It was a winter day in Shanghai in 1923.

In a courtyard in the deepest corner of the alley, when the rooster's first crow broke through the grayish-blue sky, the young man who was nestled in a simple wooden bed suddenly opened his eyes.

The young man's face was still young and immature, but his slanted eyebrows and his pair of sharp and bright eyes had already shown a bit of threatening heroic spirit, with a sense of unscrupulous wildness.

He raised his hand and lifted the quilt, sat on the bed, and stretched out his hand to rub his face to calm himself down. Then he got out of bed, put on the leather coat on the bedside, put the dagger and blade under the pillow into his waist bag, ran to the courtyard, bent down to draw water from the well, and simply washed his face. He went to the stove to boil the water, cracked an egg with the boiling water, and mixed two spoonfuls of brown sugar. When the strong aroma of brown sugar came out, he took the bowl and walked to the room on the west side of the house.

Before he knocked on the door, he heard a low cough in the room.

He frowned, and a little worry flashed across his brows, but he covered it all up. He gently pushed the door open with one hand, and the room was filled with the smell of Chinese medicine accumulated over the years. Gu Qi was already used to it. He took the bowl in his hand and walked to the stool beside the bed, saying softly, "Mother, drink some sugar water to warm up first."

The person who was half leaning on the bed and coughing softly on her side was wearing a plain white undergarment. The clothes looked a little shabby, but they were very clean. Her hair was not tied up, and her long hair was casually gathered in front of her body, which made her skin look more black and white.

She raised her head, and her facial features were exposed under the morning light. Her eyebrows were like distant mountains, and her eyes were like autumn water.

Not only did her pale face not diminish her beauty, but it made her even more delicate.

This lady was the young man's mother, Gu Wei.

Gu Wei looked up and saw the young man, and some warmth and apology flashed in her black eyes. She whispered, "Did I wake you up?"

"I'm awake now, but I can't sleep." The young man raised his eyebrows and said casually, "But Mother, you should drink some water and sleep for a while. It's still early, so I'll read a book here." After saying that, he pointed to the stairs at the door and waved the book that he had just grabbed in his hand.

The woman looked at the book in the young man's hand, and a trace of relief and almost imperceptible sadness flashed across her eyes. She then lowered her eyes and hid it. "Okay, Mother also needs to get better soon."

When the boy heard this, his young but handsome face couldn't help but reveal a smile that was as bright as the sun.

The woman looked as if she was burned by this dazzling vitality. She couldn't help but tilt her head. Her gaze fell on the young man's waist, and her eyelashes trembled as if she was stung. Then, her gaze fell on the plum tree by the window, and she fell into a daze.

His mother had been in a daze recently, and he didn't know what was going on.

The young man sensitively noticed his mother's abnormality recently, but he didn't know why, so he didn't disturb her. He took the book and a dozen wheat straws, yellow grass, and cattail grass, sat on the stairs, flipped through the book in his hand, and muttered.

When he had almost memorized it, he picked up the grass and leaves. These grass and leaves were all processed by him, and he only needed to weave them. His fingers moved nimbly, and the grass and leaves in his hand interweaved with his movements as if they had souls. Soon, a grass-weaved butterfly was made.

Not long after, grasshoppers, mantises, pigeons, mandarin ducks, and even phoenixes were made by him. They looked vivid and exquisite.

He was good-looking, smart, and dexterous. When he sold them on the street, little girls liked to buy these trinkets that he brought. They cost five copper coins each, which could subsidize the family's expenses for a month.

Although his life had improved a lot in the past two years, he still liked to weave these things as a pleasure.

Looking at the sun, the young man felt that it was getting late. He got up, patted the dust off his butt, and went back to the house to say goodbye to his mother. Then he went out and rode his bicycle to the noodle house.

The young man's name was Gu Qi. He was born on the Qixi Festival. His mother thought that people in troubled times were not as good as people in peaceful times, and that a lowly name was easier to raise, so she gave him this name. It seemed that he had gained many brothers for no reason.

The Gu family had lived here for more than ten years. In the early years, they had an Old Master Gu.

Old Master Gu was originally a scholar. He opened a private school in his hometown, Sichuan. At the time of the war between warlords and bandits, ordinary people were more willing to let their children join the army than to study. Perhaps it was because they had something to rely on.

