"Then don't get in touch. You're not that old anyway. It's a new society now. Many women don't get married until they're in their twenties. Don't be too anxious. Consider going to college. Money and men can be taken away, but the knowledge in your head and the skills you master are completely your own and cannot be taken away by others."
Song Wenyin pondered for a moment and felt that what Huang Wanzhen said made sense. She picked up the orange soda and gestured to Huang Wanzhen. Huang Wanzhen naturally picked up the soda bottle and clinked it with hers. "Don't dwell on the past, live up to the present, and don't fear the future! Let's toast to you and me in the present!"
"clink!"
Song Wenyin fancied herself a modern person, and she wouldn't bring any fresh or dried fruit when visiting someone else. The next day, she took out two boxes of pastries and said to Huang Dongshi and Huang Wanzhen, "I bought some freshly baked cream cakes and a box of shaqi ma. I thought your aunt loved sweets, so I brought them here for you to try."
Mrs. Huang immediately smiled so hard that her teeth showed. "Chairman Song, you are so polite. I am already happy that you are here. What else do you want to bring?"
Huang Dongshi loved Song Wenyin to death because she was the first person to recognize her work ability and gave her a monthly salary of ten yuan, two yuan more than Xiuqing. Huang Dongshi felt that Song Wenyin was her mentor and confidant. Isn't there a saying that goes, "A gentleman will die for his confidant"? Although Huang Dongshi couldn't do that, she was always active in things that Song Wenyin advocated, such as learning foreign languages, and she worked very hard.
"Mrs. Song, please sit inside. Wanzhen said she wants to buy a sofa, but she hasn't bought it yet. You can just sit on the chair this time. Next time you come, there will be a sofa." Mrs. Huang smiled at Song Wenyin and turned to Xiuzhu, "Go make tea for Chairman Song."
"Aunt, stop working. Wanzhen and I are going out to look for a shop. We'll be back for a drink later." Song Wenyin quickly waved her hand to stop Xiuzhu, and patted Huang Dongshi's hand affectionately. "Rest at home for a few days. Once we find a shop, we'll need your help to look after it."
"No problem, I'm in good health! I can also do needlework. Chairman Song can call me anytime if you have anything." When Mrs. Huang heard what Song Wenyin said, her eyes lit up, and even her spirit was different. She held her head high and chest puffed out, and there was no trace of the sickly look she had when she first came to Shanghai.
As soon as Song Wenyin and Huang Wanzhen left, Mrs. Huang immediately asked Xiuzhu to look for the fabrics. "Hurry up and find me the fabrics that Wanzhen bought a few days ago. I see that the cheongsams worn by Shanghai people are a little different from those in Beijing. I have to make a new one based on that, so they won't look down on me!"
Before the two came to Binshayangxing, they called Gao Qiwen. When they arrived at the door at around ten o'clock, they saw Gao Qiwen already waiting there. The three of them shook hands and exchanged a few words. Gao Qiwen then led the two to the office.
"We've already inspected the shop at 42 Ruijin Road. It's currently owned by the board of directors. Take a look. This is the price they've registered."
Huang Wanzhen took the information and looked it over carefully with Song Wenyin. She asked with a puzzled look on her face, "The upstairs and downstairs are a total of over 180 square meters, how come it's only 4,000 yuan? Is there a mistake?"
Gao Qiwen clenched his left hand into a fist, placed it against his lips, and cleared his throat twice. "We are Binsha Foreign Trade Company, a large foreign trading company. Although our fees are high, we are fair to everyone. There is something wrong with this store, and I need to explain it to you."
Huang Wanzhen put down the information and made a gesture of "please." "I'm all ears."
Now it was Gao Qiwen's turn to feel embarrassed. He lowered his head slightly, looking at the corner of the table, and stated in a steady and emotionless voice, "A woman died in there."
Time seemed to stop at this moment. Huang Wanzhen and Song Wenyin waited and waited, but there was no further news.
"Then what? What kind of woman was she and how could she die in that shop?" Song Wenyin asked curiously.
Gao Qiwen quickly glanced up at the two of them. "Since someone has died before, would you still consider it, Miss Huang?" After a pause, Gao Qiwen advised, "Actually, we have a vacant shop on Ruijin Road, owned by our foreign company. Whether you want to rent it or buy it, it's very cost-effective."
Huang Wanzhen said "Oh!", thought for a moment, looked at Song Wenyin again, and chose to say goodbye.
Back on Ruijin Road, Huang Wanzhen took Song Wenyin to the shop to take a look before taking her home. "Should we ask around? Or should we just go somewhere else?"
Song Wenyin touched her chin and said, "That shop is quite big, and the prices are so cheap, yet no one is interested in buying. This means that many people know what happened in that shop. Maybe they are afraid of it and think it's unlucky, so they don't buy from it."
Having said that, Song Wenyin put down her hand and looked up at Huang Wanzhen, "I'll go back and ask my aunt and the others."
Huang Wanzhen slightly disagreed and said, "Since people here are superstitious about that place, even if we open a store there, I'm sure business won't be good. I think we should look for shops elsewhere."
"Well, I agree with you," Song Wenyin stood up and walked to the balcony, looking towards the shop, "I just want to know what happened in there."
Early the next morning, Huang Wanzhen had just finished boxing and had not yet eaten when Song Wenyin arrived.
Huang Wanzhen teased, "Why did you get up so early today? Didn't you attend the dance last night?"
"Stop making fun of me. Didn't you persuade me to go to college? I've made up my mind. There's no rush to find a man. After graduation, I can go to college first."
Huang Wanzhen didn't believe her words. They were so important. It was just that Song Wenyin had already been biased in her heart. When Huang Wanzhen said that, she just took the opportunity to convince herself!
The morning meal was cooked by Zhao Dahua, an authentic old Beijing breakfast, consisting of porridge, tofu with green onions, fried eggs, and vegetable dumplings.
"Why is there no shredded zucchini in this glutinous rice cake?" Song Wenyin wiped her hands with a handkerchief, picked up a glutinous rice cake, took a bite, and tasted the flavor, only to find that there was no shredded zucchini in it.
“I didn’t get any zucchini.”
"Hey! Go further away and buy it on Shunchang Road. That street sells all kinds of food and daily necessities. You will definitely find zucchini there." Song Wenyin ate with big mouthfuls while pointing out to Zhao Dahua where to buy zucchini.
"Oh? What are sold on Shunchang Road? Are there any shops selling cloth?" Mrs. Huang slowly chewed the vegetable dumplings. The outside was made of white flour mixed with corn flour. When chewed carefully, it not only tasted the aroma of corn, but also a sweet taste. Mrs. Huang loved it the most.
"Aunt, do you want to buy some cloth? You don't have to go anywhere else. My aunt runs a dyeing and weaving factory. I'll send someone to deliver two pieces to you tomorrow." Song Wenyin scooped up some porridge soup with a spoon and sighed comfortably. "Dahua, can you make fried liver? Make some for me tomorrow. I'm craving it."
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