After finally getting rid of a group of Beiyang patrol officers who were joining in the fun and making noise, Fei Jingting took the time to talk to Reiko Sano.
Standing at the gate of the school, just in time for recess, a group of little carrots looked over through the iron gate, and they were both embarrassed to say anything. Sano Reiko thought for a while and said: "King Ting-kun, there is a restaurant nearby.
I like this restaurant very much, how about we go and sit down?"
"That's fine."
Fei Jingting followed his good deeds, and Sano Reiko came to warn him regardless of the danger. No matter what, he had to accept it.
The two walked side by side, and after a short walk, they entered a tavern. The tavern was not big, with only five or six tables, and there was no one there at the time. The owner was an elderly couple, and the two casually ordered some.
The things sat down.
Sano Reiko pondered: "Jing Ting-kun, there is no need for you to pay attention to the provocation of those ronin... Duels are not what Keiting-kun should do."
"Then what do you think I should do?" Fei Jingting was curious about what he looked like in the eyes of outsiders.
Sano Reiko thought for a while and said: "Jing Tingjun is the kind of person who has poetry and literature, is talented, and is very gentle...in short, he is a very good kind."
Fei Jingting thought about it for a while, and it sounded like the good-for-nothing male protagonist Asashi in Japanese comics, but at least he was a little more talented than Asashi.
"Anyway...Kageting-kun, please don't go to duel with Ronin!" Reiko Sano said firmly.
"Well, I know."
"That's good." Sano Reiko thought Fei Jingting agreed and let out a sigh of relief.
With a pot of soju and two plates of appetizers, Sano Reiko filled the pot for Fei Jingting with both hands, and said: "This feels very much like an izakaya at home. My colleagues and I come here occasionally, and it feels very friendly."
Putting her worries aside, Sano Reiko started talking. She was born in a businessman family, and her family ran a small izakaya. She made a little money, but it was enough to cover the family expenses. Sano Reiko graduated from junior high school and had not yet joined the job.
So I was invited to China by Mr. Yan. I just turned twenty today.
She told some interesting stories from her childhood, and when she covered her mouth and snickered, she would always look at Fei Jingting for a long time. After a while, perhaps after two glasses of soju, Sano gained a lot of courage, and she tried
Asked: "I'm really happy for you to see Jing Tingjun come out of the emotional pain. Jing Tingjun, can you ask me what kind of woman it was that made you hurt?"
Fei Jingting said: "I'm not emotionally hurt at all."
"Ah? Then you..."
"I was thinking about the meaning of life and got into trouble, but now I think about it."
"That's right...then...Jing Tingjun, have you ever thought about what kind of girl you will find in the future?"
"Let it go." Fei Jingting said cryptically: "For some people, you can tell at one glance that she is yours and you are hers in this life; for some people, even if they sit next to each other for a lifetime, they will never feel this way.
.Do you get me?"
The hands holding the wine glass tightened slightly, Sano Reiko frowned and said: "I see. Come to think of it, the girl who makes Jingting-kun's heart beat must be very outstanding. Unlike me, who is so ordinary."
Fei Jingting said with relief: "Teacher Sano is too humble, and you are also very good. I believe that a very good young man will definitely come into your life in the future."
"But... I hope that person is Jing Tingjun."
Fei Jingting didn't know what to say. Who said Japanese girls are reserved? Sano Reiko in front of her was very straightforward, okay?
"I'm sorry for troubling Mr. Jingting."
"It's okay. Life is like this. There are too many things you ask for but don't get. If you can't think about it, you will be depressed all the time. Just think about it more. Maybe the next opportunity is right in front of you."
"Well, I know."
Sano Reiko tried her best to smile and said.
The two of them sat for a while longer, and then stood up to pay and leave after a steady stream of guests entered the tavern.
Waving goodbye in front of the tavern, Sano Reiko stood there, watching Fei Jingting's back merge into the crowd and gradually disappear. The smile on her face also gradually disappeared, leaving only the inextricable sadness between her eyebrows.
…………………………
"Mizuno-san, you must teach that guy a lesson!"
"Brother Mizuno, use your special skills to chop that guy into two pieces!"
"Hey, Mizuno, don't be nervous. Just show your normal level and you'll be fine."
A group of people surrounded Shuiye and walked into the Japanese Concession. Several ronin made publicity to everyone they met. Soon the news of Shuiye's duel with Fei Jingting had spread to everyone.
Mizuno greeted familiar ronin along the way and tried to look nonchalant, but his heart was not as calm as it seemed. He fought against Fei Jingting that day, and although he suffered from hidden weapons, Fei Jingting's skills
He saw it in his eyes and knew that he couldn't gain any advantage with fists and kicks. But if there was a swordsmanship competition, Mizuno thought that he might not have a chance to give it a try.
Turning around a street, I saw several Japanese policemen pushing a woman out, surrounded by a group of people watching the excitement.