Old Master Gu saw that the private school couldn't continue. Coincidentally, the bandits on the mountain next door assassinated the manager of their town and spread the word that they were going to massacre the town. So he took his family and bribed the bandits guarding the road. They left that night, preparing to move to the relatively safe Shanghai to find a way out.

In the chaos of war, Old Madam Gu, who was with them, fell ill and passed away.

When they arrived in Shanghai, only Old Master Gu, his daughter, and the baby in his daughter's womb were left.

At that time, they left in a hurry and didn't even leave a message. When they arrived in Shanghai, they found out that the Gu family's daughter, who had just married and lost contact with her husband, was pregnant.

According to Old Master Gu's opinion, they should abort the child before remarrying. With Gu Wei's appearance, she could find a good partner.

However, Gu Wei refused no matter what.

Old Master Gu was after all a scholar. When his compassion came, he felt that things hadn't reached that stage yet. He still had some money under his control.

So no matter what, he settled down here.

Old Master Gu was a scholar in the Qing Dynasty in his early years. He quickly found a teaching job here. The people who lived here weren't from wealthy families, so they could afford to send their children to school. The daughter of the Gu family also did needlework to support the family. Although they weren't very rich, they could still maintain their lives. They could also afford to pay for Gu Qi's school fees.

Who would have thought that something unexpected would happen. When Gu Qi was twelve years old, which was three years ago, Old Master Gu was on his way home after teaching. However, he was greedy for Lu Jin and walked into Lu 'er Alley, so he never came back.

When Gu Wei found Old Master Gu's body, the warmth on her body was gone.

The case was also reported, but in the chaos of war, a life was too dangerous. It couldn't be helped.

However, the case was left unsettled.

At that time, Gu Qi held Gu Wei's hand and watched the old master be buried. When he was buried bit by bit, he felt that his mother's hand was so cold.

At that time, he suddenly realized how powerless a person was in a chaotic world. He couldn't help but grit his teeth silently.

After burying the old master, he spent another sum of money. Without the main income, his life suddenly became much more difficult.

As the only male in the family, Gu Qi was determined to support the family. He told his mother that he didn't want to study anymore and wanted to work.

It was common for seven- or eight-year-old children to work in old Shanghai, not to mention that he was already twelve years old.

However, Gu Wei was adamant in not allowing him to do so. Gu Wei came from a scholarly family and was well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics. She would never allow such a young child to work and suffer. She only said that her mother would think of a way to make him study hard.

Gu Qi saw that his mother was determined.

Although he didn't mention it again, he wasn't idle either.

He couldn't work as a full-time worker.

But at least he could use the time after school to work, so the best thing to do was to work at the noodle shop and other busy jobs.

Ever since his grandfather's accident, he had been paying attention to the signs of recruitment. Coincidentally, there was always a way out.

The noodle shop not far from home was recruiting.

He found his most decent clothes from the closet and ran to the noodle shop to apply.

"Oh, there's a young one. What can you do at your age?"

The owner of the noodle shop had a big belly, which was rare in this era. He walked around in front of a group of people who were preparing to apply. When he came to Gu Qi, he suddenly became shorter and stopped. He impatiently poked Gu Qi's shoulder with a rolling pin.

Gu Qi's body swayed from the poke. He raised his face to look at the owner's overflowing face and glanced at the sign on his chest. He smiled. "I really don't have anything special, but I have one advantage. I'm a fast learner and cheap. I guarantee that Brother Fan won't lose out if he uses me."

"Hmph, you're quite eloquent." The owner of the noodle shop, Fan Cheng, snorted. He didn't show any reaction on his face. He walked over to the other people and sized them up.

"You."

He raised his hand and pointed at a tall, thin man who looked 18 or 19 years old.

"Alright, the rest of you can leave. Leave." He waved his hand impatiently. The rest of the people saw that there was no hope and scattered dejectedly.

Gu Qi didn't panic. When he saw that the others had left after hearing this, he didn't move.

"Why? Are you waiting for someone to chase you away?

Fan Cheng narrowed his eyes and sized up the child in front of him, whose eyes were so bright and sharp that he could hardly be called a teenager. He opened a noodle shop and had seen countless people.

This child was smart and had a decent appearance. But it was because he was too smart that it wasn't easy to trust him.

