Chapter 10: Entering the City

Sleeping near the cliff wasn’t too cold. The next morning, after a quick and simple breakfast, they packed up and hit the road again. By midday, they finally saw the city gates. Above them were three large characters: Zhenyuan Gate. Coming from Wutai, they had arrived at the northern gate.

“Friends, stop for a moment and listen to me. Let’s wash up by the roadside before we go in. Once we enter the city, don’t speak carelessly, and definitely don’t mention the master’s name. We still don’t know what kind of situation he’s in right now.”

“Once we’re in, let’s first find a place to stay. Then we’ll look for some street urchins to gather information about the young master’s family before making any further plans.”

“Wang Li, did everyone hear that clearly?”

As they got closer to the city gate, they realized the crowd was quite large. People were lining up in two rows. They hadn’t seen many people on the road, so why were there so many gathered at the gate? They had hoped to get in before lunch!

Up ahead, a man was carrying two baskets on a shoulder pole — one filled with vegetables, the other with two rabbits.

“Hey, you’re not hiding anything in there, are you? These rabbits — they’re confiscated.”

“Sir, those are for me to sell in the city. At least give me a few coins!”

A soldier in a yellowish uniform with a flat nose and slanted eyes glanced at the man with contempt. “Hah, you’re asking your grandpa for money? You’ve got some nerve.”

“Scram. Keep whining and you won’t be allowed in at all.” He even shoved the man to the ground.

Wang Li quickly got off the cart. “Sir, you’re mistaken. We’re locals. My family lives near Chaotian Gate. My cousin works as a translator for the Yellow Army — name’s He Bago.”

The Liu family members rushed over as well, nodding and bowing. “Sir, we’ve come to work for our employer.”

Wang Li hurriedly pulled out five silver dollars and handed them to the dogface soldier. “Sir, I just got back from the countryside and don’t have much on me. Another day, I’ll bring my cousin, and we’ll all have a meal together — I’ll treat.”

One of the other puppet soldiers smiled at Wang Li. “Now that’s a generous big sister! Alright, we’ll see you next time. Come on in, please.”

Han Ya was a bit scared and hurried the cart forward. Wang Li told her to slow down. “If you rush like that, people will think you’re hiding something.”

There were plenty of inns in the city, but which one should they stay at?

Wang Li looked at the city of Taiyuan — so familiar from her future memories — and was filled with emotion.

“Sanniu, Liu family — keep your eyes open. See if there’s an inn that suits us. We’ll need to stay for a few days and rest properly. Once we’re settled, we’ll buy you a few sets of clothes. Then you can go ask about the master and your old man. After all, if you’re dressed decently, people are more willing to talk. Right?”

Wang Li thought to herself — this past stretch of time had been nerve-wracking. Not just the walking — even sitting in the cart was exhausting. She just wanted to lie down and never get up again.

While they were packing up the cart and unloading the rifles, everyone had been on edge, afraid of getting caught by the Japanese. Even though they were nervous, they couldn’t show it. Now that they had entered the city, they could finally relax a bit. Once they got some rest, she planned to reward herself properly.

As they passed a street, there were still lots of people around. Compared to other places, Shanxi was doing relatively well — at least better than Henan. Most people had enough to eat. Shanxi was the home of the famous Shanxi merchants, and there was plenty of trade. Aside from the occasional puppet soldier patrol, the city seemed decent.

Looking at 1940s-era Taiyuan, Wang Li was lost in thought.

“Run! Run! There’s gunfire up ahead! A Red was just shot! Hey, don’t block the road — are you trying to die standing there? Move!”

Wang Li was standing beside the cart, checking out an inn across the street, when she suddenly felt something shoved into her hands. It startled her so badly she almost threw it away. Quickly, she stuffed the book into her spatial storage — no place was safer than that.

Still unsure of what had just happened, Wang Li hurried to stop a kindly looking old man.

“Uncle, what’s going on? Who are those people chasing?”

The old man glanced back at her. “You gave me a scare, young lady!”

He lowered his voice and whispered, “What else? They’re hunting Reds. They already killed one up ahead. I heard two of them were about to meet. You folks aren’t from around here, are you? You’d best get moving.”

