Chapter 54

As Chen Ke was led by the gatekeeper to meet Mr. Gu Hongming, the Shanghai branch of the party was holding a heated meeting. The meeting had been going on for half an hour, but the atmosphere had not become more lively with the discussion. Instead, a heavy mood hung over the meeting room.

Now, the Shanghai branch had five members left: Qi Huishen, Hua Xiongmou, You Gou, He Zudao, and Qin Wu'an. Chen Ke had clearly stated his intention, hoping that the comrades could take the initiative to complete the social survey. Chen Ke and Chen Tianhua did not just leave the work to others. Before they left, the two of them completed their tasks and clearly assigned work to the members of the Huangpu Book Society. Everyone also expressed that there were no problems. At least when the two of them left, there seemed to be no issues on the surface.

You Gou had given lectures to the members of the Huangpu Book Society, Qi Huishen had always been responsible for coordinating the affairs of the book society, and Hua Xiongmou was in charge of the construction site. At first, everyone worked together very well. However, the work became increasingly difficult. The most critical issue was how to analyze the data obtained.

"How to talk to the common people is very important. It's not just about being polite." Hua Xiongmou had the most experience in this area, but unfortunately, he was now firmly tied to the construction site, where the first dormitory building was about to be completed. Apart from the necessary party meetings, Hua Xiongmou moved to live on the construction site.

"You should tell this to the members of the group. What's the point of telling me? I would like to go to the front line myself, but I really can't leave." Qi Huishen was under a lot of pressure recently, and a red pimple had appeared on his chin, clearly due to stress. "Wenqing can just stay in Shanghai to oversee things."

"Wenqing has already finished his report. The key now is to get the students to conduct the surveys themselves." Hua Xiongmou was also frustrated. Although Chen Ke did not like to play the "wonderful strategy" game, he could not help but leave a set of his own manuscripts. Chen Ke had discussed the issue of textiles in the late Qing Dynasty many times on 21st-century forums. Based on the content of those discussion threads, Chen Ke wrote a report.

In the late Qing Dynasty, with the development of China's textile industry, the demand for cotton increased rapidly. However, small-scale peasant economies were extremely insensitive to market changes. No matter how high the price of cotton, farmers who cultivated small plots of land could not possibly switch to growing cotton. Farmers could barely ensure their own subsistence by growing food; who would care about cotton?

Landlords with large tracts of land were even less likely to increase cotton cultivation. The reasons for this were more complex. Simply put, the primary goal of landlords was to increase the land under their names. Generally, the best way for landlords to increase their land was to hoard grain and, during famine years, buy the land of farmers who lacked food to expand their land area. Farmers would not easily sell their land unless they were in dire straits. They would only sell their land to survive. Growing cotton would not have such an effect. Food could be eaten, but what was the use of a pile of cotton?

Moreover, consolidation itself might not necessarily lead to better economic outcomes. An increase in land area meant an increase in taxes. Small-scale peasant economies directly led to the dispersion of land. The land of landlords was not all contiguous but scattered throughout the vast countryside. These real situations directly prevented landlords from developing and using their land more effectively. Collecting rent was the most suitable method for this situation.

"One person can do what dozens of people can't." Qi Huishen said dejectedly. He had read the report, and the data analysis and conclusions in it were very convincing. Qi Huishen actually doubted whether Chen Ke had ever been to the countryside, but his views on rural issues were quite accurate.

This lengthy paper analyzed many things, and all the party members had read it. Hua Xiongmou had lived in the countryside for a few years and was very supportive of Chen Ke's work. However, support was one thing, and the members of the Huangpu Book Society were not Chen Ke. It was unclear when they would be able to write such articles. The current social survey was a case in point. Just getting these people to collect changes in cotton prices in Shanghai was very difficult. After sending people out for six or seven days, the data collected was fragmented, either repetitive or with absurd prices. For the cotton prices in 1905 alone, they collected data that varied by more than double.

"How do these people talk to merchants? They can't even get the prices right." Qi Huishen was responsible for data consolidation. Looking at these things, he felt a headache. Qi Huishen collected as many textile prices from various years as possible according to the plan. The most significant help in this matter came not from the students running around the streets but from the concession statistical yearbook compiled by Wang Bin.

"What does Wenqing want us to do? Is he trying to make us look bad?" Comparing the various data collected by the Huangpu Book Society with the concession statistical yearbook, Qi Huishen even had such thoughts.

You Gou was responsible for pharmaceutical production, and recently, production and sales had been thriving, so she did not participate in the social survey. "I say, you two shouldn't complain here. Why did Wenqing organize the social survey?"

"Isn't it to understand the current situation in China?" Qi Huishen replied irritably.

"But I remember Wenqing said the purpose of the social survey was to expand the party membership."

"Huh?" The other comrades' gazes simultaneously fell on You Gou's face.

