During the Spring Festival of 1928, there was little joy in the northern region.
The major disasters in Hebei and Shandong lasted for more than half a year. Although there were fewer reports, the disaster did not lessen, but became increasingly serious. The reason why major newspapers reduced the frequency of reporting is because readers have become numb, and they are hungry everywhere.
How many people will freeze to death?
In the absence of effective rescue, this kind of disaster can only be solved by dead people. Only when the victims die and have mostly escaped, the disaster will truly end.
Governments at all levels in Beiyang are equally gloomy.
Because Chu Yupu intercepted the Changlu salt tax several times and Zhang Zuolin attacked the military government, the central civil servants had a relatively miserable life during the Lunar New Year. The situation of local governments was similar. The front lines were defeated one after another, and local finances were used to buy arms. Government officials were the rear
Son of a bitch.
As for the concessions in Peiping and Tianjin, they were put under martial law by foreign troops. Firecrackers were also prohibited to prevent the noise from causing misunderstandings.
Zhou Hexuan's home was quite lively, four women gathered together, and even Meng Xiaodong came over.
Since Zhou Hexuan gave the servants a holiday, the New Year's Eve dinner at home was a problem. Naturally, Wanrong couldn't cook. Zhang Leyi had been spoiled since she was a child. Meng Xiaodong was a good singer and could barely cook, so in the end, Liao Yaquan could only be appointed as the chef.
Liao Yaquan grew up in the south and didn't like making dumplings, so she just led others to make dumplings.
Zhou Hexuan also cooked by himself, making some braised pork, sweet and sour pork ribs, steamed carp and other meat dishes, plus hot white radish and mutton soup, which was extremely rich when served on the table.
One of the Sun brothers also went. His elder brother, Sun Yongzhen, was calm and experienced and took money to visit his mother in Shanxi. Only Sun Yonghao stayed in Tianjin to protect Zhou Hexuan's safety.
As night falls, the concession is brightly lit, and many foreign shops hang up red lanterns in accordance with custom.
Meng Xiaodong shouted excitedly in the kitchen: "Come here and get the Chaos. I have hidden a copper dollar in the Chaos. Whoever eats it will have all their wishes come true in the new year!"
Wanrong felt a little disgusted: "Tongyuan is so dirty."
Meng Xiaodong smiled and said: "It's not dirty, I boiled it in boiling water."
Zhou Hexuan took the steamed carp from the pot and said to Sun Yonghao who was holding the Chaos Preparation Room: "Don't leave, sit at the table and eat together. It's rare to be happy during the New Year."
Sun Yonghao hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "Oh, thank you, sir."
Everyone is sitting around a table, there is no Spring Festival Gala to watch, and there is not even a radio to listen to.
The first radio station in China was founded at the end of 1922. It was a foreign industry. Chinese radio stations did not appear until 1923. However, these radio stations were all in Shanghai. Later, broadcasts also appeared in Harbin. Tianjin and Peiping were relatively backward and have not yet been established.
You know what radio is.
Zhang Leyi has a more petty bourgeois sentiment. She asked Sun Yonghao to move the record player to the living room and play "Drizzle of Dawn" during the New Year's Eve dinner.
This song was released at the beginning of last year and opened the door to Chinese pop music. Because the lyrics were relatively "explicit", the songwriter was criticized as a "literary monster".
"The drizzle keeps falling; the breeze blows non-stop. The breeze and drizzle keep the willows green, oh oh, the willows are green,
Little dear, I don’t want your gold, little dear, I don’t want your silver. Nunu, I just want your heart. Oops, your heart.”
The melodious sound coming from the record player instantly floated in the living room.
"Eat quickly, eat quickly, let's see who is lucky!" Meng Xiaodong kept urging.
Zhou Hexuan picked up a strange-looking Chaos and asked, "Who made this?"
"It seems to be me." Wanrong said weakly.
Zhang Leyi said with an interesting smile: "I also wrapped a little pig, but it seems to have been deformed by the cooking. I can't find it when I put it in the pot."
Alas, it is really difficult for them to let these queens, daughters and opera masters take care of Chaos.
"ah!"
Liao Yaquan suddenly exclaimed, spit out the silver dollar from his mouth and said, "I almost hit my teeth."
"congratulations!"
Meng Xiaodong congratulated him continuously.
Meng Xiaodong is not disgusted with Liao Yaquan. She is content as long as she can be with Zhou Hexuan.
Historically, the same was true when Meng Xiaodong married Mei Lanfang. If she had not been forced to have no way out, she would have been a concubine in peace and contentment.
It was probably the spring of 1928, when Meng Xiaodong was in the "Golden House" in Tianjin. Mei Lanfang brought Fu Zhifang (second concubine, actually equal wife) to Tianjin to sing opera with great fanfare, causing a great sensation.
