Chapter 2 Half-Day Tour

Yang Rui actually did not know where to go. In the morning, he was just thinking about how to fabricate a false identity. When asked this question, he did not know how to respond, so he could only say: "I don't know where to go, just wandering around. By the way, boss, my suitcase is still in the room. I will be staying here today and should be back around noon."

"Alright, alright, Xi Sang can go now, it's nothing. Our place is the Zhang Ji Inn on Baoshan Street, every rickshaw driver in Nongyi Port knows it." The owner kindly reminded, fearing that this foreigner might get lost.

The boss, however, is a warm-hearted person. Upon hearing someone ask, he immediately became animated and began to explain in his somewhat unrefined Beijing dialect: "We are here on Baoshan Street, which is in the British concession. This Baoshan Street used to be quite famous, being the most prosperous place in the concession. However, it has become much quieter now... Oh, sir, where are you planning to go this morning?"

Upon seeing the man, Yang Rui felt relieved and slowly said: "I am looking to rent a house. Could you please tell me if there are any houses available for rent around here?"

At noon, Yang Rui turned back to Baoshan Street, but did not get off at the inn's entrance. Instead, he got off after a short distance, paid for the ride, found a restaurant to have a meal, returned to the inn to pay for the room, and then curled up in his room reading the newspaper

The coachman also sensed the concerns of this second-rate foreigner—in his view, anyone without a queue was associated with foreigners. He hurriedly said: "Rest assured, sir, the carriage is very sturdy. Just yesterday, I transported a foreigner who was not as tall as you but heavier. I took him to the French Concession without any issues." The coachman explained in a strong northern accent.

Early in the morning, Yang Rui woke up to the sound of roosters crowing. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw the dark ceiling and the white spider webs. After being dazed for a while, the absurd experiences of yesterday gradually flooded back into his mind like a tide. He cursed in frustration, moved his sore back from sleep, and began to think about what he and Tushu should do today. After only a moment of thought, his stomach growled, and a wave of hunger hit him. The world is vast, but eating is of utmost importance; he had no choice but to struggle to get out of bed, wash up, and before leaving, packed all the important items into his bag, locking the rest in the trunk. As he went downstairs and out of the living room, the innkeeper was also up. He stood by the dark counter looking at a booklet, wearing a purple short coat that hugged his large belly, his round face obscuring any expression. Upon seeing Yang Rui, he greeted him: "Good morning, Xisangnong, why are you out so early?"

Yang Rui can understand the local dialect of Shanghai, as he had studied there for several years in the past, but he is not very proficient in speaking it. He could only respond in Mandarin: "Is the boss also here early? I was just thinking of going out for breakfast. Oh... by the way, I came late yesterday and still don't know where this place is"

"The driver asked, 'Master, I know the Bund well, but I don't know where you would like to go. Do you want to head to the Concession, or perhaps to the French Concession?" Yang Rui felt uncomfortable with being called 'Master' repeatedly, yet he was unsure how to correct him

He suddenly sat up in bed, found a piece of paper, and began to write. However, after writing only a few characters, he stopped. It was not that he could not write, but rather that he was using a fountain pen to write in Simplified Chinese, and moreover, in vernacular language. After careful consideration, he began to strain his memory to recall the classical Chinese he had learned in middle school, and attempted to write in that style. An hour later, the article was completed; it was lengthy, but the content was not about grafting or anything of the sort, rather it was an article on fruit storage, written in classical Chinese, but in Simplified characters—he had not learned Traditional characters, so he was at a loss. Just as he was about to find an address to send it to, he encountered another difficulty. An hour later, the article was completed; it was lengthy, but the content was not about grafting or anything of the sort, rather it was an article on fruit storage, written in classical Chinese, but in Simplified characters—he had not learned Traditional characters, so he was at a loss. Just as he was about to find an address to send it to, he encountered another difficulty. He realized he had no address. This agricultural journal actually published an issue every ten days. If he submitted it, the payment would arrive half a month later, by which time he would no longer be living here. The accommodation fee here at https://www.hetushu.com is 3.5 per day, which is not cost-effective; renting a house would be better. After some thought, Yang Rui felt it was best to hurry and rent a house, not only because it was cheaper but also safer. Living in a hotel like this, where the door could be easily pried open, was truly unreliable. He decided to go to Ruyi later in the afternoon to look around; he would rent a house there.

