Winter of 1919, Beijing.

  The sky was overcast, and the front gate of the train station was packed with rickshaws and horse-drawn carriages. The drivers huddled together, sitting on the footrests of the vehicles, chatting idly. The roadside still had remnants of snow, while in the distance, the Zhengyangmen Arrow Tower stood tall and majestic, displaying the grandeur and decline of the old imperial capital.

  The train from Fengtian has arrived at the station. Under the huge locomotive, the steel crank and connecting rod swung rhythmically, driving the red wheels to move slowly forward, emitting large amounts of steam, and the platform was filled with white mist. The door of the third-class carriage opened, and the conductor wearing a golden hoop hat jumped down first, holding a small flag, followed by travelers from outside the pass, carrying large bundles and small luggage, dressed in thick winter clothes.

  Chen Zikun jumped off the train with his bedding roll, not hurrying to walk towards the exit, but instead walked to the side of the locomotive, carefully examining this rough and evil steel giant.

  "My god, how can this big iron lump be so powerful?" He took off his dog skin hat and scratched his messy hair, letting out a sincere exclamation.

  A five or six-year-old boy ran over excitedly, standing beside the locomotive, shouting loudly in Wu dialect, with a pink face under his tiger-headed hat, shouting: "Sister, come and see, it's so white!" He was too busy turning his head to shout, without noticing that he had already reached the edge of the platform, when suddenly his foot slipped, and his arm was firmly grasped by a pair of strong hands.

  "Be careful!" Just as the little boy was about to fall off the stage, Chen Zikong grabbed him.

  The little boy's sister hurried over. She was a petite, round-faced girl of sixteen or seventeen years old, wearing a dark blue cotton-padded jacket and a long white woolen scarf wrapped around her neck, covering her mouth and nose, revealing only a pair of bright, shining eyes that seemed to be smiling.

  In the vast forest and snowy plains of Changbai Mountain, who would have seen such a slender and agile girl? Chen Zikong's gaze immediately froze.

  "Thank you." The girl's voice was soft and sweet, with a lingering tone.

  Chen Zikong in Flower Crazy scratched his head foolishly, unable to utter a word, staring blankly as the girl dragged the little boy away, her blue figure slender like a small willow tree.

  "My god, you don't even know how to respond with a simple thank you and some small talk, what a waste!" Chen Zikun slapped himself twice.

  In the distance, the parents of the sister and brother were haggling with a porter at the station over the price of transporting their luggage, which included two large wicker trunks and several leather suitcases and cloth bundles. The gentleman was refined and dignified, wearing a long gown and glasses, while his wife wore a luxurious fur coat, with high cheekbones and thin lips, still retaining her beauty. Behind them followed a rough-handed and big-footed old servant woman.

  Seeing the young couple return, the lady scolded the girl: "Let you take care of your brother, where did you go? The train station is very crowded, what if he gets kidnapped?"

  The girl lowered her head and twisted the hem of her clothes, not speaking. At this time, the master and servant had agreed on a price, and said warmly: "Alright, alright, Mr. Chen is still waiting for us, let's go."

  A family walked towards the exit, with no one noticing a guy following several feet behind them, carrying a bundle on his back and wearing a dog skin hat.

  The exit was crowded with many people, and the young girl's family was stuck at the door. Inside the station, heads were bobbing up and down as the girl tightly held her brother's hand. The lady was whispering something to the old woman, their faces clouded over with discontent. The gentleman's glasses had fogged up from the heat, and he was taking them off to wipe them clean when a white man wearing a top hat shouted "Don't push! Don't push!" but didn't stop in his tracks, bumping into the gentleman before doffing his hat and apologizing politely in a Beijing accent.

  "It doesn't matter." The gentleman's Mandarin had a distinct southern flavor.

  The white-faced man turned his head and walked away, and his accomplice in the dark smiled with satisfaction. Suddenly, an iron-like hand grasped his neck, and he couldn't turn his head back. He stared wide-eyed as another hand reached into his own pocket and pulled out the wallet that had just been stolen and was still warm.

  The hand loosened, the white-faced man turned his head to look, and it was a tall and strong man from outside the pass. A dragon can't suppress a snake in its own territory, he couldn't swallow this tone, just as he was about to cause trouble, he suddenly saw a soldier wearing blue-gray military uniform walking up behind him, he knew that was a soldier from the Transportation Department's Road Protection Army, and his own backing, the Railway Police Station, had never gotten along with them, so he quickly retreated, saying "You're quite brave, kid", and hastily turned around to leave.

  A young girl and her family came out of the station, a man in a woolen coat approached with a smile: "Brother Zhiming, you've finally arrived. I've been waiting for you anxiously."

  The gentleman also smiled and said: "Brother Zhongfu, it's been a long time since we last met. I see you're still as elegant as ever. This is my wife, and these are my two children."

  "Let me introduce you: this is Mr. Chen Duxiu, a professor of literature at Peking University, whom I often mention to you."

  The lady saw that the visitor was a dignified professor, and her worries disappeared. She smiled warmly and said: "Professor Chen, hello! Our old Lin often mentions you, saying you're a mature person, gentle, and courteous."

  "Hello Uncle Chen." A pair of children shouted in unison.

  Chen Duxiu burst out laughing, and Mr. Lin also laughed heartily, suddenly noticing the porter who was helping them with their luggage standing aside with a humble smile, he hastily said: "Oh, I forgot to give you money." He reached into his pocket to find that there was no wallet in sight.

  "Oh no, the wallet contains a letter of appointment from the Ministry of Education and 200 yuan in cash. What's to be done?" Mr. Lin was so anxious that he broke out in a sweat.

  "How can you be so careless!" Madam's eyebrows turned upside down, and she burst into a rage on the spot.

  "Sir, you dropped your wallet." A disheveled man with a messy beard walked up and handed it over. Mr. Lin hastily took it and said "thank you". He pulled out two one-yuan notes issued by the Communications Bank and handed them over.

  The man didn't even look at the banknote and said solemnly: "Be more careful next time."

  The lady pressed down Mr. Lin's hand holding the banknote and smiled: "Thank you."

  The little girl and boy also politely followed with: "Thank you, uncle."

  Chen Zikun's complacent heart was like being doused with a ladle of cold water. Uncle, am I that old? He stroked his beard, feeling downhearted. The pickup lines he had prepared were all forgotten, so he could only put on a stern face, clench his fist and walk away with exaggerated swagger.

  Mr. Lin gazed at his back and praised: "The ancient teachings of governance, establishing the first goodness, starting from the capital. Beijing is indeed a land of first goodness."

  Chen Duxiu said: "Since Brother Zhi's foundation in national studies is so profound, why don't you come to Beida to be a professor?"

  "With Brother Zhongpu around, how dare I show off in front of the door? Being a minor official in the Ministry of Education is enough." Mr. Lin said with a smile.

  "Don't be late, let's go back, the house is ready, it's just behind Dashima Street...". Chen Duxiu helped to carry a suitcase and hailed three rickshaws.

  Not far away, Chen Zikun, who was packing up his bedding, silently memorized this address in his heart.