Episode 2 Capital of the Ming Dynasty

"I was confused," Xiang Xiaoqiang sat on the bench at the door of the corridor, swallowed the last soup dumpling, and wiped his mouth with the paper bag, "On the plane, I finally said 'wahaha'

After laughing so many times, how could you decide on the spot that I was the person on the periscope?...Well, after decades, Nanjing soup dumplings are still so delicious."

Qiu Qiu lowered his head guiltily, wrung his hands, glanced up at him secretly, and whispered:

"The main thing is... when you were greeting the destroyers on the periscope, you smiled too proudly, which left a deep impression on me... So, when you smiled like that again on the plane, I immediately remembered..."

Xiang Xiaoqiang shook his head, crumpled the paper bag into a ball, and threw it into the paper basket in the corner. He missed the throw and jumped out. Qiu Qiu glanced at the guard standing guard at the door, silently bent down to pick it up, and threw it into the bamboo basket next to him.

inside the basket.

"Okay, now that I think about it, I remember, why did you report me to the Jinyi Guards without saying anything as soon as you got off the plane?" Xiang Xiaoqiang glanced at the guard at the door and lowered his voice, "The more you talk, the angrier you get. You said this

It’s already 1930, and you will still have royal guards in the future. Who will believe this thing in the future?”

"Keep your voice down, keep your voice down," Qiu Qiu said quickly, "It's no longer called 'Jinyiwei', it's now called 'Military Intelligence Bureau', or 'Military Intelligence Bureau' for short."

"It's a bad thing. It's the same as the Qing Dynasty. The stick-sticking place is not called the stick-sticking place. It's called the 'Royal Affairs Office'..." Xiang Xiaoqiang stared at Qiu Qiu and said, "Then you won't report me?"

Qiu Qiu lowered his head sadly and said after a long time:

"This matter... I must truthfully explain it to the intelligence department. This is my duty... Besides, this matter originally started because of you. Although... you saved all of us, but... but

If it weren't for you, this wouldn't have happened! Then, you see, we also lost a submarine."

"Yes," Xiang Xiaoqiang was speechless. He sighed desolately and leaned back on the backrest, "I'm going to kill a villain... No, I'm going to kill a woman!"

But think about it, a gentle and kind girl like Qiu Qiu, although a bit stubborn, is still rare.

He turned his head and looked at Qiu Qiu. The bright red sunlight in the morning shone in from the door and fell on Qiu Qiu's cheek, like a crimson peach blossom.

"Hmm...what are you looking at?"

Qiu Qiu suddenly turned his face and asked.

Xiang Xiaoqiang laughed:

"It's nothing, you look good."

Qiu Qiu's little face turned red again, and she lowered her head, but there was a joyful light in the corners of her eyes, which did not escape Xiang Xiaoqiang's eyes.

The two guards at the door still stood upright. One of them couldn't help coughing, and the corner of the other's mouth moved, and his throat rolled.

…

The weather is sunny today, quite good. The winter sun is slanting and piercing the eyes directly.

Xiang Xiaoqiang was "led" out of the dark Jinyiwei Building by Qiu Qiu. He couldn't adapt to this bright world at once.

He admired Qiu Qiu again in the sun and in broad daylight, and found that this girl was more beautiful than at night and even more beautiful than the one in the Qing Dynasty.

One basic tip for picking up girls - when a girl wears new clothes, boys must compliment her.

"Tsk, tsk," Xiang Xiaoqiang took a step back and looked at her little dress, "Don't tell me, you look really interesting when you dress like this. You really look like those ladies in foreign movies."

Qiu Qiu's ears immediately turned red, but a smile immediately climbed onto her cheeks. Although Xiao Nizi was shy, she couldn't help but turn around in a circle and asked:

"Haha, it looks good...it's nearly thirty yuan."

"Not bad...what's nearly thirty yuan? A hat?"

"Of course it's this outfit! Well, not counting this bag..."

"Ah...ah, I understand," Xiang Xiaoqiang nodded, trying not to sound too aggressive, "You are talking about thirty dollars."

Thirty US dollars is not bad, more than two hundred RMB.

"No way," Qiu Qiu said with wide eyes, "Thirty dollars is too expensive. Of course it's thirty mingyang. It cost me half a month's salary. Fortunately, the economy is in recession now.

They are all cheap, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to afford them.”

Mingyang? Oh, it is probably the current currency of the Ming Dynasty. Since it is far less valuable than the US dollar, thirty yuan is still thirty yuan.

Alas, Xiao Nizi is a soldier and has little money. Besides, this was the 1930s, people's incomes were low, and it was the Great Depression. A dress worth more than thirty yuan would be good, so don't stab others.

"Thirty yuan is a lot, really," Xiang Xiaoqiang comforted her, "When my mother was your age, she only earned twenty yuan a month."

