Chapter 126: Light Ten
Ge looked at the direction Sir Xie left and sneered, "Xie Hong, that old fox. He knows he's going to be infamous for eternity, but he doesn't consider himself Chinese or British. He doesn't need to please anyone, and in the end he gets the best of both worlds. He's ruthless, plays mad and stupid, and when he gets to be evil, no one is more vicious than him."
Chu Wang looked up at Miya and said with a smile, "Sir Xie, do you know that your aunt has said such bad things about him?"
Mrs. Ge said, "Even if you say it to his face, believe it or not, he will just laugh and think you are praising him."
Xie Zeyi also agreed, "Aunt is still quite polite."
Mrs. Ge rolled her eyes at him and asked, "Have you already made peace with your father? You even know exactly when he withdrew from the lending market."
"No, I guessed it." Xie Zeyi said, "This old man knows that greed is not right, so he has been accustomed to knowing when to stop and has avoided every storm over the years."
Several people looked at him together.
"A few months ago, he made so much money that he didn't care about anyone, let alone me. You can imagine how the US stock market is booming this year. The economy on the other side of the ocean is oversupplied, and those people don't care about the small profits from the concession. How can I negotiate with him?"
Chu Wang exclaimed, tilted his head and thought hard for a long time.
Xie Zeyi looked at her carefully.
"The Lunar New Year is just around the corner. When are you going to reconcile with your father?" Mrs. Ge stared at the two of them and asked Xie Zeyi, "Are you going to wait until all the guests arrive at the wedding so everyone can see you and your father looking sour?" Then she turned and asked, "How many walnuts are you going to give her?"
He opened his palm: "The last one."
Mrs. Ge slapped her in the face. "There's no proper Cantonese chef at home steaming dim sum for her breakfast. What do you need me for?"
Miya laughed and said, "Chu Wang has said it countless times, no chef can be as delicious as Brother Zoe's cooking."
Xie Zeyi's eyes lit up, and he lowered his head and asked her, "Really?"
Chu Wang had never said this in front of the main person before, so he couldn't help but look away and look at the spider plants under the steps.
"Both father and son are clever and unfazed, so neither has the right to call the other bad." Mrs. Ge rubbed her temples. She glanced at Xie Zeyi and asked Chu Wang, "Lin Yu is extremely concerned about his reputation in the officialdom. If that bitch hadn't interfered, he wouldn't have dared to give up all your mother's dowry. He must have borrowed money from everywhere to make up for the money he spent over the years... By the time your aunt's share is in your hands, it will be a sum that even upper-middle-class families wouldn't be able to earn in their entire lives."
How much is that? It’s not an option for Shanghai scientists to just sit there and wait.
Donate to the northwest to build three factories so that people in the concession can have something to do sooner.
Seeing her eyes sparkling and hesitant to speak, Mrs. Ge couldn't help but ask, "Could it be that you want to donate all the money to build a science museum?"
"I'm not going to donate to the Science Museum, I'm going to donate to..." She turned her head and looked at Xie Zeyi cautiously.
Science and education make a country strong! She doesn't have to worry about food and clothing.
Mrs. Ge was so angry that she had a headache. "My little aunt."
Xie Zeyi knew what she wanted to do and asked seriously, "Do you really think so?"
"Um."
"So important?"
She nodded seriously.
"I'm afraid it's not enough." He smiled and pinched her cheek.
He had been stationed across the border for some time to build roads, and he had a rough idea of the investment required to build several factories in the northwest. He lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then quietly promised, "I'll find a way."
Chu Wang didn't know what he was going to do, so he just stared at him with wide eyes.
Seeing the two of them flirting with each other as if no one was around, Mrs. Ge hated them for not fighting back, "Sui Xi, get them out!"
Sui Xi went to chase him away, but Xie Zeyi stood up and said, "A gentleman uses his mouth, a villain uses his fists. If there's anything to say, it's better to talk it out."
Everyone in the room couldn't help but smile when they saw him dodging left and right and walking out the door with a smile.
Miya smiled and said, "Mrs. Ge, they just met. You know that Zoe-ge would never dare to do anything out of line, so why do you have to separate them at this juncture?"
