What made Wu Chaoyue dumbfounded was still behind, Father Martin brought more than 20 priests in black robes and holding Bibles, and there were missionaries from England, the United States, France, Prussia, Austria, Italy, and Belgium. For a long time, I couldn't figure out why I was loved and trusted by so many foreign priests.

Fortunately, quite a few of the priests could speak English, and because they had been in China for a long time and could speak a little Chinese, after communicating with their publicly elected representative, Father Martin, and the British missionary Luo Weilin, who had been in China for 14 years, Wu Chaoyue finally understood their intentions, and he regretted on the spot -- these Western missionaries who had been in China for different lengths were unanimously optimistic about Wu Yue's bad idea for Father Martin, and they all wanted to take the opportunity to develop Catholicism on the Shanghai dock to preach the gospel. Grow believers!

That's not all, Father Martin, who was skeptical of Wu Chaoyue's suggestion yesterday, apologized frankly and said to Wu Chaoyue: "Dear Wu, I still don't know too much about ancient China, and I don't know how difficult it is for us foreign missionaries to develop believers in China, or after I went back last night, my brothers in the church told me that your method will definitely be very effective, and they also regret why they didn't come up with such a good idea before, they not only support me in doing this, but they are all willing to help me do it, I also want to meet you, a Chinese who rarely understands the West. So I'm sorry I brought them all without telling you in advance. ”

"It doesn't matter, it's an honor to know so many priests who are in the priesthood." Wu Chaoyue secretly scolded Martin's big mouth and fake modesty, and asked with some trepidation: "Mr. Martin, since your brother in the sect thinks my method is feasible, why don't you go directly to the dock to preach the gospel?" What are you doing here? ”

"Dear Wu, we need your help." The British missionary Luo Weilin next to him took over the conversation and said more frankly: "Wu, please help us, I have been in China for 14 years, and I know better than anyone the difficulties and hardships of missionary work in China, and I know how much the Chinese misunderstand and hostile to us missionaries. Your idea is very good, and we can leave the matter of dealing with Western merchant ships, but we need your help to organize the dockers to memorize the Bible, to help us communicate with the Chinese workers, and to make them understand that we have good intentions in doing so. ”

Speaking of this, Luo Weilin couldn't wait to add: "Also, you can tell those dock workers who are willing to memorize the Bible, so that they can come to the hospital I have opened outside Shanghai at any time to treat all kinds of diseases, and I will reduce the medical expenses according to their specific conditions, or even free of charge." Dear Wu, I am also a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, and I am particularly good at eye surgery, and I can do cataract surgery for those dock workers who are willing to memorize the Bible, or their relatives who need it. ”

"Thank you, Honorable Father Ru Weilin." Wu Beyond sincerely thanked him, knowing very well that many foreign missionaries in this era were the vanguard of the Western powers' invasion of China, but a considerable number of them were foreign friends who sincerely wanted to help the Chinese, so Wu Beyond also believed in Luo Weilin's promise.

-- The book explains that Luo Weilin is such a great international friend, during his missionary work in China, he not only treated many poor Chinese people in the late Qing Dynasty for free, was the first foreigner to bring cowpox introduction surgery into China, but also was the founder of the famous Union Hospital and Renji Hospital! During the Knife Society uprising in history, his hospital treated the wounded soldiers of the Qing Army and the Knife Society Rebel Army at the same time, and he was able to let the two live peacefully in the hospital and help each other!

Thanks and thanks, but in order not to bear the ugly infamy of Ermaozi, Wu Chaoyue still said with a sad face: "But the respected Father Luo Weilin, as well as the respected priests, it's not that I shirk it, it's that I have neither official power nor any prestige appeal, and you want me to help you organize dock workers to memorize the Bible, I'm afraid I can't do it?" ”

“NO！ NO！ Luo Weilin hurriedly shook his head and said quickly: "Dear Wu, you will definitely be able to do it!" I know the Chinese so well that they have hardly ever met foreigners, and they have a natural hostility and fear towards us white-skinned and yellow-haired foreigners, and often call us devils behind our backs, and we can't communicate with them normally. But Wu, you can do it, you are Chinese, yellow-skinned and black-haired, able to communicate with them normally, and even better, you are still the descendant of Chinese officials, and the Chinese are generally afraid of officials, so you come forward to help us explain and promote, those poor Chinese workers will definitely understand our good intentions! ”

Wu Chaoyue still shook his head modestly, saying that he didn't dare to do this unlucky scolding messenger, but the missionaries from all over the world led by Luo Weilin and Martin were gossiping, and they just asked Wu Chaoyue to help them, and several foreign missionaries with a more noisy personality simply pulled Wu Chaoyue to the dock to help, and Wu Dadao and other Wu Mansion people did not dare to stop them, so they could only quickly send someone to the customs to report to Wu Jianzhang.

