Lin Yuchan had heard Hede mention many times that Beijing’s atmosphere was conservative and Western goods were rare. Although exotic treasures were presented to the palace every year, those ingenious daily items—stockings, eyeglasses, soap, glass cups, foreign soap, and such—were rarely seen in the markets. When occasionally sold, prices were double those of coastal areas.

Lin Yuchan decided to buy some of everything. When visiting an official’s wife, preparing some gifts was foolproof.

Of course, no gifts compared to bundles of silver. But she wasn’t that wealthy, so she’d use some cleverness, bringing fashionable Western trinkets to make up the numbers.

She didn’t ask if Boss Su had time. Having just declined an appointment, he certainly wasn’t planning to sleep at home.

So the two came to Nanjing Road. Though Shanghai’s economy was still depressed and half the Western goods shops had closed, at least several were open.

Shanghai people’s admiration for Western goods was strong—middle-class and above families all took pride in owning several imported items. Looking around, there was a wide variety of goods. Moreover, due to people’s decreased purchasing power, many shops had accumulated quality merchandise, hung with discount signs, but were ignored by buyers.

Music boxes, foreign cigarettes, watch chains, woolen handkerchiefs, glass toys, matches, soap, pewter, Southeast Asian bird’s nests…

Lin Yuchan naturally had high standards, and Su Minguan had grown up surrounded by top-quality Western goods since childhood, so they looked down on ordinary, vulgar items.

The two walked half a street, picking and choosing, buying a pair of red-haired self-striking quarter-chiming large bell bowl pierced-flower copper case watches, a dozen imported cotton socks, two cans of molasses, several bottles of cologne, and a bottle of insecticide tablets, spending only sixty or seventy silver dollars.

“Should be able to make the Beijing official’s wife quite happy.” Su Minguan pondered. “When the time comes, speak sweetly, don’t rashly fight injustice, don’t go against money.”

He rarely gave such instructions. Lin Yuchan said of course. She was just going to help Miss Ordansey save the orphanage. She wouldn’t meddle in anything else.

The Western goods store positioned itself as high-end with very civilized practices. Clerks greeted customers with smiles, allowing them to browse freely. Whether buying or not, they respectfully welcomed and saw off customers without rolling eyes—an excellent shopping experience.

Seeing these two chatting and laughing, the clerk assumed they were newlyweds and naturally wouldn’t spoil the mood by reminding them about propriety. Instead, he thoughtfully invited them into the inner hall.

“Madam, please look. This is a Western ‘iron tailor.’ With it, needlework doesn’t strain the eyes and is ten times faster than others! We don’t dare put it outside for fear of people trying and touch it randomly. Today we’re especially showing it to you…”

Lin Yuchan curiously tried the foot-pedal sewing machine.

This was truly a rare item of the time. Though too heavy to take to Beijing as a gift, getting one for herself later to alter clothes would eliminate trips to the tailor’s shop.

The clerk also greeted Su Minguan: “Young master, please sit. Our shop has a complete inventory—what’s in the display cases is just a small part. We have some rare, hard-to-see items that we don’t dare stock much of due to tight funds. They’re all listed in this catalog. If you need anything, I can order from foreign firms, guaranteed to arrive within three months…”

Su Minguan smiled: “That’s not necessary.”

Though he said this, he still carefully looked through it to see what strange and exotic new items were available recently.

There were customers at the front counter, so the clerk enthusiastically went to attend to them.

Lin Yuchan got down from the sewing machine and came over to look too, laughing: “Hehe, there are telescopes.”

Out of professional habit, she secretly compared prices—more than double the wholesale price Boya got through channels. She felt quite satisfied.

To accommodate customers’ education levels, the sample catalog was illustrated with pictures and text, making it pleasing to the eye. To Lin Yuchan, it was like a museum exhibit handbook.

Suddenly, she spotted a hand-drawn product illustration she didn’t recognize.

“What the hell is this…”

She had just glanced at the description below when suddenly Su Minguan’s hands paused, and he snapped the catalog shut with a “pop.”

