Chapter 83: No Silver Buried Here, Three Hundred Taels
“I dislike the ways of the Kuomintang, I even loathe them!” Cao Weida shook his head.
“The Kuomintang is filled with factions, hoarding strategic supplies like grain, medicine, and cloth, reselling them at high prices and smuggling them to aid the enemy.”
“Some officials are blinded by greed and profit, and to get rich, they even engage in and promote corrupt dealings like opium, which harms the country and its people.”
“The four great families are making fortunes from the national crisis, disregarding the lives of the people. What has the Kuomintang leadership done?”
“In ’42, the Kuomintang issued the Allied Victory US Dollar Victory Bonds, raising a full two hundred million US dollars to alleviate financial difficulties. It was stipulated that the public could purchase these with legal tender at the official price, to be redeemed for gold after the victory of the War of Resistance. But what was the result? Certain individuals exploited their positions, bought a large amount of bonds at a low price, and then sold them at a high price on the black market, embezzling enormous wealth.”
“At the beginning of the War of Resistance, the Kong family manipulated finance through their authority and embezzled national wealth.”
“In short, are such things uncommon?”
“With such a government, even if the War of Resistance is won, can we expect them to work for the welfare of the people?!”
Speaking of this, Cao Weida took a deep breath, calmed his inner rage, and said with immense disappointment:
“What’s the difference between such a regime and the Qing Dynasty or the warlord era?”
“Aren’t they still treating the people of the world like livestock to be exploited at will?”
“Just look at how the Chinese people have lived these years under the Kuomintang’s rule!”
“In ’38, the Huayuankou dike of the Yellow River was breached. It was said to be to impede the Japanese Army’s advance, but what was the reality? The effect was minimal. Instead, it submerged 44 counties in Henan, Anhui, and Jiangsu provinces, destroyed millions of mu of farmland, affected 12 million people, and displaced 3.9 million!”
“The subsequent plagues and famines were even more horrific!”
“In ’41, the floods in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River destroyed countless houses, leaving refugees everywhere!”
“In ’43, floods in the Pearl River basin left hundreds of thousands of refugees homeless!”
“With all these occurrences, how many innocent people have become piles of white bones by the roadside, unacknowledged?!”
“But what was the Kuomintang doing?!”
“It’s one thing to be indifferent to this, but those big shots who lived lives of debauchery every night, indulging in pleasure, not only ignored it but took the opportunity to amass wealth!”
“This is sucking the blood of the poor!”
“These crimes are simply too numerous to record!!”
“For the sake of so-called international reputation, what was that big bald man in the presidential seat doing?”
“He fabricated lies, attempting to conceal all of this, even resorting to killing countless people to achieve this goal!”
“Tell me, under such a regime, does our country still have hope? Does it have a future? Can the common people still see tomorrow?!”
Living in modern times with no worries about food and clothing, although deeply sympathetic, they can never truly empathize. They have no idea how desperate and numb life was for an ordinary person in such an era!
Nor can they comprehend the immense sacrifices made by these heroic martyrs so that future Chinese people could stand tall in the eyes of other nations!
Some people always believe that contributing a little for these beloved individuals is one kind of poison or another, but without the contributions of millions upon millions like them, how could China’s rise have been achieved!
Without the selfless contributions of these people, China today might very well be another India!!
Living in this era, if one wants China to truly rise, and lacks even a bit of a spirit of contribution, then are they even worthy of calling themselves a patriotic Chinese person?!
Our ancestors long ago said, when poor, look after oneself; when prosperous, help the world!
Cao Weida doesn’t have that much ability, nor is he a saint!
But when he is not worried about food and clothing, he doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with making contributions within his capabilities!
Chinese people who have braved the oceans to survive in various countries are cleaners, dishwashers, miners, and even beggars!
Yet, in a time of national crisis, even when their own lives were difficult, they unhesitatingly donated their meager savings and sent the money back home to support the War of Resistance. Though thousands of miles away, they still deeply loved this land and did great deeds. Why can’t Cao Weida?!
Cao Weida’s eyes reddened. He considered himself a selfish person, but after transmigrating, seeing how timid and subservient his compatriots were, how they lived their lives in hardship and trepidation every day, his patriotism was instantly ignited.
In the past, he lacked the ability. Now that he has the ability, if he were to stand by and watch, he would feel he wasn’t Chinese! He would despise himself!
Zheng Chaoyang was deeply moved by his patriotism. He could feel Cao Weida’s inner pain. The people living in this era were tragic, hard-pressed, and their future was uncertain; everyone was struggling.
Gritting his teeth tightly, Zheng Chaoyang’s eyes also began to turn red, but his voice was exceptionally firm:
“Don’t worry, the future of China will surely usher in the liberation of the people!”
“This is also the original intention behind why I joined the Communist Party!”