Meng Xiaodong didn't know about this, and she didn't read the news in the newspaper until Mei Lanfang finished singing the opera and left Tianjin. She felt that this was entirely for her own benefit, and she was so angry that she moved out of the "Golden House" and lived with her parents' family.
This is the first emotional rift.
In 1919, Mei Lanfang's aunt (who was her biological mother) died of illness. Meng Xiaodong specially cut her hair short, wore a white flower on her head, and went to Mei Lanfang's house to wrap her mother-in-law in mourning. As a result, she was stopped by servants as soon as she entered the house.
His wife, Wang Minghua, didn't say anything, but his wife, Fu Zhifang, was very unhappy.
Mei Lanfang pleaded: "Xiaodong is already here, so let her kowtow."
Fu Zhifang said sternly: "She can't come in through this door! Otherwise, I will take two children and one in my belly to fight her!"
Meng Xiaodong was so angry that she left Mei's house in tears. Disheartened, she fasted, chanted Buddha's name and became a layman, but she still couldn't bear to leave Mei Lanfang. Later, after being persuaded by Mei Lanfang, the two reconciled.
It wasn't until Mei Lanfang's relatives and friends held many meetings to discuss and advised Mei Lanfang to abandon Meng Xiaodong and treat Fu Zhifang well. Meng Xiaodong's self-esteem was severely damaged, so she took the initiative to break up with Mei Lanfang and did not want a penny from Mei Lanfang.
It was exactly this kind of thing that happened to her when she was young. Later, Du Yuesheng pursued Meng Xiaodong, and when he wanted to take her away from the mainland in 195o, Meng Xiaodong only said one thing: "I will go with you, as a girl, or as a girlfriend."
Du Yuesheng understood immediately and announced her marriage to Meng Xiaodong on the spot, giving her a formal status.
At this time, Du Yuesheng had been bedridden for a long time, and as a groom, he had to be supported by others. After Meng Xiaodong married Du Yuesheng, he continued to serve and take care of Du Yuesheng until his death.
A woman like Meng Xiaodong has very traditional ideas. As long as she is not forced too hard, she will never change once she identifies with a man.
Zhang Leyi missed her parents in the south a little. She looked at the bunch of women on the table and felt helpless. But fortunately, Meng Xiaodong had a gentle personality, and Wanrong had no real relationship with Zhou Hexuan, so Zhang Leyi could bear it for the time being, and
Everyone gets along relatively harmoniously.
As for Liao Yaquan, haha, she is just a female spy, Zhang Leyi does not take her seriously.
After the New Year's Eve dinner in a lively manner, Sun Yonghao suddenly said: "Sir, I would like to take a day off tomorrow."
"What's the matter?" Zhou Hexuan asked.
"Hehe," Sun Yonghao scratched his head in embarrassment and said with a smile, "I see a girl, it's just the Chinese New Year, and I want to buy some gifts for her."
Zhou Hexuan said happily: "Which family is this girl from?"
Sun Yonghao said hesitantly: "That's it, Mr. Zheng Zhengyin's neighbor, Liu Carpenter's daughter."
"That's so far away, how do you see each other in the eyes?" Zhou Hexuan asked.
Sun Yonghao said stupidly: "One day, Brother E and Brother E went to Mr. Zheng's house to ask for martial arts lessons, and we happened to meet him."
"Go ahead and buy some gifts. If you two like each other, I will personally come to your door one day to be your matchmaker." Zhou Hexuan is still very good to the people around him.
Alas, it has been almost two years since I traveled back in time to the Republic of China, and even the bodyguards around me have already found their love.
Thinking of modern society in the 21st century, it feels like a world away.
No, it’s just another life!
Zhou Hexuan got up in the middle of the night, took out the safe hidden in the closet, opened it and stared at it for a long time. He put the watch on his wrist and took out the necklace left by his previous girlfriend, preparing to give it to Zhang Leyi tomorrow.
As for the mobile phone, Zhou Hexuan thought about it a lot, but decided to destroy it and treat it as a permanent farewell to his previous life.
He is not afraid of leaking information on his mobile phone because there is no charger. Not to mention now, even 20 years later, the charging interface of Apple 7 will stump the world's top scientists.
But let the past go, there is no point in keeping it.
Zhou Hexuan found an iron basin, lit a pile of old newspapers, and threw his mobile phone into it. Soon the screen of the mobile phone became charred and gradually burned and melted, revealing the electronic components inside.
Early the next morning, Zhou Hexuan went to work at the newspaper office as usual. He deliberately asked the driver to take a detour to the river and threw the remains of the mobile phone wrapped in a paper bag into the river.