Why did Zhou Hexuan leave his underwear business in Shanghai and return to Tianjin in a hurry?
Because the "purge of the party" has begun.
Not only the south was killing people like rivers of blood, but the north also raised their butcher's knives high.
On the surface, Zhang Zuolin and Principal Chang were fighting to the death, but in fact they had been in secret contact since last autumn. The leaders of the Northern warlords and the southern government actually joined hands to carry out a bloody suppression of progressive people.
Just like Zhou Hexuan said to Zhang Xueliang, it doesn't matter if his side is in chaos, as long as he makes his opponent more chaotic. Zhang Zuolin had this wishful thinking, and he didn't need Zhou Hexuan to remind him, he had already planned it.
Now the forces of the Northern Expedition have actually been divided into three, and it is so chaotic that it is almost impossible to distinguish between ourselves and the enemy.
Not to mention people from both parties, even innocent people were massacred.
During the "Purge of the Party" in Guangzhou, anyone wearing a suit, Chinese tunic suit, or student uniform, as well as anyone with their hair slicked back, would be arrested as members of our party.
There are also progressive women in some places who are actually regarded as red elements. All women with short hair in the county are killed without interrogation. The situation in the Lianghu area is the most serious, and some people even come to Shanghai.
Later, he asked in surprise: "Why do so many women in Shanghai cut their hair short? Aren't they afraid of being beheaded?"
Zhou Hexuan could only remain silent about this. He could not do anything, and he did not even dare to raise a voice of opposition. Hundreds of thousands of people would die to "purge the party", so he did not care to kill one more of him.
On the contrary, Zhou Hexuan had to pretend to be nonchalant and indifferent to this. After he returned to Tianjin, he honestly wrote newspapers and articles. In his spare time, he went to the theater to watch Meng Xiaodong's performances, or accompanied Wanrong to foreign clubs.
Play ball and have fun.
At the same time, he also received several letters from Zhang Leyi. The first one was sent from Nanjing, saying that he was going back to Lushan with his father, and included his home address in Lushan. Judging from the date of her letter, it was when Zhou Hexuan was about to go south.
, missed because the letter was delivered too slowly.
The next few letters are all sent from Lushan.
Zhang Leyi said that her family's business is getting more and more prosperous. Many new wealthy people from the southern government want to build mansions and villas in Lushan. The Zhang family's real estate development business is going smoothly.
Perhaps because Zhou Hexuan never replied, Zhang Leyi seemed a little panicked. In the fifth letter, Zhang Leyi said that she wanted to come to Tianjin, and the reason was to help her father negotiate business. In fact, the main purpose was to meet Zhou Hexuan.
As for Shanghai, Zhang Jiazhu also sent a telegram, saying that the daily sales volume of underwear has exceeded 3,000 pieces, and the daily gross profit is nearly 10,000 yuan.
It’s just that there are more and more counterfeit products, and now two new underwear factories have been built in Shanghai alone. Zhou Hexuan’s patent certificate and exclusive rights are completely useless because the political situation is too chaotic. Not to mention the Beiyang government, there are two legal governments in the south.
I don't know which law to follow when filing a lawsuit.
Fortunately, Zhou Hexuan and his underwear are famous and have already produced a brand effect. Many women have identified "Zhou's underwear", and the market share has not declined quickly.
…
Mid-April, weekend.
Wanrong took a thick stack of drawings and said excitedly: "Brother Zhou, the first episode of "The Wanderings of Sanmao" has been completely drawn. Please help me revise it."
"Okay, show me quickly." Zhou Hexuan smiled.
Wanrong, who has found her interest, is more energetic and looks much better than before. She is wearing new civilized clothes and even has her hair cut short. At first glance, she thought she was a progressive female student.
Zhou Hexuan did not look through the drawings immediately after receiving them, but asked: "Have you quit cigarettes?"
Wanrong said with some guilt: "I only smoked one yesterday."
"Take your time, haven't you reconciled with your family yet?" Zhou Hexuan asked again.
Wanrong sighed and said, "Oh, they all refuse to see me, saying that the Guobulo family doesn't have an unfilial daughter like me."
