The Rise of the Writers of the Republic of China

During the period of the Republic of China, playing mahjong became more and more popular, and it can be called the quintessence of the country.

By the 1920s and 1930s, mahjong was available in homes, teahouses, restaurants, casinos, brothels... everywhere, and there were countless people addicted to mahjong.

Just like working together in the opium business, Du Yuesheng, Huang Jinrong and Zhang Xiaolin also jointly opened casinos. There were at least 1,500 brothels and casinos in old Shanghai. Mahjong was the main gambling tool, and Shanghai was the largest mahjong gambling center in the world at that time.

Tianjin is China's second largest industrial city, financial center, and second marijuana gambling center after Shanghai.

But the gambling ecology of the two places is completely different.

The casinos in Shanghai are mainly controlled by gangs and financial groups, while in Tianjin, gangsters and foreigners collude. The main customers are politicians, bureaucrats, warlords, businessmen and the middle class.

After Comrade Nicholas returned from the Soviet Union, he suggested twice to Chang Kaishen to order a ban on mahjong, but he did not receive support. Once, Comrade Nicholas personally led the guards to catch the gambling, and it turned out that the wives of four important officials presided over the gambling game, and one of them was the wife of his official secretary.

According to the records of the newspapers of the Republic of China, when Chang Kaishen ruled the mainland, he personally allocated funds to set up mahjong factories in Shanghai and Fuzhou, and used mahjong as one of the main export commodities to sell in important markets such as Japan, the United States, and Europe. Half of the Nanjing government-sponsored international students teach mahjong as a sideline job, charging more than $10 per hour, which can be considered part-time work-study.

Although Xiafei Road is modern and fashionable, with many dance halls, cafes, and movie theaters, it also has many Chinese elements, such as tea rooms and teahouses.

Carrying her handbag, He Aying came to the tea room near the rental house as usual, and there were already two familiar gamblers waiting.

"Hey, sister Aying, you came early today." Mrs. Zhang greeted with a smile. She was the concubine of a small businessman.

"Both daughters are not at home, and I have nothing to do after lunch." He Aying took out a few newspapers from her handbag and spread them out on the card table.

Mrs. Liu next to her said angrily, "Miss Aying also reads newspapers? You used to work as a servant. Does the master still teach you how to read?"

With an arrogant smile on her face, He Aying turned the newspaper to one page, revealing a photo of Zhou Hexuan and Ruan Lingyu dancing. She tapped her finger on the table and said, "Of course I can't read, so I would like to ask you to help me find out. There seems to be an article about my daughter in this newspaper."

"What movie is your daughter making again?" Mrs. Liu picked up the newspaper and persuaded with a 'kind heart', "Sister Ah Ying, I am not talking about you. Movie stars sound nice, but they are actually low-level actors. It's hard to bear when the color is fading. You have to take advantage of the time when you are popular, and make a good fortune, so as to save a way out for the future."

Mrs. Zhang also said: "Yes, we women have no other skills, it depends on whether we can marry the right person."

He Aying smiled without changing her face: "It's true, Mrs. Zhang, you will marry well. By the way, the principal of the Zhang family is dying of illness. Do you have a chance to help him?"

"Hehe." Mrs. Zhang laughed dryly, her face became extremely ugly. She is just an outcast who can't see the light, even if a few regular wives die, it will not be her turn to be right again.

"Hey, all the ladies came early." Mrs. Bai walked in suddenly, dressed in jewels, and she was the most glamorous of all present.

Mrs. Bai's husband's surname is not Bai, but Anatole, a minor White Russian nobleman in exile in Shanghai. Anatoly was separated from his family on the way to escape, and later married Mrs. Bai as his wife. He got along well and opened a White Russian restaurant on Joffre Road.

The reason why everyone called her Mrs. Bai was actually ironic, Mrs. Bai Russia.

Mrs. Zhang rubbed the mahjong and said, "Come on, let's pinch a few first!"

He Aying smiled and said, "No hurry, first read the newspaper for me."

Mrs. Liu picked up the newspaper indifferently, and read: "Yesterday, Mr. Zhang Qun, the mayor of Shanghai, held a ball and invited party and government officials..."

