Republic of China, 1928: Starting from a Wonton Shop

February 14, 1929, the fifth day of the first lunar month.

The people of Beiping called this day "Po Wu".

According to the old rules of the capital, firecrackers must be set off on this day to drive away the "five kinds of poverty": poverty of wisdom, poverty of learning, poverty of literature, poverty of fate, and poverty of social connections, and then welcome the God of Wealth into the house.

From early morning, the alleys outside Qianmen were filled with deafening cannon fire.

At the same time, Hu Chou Chou, the leader of the South Suburbs Defense Corps, was strolling out of the Ruyi Gambling House.

His name is quite fitting; his lips twitch when he loses money, and they twitch even more when he wins.

Last night, he fought fiercely at the gambling table. Perhaps it was because the news of the thirty boxes of leather goods being stolen had died down and he was having a resurgence, but Hu Chou Chou had a run of good luck all night and won back all the money he had lost in the previous days, including his principal and interest.

At this moment, he was wearing a mink coat and had a heavy little bag tucked under his arm, which was full of expensive Yuan Shikai silver dollars.

"Damn it, looks like those thirty boxes of junk were just a way to save me from disaster!" Hu spat out a mouthful of thick phlegm tinged with blood.

He was in a great mood at the moment. Although the higher-ups were furious about the matter at the southern suburb warehouse, at this critical juncture when no one could control anyone else, all they did was issue a few arrest warrants. As long as he, the regimental commander, still had soldiers and money in his pocket, he was still the local tyrant of this small area.

"Commander, it's the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, where should we go for some fun?" the adjutant asked obsequiously. "The brothels in the Eight Great Hutongs are the best at catering to men, and I heard the new ones are quite the smooth talkers. Several brothers went there and all of them surrendered!"

"Vulgar!" Hu Chou Chou had never been interested in women since he was a child because he lacked the talent for static poses, and he was even mocked by a prostitute for the first time!

Hu twitched his lips and said, "Let's go to Guanghe Tower. I'm loaded with money now. Let's go listen to some music! Come on, let's find a place to grab a bite at Qianmen first."

The lobby of Li Ji Restaurant was already quite full, as it was the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, and everyone wanted to treat themselves to something good.

Not just boiled pork slices, all of Li Ji's dishes are now bestsellers with their own target audiences. However, the most popular dish recently is still boiled pork slices. The sizzling sound of oil being poured over each table is accompanied by a rich, spicy, salty and savory aroma.

Zhou Zhengnan was sitting in his usual spot by the window, with a bowl of boiled pork slices and braised pork in front of him.

He watched Old Wu busy at work and Da Hu greeting guests, pondering things in his mind. Although the goods in the southern suburbs warehouse had been unloaded, keeping them sitting there was a potential problem.

"Manager Li, when will your private room be ready?" Zhou Zhengnan asked with a smile.

"It'll be ready soon, Mr. Zhou!" Li Chunsheng was busy in the lobby. "Carpenter Wang said that the final coat of varnish will be applied in a while. Please let him know before you come so we can save you a seat."

As they were talking, the curtain was lifted.

A smell mixed with expensive tobacco and cheap alcohol suddenly rushed in with the cold wind.

Hu Chou Chou, accompanied by four or five soldiers in military uniforms and carrying pistols, swaggered in.

The lively atmosphere in the restaurant suddenly turned cold. When the rickshaw pullers and laborers saw someone wearing military uniforms, especially one with weapons tucked into his waistband, they all lowered their heads and ate, not daring to speak.

"Shopkeeper! Where have you been?" Hu Chou Chou slammed the hat in his hand on the table and shouted loudly.

"Hey, gentlemen, please come in!" Upon seeing Hu Chou Chou, Xiao Wu was startled, but his years of underground work allowed him to quickly regain his composure, and he jogged over to greet him.

Hu twitched his lips, his gaze falling on Da Hu, a hint of doubt flashing across his face.

"You? Haven't we met somewhere before?"

Da Hu's heart skipped a beat, and he tightened his grip on the rag, but his smile widened even more: "Sir, you're joking. There are plenty of guys like me in Beiping. If you've ever been to Qianmen before, you might have seen me at some stall."

Hu Chou Chou didn't say anything, turned his head, and his gaze fell on Old Wu behind the counter.

Old Wu was looking down at his abacus, seemingly absent-minded, but in reality, he was already prepared to flee if he were exposed.

Hu Chou Chou's lips twitched violently.

Zhou Zhengnan, sitting in the corner, was on tenterhooks.

He keenly noticed the strangeness in Hu Chou Chou's expression; this seasoned veteran had clearly begun to have doubts.

Although Lao Wu and Xiao Wu were disguised that night, it's hard to say if they might have slipped up somewhere.

Zhou Zhengnan picked up the bowl and took a sip of soup.

Li Chunsheng also noticed something was wrong.

He had just come out of the kitchen and hurried over.

"Gentlemen, what would you like to eat? We've launched a new dish for the New Year: boiled sliced ​​pork. Would you like to try it?"

Li Chunsheng promptly walked to Hu Chou Chou's table, blocking his view, and said with a smile, "Our dishes are spicy, flavorful, and perfect for this weather. Eating them will surely warm you up!"

Hu Chou Chou was pulled back by Li Chunsheng's voice. He looked at the young and amiable shopkeeper, and then at the few unremarkable-looking employees.

He began to have doubts:

The old shopkeeper from Shanxi took the goods that day and should be long gone by now; the shop assistant looked familiar, but he spoke fluent Beijing dialect, so I must be overthinking it.

Hu Chou Chou snorted coldly and slammed his hand on the table: "Fine! Bring me two bowls of that boiled pork slices! Plenty of meat, plenty of chili! If it's not good, I'll tear this place down today!"

Li Chunsheng nodded eagerly, "Alright! Just you wait and see, sir! Mr. Mei, Mr. Feng, and Mr. Situ all said our dishes are excellent!"

Li Chunsheng spoke with great tact, his voice not loud, but just loud enough for all the officers and soldiers at the table to hear.

Hu's lips twitched a few times as usual, not because of his gambling addiction, but because he was shocked after hearing these names.

"Who are you talking about?" Hu Chou Chou patted the hat on the table. "Mr. Mei Lanfang? President Feng of Xinhua Bank? And that foreign president of Yenching University, Stuart?"

Although he was a rogue regimental commander in the southern suburbs who dealt with shady characters all day long, how could he not know these people when he was trying to make a living in Beiping?

Let alone a mere regimental commander like him, even the high-ranking officers of the Jin Army who have now taken over Beiping would have to greet these men with utmost courtesy.

"These are indeed the three distinguished guests." Li Chunsheng smiled. "Just a few days ago, the three gentlemen came here for dinner, right at the table where you are sitting. When they left, they even left a deposit, insisting that I set aside a private room in the backyard specifically to receive them."