Chapter 3: The Fire at Cao Family Tower

Just as I was shouting loudly, several soldiers jumped down from the truck. After they ran over, they began to punch and kick me. After a while, they lifted me off the ground and then shoved me towards the side of the truck.

The Chinese people are all passionate. Upon learning that the country was about to sign such a humiliating and detrimental agreement, everyone spontaneously organized and took to the streets to protest. At that time, public sentiment was fervent, and I was assigned to set fire to the residence of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cao Rulin

When assigning tasks, I somehow misheard and confused Zhao Family Building, where Cao Rulin lived, with Cao Family Building. At that moment, filled with fervor, I didn't think much of it, and ultimately set fire to the department store across the street, where Manager Cao and his family were. ... As I watched the flames rise, I couldn't help but think, what kind of country does a department store manager sell...

In that moment, it was not just those who came to take advantage that left me dumbfounded; even I was at a loss. At that time, those who sought to benefit also dispersed. Finally, when I was at my wit's end, my distant uncle Shen Liancheng (by kinship, I should call him Third Uncle; thanks to my fortune, he is also considered a brother to Erlang Ye) came to visit me. After talking for quite a while, he offered me a way out: "Without a master, it is not feasible for a child like you to manage a temple (or shrine) alone. Therefore, you should rent the temple (or shrine) property to your uncle. I will provide you with some additional support so that you can go to school in the county. I do not expect you to achieve great scholarly accomplishments; once you finish your studies, you can return and help your uncle manage this family business."

Just now, I was solely focused on surviving; I would have gone to the Jade Emperor's Lingxiao Palace without hesitation, let alone the toad's mouth. ... Now that I have calmed down, I understand that the official I encountered earlier must have been heading to the toad's mouth...

I had not finished speaking when a person jumped down from the second truck's canopy. This person ran over and, upon seeing my face clearly, grabbed the officer's arm and said: "Commander Lang, do not make things difficult for the child; this is my nephew Shen Lian. He is not a bandit from the mountains."

After I got into the car, Old Zhao glanced at me with a drooping head and said slowly, "Here we go..."

Speaking of which, I also brought honor to Shen Liancheng. After adapting to the county school for half a year, I surprisingly caught up with the pace of the school. In the blink of an eye, several years passed, and Shen Liancheng saw that I was still a good candidate for studying, so he spent money to send me to Beijing for high school

In the end, I was the only one wanted after the entire May Fourth parade. If you catch me, can there be any good outcome? At that moment, I hurriedly jumped down from the unicycle, disregarding the luggage, and turned around to run towards the sorghum field behind me. Relying on my familiarity with the path, as long as I could get into this cornfield, I would be able to escape from this predicament.

At that moment, a burly officer got off the truck. After glancing at my attire, he said: "Damn it, this is just a foreign student. Who said he was a spy for the bandits? You scared me there. Whoever it is, drag him to the sorghum field and execute him..."

Hearing Shen Liancheng's words, the officer squinted at me and said, "Have you been to Frog's Mouth? Are you familiar with it?"

It's only been a few days, and has the Beiyang government already sent someone to the Northeast to take me away? Wasn't it said that the three eastern provinces are Zhang Zuolin's territory? How is it that General Zhang has also started to align himself with Xu Shichang? But you say if I don't move, then I won't move? ... Not moving at all is akin to being a turtle

As I began to listen to what he was saying, I thought I had escaped from danger. Little did I know that by the time he finished speaking, half of my body was already stuck at the gates of hell. Watching two soldiers come over to drag me towards the sorghum field, I was so frightened that I shouted at the top of my lungs: "Boss... Boss! Please listen to me, I am a local from Shenjiabao. My uncle, Shen Liancheng, is a wealthy man; you can let him pay to redeem me..."

At that moment, I dared not move recklessly. I lay on the ground with my hands on my head and shouted loudly: "Don't shoot... I'm just a passerby, not the Shen Lian you are looking for! Please spare my life, boss... My uncle is Shen Liancheng from the Shen family fortress. You can ask him; I am his nephew, not a bad person..."

It was not easy to escape back from Beiping, so I must not foolishly die at my own doorstep. Originally, I had learned a bit of martial arts from Old Master Lü, which would suffice to deal with a few people, but the opponent is a soldier armed with a gun. No matter how skilled I am, I cannot compete with bullets.

I also did not disappoint Shen Liancheng's high hopes. After graduating from high school, I was admitted to Fu Jen University, established by the Yang family in Beiping. ... It was during the very first year of the newly started semester that I caused a major disaster in the library ...

