Chapter 7

7

#How Strong Was the Sense of Happiness Living in the Republic of China#

Under this topic, across the entire internet, probably no one had more right to speak than Shen Po.

Shen Po read through it for a long while and discovered that two factions were locked in a fierce debate in the comments.

One side consisted of the topic’s creators. They had posted numerous old photographs, mostly everyday snapshots of celebrities from the Republic of China era, covering everything from daily necessities to travel and scenery. The people in the pictures were well-dressed and beaming with smiles. Modern technology had even restored some of the black-and-white photos to full color. One photograph, featuring a woman in a cheongsam reading beneath a blossoming tree, had even been widely shared across various media outlets. Following that, bloggers began sharing trivia about lifestyle trends and academic culture during the Republic of China era. They mentioned how famous historical figures disliked one another and debated through newspaper articles, asked questions like “Did you know the Republic of China also had civil service exams?”, and shared the signature dishes of Shanghai’s first Chinese-owned Western restaurant. It quickly drew a great deal of interest and attention.

Seeing these trivia posts, many commenters chimed in to say they wished they could travel back to the Republic of China to experience life there, imagining it would be utterly fascinating. Others began fantasizing that while their knowledge might be unremarkable in modern society, going back a century would make them stand out like a crane among chickens; they could at least squeeze into the literati class and happily mingle with the historical icons from their textbooks.

The other faction took the exact opposite stance. They argued that those obsessed with romanticized nostalgia were completely ignorant. Commenters began citing statistics showing how many natural disasters struck during the Republic of China era and how many people died. Even setting war aside, they pointed out that natural catastrophes and rampant epidemics like cholera and smallpox alone made survival an uphill battle.

【The so-called romance of the Republic of China only lives in your dreams, and in the wealthy elite’s social class.】

【How can you be so sure you’d end up in the upper class? What if you transmigrated as a roadside beggar?】

【Never mind roadside beggars, even if you crossed over as an ordinary person, how would you dodge the bombs? Even someone of Lin Huiyin’s social standing died young because she couldn’t receive timely treatment for tuberculosis while fleeing during wartime. How can you guarantee you’d get proper medical care when you fell ill? That was an era where a common cold could kill you.】

Such were the voices of the critics.

Shen Po read on for a long time. Having finally found a topic he actually understood and could contribute to, there was no way he would let the opportunity pass. He immediately penned an essay of over a thousand words, vividly describing what life in the Republic of China was truly like.

【Someone earlier said that entertainment was lacking in the Republic of China. I disagree. Back then, there were already ballrooms. I went dancing every single day, and the taxi dancers there were just as gorgeous as the celebrities in your photos today. The film industry was flourishing too. I often had dinner with leading movie actresses. You’ve heard of Ruan Lingyu and Hu Die, right? Those two. Oh, and gambling wasn’t banned in the Republic of China either. Whenever you wanted to gamble, you could just walk into any casino and play a few rounds, unlike how strictly it’s regulated here…】

Treating the comment section like oral history, he wrote all about his daily life and posted it. Reading it over, he felt he possessed quite a bit of literary talent. Transferring to the Chinese department had clearly been the right choice; who knew, maybe he could publish articles in newspapers in the future!

Smug and brimming with anticipation, Shen Po became restless, fidgeting as if thorns were poking his backside, pacing back and forth across the small dorm room.

He no longer minded that the dorm was bare and spartan. Shen Po’s mind was consumed by the vibrant world inside the phone and the “masterpiece” he had just posted. He could hardly wait to see what comments would appear under his post.

Of course, responses didn’t come that quickly. Not everyone spent every waking second camping out under the topic without sleeping like he did. After refreshing several times with no new activity, Shen Po had no choice but to browse other things. The shock the phone brought him was simply overwhelming. This wasn’t just opening the door to a New World; it was kicking Shen Po straight into outer space. His attention was soon captured by the dizzying variety of videos that popped up on his feed. One moment he was watching pretty girls, the next cute animals, and then silly, hilarious clips, completely absorbed in the fun.

It wasn’t until birds began chirping outside and dawn broke in the sky that Shen Po remembered his forgotten masterpiece.

That was the very first long essay he had ever written in his life. By now, it was bound to be overflowing with cheers, applause, and admiration.

Shen Po crossed his legs, leaned back against Wen Yan’s small bed, and hummed a little tune as he opened the topic and navigated to his post.

Despite staying up all night, he was full of energy and glowing with vigor, ready enough to run a thousand meters.

Yet in the next moment, the smile curled at the corners of his mouth froze.

【Is OP crazy from wanting to go back to the Republic of China so badly? You’ve gone completely delusional. You had dinner with Ruan Lingyu? Why didn’t you go have dinner with Chiang Kai-shek while you were at it?】

【LMAO, gambling wasn’t banned in the Republic of China? Murder wasn’t against the law for the Green Gang back then either! I’ll transmigrate right now, join the Green Gang, and twist your dog head off to kick it like a soccer ball.】

【No way, no way, OP actually fantasizes about being one of the elite in the Republic of China? Did you ever stop to think that aside from the less than one percent elite class you’re talking about, ninety-nine percent of people back then couldn’t even get enough to eat?】

【Have you been on your knees for so long you forgot how to stand? If you praised the literary culture of the Republic of China, fine, but of all things to brag about, you bragged about gambling not being banned! If you really went back, you’d definitely be a degenerate who dabbles in drinking, whoring, and gambling. If you were lucky enough to survive until after the founding of the nation, you’d probably be sweeping the streets alongside Huang Jinrong^[1].】

Shen Po was completely dumbfounded.

