Chapter 1: The Entanglement of Love and Hatred, Haicheng's Solitude

  In June 1977, in a certain farm at the junction of Beidahuang and Heimeng, in a large grassland.

  A young couple had just finished a battle in the wilderness. The man was called Li Yuan Chao, a 20-year-old youth from Yanjing who came to this place three years ago. The woman was called Yan Yu Qian, an 18-year-old youth from Hangzhou who came to this place two years ago.

  Yan Yuqian: "Aidao, from today on I am yours, are you willing to marry me?"

  "With my status, I'm still worried that you wouldn't dare marry me." Li Yuan helped her find the thick padded jacket inside and handed it to her.

  Yan Yuqian had just received the news and was dressing while anxiously saying: "I heard that many old cadres have been rehabilitated, who knows when your father will be reinstated to his original position, at that time one in heaven and one on earth, would you still say this?"

  Li Yuanzhou didn't want to discuss this matter anymore and changed the subject: "How's your dad? Any news?"

  "They all said he was a spy, and if he escaped, he would never dare come back."

  The sound of a dog barking came from nearby, and the two people hastily put on their clothes.

  "Supporting North Korea, where are you? Someone has come to your home, riding in a jeep." As the voice arrived, a tall and strong man named Gaoshan came over with his dog.

  Li Yuan Chao quickly put on the blood-stained cotton-padded jacket inside out, and replied: "Ah, Dashan, what's going on here? My family has arrived? And a Jeep? No way, you didn't hear wrong?" Li Yuan Chao said as he turned around and gently patted Yan Yu's shoulder, then followed Ga Dashan without looking back.

  A pair of down-and-out former rich kids hastily completed their first time in life with each other.

  Li Yuan Chao left, following the capital cadre who was sent by his father, a minister, and whom the farm team leaders did not dare to shake hands with. A month later, he wrote to Yan Yu saying that he had enlisted in the army and had been admitted to military school. It was also this month that Yan Yu discovered she had missed her period.

  Li Yuan Chao left without looking back, and Yan Yuqian's belly grew bigger day by day. She wrote to Li Yuan Chao every day about her recent situation. At first, Li Yuan Chao responded with equal enthusiasm, but from the beginning of 1978, he didn't even look at a single letter. Yan Yuqian gradually lost hope while waiting, and on February 2nd of that year, she gave birth to a boy named Li Hu Qiu in the home of her fellow villager Gao Fugui, meaning "not forgetting his hometown Suzhou".

  In May of 1978, Yan Yuqian received a notice that her landlord, Gao Dage, had secured for her an opportunity to return to the city to work. The only obstacle was this illegitimate child, Li Huqiu. Thinking about Li Yuan's ruthlessness and her family's illness-ridden mother and five-year-old sister, Yan Yuqian made a painful decision to leave Li Huqiu in the desolate Beidahuang, where she had buried her romantic fantasies.

  Li Yuan Chao's irresponsible sperm, Yan Yu's youth and resentment before, let Li Hu Qiu who had just turned 100 days old start his life as an orphan.

  November 1983. The dry and cold weather could not stop the enthusiasm of the village children from playing.

  Li Huqiu, a young boy from the Gagadadi Farm, got into big trouble. He led a group of kids to play with fire and ended up burning down the farm's cafeteria, destroying a year's worth of dried gourds used for cooking fuel. Having been raised by the collective canteen, Li Huqiu had no family to turn to, and he knew that the consequences awaiting him were too terrible to contemplate. So he ran away.

  In the same year, in December, Father returned from overseas, and life changed dramatically. Yan Yuqian, who was already the general manager of Hangzhou New Department Store, and Li Yuan Chao, the deputy commander of a certain division of the Capital Military Region, came to this small mountain village one after another, searching for Li Hu Qiu but to no avail. Instead, they were scolded by Li Hu Qiu's uncle, who had not seen him for a month. Both men came with high spirits and left in disappointment. The two men arrived here only a day apart, yet missed each other.

