Zhao Dahua rubbed the corner of her clothes nervously, her voice tinged with tears, "A week after you left, she disappeared."
Xiuqing glanced at her and said, "Okay, stop crying. Didn't you leave a letter? Show it to Mr. Huang."
Huang Wanzhen took the letter and looked at it. There were only a few words on it: I went to Shanghai to find my mother.
Counting the days, Huang Wanshu had been gone for half a month. She should have arrived in Shanghai long ago, but she did not go to the villa on Ruijin Road.
After thinking it over, Huang Wanzhen was at a loss. "Let her be. If she wants to come back, then she can come back. If she doesn't want to come back, then forget it."
Huang Wanzhen shook the letter paper and found that Huang Wanshu's handwriting had improved a lot. "This handwriting is quite good."
Little Stone interrupted, "The young lady has worked hard. She can speak foreign languages and has even entertained foreigners in the shop."
Xiu Qing curled her lips. "What's so great about that? Who in the shop hasn't received foreigners before? Manager Gao can not only receive foreigners, but also Japanese."
Huang Wanzhen asked, "Have Japanese ever come to our shop?"
Xiuqing nodded. "I didn't notice it before. No one would say what they said. Some of them wore the same clothes as us, so it was hard to tell. But Manager Gao is different. He can tell whether they are Japanese or not at a glance, and he sells a lot of things to them."
Huang Wanzhen stuffed the letter back to Zhao Dahua and went to Gao Zhixiang's office. "I heard you can identify Japanese people?"
Gao Zhixiang laughed, "It's easy to tell. We have Japanese people in our class. They usually wear wooden clogs and walk with their feet turned inwards. Their steps are relatively small and steady. If we were to imitate their walk, we wouldn't be able to walk so steadily."
Huang Wanzhen nodded and said, "Oh, then I'll observe it next time."
Two days later, Huang Wanzhen observed a Japanese man who came to order a suit. Huang Wanzhen noticed that he walked with his feet turned inward, and his back was straight. His posture seemed correct, but a little restrained, which was very different from the casual walking habits of Chinese people.
After the man left, Huang Wanzhen went to Gao Zhixiang to exchange experiences. "It's just as you said. He walks with his feet turned inward."
Without waiting for Gao Zhixiang to say anything, Xiao Shitou, while keeping the accounts, said, "I don't need to look at his gait, I can tell he's Japanese just by looking at his 'square beard'. Japanese people are so weird, they actually like to grow such ugly beards."
With a "puff", Huang Wanzhen turned her head and saw Fan Hengming.
Huang Wanzhen quickly suppressed the teasing smile on her face and greeted him seriously, "Hello, Brother Fan."
Fan Hengming smiled and waved his hand, "Miss Huang, there's no need to be so serious. I'm here to make clothes."
Huang Wanzhen turned around and waved to Huang Dachui, "This gentleman would like to have a custom-made suit made. Please be attentive."
Huang Dachui quickly led Fan Hengming to the reception room.
After Fan Hengming picked out a style and took his measurements, he paid a deposit at the counter and handed Huang Wanzhen a note saying, "My father is having a salon at home on the 16th of this month. I'd like to invite Miss Huang to come."
When Huang Wanzhen heard that Mr. Fan would be there, she quickly took it and said, "Thank you."
On the 16th, Huang Wanzhen specially prepared hats she bought in Shanghai for Mrs. Fan and Mr. Fan. Huang Wanzhen said, "I went to Shanghai a few days ago and saw these two hats in a department store. I thought they were especially suitable for Mr. and Mrs. Fan."
Mr. Fan smiled and said, "It's amazing that you still remember me and my wife when you're out on business."
Huang Wanzhen said a few polite words, and Mrs. Fan took Huang Wanzhen's hand and asked about her studies. Huang Wanzhen said that everything was fine.
Mrs. Fan liked her modest and reserved personality. "I heard from Lecturer Yin that she always ranked first, which shows that she worked hard."
At this time, Fan Zheming brought over a cup of coffee and a glass of orange soda. He first handed the orange soda to Huang Wanzhen, and then handed the coffee to Mrs. Fan.
Mrs. Fan smiled and glanced at him sideways, but she was puzzled in her heart that this taciturn man had suddenly come to his senses today.
"Young people, while studies and work are important, you also need time to relax. Otherwise, being constantly tense isn't good for your health," Mrs. Fan suggested with a smile. "I heard from your cousin last time that there's a new movie at the cinema starring the famous star Zhou Xiaodie. It's great. Take Wanzhen to see it when you have time."
Huang Wanzhen's scalp tingled when she heard this. Watching a movie? With Fan Hengming? Wouldn't that be embarrassing? Before she could figure out how to refuse, Fan Hengming said, "No, Miss Huang isn't as playful as my cousin. I guess she doesn't like watching that kind of movie."
Mrs. Fan was about to glare at Fan Hengming when she heard Fan Hengming say, "Didn't Mother ask me to attend the Town Hall dance the day after tomorrow? I don't have a dance partner yet. I wonder if Miss Huang can go with me."
Huang Wanzhen was a little surprised and didn't understand why Fan Hengming suddenly mentioned the dance.
She hesitated, "I have to go to school the day after tomorrow."
Mrs. Fan smiled and said, "The dance is tonight. It won't delay your schooling. My husband and I will go too. I'll introduce you to some people then."
Then, he whispered in her ear, "This City Hall ball is organized by the Nanjing government to appease people from all walks of life. In addition to people from the Peking government, there are also some people from the military, business, and cultural circles. It's not that you have to build connections with them, but if you know them, it will be easier to get things done in the future."
When Huang Wanzhen heard this, she realized that such a high level was something that many people longed for but could not reach. It would be a bit ungrateful to refuse such a good opportunity given to her.
Huang Wanzhen nodded, "Yes, thank you, Mrs. Fan."
Mrs. Fan covered her mouth and smiled, "Why thank me? You should thank Brother Fan."
Huang Wanzhen thanked Fan Hengming again.
Fan Hengming shook his head. "I should be the one thanking you for agreeing to be my dance partner."
Huang Wanzhen had never attended a dance of this level, so after returning to Jixiang Hall, she called Song Wenyin.
Song Wenyin started to retort, "Why haven't you participated? Have you forgotten that I took you to the Lin family's ball? The level of the Lin family's ball is definitely not inferior to the current Peking City Hall ball."
"Back then, Peking was still the capital, and all the prestigious jobs were held there. Now that the Nationalist government has its capital in Nanjing, the prestigious jobs have also moved there. Even the most exclusive Peking dances these days are no match for the Lin family dances."
"As for your attire, if you're unsure, go find Xiuqing and let her make the decision. Secondly, listen more and talk less. Without my guidance, you don't know the people there, let alone their backgrounds and connections. Some people may appear very close on the surface, but they actually belong to completely different factions. So, to avoid offending anyone, just stick with Fan Hengming. If he needs to leave, ask him to find you a place to sit for a while."
"I'm warning you, don't eat the snacks. They're just for people to see, not for you to eat. It really affects your image! You can do whatever you want at home, but when you go out, you have to act like a lady."
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