Republic of China era: A hundred-year-old still practicing martial arts? Is that right?

"Yes, the Gu family of Xincheng," Gu Yanqiu explained, pausing before adding:

"I didn't tell you before, but the Gu family used to be one of the two major families in Xincheng. Later, the whole family moved to the provincial capital. My father died early, and my mother missed him and didn't want to leave Xincheng, so she didn't go with him."

"Gu..." Manager Wang suddenly murmured, then turned to Gu Yanqiu and asked:

"Is it... the Gu family, whose main business is smelting and iron casting in the provincial capital?"

Gu Yanqiu chuckled lightly, neither confirming nor denying.

Manager Wang muttered under his breath, "I heard that the Gu family has recently built several new factories in the provincial capital, specifically for production..."

Manager Wang held up his hand and made the number "eight".

Lin Ji's face remained expressionless.

Gu Yanqiu actually had this other identity.

Researching that thing...

It's likely that the Gu family is quite influential in the provincial capital.

Yue Ru left; it's more peaceful for her than if she stayed in Jiangcheng.

"Okay, Jiangcheng is indeed a bit chaotic." Lin Ji nodded. "Even after being here for so many days... I've..."

Lin Ji glanced at Steward Wang, then stopped talking and said, "After the martial arts class, take Yue Ru to the Sea Dragon Gang. Let her stay for a few days until the Gu family arrives."

Gu Yanqiu nodded.

Lin Ji came out of the manager's office.

Unlike when Manager Wang had been indifferent during the registration process.

Manager Wang, standing at the entrance of the management office, waved to Lin Ji repeatedly, "Old Lin, take care, come visit the martial arts hall often."

This chaotic world.

I'm bogged down in trivial matters.

You never know when disaster might strike.

Saying goodbye is not easy either.

……

West of the city.

Welcome building.

During the day, there were very few members of the Tongmenghui. Only Zhao Qiaosheng, Wang Siwei, and a middle-aged man in his forties who looked exactly like a schoolteacher were busy serving tea and water behind the mountain.

"Brother Xia, we can do these things ourselves."

"Just settle the accounts you brought back last time and see how much opium has flowed into Jiangcheng." Zhao Qiaosheng glanced at the busy Xia Long'an and continued to flip through today's newspaper.

"It's alright, I enjoy doing these things. If I don't do them, I always feel empty." Xia Long'an, with a small mustache and wearing a round hat, smiled as he filled Zhao Qiaosheng's cup with water before sitting back down at the table.

He was introduced by Zhang Shih-hao.

He was the Zhang family's accountant, extremely skilled at accounting, and never falsified accounts. Because of this, he was not well-liked by Zhang Jichuan and could only do errands in the Zhang family's accounting office.

However, it was precisely because of his upright character that Zhang Shih-hao introduced him to work as an accountant for the Tongmenghui.

"By the way, Brother Xia, how is your daughter? I heard from Siwei that she has an infection. If it's serious, we need to find a way to get her to the hospital." Zhao Qiaosheng raised his head and looked at Xia Long'an sitting at the table.

"I'm almost better after drinking the herbal medicine. Going to the hospital... is too expensive." Xia Long'an smiled, but there was a hint of bitterness in his smile.

"If you need anything, just say so. We can chip in and buy some medicine. It won't be a problem." Zhao Qiaosheng saw through the scheme.

"Okay, I'll check on things when I get back tonight," Xia Long'an nodded in response.

"Brother Zhao, three people have arrived."

The courtyard door creaked open, and Wang Siwei walked in, speaking in a low voice.

"Who is it?" Zhao Qiaosheng asked, putting down his newspaper.

"A beggar, and a butcher with a fat wife." Wang Siwei said, then added, "The butcher said he couldn't make a living anymore and wanted to join the Tongmenghui to save this dilapidated Jiangcheng."

"A beggar, a butcher?" Zhao Qiaosheng frowned slightly, as if he had thought of something: "Let's go, let's go see him."

Inside the reception hall.

Zhao Qiaosheng met the three people.

The three people looked very strange.

Butcher Zhang and Wang Erniang were about the same height, but both were more than half a head taller than the beggar.

The two men were burly and strong, making the beggar stand out as an oddity.

"The three of you... who is this?" Zhao Qiaosheng spoke first.

Neither Butcher Zhang nor the beggar responded, but Wang Erniang took the first step:

"We must join the Tongmenghui and kill all those foreign devils in the city."

"Madam, you don't seem to have any martial arts skills," Wang Siwei said, adjusting his glasses and giving Wang Erniang a once-over.

She deliberately bent her arms, revealing her large, fleshy arms: "I'm strong enough. My husband is one of the Thirteen Protectors, a butcher. He's got the skills to teach me kung fu!"

Zhao Qiaosheng chuckled softly, his sense of energy sweeping over the three of them. He could indeed feel the concentrated energy emanating from the two people behind Wang Erniang.

"Let's go, let's talk in the backyard. This isn't the place to discuss this."

Wang Erniang was used to being arrogant and wanted to say something, but she was shoved by Zhang the butcher behind her. When she saw her husband's eyes, she finally calmed down.

……

North of the city.

The shop has already opened.

It's a rare Western medicine store.

The store had a wide variety of medicines, even more than the foreign hospitals in the concession.

just.

The neighbors passing by were terrified by the exorbitant price of the medicine.

Iron Bell remained calm, sitting behind the counter with a book in hand, savoring it carefully.

However, his mixed-race appearance is indeed quite eye-catching.

Many women in the city would use shopping as an excuse to steal a glance from afar.

Even the female students who had finished their march were no exception.

The female students, holding flyers, strolled busily along the streets of the north of the city, occasionally pretending to hand out flyers or do other things, glancing sideways at that handsome mixed-race face and that strong, upright figure under the white suit.

"Oh, Chunfang, stop looking! That guy's obviously a foreign devil. Didn't you say we should overthrow the foreign devils?"

"What? My hair is sticking out of my face, I'm just tidying it up."

"Li Na, hurry up with your flyers! What's over there? It's never going to end."

……

The sounds rose and fell incessantly.

The noise released the girls' pent-up emotions.

just.

"Cough cough—"

A soft cough rang out in the crowd.

It was quickly drowned out by the noise.

……

"Mom...is this medicine the only way to cure my sister's illness...?"

Next to the pharmacy, a little boy was holding his mother's hand, pointing with his other hand at the "Amoxicillin" on the counter.

The woman appeared to be in her early forties, with a somewhat weathered look on her face.

She glanced at the box of amoxicillin, her eyes lingering for a few seconds, then she sighed softly and tugged at the little boy's arm.

"My dear, you've already drunk the herbal medicine prescribed by the doctor, and you'll be better in a few days."

The little boy tugged at his mother's sleeve, wringing and crying, "But the doctor said that Western medicine works faster, and he's afraid that my daughter won't be able to handle the traditional Chinese medicine."

"You naughty child, why won't you listen? Come on, let's go." The woman's eyes welled up with tears as she grabbed the little boy and shouted at him rudely.

Next to the counter.

Tie Muling put down her book.

He took out the box of amoxicillin from the cabinet, looked up at the mother and son. His face was bathed in sunlight, gentle and dignified, with a touch of nobility from a prominent family and the unusual handsomeness of a mixed-race person.

Even her mother couldn't help but glance at her face twice.

He spoke slowly, fluently in Chinese: "Madam, please take this medicine to treat your illness. Saving lives is more important than making money."