Chapter 33 Chapter Thirty-Three

Cao Ershun remembered that it was a cloudy and rainy day when Pastor James took refuge in Zazipo. He had just returned from the charcoal yard at the wharf and was about to go to the night kiln after dinner. The gate of the courtyard. When Pastor James saw Cao Ershun, he burst into tears. Cao Ershun was surprised and asked, "Pastor Zhan, what's wrong with you? What happened?" Pastor James said sadly: "My brother, the devil Satan is creating sins again. Our church in Mohe was burned down, and the Lord's shepherd, Brother Peter, was also brutally killed by mobs. Brother Peter feared God all his life, so there is Love, in order to spread the gospel of the Lord in this far east, first gave the Lord his property, and now he gave his life for the Lord..."

Pastor Peter Cao Ershun didn’t know him. Cao Ershun was not very sad by the way, but because Pastor James was sad, Cao Ershun knew that Pastor Peter must also be a good person, and he was also saddened—it was just sad, and he could do it for the martyrs. Cao Ershun didn't know what Pastor Peter did. Pastor James didn't expect Cao Ershun to do anything, but he couldn't restrain his desire to tell: "...my brother, Pastor Peter, has done so many loving and good deeds for brothers and sisters in Mohe, adopted abandoned babies, helped the poor, and finally It really shocked me to end up like this..."

Later, Pastor James talked about the scene of his suffering in Qiaotou Town today, and Cao Ershun knew what to do.After hesitating for a while, Cao Ershun canceled his plan to go to Xiayeyao, let Pastor James have something to eat first, and then consulted with a few church members at home, trying to protect his pastor.The church members were all good, and they rushed to ask the pastor to hide in their own homes.Some brothers who were not members of the church also came because they had benefited from Pastor James, and they all told Cao Ershun that as long as the pastor is in Zazipo, we must protect him.

Cao Ershun was very happy, so he went to Pastor James and said: "...Pastor Zhan, don't leave. We have discussed it. You can live on the slope. If we eat, you will eat; if we drink Yes, it’s just for you to drink, and we keep someone to protect you every day.” Several church members also invited Pastor James to live in their home in front of Pastor James. Pastor James was unwilling to go, and waved his hands and said, "This is too inconvenient for you." Cao Ershun wanted Pastor James to live in his house, so he asked Dani to vacate the east room where they lived.Dani had a rare chance to take care of this kind pastor. She nodded happily and wanted to go to the east room to clean up. Unexpectedly, she was stopped by Pastor James.

Pastor James thought of a good place and said, "Brothers, I will live in the church that preaches on the slope." Cao Ershun said: "No way, you live there alone, if something happens, we won't know." Pastor James still insisted on living in the church. Cao Ershun and the church members had no choice but to obey the pastor, set up a door panel in the earthen house of the church, and found better beds and bedding for the pastor to make do with.For fear that Master Xiucai's gang would come to the slope at night, Cao Ershun and another church member named Cao Fucheng didn't go home, so they spread a straw mat on the ground and slept in front of the pastor's bed.

Chunwang, Qiuwang, Xiawang, and Dongwang saw that the pastor was staying, and they all regained their energy. They no longer wanted to sleep on the kang at home honestly, and they all squeezed together to play beside Pastor James' bed. Pastor James was sorry. He shrugged his shoulders at Siwang Cao, spread his hands and said, "...children, Uncle has no presents for you today. Uncle can only give you a blessing." Dong Wang blinked his small eyes and asked, "Uncle Pastor, has the Lord forgotten us today?" Pastor James said: "The Lord has not forgotten you, and the Lord will give you gifts in the future."

Qiu Wang said: "We don't want gifts, so we ask Uncle to tell us stories about God..." Knowing that the pastor was in a bad mood, Cao Ershun rolled his eyes and drove the four sons away. After the Cao family's sons left, Pastor James said to Cao Ershun, "My brother, the children are growing up day by day. You should let them study and receive education." Cao Ershun sighed and said, "I'm almost out of food, so why should I read?" Pastor James thought for a while and said, "If you want, I can introduce Chunwang and Qiuwang to study in a gospel school in Shanghai."

Cao Ershun was startled for a moment, then shook his head: "Forget it, forget it, after a few years of hard work, Chunwang and Qiuwang will be able to work in the kiln." Seeing that Cao Ershun had no intention of letting his son study at all, Pastor James stopped talking.Cao Ershun waited for Pastor James to sleep, and also let Cao Fucheng sleep. He squatted in front of the earthen house door, smoking silently in front of the autumn moon, until he found a pile of torches appearing down the slope... The torch was burning from the direction of Qiaotou Town. At first it was like a meteor flashing. Cao Ershun thought he was delusional.Later, the meteor turned into a dancing flame, and the sound of footsteps came faintly. Only then did Cao Ershun realize that something was wrong, and quickly called Pastor James and Cao Fucheng—that night was really strange, and no one could tell how the news got out, scholar The master actually brought a group of people to fight on the slope of Kuzipo.