"What do you know? Seeing each other every day before the wedding is not only against the rules, but how can there be any joy in the wedding?" Mrs. Ge glanced at her. "Do you think everyone is like you, following Mr. Jiang around every day after getting engaged? You reminded me to stay away from him before the wedding."
Miya stuck out her tongue.
She heard Mrs. Ge still lecturing Miya from behind: "... pursuit, confession, dating, proposal, engagement, marriage, anniversaries year after year, silver and golden wedding anniversaries, growing old with this man, what woman doesn't want to be treated as unique? Women are creatures of ritual. Just because you don't ask for it doesn't mean he doesn't have it in store for you. Aren't you going to wait and see what this man will do to marry you during this intriguing period that hasn't yet arrived?"
Miya thought longingly, holding her chin in her hand while saying insincerely, "What's the point of ceremony? As long as he doesn't trample on me or treat me harshly, and respects and protects me for the rest of my life..."
Chu Wang was still staring at the direction he left, unable to figure out what Xie Zeyi was going to do.
With government corruption and a dark society at the forefront, science, education, and industry still lag behind. Even with the Royal Society pulling the Institute forward, the funding and financial resources are far less than those of the United States in 1942. The follow-up funding for the construction of the three bases is insufficient, and much of the work has been put on hold. Some physicists and mathematicians have already resigned, eager to return home and receive the same respect and preferential treatment as here. Working on less advanced work is better than waiting here in vain...
Xie Zeyi didn't know how much the institute needed him.
However, if they brought their terms, the United States, which was watching closely from the sidelines, was experiencing rapid industrial and economic growth. They would not care about such a small concession interest. If they were not careful, the entire institute could fall into the hands of the United States. Therefore, this was definitely not a good time to negotiate fair terms with them.
When is the best time?
When can we negotiate with them?
What if they also have difficulties that they cannot overcome and have to ask for help from others?
She suddenly remembered that Sir Xie always knew when to quit.
Sir Xie, who made so much money at the beginning of this year that he "forgot all his relatives", is indeed a very far-sighted speculator.
Before August this year, the US stock market was at its craziest.
And the upcoming October 24th is... Black Thursday.
The New York stock market collapsed, and the world economic crisis began!
It also stimulated Germany and Japan, making Europe and Asia the source of war...and was the direct cause of the outbreak of World War II.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she stumbled as she stepped down from the chair, nearly falling. Suixi and Miqiu hurriedly helped her up, and she immediately ran upstairs. Mrs. Ge and Miya thought she had come to her senses and that Xie Zeyi had already left, so they both chuckled downstairs at the thought of going upstairs to see him again.
The weather turned cold, and the streets gradually became less crowded. The dark gray walls of the blue-brick houses and the withered yellow leaves of the sycamore trees dotted the gray Shanghai like stars. Rickshaws from Park Lane passed by, occasionally picking up and dropping leaves from the ground. The trolley bells rang, and the few whiffs of smoke emanated from the alley across the street. Someone had brought a small stove out onto the street, and smoke began to rise.
The Great Depression...
But this is Shanghai in the Far East. Not only was it almost unaffected by this crisis, but the national capital here was also about to flourish.
If this isn't the best time, when will it be?
——
After being kicked out of the Ge Mansion by Mrs. Ge, Xie Zeyi left for more than a week.
This week, the letters from the research institute were still the same old message: "i Group awaiting news." Apart from accompanying Zhenzhen to buy belongings for her long-distance study, she had almost nothing to do.
She went to Sincere, Wing On, Sun Sun, and Dah Sun to pick out lipstick, perfume, handbags, and shoes. Miya and Chu Wang asked her, puzzled, "Aren't all these things from France? Wouldn't it be more convenient to buy them in Europe? Why do you make three trips a day to browse through all the secondhand goods in these Shanghai department stores?"
"Handbags match shoes, scarves match skirts, jewelry match coats... You don't know how many new clothes I've made. I really can't match them all."
Chu Wang smiled and said, "Are you going to study or to a fashion show?"
Zhenzhen said with a bitter face: "My father would secretly wipe away his tears every few days when he saw me at home. I thought I would never come back."
Miya said, "If you feel bad for your father, then don't go to Europe."
She finally confessed: "Chelsea waits for me downstairs every morning and evening with a rose."
Miya laughed.
