Chapter 270: From the modern times back to the 25th year of the Republic of China

. This ending of the novel echoes the title of the novel and has received a good response.

After the serialization ended, the Women's Times published the novel, and many people who want to collect the novel can go to the bookstore to buy it.

Sang Peizhen came to Ye Heqi's house in a rickshaw early in the morning.

Yao Rong was watering the potted plants. When she heard the knock on the door, she quickly put down the kettle and went to open the door.

The two children had a good relationship. Yao Rong had seen Sang Peizhen many times and knew that Sang Peizhen would come over today: "Peizhen is here. Have you had breakfast?"

Sang Peizhen greeted her politely: "Hello, Auntie. I had breakfast at home. Has Heqi woken up?"

"She is washing up. Come in and sit for a while." Yao Rong poured Sang Peizhen a glass of water and went to take care of her flowers and plants.

Ye Heqi quickly changed her clothes and came out. She was carrying a knitted messenger bag on her shoulder. It was made by Yao Rong for her: "I'm fine."

Sang Peizhen stood up: "Then let's go."

"Mom, Peizhen and I are going out. We won't be home for lunch at noon." Ye Heqi said to Yao Rong.

Sang Peizhen also said, "Goodbye, Auntie."

Yao Rong didn't turn around, but waved to indicate that she heard him: "Okay, you guys go, I have to go to the clothing factory to keep an eye on it later. If I haven't returned home by the evening, Heqi, you can go downstairs to have dinner by yourself."

In the stairwell, Sang Peizhen whispered to Ye Heqi, "Auntie is becoming more and more elegant."

Ye Heqi raised his head proudly: "My mother said that she is in the clothing business. If she wants customers to trust her and buy cheongsams from the Fire Phoenix Clothing Factory, she must dress herself up well."

Sang Peizhen couldn't help but laugh.

"What are you laughing at?" Ye Heqi looked at her with a squint.

"You look like what you told me... something is a lie. Yes, I'm a lie!"

Ye Heqi was about to pat her, but Sang Peizhen ducked and dodged, and ran out of the building, saying, "Oh, why are you still angry?"

Ye Heqi laughed, "I'm not going to talk to you anymore. I'm going to call a rickshaw."

The two of them got on a rickshaw and came to the largest department store in Shanghai.

Rickshaws are the most common in front of the department store, but you can also see cars passing by from time to time.

Cars are not cheap these days, and the price of one car is two to three thousand yuan.

The cost of buying a car is only part of it, and the cost of maintaining the car and hiring a driver is another part. If you are not from a truly wealthy family, you cannot afford to maintain a car even if you can afford one.

Sang Peizhen was born into a celebrity family. She was able to travel around the world with her father when she was young. Her family was not poor. Even with her family background, she would not spend this money to buy a car.

So Sang Peizhen was very curious. In the future, will there really be so many cars that traffic will be jammed?

Doesn't that mean that in the future, cars will be as common as rickshaws?

It's just that one uses manpower to pick up and drop off, and the other uses power to pick up and drop off.

"Peizhen, what are you daydreaming about? Let's go."

Ye Heqi took two steps forward, and found that Sang Peizhen didn't keep up, so he quickly stepped back and took Sang Peizhen's arm.

The two came to the department store because the published version of "The People in the Great Wall" will be sold in major bookstores today. They wanted to join in the fun and check out the sales of the book.

When the two went up to the bookstore on the second floor, a small queue had already formed outside the door. "The People in the Great Wall" was placed in a very conspicuous position in the bookstore.

In front of the two were several young people of the same age as them.

Perhaps because of the noisy environment around them, the young people did not deliberately lower their voices.

"Should our drama club adapt "The People Behind the Great Wall" into a drama?"

"Why?"

"I think that in addition to intellectuals, ordinary people should also read the short stories in it. But ordinary people are illiterate. If we adapt the short stories in it into a drama and perform it for them, they will definitely be more receptive." "Yes

, yes, I think it's okay. Some time ago, I took newspapers to the factory and read the short stories in it to the workers in the factory. Many workers were moved to tears. When the adaptation is ready, we can go into the factory and perform for the workers."

"This is a good idea, but the protagonist of the novel is a girl, and there are many female characters mentioned in it. We can't play the role of a female character..."

"Hahahaha, I think you are very suitable for playing the role of a female character."

"Go away, you're asking for a beating again, aren't you?"

The few of them were chatting so enthusiastically that they didn't even notice that the people in front of them had already entered the store.

"Well, hello..." Ye Heqi greeted them.

