Beiyang Dream

Chapter 37: After being knocked unconscious by a rich woman with a Daphne d'Hôtel de Feather, I

October 26, 1889, Sunday, 10 p.m.

Berlin, second floor of the Kempinski restaurant, a booth by the window.

This is Chang Desheng and Luo Jingrou's third meeting at the Kempinski Hotel. Starting three weeks ago, they have been meeting at the Kempinski Hotel every Sunday under the pretext of "learning a foreign language".

He looked at Luo Jingrou across from him, feeling incredibly pleased with himself!

Luo Jingrou was wearing a pale yellow dress with lace trim at the neckline, looking particularly beautiful. She picked up the menu and ordered from the waiter in German, her voice crisp and clear with a slight Oxford accent, but already extremely fluent.

"The soup should be creamy asparagus soup, the main course should be Rhine salmon fillet with lobster sauce, the dessert should be vanilla ice cream, and the wine..." She turned to the wine page, pointed with her finger, "Riesling, Rheingau."

The waiter was a German man in his fifties, dressed in a crisp black uniform. He nodded as he took notes, his attitude very respectful.

After ordering, Luo Jingrou looked up at Chang Desheng and asked in German with a smile, "Zhenbang, what would you like?"

Chang Desheng grinned and said in German, "The Germans' pork knuckle is quite famous, the Kempinski Hotel has it too, right? Want to order one?"

The waiter's lips twitched noticeably upon hearing this; he wanted to laugh but dared not. He glanced at Chang Desheng's Prussian War Academy uniform, then at the large helmet Chang Desheng had taken off and placed on the table, and finally held it in.

Luo Jingrou chuckled. She nodded and said to the waiter in German, "Add a Berlin-style braised pork knuckle." Then she turned to Chang Desheng and said half-jokingly, "If we can't finish it, you'll have to pack it up."

"No problem!" Chang Desheng laughed, thinking to himself that this rich young lady was quite easy to get along with. Most importantly, she could get something for free... no, she was treating me to a free meal. She really had the awareness of a rich woman.

The waiter took the menu, bowed, and left.

After the waiter had gone some distance, Luo Jingrou took out a notebook from her handbag. She looked up at Chang Desheng with her big, bright eyes and said in German, "Zhenbang, I... have something I'd like to ask you."

"Go ahead and say it," Chang Desheng said with a smile, leaning back. "We're so familiar with each other, don't be shy."

"It's about chemistry," Luo Jingrou said, her tone quite serious. "Victoria Girls' School has chemistry classes, but I'm not very good at it... There are some parts I don't understand, and I'd like to ask you for help."

Chang Desheng was delighted to hear this.

He patted his chest and said in German, "Chemistry? I'm good at it! Ask me anything you don't understand!"

Luo Jingrou nodded gently, turned to a page in her notebook, pointed to a line of text, and asked in German, "What is the chemical principle of the nitrate composting process? And... can it be mass-produced?"

Chang Desheng's smile froze for a moment.

He glanced at Luo Jingrou and thought to himself: Your Victoria Girls' School's chemistry class... even teaches people how to make gunpowder by hand?

Chang Desheng narrowed his eyes.

It seems the Zhang and Luo families want quite a lot; they not only want guns and cannons, but also want to make their own gunpowder and bullets... Well done, they've learned to be self-reliant, that's ambitious!

Thinking of this, he leaned forward, lowered his voice, and asked in Chinese, "Jingrou, does your Victoria Girls' School teach this in chemistry class?"

Luo Jingrou blushed slightly and switched to Chinese, her voice even lower: "It's...it's an elective course. I was interested in it, so I asked the teacher a few more questions."

Chang Desheng thought to himself, "I don't believe you for a second." But he still smiled and followed up, asking, "Is your father thinking of... opening a fireworks factory in Southeast Asia?"

He deliberately emphasized the words "firecracker factory".

Luo Jingrou's eyes lit up.

She looked at Chang Desheng and nodded repeatedly, lowering her voice even further: "Yes. Zhenbang, do you... have any connections?"

Chang Desheng smiled.

The approach?

I'm a tough guy! I was just afraid you wouldn't come looking for me. Now that you've come looking for me, there's no escaping it... We'll all be family sooner or later!

He leaned back, picked up the water glass on the table, took a sip, and then slowly said, "Leave it to me."

Luo Jingrou's eyes brightened even more.

Chang Desheng then changed the subject, lowering his voice considerably: "However, this matter can't be discussed just between the two of us. We need your fifth uncle to come and talk to me about the specifics." He paused, then added, "Let's schedule a time to discuss it at your fifth uncle's house. Also, let's invite Mr. Schneider along; he's an expert in this field."

Luo Jingrou nodded vigorously: "Okay!"

Seeing her excitement, Chang Desheng suddenly asked, "Your father... must really enjoy hunting, right?"

Luo Jingrou was taken aback, then realized what she meant, her eyes widening in surprise: "Yes, yes, yes! My dad loves hunting! It's just... we don't have enough bullets." She looked pleadingly at Chang Desheng, "Brother Zhenbang, could you... give Schneider Electric a contract for bullet procurement?"