Chu Wang asked: "You don't dislike him, why don't you agree?"
Zhenzhen said, "I am the only daughter my father has."
Miya raised an eyebrow.
She went on, "So after I finish my studies, I must return to China. And what about him? He has no parents or brothers at home. After a few years, he will have to return to England. A foreign land is not my homeland. Who would want to stay alone in this concession?" She sighed again, "But this is my hometown."
Chu Wang was silent.
She had experienced this before, when she had to say goodbye to her parents at the customs before she reached adulthood. At that time, she was full of longing for the new world and had no idea why her parents kept crying when they stopped outside the security checkpoint.
For seven or eight years, I had huddled in my quilt and secretly wiped away my tears countless times, longing to have hot meat buns and lean meat porridge to drink as soon as I woke up in the morning, instead of sweet croissants, cold sandwiches and black coffee.
She knew it all too well.
As the lipsticks and perfumes were moved from the shopping mall to Xue Mansion one by one, her dowry was also sent from Lin Mansion to Ge Mansion one by one.
Two rooms were specially set aside to store these items.
When the items were delivered to the mansion, Mrs. Ge checked them one by one in her little notebook. After she was satisfied, she crossed out the items and then asked someone to deliver them to the grocery room.
She leaned on the sofa with a confused look on her face, thinking: What is this, what is this, what is this?
Mrs. Ge yawned and said, "Whatever it is, it's all yours, the richest girl in Shanghai."
It was not until she saw some bluish objects and calligraphy and paintings that she could name from her junior high school textbooks that she finally couldn't help but cover her mouth to avoid exclaiming in surprise.
Zhou was just as impatient as her.
When several treasured items were taken from the bank safe and brought directly to the Ge Mansion, Zhou finally lost her composure and stopped Mrs. Ge outside the mansion, shouting and hysterically threatening, "Lin Jin, don't get too complacent. Believe it or not, I'll make sure every scandal involving you and your niece is published in all the major Shanghai newspapers tomorrow!"
After Suixi and Miqiu pulled her away, Mrs. Ge gave her a look of disgust and laughed, "Do you know how I, Lin Jin, have gotten to where I am today? If you want to break up with me, go ahead and see what Lin Yu will do to save his most valuable reputation! Go ahead and give it a try, and see who among all the shameless people in Shanghai can beat me."
Chu Wang watched Zhou coldly from upstairs, suddenly remembering that when she was studying in Japan, she must have been just like Yunyan now, a beloved beauty sought after by many other students. Unfortunately, her family fell into poverty, and she was so desperate that she quickly clung to Lin Yu, a man who was completely devoted to her, and refused to let go. She relied entirely on him to support her until she graduated successfully.
Later, she learned that he already had a wife and that Zhou was pregnant. Despite the immense pressure, she was probably subconsciously delighted with the large dowry that Miss Su brought with her, even willing to accept the offer of a son and a daughter, even at the cost of exile in Vietnam. In fact, she had been eyeing the dowry from that moment on.
Unfortunately, her calculations were all wrong. She enjoyed a few years of comfort in France, but in the end she didn't get a penny.
After decades of calculating and putting all his fortune into it, it was all for nothing in the end. Anyone would have a mental breakdown.
I don’t know if she ever truly loved Lin Yu.
In the end, Zhou was willing to take the risk and actually went to the newspaper to "disclose the shocking scandal between her and her aunt."
It’s a pity that no one seemed to care about this shocking scandal. The next day, Chu Wang used a magnifying glass to find this news in the corner of an unknown gossip newspaper.
She had originally hoped to see some explosive and exaggerated news, but after reading it for a while, she found only some scraps that she had almost forgotten, including the dispute in the Shanghai Hotel.
There was indeed someone present at the time who took notes on the entire conversation, but unfortunately he kicked her in the back and the conversation ended on bad terms. No matter how the notes were revised afterwards, they looked bad.
Who among that group would be willing to publicize this matter again? The reputation of these two little brats is far less important than that of these pillars of the literary world.
I'm afraid the conversation record has been torn up long ago.
The only interesting thing is the old love affair between Mrs. Ge and Mr. Qiao.