Zhou Hexuan comforted him and said: "It will get better slowly."
The two chatted for a while, and then Zhou Hexuan opened the sketch.
Although the plot of "Sanmao's Wanderings" painted by Wanrong is similar, the overall style is quite different from the original version. Her print style is more elegant and delicate, with a touch of meticulous painting, and is a bit less market-oriented than the original version.
breath.
There is nothing I can do about it. I came from a royal family, so I really can't draw the taste that I should have.
Zhou Hexuan shook his head and said: "You don't need to pay too much attention to the details. After all, this is not a meticulous painting, and the overall style is wrong. How about this, I will accompany you to walk around the streets and alleys, and even go to the slums to have a look and feel what's going on there.
Atmosphere.”
"Do you want to repaint it?" Wanrong asked.
"Redraw everything." Zhou Hexuan said.
Anyway, I had nothing to do today, so Zhou Hexuan immediately took Wanrong out, followed by the Sun brothers.
They first walked around the streets of the concession. Zhou Hexuan pointed at the people on the road: "You have to pay attention to their demeanor and behavior. What do foreigners look like? What do high-level Chinese people look like? What do ordinary people look like? Look at that.
The candy seller, the wrinkles on his face, the smile, and the flattering demeanor when he speaks. Only by being familiar with these can you draw street comics well, showing the three religions and nine streams and all living beings. Your current comics are too unrealistic."
Wanrong suddenly realized and said: "I said it feels awkward. It turns out that the characters in my comics are all carved from the same mold. Without Brother Zhou's reminder, I really wouldn't pay attention to these."
Zhou Hexuan smiled and said: "From now on, you can go out and walk around every day, observe people of different identities, and pay attention to their words and deeds. This will be good for improving your painting skills. It can also relax your mind and relieve boredom. It is a good way to achieve multiple goals with one stone."
"
"I've written it down." Wanrong liked hearing Zhou Hexuan speak like this. She felt like she was being valued and cared for.
The two of them had lunch outside and then walked around Tianjin in the afternoon, observing the slums in the northeast of the city.
The style of this place has changed drastically. On both sides of the narrow streets, refugees with ragged clothes and haggard faces can be seen. Their eyes are dull and their expressions are helpless, like walking corpses, unable to feel any life at all.
The arrival of Zhou Hexuan and the others was like throwing a pebble into a pool of stagnant water, and the refugees gathered around them frantically.
"Sir, Miss, okay, I haven't eaten for two days."
"Sir, sir, do you want a maid? My daughter can do laundry, cooking, folding quilts, everything. Just buy her... 10 yuan, only 10 yuan!"
"..."
Wanrong had never seen such a situation before. She was so shocked that her face turned pale, and even her views were subverted. She pulled Zhou Hexuan's sleeve and asked: "They...how can they have no food? They are all selling their sons and daughters."
No. Zhili hasn’t been at war recently.”
Zhou Hexuan asked Sun Yonghao to throw dozens of coins and sighed: "They are all refugees from Shandong."
Heavy rains in Shandong at the beginning of this year caused disasters. Most of the houses in the countryside collapsed and people were displaced. However, Zhang Zongchang continued to impose excessive taxes. Instead of providing relief, he imposed heavy taxes. The refugees were still begging in Shandong at first, but with the spring famine, there were no disasters.
The place was also unsustainable, so we had no choice but to drag our family and family to Tianjin.
Tianjin was under the control of Chu Yupu, who was still fighting with Zhang Zongchang and ignored it. The only thing the Tianjin local government could do was send a corpse collection team, which received several corpses of people who died of illness and starvation every day.
Zhou Hexuan learned about the disaster from Ta Kung Pao, but he did not know that there were many refugees in Tianjin, and that neither the government nor private charities provided assistance.
"Well, I finally made some money selling underwear, and it seems I have to throw some away again." Zhou Hexuan smiled bitterly. He was also soft-hearted. He didn't give up if he didn't meet him. Now that he has seen the miserable situation of the refugees with his own eyes, he felt that he would not do something.