Zhang Leyi directed the servants to sort out the items box by box and temporarily place them in the warehouse.
The most troublesome thing about collecting books, antiques, calligraphy and paintings is that it has been ten years since Zhou Hexuan traveled to the Republic of China. The antiques he missed or bought at high prices are enough to fill several large boxes, and he even has to spend money every month to hire professional masters to maintain and dry them.
Not to mention anything else, there are more than 2,000 unique ancient books from the Tang and Song Dynasties to the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In addition, there are also various precious local and institutional historical materials, which may seem worthless now, but decades later,
It can make scholars doing relevant research grab their heads.
"I can't finish it." Zhang Leyi looked at several large bookcases speechlessly.
"It has to be moved even if it is not finished. I would like to donate it to Tsinghua University and Peking University, but when Little Japan comes over, they will have to move south." Zhou Hexuan thought for a while and said, "I contacted the railway and directly bought a carriage. Anyway, we can't
Leave it to little Japan."
Zhang Leyi walked to the balcony, looked at the familiar garden, and said with reluctance: "I really don't want to leave."
"If you don't want to leave, then don't sell this house and come back after we defeat the Japanese." Zhou Hexuan consoled him.
Real estate here in Tianjin is actually very easy to sell.
As soon as Zhou Hexuan's several stores and villas were put up for sale, people immediately rushed to buy them because of their good locations.
It's strange to say that the situation in North China is so serious and Japan may invade at any time, but Tianjin's real estate business is even more prosperous.
The reason is actually very simple. Nowadays, four major forces are entrenched in North China, and political chaos has caused abnormal economic prosperity. As the largest port city in the north, Tianjin has ushered in an era of rampant smuggling, and other businesses have also become popular.
Businessmen also saw the danger of Japanese invasion, but they were inevitably taking chances. Maybe they could survive another ten or twenty years. In the eyes of businessmen, even if Tianjin was really occupied by the Japanese, the local economy would still need to be developed.
It's impossible to kill everyone, right? Then the business will be done as usual?
It is understandable to have this kind of thinking. The four northeastern provinces are now occupied by Japan, but businessmen in the northeast are still doing business. However, the most profitable industries have been robbed by Japanese businessmen, and ordinary business can still be done.
As for Sanletang, after all, it is Zhou Hexuan's nest. If he can't sell it, he will not sell it. When the Japanese invaders are driven away, he can come back to live there. At worst, he will donate it to New China for free.
On the other hand, Shanghai is a little more difficult to deal with. The Sassoon family half-sold and half-gifted 30 garden houses to Zhou Hexuan, and now they can't get rid of them at all. Only when the legal currency is completely stabilized and Shanghai's real estate recovers, can Zhou Hexuan make a fortune, and at least he has to
Have to wait until early next year.
But it doesn’t matter if you can’t sell it, just rent it out first and pick it up after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War.
The professional master hired from the antique shop personally directed the clerk to pack the boxes, and he was amazed by some of the gadgets.
"Mr. Zhou, you are really a great collector," Liu Jingsheng pulled out the Qianlong sword and said with admiration, "I have made so many of Qianlong's swords. I heard that some of them were taken to the Manchukuo Palace in Northeast China by Puyi.
The rest are collected in the Forbidden City. Yours is the only genuine one that has been passed down to the public."
"Liu Chaofeng, you're too polite," Zhou Hexuan said with a smile, "I'm not a big collector, I just buy them casually."
Liu Jingsheng shook his head and laughed: "Qianlong's Royal Sword and "Han Xizai's Night Banquet" were also bought casually, so wouldn't the other treasures become cabbage?"
It took Zhou Hexuan three days to pack up his personal belongings before finally packing them all.
No one was willing to buy the China Radio Station for the time being, so Zhou Hexuan just left it alone. When the Japanese invaders really came to Peiping City, it would not be too late to move south. At that time, the employees and machines of the radio station and the newspaper office would be moved together.
On the fourth day, Mrs. Liu Wu finally couldn't help but ask: "Sir, do you and your ladies really want to leave?"
"Let's go." Zhou Hexuan nodded.
"Aren't you going back to Tianjin?" Liu Wu asked again.
Zhou Hexuan said: "I won't come back for the time being."
Mrs. Liu Wu had been working in the Zhou family since Zhou Hexuan was still following Chu Yupu. At that time, Zhou Hexuan was still renting a house. In the blink of an eye, ten years later, Mrs. Liu's gray hair turned to snow white, and she rarely worked by herself anymore.
Equivalent to the head of the Zhou family's servants, in charge of the kitchen and cleaning work.
Not only that, Liu Wu's two sons were also recommended by Zhou Hexuan to work as workers in newspapers and printing factories. Although the wages were not high, they were rare and decent and stable. Her two granddaughters and one grandson are still studying in Hope Primary School.
My granddaughter’s grades are very good and she might even be able to become a college student in the future.
Mrs. Liu Wu is grateful to the Zhou family for her family to be able to live a good life now. She was originally just a peasant woman in the suburbs of Tianjin. When she thought of how well the Zhou family treated her and the future, Mrs. Liu suddenly burst into tears.
Said: "Sir, you and your wives are good people. God will bless you with a long life and a family full of children and grandchildren. I kowtow to you, go away!"
"Plop!"