The news item briefly mentioned: "... 'That young master' sailed south in the twelfth month of the 32nd year of the Guangxu reign. He lied to his family and deliberately postponed his return for three days. He then went alone to the Shanghai Girls' School where Miss Lin San was studying and had a secret rendezvous with her for three days..."
Chu Wang shook his head. Mr. Ge had been in Xianyou for who knows how many years, and even his daughter had been married for many years. Who would care about who Mrs. Ge dated when she was young?
Oh, and probably Mrs. Qiao too.
Reading the news again, she suddenly remembered something else. A similar story happened in another year and in another place.
I wonder what kind of mood Mrs. Ge was in when she was watching her and Yan Sang coldly on the island?
——
After Zhou's disturbance, she didn't have the chance to watch what kind of commotion would happen in the Lin Mansion, but she was fortunate enough to see Yun Yan's farce.
It was the day before Zhenzhen left Shanghai, and a group of young people held a farewell party for her at a German tavern. She was there, along with Mia, Chels, and three or two of Zhenzhen's old friends. Six or seven of them ordered three large roast pork knuckles and craft beer, ready to drink with her until they were drunk.
Coincidentally, another group arrived at the tavern, perhaps having not fully enjoyed the party, and had decided to move to this warm and lively tavern. Perhaps it was because God knew that there were still a few people who had a connection. Ye Wenyu was there, as were a few other junior officers from the Municipal Council.
At first, no one paid attention to each other, but because it was a special day, when that group of people came, Zhenzhen was also a little drunk.
Miya deliberately urged Zhenzhen, "Why don't you leave after Chu Wang and I get married in February? Otherwise, if one of us gets married first, there'll be no one to lead the other into the bridal sedan."
Zhenzhen laughed heartily, her tongue clenching as she spoke: "Traditional weddings aren't popular in Shanghai anymore. Who are you Hong Kong people showing off your old China to? The British?"
Miya joked loudly in English, "Chelsea, you see, she's been mocking you British people for not understanding China. But you know, she's just euphemistically saying you don't understand her, but she doesn't dare say it out loud."
As soon as he finished speaking, several lieutenants at the other end recognized Chelsea and came over to greet their superior.
Zhenzhen, however, looked at no one, humming a midnight tune as she asked Chu Wang, the only one who could speak German, to go and greet Puou: "I want to eat Thuringian sausages and pickled purple cabbage!"
The tavern was gradually filled with people. She waved to the servant several times but he didn't show up. When she stood up to stop him, she happened to see Lan Xi, Yun Yan and Miss Wei each walking in with an officer on their arm.
After a while of introductions, one of them introduced Ye Wenyu to the person next to Yun Yan, saying, "Mr. Ye's family business is growing bigger and bigger, and is almost second to none in the Southland."
When Yun Yan looked at Ye Wenyu again, his eyes were naturally completely different from those of others.
Someone then asked, "Do Mr. Ye and Ms. Lin need no introduction?"
Before Ye Wenyu could speak, Yun Yan, with a calm and almost charming demeanor, said in Chinese, which only a few people present could understand, "Mr. Ye and I once had an interesting but somewhat erroneous past."
Someone who understood Chinese quipped in English, "That must be extraordinary!"
Yun Yan kept his head down, occasionally looking at Ye Wenyu with a vague smile, saying, "Mr. Ye, long time no see. How are you? I think of you often."
Chu Wang stood in the dark, leaning against the wall, watching for a while, laughing in his heart. This show was really wonderful.
At this time, Zhenzhen was drunk and making a scene again: "Where are my Thuringian sausages and purple cabbage?"
Hearing this familiar voice, Yun Yan and Ye Wenyu both turned around.
Chu Wang smiled and walked out from the shadows to stop Puou, "One Turing sausage."
When I turned around, I really made a "two" gesture.
She kept smiling and added, "Two!"
Puou walked away with a smile.
Everyone on the other end looked over.
The British officers who had just greeted Chelsea and had not yet sat down suddenly asked each other, "Does this look like Mrs. Xie?"
Lan Xi asked, "That Mrs. Xie?"
One person said, "After the public trial in the six countries, all the newspapers are about her. Who will admit his mistake?"
The officer sitting next to Yun Yan said, "I'm not sure. How about asking Commander Chelsea?"
Many junior officers were lively and had not received formal etiquette training. Someone immediately ran over to ask Chelsea, "Is this Commander Xie's wife?"
