The Mao girl in Zhou Hexuan's arms is about 20 years old, with delicate facial features, millet-colored hair, and is at least 1.72 meters tall. She is almost as tall as Zhou Hexuan in high heels.
"What's your name?" Zhou Hexuan chatted while dancing.
Sister Mao said: "Katerina."
Katerina means "pure" in Russian. Zhou Hexuan smiled and said: "This name suits you very well. You must be a noble lady."
"I'm not a noble, I'm just an ordinary refugee." Katerina denied.
Zhou Hexuan was even more sure: "It seems that you are really a noble of Tsarist Russia. The name Katerina should be a pseudonym, right?"
Katerina remained silent, seeming to dislike the topic.
"Belarus" is not the abbreviation of "Belarus", but generally refers to the Russian refugees who fled to China in the 1920s.
After the October Revolution, a large number of Tsarist Russian nobles and civilians fled to China. China alone took in as many as 200,000 White Russians, and at least 30,000 in Shanghai.
Most Belarusian men choose to be soldiers, like Zhang Zongchang and Sun Chuanfang. There are Belarusian soldiers in the army, and their salary is even less than that of Chinese soldiers. This time, the Shanghai workers’ armed uprising led by our party encountered Belarusian armored troops at the South Station.
Belarusian women choose nightlife occupations, such as waitresses in restaurants and cafes, dancers in dance halls, and even prostitutes, and a few work as nude models for students in art schools.
Commoner Belarusian women often pretend to be nobles in order to attract guests. But real nobles hide their identities and say they are commoners because they feel ashamed.
There are still many Jews in Shanghai. The Jews stick together and help each other, so their lives are more prosperous. Belarusians, on the other hand, are not united. There are more than 30 small Belarusian groups in Shanghai alone, and these groups are fighting and hostile to each other.
Foreigners have a high status in the Republic of China, with the exception of Belarus. The best destination for a Belarusian woman is to be kept by a rich man. And if a Chinese married a Belarusian woman, he would be too embarrassed to say it, and it would be a very shameful thing (
Let’s look at “Fortress Besieged”).
how so?
Because they have no motherland.
In the peaceful and prosperous times, you may not feel the significance of the country, and you will criticize the government and officials. But if you really become a slave to the subjugation of the country, your end will be extremely miserable, and you will be discriminated against wherever you go.
Zhou Hexuan suddenly said in Russian: "Russia is a beautiful country. I have been there."
"Do you know Russian?" Katerina asked in surprise.
Zhou Hexuan said: "After staying for half a year, I also visited Tolstoy's former residence."
Katerina said melancholy: "Yes, Russia is a beautiful country, but it is a pity that it has become a hell now."
"Can you tell me your story? I'm very interested in it." Zhou Hexuan said.
Katerina smiled bitterly and said: "There is nothing to say. The Red Bandits rebelled. Our whole family came to Shanghai with Major General Stark. Due to the livelihood, I can only make money as a dancer."
"Were you still very young when you fled?" Zhou Hexuan asked.
"I was 14 years old at that time (1922)," Katerina recalled. "Originally, everyone wanted to take refuge in Japan. I remember that there were more than 30 ships under General Stark, full of refugees, sailing to North Korea.
Shan Port. As a result, the fleet was stopped by the Japanese as soon as it entered Yongxing Bay. After many negotiations, Japan only allowed a few thousand old and weak people to disembark, and the rest of us all changed routes and came to Shanghai. On the way, we encountered another
There was a strong typhoon, and one of the ships was capsized by huge waves, and that’s when my father passed away.”
"I'm sorry for bringing up your sadness." Zhou Hexuan said.
"It's nothing, you are a guest, just don't feel disappointed," Katerina started talking and continued, "After we came to Shanghai, the savings we brought were quickly used up. My mother could only work as a dancer.
And I also make a living as a waitress in a cafe."
Zhou Hexuan asked: "Then why are you here to dance with me?"
Katerina said: "My mother was ill and I made little money as a maid, so I changed my career to a dancer."
Zhou Hexuan said: "It's very admirable."
Katerina smiled and said: "You are different from other Chinese people, they don't ask these questions."
"I'm just curious," Zhou Hexuan said, "How much can you earn here? Of course, you don't have to answer."
Katerina said: "We charge 20% for dance tickets, 30% for drinks, and 50% for drinks if the guest invites you to drink. Including tips, you can earn about two or three yuan a night, sometimes more."
Katerina only talked about the income from dancing and drinking, but not talking about sleeping with her, that's the big deal.
Of course, it is also possible that she "shows off her skills but not her body".
"Leave me your address. I may need an advertising girl after a while." Zhou Hexuan said.
Katerina smiled and said: "Of course."
After one dance, Katerina accompanied Zhou Hexuan back to her seat. Because she had received Zhou Hexuan's dance ticket and needed to accompany him for three dances, the task has not been completed yet. More importantly, if Zhou Hexuan invited her to drink tea
Or wine, she can also get a commission from the wine and beverages.
"Bring this lady a cup of tea!" Zhou Hexuan said, snapping his fingers.
Lu Xiaoman smiled and said: "It seems that Mingcheng is also a good dancer."
Zhou Hexuan shook his head and said: "I don't come here often, but I am a serious person."
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Everyone laughed.
Wang Yachen pointed at Zhou Hexuan and joked: "This dear friend is making fun of us for not being serious people!"
"You're fined to drink, you're fined to drink!" The young man named Chen Jingliang followed suit.
Zhou Hexuan asked Katerina: "Can you drink it for me?"
"Okay." Katerina frowned and drank it all in one gulp. It seemed like she didn't like drinking and was just doing it to make money.
"Okay, one cup is enough." Zhou Hexuan said quickly.
Everyone played until around 12 o'clock in the morning before finally leaving.
Zhou Hexuan was very interested in Xu Beihong and made an appointment to meet him another day. As for his purpose, he just wanted to get a few paintings by Xu Beihong. It would be better if he could get another pair of calligraphy works.
On the way back, Lu Xiaoman drank a little too much and lay down in the car to sleep.
Xu Zhimo asked: "Mingcheng, I heard from Xiaoman that you came to the south this time to do business?"
Zhou Hexuan nodded and said: "Get ready to start a clothing business."
Xu Zhimo was quite disdainful of this: "You are a great scholar. If you don't write poems and compositions, what kind of business will you do? You don't mind being covered in the smell of copper."
Zhou Hexuan smiled and said: "I am going to sell new underwear. Isn't there a big breast movement in the south? I also support women's liberation in my business. But I don't have much free energy, so I want to find someone to cooperate."
Xu Zhimo blurted out: "You can ask my father to cooperate. He is in Shanghai now."
Zhou Hexuan inquired in detail and found out that Xu Zhimo's father, Xu Shenru, was an old friend of Zhang Jian and was deeply influenced by Zhang Jian's thought of "saving the country through industry."
The Xu family has been in business for generations. In their early years, they sold soy sauce. Later, they opened a bank and invested in silk shops, electric lighting companies, telephone companies, silk factories and thermal power plants. They became famously wealthy in Zhejiang.
Damn!
Zhou Hexuan thought that the Xu family was just a small businessman, but he didn't expect that they were already playing with thermal power plants, and they were rich.
Xu Zhimo is really an infatuated person. In order to marry Lu Xiaoman, he would rather not be a rich man and work hard to make money to support his wife.
Zhou Hexuan of the power plant is not interested. What he is interested in is the Xu family's satin shop and silk factory, which are raw materials for underwear. If he can cooperate with the Xu family, at least the supply of raw materials will not be a problem.