"The main purpose of the social survey is to find comrades who can believe in the people's revolution. Before Wenqing left, he didn't know how many of these people could be absorbed into our organization. So he organized the social survey. From what we see now, Wenqing's plan is clearly off. Should we change our approach?"

No one responded to You Gou's words. This was the first time someone had directly criticized Chen Ke's methods. Everyone was momentarily unable to fully accept this small shock.

"How do you plan to do it, Sister You?" He Zudao asked first. This child had always been very respectful and supportive of You Gou since learning that she was involved in pharmaceutical production.

With He Zudao's question as a lead, You Gou continued, "Since those people are not up to the task, we shouldn't expect them to have Wenqing's insight. Now, we should reorganize the social survey around Wenqing's report. Let them recognize that the problems Wenqing pointed out are the reasons for the current high textile prices. This will be faster."

This suggestion sounded good. You Gou did not oppose Chen Ke at all, and the new plan could also serve as a way to screen party members.

Seeing that everyone was somewhat convinced, You Gou pressed on, "Don't say those people, even among us party members, who can write a report of the same level as Wenqing's? Since no one can write it, let's see who can understand it first. When the radish is fast, it doesn't need to be washed. Whatever gets into the basket is good."

Although this was a reasonable statement, it sounded somewhat helpless. Hua Xiongmou did not strongly oppose it, but Qi Huishen found it hard to accept. Qi Huishen knew that Chen Ke hoped to gather a large number of comrades who could recognize the significance of the people's revolution. And didn't Chen Tianhua understand the significance of the people's revolution? The original intention of this social survey was to help revolutionary-minded youth discover contradictions through analysis and investigation, thereby effectively expanding party membership. Although You Gou's suggestion made sense, it was not what Chen Ke and Qi Huishen originally hoped for.

Qi Huishen remained silent, and Hua Xiongmou was also unwilling to speak. The party meeting fell into an awkward silence. It was He Zudao who broke the silence. "Let me say a few words."

Seeing the slightly timid He Zudao, You Gou gave him an encouraging smile. He Zudao's delicate face turned slightly red, but he straightened his chest.

"I joined Wenqing for a reason that everyone knows. Mr. Wenqing and Sister You Gou saved my life. This is one of the reasons I am determined to follow everyone. Since joining the party, I feel that I can understand Mr. Wenqing, and his words are very reasonable. But if you ask me to think of these things on my own, I would never be able to. Mr. Wenqing has always believed that he is not extraordinary. He thinks that what he can do, we can do too. I believe that we will be able to do it in the future, but not now. Now, we just need to find people who can understand Mr. Wenqing's words and are willing to follow him."

He Zudao had always been a well-behaved child and had never expressed his own views before. Today's words were already very proactive, although everyone felt that he was saying this out of support for You Gou.

The internal democracy of the People's Party was arguably the strongest among all political parties at the time. However, in any organization, there was always the issue of "seniority." This was not about party discipline but a very real human nature. Since He Zudao had not had any significant contributions before, his words could not immediately lead the direction. However, the atmosphere of internal democracy had been built over several months, and everyone began to think about He Zudao's words. The fact that everyone paid attention to He Zudao, who had a relatively weak position, was enough to prove that Chen Ke's efforts had had a significant impact.

In the People's Party, He Zudao's position was not the "lowest." Qin Wu'an had even less seniority. Encouraged by He Zudao's statement, Qin Wu'an also spoke up, "I request to speak."

Seeing Qi Huishen, the chair of the meeting, nod, Qin Wu'an said, "Do you think I am a qualified party member?"

Qi Huishen, a very smart person, understood Qin Wu'an's meaning from his words. As Qi Huishen had predicted, Qin Wu'an supported He Zudao's view, indicating that what was needed now were qualified party members who followed party discipline, not outstanding revolutionaries like Chen Ke. You Gou's suggestion made sense.

Qi Huishen glanced at Hua Xiongmou, who was also looking at him. Both of their gazes were filled with helplessness. Originally, Qi Huishen's idea was that he and Hua Xiongmou would set the tone, and then proceed according to that tone. However, the current situation, according to the party's organizational discipline, required the minority to服从多数. It was now clearly three to two, and if a vote were taken, You Gou's new plan would win.

Qi Huishen was not too concerned about the possibility of a failed vote. The problem was that if the vote passed, it would completely overturn Chen Ke's original plan. Moreover, Chen Ke's original plan was not the result of a vote but merely a suggestion he had made. Once a new vote passed, it would become a decision of the party organization. According to the party discipline established by Chen Ke, even if Chen Ke returned to Shanghai, he would have to follow this resolution before a new discussion and vote within the party. Qi Huishen felt a sense of unease about this.

