Chapter 2, The Fresh Flowers of May (3)
This is just too expensive!
Amidst the throng of people, three horse-drawn carriages resembled small boats adrift in a vast river, appearing and disappearing, swaying precariously, with the possibility of capsizing at any moment. The experienced coachman grew anxious, his face darkening as he cracked the whip sharply. Tian Renyu, who usually prided himself on his boldness and maturity, was also sweating profusely; one hand firmly wrapped around Han Qiu's waist, while the other rested on his own waist, gripping a short dagger over three feet long.
The further north one goes, the more crowded the traffic on the road becomes
Boss, you are not raising the price arbitrarily, are you
Five double rooms and one single room! Book for two days first! A young man dressed in a Zhongshan suit rushed in from the door and responded loudly
"Hmm, understood, thank you, elder sister!" Tian Ranyu responded impatiently, leading the convoy straight north towards the town. Sure enough, not far from the town hall, they found a completely white four-story building designed in a pseudo-European style. At the entrance of the building, there stood a traditional mountain gate commonly seen in Eastern temples, with a blue plaque in the center of the crossbeam inscribed with the four large characters: "Peace Hotel"
Only single and double rooms are left, with the single room costing 4 dollars per day, and the double room charging 1.5 dollars per bed per day. The stable rental fee is 0.5 dollars per horse per day. Breakfast is an additional 0.1 dollars, while lunch and dinner can be ordered at the second-floor restaurant at market price. The lobby manager, sporting a small mustache, did not even raise an eyebrow as he rattled off a series of astonishing figures.
He was on guard against someone attempting to hijack the horse-drawn carriage, and in fact, there were indeed many people trying to intercept these three precious vehicles by various means. A man in his forties, speaking with a Tianjin accent, lay on the ground next to the carriage, crying and shouting. When he saw the driver not stopping, he immediately sprang to his feet, full of energy, and joined four or five other men with the same accent in tugging at the reins of the tired horse. The driver, wielding a whip, struck their hands away, then suddenly tore open his black coat and pulled out a dark red triangular flag from his waist, "Bang!" he thrust it onto the yoke. "You blind fools, daring to target even the Red Flag Gang's carriage, are you tired of living?"
"Do not want Sun Yat-sen, want Yuan Shikai!" The little man impatiently pushed aside the hand dressed in the Sun Yat-sen suit, emphasizing his point.
Tian Qingyu inquired at several inns in succession, and without a doubt, they were all fully booked. Unwilling to give up, he continued deeper into the town, asking another four or five establishments, yet the innkeepers still wore expressions of helplessness. It was not until he had nearly reached the riverbank that he received some good news from the proprietress of a horse-drawn carriage shop. She mentioned that the Peace Hotel, located slightly to the north of the town center, might still have available rooms. However, regarding the price, she remarked, "Look at you students; you don't seem to be lacking in money. It's better to find a place to stay than to fall ill and worry your families back home."
Note 1: Sun Yat-sen, the legal currency issued by the Republic of China, features an image of Sun Yat-sen. The silver dollar, on the other hand, bears the likeness of Yuan Shikai
It’s you. What’s going on, have you made a round and come back? The shopkeeper with the little mustache lightly pinched him with his eyelids, following up with a hint of mockery in his tone.
"It's too expensive, so go find a big shop outside to sleep in a dormitory! As long as you can find one!" The shopkeeper with a little mustache replied with a look that suggested he had no worries about his good merchandise, curling his lips as he responded, "You are absolutely right; it's just price gouging. The price for today is 1.5. If you come back tomorrow afternoon, the price will definitely go up!"
The cart owner was unwilling to get entangled with the library, brandishing a long whip to urge the convoy to continue moving forward. They had not gone far when two young women, each holding a child, came running up in tears, pleading for the cart to take them to Baoding. "Sister, Baoding is to the southwest; we are heading north! You have asked the wrong person!" Lu Ming, unable to bear the sight of the two women and their children weeping before him, bent down and patiently explained.
I ... ... '' A young man in a Zhongshan suit held a bulging wallet, looking around. Suddenly, his gaze met that of Zhou Jue, and his pale face was instantly filled with surprise, `` Zhou Shitou, is that you? What are you doing here! ''
It is only twenty li, just twenty li away. If you turn back, it is merely a quarter of an hour's journey!" Two young women immediately lifted their children and hurriedly sent them towards the cart, regardless of everything else. At the same time, four or five men carrying boxes, bundles, pots, and pans, along with two elderly women over fifty, rushed towards the horse-drawn carriage.
Even those who have lived in the provincial capital were astonished by the prices at the Peace Hotel. In this era, a silver dollar could buy five jin of pork, twenty jin of rice, or eight feet of cotton cloth, even in the provincial capital of Shandong. To stay one night at the Peace Hotel surprisingly costs one dollar and fifty cents, excluding three meals
In such a remote town, finding a restaurant with such a magnificent appearance has already delighted the students. Who has the leisure to care whether the restaurant's layout is Eastern or Western? Cheering, they jumped down from the carriage, dragging their weary legs towards the lobby of the restaurant. Upon inquiring about the price from the lobby manager, their heads immediately drooped again.
"You, you are profiting from the national crisis!" Tian Ranyu angrily slammed the counter, wanting to argue with the little mustached man. Team leader Zhou Jue, seeing this, quickly reached out to stop him, and then, with a smile, began to negotiate with the little mustached man, "Boss, look at how many of us there are, could you give us a discount? We came from the south, preparing to go to Beiping to support Chairman Song's army, to defend our homeland!"
No, no, no. A war is about to break out; who knows what the situation will be for Sun Yat-sen next year?! Without Yuan Shikai, get lost; I'm busy here!" The little mustache had no intention of wasting time on idle chatter with Sun Yat-sen. He shot him a glare and said fiercely.