"It is just within the concession, not outside the concession... I am feeling restless at home and want to take a look around. How much do you charge for a stroll in the British concession?" Yang Rui did not dare to say that he was new to Shanghai, fearing he might be taken to a secluded place and robbed, nor did he dare to mention the price

Yang Rui felt somewhat relieved and asked, "As long as the car doesn't break down, that's good. I would like to take a look around. Are you familiar with the area?"

Sir, this is the main road, where the most businesses are located and the most people gather

Oh, borrowing a house... Oh... wait a moment. The middle-aged man finished speaking and pushed the door back in. After a while, he shouted loudly: "Mrs. Huang, is there anyone in the outer room who wants to borrow a house?" After a while, he came out again: "You can go in and take a look at the house, Mrs. Huang is quite nice." Yang Rui then stepped into the courtyard, but the middle-aged man had already left.

Wang Laosan is actually a sincere person, running through every street, providing explanations, resembling a 21st-century tour guide, yet his speech is plain, akin to reading an instructional text

The number of newspapers was not large, unlike in later times when a stack could be bought for fifty cents, which could even be folded to make a pillow. These newspapers were only four or five pages long, with small formats. Both English newspapers contained comprehensive international and domestic news. Reading Chinese newspapers was quite a headache, as they were written in classical Chinese, and many characters in traditional script were completely unfamiliar, making it difficult to understand fully. Overall, they resembled the news broadcasts: the leaders—Empress Dowager and Emperor Guangxu—were portrayed as very auspicious, while the domestic situation was chaotic, and foreign news was quite good.

Not far ahead is Simalu, where there are many roadside bookstores. Yang Rui found a store with a large facade and walked straight in. In fact, he was not looking to buy any books; he just thought he had seen a newspaper outside a moment ago. The store had just opened, and there was only a drowsy young clerk inside. There seemed to be more than one newspaper, available in both Chinese and English. There were two English newspapers: one was the NORTH CHINA DAILY NEWS, and the other was the SHANGHAI MERCURY. The Chinese newspapers were more numerous, including Shen Bao, Xinwen Bao, the International Herald, the Diplomatic Gazette, and an Agricultural Journal. However, these newspapers were all in vertical traditional Chinese characters and lacked punctuation, making them quite difficult to read. Yang Rui did not mind; he took one of each, preparing to study them carefully when he got home. The newspapers were not expensive, costing just over a dime for seven or eight copies. However, he noticed that the books were quite pricey, with some costing a dollar, and most of them were novels, particularly detective stories. What surprised him the most was seeing a book published by the Commercial Press. Oh, that name sounded very familiar; many management books he had during university were published by this publisher. To see it here made him feel a sense of warmth.

"Let's take a stroll in the British concession..." The driver pondered for a moment and asked cautiously, "Could you give me a dime, please?"

Upon leaving the bookstore, there was nowhere else to go. It was only 8:30, and I was not familiar with the area. Just as I hesitated, I saw a rickshaw approaching and waved my hand. The rickshaw puller came running over; he appeared to be around forty years old, wearing a heavily patched coat, hunched over, with a braid wrapped around his neck, and his face was dark. He set down the rickshaw handle and carefully invited Yang Rui to get in. However, Yang Rui hesitated to board because he felt the rickshaw was not very sturdy. The dark wheels were wrapped in a circle of rubber, and the spokes were made of wood, which looked quite thin. Considering his weight of over one hundred, he feared that while sitting, the rickshaw might collapse or a wheel might come off, which would be quite uncomfortable.

Lazily lying on the bed, I subconsciously picked up a newspaper again, but it was the Agricultural Journal, which introduced some foreign agriculture and planting techniques. I noticed an article about citrus fruits, which discussed topics like the planting and grafting of citrus. It was a translation from an American article, and the translator even introduced China's Huangyan honey orange at the end of the article, calling it the king of oranges, which foreigners also praised. As I continued reading, Yang Rui's mind suddenly sparked with a 'buzz'; I realized that I understood much more than this era. This trash article is so unprofessional. I could write a piece and submit it to them, and I could also earn some manuscript fees.

