Zhou Yinshan was from Hebei, of medium height. He was an energetic young man when in Japan, but after returning to the military academy for a few years, he looked somewhat bookish.

On He Rui's turf, the two classmates weren't as restrained as in the Baoding Military Academy. Talking about the current changes in Beijing and Baoding, Zhou Yinshan was quite emotional. "The hearts of Beiyang have scattered. I knew it from the moment Chief Duan forced Jiang Fangzhen to attempt suicide to prove his will. I stayed at the Baoding Military Academy only because I still had some expectations at the time. Everyone is of the Beiyang lineage; after this chaotic period, perhaps there would be a turning point to reunify. Reading Brother He's exclusive interview, I was deeply touched. Seeing the methods used by governors everywhere to raise military funds, I had thoughts of leaving."

"That is just my personal opinion," He Rui sighed.

"Brother He, you explained clearly in the interview the ways governors everywhere collect taxes. I didn't quite believe it at first, so I wrote letters to classmates and graduates to ask. Although they only knew bits and pieces, piecing together what they said, it was almost the same as what Brother He said. Only then was I sure that Beiyang has truly fallen apart."

"How are those classmates of ours?" He Rui asked.

Zhou Yinshan shook his head. "Most haven't made a name for themselves, and they are also full of grievances. Someone mentioned some things in a letter; the attitudes of governors everywhere have shifted, and quite a few governors have begun planning how to seize territory amidst the chaos."

He Rui chuckled lightly, not mentioning those people.

Perhaps Zhou Yinshan had been cooped up in the Baoding Military Academy for too long; he fiercely criticized the Beiyang central government and local governors for a while. His emotions somewhat relieved, he asked, "Hehe, I only cared about talking about my affairs. I wonder how Brother He is doing in Siping? I heard Brother He actually made the Japanese withdraw from Changchun. Given the Japanese nature, Brother He must have spent a lot of effort."

"It wasn't as difficult as Brother Zhou imagines," He Rui replied. Without waiting for Zhou Yinshan to ask, He Rui recounted his work and goals in Siping to Zhou Yinshan.

***

Xu Jia returned to the Statistics Section office and immediately invited Zhuang Jiaxiong over for a talk. One graduated from the Baoding Military Academy, the other from the Railway Academy; both were from top-tier science and engineering universities in China at the time. So the conversation was unusually frank.

Listening to Xu Jia's explanation, although Zhuang Jiaxiong was somewhat unhappy, he was more moved. He replied generously, "Section Chief Xu, don't look down on me. Although I don't like growing tea and can't inherit my father's tea-growing skills, a master tea grower with my father's skills shouldn't be unable to even be a tea-growing teacher."

Although Xu Jia was somewhat surprised, a moment later he said happily, "If people who like growing tea can't continue to grow tea, is there any justice? Even if they don't necessarily like growing tea but just take growing tea as a lifelong profession, why can't they be allowed to grow tea?"

Hearing Xu Jia speak like this, Zhuang Jiaxiong became even more impassioned. "If so, the few acres of tea gardens in my family are nothing to speak of. In my opinion, even if it were hundreds of acres of tea gardens, with my father planting together with many people willing to grow tea, what is there to worry about?"

Xu Jia looked at the impassioned youth in front of him, very happy in his heart. "It should be so. The Governor said that a foreign philosopher once said: *We absolutely do not deny the producer's possession of social products; rather, we oppose using the monopolization of social products to exploit others.* If the tea garden isn't handed over to someone like your father who likes growing tea, should it be handed to someone like me who can't even taste the quality of tea?"

Zhuang Jiaxiong had already heard the Civilization Party's program from his classmate Wu Youping. Feeling that what Xu Jia said was no different from what Wu Youping said, he was even happier. "Governor He's philosophy of governing the country conforms to reason; I agree very much. Brother Youping said that execution is indeed complicated, but I think as long as the principles can really be executed, whether it's land, tea gardens, or forest farms and pastures—people of the world using the land of the world—how could I have the slightest thought of keeping it for myself?"

