OBS Chapter 1259 Burdened by Reputation
Chapter 1259 Burdened by Reputation
Chapter 1259 Burdened by Reputation
That winter in Beijing was exceptionally cold. A biting north wind whipped up fine snowflakes, slicing across pedestrians' faces like knives. A thin layer of ice covered the cobblestones of Qianmen Street, and rickshaw pullers carefully pulled their vehicles, their breath condensing into frost in the air. However, the piercing cold couldn't dampen the enthusiasm of the students.
Early in the morning, hundreds of students had already gathered in the square in front of Peking University's Red Building. They wore thin cotton robes, some only with old sweaters, but all looked energetic. A boy wearing round-framed glasses stood on the stone steps, waving a banner in his hand with powerful calligraphy that read: "I have a dream—to expel the Manchus and restore China!"
"Classmates!" the bespectacled boy shouted, "Mr. Bai is right, we cannot give up hope! Today, we will make our voices heard throughout Beijing!"
"Yes! Let everyone hear it!" The crowd erupted in enthusiastic response.
The procession began to move, like a giant dragon awakening, slowly swimming out of the school gate. The students at the front unfurled a white banner over ten meters long, densely covered with their signatures. The cold wind whipped the banner through the air, but it couldn't shake the students' determined steps.
"I have a dream!" the girl in the lead suddenly shouted.
"The sunshine of fairness and justice shines upon the land of China!" the crowd responded in unison.
The sound was like thunder, causing the snow on the bare branches of the roadside trees to fall in a rustling sound. The owner of the breakfast stall on the street stopped what he was doing and stared blankly at the group of energetic young people; the vendor selling candied hawthorns forgot to call out, and the sugar coating on the candied hawthorns gradually solidified in the cold wind.
"What are they shouting?" On the second floor of the teahouse, several merchants opened the window and leaned out.
The procession grew larger and larger. Students from normal schools and Tsinghua Academy rushed to join the march. By the time they approached Dongjiaomin Lane, the procession had swelled to nearly a thousand people. The students walked hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, their steps perfectly synchronized.
"I have a dream!" the leading girl shouted again.
"The signs in the concession that say 'No Chinese or dogs allowed' will be smashed to pieces!" Thousands of voices erupted at the same time, making the glass windows along the road vibrate.
In front of the iron gates of the British Consulate, two Indian policemen gripped their batons tightly. They had never seen anything like it—a dense crowd, synchronized slogans, and the burning flame in the eyes of those young people.
"Go and report to the consul immediately!" a patrolman shouted to his colleague in broken English.
On the second floor of the Japanese consulate, a corner of the curtain was slightly lifted. Military attaché Fujita squinted, observing the commotion on the street, his expression growing increasingly grim.
"Baka!" he cursed under his breath. "Are these Chinese students going to rebel?"
Inside the French consulate, Consul Paul was having breakfast. When he heard the deafening slogans outside, his coffee cup clattered onto the carpet.
"My God!" he exclaimed, "Have these Chinese students gone mad?"
He strode to the window and saw the street teeming with people and banners everywhere. What startled him most was that there was no fear on those young faces, only unwavering faith and soaring fighting spirit.
The march continued until nightfall. That evening, the British Minister to China wrote in a secret telegram to London: "Today, a large-scale student march took place in Beijing, with radical slogans and high spirits. Most disturbingly, these students have shown an unprecedented spirit of defiance. It is recommended that we give greater consideration to adjusting our policy toward China..."
As night fell, a light snow began to fall again over Beijing, and the cold wind, carrying icy particles, lashed against the hotel windows.
Qin Hao was writing furiously at his desk, the dim kerosene lamp casting his shadow on the mottled wall. Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and Mr. Cai staggered in, his coat soaked with snow.
"Zihan!" Mr. Cai grabbed Qin Hao's shoulder, his fingertips almost digging into his cotton robe. "There's no time to explain, you have to go!"
He turned and pulled Qin Hao's scarf from the coat rack, his voice extremely low: "Yu Cai is waiting for you at Xizhimen; he'll see you out of the city."
Qin Hao gently pressed down on Mr. Cai's trembling hand. He turned and walked to his desk, taking out a stack of manuscripts wrapped in blue cloth from a drawer: "Brother Heqing, this is a dictionary I compiled. It allows you to look up Chinese characters using either pinyin or radicals. It should be helpful in promoting basic education, but time was short, and the included characters are not yet complete..."
Mr. Cai's throat tightened, and his eyes filled with tears: "At this very moment, Zihan is still so concerned about education; it's truly admirable..."
After Qin Hao quickly packed his luggage, he urged him to leave. After the two went downstairs, two rickshaws were already waiting.
After Qin Hao got into the rickshaw, Mr. Cai held up the dictionary manuscript and asked, "Zihan, could you name this dictionary?"