  Li Huqiu was a stowaway on a large passenger bus, and even he himself didn't know where the destination was. After being jostled around in the crowded bus for five or six hours, the little kid finally got off at the terminal station. The big sign above the station read "Haerbin" in three large characters. Unfortunately, Li Huqiu couldn't recognize any of these three characters. In a daze, he arrived in this city, one of the top ten cities in the country, the Oriental Paris.

  Hunger followed by cold, Li Huqiu lingered in front of a tea egg stall. He wasn't there to beg, but planned to snatch a tea egg and run away like crazy. However, his attempt was thwarted as the boss, who had dealt with many vagrants before, saw through his intentions. A scalding hot tea egg was seemingly accidentally dropped on the ground by the boss, who shook his head and said, "What a pity, ah, it's dirty now, don't want it." Li Huqiu quickly picked it up, peeled off the skin with three swift motions, and gobbled it down in two mouthfuls. As he left the tea egg stall, Li Huqiu bowed to the boss who was shivering in the cold wind.

  Under the big clock in front of the station, a lame man with his eyes narrowed watched the whole process. He lazily waved his hand to the left and right, and immediately a small rascal came over beside him, "Take that little brat back, he's an orphan without a master, don't break his arms or legs for now, wait until I get back to take a look." The lame man was called Hao Lame Man, the big thief of Haicheng South Station, and the notorious Northeast Thief King.

  Li Huqiu followed the young uncle with a red armband in front of him to Hao Qiu's house. Just as the gate was about to close, he suddenly turned his head and rushed towards the gate like a little beast. The young man didn't react in time, watching as Li Huqiu was about to run out of the yard. At that moment, Hao Qiu appeared at the door just as Li Huqiu was about to rush out, stretched out his hand, grabbed Li Huqiu's tattered cotton-padded jacket, and threw him back into the yard.

  "With a discerning eye, his physique is not ordinary, looks like he was raised on meat in the mountains, let Old Song train him for a few days. The New Year is approaching, I'll go out and do some big deals, when I come back, if this kid still can't learn discipline, can't read the first 30 chapters of Water Margin, it means he's not worth cultivating, break his arm directly, make him mute, and let him beg on the streets." Hao Buzi said this and limped away.

  The young hooligan saw the discontent in Li Huqiu's eyes and cursed: "Little wolf cub, what are you looking at? Not convinced? You still want to run away with your mother, today I'll give you a good beating."

  Lao Song is actually not old, only in his thirties but with an old face that makes him look older. Deep forehead wrinkles, hiding the creases of a black land fish tail wrinkle, two deep grooves on the corners of his mouth. This naturally born and raised old face, which makes Lao Song feel inferior, made Li Huqiu think of calling him "grandfather" when he first met him.

  According to Zhang Tiejun, a young hooligan who had beaten Li Huqiu before, Lao Song was not from the same gang. He belonged to the Qianqiangpao gang and was known as San Dangjia. Lao Song had always wanted to learn from Hao Duanzi, but Hao had never agreed. However, they were all fellow travelers in the underworld, so they considered each other friends. The reason why Lao Song was asked to train Li Huqiu was that among the people Hao knew, Lao Song was the only high school graduate and a talented person.

  A six-year-old kid reads Water Margin, with exciting chapters like Wu Song fighting the tiger and Lu Zhishen uprooting the willow tree, which greatly piqued Li Hu's interest. With his clever talent and being at the best period of memory, he spent a few days' effort to read through Outlaws of the Marsh with great enthusiasm. Old Song felt a strong sense of accomplishment for the first time in teaching.

  The Water Margin is well-versed in learning, but it's hard to follow those rules and regulations.

  The entire feudal gang rules, if you accidentally commit any of them, the lightest punishment is three knives and six eyes, and the heaviest is to dig out your heart and behead you.

  1. Do not deceive or betray one's master or ancestors.

  2. Do not look down on predecessors.

  3. Do not sell out the country for personal glory.

  4. Do not take advantage of the weak and the poor.

  5. Do not disrupt the order of society.

  6. Do not disturb the rules of the gang.

  7. Do not commit robbery or theft.

  8. Do not engage in illicit sex or adultery.

  9. Do not show disrespect to elders or superiors.

  10. Do not take in disciples for personal gain.

  Since ancient times, lust has been the source of all evil, and filial piety is the first of all virtues. Unbridled lust leads to chaos in the country's laws, and in the home, it is the first of the ten prohibitions.

