The Rise of the Writers of the Republic of China

In the Spring Festival of 1928, there was not much joy in the northern region.

The catastrophe in Hebei and Shandong lasted for more than half a year. Although there were fewer reports, the disaster situation did not ease, but became worse day by day. The reason why the major newspapers reduce the frequency of reporting is because the readers have become numb, and it is nothing more than how many people starve to death and freeze to death.

In the absence of effective rescue, this kind of disaster can only be solved by the dead. The disaster will really end when the victims die and escape.

Governments at all levels in Beiyang are equally gloomy.

Because Chu Yupu withheld the Changlu salt tax several times, and Zhang Zuolin broke up with the military government, the central civil servants had a rather shabby Lunar New Year. The situation of the local government is similar. The front lines have been defeated one after another, and the local finances have been used to buy arms, and the government officials are raised by stepmothers.

As for the concessions in Beiping and Tianjin, they were even martiald by foreign troops. And it is forbidden to set off firecrackers, lest the noise cause misunderstanding.

Zhou Hexuan's house was quite lively, four women gathered together, even Meng Xiaodong came over.

Because Zhou Hexuan gave his servants a holiday, the New Year's Eve dinner at home was a problem. Naturally Wanrong can't cook, Zhang Leyi was spoiled and spoiled since she was a child, Meng Xiaodong is a good singer and can't cook, so in the end she had to let Liao Yaquan be the chef.

Liao Yaquan grew up in the south, he didn't like making dumplings, so he took everyone to make big wontons.

Zhou Hexuan also cooked in person, made some meat dishes such as braised pork, sweet and sour pork ribs, steamed carp, etc., together with the hot white radish and mutton soup, it was also very hearty when served on the table.

One of the Sun family brothers went back. The older brother, Sun Yongzhen, was calm and sophisticated, and took money back to Shanxi to visit his mother. Only Sun Yonghao stayed in Tianjin to protect Zhou Hexuan's safety.

As night fell, the concessions were brightly lit, and many foreign shops also hung red lanterns in accordance with the custom.

Meng Xiaodong shouted excitedly in the kitchen: "Everyone come here to serve Chaos. I hid a copper coin in the wonton. Whoever eats it will have their wishes come true in the new year!"

Wan Rong felt a little disgusted: "The copper coins are so dirty."

Meng Xiaodong smiled and said, "It's not dirty, I boiled it in boiling water."

Zhou Hexuan cooked the steamed carp and said to Sun Yonghao who was about to return to his room with the chaos in his hand: "Don't go, sit at the table and eat together. It's rare to be happy during the Chinese New Year."

Sun Yonghao hesitated a little, then smiled and said, "Oh, thank you sir."

Everyone sat around a table, there was no Spring Festival Gala to watch, and they couldn't even listen to the radio.

China's first radio station was established at the end of 1922 and was owned by foreigners, while the Chinese radio station did not appear until 1923. But these stations were all in Shanghai, and later broadcasts appeared in Harbin, Tianjin and Beiping seemed to be backward, and people still don’t know what broadcasting is.

Zhang Leyi has a petty bourgeois sentiment. She asked Sun Yonghao to move the record player to the living room and play Li Minghui's "Drizzle" during the New Year's Eve dinner.

This song was released early last year, which opened the door to Chinese pop music. Because the lyrics are relatively "explicit", the songwriter was also denounced as a "literary monster".

"Drizzle, keep falling; light wind, keep blowing. Breeze and drizzle Liu Qingqing, ouch, Liu Qingqing,

Little dear, I don't want your gold, little dear, I don't want your silver. Nunu, as long as you have your heart. Ouch, your heart..."

The melodious sound from the record player floated in the living room in an instant.

"Eat quickly, eat quickly, let's see who is lucky!" Meng Xiaodong kept urging, like a little girl who hasn't grown up.

Zhou Hexuan picked up a strangely shaped wonton and asked, "Who made this?"

"It seems to be me." Wan Rong said weakly.

Zhang Leyi smiled amusedly: "I also wrapped a piglet, but it seemed to be deformed by cooking, and I couldn't find it when I took it out of the pot."

Alas, it is really embarrassing for these queens, daughters and opera masters to make wontons.

"ah!"

Liao Yaquan suddenly exclaimed, spat out copper coins from his mouth and said, "I almost hit my teeth."

"congratulations!"

Meng Xiaodong congratulated repeatedly.

Meng Xiaodong is not disgusted with Liao Yaquan, as long as she can be with Zhou Hexuan, she is content.

