Chen Zikun chatted with Xiong Xiling for a long time, saying it was just chatting, but in fact he was mainly listening. Although many of the names mentioned by Xiong Xiling were extremely unfamiliar to him, after hearing them repeatedly, he could roughly understand the basics, such as General Xu Shuzheng, who in Xiong Xiling's description was a person similar to Zhou Yu of the Three Kingdoms, with talent but narrow-minded and unable to accomplish great things.

  "The parliamentary politics of the Republic of China were ruined by Xiao Xu. He bribed members of parliament, manipulated the National Assembly, acted arbitrarily, trampled on the dignity of the law, and even murdered the Beiyang general Lu Jianzhang. He also embezzled government military supplies and tore apart the faces of his peers. Such extreme behavior is truly a case of 'not enough to succeed but enough to fail'." Xiong Xiling mentioned Xu Shuzheng with a belly full of resentment.

  Chen Zikun said: "The Beiyang government is dull and corrupt, can the hope of the country be in the south?"

  Xiong Xiling shook his head: "Tang Jiyao of Yunnan, Lu Rongting of Guangxi, and Chen Jiongming of Guangdong are all of the same kind as the northern warlords."

  "And... what about Mr. Sun Yat-sen?"

  "Sun Yat-sen... is inferior to Song Jiaoren in terms of organization and to Huang Xing in terms of military affairs, and he also doesn't have his own army, so it's better not to mention him."

  "In Xiong Lao's view, does China have the ability to save itself from chaos?"

  Xiong Xiling thought for a moment and said, "Only Wu Peifu, the commander of the Third Division of the army stationed in Hengyang, is a general with outstanding military achievements, progressive thinking, and high moral character, comparable to Guan Yu!"

  Wu Peifu, Wu Peifu, Chen Zongqi silently took note of this name.

  ……

  The next day, Chen Zikun bought two gifts to visit and thank Gu Hongming and Liu Shipei. The two gentlemen were extremely satisfied with the performance of this beloved apprentice, each keeping him for a meal. Until the third day, Yu Deshun suddenly visited, mysteriously telling Chen Zikun a piece of news.

  "Big brother, something has happened at the Lin's house, you don't know yet?" Yu De said.

  Chen Zikun immediately thought of Lin Wenjing's safety and suddenly stood up, pressing both hands on Yu Deshun's shoulders and shaking him: "What's wrong!"

  "Hey big brother, don't be in a rush, listen to me." Yu De Shun's shoulder was grabbed painfully, and he quickly explained, "The little girl you're interested in is fine, it's just that her father died of illness."

  "What! Mr. Lin is dead!" Chen Zikun was shocked and lost his color, although Mr. Lin's complexion wasn't good, it was impossible for him to die of illness so quickly.

  The Lin family had only one breadwinner, Lin Zhimin, who worked to support his wife, children and servants. When he died, the whole family was finished. Lin Wenjing's life would inevitably be greatly affected. She had lost her mother and now her father was gone too. Her stepmother had always been cruel to her, how could she survive all alone?

  Yu De Shun observed Chen Zi Kun's expression and knew he had guessed correctly. Chen Zi Kun indeed had a crush on the young girl from next door. He said in a low tone, "I heard it from the factory colleagues that they set up a mourning hall yesterday. We're neighbors, so I sent someone to give them 10 yuan for burning incense money as a token of condolences."

  Chen Zikong didn't have time to listen to his hypocritical boasts, and hastily rushed to the Lin residence. However, when he arrived, he only saw a group of workers dismantling the funeral shed. Zhang Bo stood at the door, with a face full of sadness and confusion.

  "Zhang Bo, has Mr. gone out for the funeral?" Chen Zikun asked as he stepped forward.

  Zhang Bo's eyes welled up with tears, and he nodded: "Early this morning, the coffin was sent to the temple for temporary placement. The deceased is from Fujian Province, and in the future, his remains will be transported back to his hometown for burial. Pitiful, indeed - an orphaned child and a widowed mother."

  Chen Zikun had to leave 20 yuan as a temporary solution, and told Zhang Bo his address and phone number, asking him to come find him if there was an emergency. He then accompanied Zhang Bo in sighing for a while before leaving.

  Mr. Lin was an outsider, with few relatives in Beijing and not many friends, so the funeral was simple and only lasted for one day before it was hastily concluded. His wife asked Lin's mother to hire a few porters to carry Mr. Lin's coffin to Fayuan Temple for temporary storage. As Lin Zhimin's only relative in Beijing, Lin Changmin helped out a lot. According to him, the forensic doctor found arsenic in the deceased's last vomit, and the police also discovered some highly toxic arsenic at Dr. Xiao Ye's clinic. As for why a Japanese Western doctor would have arsenic, that was unknown. In short, someone had died unjustly.

  The family returned to Hou Zhai Alley, and Zhang Bo presented the twenty dollars sent by Chen Zikun, saying that this was sent by Chen Zikun of the Zi Guang Car Factory. The mistress had never heard of this name, so she just thought it was a friend from her husband's lifetime and didn't take it seriously. Lin Wenjing, however, remembered it in her heart.

  The master is gone, and there's no reason to continue living in Beijing. The master was from Fujian, and his family still has some houses and fields, so he needs to go back and take care of them.

  The lady was from a small Shanghai family, although she spent money lavishly every day and had a bad temper, but at critical moments she could still hold her own. She called Lin Wenjing and Lin Wendong to her side and said calmly: "Father is no longer here, we have to go back to Shanghai, Wenjing, your father and mother are both gone, from now on you'll follow Auntie Mi together. Auntie Mi used to have a bad temper and often scolded you, don't take it to heart."

