A Life of Attributes Starting as a Nobleman in the Republic of China Era

After a long while, Uncle Zhou suddenly smiled.

The smile was faint, yet it smoothed out the deep wrinkles on his face.

"Young man," he began, his voice much gentler than before, "do you know how many orphans live in these shacks?"

Chen Che shook his head.

"Four hundred and seventy-two," Uncle Zhou said slowly. "I counted them from house to house, and I remember the name of each one. Some of them live at Granny Wang's house next door, some live alone in a shed they built themselves, and some sleep here today and there tomorrow, living like stray dogs."

He paused, his eyes slightly reddening.

"You just said five hundred. I don't care if your five hundred is true or false. Even if it's only half, even if it's only one hundred, as long as these children have enough to eat, warm clothes to wear, and can live with dignity as human beings—"

He suddenly clasped his hands in a fist and bowed deeply.

"I, Zhou Dasheng, kowtow to you on behalf of the 472 orphans in the shack."

Behind him, the four elders bowed in unison.

Further on, the dark mass of people bent over one after another, like waves of wheat being blown by the wind.

Chen Che's heart warmed, and he quickly stepped forward to support Uncle Zhou: "Uncle Zhou, you absolutely mustn't—"

Uncle Zhou, however, insisted on bending over, tears streaming down his face: "Yes, yes. Young man, you don't know, for decades, no one has treated the people in these shacks like human beings. You are the first."

Chen Che held his hand, remained silent for a moment, and then said softly:

"Uncle Zhou, is it settled then?"

Uncle Zhou raised his head, vigorously wiped his face, and a long-lost light shone in his cloudy eyes:

"It's a deal!"

From the crowd behind them, someone shouted out:

"Chen Shaoren is righteous!"

Immediately afterwards, shouts rose and fell like a tide, echoing across the wasteland for a long time.

Chen Che stood in the center of the crowd, looking at those dark and thin faces, and those pairs of eyes that were bright but filled with tears. Suddenly, a feeling he had never experienced before welled up in his heart.

Martial arts are not something you learn through practice, but something you comprehend through understanding.

He thought that what he realized today was more important than all the staff techniques he had practiced these past few days.

Chen Che left Chen Bo and the elders in the shack to finalize the details, while he, Chen San, and Sun Congzhou went directly to Sun Sicheng's office.

When Chen Che and his two companions arrived at the residence of Sun Sicheng, then the special secretary to the mayor of Shanghai, it was already noon.

Sun Sicheng was having a meal when he heard that Chen Che was requesting an audience, so he put down his chopsticks and came out to greet him.

"Young Master Chen, what brings you here?" Sun Sicheng greeted with a smile and cupped his hands in greeting. His gaze lingered on Sun Congzhou behind Chen Che, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. "Master Sun is here too? What a rare guest."

Sun Congzhou nodded slightly, without saying anything more.

Chen Che didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point after taking his seat: "Secretary Sun, I'm here today for the land in Wopeng, Zhabei."

Sun Sicheng paused in his tea-serving hand, his smile fading slightly, but he didn't speak, only quietly watching Chen Che.

"That piece of land involves too many issues." Chen Che met Sun Sicheng's gaze, his tone steady yet firm. "The Green Gang owns 30%, the Six and a Half Hall owns 20%, and the remaining half is on the police station's register, while the other half consists of various fragmented land deeds of dubious origin. I came to see Secretary Sun to ask you to step in and consolidate these lands."

Sun Sicheng put down his teacup, leaned back in his chair, and after a moment of silence, slowly spoke: "Young Master Chen, do you know how much profit that piece of land is worth? Why hasn't the Green Gang made a move yet? It's not that they don't want to, it's that they can't. A single move could affect the whole situation; whoever makes the first move will become the target of everyone's attacks."

"I know," Chen Che nodded, "so I don't intend to let them suffer a loss."

He took out a piece of paper from his pocket, which was covered with numbers, and pushed it in front of Sun Sicheng.

"The shantytown in Zhabei occupies 43 mu, which, according to market prices, is worth about 186,000 silver dollars. I am willing to buy it at 1.5 times the market price—309,000 silver dollars. This money will be divided among the Green Gang, the Six and a Half Hall, and the police station according to their respective land deeds."

Sun Sicheng looked down at the paper, his eyebrows slightly raised.

"But there's a condition," Chen Che continued. "This money won't be paid in one lump sum, but in three installments. Forty percent in the first year, thirty percent in the second, and thirty percent in the third. The interest will be calculated at the money exchange's current account rate, and it will be no less."

Sun Sicheng raised his head, a playful glint in his eyes: "Split over three years? Young Master Chen, are you helping them save money, or are you afraid they'll take the money and then deny it?"

"Both are fine," Chen Che said frankly. "Although the Green Gang and Hongmen are powerful, they have too many people under their command, and they spend money as soon as it passes through their hands. Paying in three years will allow them to have a steady income, and the houses in the shacks can be built peacefully. As for the part of the police station—" He paused, "I can directly allocate it to the police station in Zhabei to improve the security and sanitation in the shacks area."

Sun Sicheng remained silent for a long time.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on his impassive face.

After a long silence, he suddenly laughed: "Young Master Chen, do you know, I've seen countless people come to discuss this land. Some wanted to forcibly demolish it, some wanted to bribe, some wanted to get something for nothing—you're the first person to calculate things so clearly and put everyone's interests on the table."

Chen Che didn't laugh, but looked at him seriously: "Secretary Sun, will you help with this?"

Sun Sicheng stood up, walked to the window, turned his back to Chen Che, and looked out the window.

"As for the Green Gang, I can say a word. Huang Jinrong owes me a favor, and he should repay it. As for the Hongmen, you'll have to go there yourself. Their leader, Zhang Shusheng, is a tough nut to crack; he won't give face to anyone unless you can make him submit to you."

He turned around and his gaze fell on Chen Che.

"As for the police station's register—" He paused, "that piece of land is three acres and seven fen, and the deed says 'public land,' but it's actually occupied by several old men from the police station, each with their own origins. You don't need to pay for this part; just make them move out. But how you make them move out is your business."

Chen Che stood up, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Secretary Sun."

Sun Sicheng waved his hand, walked up to him, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Young Master Chen, if I may ask, what's the point of all this commotion?"

Chen Che was silent for a moment, then raised his head to meet Sun Sicheng's gaze.

"Secretary Sun, my master told me that no matter how high one's martial arts skills are, it is still only the skills of one person. But if I can teach five hundred children to martial arts, then it will be the skills of five hundred people. When these five hundred people go out into the world, get married, start families, and have children, their children will also be able to practice martial arts."

He paused, his voice turning serious:

"Ten years, twenty years, fifty years, you do the math, how many people would that be?"

Sun Sicheng was stunned.

He looked into Chen Che's eyes, eyes that were young, yet as calm and steady as a deep well. There was light at the bottom of that well.

After a long while, Sun Sicheng suddenly burst into laughter, laughing so hard that tears almost came out.

Chen Che bowed deeply.

As they stepped out of the Ren residence, Sun Congzhou suddenly spoke: "Were those words you just said the truth?"

"Master, this is what people really mean."