Chapter 649 The Passing of Time 14
The two chatted in the car. "I've never seen a traditional opera before. I'm really lucky to have seen one today because of you."
"Don't be so formal. My maiden name is Gao. If you don't mind, just call me Sister Gao."
"Okay, then I'll call you Sister Gao. Please take me out to play more often in the future. I'm new here and don't have any friends, let alone go out to play. I'm really clueless."
The two chatted all the way. When they arrived at their destination, Ning Yan got out of the car and gave the driver a silver dollar, saying, "You did a good job driving the car. There's plenty of money to reward you."
Upon hearing this, the coachman's eyes reddened. "Thank you, Madam! Thank you, Madam! May you live a long and healthy life, and may everything go smoothly for you!"
There are more people pulling carts than taking them now. They rent carts and drive all day, sometimes not even enough to feed their families. Today, he earned a dollar from this trip, which really helped him a lot.
"Oh, you speak so kindly, you deserve a reward today!"
Gao Yinglan glanced at it and thought, "Fine, I'll give a reward too. I can't be less than a country bumpkin, can I?"
She tossed a silver dollar to the driver, saying, "Here, don't be envious, you have one too."
Another driver followed suit, showering the driver with compliments, but he was actually grateful to Ning Yan, because he knew that if the young lady hadn't tipped Old Xu first, he wouldn't have received this benefit.
Ning Yan followed Gao Yinglan into the theater. The first show officially started at nine o'clock sharp. Gao Yinglan ordered some snacks and melon seeds, as well as a pot of fine Biluochun tea. The two ate and listened to the show.
At this time, there were no microphones on the stage, but these actors were able to make all the guests in the audience hear them clearly with just their voices, which showed that they were truly skilled.
The two sisters were enjoying the show when a commotion arose from behind the stage.
Immediately afterwards, a group of armed Japanese soldiers poured in through the main gate, and the stage was also occupied by Japanese soldiers.
The leading Japanese soldier started yelling and screaming. The theater owner was so angry he was trembling. The play was going well, but now they wouldn't let him perform. They said they were searching for Communists. He must have had the worst luck ever.
The spectators were also angry, but no matter how angry they were, they didn't dare to confront those with guns; they could only suppress their anger.
The Japanese soldiers searched the place for a long time but couldn't find anyone. In the end, they had no choice but to let the guests leave.
Gao Yinglan pulled Ning Yan out, intending to take a car to get something to eat, but there wasn't a single rickshaw in front of the theater. It was obvious that they had all been scared away by the Japanese soldiers.
"What kind of mess is this? I can't even get a taxi."
"Sister Gao, let's not say anything more, let's go home first."
Gao Yinglan was well aware of this principle: the Japanese were not to be trifled with.
The two walked down a street and finally encountered a rickshaw. They got on and drove off.
On the way, Ning Yan could see groups of police officers searching house to house from time to time. All the people who used to run small businesses on the street had disappeared. It was clear that something big was going to happen today.
"There are no cars on the street, why are you still soliciting passengers? Aren't you afraid?"
The driver sighed when asked, "I'm scared. If I don't take fares, my family won't have anything to eat today. If we don't pay the rent for three consecutive days, they'll take back the license plate. What can I do if I don't take fares?"
The rickshaw drivers of today are similar to taxi drivers of later generations. Most of them bought license plates and rented rickshaws to make a living. However, there are many people in Beiping, but only a limited number of people take the rickshaws. If they are unlucky, they may not even be able to earn the rental fee at the end of the day.
"Do you know why there are so many Japanese soldiers on the street?"
The driver who was pulling Gao Yinglan immediately chimed in, "Hey, you've come to the right person. I just came from the White Building area. They're arresting Red Party agents. That guy shot Ma Wenqi in the street."
Ma Wenqi was the first high-ranking official to defect to the Japanese after the fall of Beiping. He is currently the chairman of the Anti-Communist Autonomous Government and a first-rate traitor.
"Is that person dead?"
"Hey, it would be better if he were dead. The important thing is that he's not dead. I heard he was shot several times and he's been rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. The hospitals over there are under lockdown."
Just then, a group of Japanese soldiers jogged past, and the two coachmen immediately stepped aside, one in front of the other, and only dared to breathe heavily after they had passed.
"Damn it, when will this bullshit end?"
Every time this happens, grain prices are guaranteed to rise.
I wonder if we'll even have a bowl of porridge at home tonight.
Gao Yinglan was the wife of Cai's Trading Company. Her family owned a car, and she usually went out by car. Occasionally, she would take a rickshaw, but she would never chat with the driver. She never knew that the rickshaw driver's life was so difficult.
So when we arrived at my doorstep, I took out five yuan from my bag and gave it to the driver.
The coachman happily accepted the gift, saying, "Thank you for your generous gift, Madam."
Although no one in small businesses is willing to accept legal tender anymore, it's not like they can't spend it all. Five yuan is still much more than four silver dollars.
After getting out of the car, Ning Yan took out a silver dollar and gave it to her driver. She then casually tossed the leftovers (a general term for pastries, steamed buns, or mixed grain foods in Northern dialect) that she had packed at the theater to the driver, saying, "These are the leftovers from watching the play today. You can take them home; they're not dirty."
When she accepted these pastries, Gao Yinglan looked disgusted. Little did she know that many ordinary people couldn't even afford to buy a single pastry. Even if these were leftovers, they considered them precious.
The driver was so excited that he kept thanking her, saying, "Thank you so much, Madam! May you become very wealthy in the future!"
Gao Yinglan: ...Well, why is it that even though she gave more, the driver's gratitude wasn't as sincere as it was towards Ning?
When she got home, Aunt Wang was preparing lunch. She was a little surprised to see her return. "Didn't Madam say she ate out for lunch?"
"Hey, don't even mention it. I was watching a play when the Japanese started a huge search. When I came out of the theater, there was hardly anyone on the street, so I came back."
What are you preparing for lunch? If it's not enough, I'll make some noodles.
Aunt Wang: "If there's a really big search, even the master might not come back, and you'll still have to eat all the food by yourself..." She stopped halfway through her sentence.
Out of curiosity, Ning Yan went straight to the kitchen. Goodness, the food at home had obviously decreased while she was away: steamed buns made from two kinds of flour, hot and sour shredded potatoes, and a bowl of stir-fried pickled vegetables.
Forget about big fish and meat dishes, I didn't even see a speck of meat.
This is completely inconsistent with Qiu Juncheng's status as deputy police chief.
Ning Yan started making a fuss as soon as she stepped into the yard, "Aunt Wang, are you looking down on me? The master isn't here, and you're giving me pickled vegetables and potatoes. Tell me, are you embezzling the family's vegetable money?"
Aunt Wang was terrified and repeatedly explained, "Madam, I didn't..."
"You didn't? Sir, you're a deputy bureau chief! Are you saying our family is so poor we have to eat pickled vegetables and potatoes at midday? If you don't tell us where you spent your money on groceries, we're not done yet!"
The neighbors on both sides were listening to the commotion from the second floor.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