Qi Huishen now faced a dilemma. If he insisted on following Chen Ke's established policy, he would first face a difficult situation to implement. The People's Party had never encountered such a situation before. With Chen Ke, Chen Tianhua, and Wu Xingchen all leaving Shanghai, Qi Huishen and Hua Xiongmou were considered the "two giants" of the party. However, in terms of seniority and prestige, they were not the second in the party. You Gou was not much worse than them. If Qi Huishen insisted that the original plan was set by Chen Ke, it would seem like he was "borrowing the tiger's might." He was already wary of the subtle opposition between him and Hua Xiongmou. Personal emotions were hard to substantiate, and jumping to conclusions was not advisable. Although Chen Ke had such a plan, party discipline was repeatedly emphasized as the most important, and it was also established by Chen Ke. If someone mentioned this, Qi Huishen would immediately be in a self-contradictory situation.

While Qi Huishen was considering, he heard You Gou say, "Let's vote on this issue." This was the last thing Qi Huishen wanted to hear, but according to party discipline, if You Gou proposed a vote, it would have to proceed as long as one person agreed. As expected, He Zudao supported You Gou's proposal, "I agree to vote."

You Gou, He Zudao, and Qin Wu'an all raised their hands in agreement. Hua Xiongmou, after a long silence, slowly raised his hand as well. In the end, the Shanghai party organization passed You Gou's proposal with a four-to-one majority.

Chen Ke did not know that the first true internal democratic resolution of the People's Party had been born. Of course, even if Chen Ke knew, he would not be angry. At that moment, Chen Ke, Chen Tianhua, and Gu Hongming were having a pleasant conversation. Gu Hongming was a lean man with a face full of wrinkles, but he now looked radiant with joy. He understood Latin and, after listening to Chen Ke's detailed explanation of the standard Chinese pinyin pronunciation, was truly overjoyed. He then discussed the promotion of Chinese pinyin with Chen Ke. Of course, the promotion of Chinese pinyin was not a problem; it was just a matter of how to promote it. As the highest educational institution and administrative body in the country, the Imperial University of Peking had the authority to oversee schools in all provinces. As a teacher, Gu Hongming naturally had many ways to promote it. Chen Ke understood Gu Hongming's enthusiasm but had no illusions about the effectiveness of the promotion. The promotion of Chinese pinyin in the new China was based on the improvement of the compulsory education system. Even so, without the development of radio, television, and the internet, Chinese pinyin would not have had such a profound impact.

Of course, Chen Ke was not foolish enough to say these things. He calmly responded to Gu Hongming's comments. The conversation gradually shifted from pronunciation to translation. Chen Ke firmly supported the use of Latin-based semantic translation for proper nouns, using the Mediterranean as an important example. The term "Mediterranean" evoked the image of a sea surrounded by land for the Chinese, and in Latin, it was composed of two roots: "middle of the earth" and "sea." Chen Ke had read some articles that mentioned some pretentious "public intellectuals" who foolishly loved phonetic translations, turning the elegant translation of the Mediterranean into a long string of strange-sounding characters. Chen Ke was strongly opposed to this.

Gu Hongming supported Chen Ke's opinion, being a staunch supporter of traditional culture. The conversation then turned to Chen Ke's book. Gu Hongming did not mince words and directly pointed out many instances of forced reasoning in the book. As for the inaccuracies, Gu Hongming clearly stated that due to the excessive number of unreasonable contents, a "correction" needed to be written. Chen Ke and Chen Tianhua were well aware of the magnitude of this task. Chen Ke did not read much history, and while he found "Records of the Grand Historian" and "Records of the Three Kingdoms" manageable, he would fall asleep while reading "Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government." Chen Tianhua, who was responsible for historical data collection during the book's writing, was the most authoritative on this issue. The two of them discussed it, citing various sources, and Chen Ke listened with a drowsy expression. In the end, they agreed that Gu Hongming suggested forming a specialized editorial group among the students of the Imperial University to improve the book. The fact that Gu Hongming was willing to give Chen Ke such face moved even Chen Tianhua.

"Wenqing, Mr. Yan sent five copies of your book, and I placed three in the library. They were borrowed out as soon as they were put in. I invited you here to give a lecture. What do you think, Wenqing?"

Being able to give a lecture at the Imperial University of Peking, the predecessor of Peking University, was a great honor. Chen Ke was not overjoyed but felt a bit nervous. If the lecture was about revolutionary principles, Chen Ke was not afraid. If it was about social structure or economic operations, he was not afraid either. He was worried that if the students questioned him about historical issues, his limited historical knowledge would make him look foolish. However, the purpose of coming to Beijing was to develop comrades, and a lecture was a very good platform. Chen Ke mustered his courage and agreed.

"Shall we start tomorrow?" Mr. Gu asked.

"Everything is up to Mr. Gu's arrangement," Chen Ke replied.

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End of Chapter 54