At the noodle shop, I had a bowl of shredded pork noodles as usual. After finishing, I stepped outside to find that the sky was already bright, and there were many more pedestrians on the road, all in a hurry. The unicycles were filled with people, and a few rickshaws passed by from time to time, even several sedan chairs were being carried by four people in front and back, swaying back and forth, likely quite comfortable for the passengers, while the bearers were drenched in sweat. Alas, what a wretched old society. Yang Rui couldn't help but sigh inwardly, and then thought to himself that he was merely a passerby here, managing his own livelihood and hoping not to meet an untimely death, for there was no 110 to call here, and the lotus roots grown in Huangpu Beach were indeed famous.

"One dime, one dime is not a small amount." He actually had no real concept of a dime, "Well, meeting you and getting a ride in your car is also fate, so let's just say one dime." Yang Rui said as he got into the car

Sir, this is the back street, further ahead is the Suzhou River, and this place has the most money shops...

In summary, these newspapers provide little valuable information. For someone whose entire historical knowledge comes from time-travel novels, he can only recall details of certain key historical events. If it is not a key event—such as the First Sino-Japanese War or the Eight-Nation Alliance's invasion of China—then he knows nothing at all. The only information he has seen is in that diplomatic newspaper, which commented on Russia's occupation of Manchuria. In three years, Japan and Russia will be at war in the Northeast. What opportunities exist in this situation, or what he could do, Yang Rui does not know. If he were the commander of the Russian army, he could help them defeat Japan, but he is not, and even if he were, he could do nothing. It would be best if both the Russians and the Japanese were completely wiped out.

The man was taken aback, but upon seeing that it was a foreigner, he stopped. He had not heard what Yang Rui had just said, but he felt that this foreigner only appeared to be taller and did not seem like a bad person. He asked, "What are you doing, what are you looking for?"

Yang Rui had just opened his water cup to drink when he choked a bit. Wang Laosan was pulling the cart, and behind him was an unseen scene, as he spoke to himself while pulling. Thus, in Wang Laosan's dry and monotonous explanation, Yang Rui basically completed a tour of the British concession, except for the gas field near the racetrack. Wang Laosan mentioned that the ground there was too hot and would burn one's feet, and the cart drivers, wearing straw sandals, did not dare to go there. After asking for a long time, he finally learned that it was a gas factory, with gas pipelines laid underground for supply. However, at that time, the gas was only used for lighting and not for cooking. In this way, in Wang Laosan's dry and monotonous explanation, Yang Rui completed a tour of the British concession, except for the gas field near the racetrack. Wang Laosan said that the ground there was too hot and would burn one's feet, and the cart drivers, wearing straw sandals, did not dare to go there. After asking for a long time, he finally learned that it was a gas factory, with gas pipelines laid underground for supply. However, at that time, the gas was only used for lighting and not for cooking. The cart drivers only said that something happened underground, and it could catch fire, so they all dared not go to that place.

Sir, this is Yangjingbang, where there are the most brothels and the most courtesans...

At 2 PM, Yang Rui ran out again, this time directly taking a rickshaw to Ruiyi Lane. Upon arriving, he got off but did not know how to start. The area was filled with Shikumen houses, all the doors tightly shut, everything was the same as yesterday, and there was no one in the alley to ask for directions. After lingering in the alley for a while, he saw a door to a courtyard open, and a woman walked out. Seeing it was a woman, Yang Rui hesitated to approach her. After waiting for another half an hour, another courtyard door opened, and a middle-aged man came out. Yang Rui quickly went up to greet him: "Hello, may I ask if there are any houses for rent around here?" He lingered in the alley for a while, then saw a door to a courtyard open, and a woman walked out. Seeing it was a woman, Yang Rui hesitated to approach her. After waiting for another half an hour, another courtyard door opened, and a middle-aged man came out. Yang Rui quickly went up to greet him: "Hello, may I ask if there are any houses for rent around here?"