At the same time, considering that the Boxer Rebellion, which killed Ermaozi for decades, is still decades later, and it is not dangerous to be a second devil for foreigners, Wu Chaoyue, who was entangled and dizzy, gritted his teeth and crossed his heart, and finally agreed to these missionaries' request with a sad face, and more than 20 missionaries immediately cheered like thunder, and couldn't wait to pull Wu Chaoyue and go out. Wu Chaoyue asked Wu Dadao to bring more dogs to help him, and at the same time comforted himself in his heart: "I'm not helping to abuse, I'm doing good deeds, helping those dock workers increase their income, it's doing good deeds, not selling the country for glory." Even if I am scolded now, the history books will definitely give me justice in the future. ”

…………

The Huangpu River wharf, which specializes in docking foreign merchant ships, is far more lively than the city of Shanghai, with more than 3,000 workers who make a living loading and unloading goods on the wharf alone, plus other small business vendors and idle people such as coachmen, grooms, boatmen and sailors, etc., the flow of people on the wharf is at least tens of thousands. But it was precisely because there were too many people on the dock that after leading a large group of foreigner priests to the dock, Wu Chaoyue immediately understood the meaning of the word "Arrow" - being watched by tens of thousands of pairs of eyes with surprise and doubt at the same time, he really couldn't do it if he didn't understand this word.

Coincidentally, there happened to be a large British cargo ship from Hong Kong on the wharf, which had just docked and had not yet had time to unload and load, but the ship was already surrounded by dock workers. Wu Chaoyue was worried when he saw it, and kept praying in his heart: "Lord, you must not let the owner of that boat agree, otherwise I will have a lot of fun today." ”

"Beyond, beyond." A familiar shout suddenly sounded in his ears, and when Wu Chaoyue looked up in surprise, he saw that Liu Lichuan, the boss of the Shanghai Double Knife Society, who was supported by the comprador grandfather, led a group of thugs to run over in a hurry, and when they met, they asked Wu Chaoyue: "Chaoyue, what's wrong?" Your grandfather told me to bring more people to the dock to help you immediately, what help? How did you end up with so many foreigners? ”

"Damn, it's better for grandpa to be his own family."

Wu Chaoyue sighed, guessing that Wu Jianzhang must have received the news, so he hurriedly asked his most powerful thug Liu Lichuan to come to the dock with an energetic social organization to help. Then Wu Chaoyue did not hesitate, quickly pulled Liu Lichuan aside, and told Liu Lichuan about what happened, and Liu Lichuan was shocked when he heard it, and then screamed: "Chaoyue, are you crazy?" What do you do with such a thing? Do you know what the consequences are? If these workers on the dock are unwilling, once they make a fuss, they can drown you alive with a mouthful of spit! ”

"I can't help it, I was hard-pulled by them." Wu Chaoyue replied with a sad face, and comforted Liu Lichuan again: "It's okay, whether the foreign owners of those foreign ships agree or not is still a matter of time, they may not be willing to help these priests in a hurry." ”

The cruel truth soon shattered Wu Chaoyue's good expectations, and within five minutes, the English missionaries of Luo Weilin and Maddox rushed back with joy, and shouted from a distance: "Dear Wu, it is done, Mr. Charlie, the owner of this St. John, is also a devout believer!" He promised to help us, and no matter how much of his precious time was delayed, he was willing to help us spread the Gospel of the Lord to the Chinese workers! ”

Hearing this, of course Wu Chaoyue is a thin face to cry and mourn more, Liu Lichuan next to him can't understand English, but just seeing Wu Chaoyue's pale face, Liu Lichuan has already guessed that things must be bad, and hurriedly asked for details. Wu Chaoyue had no choice but to translate the words of a few foreign priests to Liu Lichuan, who listened to the same complaint and said, "What a good thing you did!" Okay now, what do you say? ”

"There's no way, I can only catch the ducks on the shelves." Wu Chaoyue was helpless, so he could only think about it and said: "Uncle Liu, it seems that you can only do this, anyway, you also control some workers on the dock, you gather them, let them memorize the Bible, and take the goods of this boat, and also tell them that as long as they are obedient and memorize the Bible, today's commission will be free, and each person will have a reward of ten cents, presumably they will not be unhappy." ”

It was Liu Lichuan's turn to stretch his face longer than a donkey, Wu Chaoyue guessed his thoughts, so he had to stomp his feet and say, "How much commission you lost today, I will make it up to you!" Also, the people you brought, I will invite them to dinner and drink tonight, and I will give them money! But remember, make sure that your people protect these priests, they are not bad people, they are also good intentions! ”

Hearing Wu Chaoyue's words, Liu Lichuan's face slowed down a little, and he didn't dare to offend Wu Chaoyue, the young master of the Wu family, after eating the old Wu family's food, so he could only nod helplessly and said, "Okay, I'll give it a try." You little fellow, for your sake, it seems that I am going to offend countless people today! Little guy, do you know how messy the Shanghai docks are, and how many people will hate you if you do this?! ”

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