He had never expected his post to unleash such an overwhelming torrent of verbal abuse.

How come it’s fine when you guys praise the Republic of China, but not when I do it?

Some of those writers you glorify even smoked opium in private! I never even touched the stuff, so why am I the one getting cursed out?!

Amidst the barrage of hostile comments, there were occasionally a few with a slightly calmer tone.

【You must be pretty young. It’s normal to get misled by those marketing accounts, but if you took the time to truly learn about what life was like for ordinary people during the Republic of China, you wouldn’t say things like that.】

【The kind of life you’re talking about really did exist, and the wealthy elite really did live very well even during wartime. But when the country is weak and impoverished, while your material conditions might not be affected, you’re treated like a dog spiritually. Every nation could walk all over you. Just look at the Generalissimo’s wife^[2] going to America to give speeches begging for military aid. How was that any different from wagging a tail and begging for scraps?】

【Actually, what the OP wants is a life where he can act haughty in front of his own people while being treated as an inferior by outsiders. He wants to generate a sense of superiority through contrast, creating the illusion that he’s superior to others.】

【Let’s all scatter. The OP is just here seeking attention. If he’d truly lived even a single day in the Republic of China, he’d never have said such nonsense.】

Like hell I haven’t lived in the Republic of China for a single day! I’ve lived there for over twenty damn years!

Just as Shen Po was about to reply and tear those commenters to shreds, the screen went black before his eyes. No matter what he pressed, there was no response.

The phone was out of battery.

*

When Wen Yan woke up, he still felt a bit dispirited.

It is human nature to love leisure and hate labor. If transmigrating meant indulging in food, drink, entertainment, and being surrounded by beauties, almost no one would object. But upon learning that he was facing an impending catastrophe he couldn’t change, Wen Yan felt he couldn’t shoulder such a heavy burden. It was better to slip away.

He wiped his face and decided to put the entire matter behind him.

Wen Yan got out of bed, washed up, and plugged in the dead phone to charge.

It was completely normal for Shen Po to play with the phone until the battery died. Forget about someone from the Republic of China experiencing a smartphone for the first time; even modern people frequently stayed up playing on them until the middle of the night. It would have been strange if Shen Po hadn’t been captivated by it.

Leaving the phone charging in his dorm, he went out to eat and teach his classes.

After the bolt from the blue the previous night, everything looked pretty wonderful to him now.

Although the conditions here were a bit poor, the air was fresh. Besides, he didn’t actually lack anything. If he really wanted to complain about the poor reception preventing him from playing games, he could always go to an internet cafe in town on his day off.

Furthermore, even if being an elementary school teacher wasn’t considered anything prestigious, given the choice between being a scion of a wealthy family during a war-torn era and a teacher in a peaceful age, he would definitely choose the latter. If Wen Yan had transmigrated entirely and couldn’t return, left with no other choice, he would certainly have had to fight back. He might even have used his foreknowledge to follow web novel tropes and build an empire for himself. But now, half of that body still belonged to Shen Po, and all he had access to were the nights.

Having figured everything out, looking at the children in the classroom again brought Wen Yan a sense of relief.

Compared to a life where survival was uncertain from one day to the next or one filled with decadent luxury, he preferred to be an ordinary person. At the very least, life now was far more convenient than it was a century ago. Moreover, in two years, he would be able to return to the city.

Perhaps it was the sense of happiness born from this contrast, but Wen Yan threw himself into that day’s teaching with immense enthusiasm.

The students sensed his enthusiasm too. After class, they gathered around him, begging him to tell a couple more historical anecdotes.

Wen Yan usually didn’t put on airs in front of his students, so he told them a short historical tale. He only left when the class bell rang and the math teacher walked in.

He had no classes in the afternoon, and since it was the birthday of an orphaned student in his class, Wen Yan hitched a ride with the village committee heading into town for errands. He bought a birthday cake in town and brought it back so the little rascals could celebrate his birthday.

It was not until dusk fell and the sky darkened that Wen Yan finished dinner and returned to his dorm.

He finally had time to check the phone he hadn’t been able to look at all day.

Wen Yan first checked it carefully, feeling half his worries ease upon finding that no new game apps had been installed.

Then he checked social media, quickly discovering Shen Po’s sensational post and all the various comments on Weibo.

Unsurprisingly, Shen Po had been torn to shreds.

When it came to insulting people without using foul words, people from a hundred years ago couldn’t hold a candle to modern netizens. Under the onslaught of sarcasm from every conceivable angle, if Shen Po had been here in person, he would probably be fuming so hard that smoke would pour from all seven orifices.

Wen Yan thoroughly built his happiness on Shen Po’s misery. He laughed out loud as he read, feeling all the fatigue of the day sprout wings and fly away.