"Oh? In your Qing Dynasty, were women allowed to work out?" Qiu Qiu rolled his eyes, and suddenly a blush crept onto his cheeks. He lowered his eyes, turned his heels on the ground, and murmured, "I don't know, your Majesty... um...

…Where is Auntie’s job?”

Xiang Xiaoqiang felt great joy in his heart: So proactive? Isn't it obvious what he was thinking when asking about his elders? Haha, even in the future generations, if you marry such a lovable girl, you will be jealous to death.

Qiu Qiu was stunned, looking at Xiang Xiaoqiang's ambiguous eyes, and immediately understood what she had said. Although her face was as embarrassed as a big red cloth, she felt a little proud, lowered her head, and said hummingly:

"Well, you...you don't have any clothes yet...you're not familiar with Nanjing yet...then, I'll take you to buy a few..."

Her chest was beating and she said to herself:

"He is our savior after all... I did this just to repay... Yes, just to repay."

Qiu Qiu thought about this, and the blush on her cheeks became even redder.

…

As soon as Xiang Xiaoqiang walked out of the gate of the compound, he found that the two of them had been surrounded by a large group of angry migrant workers asking for wages.

He said "Ah" and quickly protected Qiu Qiu, taking a few steps back.

Looking at these "migrant workers", I have no intention of harming them. These people are all wearing old coats, some wearing wide-brimmed hats, some wearing peaked caps, and each is dragging a rickshaw behind them.

Their sturdy faces showed excitement, as if a large group of carnivores had seen something delicious, their eyes were shining, and they each opened their throats and shouted:

"Miss, do you want a car?"

"Sir, where are you going? I'll take you there in my car?"

"Shall we take the car, miss?"

"Let's take a car. Do you want to take a car?"

"gentlemen……"

"Miss……"

…

Phew! It's the rickshaw trying to get business.

It turns out that there were also rickshaws in the Ming Dynasty at this time.

Xiang Xiaoqiang let go of Qiu Qiu and asked with lingering fear:

"Why do you guys treat business like raw seafood here?"

Qiu Qiu came out from behind him, glared at him and said:

"What else should I do?... The economy has been in recession in the past few years. Most of them are workers who have lost their jobs. Otherwise, there would not be so many rickshaw pullers... Hey, how much does it cost to go to Liangyou Department Store on Hanzhong Road?"

Probably due to business rules, when Qiu Qiu asked two of them for a price, the other rickshaws dispersed.

The two men in question seemed extremely excited, and one of them smiled from ear to ear:

"It's easy to talk, so just sit down first! Liangyou Department Store? We're going to Xinjiekou! Just give us a dime per person!"

This dime is so important to them, and their lives will be solved today.

Qiu Qiu didn't bargain and just got on it. Xiang Xiaoqiang followed her example and got on the other car.

…

"Sit down!"

The man pulling the cart shouted, and Xiang Xiaoqiang felt his body lean back, as if he was about to fall over. As soon as he subconsciously reached out to help him, he saw that the cart was already running smoothly.

Huh? It feels good!

There are soft leather cushions under and around the buttocks, and the armrests are made of hardwood. The backrest is both flexible and flexible, and you can even lean your head on it, just like sitting on a boss chair.

Xiang Xiaoqiang moved left and right, feeling happy in his heart. He immediately understood why rickshaws are so popular. Riding in a rickshaw is as comfortable as riding in a car. Although the speed is slower, it is much smoother and does not cause motion sickness like a car.

The man pulling the truck in front wore an old wide-brimmed hat and a vest with the words "Hutchison Transportation Company" printed on it. He rushed and rushed while running, but Xiang Xiaoqiang sat on it quite steadily.

Xiaoqiang leaned back comfortably, let the breeze blow over his face, crossed his legs, and enjoyed this "old society's means of transportation" in a very innocent way.

…

Xiang Xiaoqiang looked around, seeing the capital of the Ming Dynasty at such a close distance for the first time in broad daylight.

He gradually felt that everything in front of him seemed familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before. But it was definitely not because he recognized the streets here. Although he went to university in Nanjing, he had never been to Suijiacang.

Ah, I remember it! Everything in front of me is similar to the urban scene during the Republic of China that I saw on TV and old photos!

Once upon a time, wasn't this what old Shanghai, old Nanjing, and old Chongqing looked like in the 1930s and 1940s?

…

Xiang Xiaoqiang squinted his eyes, and the scene in front of him seemed to turn into a yellowed black and white film, with black raindrops flashing on the screen, and pedestrians walking on the street at an abnormal speed...

...The tram passed through the bustling pedestrians, with an advertisement for Hardman cigarettes painted on the body. A lady with curly hair, holding a cigarette between her delicate fingers, smiled coquettishly at passers-by...

... From time to time, a newsboy waving a newspaper ran past. Above the narrow street, there were various vertical billboards with traditional Chinese characters. From the windows of old European-style buildings, long bamboo poles stretched out, and various clothes and quilts were hung. On the street
To be continued...