This group of foreign sailors who had come to the customs as guests for business was precisely the same batch who had initially come ashore looking for trouble and harassing Aunt Hong!
Only one had caused trouble, while the rest had originally gone to back up their companion, only to be indiscriminately attacked by several “lowly Chinese thugs,” humiliated beyond any ability to fight back—a veritable disgrace to the British Navy.
The foreign sailors had been brooding over this for months, and remarkably still remembered the faces of these local men and women vividly—mind you, normally Chinese people looked like monkeys to them, all the same, completely indistinguishable.
Having suppressed this anger for several months, suddenly seeing Lin Yuchan walk into their trap, they didn’t care about treating women and children kindly, rolling up their sleeves to teach her a lesson.
The sailors’ arms were thick as masts; one person lifting Lin Yuchan was like an eagle catching a chick. Now with several surrounding her at once, Lin Yuchan felt she wasn’t even enough for them to tear apart.
She gave up trying to communicate, took a breath, and screamed desperately.
This was the customs, the efficient and civilized place that Hede had painstakingly managed—he definitely wouldn’t allow bloodshed here.
The customs building’s vaulted corridors were designed by a famous Western architect with excellent acoustic properties, now resonating in unison.
Sure enough, after just two screams, Hede strode in with a dark expression, sternly saying: “I told you no commotion…”
Upon entering and seeing the scene, he was also stunned.
But his reaction was quick, immediately shouting: “Everyone stop!”
The foreign sailors dropped Lin Yuchan and, talking over each other, quickly recounted the love-hate saga between Lin Yuchan and themselves, naturally adding their spin and describing her as worse than cockroaches and rats. Lin Yuchan’s English wasn’t her native language after all, so she couldn’t get a word in.
She silently took deep breaths, put on a pitiful appearance, calmed the smoke rising from her seven orifices, and told herself: endure. Don’t waste the safe day she had fought so hard to secure.
The Chinese servant woman was still outside, mopping the floor. She had a flash of inspiration, knelt, and began picking up porcelain shards bit by bit.
After hearing the sailors’ account, Hede’s first reaction was some doubt. He glanced toward Lin Yuchan but didn’t see her. Looking down, she was half-kneeling on the ground, her fingers wrapped in a cloth, skillfully wiping the floor—someone who had done plenty of this kind of work.
Hede’s eyes darkened as two labels floated in his mind—”little liar” and “poor girl”—fighting each other.
The gun-carrying sailor officer got excited and raised his big foot to kick Lin Yuchan’s back.
Hede suddenly extended his hand to block him.
“Spare this poor girl,” he said coolly. “This is my territory. Don’t bring your sailor habits onto land.”
The sailors grumbled dissatisfied, made a feint punch at her, then backed down.
Lin Yuchan secretly breathed a sigh of relief while being extremely surprised.
From the foreign sailors’ attitude, she could tell—
“Mr. Hede, these sailors, are they your subordinates?”
Otherwise, how would such unruly foreign trash listen to a Qing official?
“Gentlemen, please sit. Let me introduce—Miss Lin, this is Colonel Osborn of the British Navy.”
Hede finally managed to separate this group of inexplicably feuding enemies, seating the sailors on one side of the conference table, wishfully playing peacemaker.
This was his customs, his kingdom. What couldn’t be resolved peacefully?
After speaking, he smiled at Lin Yuchan, meaning for her to curtsy—the man had status.
Who knew Lin Yuchan would miss the point: “British Navy? May I ask what you were doing in 1840? What about 1858?”
Colonel Osborn proudly puffed out his chest, grinning crookedly: “Sowing the seeds of civilization, using technology to teach those ungrateful savages—little girl, without me, you’d never have the chance to deal with us British in your next life.”
Oh ho, a “veteran” of both Opium Wars, Lin Yuchan thought. I’d be a dog if I bowed to you.
But there was no need for any excessive reaction. Lin Yuchan’s emotions were very stable. She knew that in another hundred-plus years, when Chinese warships sailed into the Thames and 5G base stations were built under the Tower of London, their descendants would deeply understand what imperial twilight meant.
So under everyone’s gaze, not only did she not lower her head, she even pulled over a chair and sat down gracefully, casually wiping off the black tea stain on the armrest.
Colonel Osborn slammed the table and stood up: “Damn…”
Hede quickly gestured for him to calm down.
He thought: The poor girl is quite frightened, probably can’t stand.
“Hmph, impolite Asian monkey,” Colonel Osborn gave Hede no face whatsoever, repeatedly pounding the table until the teacups, papers, and ink bottles all started doing jumping exercises. “Soon you’ll be kowtowing to me! Because I’m about to become the first admiral of the Qing Navy! You’ll regret your disrespect today! Just wait! Once we leave this customs house…”
Lin Yuchan was startled: “Qing… Navy? You’re going to be the Qing Navy’s commander-in-chief?”
In her mind appeared the key points her history teacher had highlighted: The Qing government established China’s first modern navy in 1875. Before the 1894 Sino-Japanese War, it was once considered the strongest navy in East Asia…
Wait, that was more than ten years off…
Had the timeline shifted?
She looked at Hede suspiciously. Finding a British person to freeload off a Qing red hat seemed like his idea.
Who knew Hede’s face would darken as he, too, began pounding the table, his pale knuckles instantly reddening.
“Colonel, this is precisely why I asked you here today. The Qing Navy’s commander cannot possibly be you, please understand.”
Osborn flew into a rage, rolling up his sleeves and throwing a feint punch at Hede: “If not me, then some despicable Chinese? Robert, I think you’ve been addled by Qing opium smoke. Do you still remember why you came to China? Do you still remember your homeland in England?!”
“I’m Irish, thank you,” Hede was also quick-tempered, his face flushing red as he loosened his collar to breathe easier. “And don’t forget, yours and your subordinates’ salaries all come from my customs revenue—I can stop them anytime!”
Osborn shrieked, kicked over several chairs, and drew his gun to duel with Hede.
Lin Yuchan was left aside, completely stunned throughout.
Was this the legendary British Empire’s fine tradition—elegant mutual combat?
All that was missing was a wigged gentleman in the middle banging a gavel and shouting: “Order!”