Mrs. Liu Wu simply knelt down and hit her forehead directly on the ground.
"Oh, no!" Zhou Hexuan quickly supported him.
Mrs. Liu Wu said: "Sir, please don't stop me. If I don't finish kowtowing my head, I will feel uneasy."
Mrs. Liu Wu has never studied, let alone any management ability. But her advantage is that she is sincere and meticulous. She has to watch all the meals in the house being cooked, and she has to check the cleanliness of every room, even if there is a slight difference.
If she wasn't satisfied, she would have it redone.
By the way, Mrs. Liu Wu also arranged the meals at home. Mrs. Liu clearly remembered which flavor her wife liked, and which snacks the young master and lady liked.
Zhou Hexuan really couldn't bear to leave such a servant leader, because it was too worry-free. He asked: "Mother Liu, how about you move out with us?"
Mrs. Liu Wu wondered: "I also want to follow my husband and wife all my life, but the old man in my family is still farming in the countryside, my son and daughter-in-law are also working in Tianjin, and my grandchildren are still studying in Tianjin..."
"Let them go together," Zhou Hexuan interrupted directly, "I will arrange the work."
"Then...then I'll think about it again and discuss it with the old man when I go home." Mrs. Liu Wu was a little undecided.
Suddenly, a shout came from outside the door: "Sir!"
Zhou Hexuan opened the door and saw all the servants in the family standing outside the door, with expressions of reluctance on their faces.
The Zhou family's servants are treated very well, and their wages are at least a quarter higher than elsewhere. Moreover, the husband, wife, young master, and young lady are all well-educated and well-educated. There has never been any mistreatment of servants. Even the servants who are least treated as
Wanrong always gets angry and scolds her.
Moreover, working in the Zhou family is very honorable. When you go home during the Chinese New Year and say that you are serving Mr. Zhou, relatives and neighbors will inevitably look at you with envy and respect.
Who would want to leave such a good employer?
"Sir," a maid asked boldly, "I fled from Shandong. My family members are all dead. Can I go with my husband and his wife?"
Liu Wu immediately introduced the situation: "Sir, her name is Han Chunhua, she is a widow, and she is usually responsible for washing clothes. She is very nimble with her hands and feet, and the clothes she washes are clean, and she is very honest and diligent."
"Okay, you come with us," Zhou Hexuan asked the other servants, "Who else wants to go with us?"
Another servant asked: "Can I bring my family?"
Zhou Hexuan thought for a while and said: "If there are less than two people in the family, I will be responsible for arranging work for the family members. For those with more than two people, I will provide travel expenses, but the family members can only find work by themselves."
This request instantly caused most of the servants to back down. The Chinese people were relocating to their new home, and no one knew whether they would be able to stabilize after the move.
Zhou Hexuan added: "If you don't want to go with me, I will write a letter for each of you and sign my name. In the letter, I will write that you are honest and hard-working, and you will not have to worry about finding a job if you take the letter."
This is equivalent to Zhou Hexuan's work recommendation letter. With his current fame and influence, servants who hold this letter will definitely receive preferential treatment. Whether they join the factory as a worker or continue to work as a servant, they must be given priority.
.
"Thank you, sir!"
"Sir, you are a good man."
"Sir, live a long life!"
The servants were so happy that they all knelt down and kowtowed.
Zhou Hexuan was filled with emotion when he saw the servants kneeling on the floor. These servants stayed at Zhou's house for a long time, and some could see him several times a day. They were completely different from the employees of the company. They were already a bit like family members emotionally.
the taste of.
Zhou Hexuan thought for a while and said to Liu Wu: "You choose two reliable ones, one to stay to clean the room, and the other to take care of the garden. I won't sell this house for the time being, let them help maintain it, don't let it go to waste.
.I will remit my monthly salary on time."
"Me! Sir, I am willing to stay and look at the house!"
"Choose me."
"Mother Liu, I am the most diligent!"
"..."
There are so many people signing up this time, what a great job.
Zhou Hexuan was too lazy to take care of it anymore and asked Liu Wu to handle it by herself. He returned to his study in an inexplicable mood.
Cui Huifu brought a cup of tea and asked: "Are the Japanese really going to attack?"
"Soon." Zhou Hexuan nodded and said.
"well!"
Cui Huifu sighed: "Why can't this world be settled?"
"How is your sister doing with her studies?" Zhou Hexuan asked casually.
"I'm about to graduate from college," Cui Huifu said. "My only hope now is to see her marry a good man, have children, and take care of them. There is nothing else I want in this life."
Cui Huimei is obviously not as smart as her sister. She barely managed to get into a university in the south, majoring in teacher training, and her career achievements are enough to make her a primary school principal.
Zhou Hexuan smiled and said: "You are still young, so you say you have nothing else to do in this life? You should quickly find a man to marry. If you find the right one, bring him and let me take care of him."
"I have sworn not to marry in this life." Cui Huifu shook her head and said.
"What a pity." Zhou Hexuan said.
Cui Huifu wanted to say something else, but suddenly there was a knock on the door, and Yu Peichen shouted outside: "Sir, there's a telegram from Suzhou!"
"What's wrong?" Zhou Hexuan asked her to come in.
Yu Peichen took the telegram and said: "Mr. Zhang Taiyan has passed away."