Chapter 2: Sun Family Village, Extortion

Only to see Ma Liu grabbing a young man dressed in a suit by the neck, still wearing that rogue expression while shouting. Looking again at the young man, whose hair was neatly styled, with a fair complexion and a rosy face, he appeared utterly helpless in the face of it all, dressed like a typical urban foreign student. The people in the market seemed to be watching the commotion with amusement, laughing and observing everything before them. In a China where local sentiments run deep, it is rare to see a local person stepping in when a local bullies an outsider. Moreover, no one would risk offending a local rogue to help an outsider.

Although it is close to the railway, Kongjiazhuang still appears somewhat desolate. On the streets, some Han and Mongolian people are herding cattle towards the cattle market. Gao Chuanliang sits in his pawnshop, sipping tea intermittently and smoking dry tobacco. Although Gao Chuanliang's family wealth in Kongjiazhuang is modest, he takes great pride in having accumulated this fortune after more than a decade of hard work outside. When he first arrived in the area, he had nothing but tattered clothes; now, in Kongjiazhuang, everyone greets him as 'Master Gao.' Despite the current difficulties in business outside, the trade in Kongjiazhuang is still relatively stable. Looking ahead, he hopes that his eldest son will have a healthy grandson, who can then be sent to study at the foreign school in Zhangjiakou. The graduates of that foreign school are increasingly in demand, and many officials in the city come from such institutions. If that happens, the Gao family will have a bright future.

"Patrol team!" Sima said lightly, feeling a moment of hesitation in his heart. "It seems today I can only accept this." Concerned that this might lead to unforeseen consequences, Sima was forced to accept this arrangement. "I only have these three dollars on me; consider it my apology. What do you think?" Sima took out the three silver dollars from his pocket, which had not yet warmed in his possession, and looked at Ma Liu with a gaze that seemed to want to swallow him whole. He had spent 300 dollars to obtain these.

I said, "Ma Liu, this gentleman has also apologized and admitted his mistake. He only has this little money on him, and with these three dollars gone, I think we should let it be!" Gao Chuanliang looked at everything before him. Although he often did not wish to get involved in matters, it seemed that this young foreign student had only this much money on him. Judging by his appearance, he did not look like a poor person, and with the intention of fostering goodwill, he felt compelled to offer some help. "Oh! It's Master Gao! What brings you here today? Three dollars? But it seems that this young foreign student has only this much money on him. Judging by his appearance, he does not look like a poor person, and with the intention of fostering goodwill, he felt compelled to offer some help. "Oh! It's Master Gao! What brings you here today? Three dollars? You know my status, Master Gao, so you should understand. If there is no money, doesn't this foreign student have that foreign watch on his wrist? Either pay up, or take that watch off your wrist and give it to me." Upon seeing that it was Gao Chuanliang, the owner of the Gao family pawnshop in the village, Ma Liu was evidently displeased. It was not easy to come across a fat sheep like this, and he was not about to let it go easily. If there was no money, that watch on his wrist seemed to be worth quite a bit. It appeared that he had never seen such a wristwatch before, which would be perfect to give to his brother-in-law so that he could secure a position for him at the train station.

Alright! This watch is for you. Let's consider this matter settled. I don't want to get myself into any trouble, and it seems that for now, I can only give this watch to Ma Liu. I pretended to struggle to free my hand from Ma Liu's grip to take the watch off. "Sir, this watch could fetch dozens of dollars even at a pawn shop; don't let him take advantage of you."

"Ten dollars! You might as well go rob someone!" Damn! This scoundrel, upon hearing the conditions set by the man, Sima felt a surge of anger. He only had three dollars in his pocket, having already spent 300 GMB to buy something from the antique market, and this person had the audacity to demand ten. "Why is it too much? Let me tell you, if you don't cough it up today, I'll take you to see the authorities. I happen to be a relative of the captain of the patrol team." Ma Liu saw that the foreign student in front of him was frightened by the amount he mentioned, and he quickly resorted to threats. What Ma Liu said was indeed true; the stationmaster of the Sunjiacun train station also held the position of captain of the station's patrol team, overseeing a patrol team armed with more than ten guns.

"Sir, if you trust our shop, this watch can be considered as ours for the time being; this money will be covered by this old man for you." Gao Chuanliang firmly believed in his thoughts and quickly stopped the young man's actions, wanting to help him keep this watch that he had never seen before. Establishing a good relationship with wealthy families is a good business deal. "Ah! No need! No need!"

Sima referred to this peculiar light circle as a "spatiotemporal anomaly" based on the similar concept from the television series "Ancient Invasion." Every day at midnight 0:00, this strange "spatiotemporal anomaly" appears punctually at Warehouse No. 2, and then disappears at 6:00 AM, with the entire process taking approximately 3.6 seconds. With Sima's limited understanding, it is nearly impossible for him to deduce what this phenomenon truly is. However, at the very least, Sima has gained some understanding of this light circle: it is associated with a parallel flow of time, a fixed location, and the circle emits a slight amount of energy that causes a very mild burning sensation on the surface of the body.

Gao Chuanliang, upon seeing the young man in front of him wanting to take off his watch, quickly intervened. Just by looking at the appearance of the watch, Gao Chuanliang estimated it to be worth at least 30 dollars. Observing the young master’s carefree demeanor, Gao Chuanliang began to suspect that this young man might be from a wealthy family in the big city, exhibiting a somewhat naive disposition. However, he could never have imagined that the watch was merely a cheap trinket worth only a few coins.