Qin Hao thought for a moment and said, "Let's call it Xinhua Dictionary."
Just then, a sharp whistle sounded in the distance. Mr. Cai's expression changed drastically, and he quickly shouted to the rickshaw, "Quick, take this gentleman to Xizhimen."
The middle-aged man pulling the rickshaw lifted the handlebars and said, "Hold on tight."
Mr. Cai's tone revealed his reluctance: "Take care on your journey, Zihan."
Mr. Cai wiped away his tears as he watched the rickshaw disappear into the alleyway, then stood in front of the hotel.
A group of police officers in black uniforms surrounded the front and back entrances of the hotel, making it impossible to pass through.
Mr. Cai glared angrily and demanded, "What are you trying to do?"
The patrol captain, who clearly recognized Mr. Cai, smiled and said, "Mr. Cai, please make way for us. We are on official business."
Mr. Cai sneered: "Official business? What official business? Official business of persecuting loyal and virtuous people?"
The patrol captain's expression changed, and he raised his baton, shouting, "Listen up, all of you! Orders from above: anyone who escapes a wanted criminal will be in deep trouble; anyone who dares to obstruct us will be apprehended on the spot!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than more than ten patrol officers shoved Mr. Cai aside and rushed into the hotel, kicking open the guest rooms one by one, startling the guests into screaming.
"You...you are simply lawless!" Mr. Cai appeared to be so angry that his fingers were trembling, but in his heart he was calculating how to buy himself more time.
"Report to the captain, he's not here."
The patrol captain then realized he had been tricked: "Quick, to Xizhimen."
Mr. Cai was about to stop the other party when he was pulled aside by two patrol officers.
"Bandits, they're nothing but a bunch of bandits!"
Watching the police patrol team disappear into the distance, Mr. Cai said with concern, "Zihan, you must get out of the city as soon as possible."
The night was as dark as ink, and a cold wind carrying fine snowflakes lashed at Qin Hao's face. He wrapped his cotton robe tighter around himself and looked up at the towering city gate of Xizhimen. The city gate was tightly shut, and the torches on the walls flickered in the wind, illuminating the blurry figures of the guarding soldiers.
The rickshaw driver stopped, panting heavily, and said in a low voice, "Sir, we've arrived."
As soon as Qin Hao got out of the car, he saw a familiar figure emerge quickly from the shadows beside the city gate. Lu Xun was wearing a worn black cotton robe, his beard was covered with a thin layer of frost, but his eyes gleamed with anxiety.
"Zihan!" Lu Xun grabbed his arm and said in a very low voice, "Come with me quickly."
Qin Hao was pulled to a secluded corner by the city wall, where he noticed that Lu Xun's hand was trembling slightly: "Brother Yu Cai, what happened?"
Lu Xun said indignantly: "Today, the students marched and shouted your 'dream' slogan, and stormed the consulates of various countries. The foreigners were furious and put pressure on the government to bring you to justice. When Mr. Cai learned of this, he immediately sent me to help you leave the city."
Upon hearing this, Qin Hao was taken aback at first, then chuckled self-deprecatingly: "Brother Yu Cai, I suppose I'm being burdened by my reputation?"
Lu Xun glared at him, his tone reproachful: "What time is it, Zihan, and you still have the mind to joke around!"
He pulled a heavy bag of silver dollars from his pocket and stuffed it into Qin Hao's hand: "This is the travel money prepared by Mr. Cai. Please keep it safe."
Qin Hao gripped the money pouch tightly, a warm feeling welling up inside him. Just as he was about to speak, the sound of rapid hoofbeats suddenly came from afar. Lu Xun's expression changed drastically, and he pulled Qin Hao along quickly towards the city gate.
The military commander guarding the city was a middle-aged man with a fierce face. Seeing the two approaching, he lazily raised his eyelids and said, "The city gate is closed. Come back tomorrow."
Lu Xun stepped forward, discreetly stuffed a bag of silver dollars into the officer's hand, and whispered, "Sir, please do me a favor."
The military leader weighed the money bag in his hand, a glint of greed flashing in his eyes. He waved his hand and said to the soldiers behind him, "Open the door."
The heavy city gate slowly opened, revealing a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through. Qin Hao turned to look at Lu Xun and solemnly cupped his hands in greeting: "I've seen you off for a thousand miles, but we must part ways eventually. Brother Yu Cai, please wait."
Lu Xun's eyes reddened slightly. He held Qin Hao's hand tightly, his voice choked with emotion: "Zihan, I hope that when we meet again, this country will be the one we both longed for."
Qin Hao nodded deeply, turned and stepped out of the city gate. The cold wind howled and snowflakes fluttered, and his figure quickly disappeared into the vast night.
Lu Xun stood inside the city gate, motionless for a long time. Only when the city gate closed again did he sigh deeply, wipe away the tears from the corners of his eyes, and turn to leave.