In history, the same is true for Meng Xiaodong's marriage to Mei Lanfang. If she hadn't been forced to nowhere, she would have been a concubine with peace of mind.

Probably in the spring of 1928, when Meng Xiaodong was in the "golden house" in Tianjin. With great fanfare, Mei Lanfang brought Fu Zhifang (the second concubine, actually a flat wife) to Tianjin to sing an opera, which caused a great sensation.

Meng Xiaodong didn't know about it, and didn't read the news from the newspaper until Mei Lanfang left Tianjin after singing. She felt that this was all for herself, and she was so angry that she moved out of the "golden house" and returned to live in her mother's house.

This is the first emotional rift.

In 1930, Mei Lanfang's aunt died of illness. Meng Xiaodong specially cut her hair short and wore white flowers on her head. She went to Mei Zhai to put on sackcloth and mourning for her mother-in-law, but was stopped by servants as soon as she entered the door.

The regular wife Wang Minghua didn't say anything, but the ordinary wife Fu Zhifang was very upset.

Mei Lanfang pleaded: "Xiaodong has already arrived, let her kowtow."

Fu Zhifang said sharply, "She just can't come in through this door! Otherwise, I'll take two children and one in my belly, and fight her!"

Meng Xiaodong was so angry that she ran out of Mei's house crying, and in despair, she ate vegetarian food and prayed to Buddha to become a lay Buddhist, but she still couldn't bear to leave Mei Lanfang. After being persuaded by Mei Lanfang, the two reconciled as before.

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 hit, so he proposed to break up, and he firmly refused Mei Lanfang's money.

It was this kind of thing that happened to me when I was young. Later, Du Yuesheng pursued Meng Xiaodong, and when he wanted to take her out of the mainland in 1950, Meng Xiaodong only said one sentence: "I will follow, be it a girl or a girlfriend."

Du Yuesheng immediately understood, announcing her marriage to Meng Xiaodong on the spot gave her an official identity.

At this time, Du Yuesheng had been bedridden for a long time, and the groom had to be supported by others. After Meng Xiaodong married Du Yuesheng, she also served by her side until she took care of Du Yuesheng until she passed away.

A woman like Meng Xiaodong has a very traditional way of thinking, as long as she is not forced too hard, she will never change after she identifies with a man.

Zhang Leyi, however, was missing her parents in the south. Looking at the group of women on the table, she couldn't help but feel a little helpless. But fortunately, Meng Xiaodong has a gentle personality, and Wanrong has no real relationship with Zhou Hexuan, so Zhang Leyi can bear it for the time being, and everyone gets along relatively well.

As for Liao Yaquan, hehe, she was just a female spy, Zhang Leyi didn't take her seriously.

After the New Year's Eve dinner was finished lively, Sun Yonghao suddenly said: "Sir, I would like to ask for a leave tomorrow."

"What's the matter?" Zhou Hexuan asked.

"Hey," Sun Yonghao scratched his head embarrassingly, and smiled, "I see a girl, it's not a new year, I want to buy some gifts for her."

Zhou Hexuan said happily, "Which family is the girl from?"

Sun Yonghao said hesitantly: "That's the one, the neighbor of Mr. Zheng Zhengyin's family, the daughter of Carpenter Liu."

"That's far away, how do you see each other?" Zhou Hexuan asked.

Sun Yonghao said foolishly: "One time, Er and Brother Er went to Mr. Zheng's house to ask for martial arts lessons, and they happened to meet."

"Go ahead, buy better gifts. If you agree with each other, one day I will come to your door as a matchmaker." Zhou Hexuan is still very good to the people around him.

Alas, it has been almost two years since I traveled to the Republic of China, and even the bodyguards around me have already found their love.

Recalling the modern society of the 21st century, it seems like a world away.

No, it's another life!

Zhou Hexuan got up in the middle of the night, took out the safe hidden in the closet, and stared at it for a long time after opening it. He put the watch on his wrist, and took out the necklace left by his girlfriend in his previous life, planning to give it to Zhang Leyi tomorrow.

As for the mobile phone, Zhou Hexuan thought it over and decided to just destroy it and treat it as a permanent farewell to his previous life.

He is not afraid of leaking information from his mobile phone, because there is no charger. Not to mention now, even 20 years later, the charging interface of the iPhone 7 can 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 the phone into it. Soon the screen of the mobile phone appeared charred and gradually burned and melted, exposing 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 detour to the river, and threw the remains of the mobile phone wrapped in a paper bag into the river.

Goodbye, 21st century!