“I know I’ve read your policies, the Communist Party’s, and I admire them greatly. Therefore, doing what I can for you is something I do willingly.” Saying this, he rubbed his face, looking a bit embarrassed:
“I’m not afraid you’ll laugh, but I’m a genuine farmer. My lifelong ideal has always been simple: to have a few acres of fertile land at home, a wife, children, and a warm bed, to eat the grain I grow every day, and to work from sunrise to sunset.”
Whether he thought this way before or not, it doesn’t matter. What’s important is that this is what he’s saying now!
His tone carried anger, filled with discontent and sorrow:
“But even such a simple ideal is so difficult to achieve!”
“When I was a child, it was warlord separatism; you fight me, I fight you, and we suffered greatly.”
“After the country was unified, we thought we could finally live a stable life, right? Unfortunately, the Kuomintang is no good either, worse than bandits! They squeezed and exploited us, and we could barely survive.”
“How could I possibly feel close to such a government? I wish I could skin them alive and see if their blood is really red!”
“Later, the little devils came, and our lives became even harder. We couldn’t eat the grain we grew ourselves; instead, we ate what even the livestock ate, or things livestock wouldn’t eat. When did they ever treat us as humans? In their eyes, we were worse than livestock!!”
“Sometimes, I really wanted to join the revolution and fight these damn little devils to the death! Better to die!”
“But I’m naturally timid and fear death, so I never dared to take that step.”
“Later, I reflected deeply and finally decided to take a gamble. I couldn’t stand eating that inedible stuff every day anymore. I was afraid I would go crazy!”
“So I sold all my property and came to Beiping to seek a way out.”
“It was my good luck that I struck up a relationship with Master Duo and got into the police station, and then through some minor means, I got involved with the little devils.”
“But I’ve never done anything bad, and I’ve never forgotten that I am Chinese!”
“I know that.” Zheng Chaoyang patted his shoulder in affirmation. If Cao Weida were truly a traitorous lackey who aided and abetted evil, or a bully who harmed the villagers, Zheng Chaoyang would not have strongly recommended to Old Luo that Cao Weida be brought into the fold.
“Now, I have enough to eat and drink, and I have some money. I can be considered to have some capability.”
“Your Communist Party is fighting for all the people, for the common people of China to live stable lives, not fearing hardship or sacrifice. I am one of the millions of common people, and you are fighting for me too. Should I not contribute what little I can?”
Cao Weida spoke with genuine sincerity, and Zheng Chaoyang was deeply moved. What did this indicate? It indicated that their long-held beliefs were correct and just!
“Alright, I apologize for what I said earlier. I accept your donations on behalf of the organization. Although we cannot immediately publicize your contributions, every bit of your contribution will be recorded.”
“If that day of victory truly comes, your contributions will absolutely not be buried!”
Cao Weida refused, “Let’s forget it. I never expected any reward. I’m timid and fear death, I can’t fight the little devils head-on, so I can only offer my meager efforts.”
“What you’ve done is not meager,” Zheng Chaoyang said with a smile, shaking his head. If what Cao Weida had done was considered meager, then what would be considered a great contribution?
“Moreover, Cao’er, you are not someone timid and fearful who dares not fight the little devils head-on.”
“Just your actions in exterminating traitors were quite professional, quite similar to a certain mysterious person.”
Zheng Chaoyang spoke with a hidden meaning, his eyes fixed on Cao Weida’s expression.
Cao Weida’s expression stiffened, making Zheng Chaoyang even more certain of his guess.
“What mysterious person, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Although Cao Weida vehemently denied it, Zheng Chaoyang could still see his guilt and insincerity.
He couldn’t help but grin, “It’s nothing, I was just talking nonsense. The mysterious person’s actions of assassinating devils and traitors are something we strongly support and affirm, but sometimes the situation needs to be distinguished.”
“Not all traitors should be eliminated; some can still be won over. Indiscriminate assassination could easily lead to accidental casualties.”
Cao Weida gave an “I understand” look. “There’s you in me, and me in you, just like you in our ranks. But I believe that mysterious person would also conduct a thorough investigation before assassinating.”
Seemingly realizing he had said too much, he quickly tried to cover it up, “Look, he only assassinates those who are utterly wicked and rotten to the core. I don’t believe killing these people would cause collateral damage.”
Zheng Chaoyang secretly chuckled. Your contradictory statements are like saying “there are no three taels of silver here,” and yet you claim you’re not that mysterious person!
“It would be great if we could contact that mysterious person. If he wants to contribute to the country, we can cooperate. Our Communist Party is very willing to cooperate with such patriotic individuals.”
“For example, by providing some lists. This would make it more convenient for him to serve the country. It’s just a pity that no one knows his identity, let alone how to contact him.”
As he spoke, he glanced at Cao Weida intentionally or unintentionally.
