Chapter 77

In the evening, Shang Yuan arrived as scheduled, accompanied by Qin Tongren and Xu Dian. After the previous "frank" meeting, it was decided that only these three people would go to Anhui. Chai Qingguo had already come from Tianjin. The three were not surprised to see Chai Qingguo again, but Chai Qingguo felt a bit awkward.

Chen Ke introduced the comrades from the north and south to each other and reported the latest situation. Shang Yuan and the others learned about the southern situation for the first time. After the introduction, everyone remained silent. Chen Ke then explained his stance, "The current situation is as follows: the People's Party branch in Shanghai has suffered a major setback. I plan to return to Shanghai immediately to rescue the arrested comrades. If Brother Wangshan hasn't changed his mind, I will arrange for them to go to Anhui."

"I won't change my mind. When will Wenqing set out? And what about your sister-in-law?"

"I plan to leave in three days. As for my wife, I will return to Shanghai with her and then arrange for her to travel to Anhui with other comrades."

"I need to stay in Beijing for a while longer; the factory matters need to be resolved," Qin Tongren's arrangement was quite reasonable.

"If Brother Wenqing needs someone to handle legal matters, I can go to Shanghai to help," Xu Dian seemed quite confident in his legal abilities.

"Thank you very much," Chen Ke appreciated Xu Dian's enthusiasm but had little hope for the legal proceedings.

After further discussion, it was decided that Shang Yuan and Qin Tongren would temporarily stay in Beijing, Chen Tianhua would return to Hebei immediately, Wu Xingchen, Chai Qingguo, Kuroshima Jinichiro, and Xie Mingxuan would leave for Shanghai the next day, Chen Ke would set out in three days, and Xu Dian would return home to handle some matters before heading to Shanghai to meet up with everyone.

With the decision made, everyone said their goodbyes. Xie Mingxuan, being very considerate, offered to move his luggage to Wu Xingchen's place. Chen Ke did not pretend to retain him.

After seeing everyone off, Chen Ke closed the door, and the large courtyard felt empty. Since coming to Beijing, this was the first time he had lived alone. Chen Ke was not a social person in the 21st century and actually enjoyed living alone. However, in this era, he had to live with his comrades. But habits are hard to break, and suddenly being alone again made him feel a bit uncomfortable.

Back in the room, He Ying noticed that Chen Ke seemed somewhat dejected and was puzzled. He Ying was not stupid and could tell from the subtle signs that Chen Ke had encountered some significant matters. She wanted to ask but didn't know how to start. Then she heard Chen Ke say, "It's late, let's sleep." He Ying felt a bit embarrassed. But she didn't realize that Chen Ke's "let's sleep" was literal, and the two of them slept in the same bed. Chen Ke quickly fell asleep.

He Ying, smelling the faint masculine scent on Chen Ke, felt restless. She wanted to wake Chen Ke to ask what was going on but couldn't bring herself to do it. She slowly slipped out of Chen Ke's bed, wrapped herself in a blanket, and lay down again. Chen Ke's breathing was so light she could barely hear it. She gently touched Chen Ke's face and felt his steady breathing. She felt reassured.

Wrapping herself in the blanket, He Ying couldn't help but think of her aunt He Qian's words before her marriage, "Chen Ke is not a good person; be careful after you get married." At the time, He Ying didn't understand this, and even now, she couldn't define Chen Ke. Regardless of whether Chen Ke was good or bad, he was at least polite and caring. He even cooked for her, helped her with her clothes, and cleaned up after meals. The men around He Ying were all served by their wives or servants. She occasionally heard her mother and the visiting ladies talk about similar situations in other families. This made Chen Ke seem quite special.

If there had been no wedding night, He Ying, a young girl, wouldn't have had any concept of it. She had only heard that married couples would do such things, but since it hadn't happened, she didn't feel any regret. After all, there was plenty of time in the future, and things would happen eventually. The only thing He Ying found unsatisfactory was that Chen Ke never consulted her about anything. But her father never discussed outside matters with her mother either, so this wasn't unusual. After thinking for a while, she felt sleepy and fell asleep.

The next morning, after breakfast, Chen Ke said seriously, "Madam, I plan to take you back to Shanghai the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow, I will introduce you to my father-in-law and bid him farewell. Today, you and I will visit some of my teachers and friends in Beijing and buy some gifts."

The third day of returning to the in-laws' home was a standard courtesy, and it required a lot of gifts. Chen Ke felt he needed to do some major shopping. He Ying's attention was drawn to the mention of Shanghai. She had heard of Shanghai but had no idea how far it was. "Where is Shanghai?" she asked.

Chen Ke thought for a moment, then took out a large book from his luggage. This was one of the most valuable things he had brought from the 21st century. In Taobao City, everything was for sale, and he had found a map guide for hikers. It was a 16-page, finely printed edition. Chen Ke loved cycling and traveling alone, and if he felt like it, he would also hike. The book was beautifully printed, and with money in hand, he bought two copies.