Upon seeing the old man trying to take the watch for himself in his own store, Sima quickly wanted to refuse. However, he struggled to come up with a good excuse and did not want the old man to suffer a loss. "Lai Xiang, go get ten dollars from the cabinet for Ma Liu," Gao Chuanliang said. Seeing the young master’s refusal, he mistakenly thought that the young master might feel that he was soiling his watch, and he felt his face flush as he shouted loudly.

"What do you want? You think you can just let it go after bumping into me?" Just as Gao Chuanliang was lost in his own thoughts, a voice from the street interrupted his daydream, causing him to frown slightly, clearly displeased. Following the sound, his frown deepened; it was Ma Liu, a notorious scoundrel from Kongjiazhuang. Relying on the fact that he had given his younger sister to the stationmaster at the village train station as a concubine, he had been running rampant in the village for the past year. Honest families were too lazy to engage in any disputes with such a rogue, and as a result, Ma Liu had become increasingly domineering in Kongjiazhuang over the past year.

"Go on! Go on! Good! How do you propose to apologize?" Looking at this person's demeanor and then glancing at the indifferent passersby around, Sima, adhering to the principle that it is better to avoid trouble than to create it, wanted to quickly understand the situation. It seemed that today he had to be prepared for a beating. "Apology method? Forget it, I'm in a good mood today, so I won't hold it against you. Just take out ten dollars to appease my anger." Ma Liu Yi, seeing the foreign student in front of him yielding, spread his hands and stated his conditions.

Ah! So it turns out they have their eyes on my watch. This watch was a joke from a few friends for my birthday today, saying they would gift me a Rolex, but in the end, it turned out to be a piece of street vendor merchandise, costing only a few dozen yuan. If it weren't for the convenience of keeping time here, I would probably have tossed this thing into some corner of my home.

If the strange halo does not appear again the next night, Sima fears he will feel insane for the rest of his life. Upon re-entering the halo, he still connects with the year 1915, cycling once more to the same small town as before to confirm the time. Everything is just as it was last time; apart from the date, the previous occasion was the 6th of May in the 4th year of the Republic, while this time it is the 7th of May in the 4th year of the Republic. At least from the perspective of the dates, the progression on both sides is parallel and consistent. Everything is just as it was last time; apart from the date, the previous occasion was the 6th of May in the 4th year of the Republic, while this time it is the 7th of May in the 4th year of the Republic. At least from the perspective of the dates, the progression on both sides is parallel and consistent.

The old gentleman misunderstood, and I... At this moment, Sima found himself at a loss for words in light of the current situation. He felt that he had never encountered a businessman who would assist a stranger in such a manner, leaving him with only a sense of gratitude in his heart

On that day, after discovering this aperture, it resembled a two-way expressway, with its other side surprisingly connecting to the year 1915. Through this aperture, people or objects could freely travel back and forth between the years 1915 and 2010. After the first return from 1915, before Sima could calm down, the aperture underwent drastic changes. In addition to the bizarre ripples that appeared in the aperture, Sima could even feel a palpable disturbance in the air. Watching as the originally several meters in diameter aperture shrank to a pinpoint size and ultimately vanished completely, Sima would have thought he was dreaming if he hadn't been holding a copy of the 1915 "Great Citizen Newspaper" in his hand.

Sima felt helpless as he was being tugged by the person in front of him, whose face seemed to scream "I am a rogue." Looking at this person's provocative demeanor made Sima's anger flare up; it was just a slight bump on the shoulder, and now this situation had escalated. "Sir, I have already apologized, what more do you want?" "Oh! Apologize? Is that how you apologize? Can this matter be resolved so easily?" Seeing the young man in front of him clearly displaying a demeanor that invited trouble, Ma Liu became even more brazen. "Sir, I have already apologized, what more do you want?" "Oh! Apologize? Is that how you apologize? Can this matter be resolved so easily?" Observing this person's attire, Ma Liu thought that today he could probably extort a few dollars from him. This would certainly cover his smoking expenses for several days.

"Ma Liu, demanding a person, seems a bit unreasonable, doesn't it?" Upon seeing that Ma Liu was not giving him any face, Gao Chuanliang appeared somewhat embarrassed. Moreover, he had never seen such a foreign watch, which seemed to be quite valuable. "Boss Gao, once you start, we are even with each other." Ma Liu always remembered that among the outsiders in this village, only this Boss Gao did not give him any respect. At this moment, after Ma Liu's remark, Gao Chuanliang's expression was quite remarkable. "Boss Gao, once you start, we are even with each other." Ma Liu always remembered that among the outsiders in this village, only this Boss Gao did not give him any respect. At this moment, after Ma Liu's remark, Gao Chuanliang's expression was quite remarkable.

"What do you think three dollars can buy me! Do you take me for a beggar? Be careful, or I will take you to the patrol team." The observant Ma Liu noticed that the foreign student in front of him seemed reluctant to go to the patrol team, and immediately used this as a threat. "You..." Sima gritted his teeth, almost wishing to kill the Ma Liu before him.

5, 4, 3, 2, start! At the moment the countdown ended, a blinding light appeared in the previously pitch-black warehouse. A point of light, the size of a grain of rice, began to expand outward from this point, transforming into a luminous ring. The strange radiance emitted by the rippling surface of the ring expanded to several meters in size within a few seconds before ceasing to grow. At the moment the ring finished expanding, Sima pressed the timer, noting "3.6 seconds," just as he had done in previous instances. Over the past few days, whenever the night grew quiet, Sima would repeatedly engage in similar activities.

I have paid this money on behalf of the young master today, and there is no need for you to pawn your watch. I hope the young master will not misunderstand the intentions of this old man," Gao Chuanliang explained to Sima after giving a silver dollar to Ma Liu. It is well known that most pawnbrokers are ruthless and unscrupulous, often undervaluing items to profit from high sales. It seems that the young master thinks the same way.