Wang Li and her group hadn’t expected the provincial capital to be this intimidating. Sanniu’s wife glanced left and right, then muttered under her breath, “We might’ve been better off staying in the village. These people are scarier than bandits.”

Sanniu turned to her. “Will you shut up? If those bastards hear you, they might really shut you up for good.”

An old man nearby, seeing the group start to argue, quickly ran off.

“Let’s not stand here any longer,” someone said. “We need to find a place to stay. My legs can’t take it anymore.”

Everyone turned nervously to Wang Li, afraid she might lose her temper and throw them out. The city was too frightening—they didn’t dare offend her.

They kept moving forward, scanning both sides of the street for an inn. Along the road, they saw grain stores, tailor shops, and vendors with street stalls—pot-menders, cobblers, people polishing shoes, hawkers selling flatbreads and tofu pudding. Beside them was a small newsstand.

This was life in Taiyuan in the 1940s—ordinary, bustling, and filled with essentials for daily living. What they saw was only a sliver of the city, and even during a time of nationwide scarcity, Shanxi’s Taiyuan was relatively well-fed, thanks to the legacy of the Jin merchants.

In any era, the gap remains: the rich drown in luxury while the poor struggle to survive. That’s reality.

Wang Li thought to herself, So many snack stalls! Once we find a place to stay, I have to go out and explore—try some of these old-style street foods. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water…

Meanwhile, Han Ya had been calling her repeatedly, but Wang Li had been too distracted by the snacks to hear.

“Auntie, what’s wrong? I’ve been calling you and you ignored me. Do you not want to take me with you anymore?”

Wang Li snapped out of it. “You silly girl! Look across the street—there’s a restaurant that offers lodging too.”

Zhengda Hotel

At the entrance, a sign read:

Traveler’s blessing. Prime location, convenient transport, spacious quarters, elegant rooms, full amenities, attentive service, efficient process. Serving Chinese and Western dishes—delicious and affordable.

Room rates were listed as:
Five yuan, four yuan, three yuan, two yuan, one yuan, fifty cents—various tiers to choose from.

Wang Li thought this place looked quite decent. She quickly called over Sanniu. “Go inside and ask if there’s a place to park the carriage.”

Sanniu returned to her shortly. “Ma’am, not only can they park the carriage, they said they can help buy train tickets too. If we don’t plan to leave anymore once we find the master and the young master, then we won’t need the tickets. But this place… it’s expensive.”

“It’s fine, let’s go in. I’ll pay for the stay,” Wang Li said. “Sanniu, you go park the carriage with the attendant. We’ll go ahead and book the rooms and wait for you.”

As soon as they entered the lobby, a young man came over and asked, “Are you here to eat or to stay?”

“To stay. We’ll take three rooms.”

Wang Li pulled out nine silver dollars and handed them to the attendant.

Sanniu’s wife gasped softly and whispered to herself, So much money—just giving it away like that. Heartbreaking…

“Alright, right this way, ma’am,” the attendant said politely. Seeing her pull out so much silver at once, he assumed she must be wealthy. He decided to offer excellent service—maybe she’d tip well.

Wang Li followed him to the front desk, collected three room keys, and said, “We’ll sit for a bit and wait for one of our people—he went to park the carriage. We’ll head up once he’s back.”

The attendant smiled warmly and gestured, “You can wait over here—” but before he finished speaking, Sanniu had already returned.

Together, they followed the attendant upstairs to the rooms. The men took one room, the women another, and Wang Li had a room to herself—so she could quietly organize her space without anyone around.

Each room had two beds. The men—three of them—shared one room. The four women shared another. There was plenty of space, and everyone finally had the chance to take a proper bath. After all those exhausting days, they could finally rest.

Wang Li ordered a few simple dishes and a bowl of rice for each person. The group ate like they hadn’t had a proper meal in ages, drawing curious looks from nearby diners. Seeing how hungry they still were, Wang Li ordered a few more dishes for them.

Once everyone was full, they returned to their rooms, washed up, and went to bed.