Pastor James and Cao Fucheng got up from their sleep and went to the door of the earthen house to see, also dumbfounded. Cao Ershun said to Cao Fucheng, "Go and call people from house to house. I'll take Pastor Zhan to my house and hide him first." Cao Fucheng responded and hurried away. Cao Ershun chased after Cao Fucheng's back and shouted: "Be quick, say that the bandits are coming up the slope!" After yelling, Cao Ershun took Pastor James and ran to his house.But after only running for a short distance, Cao Ershun felt something was wrong.In the darkness, a few people who didn't light a torch suddenly jumped out from somewhere, chasing after him and James and shouting: "...Come here quickly, Maozi Zhan is here!"

In desperation, Cao Ershun dragged Pastor James into a nearby earth courtyard. Just at this moment, several pursuers behind rushed over, flew a stick, and knocked Pastor James down at the gate of the Tuyuan.Cao Ershun became anxious and threw himself on Pastor James, trying to protect him with his body.But it didn't work. I was thin and small, so I couldn't protect Pastor James from speaking, and I was beaten a few times in vain.But I didn't feel any pain at the time.But Pastor James felt the pain, and could no longer speak Chinese, and could only scream in foreign language, his voice was miserable and frightening.It was later learned that Pastor James' left ankle was broken.

At this critical moment, the sound of copper basins calling the police was heard, and Cao Fucheng's shouts were also heard. The men in every household got up, and they all copied the guys and asked around: "...Where is the bandit? Where is the bandit?" Cao Ershun got up in good time and shouted, "The bandit... the bandit is here!" The brothers on the slope "hula" surrounded them, and only after they surrounded them did they realize that it was not bandits, but Master Xiucai who brought a group of men and women from Qiaotou Town to beat Maozi. Master Xiucai spoke plausibly, and said to the brothers who surrounded him: "...Young and old, it's none of your business, you all go back to sleep, we're just beating hair. We've been looking for this Zhan Maozi for a day, and finally found it here. We don't blame you, as long as you get out of the way, don't let Maozi's dirty blood splash on you." Cao Ershun asked the church members who rushed over to protect Pastor James, pointed at Master Xiucai and asked, "Pastor Zhan provoked you? You...you insist on beating him?" Master Xiucai said: "Maozi are not good things, they have been beaten in Mohe City, why don't we beat them!" Cao Fucheng said: "Everyone in Mohe City goes to the latrine to eat excrement, and you also go to eat?" Another person on the slope said: "Even if the bad guys in other places are not good, this Pastor Zhan is a good person. Others don't know it, but our brothers on the slope know that Pastor Zhan teaches the teachings of our poor!" Master Xiucai wanted to say something else, but the brothers on the slope had already shouted: "Get out, get out!" "If you don't leave, I will fight too!" "Yes, hit, hit these bastard things!" ... Master Xiucai brought a lot of people this night, including a few stunned ones.These few Lengzhong scolded the brothers on Poshang first, and then they started fighting.After a head-on fight, Master Xiucai and his gang of righteous people became angry. A few of them were punched and kicked first, and then Master Xiucai was kicked to the ground by Cao Fucheng.Master Xiucai fell to the ground in a panic, and couldn't remember the beating anymore, so he yelled at his brothers, uncle. The brethren refused to let go. Seeing that Pastor James' ankle was broken, it was extremely painful, and they wanted to smash Master Xiucai's ankle with a stick, causing the same pain to Master Xiucai.Cao Fucheng had already raised his stick, but was persuaded by Pastor James. Pastor James said weakly to Cao Fucheng: "...I...my brother, please forgive this...poor Mr. scholar, let the Almighty Lord go...to punish him..." For the sake of Pastor James and God, Cao Fucheng didn't break the scholar's ankle, but hit the scholar's thigh severely several times, saying that he wanted to give the scholar a long memory.After the scholar got a memory, he dragged his nose and tears, and led his righteous people to flee in desperation. The torture of Pastor James was finally over. Although under the protection of brothers Cao Ershun and Kuang Zipo, Pastor James did not lose his life like Pastor Peter did, but he was still injured.The shattered ankle disabled Pastor James for life, and in the years that followed, Pastor James became a lame priest.The situation at that time was serious. Being in the poor and desolate Kuazipo, there was no minimum medical condition and no western medicine. Pastor James, who usually healed and diagnosed others, was unable to heal his own injuries.Cao Ershun, Cao Fucheng and a group of church members were very anxious. The next day, they ran to the Jurentang in the town to grab some traditional Chinese medicine for external application and internal use for the pastor.The pastor didn't believe in these herbs and refused to use them. Cao Ershun asked anxiously: "... Pastor