One copy was left in Shanghai, and he didn't know if it had survived the raid. But Qi Hui was reliable, and since he had entrusted the other items to Qi Hui, he hoped it would be safe. Placing the book on the table, Chen Ke began to explain Chinese geography to his wife. It was the first time He Ying had seen a real map. The colorful, densely lined map of China surprised her. Seeing the rooster-shaped map of China, she couldn't believe she lived in such a country. Chen Ke realized that the map included Mongolia, and if he showed it, he might be seen as a traitor. Although he couldn't expand China's territory, he couldn't bear to split it either. He never showed the map in his lectures in Shanghai, fearing it would cause misunderstandings among his comrades. Fortunately, He Ying didn't understand geography or maps and didn't ask further questions.

Chen Ke pointed out the route from Beijing to Shanghai. The book came with a ruler, and the fine transparent resin ruler fascinated He Ying. They measured the distance and, after conversion, found it to be several thousand miles. This really shocked He Ying.

"I came from Shanghai to Tianjin, and then from Tianjin to Beijing, and only then did we get married. A thousand-mile marriage is tied by a single thread; we are destined to be together," Chen Ke said sweetly.

He Ying blushed and was very happy. After a while, she asked softly, "Wenqing, why have you been so busy lately?"

Since it couldn't be hidden for long, Chen Ke decided to be honest, "A few of my friends in Shanghai were arrested by foreigners. I need to go back to rescue them, so our honeymoon has been delayed. Saving people is like putting out a fire; I really can't stay here now."

Hearing this, He Ying only nodded and continued looking at the map. She didn't show any dramatic reaction or demand answers from Chen Ke. This surprised Chen Ke.

"Madam, don't you have anything to say?" Chen Ke asked tentatively.

"Rescuing friends in distress is what a man should do. And you are taking me with you; what more can I complain about?" He Ying said slowly, "Since we are going on a long journey, let's buy more things today."

Chen Ke was truly impressed. Qin Tongren was right; he had insisted that He Ying was a good companion. Chen Ke hadn't thought about the Shanghai uprising or how He Ying would react to such a significant event. Her attitude was remarkably open-minded.

"Let's go then," Chen Ke said. He Ying closed the map book she had been reading with enthusiasm and handed it to Chen Ke. She was ready to act, showing no sign of being distracted by the book. Chen Ke, at seventeen, had no such self-discipline. He would never stop until he had thoroughly explored something he liked. He remembered his mother talking about a primary school teacher from a wealthy family who had attended a women's teacher's college and spent her life in education. His mother highly praised this teacher, who taught students to do things normally, a quality that Chen Ke now recognized as characteristic of a well-bred lady.

After packing the map and clothes, Chen Ke put on his sunglasses, which he thought looked good. He then realized it might not be appropriate and asked He Ying to wear them. Sunglasses were already available in the market, and He Ying, wearing them, looked very good to Chen Ke. She clearly liked the lightweight resin glasses but hesitated, saying, "Others might not think it looks good."

"You are my wife; why should you care what others say? I think you look great. Let's go." Chen Ke took He Ying's hand and they left.

Just as they stepped out, they saw Shang Yuan's coal cart parked at the door. Chen Ke didn't know whether to thank Shang Yuan for the early delivery of "mold" or not.

Shang Yuan hadn't expected Chen Ke to leave so early and noticed that He Ying was not wearing makeup, with her long hair in a braid, dressed like a young girl. Despite the stylish sunglasses, she looked quite different. Shang Yuan, not one for pretense, said, "Wenqing, I wanted to introduce you to someone. Let's move the coal first. Since you're up, let's go together."

Chen Ke knew Shang Yuan wasn't a trivial person, and if he invited him, it must be important. Since he had nothing urgent, he agreed. The three walked and chatted. Shang Yuan's coal was for his启蒙 teacher, and he had even repaired the stove for his teacher. The person Shang Yuan respected so much must be quite remarkable.

His teacher was a minor official in Beijing, and they quickly arrived at his door. A man in his fifties came out, and Shang Yuan hurriedly greeted him, "Teacher Li, I'm here. This is the Chen Ke I mentioned."

This Li was an ordinary-looking man, with ordinary clothes and speech. After Shang Yuan briefly introduced Chen Ke, he smiled kindly, "This is Chen Wenqing. I've heard a lot about you."

"Teacher Li, hello," Chen Ke also greeted him.

"Teacher Li, let's move the coal first," Shang Yuan said.

"Sure, let's move the coal," Chen Ke said, rolling up his sleeves and starting to work.

Teacher Li wore a rough short coat and, without much ceremony, took out a few wooden boards and joined in. With more people, the work was done quickly, and the five hundred pieces of coal were moved in no time. While Shang Yuan and Teacher Li were not at the door, Chen Ke secretly paid for the coal. The coal delivery man, a familiar Manchu, smiled, "Mr. Chen, Mr. Shang has already paid." Chen Ke then entered the yard.