Immediately, the clerk rushed in, snatched the catalog away, his face turning red and white: “Madam, you should have said earlier that you could read! So sorry… sullying your eyes, damn it, the apprentice didn’t know better, how did he bring this one out? I’ll scold him later. Come, come, young master, let me explain in detail…”

Lin Yuchan was bewildered, watching the clerk pull Su Minguan to a corner, whispering and snickering about something.

She suddenly understood, her face heating up in waves, golden stars flashing in her vision, her mind buzzing as a great train rushed through, spraying steam and sweeping away everything, leaving her disheveled in the wind.

This was only 1864!

There were already such advanced items!

She had no idea!

She was truly a thin-skinned, thick-filling 21st-century country bumpkin!

Presently, Su Minguan walked toward her with a somewhat strange expression, picking up the package of miscellaneous items they’d just bought.

“A’Mei, let’s go.”

Lin Yuchan ground her teeth lightly, following him out in a daze.

After walking half a li, stealing glances sideways, she saw Su Minguan also stealing glances at her. When their eyes met, he quickly looked ahead, pursing his lips, suddenly blushing, mysteriously smiling with obvious contemplative intent in his eyes.

From someone’s courtyard, two small dogs chased each other, piling on top of each other in broad daylight.

Lin Yuchan took a deep breath, found an empty spot by a wall, and suddenly stopped.

“Comrade Xiao Bai, straighten your attitude!”

Su Minguan lowered his head, half-dropping his eyelashes, looking at her with meaningful deep laughter that made her hair stand on end.

“You understood?” he asked directly.

Lin Yuchan’s ears turned crimson as she raised her head and solemnly warned:

“I. Don’t. Want. It.”

“Too expensive?” Su Minguan’s eyes crinkled as he told her in just the right low volume, “You don’t need to pay.”

Lin Yuchan stared, clenched her fists, and glared at him determinedly: “I! Don’t! Want! It!”

She knew it was expensive! Why could such expensive things still sell? Because of that thing, that “Western kidney cover,” 19th-century fashionable Western goods, it!

It was made of rubber!

Was reusable!

Just wash and dry!

She wouldn’t follow this fashion if it killed her!

Su Minguan sighed disappointedly, looking at her pitifully with soft, watery eyes.

“A’Mei…”

Lin Yuchan remained unmoved, turned, and walked away quickly.

What was wrong with her, bringing him shopping today, and to a Western goods store of all places!

The door to the new world had opened and couldn’t be closed!

Until they returned to Boya’s small Western-style building, as Su Minguan helped her pack the purchased items, perhaps due to psychological effects, she always felt he was distracted, smiling with ill intent every moment.

Finally he helplessly smiled and compromised: “Fine, if you don’t like it, we won’t get it. So nervous, as if I were going to eat you.”

Lin Yuchan twisted her wrists, feeling somewhat apologetic. For her strict standards, she couldn’t make him a monk for life.

It was already quite similar to modern products…

She hugged his waist from behind, pressing her face to his back.

“Three months to port.” Her voice was so quiet she couldn’t hear herself, blushing at her own words. “Order one to see what it looks like?”

Su Minguan’s face slightly stiffened as the thin voice line invaded his spine, making his whole body tremble.

Then he hummed lightly, removed her hands, lowered his head, and stuffed the last jacket into her backpack, his slender fingers moving gently as he carefully tied the bag opening.

“I. Don’t. Want. It.” He imitated her tone, speaking with noble character. “It’s not something proper people use.”

Lin Yuchan: “…”

Bear with it. Serves her right!

Su Minguan laughed quietly, turned to embrace her, and with somewhat oppressive meaning, kissed her warmly.

Through two layers of clothing, his fingers caressed her back, then moved downward, giving a light, punishing pinch. She arched her back, grumbling dissatisfied.

“Finish your business, don’t be too playful.” He pressed against her ear threateningly. “Don’t return late, or else…”

Lin Yuchan couldn’t help smiling.

Since she had announced this impromptu trip, the young master had been nonchalant, accompanying her shopping and packing without saying a single word of reluctance or regret.

Until now.

She asked: “Or else what?”

Su Minguan rubbed her nose with his, his smile flashing briefly, answering quite coldly and heartlessly.