  Although there are many heroes in our organization, their nature is originally good, and they are generous and righteous; they help people in urgent need and rescue those in danger, but within our organization, there are also those who rob and kill.

  Litigation and disputes lead to financial losses and suffering, and the destruction of families and property. There is no greater evil than this, and retribution will be severe.

  Those who wish for others' wealth and death, using poison and secret murder, are even more detestable; such people cannot join our organization.

  A gentleman remembers kindness but not grudges, and does not use public office for personal gain. He encourages others to accumulate virtue and do good deeds, but those who deceive others with false pretenses must be expelled.

  Our organization's members should be honest and upright, and not bully the weak; we must be cautious of relying on numbers to oppress others, and of using our power to harm the innocent.

  The intentions of our three ancestors are pure, and they taught us to respect each other regardless of age. Deceiving and taking advantage of the young is a betrayal of our ancestral teachings.

  Drinking wine can easily lead to chaos in one's spirit, and taking drugs is extremely harmful to one's body. Although we do not prohibit smoking and drinking, it is best to reduce or avoid them altogether.

  The kindness of parents is difficult to repay, and their love for us is as heavy as a mountain. From childhood, they taught us with great difficulty, and we must respect and honor them first.

  In all matters, we should prioritize the public interest, and maintain our organization's righteousness; our three ancestors' teachings are based on benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and sincerity.

  We should revere our ancestors and teachers, and follow their instructions carefully. We should respect each other regardless of age, and repay the kindness of those who educated us.

  All of us who participate in this organization are brothers, and we should treat each other with fraternal love; we should be tolerant and harmonious, and maintain our organization's righteousness for eternity.

  Husbands and wives should be harmonious, and the husband should lead while the wife follows. A virtuous wife and a filial son bring joy to the family, and wealth and honor will follow.

  Harmony in the community is more important than distant relatives, and we should unite with our neighbors and respect each other regardless of age. Our righteousness should be united and long-lasting, and we should not be affected by petty people.

  In making friends, we should prioritize sincerity and loyalty, and maintain our organization's rituals and regulations carefully. We should travel the world without being poor or humiliated.

  We should always reflect on our own mistakes, cultivate virtue, and become a Buddha through good deeds; we should carry out good actions with humility, and remember not to do evil.

  Our three ancestors' teachings are based on benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and sincerity. We should act in accordance with the times and circumstances, and our righteousness will be transmitted for eternity.

  We should help the elderly, the weak, the poor, and those who are suffering; we should assist those who are alone and without support. The merit of helping others is great, and it will certainly bring rewards in this life and the next.

  Li Huqiu's head was big, and he looked down at his face: "Are these all rules?"

  Old Song smiled and shook his head: "These are all rules for being a rivers-and-lakes person, now it's no longer popular to talk about this, but let you know that knowing these doesn't hurt."

  Li Huqiu: "What is it that Hua Dulu wants me to learn about etiquette?"

  Lao Song grasped his small hand and instructed, "Hao Qiu's likes and dislikes are the rules, don't do things he doesn't like, only do things that make him happy, and never say the word 'cripple' in front of him."

  Li Huqiu said: "I like watching Water Margin, I don't like reciting these rules."

  Old Song solemnly told him: "Hao Buzi doesn't like it when you don't recite these rules, although he himself doesn't follow them either. But he's always thinking of passing down the rules left by our ancestors. If you want to live a safe and sound life, you must make Hao Buzi happy. Maybe then he'll take you on as an apprentice, and when that happens, you'll have a lifetime supply of rice bowls."

  Old Song then explained these rules to Li Huqiu one sentence at a time, occasionally interjecting with stories about the Yang family generals, which Li Huqiu listened to with great relish. Unbeknownst to him, he also learned these rules by heart, almost perfectly. These rules later became his moral guide and primer for being a good person.