Shoe repairman Yuan San'er closed his stall and went home. When he passed by the grocery store at the entrance of the alley, he took out a bottle and prepared to go in to buy soju. As soon as he walked to the door, he saw people crowding around the counter, and a news broadcast with correct words came from inside.
.
"Yesterday, the Nanjing puppet government Chang Kaishen sent a telegram to the whole country, pledged his allegiance in Xuzhou, and issued the second general offensive order for the Northern Expedition. Chang Kaishen appointed himself the commander-in-chief of the First Group Army and marched north along the Jinpu line; Feng Yuxiang was appointed the commander-in-chief of the Second Group Army, along the Jinpu line.
Shandong Province, between the Beijing and Han lines, advances directly from the south to the north; Yan Xishan is appointed commander-in-chief of the Third Group Army, which advances eastward from the Beijing-Suiyuan and Zhengtai lines; Li Zongren is appointed commander-in-chief of the Fourth Group Army..."
Yuan San'er's first reaction when he heard the news was not that there was going to be another war, but that the voice was so nice. He squeezed into the crowd in surprise, only to see a small box on the counter, and the sound actually came from the box.
From inside.
This is the cheapest mineral radio, and its appearance is completely different from that of later generations.
The outer box is made of cardboard. When you open the upper lid, you can see many knobs and some nut-like things. There is also a small grid next to it, where a pair of earphone-like amplifiers are placed.
Musical instrument.
"How rare!"
"How come this foreigner has such a bright mind and can put sounds into a box?"
"Is this a new type of record player? Why can't I see the record?"
"Boss, what is this?"
"..."
The onlookers talked a lot, and the grocery store owner smiled and said: "This is called a crystal radio, and it's an American product."
"Does that cost a lot of money?" the onlookers asked.
The boss smiled and said: "Haha, it's not expensive. You can buy it for 25 yuan."
"Hiss," Yuan San'er took a breath, "25 yuan isn't expensive? It's enough for me to repair my shoes for half a year."
The boss said: "Actually, I didn't buy this radio. It was a product promotion by Xinfu Matheson and China Broadcasting Station. It is temporarily stored with me for free. It is now available in many stores in the city. It can only be used for free for one month. The next month
They will take it back and use the money to buy a radio if they want to listen to it again."
As the boss was talking, the news broadcast suddenly ended and was replaced by an advertisement: "People and horses pass by Zhigu, and the wine smells fragrant. Yijuyongji adopts an advanced and scientific management model, combined with the traditional Jinjiu brewing method, to produce mellow and sweet wine."
The sorghum wine, rose dew wine and Wujia Pi wine are among the Tianjin wine brands..."
The audience suddenly became happy, and someone said: "I have drunk Yijuyong's Wujiapi. The last time I entertained my son-in-law at his house, I had five large bottles of Yijuyongji. That wine is really good!"
A bystander laughed and said: "Lao Li, I think you will brag about a few bottles of wine for the rest of your life."
Today, there are still very few radio listeners, and advertising fees are pitifully low. For example, Yiju Yongji Winery only pays 10 yuan per month and can broadcast three advertisements a day.
The alcohol commercial ended, and the dance hall and ink commercials came again. The onlookers in the store actually listened with gusto.
"Crosstalk is a folk rap art that originated in North China in the Ming Dynasty and became increasingly prosperous after the development of the Qing Dynasty... Now please listen to the crosstalk "Wenwenhui" performed by Mr. Zhang Shouchen and 6 Xiangru!"
Before the cross talk started, the store became noisy:
"Hey, this foreigner's radio also has cross talk!"
"It's Zhang Shouchen again. I used to hear him talk about cross talk a lot, and he was very good at it. It's a pity that he has entered the cross talk garden in the past two years, and you have to pay for a ticket to hear it."
"Don't make any noise, don't make any noise, just be quiet and listen."
"..."
The lyrics of Taiping sung by Zhang Shoushen came from the radio: "The emperor of the Han Dynasty had the right to sit in the country, and the king and ministers were virtuous and the people were safe. There was a wise king of the Three Qi Dynasties named Han Xin. He destroyed the Chu State and brought peace to the country..."
"good!"
"another one!"
The audience cheered loudly, they completely regarded the grocery store as a cross talk garden.
"call"
"Hahahahahaha!"
The cross talk continued, and everyone booed and laughed from time to time, making it as lively as a church meeting.
After listening to this cross talk, Yuan Saner suddenly realized that it was already dark. He slapped his head and shouted: "Give me half a catty of soju, hurry up, I want to go home for dinner!"
"Oh, why did I forget to eat?"
"Uncle, aren't you leaving yet?"
"Don't worry, don't worry, I'll listen to you later. You can go back first and ask your aunt to leave the meal for me."
"..."
Most of the people in the store left in an instant, while the remaining ones were reluctant to leave and stayed until the store closed before leaving.
The boss was very happy. These guys who came to listen to the radio had to show their appreciation no matter what. For example, if they listened to it for three or five days in a row, they would have to buy something to feel comfortable. With this radio, his grocery store was more popular than those around him.
Other stores are much higher.
The boss has decided that when the one-month free trial period ends, he will actually pay for his own radio.
The scariest thing is the Zhongyuan Department Store. At least fifty or sixty people come here every day to listen to the free radio. The department store doesn't wait for the trial period to end, and just spends money to buy a high-end radio for 50 yuan.
The casing of this high-end radio is made of wood, and the sound quality is much better than the lowest-end mineral radios.
For Tianjin people, whether they are ordinary people or dignitaries, radios and broadcasts are new gadgets. Nowadays, many old people from the former Qing Dynasty carry a birdcage and a portable radio when they go out in the morning, which are symbols of status.
…
Foreigners Club.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Davis laughed loudly and said to Zhou Hexuan: "Zhou, how many radios do you think I have sold in the past half month?"
"How much?" Zhou Hexuan asked while drinking beer.
"Beiping, Tianjin, and surrounding areas, a total of 506 units were sold." Davis said with five fingers.
Zhou Hexuan smiled and said: "This is normal. Especially in the Tianjin Concession, there are hundreds of warlords and politicians living in the apartments, old and young. They have a lot of money and are ideal users of radios."
Davis patted Zhou Hexuan on the shoulder and said: "But I still have to thank you. Zhou, you are a genius in broadcasting. Several radio stations in Shanghai do not have as good programs as you."
Zhou Hexuan rolled his eyes at him: "Brother, you have made money, but I have been losing money. Not counting the initial investment of 6,000 yuan, we are now making a net loss of more than 1 yuan every day. When the announcers and technical employees switch from part-time to full-time positions, they will lose money.
Get more."
"I haven't made any money yet, so I sent you a set of broadcasting equipment for free," Davis complained.
Zhou Hexuan pondered: "When the radio sells 1,000 units, please inform me that the advertising fee will increase."
Davis said: "The businessmen in Tianjin will definitely be happy because the effect of your broadcast is very good."
"I hope so," Zhou Hexuan raised his glass and said, "Here, cheers to your radio and my radio station!"
"Haha, cheers, happy cooperation!" Davis was so happy that he picked up the beer and drank it in one gulp. 8