Betting agreement. Otherwise, if you’re not here when Boya does year-end accounting, I’ll consider it a failure to meet profit targets and directly take over your shop.”

Silver knives and forks clinked and clanged. The ship rocked, and sweet liqueur swayed left and right in glass cups, candlelight reflecting and changing in the liquid.

Lin Yuchan spread the snow-white tablecloth, forcefully cutting medium-rare roast beef, experiencing the treatment of Western steamship first-class cabins.

First-class cabins weren’t open to ordinary Chinese. However, with Hede and Miss Ordansey vouching for her, the “Water Sprite” captain turned a blind eye and accepted this Eastern passenger.

Chinese crammed into third-class could only bring their dry food, with communal berths separated from toilets by just a wall, and eating while smelling the latrine.

But in first-class, there were three daily snacks, two proper meals, with apples and sugar cakes after meals, unlimited honey and hot milk. The bar had seven or eight condiments—oil, vinegar, green sauce, salt and pepper, pickled shrimp sauce…

Moreover, due to the shipping price war, tickets were unprecedentedly cheap. Shanghai to Tianjin first-class passage cost only ten silver dollars.

Lin Yuchan decided to eat five meals daily to get her money’s worth, making Baoshun Trading House lose a few more dollars.

But halfway through the beef, she lost her appetite, her thoughts flying back to that faintly stinking orphanage.

She calculated silently. One more day of sailing. Then a day to reach Beijing. Then…

“Luna,” Miss Ordansey sat across from her, elegantly putting roasted potatoes in her mouth, smiling to comfort her. “You’ve already proven your noble soul through action. Regardless of success or failure, this is God’s will. I thank you for choosing to accompany me.”

Lin Yuchan had become immune to Miss Ordansey’s daily preaching, sweetly smiling and halfheartedly agreeing.

From another corner of the dining room, Western music suddenly sounded. Several customs officials, following Hede, applauded and laughed, starting to dance.

“Victor, bon voyage! We’ll wait for you in Shanghai!”

Customs commercial assistant Victor Levin had recently been assigned another task requiring a long business trip. He would disembark at Tianjin and part from colleagues. Everyone was throwing him a small farewell party.

Victor was half-drunk, with two red patches on his pale face, trying to walk straight as he came to the two ladies’ dining table.

“Beautiful Miss Ordansey,” he bowed exaggeratedly, “may I borrow you from God’s hands for five minutes to dance?”

Miss Ordansey, proper her whole life, encountered such a shameless character for the first time and momentarily forgot to scold him, covering her mouth with a smile.

“My legs aren’t convenient.”

So saying, she stood and left.

Victor didn’t dare truly anger the old lady; he could only bow farewell, then elegantly turned: “Miss Lin…”

Lin Yuchan wiped her mouth with a napkin, similarly indicating she was unavailable.

Victor pulled her from her seat without explanation, saying reluctantly: “I’m going on a business trip, a long journey. You might not see me until next year. If something happens on the road, you might never see me again—Miss Lin, have mercy, just one dance, let me have a beautiful memory during the long journey.”

Lin Yuchan asked: “Where are you going?”

“Xinjiang.” Victor draped a napkin over his head playfully, smiling mysteriously. “Want me to bring you specialties? Jade would suit you…”

Lin Yuchan’s expression changed slightly as she looked up at that handsome, harmless three-dimensional face.

She turned to the newspaper rack, took last week’s paper, and held it before Victor.

“Ili Crisis: Tsar Urges Manchu Government to Redraw Boundaries…”

During the Tongzhi reign, Tsarist Russia nibbled away at the outer northwest, with the Qing government successively ceding hundreds of thousands of square kilometers.

She said coldly: “Mr. Levin, you’re quite busy.”

Victor was startled and hurried to say, “I, you misunderstood. I’m an employee of the Chinese government. This trip is to serve as their foreign affairs advisor… After all, there are concessions in the Ili region too, and I’m more familiar with foreign trade and mutual markets…”

“I hope so.” She pursed an emotionless smile. “I hope you can be loyal to your position. Remember who’s paying your salary.”