As I was nearing home, with just over ten miles to go, I suddenly saw two Japanese-made yellow trucks coming from the direction of Shenjiabao. Such vehicles are quite rare in the area; some people have never seen a large truck in their entire lives

However, I still underestimated the situation. Before I could run a few steps, a sudden gunshot rang out behind me with a "bang!" At the same time, I heard a rush of wind by my ear as the bullet flew past me. ... They really dare to shoot ...

Just as I was about to ask the driver to stop and take cover, two trucks suddenly came to a halt. An officer dressed in the uniform of the Fengjun jumped down from the first truck. As he landed, he had already drawn his pistol from its holster, pointing it at me and shouting: "You little brat... don't move! If you dare to make a move, I'll send you back to your hometown!"

"Whether one can survive is uncertain, so there's no need for empty pleasantries." Shen Liancheng shot a displeased glance at Zhao Laonian, then sighed and said to me, "Nephew, why aren't you studying properly in Beiping? What are you doing back here? Now look, not only have I gotten involved with Laonian, but I've also dragged you into this... If anything happens to you, what will your father—your second uncle do?"

Beiping was no longer a place I could stay, so I could only borrow a few dollars from my classmates and take a train to escape Beiping overnight. I thought it best to return to my hometown to avoid the storm, as I could no longer continue my university studies. After this tumultuous period passes, I would see if I could change my name and find a way to make a living.

"You brat, if you can't find your way when you reach the toad's mouth, I'll still execute you. " After saying this to me, the officer continued to speak to the soldiers beside him: "Take this little brat with you, and if he tries any tricks on the way, just shoot him dead."

At that time, the First World War had just ended, and news came from the Paris Peace Conference, which was reaping the fruits of victory, that Germany had ceded its privileges in Shandong to Japan. Upon hearing this, the people of Beiping were outraged. Wasn't it said that everyone was a victorious nation? How shameless! ... How could a victorious nation start bullying another victorious nation ...

At that time, although several thousand people were arrested, due to pressure from various quarters, they were ultimately all released. However, the Beiyang government could not let go of its grievances and issued a warrant for my arrest

Does he not have an elder brother? When he gets old, our family’s elder brother will take care of him, so there is no need for me, his nephew, to worry unnecessarily about uncle. As for their family matters, let us not concern ourselves with them. Worried that Shen Liancheng would continue to inquire about matters in Beiping, I quickly changed the subject: "Let’s not talk about my second uncle’s family anymore, what’s going on with those soldiers? From what that official said, why do they still need to go to the Frog’s Mouth? Uncle, it’s not that I’m being nosy, you are the head of the Shen family fortress, and you know best what the situation is with the Frog’s Mouth. Since the day Shen family fortress was established, it has been a rule that that place is not meant for people to go to."

At this moment, it is not just the mouth of a toad that needs to be traversed; even the jaws of a dragon or a tiger must be crossed. I hurriedly said, "As for the mouth of a toad, I am the most familiar with it in the entire Shenjiabao. I am not boasting to you, Commander; when I was seven years old, I once slept in the mouth of a toad..."

Isn't that the voice of my third uncle, Shen Liancheng? When I turned around, he had already walked up to me. He used his body to block the soldier who was pulling me, and then, with a smiling face, continued to speak to the officer: "In terms of familiarity, this kid knows better than I do, please spare his life... Shen Lian! Why aren't you getting up to lead the gentlemen?"

Shen Liancheng was a juren during the Qing Dynasty, and for several generations, his family was the wealthiest in the surrounding hundred miles. Although his family fortune could not compare to that of Li Daolin from Tianjin, he did not regard such a modest estate with any interest. Thus, I gratefully accepted the offer from Old Master Shen. After preparing for a few days, I went to the county to attend elementary school

After following Shen Liancheng into the carriage, I was surprised to find a familiar face here. Zhao Laonian, who lived in Shenjiabao and made a living by hunting and gathering herbs, was also on the carriage. He was about twenty years older than me and, due to his family's extreme poverty and the fact that he was not a member of the Shen family, he had not found a wife even after turning forty. He could be considered a well-known bachelor in the area.

After listening to the officer's words, I was finally pulled up. Then, in a daze, I followed Shen Liancheng onto the truck behind us. It was only on the way that I turned back and realized that during the chaos, the owner of the vehicle had already escaped into the sorghum field... I had nearly lost my life, yet I inadvertently created an opportunity for him to flee...

After sitting on the train for a whole day and night, I originally planned to stay overnight near the station and return home the next morning. However, after seeing my wanted notice at the station, I changed my mind. I spent fifty cents to hire a unicycle for the night and took most of the night to finally arrive near my hometown, Shenjiabao, after dawn.