Before long, a patrol team arrived at Xizhimen on horseback. The captain at the head dismounted and shouted sternly, "Have you seen a young man leave the city?"
The military leader, a cigarette dangling from his lips, shook his head casually: "No."
The captain narrowed his eyes and threatened, "Have you thought this through? What crime is it to harbor a wanted criminal?"
The military leader exhaled a smoke ring and sneered, "I've been guarding the city gates for over a decade, and no one has ever dared to talk to me like that. You say someone left the city, where's the evidence?"
The captain was furious, his face turning ashen, but he was helpless. He mounted his horse and roared to his men, "Follow me out of the city and give chase!"
As the sound of horses' hooves faded into the distance, the military leader sneered and said to his soldiers, "These lackeys only know how to bully ordinary people."
Outside the city, the patrol captain led his men to search in the snow, but the snow fell heavier and heavier, quickly covering the carriage tracks.
The captain reined in his horse, gazed at the vast white wilderness, and gritted his teeth, saying, "Damn it, he got away again!"
Left with no other choice, he had to turn his horse around and return to the city to report back, feeling dejected.
Meanwhile, Qin Hao had changed into a coarse cotton-padded jacket, wore a tattered felt hat, and smeared coal dust on his face, looking exactly like a farmer on his way. He mingled with the crowd leaving the city, swaggered through the city gate, and headed towards Xi'an.
Along the way, he sometimes hitched a ride on a caravan's carriage, and sometimes chatted with fellow travelers, yet no one suspected his identity.
I occasionally overhear passersby talking about Bai Zihan's speech, and I can't help but feel a little emotional. I never expected that the speech would be so widely circulated.
Seven days later, Qin Hao finally set foot on the land of Bailu Plain. Looking at the familiar land before him, he let out a long sigh and murmured, "Finally back."
……
In the Bai family courtyard, the oil lamp cast a dim, yellowish light in the main room. When Qin Hao pushed open the door, Bai Jiaxuan was sitting in a grand chair smoking a pipe. He glanced at Qin Hao's coarse cotton-padded jacket and his face covered in soot, and the pipe clattered against the corner of the table.
"Hao'er, what's wrong with you?" Bai Jiaxuan's brows furrowed.
Qin Hao took off his tattered felt hat, revealing his face obscured by coal dust: "It's a long story. Is there anything to eat?"
Xiancao and Leng Qiuyue rushed over upon hearing the commotion. After hearing what Qin Hao said, they quickly went to the kitchen to cook.
Soon, the fragrant oil-splashed noodles were served.
Qin Hao said to Leng Qiuyue, "Go and call Heiwa over. I have something to tell him. Make sure no outsiders know I'm back."
"Okay, I'll go right away." Leng Qiuyue nodded obediently.
While eating his oil-splashed noodles, Qin Hao recounted the whole story.
Bai Jiaxuan slammed his fist on the table in anger, causing the teacup to jump three inches high: "Damn those foreign devils! They're bullying us too much!"
The veins on his forehead bulged, like earthworms wriggling under his skin.
"Auntie, is there any more?" Qin Hao had already finished a large bowl of oil-splashed noodles.
"Yes, there's plenty. I'll go get you some right away."
After eating three large bowls of oil-splashed noodles, Qin Hao rubbed his stomach and let out a satisfied burp.
Just then, Leng Qiuyue also brought Heiwa into the courtyard.
Upon learning that Qin Hao was wanted, Heiwa immediately patted his chest and said, "Brother Hao, don't worry, this is our territory. If anyone dares to cause trouble here, the guns in our security team aren't just for show."
“There’s no need to fight them head-on. I sneaked into the village under cover of snow. As long as you don’t say anything, no one will know I’m back. I’ll go stay with my uncle for a while. It’s peaceful there. Once this storm passes, everything will be fine.” Qin Hao pressed down on Heiwa’s shoulder.
Heiwa nodded: "Brother Hao, I'll listen to whatever you say."
"By the way, I heard your wife is pregnant. Congratulations! You're going to be a father soon!"
Heiwa chuckled憨厚ly: "Hehe, it's still early, it won't be full-term until next autumn."
After saying that, Heiwa rubbed his hands together and said to Qin Hao, "We'll have to ask Brother Hao to help us come up with a name later. You're very knowledgeable."
"No problem, I'll definitely give your child a good name."
After chatting, while Xiancao and Leng Qiuyue went to the kitchen to clean up the dishes, Qin Hao lowered his voice and said to Heiwa.
"After next spring, don't sell all the ammunition produced; keep 20% in storage."
Heiwa's heart skipped a beat: "Brother Hao is going to..."
Qin Hao shook his head: "It's not what you think. Just do as I say. I have other uses for these ammunition."
"Okay, I'll pass on the instructions later."