After washing their hands, they sat down in the main room. Teacher Li, whose name was Li Hongqi, looked at Chen Ke and smiled, "I've read your books and heard about your aspirations from Wangshan. Today, I see that your actions do not match your words."

Chen Ke wasn't angry; the man was right. The books were plagiarized, and his actions were his true level. Compared to Marx and the authors of university textbooks, Chen Ke wasn't arrogant enough to surpass them.

Li Hongqi, seeing Chen Ke's indifferent expression, nodded slightly, "Wenqing, Wangshan asked me to guide you. From your writing, you seem to be from a noble family. But your actions show some flaws of a noble family. Confucius said, 'A gentleman has three fears: fear of heaven's will, fear of great men, and fear of the words of sages. A petty person, not knowing heaven's will, does not fear, treats great men with familiarity, and mocks the words of sages. Even if you are highly talented and well-versed, if you only know the what but not the why, you are like Zhao Kuo, who talks but does not act.'"

This had troubled Chen Ke for a long time. Hearing Li Hongqi's words, he was startled. "Teacher Li, this is my dilemma. Do you have any solution?"

Seeing Chen Ke's eager gaze, Li Hongqi smiled, "Wenqing, don't be in a hurry. Guidance is like fortune-telling on the street. I say my part, and you listen to yours. To put it crudely, it's like farting in your pants; it comes out both ends. But since Wangshan asked me, I'll try to help."

This was amusing, and Chen Ke, Shang Yuan, and even He Ying couldn't help but laugh.

"I studied Confucianism. Heaven's will is not about ghosts and spirits, which are not to be feared, but heaven's will must be respected. According to your book, heaven's will is the flow of history. Your words are very precise, making one want to clap in admiration, but why are your actions so rigid? I've never seen this before. Can you explain?"

Chen Ke found this difficult. "The Cultural Heritage of China and the Rise of Materialism" was a plagiarized work. He knew the complex theories but only superficially, far from being able to apply them freely. This was his capital for deceiving others and gaining fame. Telling the truth was extremely difficult. After much thought, Chen Ke mustered the courage to tell the truth.

Hearing Chen Ke's "bashful" confession, Li Hongqi laughed heartily, "I didn't expect Wenqing to be so honest. There's still hope for you."

Chen Ke felt that Teacher Li was good at comforting, but his words didn't make him feel better.

"Wenqing, even if the materialist theory is plagiarized, the Chinese part is definitely your own work. To be able to connect it to this level is already a great achievement. Don't be disappointed in yourself," Li Hongqi said sincerely, and Chen Ke felt much better.

Just as he nodded, Li Hongqi sneered, "Wenqing, do you know where you went wrong?"

This was confusing, and Chen Ke was completely at a loss.

"Do not be happy or sad because of external things or yourself. Joy and sorrow are only because of personal gains or losses. As for the matter itself, what joy or sorrow is there? Today, you secretly tried to give the coal driver money. I saw you looking around while moving things, afraid of doing anything wrong, afraid of making anyone unhappy. For an ordinary person, this is already quite good, but for you, with such great aspirations, as Wangshan told me, this is unacceptable. For ordinary people, not making mistakes is enough. For the heroes of the world, you must act as yourself."

Shang Yuan listened intently and nodded slightly.

Chen Ke was puzzled, "Could Teacher Li explain more clearly?"

"Wenqing, I've seen people like you. They believe that as long as they gather the right results in the process, they can achieve the final correct goal. This is a big mistake."

Chen Ke had never heard anyone put it this way before, and it was truly enlightening. "Where is the mistake?" he asked.

"The mistake is in thinking that there is a correct result that can be achieved. A gentleman fears heaven's will, which is not something you can control. Zhuge Liang once sighed, 'Planning is in man, success is in heaven.' You think you are wiser than Zhuge Liang, that you can control heaven's will. In your book, you wrote that history is a spiral ascent. I won't hide it; I was truly delighted when I read that. But when I met you, I was greatly disappointed. A petty person, not knowing heaven's will, does not fear, treats great men with familiarity, and mocks the words of sages. You can write the words of sages, but your actions are absurd, worse than mocking the words of sages."

Li Hongqi's words were sharp and cutting, but Chen Ke felt neither anger nor joy. He stared at Li Hongqi with a burning gaze and asked seriously, "This is my mistake. If I must risk my life, I can do it. But understanding heaven's will is beyond my ability. Teacher Li, where is the problem?"

"The problem is that you think you can achieve the correct result. This is a big mistake. You think there is a correct starting point and a correct endpoint. You only need to start from the beginning and reach the end. For ordinary people, this might not be foolish. But for someone like you, this is a metaphysical error. First, you must adhere to your ideals. Confucius said, 'If the way is not followed, I will board a raft and float on the sea.' Without such ideals, you cannot succeed. To practice these ideals, you must act according to your correct principles, from beginning to end. But the specific results, you know the general outcome, but not the exact outcome. Therefore, do not act for the correct result; act for the sake of following the principles."

Chen Ke was truly impressed by these words.

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