The boy who first suggested performing the play turned around and saw the large open space in front of him with his peripheral vision. He thought Ye Heqi was urging them to make way.

"Oh, sorry, sorry, we are blocking the road." He pulled his companion and was about to step aside, "You go in first."

Ye Heqi smiled and said straight to the point: "Hello, we are students of Shanghai Girls' Middle School, and the person next to you is the president of the girls' drama club."

"Excuse me, which school are you from?"

"We just heard you talking about adapting a play. We think this proposal is very good. Do you mind letting us join in the arrangement?"

Sang Peizhen suppressed a smile and said, "We can help contact the author of the novel and obtain the author's authorization. We can also help contact the factory. If a female actor is needed, we two can help make the contact."

The boys looked at each other and were all very surprised.

"We are members of the Shanghai Middle School Drama Club. It would be great if your Girls' Drama Club would like to join us."

***

Everyone came to the bookstore to buy books.

After entering the store and buying things, everyone found an open space suitable for talking, sat together and reintroduced themselves.

The boy who first suggested performing a drama was called Shen Runshu. He wore a long robe and cloth shoes. His appearance was not very handsome, but his speech and behavior were full of the unique charm of a scholar.

After hearing Ye Heqi's name, Shen Runshu was stunned for a few seconds and asked tentatively: "Are you Ye Heqi in "Fire Phoenix"? "

After he finished speaking, he actually laughed first.

How can you ask someone's identity like that?

Ye Heqi laughed and said, "Yes, I am Ye Heqi in "Fire Phoenix."

Another boy named Li Su laughed and said, "What a coincidence, the protagonist of "The People in the Great Wall" is called Ye He, which is only one character different from your name."

Sang Peizhen immediately raised her hand to make a noise, "If you adapt the play, I suggest that Ye Heqi play Ye He."

Ye Heqi said, "I'm not from your drama club."

She originally wanted to help behind the scenes.

Sang Peizhen patted Ye Heqi's shoulder and said, "Oh, it's okay, just play yourself."

Ye Heqi: "..."

She really only needed to play herself to play Ye He.

Shen Runshu's eyes moved back and forth between Ye Heqi and Sang Peizhen, guessing something, but he didn't expose it.

Everyone quickly reached a consensus and decided to inform their respective members after returning and meet at the gate of Shanghai Middle School in two days.

"I'll have to trouble you to contact the author and obtain the author's authorization." Shen Runshu smiled before leaving.

Ye Heqi nodded: "It can be done in two days."

***

Performing a drama is a novel experience for Ye Heqi.

Going to the factory to perform a drama for the workers is another novel experience.

After rehearsing for a month, everyone first performed in the auditorium of the Girls' School and the auditorium of Shanghai Middle School before starting to perform in major factories in Shanghai.

During each performance, Ye Heqi would quietly pay attention to the reactions of the people below.

These workers could not say any praises, but the tears in their eyes were more shocking than any praise.

This would make Ye Heqi feel that all the efforts during this period were worth it.

"Peizhen, is your drama club still accepting people?" After a performance, Ye Heqi pulled Sang Peizhen aside and asked.

Sang Peizhen said proudly, “When I asked you to join the drama club before, you said you didn’t have time. Now you know the charm of drama.”

Ye Heqi followed Sang Peizhen and said, “I know, I know. I hope the president can be magnanimous and forgive me, as I have been diligent in the past one or two months, and agree to let me join the organization.”

The two laughed a few times, and Sang Peizhen said, “We will have one more show tomorrow, and “The People in the Great Wall” will be over. I’m really reluctant to leave.”

Ye Heqi hit the nail on the head, “Are you reluctant to leave the drama, or are you reluctant to leave the workers’ support.”

Sang Peizhen rubbed her nose, “Okay, okay, mainly I’m reluctant to leave the workers’ support.”

Perhaps Sang Peizhen herself did not realize that a seed had been quietly planted in her heart.

Ye Heqi encouraged, "I think this format can be preserved. If there are other suitable plays in the future, our drama club can continue to perform in the factory."

"You are right, it depends on you." Sang Peizhen hooked Ye Heqi's shoulders, "You are the backbone of our drama club and the vice president of our drama club."

Ye Heqi: "?"

"When did I become the vice president!?"

Sang Peizhen: "Right now. Vice President Ye, you can take office immediately."

Ye Heqi clicked his tongue, "Sima Zhao's intention."

Giving her a position of vice president is just to let her write scripts.

But it is not so easy to create new scripts.

