Chapter 2, The Gold Watch of Switzerland

Pedestrians, please stop; speakers, please cease your voices. Remove the white cloth from your head; violators will receive forty strikes, and there will be no leniency!

"Truly a righteous man!" Qin Guangcheng exclaimed loudly, "It is said that you revolutionaries value righteousness over wealth; seeing it today, the reputation is well-deserved!" After saying this, he cautiously asked, "What does your brother mean by that?"

In this era, having not a single cent in your pocket truly makes it difficult to move forward; whether one can survive in this age entirely depends on this batch of counterfeit gold watches

In this segment of history, any minor character has the potential to ascend to the grand stage of history, so what about myself? Wang Hengyue suddenly thought.

Qin Guangcheng was overjoyed upon hearing this, and he patted his chest, saying: "As your elder brother, I have a gold shop in Chengdu and several properties elsewhere. Whatever you plan to do, just speak up. I will go to any lengths, even risking my entire fortune, to repay the life-saving grace of my brother!"

Big brother, please! Wang Hengyue is also a straightforward person, raising his cup and said

After thinking for a moment, Wang Hengyue spoke up: "Elder brother, although we are poor, we still know what money should be taken and what should not be taken. Even though I saved your life, how can I take even a single cent from you? In the future, how would I face others?"

Qin Guangcheng smiled and said: "I, being unworthy, have donated a fourth-rank candidate position. When I go out, I will at least have some semblance of status. My family has been counting on my return these past few days, and this official has already been waiting at the city gate for two days. I have also arranged for another sedan chair, please!"

His family has been engaged in commerce for generations, and by the time of Qin Guangcheng, although not considered immensely wealthy, they still possessed substantial family assets and considerable wealth

"Let's go, brother, we are home!" Qin Guangcheng said cheerfully, disregarding those people, and led Wang Hengyue straight inside.

Having roared through the ranks, he bears the titles of "Avoidance," "Fourth Rank of Imperial Favor," and "Imperially Granted Flower Plume." As he walks along, he exudes an impressive aura.

Upon disembarking from the sedan chair, what greeted the eyes was an imposing courtyard. Qin Guangcheng took Wang Hengyue's hand and walked towards the courtyard. At the entrance of the courtyard stood men and women, and upon seeing Qin Guangcheng arrive, they all exclaimed in unison:

"Are you making Western things?" Qin Guangcheng was taken aback: "My elder brother knows a few in Chengdu, but I don't know what my younger brother wants..."

Wang Hengyue spoke modestly for a few moments and had a few drinks. He couldn't help but think that Qin Guangcheng must be a great wealthy man in Chengdu. Since arriving in Chengdu, everything he had seen and heard seemed to reflect Qin Guangcheng's extraordinary demeanor.

Wang Hengyue took out the bag he had brought with him: "Brother, this time I returned from overseas with a batch of this... this Swiss-made gold watch..."

Wang Hengyue stiffened his scalp: "This is indeed a Swiss-made gold watch. The Swiss people have great sympathy for us revolutionary compatriots. This time, as we return to our homeland to incite action, our patriotic compatriots have donated a batch of gold watches, entrusted to our brothers to bring back to the country, to exchange for funds, contributing to the overthrow of the Manchu Qing dynasty!"

This was Wang Hengyue's first experience of riding in a sedan chair. After quite a while, the sedan chair came to a stop, the curtain was lifted, and the attendant called out: "Sir, please disembark!"

Qin Guangcheng is a person who harbors a deep hatred for evil. After the emergence of the notorious bandit Lu Baogen near Chengdu, Qin Guangcheng, in consultation with the authorities, took it upon himself to contribute a substantial sum of money as a reward for the capture of Lu Baogen. This act ultimately led to a bitter enmity between him and the notorious bandit Lu Baogen of Jinyan Lake

After pretending to ponder for a while, Wang Hengyue finally said: "What Brother Tu Shu mentioned is exactly what I am concerned about. As revolutionaries, our primary task is to overthrow the Qing Dynasty, but at present, I am weak and outnumbered. I am also considering temporarily hiding and waiting for my comrades to arrive before taking action."

There are still three years left! Just thinking about three years from now, once the Qing Dynasty is overthrown, it will usher in the most brilliant and colorful era in Chinese history, and Wang Hengyue could not help but feel a surge of excitement in his heart

Congratulations on your safe return, esteemed sir

Let Wang Hengyue wear the second cap, while I put on the one in front, and then instructed to head towards Chengdu

Qin Guangcheng donated to the fourth-rank candidate position, and upon entering the city gate, no one obstructed him. The red and black hats in front were even more imposing, and the leading group of shouban shouted loudly:

In unison, the crowd exclaimed, startling Wang Hengyue, who was caught off guard.

Lost in thought, both Qin Guangcheng and I spoke absentmindedly, treating the conversation with indifference and a lack of seriousness

Chengdu has no paved roads; the entire city is made up of stone paths. The main streets are no wider than about 10 meters, while the narrow alleys are only 2 to 3 meters wide. For transportation, the most common mode is the sedan chair. When pedestrians see a sedan chair approaching, they all quickly step aside to make way.

Wang Hengyue also knew that as long as he spoke up, Qin Guangcheng would give him any amount of money. However, doing so would inevitably lead the other party to underestimate him

On the way to Chengdu, Qin Guangcheng revealed everything about himself to Wang Hengyue

In order to scare off Lu Baogen, Wang Hengyue deceived him by claiming to be a revolutionary, when in fact he had no connection to the revolutionaries at all. He feared that the revolutionaries would find out about a fake "comrade" in Sichuan and would cause him trouble. Now that Qin Guangcheng has said this, it aligns perfectly with Wang Hengyue's intentions

As they approached Chengdu, Qin Guangcheng hesitated for a moment, asking Wang Hengyue to wait a while. He hurriedly left and after about half an hour, two sedan chairs with red canopies and black tea-brown cloth arrived, accompanied by several imposing figures wearing red and black hats, standing proudly in front of the sedan chairs.

The banquet had long been prepared. Wang Hengyue was asked to wash his hands, and the two sat down facing each other. Qin Guangcheng raised his cup, repeatedly expressing his gratitude to Wang Hengyue for saving his life, and downed several cups in succession

When Wang Hengyue said this, he was indeed somewhat guilty, as what he was referring to was actually the batch of counterfeit watches in his bag

The thirty-fourth year of Guangxu? That would be 1908! Wang Hengyue calculated that Guangxu and Cixi were on the verge of death. The Qing Dynasty was on the brink of being overthrown.

After chatting for a while, Qin Guangcheng set down his cup: "Brother, we are like old friends upon our first meeting. If I call you brother, I hope you will not take offense. If you do not mind, call me elder brother, and I shall treat you as my own brother!"

On the way back to Chengdu with Qin Guangcheng, Wang Hengyue was puzzled and finally realized that it was the thirty-fourth year of the Guangxu era of the Qing Dynasty

Wang Hengyue had already made a plan in his mind: "Could my elder brother introduce me to someone who specializes in Western goods business?"

What can a version of oneself from another era do in this time? Can one leave their name in this era?

Qin Guang was greatly pleased and drank the wine in his cup in one gulp: "Since you call me brother, as your elder brother, I naturally must consider your well-being in all matters. Brother, please do not mind my lengthy words as your elder. I know that you revolutionaries are not afraid of death, but at present, you are alone. Even with great ambitions and aspirations upon arriving in Sichuan, how can one achieve great things alone? In my opinion, it would be better to settle down here for the time being and then plan for greater endeavors later on"

The gold watch of the Swiss nation? Qin Guangcheng was once again taken aback