the food to be placed and then began to eat.

The food was delicious, especially the braised pork with preserved vegetables, which was far better than the 21st-century fattened pork he had eaten. As he enjoyed his meal, he saw Hua Xiumao bring his wine bowl over and sit next to him. "You said your name is Chen Ke, right?" Hua Xiumao asked.

"Yes," Chen Ke replied.

"Do you mind if I join you?" Hua Xiumao suddenly said with a smile. Hua Xiumao had a handsome face typical of a southern Chinese man, with a sharp face, a straight but not high nose, long eyes, and a somewhat tanned but smooth complexion. He did not look repulsive at all.

"No problem," Chen Ke replied.

"Chen Ke, Mr. Xu said you will visit him tomorrow and invited me as well. He wants us to resolve our conflict. I see you are also a martial artist. If there's something to talk about, we can do it ourselves without making Mr. Xu uncomfortable, right?" Hua Xiumao asked.

"I think that's a good idea," Chen Ke replied, sensing the tension in Hua Xiumao's words but still responding cheerfully.

Hua Xiumao brought his food to Chen Ke's table and continued, "You seem to have studied abroad."

"Yes," Chen Ke replied.

"Must feel quite superior, right?" Hua Xiumao said with a smile.

"I don't feel that way. Just because I studied abroad, why should I think I'm different?" Chen Ke replied.

This answer was quite unexpected for Hua Xiumao, as was Chen Ke's calm and composed attitude. Before Hua Xiumao could continue, Chen Ke raised his wine bowl, "Brother Hua, please."

Hua Xiumao did not touch his wine bowl, but Chen Ke did not mind. He took a sip of wine and continued eating.

"I hate fake foreign devils the most," Hua Xiumao finally said after a while.

"Oh, I see," Chen Ke replied, his tone devoid of any emotional fluctuation, "I don't like them either."

"In Shaoxing, when adulterers are caught, their queues are cut off. Everyone can see what they did by looking at them," Hua Xiumao continued to provoke Chen Ke.

This information was quite surprising to Chen Ke. After thinking for a moment, he laughed, "That's true. Most of those fake foreign devils have a middle part hairstyle, which does look like a cut queue."

Hua Xiumao suddenly felt that Chen Ke was an incomprehensible existence. Chen Ke's short hair looked more like a monk's than a cut queue. He also felt that his words were incomprehensible. Hua Xiumao had thought that by provoking Chen Ke with words, Chen Ke would become angry and embarrassed, but Chen Ke treated his words as a joke. This made Hua Xiumao even more angry and embarrassed.

"Do you have ancestors, Chen Ke?" Hua Xiumao asked, clenching his teeth.

"Of course, without ancestors, there would be no me," Chen Ke replied after taking another sip of wine.

"Can you easily discard the clothing and customs of your ancestors?" Hua Xiumao asked, believing that Chen Ke would not be able to joke about such a serious question.

Chen Ke smiled, or rather, his face showed a smile, but his eyes did not. His voice became low, but Hua Xiumao could still hear it clearly, while those further away could not. "Which dynasty's ancestors are you talking about? The Song Dynasty? The Ming Dynasty? From the perspective of the Ming Dynasty, those who kept their queues were traitors, or at least traitors to the country."

After saying this, Chen Ke's bright eyes stared intently at Hua Xiumao.

Hua Xiumao's face initially showed confusion, but suddenly he was startled and looked at Chen Ke in surprise. Chen Ke did not avoid Hua Xiumao's gaze, and his sharp eyes stared directly into Hua Xiumao's.

"I see," Hua Xiumao sighed, seemingly understanding Chen Ke's meaning. The provocative expression on his face disappeared. Hua Xiumao wanted to say something more but could not find the right words, so he repeated, "I see."

"Brother Hua, let's drink," Chen Ke raised his wine bowl, and this time Hua Xiumao did not refuse. He also raised his wine bowl and clinked it with Chen Ke's. "Chen Ke, please."

The two no longer talked about Chen Ke's issues and turned to discussing Shaoxing's cuisine. Chen Ke asked about Xianheng Hotel, and Hua Xiumao told him that the hotel had closed.

In the late Qing Dynasty, "revolutionaries" were not uncommon in Shaoxing. Or rather, among the radical intellectuals, "revolutionaries" were even fashionable. The Qing Dynasty's repeated defeats and loss of national rights and dignity had led to widespread dissatisfaction. Most intellectuals believed that the country needed to change, and their differences were merely in whether the change should be through "revolution" or "reform." Chen Ke's willingness to reveal his revolutionary identity was largely due to his understanding of this historical fact. In the agrarian society of the late Qing Dynasty, the government's influence at the grassroots level was virtually non-existent. Even if Hua Xiumao reported him, without concrete evidence