Ye Heqi's eyes rolled, and he immediately thought of a good idea: "If you still want to rehearse a new drama, why not adapt "Fire Phoenix"? "Fire Phoenix" is much easier to adapt than "The People of the Great Wall", and its meaning is more profound."

Sang Peizhen's eyes lit up, and she also thought this was a good idea.

After the two of them communicated, they immediately found Shen Runshu and asked if the Shanghai Middle School Drama Club was willing to join.

Shen Runshu agreed without much thought.

After the old drama was no longer performed, both parties immediately began to adapt and rehearse the new drama.

In addition to being busy with drama matters, Ye Heqi also had to make sure not to fall behind in his studies, and he was busy every day.

Yao Rong was busy with the expansion of the garment factory and the recruitment of workers. She was also very busy. But seeing Ye Heqi like that, she couldn't help but ask with a smile: "What are you doing recently? You are even busier than me."

Ye Heqi told Yao Rong everything.

Yao Rong touched Ye Heqi's face.

Girls at this age are in the stage of growth and development. In addition, she has been running around outside recently. Her originally round face has become much thinner, which makes her eyes brighter.

"Are you tired?"

"No." Ye Heqi shook her braided hair. "I know I'm doing the right thing."

Yao Rong patted Ye Heqi on the head. "Then do it. This will become a very important experience in your life."

But before Ye Heqi left, Yao Rong stuffed a purse into her pocket. "Don't be reluctant to eat. Buy more delicious food and eat with your friends in the drama club."

"I won't treat myself badly." Ye Heqi took the purse with a smile. Anyway, she and her mother didn't have to divide the money too clearly. "Peizhen and I often bring delicious food to the people in the club, but everyone is embarrassed to eat it." The

girls' middle school students all have good family conditions, so Ye Heqi and her friends have a lot of money on hand. They can buy snacks and books at will.

It's different in Shanghai Middle School.

This is a school with free admission. Most of the students who attend here come from ordinary families. It is already very difficult for their families to afford their daily expenses.

Shen Runshu and Li Su are not the kind of people who are willing to take advantage. After eating once or twice, they refused to eat again.

Yao Rong praised: "Your friends are all good people."

Ye Heqi nodded repeatedly. If she had bad character, she would not be able to play with Shen Runshu and others.

"If you just buy things and bring them over, they will definitely feel embarrassed to eat." Yao Rong thought for a while and asked, "Where do you rehearse on weekends?"

Ye Heqi said: "Just find a random place outside."

"Is it hot to practice outside in this weather?"

Ye Heqi didn't complain: "It's not bad."

"No wonder you and Peizhen look a lot darker." Yao Rong directly gave a solution, "Why don't you come to the Fire Phoenix Garment Factory for rehearsal in the future? There are a lot of open spaces in the garment factory, and it's just right for my workers to practice. After the practice, stay in the garment factory for dinner, and I'll ask the kitchen to prepare more."

"Okay, okay."

Ye Heqi immediately "turned his elbow outward" and sought benefits for himself and his companions.

Yao Rong tapped Ye Heqi's forehead: "Also, aren't you performing "Fire Phoenix"? Haven't you thought about asking my Fire Phoenix Garment Factory to name it?"

"Name it?" Ye Heqi's eyes lit up. Yes, why didn't she think of this.

"When you perform a play in the future, hang a banner with the name of Fire Phoenix Garment Factory printed on it, and promote it after the performance. I will give you a subsidy of five silver dollars per show. It's not much, but it can allow all of you to have an extra meal. What do you think?"

Ye Heqi pretended: "On behalf of the drama club, I have agreed to your factory's request for naming."

But he laughed before he finished pretending.

Seeing that it was almost time, Ye Heqi waved goodbye to Yao Rong and hurried out.

Because he was delayed for some time when he went out, when Ye Heqi arrived at the rehearsal place, everyone else had been waiting for a while.

Ye Heqi quickly apologized to everyone and announced the good news to everyone.

Smart people like Shen Runshu and Li Su naturally realized that Yao Rong was subsidizing the drama troupe on purpose, but this method was not offensive.

Seeing the other classmates' happy faces, Shen Runshu and Li Su looked at each other, unwilling to spoil everyone's fun.

Li Su whispered to Shen Runshu: "We must promote the Fire Phoenix Clothing Factory more when the time comes."

Shen Runshu said: "Don't worry, I will make the banner as soon as I get home tonight."

Li Su also said: "Okay, I will work with you tonight."

The next day, Ye Heqi took everyone to the clothing factory.