As she was thinking about it, Mrs. Liu became surprised and suddenly raised her head and asked, "Sister Aying, is your daughter dating Mr. Zhou?"

"What's so good, don't talk nonsense," He Aying smiled triumphantly, "My daughter is a self-motivated, she goes to Zhou's mansion every day to learn standard Mandarin from Mr. Zhou. The two of them are just good friends , Mr. Zhou also helped Ah Ruan introduce other friends, such as Zhang Xueliang, Marshal Zhang, and Director Yang Hu Yang. There are also many big names, whose names I have never heard of."

"hiss!"

The other three women gasped when they heard this, and the way they looked at He Aying suddenly changed.

Mrs. Zhang flattered: "I just said that Ah Ruan is not an ordinary person. You have to find a university student to match her face and figure. Sister Aying, you can wait for the rest of your life to enjoy happiness. Mr. Zhou donates ten dollars a year. What a millionaire."

"It's not just a rich man," Mrs. Liu said, "Don't you see who Mr. Zhou usually deals with? I heard that Mr. Zhou is also a sworn brother to Marshal Zhang. Tsk tsk, the whole north is under Marshal Zhang's control!"

Mrs. Bai said with a smile: "When Ah Ruan and Mr. Zhou have a good relationship, I am afraid that sister Aying will look down on our sisters, and will not come to play the little mahjong that costs 50 cents."

Mrs. Liu echoed: "That's right, Miss Aying, don't forget about us in the future. How do you say that, what wealth..."

"It's Gou Fugui, don't forget each other!" Mrs. Bai's Chinese skills are not bad.

"Yes, yes, yes, if you are rich, don't forget each other." Mrs. Liu said.

He Aying suddenly became unhappy: "I'm still a rich dog, why are you scolding me?"

"Hahahaha!" The wives burst out laughing.

That afternoon, He Aying lost more than ten yuan, but she was in a particularly comfortable mood. She walked home slowly with her handbag, bought a lot of meat, and found that the silver bracelet she was wearing had turned gray when washing the vegetables. She suddenly felt that it was time to change the bracelet, this kind of low-end jewelry was not worthy of her identity.

Not long after, daughter Ruan Lingyu came home and smelled the aroma of braised pork and said, "Mom, how about something delicious today?"

"Yeah, I'll make you stronger, and I'll buy a chicken to make soup for you tomorrow." When He Aying spoke to her daughter, she spoke in a flattering tone.

Ruan Lingyu said: "I won't go home for lunch tomorrow."

"It's good to have dinner with Mr. Zhou, or Ruan is lucky," He Aying asked, "What did you play with Mr. Zhou today?"

Ruan Lingyu said: "It's nothing, just learn to speak Mandarin with him. He also praised me for learning fast, and I have already learned the basics of pinyin."

He Aying asked: "Didn't you do anything else?"

"No." Ruan Lingyu said.

"Oh, you have to take the initiative." He Aying was a little anxious.

Ruan Lingyu fell silent for a moment, not knowing how to answer.

To be honest, Ruan Lingyu is living happily these days, carefree, she doesn't have to think about any bad things, she likes this kind of life very much. And her fame is getting bigger and bigger, and she has the momentum of the number one actress in Shanghai, which makes Ruan Lingyu feel a little smug.

For a long time, Yang Naimei was the first female star in the Chinese film industry, followed by Hu Die, and Ruan Lingyu was always ignored. This has something to do with personality and background. Yang Naimei and Hu Die are more likely to make trouble, while Ruan Lingyu is not so good at flattering people.

Two years ago, Hu Die and Ruan Lingyu worked together on "White Cloud Tower". When doing publicity, Ruan Lingyu could only stand at the back, while Hu Die was the central focus. Although she doesn't like to fight, it's not easy to be oppressed by others, and now she's finally making it through.

The next morning, He Aying went downstairs to retrieve some newspapers, and said to her daughter with a smile: "Look, Ruan, there is news about you again today. You are really famous!"

Ruan Lingyu didn't take it seriously at first, but when she saw the news headline in "Jing Bao", her face instantly turned pale.

The key words in that report were: servant girl background, unmarried cohabitation, illegitimate daughter...