  Lin Wenjing burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably, and Lin Wendlong also started crying.

  The wife wiped away her tears and said: "Stop crying, everyone. Let's pack our bags and go. I've already asked someone to buy train tickets for us. We'll leave the day after tomorrow."

  "But I still have to go to school."

  " Wenjing, Peking University is expensive and the school term is long. Your father has passed away and our family really can't afford to support your studies anymore."

  Lin Wenjing fell silent. The condolence money left by her father, the unpaid wages, and the gift money from relatives and friends added up to a considerable amount, which was enough for her own education. However, her father had not only one daughter, but also Wén Lóng, who was a boy and still young, and would need more money for his education in the future. How could Mǐ Yí neglect her own biological son and instead care for this girl who was not related to her by blood?

  ……

  That night, Lin Wenjing went to bed early, but a pair of eyes stared at the ceiling, unable to enter the dreamland. As soon as she closed her eyes, her father's voice and smile appeared in front of her. Her father was gone, and all the arrangements were disrupted, but she really wanted to stay at Peking University to study.

  "Believe in yourself and you will definitely succeed." Suddenly, Chen Zikun's words popped out, Lin Wenjing sprang up, biting her lip for a long time, finally deciding to rely on herself.

  She quietly put on her cotton gown and shoes, went out of the hanging flower gate, Zhang Bo in the gatehouse was sleeping soundly, snoring loudly, and didn't hear the sound of the door bolt being moved at all.

  Lin Wenjing went out the door, gently closed the gate, and quickly walked out of the alley. Just then a rickshaw happened to be passing by on the main street, so she hastily hailed it: "Rickshaw."

  "Miss, please, where are you going?" The driver was neat and tidy, with a dark face showing a honest expression.

  "I'm going to Toufa Hutong Ziguang Factory." said Lin Wenjing.

  "Alright." The rickshaw puller lifted the rickshaw and ran swiftly, with the four kerosene lamps illuminating the road in a snowy white light. Originally, the two places were not far apart, and before long, they arrived at their destination. Lin Wenjing got out of the rickshaw and pulled out money: "How much?"

  "It's on the way, no charge." The driver showed a row of white teeth and smiled. Lin Wenjing only then noticed that there was a copper plate on the carriage with two characters engraved on it: Purple Light.

  The gate of the Ziguangche Factory was wide open, with four lanterns hanging from the lintel, shining brightly in all directions. Lin Wenjing plucked up her courage and approached a middle-aged man with a kind face at the entrance, asking: "Uncle, may I ask if Chen Zikun lives here?"

  The middle-aged man was Xue Ping Shun, the boss of the Zi Guang Car Factory. It was already 7 or 8 o'clock in the evening when a young woman dressed as a female student suddenly came to find Da Kunzi. He immediately had an idea, and it turned out that Da Kunzi's heart was indeed hung on this girl. Looking at her appearance, figure, and temperament, she was indeed not on the same level as Xing Er, no wonder...

  "You've found the right place, Mr. Chen lives here, and you are?"

  "I... I'm Lin Wenjing, and... and I'm his friend." Lin Wenjing said with a blush, this was the first time in her life she had gone out alone to an unfamiliar place, and it was to find a man.

  "Alright, I'll take you in." Xue Ping Shun was about to lead Lin Wen Jing inside when another car came back to hand over the shift. He was busy dealing with it and happened to see Xing Er coming out from inside, so he said: "Xing Er, take this young lady to find Da Kun Zi."

  Apricot glanced over, and the sour taste in her heart rose up. It turned out that the person Daxiang liked was her. She looked delicate and slender, probably a weak and sickly person. Her hands were so white and tender, she definitely wouldn't do any labor or serve others, far inferior to herself.

  But Beijing girls are just generous, knowing they're love rivals, still smiling and welcoming, "Oh, you're a friend of Da Ke's, please come in."

  Chen Zikun was hiding in the bedroom wiping those two box guns, when he suddenly heard footsteps that shouldn't belong here. His heart skipped a beat, and he hastily stuffed the box guns under the pillow. He came out to take a look, and indeed it was Lin Wenjing who had arrived.

  "Miss, you've arrived, hurry up and sit inside. Xing Er, pour tea." Chen Zi Kun lifted the door curtain, Lin Wen Jing's small face turned red as she walked in, Xing Er pouted and gave Chen Zi Kun a sideways glance before huffily carrying the teapot away.

  Lin Wenjing was a bit shy and sat down with her head still lowered, pinching the hem of her clothes, and after a moment of silence said: "My father has passed away, we have to go back to Shanghai."

  "What about your studies then?"

  "I wasn't officially enrolled anyway, just a trial student, and Aunt Mei said... our family didn't have enough money."

  "I'll give it!" Chen Zikun blurted out, then hastily changed his words, "I mean, I'll pay for it, no, I'll lend you the money, no, I'll sponsor..." He scratched his head, unsure of how to phrase it.

  Lin Wenjing was amused by his nonsensical words, chuckled and said "Hehe", Chen Zikun suddenly became clear-headed, slowly and firmly saying: "Believe me, with me here, there's no difficulty."

  Lin Wenjing seemed to understand, as her face turned red again.

  "Thank you... Aunt Mei said that she has already bought train tickets and will be leaving the day after tomorrow, and I'm afraid she won't let me stay behind."

  "Give me a day to prepare, wait for me at home the day after tomorrow, I'll take you away, we won't part ways."

  "We'll meet again if we don't see each other."