"Should we go see Aunt Yao first?" Shen Runshu asked.

Ye Heqi shook his head: "Don't be so polite, my mother should still be busy now, she will come to see us when she is done."

Everyone rehearsed in the conference room for more than an hour, and when they were sitting down to rest, there was a sudden knock on the door.

The door was ajar, and after the knocking stopped, Yao Rong pushed the door open.

Everyone hurriedly stood up and greeted Yao Rong.

Yao Rong smiled and said, "Now is the hottest time of the year. Our factory has made some sour plum soup for the workers. You can drink some too."

"Wow, I'm thirsty. Thank you, Aunt Yao." Sang Peizhen was the first to thank Yao Rong, and then she took the two classmates beside her and walked out.

With her leading the way, the others followed.

Soon, only Yao Rong and Ye Heqi were left in the room.

Yao Rong asked, "How is your play rehearsal

going?" Ye Heqi said, "It's almost done. We're going to rehearse it from the beginning. If you don't have anything to do, stay and help us."

When Sang Peizhen and the others came back, they served Ye Heqi a bowl of sour plum soup.

Ye Heqi drank the sour plum soup in one gulp, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and said to everyone, "Have you all rested well? If you have, let's rehearse it again and let our boss Yao help us to take a look and let him know whether her money is worth spending."

Everyone laughed.

Yao Rong couldn't help but smile.

Speaking of which, laughing aside, Ye Heqi and the others did a good job in rehearsing this play.

Yao Rong's favorite scene was at the end, when the actors stood in a row and recited Qiu Jin's "Begonia" in unison.

When everyone bowed, Yao Rong raised his hands and applauded, saying, "I got a great bargain by being able to sponsor your play with only five silver dollars."

After that, Yao Rong made several suggestions for revisions.

With Yao Rong present, everyone was more or less restrained, so after making his suggestions, Yao Rong went about his own business.

In the next few times, when Ye Heqi and the others came to rehearse, Yao Rong did not come to disturb them again.

But every time, Yao Rong would ask the kitchen to prepare something to relieve the heat. There was sour plum soup, mung bean soup, and a large watermelon soaked in well water.

They were all inexpensive items that would not burden people psychologically.

Their lunch was not specially prepared to be very sumptuous. They ate whatever the factory workers ate.

The portion size of the dishes was prepared according to the number of people, but there was no limit on the number of large white flour steamed buns, but they were not allowed to take them away.

As long as you finish eating on the spot, you can eat as many as you can.

This is very friendly to boys like Li Su and Shen Runshu who are growing taller and whose appetite is also increasing.

Li Su ate the steamed bun in big mouthfuls and repeated for the thousandth time: "Aunt Yao is so nice."

Shen Runshu's ears were ringing. He used to agree with her, but now he would just keep his gratitude silently in his heart.

After finishing the last bite of rice in front of him, Shen Runshu asked: "Have you observed the Fire Phoenix Garment Factory?"

"What?" Li Su was at a loss.

Shen Runshu felt that this guy was hopeless. These days, apart from rehearsals, he just took care of eating: "The Fire Phoenix Garment Factory has just been open for more than a year, and the scale of the factory has doubled. I have observed that the factory treats female workers very well. Although the salary level is not higher than other factories, it does not squeeze employees, so the employees' work efficiency is very high."

Shen Runshu talked about many details he observed.

"The Fire Phoenix Garment Factory has developed to this point in such a short time. There are many things worth learning from it."

Li Su: "Learn from it? We don't run a factory."

Shen Runshu calmly stated the facts: "But many factory workers are madly exploited by capitalists."

In the past, Shen Runshu didn't have a deep feeling about these things.

But during this period, they often went to the factory to perform. Shen Runshu had chatted with many workers and had contact with them, so he became more and more aware of the workers' situation.

On the other side, after Ye Heqi finished his meal, he went to the office to find Yao Rong.

Yao Rong was drawing a clothing design when she noticed Ye Heqi coming. She asked casually, "What's wrong?"

"I came to thank my mother." As soon as Yao Rong stopped writing, Ye Heqi immediately reached out and hugged Yao Rong's arm.

Yao Rong said with a smile, "Thank me for what."

Ye Heqi rested his head on Yao Rong's arm, "Thank you for respecting my friends."

"Everyone is praising you to me and saying that they envy me for having a good mother."

Yao Rong said, "I thought it was a big deal. It's nothing."

Ye Heqi shook her head, "I have a lot of face in front of my friends."

This face does not come from how well her mother dresses, nor from how successful her mother's career is.