Contemporary people might not know, but Lin Yuchan was crystal clear that when the Qing negotiated with foreign countries, due to a lack of foreign language diplomatic talent, they had to temporarily hire foreign merchants and missionaries to help. The latter frequently played tricks, deliberately leaving loopholes in translation, making those princes and high officials confused, and signing many more traitorous clauses.

Victor suddenly raised his eyebrows and smiled, lowering his voice against the background music.

“But Miss Lin, you probably don’t know. In many people’s eyes, my helping China is a traitorous act. If I… well, just hypothetically, if I quietly did some imperceptible manipulations, I could receive much richer rewards from my homeland.”

Lin Yuchan’s whole body went cold.

As expected…

Victor quickly smiled again: “But then, who told me I fell into the gentle trap of a beautiful Chinese girl. As long as she honors me with a dance, or kisses me, I guarantee that in the coming months, I’ll be honest and trustworthy, impartial, and won’t disappoint her…”

So saying, he put his arm around her waist.

Lin Yuchan didn’t mind dancing with him, but Victor’s tone made her uncomfortable. Sweet words flashed with fangs.

“This is blackmail, Mr. Levin.” She stepped back seriously. “You’re using your superior nation’s position to blackmail me.”

Victor was startled and quickly became flexible, chasing after her: “I was just joking, don’t make such a big deal of it… We’re friends, right? Those ethereal political and military matters are business between emperors and shouldn’t affect our friendship…”

Lin Yuchan said coldly, “Sorry, I don’t want to be friends with you today.”

When the country was incompetent, it was often beaten and bullied. Besides expressing a “serious protest” attitude, she was powerless.

She thought even more depressedly about the many Westerners who were her friends—Miss Ordansey, Miss Compton… didn’t their homelands also have blood feuds with China?

Though she wouldn’t make herself miserable by overthinking, occasionally touching on this thought still caused hidden pain, feeling these friendships had unstable foundations, like building towers on sand, like fragile petals with thorns.

If in the future she encountered situations like Victor’s today, would they also naturally bare their strong predator fangs at her?

Victor still circled her, apologizing in various postures. Chinese waiters in the dining room watched curiously, whispering.

Lin Yuchan suddenly realized that only because this was the brief “Tongzhi Restoration,” with the foreign affairs movement flourishing, could she safely deal with foreigners. If the foreign affairs movement later went bankrupt and extreme xenophobic trends again dominated, she would have no choice but to break with these Western friends to protect herself.

More likely, she would be directly liquidated as a “traitor” in confusion…

Exhausting. Future matters for future consideration.

“Victor,” she decided to cherish this brief plastic friendship first, beckoning Victor to sit and pushing over a plate of apple pie, smiling to change the subject. “How is Mr. Livinov’s tea factory running? It must have made you good money, right? Don’t thank me, you have good judgment yourself…”

…………………..

First-class Westerners drank and danced while third-class Chinese danced with flies. The “Water Sprite” raced across the sea surface, carrying this shipload of undercurrents to the empire’s northernmost treaty port.

“Old Tianjin.”

Lin Yuchan changed into men’s clothing before disembarking, looking at the large characters on the dock plaque, taking a deep breath as she bravely stepped into new territory.

She had already bid farewell to Hede, sincerely thanking him for allowing her passage. Hede had gone to inspect Tianjin Customs, with a checkered flag raised atop the concession customs building.

Victor had been met by a special envoy sent from Beijing. Having fawned and flattered her on the ship, he now resumed the dignity of a “Western gentleman,” respectfully invited into an official carriage, then charged away imposingly.

After disembarking, Miss Ordansey sent her maid to find local churches. Within an hour, a bearded missionary with several Chinese believers came to greet her, inviting her to rest at the Astor House Hotel in the British concession.

They were also quite polite to Lin Yuchan: “You’re Miss Ordansey’s companion? Come, let the servants help with your luggage.”

Lin Yuchan smiled and declined: “I don’t need rest, I’d like to explore the city.”

The bearded missionary laughed: “Good! If anything happens, report to Wanghai Tower Catholic Church. No one will dare trouble you!”

Lin Yuchan thanked him with complex feelings, suddenly thinking: Western churches were like one big family worldwide. Wherever missionaries went, they formed networks. As long as you were “one of us,” they’d provide people and resources, treating you warmly, and if necessary could organize to contend with the court—actually quite similar to the Heaven and Earth Society.