It was better to be honest and less worrisome.

Gu Qi smiled at him.

"I think that if Brother Fan is willing to talk to me, there might be a chance.

I'll wait.

In my current situation, I can't give up just because I want to. "

"From what you've said, it seems that I have to hire you." Fan Cheng secretly felt that these words didn't sound like something a child would say. He was a little tempted. If this child was really capable, the price of child labor would be half of an adult's. It would be much more cost-effective. However, he didn't want to let the child have his way so easily, so he deliberately said it ambiguously.

"It's not that you have to hire me. It's that you're benevolent and willing to give a child like me a chance to perform." Gu Qi looked at Fan Cheng and softened his tone a little. He readily accepted good advice and said it generously.

Fan Cheng narrowed his eyes and sized up the other party carefully. He nodded.

"You're really good at talking. Alright, you'll be on probation for a month starting tomorrow. Food will be included, and no salary will be paid. After a month, we'll see if you want to stay. Let me see what you're capable of."

Gu Qi's eyes lit up. He didn't say anything else and just nodded in agreement.

Three years had already passed by now.

"Ah Chi, quick, give us a plate of minced garlic vegetable on the 4th."

"Oh, I'm coming." Gu Qi came out of the small kitchen. He wore a clean white shirt and held two plates of side dishes in his hands. He came to the designated table and placed them steadily on the table. He gave the ladies who ordered the dishes a bright smile.

Fan Cheng was about to go out for some business. He stood at the door and glanced at him. He was secretly satisfied.

He couldn't help but smile happily on his face. He walked slowly with his big belly.

Gu Qi was a smart child. Since he came to the noodle house, he worked quickly and carefully. He was also very good at talking. In addition, he was really good-looking. He cleaned himself up every day. He looked much better than those waiters who wore gray clothes and had a rag tied around their waist. He was also much taller than his peers. At this moment, he looked like he was 17 or 18 years old. He was like a handsome young sprout. He was very popular with the ladies and ladies. Often, people would order this and that. They didn't feel that they were being cheated and felt at home.

Originally, he was just serving dishes backstage. Soon, he became the person at the front desk who solicited customers. Now, he was the leader of the noodle house.

It was no wonder. When there was a fire in the noodle house two years ago, the others were busy running away. Only Gu Qi remembered to wake up Fan Cheng, who was taking an afternoon nap on the second floor. The two of them pulled each other and ran out together. After the noodle house was rebuilt, Fan Cheng didn't ask anyone but Gu Qi. He didn't say anything, but in his heart, he felt that Gu Qi was not only smart, but also unexpectedly affectionate and righteous. In the past few years, he had faintly regarded Gu Qi as half a son.

Later, after that incident, Gu Qi no longer went to school. He was mainly busy in the noodle house. The people in the noodle house not only liked him, but also faintly respected him.

Even the owner, Fan Cheng, was very fond of him. Not only did he officially accept him as his disciple, but he also let him become the leader of the noodle house at a young age.

After delivering the dishes to table four, Gu Qi shook off the goosebumps all over his body caused by the hot gazes of the girls and girls. He finally had time to sit at the back door and rest for a while.

Before he could take two breaths, he saw Ah Juan, who was greeting customers at the door, running over in a hurry.

When she ran in front of him, she was so anxious that she couldn't speak. She only grabbed his sleeve and pointed at the main hall.

"Don't worry, Sister Ah Juan. If there's anything, tell me slowly." Gu Qi didn't expect something to happen in such a short time. His arm slipped out without a trace, but he deliberately slowed down his voice and comforted her in a low voice.

"Hurry … Hurry up and go take a look. There's a fight in the noodle house!"

Ah Juan finally calmed down, but the anxiety on her face didn't lessen at all. She only relaxed her eyebrows when the baldy was clear.

Gu Qi's expression froze when he heard that.

He didn't just work in the noodle house for the past three years.

He was also accepted as a disciple by Fan Cheng a year ago and joined the Green Gang.

Although he knew that Fan Cheng was a member of the Green Gang, it was only after he joined the Green Gang that he found out that Fan Cheng was actually an old member of the Green Gang with the surname "Tong".

Because of his senior master's seniority, he received a lot of convenience. At least the Green Gang members rarely came here to disturb him. At least he could give Lao Fan Noodle House some peace and quiet.