Zhan, then... what do you want to do?" Pastor James thought for a long time before saying, "My brother, is there any way you can send me to Shanghai for treatment?" Cao Ershun thought of the coal fleet on the wharf and said, "Yes, there are ships." Pastor James said, "Okay, take me to Shanghai by boat!" Cao Ershun asked the brothers on the boat, but he was discouraged when he came back. He said to Pastor James, "I'm afraid it won't work. The road on the water is too long. We have to go to the Damo River to enter the canal, and then to the Yangtze River. Ten days. I’m afraid your injury won’t last twenty days.” Pastor James was not afraid of the long journey, he insisted on going, and said stubbornly: "... my brother, don't worry, the Almighty Lord is with me, even if I walk for twenty days, I will not be afraid." Cao Ershun had no choice but to agree with Pastor James to go to Shanghai with his injuries. A few days before leaving, Pastor James once again sincerely said to Cao Ershun: "...my brother, you have so many children, you must let one or two go to read some books and receive some education. Otherwise, these lovely children will grow up. When I grow up, I will become like you, a slave who can only dig coal and carry coal - you know, God wants us to use honest labor in exchange for daily meals, but he does not want us to be slaves of any kind of labor .” Cao Ershun was smoking a cigarette, thinking for a long time, before asking, "Pastor Zhan, you... Which of my sons do you think... is a material for studying?" Pastor James said: "Every one of your sons can read. Maybe one of them will become a great person in the future." Cao Ershun said sullenly: "I...I can't let you take all the children away, I...I just let you choose one." Pastor James said, "My brother, just tell me." Cao Ershun thought for a while: "Chunwang is my eldest son, so he can't leave. We have an old saying here that every family has the eldest son, and the state has ministers. Dongwang and Xiawang are too young, so they can't leave either. It will make you tired." ——Just the second child, Qiuwang, I can take care of you on the way." Pastor James said, "Okay, let's go to Chow Wang—blessed is Choowon." Cao Ershun said again: "There is one thing, you have to obey me." Pastor James asked, "Which one?" Cao Ershun said, "Let Qiuwang recognize you as godfather." Pastor James said: "I will be his godfather if Qiu Wang is going to be baptized after going to a gospel school in Shanghai." Cao Ershun said: "That's fine, anyway, from now on, this son will be yours." Pastor James said: "Not only Qiuwang, but also your other three sons, and Wufeng, if possible, let them read some books. My brother, you must remember what I said today. Hello." Cao Ershun nodded and said, "I know." Three days later, Cao Ershun found a coal ship bound for Shanghai, and entrusted the brothers on board to take care of Pastor James and his second son, Qiuwang. The family and many church members on the slope reluctantly sent Pastor James aboard. On the coal dock, Dani cried with her arms around Qiuwang, and Qiuwang also cried. Cao Ershun was also sad because of the parting, and kept his face dark and silent.When Qiuwang boarded the boat, Cao Ershun said to Qiuwang: "Second brother, remember, from now on, Pastor Zhan will be your father!" Qiuwang’s road to the SPRO China Coal Mine Company of the British Empire started from the Damohe Coal Wharf in the fifth year of Guangxu.In the future, the famous comprador named Cao Jieke, the mining capitalist who will rule the world for the Cao family in the future, will chew and recall the scene of the coal ship setting sail on the bank of the Damo River forever in his life—— His father, Cao Ershun, squatted silently on the coal pile by the river, holding a dry pipe, watching the coal boat with full sails go away.The mute mother hugged her younger sister Wufeng, and her elder brother Chunwang dragged her younger brothers Dongwang and Xiawang, and ran along the embankment with the boat.Chunwang was crying while running, Dongwang was yelling loudly, Xiawang couldn't run anymore, and stood on the embankment waving.Qiu Wang recalled that he was making a fuss at the time, and he didn't want to leave with Pastor James, he struggled in the pastor's arms, and accidentally hurt the pastor's injured foot... This sad parting was seen by many people on the slope, and people on the slope talked about it for a long time.It was said that Cao Ershun was so useless that he could afford it but couldn't afford it, so he gave his seven-year-old son to a foreign pastor.Later, when the western-style well of the SPRO China Coal Mine Company stood majestically on the land of Qiaotou Town, and Cao Jieke, the British chief comprador in suits and leather shoes, appeared in front of everyone, everyone knew that Cao Ershun, who had been poor all his life, was born in the autumn of the fifth year of Guangxu. What a clever thing to do.For this one clever thing, the ignorance of Cao Ershun's life seemed insignificant.Just this one clever thing broke the advantage the Xiao family had. The people of Qiaotou town have been talking about Cao Ershun's only extraordinary cleverness in his life for half a century.