Her mother is willing to respect her friends because her mother has always respected her.

This feeling of being respected seems to be a small thing, but in her mind, it is a big deal.

Yao Rong smiled, turned around and asked Ye Heqi: "How is your rehearsal going?"

"If you feel it's almost ready, why not do it today? You can go on stage and perform for the factory employees and nearby residents?"

Could Ye Heqi be stage-frightened?

Of course not, so she immediately agreed.

Whether it's a mule or a horse, it's time to take it out for a walk.

She returned to the conference room and told everyone about it, and everyone immediately nodded in agreement.

Everyone began to divide the work, a few girls were responsible for inviting residents, and a few boys stayed in the factory to set up the scene.

Most of the residents invited by Ye Heqi and Sang Peizhen were women.

These residents and factory workers sat together, watching this play performed for them and listening to the actors accusing them.

Halfway through the play, many audience members lowered their heads and wiped their tears.

During this half of the play, their pain seemed to be embodied.

They looked at the actors on the stage as if they were looking in a mirror.

They listened to the actors' accusations and felt that their pain was seen and understood.

When they saw the protagonist mother and daughter break free from the shackles and escape from the mansion in the dark, some audience members shouted in surprise.

The word "freedom" always makes people yearn for it.

Running towards freedom has always been one of the most popular plots for the audience in artistic works.

Even when the actors stood together and bowed, many audience members were still in tears, holding their heads.

***

After this performance, Ye Heqi and his team performed in several places.

Shanghai Girls' Middle School even invited them to perform at the school.

This encouraged Ye Heqi and his team.

Even Bei Lin heard about it and took time out to watch the play. After returning, he wrote an article to report the incident, with many words of praise.

With the report, the play rehearsed by Ye Heqi and his team became more famous.

The performance lasted until September, and as the weather gradually cooled down, the last performance of "Fire Phoenix" also came to an end.

Ye Heqi is darker, thinner, and taller than he was six months ago, but he is more energetic than before, and it is obvious that he is enjoying it.

Yao Rong poured Ye Heqi a bowl of chicken soup: "You have been busy for six months, do you want to take a break and rehearse the new play?"

Ye Heqi drank the chicken soup and nodded repeatedly: "The new play will be postponed to next year, and we have to spend all our time studying in the next few months."

Although they have not fallen behind in their studies in the past six months, they can't stretch themselves too much.

They are not professional drama actors, and they should take a break.

Yao Rong also poured himself a bowl of soup: "You should have a good rest for a while. If you get darker and thinner, Peizhen's mother will be unable to sit still."

Ye Heqi asked in a hurry: "Is it only Peizhen's mother who can't sit still? Can my mother sit still?"

Yao Rong took a sip of soup and asked in a hurry: "What can we do if your mother can't sit still? Does she need to ask the Tathagata Buddha to find a Five Finger Mountain to press you under the mountain and prevent you from running around?"

Ye Heqi was amused.

Yao Rong brought the topic back: "I read the newspaper today and heard a good news."

"What good news?" Ye Heqi gave Yao Rong a chicken wing. She hadn't paid attention to the news for a while.

Yao Rong picked up the newspaper that was placed aside, found a few paragraphs in the middle, and began to read:

"In response to requests from all walks of life, the Ministry of Education of the Beiyang Government will hold a school system meeting in Peiping in September this year to reform the school system."

"According to the contents mentioned in the "Draft School System" drafted by the National Federation of Provincial Education Associations, this reform is very likely to incorporate coeducation into the system."

"From elementary school to university, coeducation will be implemented, and the curriculum will no longer be different for boys and girls."

The chicken wing slipped from the chopsticks and fell into the bowl, splashing a lot of soup and dirtying Ye Heqi's hands, but Ye Heqi didn't bother to wipe it.

Her eyes were a little red, and tears filled her eyes.

It's not easy.

It is no longer a women's university established in a special period, where even a degree is not awarded.

It has been seven or eight years since 1915, when Huang Peiyan, vice president of the Jiangsu Provincial Education Association, and others initiated the establishment of the National Federation of Provincial Education Associations.

After years of efforts and struggles by many educational magazines and countless intellectuals in the education circles of various places, the Ministry of Education, under pressure from the situation, finally decided to adopt the draft proposed by the National Federation of Provincial Education Associations and agreed to open a gap for women's education.

Gender equality is an extremely difficult road.

After the first step of women's education was taken,

the extremely difficult but extremely important second step of lifting the ban on women in universities and giving girls the right to attend the same universities as boys was finally taken after many years.