Schneider Electric—the "mortar factory" that Chang Desheng, Guo Shigui, and Zhang Zhensheng jointly established. It was named after Carl von Schneider. Chang Desheng had Schneider hold his shares on his behalf, gave him a 10% stake (a "dry stock"), and had Zhang Zhensheng hire him as general manager. On the surface, it was a legitimate German arms company, but what were they doing behind the scenes…?

Chang Desheng knew exactly what was going on.

He laughed and said, "Of course we should have plenty of bullets. But when it comes to hunting, we have to be economical; we can't use a whole hand of bullets every time."

Luo Jingrou blinked: "Bullets... there are second-hand ones?"

"Yes!" Chang Desheng said matter-of-factly, "It can be reloaded! Have Schneider Electric purchase a batch of bullet reloading machine tools and send them to Southeast Asia... This thing isn't considered military equipment, it can be exported freely."

He paused, then added, "And it's cheap. A machine tool only costs a few hundred marks and can last for several years. Buy a machine tool, stockpile some primers, and you can reload bullets by making your own bullets and gunpowder. The cost of a reloaded bullet is less than a third of a new bullet. Most importantly, the supply is controllable!"

Luo Jingrou listened with her eyes wide open.

Bullet reloading machine tool?

There are such good things?

She thought to herself, "This is such a great deal! I must buy a few more and send them to my father! No, I must buy dozens more! There are so many wealthy Chinese merchants in Southeast Asia; who doesn't hunt or use them for self-defense? This trade in secondhand bullets..."

Just then, the waiter brought over the appetizer bread and Riesling wine.

The two immediately shut up.

The waiter put down the bread basket and wine bottle, poured wine for the two men, and then bowed and withdrew.

After the waiters had gone some distance, Luo Jingrou took a delicate velvet box from her handbag and pushed it in front of Chang Desheng. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and she said softly, "Zhenbang, this is for you."

Chang Desheng was taken aback: "What's this?"

"A pocket watch," Luo Jingrou said, her face turning even redder. "The last two times... you were late. With a watch, you'll be able to tell the time."

Chang Desheng blushed.

His habit of being late for appointments is genuine. The coursework at the War Academy is incredibly demanding, the translation of military textbooks needs to be completed, and he also needs to find time to discuss the mortar factory with Schneider. And then there's the birthday ship; although Guo Shigui is mainly in charge of the arrangements, many crucial decisions still require his approval. After his "appointment" with Luo Jingrou today, he has to go to the Admiralty later; Guo Shigui has an appointment with Tirpitz…

He smiled a little sheepishly and took the velvet box.

The box is small, dark blue, embroidered with dark gold patterns, and feels smooth to the touch.

He opened the box and looked inside...

I'm dizzy again.

He was knocked unconscious by the silver paper.

Inside the box, lined with deep red velvet, lay a pocket watch. The case was gold, the dial white enamel with black Roman numerals marking the time, and two blued steel hands ticking steadily. Most striking was the back of the case, engraved with a line of cursive French text:

Patek Philippe.

Patek Philippe.

Although Chang Desheng was a poor draftsman in his previous life, he had still heard of this brand. It was a top-tier Swiss watch brand, with one watch costing as much as a house. In 1889, while the brand wasn't as extravagant as it is now, it was still an absolute luxury item.

Chang Desheng's mind raced with calculations.

How much does this watch cost?

Gold casing, enamel plate, the craftsmanship is exquisite... It must cost at least two thousand marks, right?

Two thousand marks, equivalent to more than four hundred taels of silver... In Tianjin, that's enough to buy a courtyard house, and that's in the city!

Chang Desheng looked up at Luo Jingrou.

The young heiress really went to great lengths to "pursue" me.

For my first gift-giving occasion, I'm giving a Patek Philippe.

This... this should be considered a token of love, right?

What should I reply to?

As he was thinking, Luo Jingrou softly asked, "Do you like it?"

"I love it... I love it so much." Chang Desheng swallowed hard, closed the box, and tucked it into his pocket. "This... this is too precious."

Luo Jingrou smiled, her eyes curving into crescents: "I'm glad you like it."

......

Berlin, 14 Stästralstrasse, Leipzig Platz.

Chang Desheng was still a little dizzy when he got off the horse-drawn carriage.

The rich young woman must have her eye on me... no, not just her, but her father, her fifth uncle, and her third uncle must all have their eyes on me, this rising star of the Beiyang clique. I must say, these Southeast Asian tycoons have excellent foresight; they saw that I would become president someday!

Chang Desheng's mind was in turmoil. In his past life, he had several girlfriends, but when it came time to discuss marriage, they all complained that he didn't own a house. In this life, however, things were much better. After only a few meetings, someone gifted him a Patek Philippe watch worth the equivalent of a courtyard house in Tianjin.

This feeling... is a bit unsettling.

As he was lost in thought, he suddenly heard someone calling him.

"Hey, Zhenbang! What are you thinking about? Have you lost your mind? I called you several times and you didn't answer!"

He speaks with a strong Tianjin accent.

Chang Desheng looked up and saw Guo Shigui's dark face. Guo Shigui, dressed in the official uniform of the Beiyang Army, stood at the entrance of the naval department, glaring at him.

"Jichuan?" Chang Desheng snapped out of his daze and quickly went over. "I'm not late, am I?"

"Not late yet?" Guo Shigui glared at him. "Colonel Tirpitz has been waiting for a while! Hurry up, he's prepared the plan for the birthday ship and is just waiting for our approval!"