Everyone at the table stared at Chu Wang, jokingly smiling and nodding.
The man ran back and announced loudly: "It's Mrs. Xie!"
Someone immediately corrected them: "Wrong, it should be madamtse."
Chu Wang was puzzled.
Chelsea laughed and said, "Didn't he tell you he was back in Hong Kong to receive his commission? Oh, now I should call him Sir."
Someone on the other end asked, "What happened to Miss Wei and Miss Lin? Are they feeling unwell, or do they just not like beer?"
At this time, Miya also noticed Ye Wenyu and Yunyan, and immediately became playful. Taking advantage of Zhenzhen's drunkenness, she deliberately asked her, "Miss Xue, do you really not want to be Mrs. Lawton?"
"If Shanghai were to sink one day, I wouldn't expect a single Englishman to embrace me and accompany this dark, devastated city down with me." Zhenzhen spoke in English with a lilting throttle, then suddenly burst into tears. "I also want someone to sing my midnight songs with me."
The tavern suddenly became quiet and everyone looked over.
Chelsea only had Zhenzhen in his eyes. He looked at her seriously and suddenly hummed a little tune.
"Midnight Song".
The British voice is hoarse, with a low swallowing sound from time to time, which is extremely sexy.
The aproned German butlers in the pub immediately put down their beer holders and started clapping.
The tavern owner took out a ukulele from the house and played playfully and cheerfully to accompany Chelsea.
The pub is quiet and cozy, and the atmosphere couldn't be simpler and more peaceful.
Miya and Chu Wang were almost moved to tears by these two people.
Zhenzhen's eyes were red and she looked at Chelsea eagerly, looking completely dumbfounded.
Chelsea continued to hum slowly and somewhat out of tune.
Zhenzhen suddenly burst into tears: "But it's too late. I can only date you until next Friday at most."
Chelsea carefully wiped away her tears.
Miya probably had no idea that Zhenzhen also liked this Englishman so much. She suddenly regretted playing this pretentious game of showing off. She pulled Chu Wang, her heart beating fast and hard.
Chu Wang suddenly asked, "What day is next Friday?"
Chelsea said, "The 25th."
Chu Wang asked again: "When will Mr. Xie return to Shanghai?"
Someone on the other end responded quickly: "Just these few days!"
Chu Wang's heart was pounding as he loudly suggested, "If a treaty is signed before the 25th to return the concessions, the Municipal Council is dissolved, consular jurisdiction is revoked, and the armies of the six nations are completely withdrawn, Shanghai will not fall and will remain Chinese. Then, are you willing to wait until then and return to England with Chelsea?"
After hearing her nonsensical words, Zhenzhen was suddenly stunned.
Many men and women on the other end heard her and thought she was telling a big joke, and they laughed out loud.
"When the commander returns, no British official in the concession will have more decision-making power than him," Chelsea said loudly, and the people on the other end of the line suddenly quieted down. Chelsea stared at Chu Wang and said firmly and sincerely, "I believe him."
Chu Wang didn't know where his confidence in Xie Zeyi came from. Seeing Chelsea at this moment, he felt as if he had also been brainwashed by Xie Zeyi.
Her mind was a mess. She thought that since the British in the concession were going crazy one after another, she must be going crazy too.
Zhenzhen agreed drowsily. No matter what the final result was, she wouldn't lose out. "If that's the case, then I'll throw all my luggage into the Huangpu River."
Miya burst out laughing. "Then when I send you away, I'll have to bring two sailors with me just in case."
Chelsea took the opportunity to pick up Zhenzhen and kiss her.
Everyone in the tavern cheered loudly.
Ye Wenyu suddenly stood up to get his coat.
Yun Yan was the first to ask, "Where is Mr. Ye going?"
Everyone looked at her. She knew she had spoken out of turn, so she calmly took her watch from under the table and said, "Your things are lost."
"This isn't mine," Ye Wenyu understood her meaning, but he declined without hesitation. Then he said to everyone in English, "Sorry, my wife is waiting for me at home."
Yun Yan's face froze.
He put on his coat and walked out without looking back. Passing by this table, he stopped the servant and said, "Their bill is on me."
Then he pushed the door open and walked into the night, leaving without looking back.
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