No wonder every time treaties were signed, the powers desperately fought for “freedom of missionary work.”

First time in the north, she too needed to find her organization.

Tianjin was at the confluence of nine rivers, originally a water and land dock with mixed residents from all directions. On this Tianjin dock, the traveling merchants and porters were all Yanzhao men with wild faces. Lin Yuchan, a small Guangdong girl who was considered short even in the south, now seemed like a little rabbit. Someone walking proudly with big strides would suddenly discover a “stumbling block” in front of them, quickly apologize, and go around.

Official notices were nailed to wooden posts, saying that Nian bandits were rampant in North China recently, ordering people not to contact the bandit army or face legal consequences.

After the Taiping Army was destroyed, there were still the Nian Army. Throughout the Qing Dynasty, peasant uprisings never stopped.

But the Nian Army roamed everywhere with an inferior organization compared to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. People’s fear and hatred of Nian bandits were also limited—this notice fluttered alone in the wind with no one reading it.

In the open space between the concession and the old town, a theater troupe was performing enthusiastically.

“Looking at this person’s appearance, it seems familiar, just like my son-in-law returning from the dead…”

Asking locals, they were singing the recently popular “Third Son Returns Home.” With gongs and drums, colorful costumes, the audience below cheered wildly.

Lin Yuchan listened with interest for several minutes.

Beijing opera as a genre had just formed. This play mixed various popular folk themes: scholar Xiao Sanlang unfortunately died on his way to the capital examinations, leaving behind a beautiful widow, Tan Cong’er, struggling through difficult days, quite pitiable. In the city was Xu Yainei, who bullied others with his position, forcibly sending gifts and marriage documents to take Tan Cong’er as a concubine. Tan Cong’er had no choice but to carry a sharp blade, planning to die together with Xu Yainei.

“Seeing this mad dog, anger fills my chest, when leaving I carry a steel blade at my side, using a smiling face to hide my anger, determined not to let that dog defile my purity…”

The female lead’s singing was piercingly mournful. Below was dead silence—tea drinkers put down bowls, hands ready to applaud.

Across from the opera stage was a tea house where someone had been performing comic dialogue. But all the audience ran off to hear the opera. The comic dialogue performer’s voice was completely drowned out by the opera singing, so he could only stand there with an awkward smile.

Tianjin people had sharp eyes and ears, clear loves and hates.

Fortunately, at the critical moment, Xiao Sanlang, who had survived disaster and wandered in foreign lands, arrived in time to rescue Tan Cong’er, but was himself sent to prison by Xu Yainei. Tan Cong’er intercepted the sedan chair to appeal to the emperor. The emperor and empress dowager, understanding propriety and righteousness, heard the cause and effect, judged that she should return the gifts and go back to her original husband, while Xu Yainei suffered everyone’s ridicule. The next year, Xiao Sanlang passed first in the imperial examination, and from then on, all worries vanished like clouds while the couple lived happily like immortals.

“Bravo!”

Most of the dock audience were broad-shouldered, thick-backed porters and carriers. Now satisfied, they all slapped their big palms like cattail fans, cheering voices roaring to the sky, tea leaves splashing everywhere.

Lin Yuchan waited for most people to disperse before entering the tea house.

In that tea house, tables and chairs were scattered about, and teapots on tables had broken spouts and missing handles. The comic dialogue performer sat there idly. He was broad-shouldered and tall with a stubbled beard—at first glance resembling the porters and carriers outside. Wearing a worn gray cloth jacket, he swayed his head and body, singing entranced: “Determined not to let that dog defile my purity…”

He, too, had been brainwashed by the tune. His voice wasn’t bad—deep and resonant, with power from the dantian.

Lin Yuchan looked at the small sign by the door reading “Bajiao Tea House.”

She knocked on the door: “Hongmen’s eight characters open, those without money don’t come in.”

The comic dialogue performer suddenly stopped singing, bounced up from his seat like a spring-loaded buttock, and urgently “shushed” her like facing a great enemy.

“This is Water and Fire Society territory, let’s keep it low-key—sister, what’s the matter?”