"Since Mayor Wu has spoken to this extent, I also ask Comrade Zhuang to understand one point: no matter how good the principle is, it must be executable. In the process of execution, there will inevitably be too many difficulties."

Zhuang Jiaxiong said happily, "Brother Youping has already told me about this and repeatedly emphasized *seeking truth from facts*. From my interactions with Brother Youping, I know this matter must not be easy. But I will definitely exhaust my full strength to prevent the policy from deviating excessively during execution."

"Comrade Zhuang Jiaxiong, I invited you here to ask you: to what extent must people like you understand the policy before they can execute it with wholehearted conviction? To be honest, when we followed Governor He, we didn't know the Governor's policies. Initially, we were completely won over by the Governor's charisma and vision; we did whatever the Governor ordered us to do. Only after executing the policies did we know the Governor's words were not false. But Comrade Zhuang Jiaxiong, you are not like this. Among the comrades joining in the future, I'm afraid most will be of your type. That's why I invited you over, wanting to know the reason for your change."

Zhuang Jiaxiong thought for a moment and answered frankly, "Based on my experience, I think it's better to explain the Governor's philosophy completely to newcomers. If there are still those who hesitate, explain the underlying principles. If there are still those who hesitate, they must be people with selfish motives. If one is selfless, I can't see what there is to hesitate about. If they can accept it but still hesitate, they are probably worried the Civilization Party says one thing and does another."

The two chatted for a long time. Xu Jia closed his notebook. "Then, Comrade Zhuang, please start with some work related to the countryside."

"But I only studied building railways and mining; I still want to do what I've learned."

"The Governor said the countryside is a great classroom. As long as you truly have an industrial mindset, you will know the difficulties within once you go to the countryside. This is a threshold that must be crossed."

Zhuang Jiaxiong already accepted Xu Jia as a comrade, so he answered decisively, "Since that's the case, I shall obey."

"Mayor Wu is responsible for the specific assignments; ask him what you are to do."

After listening to Zhuang Jiaxiong relay Xu Jia's question, Wu Youping thought for a moment and arranged work for Zhuang Jiaxiong. "Right now, we need to go to the towns to allocate work. You go to the town to assign tasks, then stay in the town to oversee the progress."

Zhuang Jiaxiong felt his spirit inexplicably excited yet tired, so he agreed.

Early the next morning, just after starting work, Wu Youping assigned tasks. Zhuang Jiaxiong went with the work team to a nearby town. Before departure, Wu Youping took out a cotton overcoat identical to the one he was wearing. "Take this; it's cold on the road. Also, put more Ula grass in your shoes. It can prevent frostbite on your feet."

Listening to his classmate's exhortations, Zhuang Jiaxiong felt a lump in his throat. He hurried to laugh loudly, "Haha, don't be afraid, I can withstand the cold."

Wu Youping knew his old classmate's temper. Ignoring what he said, he stuffed the overcoat and the prepared cotton boots and Ula grass into Zhuang Jiaxiong's hands. "Don't freeze. The Governor says health is the capital of revolution. We must be healthy to see the day when China's current destiny is changed!"

The overcoat was very warm, and the shoes were also very warm. The work team, wrapped in thick clothes, set foot on the road to the town. Leaving the city, everywhere the eye could see was white snow. As a Fujianese, Zhuang Jiaxiong was awed by the boundless snowfield before him, looking around as he walked.

At this time, the snow on the road hadn't melted. With pedestrians, carts, and horses coming and going, it had been compacted. Coupled with the cold at night, the road surface froze. It crunched when stepped on. Even walking carefully, he slipped and fell. Fortunately, the clothes were thick, so it didn't hurt much. Just after falling this once, Zhuang Jiaxiong's mood for playing with snow dissipated a lot.

Traveling like this all the way, departing at dawn, it took most of the day to reach the destination forty *li* away.

The town officer was already welcoming them at the entrance. The leader was a Northern man about forty years old. Shaking hands with everyone who arrived one by one, the Northern man said, "I am the town officer, Han Haitao. Everyone has worked hard."