Someone replied: "I went to the field to gamble, lost all the money in my pocket, and even took my wife out. When his wife heard the news, she went home and killed her newborn child. She also committed suicide. As a result, she was killed by a neighbor.
Found and saved.”
"Is there such a thing?"
This incident left all the wanderers speechless.
They are all ronin who cannot survive in Japan, and they want to come to China to make a fortune. However, life in China is obviously not much better than in China. Many ronin hedgehogs gather in the Japanese concession, doing nothing all day long.
He became addicted to gambling.
People who sell their wives and daughters are likely to be beaten into disability by the casino thugs in the end, and then live on the streets and become one of the beggars. We have all seen this kind of thing, and there is nothing surprising about it.
"That guy from Shimoda went too far. I really want to give him a good education."
"Forget it, the casino thugs will find him sooner or later, let's go."
Bypassing the crowd watching the fun, Kurosaki glanced at the woman with dull eyes, like a walking zombie, frowned and sighed slightly.
Komatsu shouted: "Brother Mizuno, why don't we go to an izakaya to celebrate? Let's all chip in and have a good time."
Mizuno shook his head with a stern face: "No, I plan to go back to rest my mind and prepare for the battle tomorrow."
Someone said: "Mizuno, do you think too highly of the Chinese people?"
"It's just that I don't think there's anything special about that guy except that he knows concealed weapons."
"Shut up!" Kurosaki scolded, and all the ronin immediately shut up. He was of noble birth, and if he hadn't been obsessed with martial arts, he would have become famous in the army.
Kurosaki whispered to Mizuno: "Mizuno, I will take you back. If necessary, I can practice sword skills with you."
"Thank you so much, Kurosaki-san. But I still want to be alone for a while."
"Yeah, that's fine."
After bidding farewell to all the ronin, Mizuno went straight back to his home, closed the door, and sat quietly in the Japanese room. He placed a family sword across his knees, closed his eyes and concentrated, gathering momentum.
At the same time, the news of his duel with Fei Jingting seemed to have grown, and it spread to everyone in the blink of an eye.
In the Consulate General.
Shigeru Yoshida (Note 1) was reading a report compiled by his subordinates on the risks of Chinese people boycotting Japanese goods. The trend had passed, and Shigeru Yoshida thought that the students' turmoil would soon subside, but he did not expect that the turmoil would intensify and gradually
With the momentum of starting a prairie fire.
Moreover, the target of this trend was no longer just the Beiyang government, but Japan was also targeted. The Japanese Concession was maintained by military and police, and the situation was not bad. Outside the Japanese Concession, the Chinese began to spontaneously boycott Japanese goods for more than twenty days.
As a result, the shipment volume of Japanese goods in Tianjin alone dropped by nearly 20%!
This is an extremely dangerous signal! After the European War, Japan lost the European market. The industry it finally developed can only rely on the Chinese market to absorb production capacity. Once China boycotts Japanese goods, local production capacity cannot be absorbed, and Japan's industrialization process
There is a risk of being contained.
The local people called the consulate again and again, asking Yoshida Shigeru to pay close attention to the changes in the situation, and try his best to influence the upper echelons of Beiyang and control this trend. Yoshida Shigeru did do this, but unlike what the upper echelons promised, Yoshida Shigeru now has
Losing a sense of control over the situation.
He pinched his eyebrows with a headache. Just at this moment, a martial artist knocked on the door and entered the office. He bowed slightly: "Your Excellency, Consul General, I heard some interesting news!"
"Oh, it's Takahashi, what's the news?" Yoshida Shigeru asked.
"I heard that Mizuno Saburo and a Chinese made an agreement to have a life-or-death duel in the Purple Bamboo Forest tomorrow."
"Mizuno Saburo?"
"Hai, this guy is the leader of a group of rogues."
"Oh, something sounds familiar..." Yoshida Shigeru muttered: "Who is that person in the duel?"
The military attache said: "I did some research and found out that this person's name is Fei Jingting. He is a middle school teacher and a serial novelist. I heard he knows some martial arts."
Yoshida Shigeru laughed: "Haha, how come Mizuno guy chose such an opponent?" Without waiting for the military attache to say anything, he added: "That's good, I think Mizuno guy will definitely win, right?"
"Hai, I think it should be fine."
"Well...call the counselor for me and let him pay attention to this matter."
"Your Excellency, Consul General?"
Yoshida Shigeru said with a smile: "This is a good opportunity. If it is guided skillfully, it may be able to divert the attention of the Chinese people. Even if it cannot be diverted, I think it can also undermine the morale of the Chinese people."
"Hai, I understand."
The military attaché withdrew, and Shigeru Yoshida tapped his fingers on the table, lost in a beautiful reverie. He felt that it was a good idea to have ring duels, and maybe there should be more of them.
(Note 1: Yoshida Shigeru joined the company in 1924, and there is no trace of his predecessor, so it’s him.)