The entire town is packed to the brim with people fleeing from the north. Vehicles of all sizes clog the narrow streets, turning them into a maze. Chickens, ducks, pigs, and sheep in cages emit frantic cries of distress. Stray dogs, no longer cared for, roam in packs around every newly arrived cart, attempting to attract the attention of those on board with barks and raised tails in hopes of securing a meal for the night
The entire family was momentarily stunned into silence, and for a brief moment, they actually forgot to continue their entanglement. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the carriage darted forward four or five steps, creating distance between them. "The child's father—" "Father—" The young woman and the child in her arms cried out in unison, their voices filled with such sorrow and helplessness. Several big men had their faces flushed crimson, watching the carriage grow increasingly distant, yet none of them could muster the courage to pursue it. After a long pause, one of them spat a mouthful of thick phlegm onto the ground in anger, seized the child from his wife's arms, hoisted him onto his shoulder, and strode southward with determination. The faces of the big men were still flushed crimson as they watched the carriage recede further away, and still, none of them could find the courage to pursue it. After a long moment, one of them spat a mouthful of thick phlegm onto the ground in anger, seized the child from his wife's arms, hoisted him onto his shoulder, and strode southward with determination.
"Discount?" Little Mustache smiled and shook his head, directly ignoring the latter part of Zhou Jue's words. "Looking at you, you seem like a decent person, yet you can say such things? Go out and inquire; our restaurant has hosted President Cao and Premier Duan in the past. We would rather leave it empty than lower our standards. Are you staying with the library or not? If not, step aside; I still have to attend to other guests. Next..." Are you staying with the library or not? If not, step aside; I still have to attend to other guests. Next..."
Having had enough fun, return home early! Ah! In this chaotic time, do not let your family worry! The proprietress of the carriage and horse shop was amused by his pretentious demeanor as a hero of the martial world, laughing heartily and waving her fire tongs, urging him loudly.
With the presence of Boss Che, Tian Renyu, and Fang Guoqiang, the cart finally entered a larger market town safely at dusk. This town is named Hulu Valley, surrounded by hills to the north and south, with a clear small lake to the east. There is only one exit to the west, adjacent to the road and railway leading north.
We are going to Beiping, going to Beiping, you understand, right? We demand to fight to the death against the Japanese invaders, for the sake of people like you, to fight to the death against the Japanese invaders!" Fang Guoqiang suddenly stood up, pointing at a family of men, women, and children trying to deceive their way onto the vehicle, filled with frustration, "As men, you can't even protect your own home and your wife and children. Before you even hear the gunfire, you run away first. Aren't you ashamed, aren't you ashamed?" As men, you can't even protect your own home and your wife and children. Before you even hear the gunfire, you run away first. Aren't you ashamed, aren't you ashamed? Let him throw the child up here, Xiao Zhang, don't stop him, everyone don't stop him! We will take the child and head towards Beiping, better to let them die under the cannons of the Japanese than to follow their cowardly parents!
"Hehe, hehe!" The Zhongshan suit, suppressing his anger, forced a smile, took out his wallet, and pulled out a stack of legal tender from the central bank
Thank you, elder sister! Tian Ranyu clasped his hands together, adopting the demeanor of a person from the martial world, and expressed his gratitude to the proprietress
"This is a man's duty, follow us north. To Beiping, to Wanping, to fight the Japanese to the death!" Fang Guoqiang, who had just finished scolding others, stood on the bumpy cart, tears streaming down his face. "Fellow citizens, we can no longer escape. We fled from Northeast China to the interior, and then from the interior to Shandong. When the Japanese come chasing after us again, where else can you run? Although China is vast, there will always come a time when there is nowhere to go. When that time comes, how will you turn back? When the Japanese come chasing after us again, where else can you run? Although China is vast, there will always come a time when there is nowhere to go. When that time comes, how will you turn back? Fellow citizens, stand up, stand up, and rally yourselves. We have 400 million and 500 million people, while the Japanese do not even have a fraction of that..."
Wealth and poverty, faith and accent, at this moment, almost all the chasms that can divide people have automatically vanished. What everyone is thinking in their hearts is only one thing: escape, escape, the farther the better; even if it means taking one more step south, it would be the Cliff Mountain.
This, this... the Zhongshan suit's face turned bright red, and he spoke in a low and submissive tone to negotiate with the other party, "We, we were in a hurry to leave and didn't bring that much money. Could you, could you see if we can add a bit more money?"
Regardless of whether anyone is listening, he shouts hoarsely, waving his arms as if he were a madman. Several groups attempting to take advantage of the carriage driver hesitate and step back. It is not necessarily because they understand Fang Guoqiang's words, but rather because they are frightened by his frenzied appearance. Their tricks, whether feigning pity and pleading, lying on the ground and acting shamelessly, or resorting to violence, are all tactics aimed at normal individuals. However, using them against a "madman" often leads to counterproductive results. Their tricks, whether feigning pity and pleading, lying on the ground and acting shamelessly, or resorting to violence, are all tactics aimed at normal individuals. However, using them against a "madman" often leads to counterproductive results
In the restless hot wind, the flagpole forged from iron gleamed with a cold, icy light. It was unclear whether the thuggish appearance of the car owner had frightened them or if they were intimidated by the reputation of the Hongqi Gang, but several ruffians attempting to steal the car awkwardly retreated to the side, wiping their sweat and bowing in apology to the convoy
In order to take away as many valuable items as possible from their homes, the refugees requisitioned all available livestock and vehicles. ... Horse-drawn carts, donkey carts, ox carts, flatbed carts, and unicycles. ... Each vehicle was packed with bundles of various sizes, and around each vehicle surged countless faces filled with sorrow and confusion