Traveling through the Republic of China, I married a dead person

It’s been a bumpy ride.

The journey from Linhua to Jinan, a distance of more than 300 kilometers, took nearly nine hours by bus.

This is the characteristic of the times. Although this long-distance bus does not look very old, the smell of gasoline wafts constantly along with the roar of the motor. In addition, the road conditions are poor, and sometimes people can be shaken up. Su Bai suffered a lot along the way and almost vomited.

When I got off the bus in Jinan, I took a deep breath and felt the air was sweet.

Su Bai and others checked into the famous Jinpu Railway Hotel. This hotel was built more than 20 years ago and many celebrities have stayed here. The price is a bit expensive, but Su Bai wanted to experience the feeling of a high-end hotel in this era.

However, she was disappointed. Apart from the characteristics of this era, there was nothing special about it and the decorations and displays were very simple.

As soon as Su Bai entered the room, he fell on the bed. He was so tired.

After Xu Tianyi settled down in the hotel, he prepared to buy a train ticket to Shanghai.

Nowadays, taking a train is a considerable expense for ordinary people. Zi Yan seemed very excited the whole day. Not to mention the train, today was also her first time taking a car.

Su Bai asked a few people to buy tickets together. After buying the tickets, they went for a walk in Jinan city, had a good meal in a restaurant, and then brought back some food for themselves.

"Don't be reluctant to spend money. We came out here to spend money!" Su Bai reminded Zi Yan twice.

The four of them didn't come back until eight o'clock in the evening, and brought back some "straw buns" and "canned pig's trotters" for Su Bai, which are considered to be the local specialties of Jinan.

When Su Bai asked them if they had eaten, Zi Yan hesitantly said that they had also bought some, each tasted a little, and the four of them ate noodles, which were also delicious.

Let Su Bai give them a lecture. We should save when we should save, and spend when we are asked to spend. "Why, do I have to go with you guys next time? You won't let me have a rest?"

Su Bai stuffed two pig's trotters between them and asked them to share them. He had lost his appetite after being jostled along the way, so one or two buns would be enough for him.

Su Bai only ate one bun as he really had no appetite, so he forced them to share the remaining buns.

The fact that they ate the buns and pig's trotters effortlessly once again proved that they were reluctant to spend money. Su Bai scolded them seriously again.

Several people sat in Su Bai's room chatting until after ten o'clock in the evening.

Xu Tianyi made a suggestion that next time we go to Shanghai, we can completely skip Jinan and go to Qingdao first, and then take a boat to Shanghai from Qingdao.

Let the young lady sit in first class, and the others sit in fifth and sixth class. This will save some money, but even so, the cost may still be higher than taking the train.

"Why didn't you say so earlier!" Su Bai said, "Do I need this little money?"

I inadvertently discovered that I was becoming more and more crazy.

Who let us have gold bars in our hands?

……

The train was also very slow, with a speed of 60 kilometers per hour, but that was only the maximum speed during operation. It stopped and started all the way, and the average speed did not even reach 50 kilometers per hour. I got on the train in Jinan the next afternoon and arrived in Shanghai on the morning of the third day.

Shanghai is indeed different. I believe that most Chinese people have more or less a complex about the old Shanghai. Su Bai felt it thoroughly this time.

The address on Manager Wan’s business card is located in the French Concession, which is also the most prosperous area in Shanghai at that time.

Not to mention that Zi Yan’s eyes are not enough, even Su Bai’s eyes are not enough.

Trams, cars of all colors and styles, rickshaws shuttling back and forth, public telephone booths...

Zi Yan sees something new, while Su Bai sees something memory-wise.

Each person took a rickshaw, which was a small luxury.

The rickshaw easily helped them find a restaurant in the International Settlement. According to the driver, it was less than 20 minutes' walk from the address on the business card of Manager Wan in the French Concession.

Compared with Longxing, a small mountain town where some people still measure time in hours, even the rickshaw pullers here measure time in minutes. The huge difference between the cities was something Su Bai had not expected before.

She had a feeling that this time she would be able to buy the most advanced equipment and raw materials of this era suitable for her own use in Shanghai and improve her production efficiency.

Zi Yan also raised her question: a place where people live should be called an inn, why is it called a hotel?

It sounds a bit like a restaurant.

"Silly, this place is mainly for living, of course, they also sell food."

They had a simple meal at the restaurant at noon. In the afternoon, Su Bai took a few people shopping and called Manager Wan in a public telephone booth.

When Manager Wan heard that Su Bai had come to Shanghai, he was very enthusiastic and wanted to pick him up immediately.

"Let's take a look first. See you tomorrow. I'm sorry to trouble Shopkeeper Wan this time."

"No, no, the young lady is a distinguished guest. It is an honor for Wan that you thought of me when you came to Shanghai. Let's meet tomorrow and talk in detail!"

In the evening, Su Bai brought a few people back to the restaurant and ordered a table of sumptuous dishes to reward everyone.

"Madam, I have an idea." Xu Tianyi said.

"tell me the story?"

Xu Tianyi suggested to Su Bai that since our medicine is so popular, it would be better for him to settle down in Shanghai so that he wouldn't have to travel so far to buy things.

Buy locally and produce locally, this is much more convenient.

Then he turned to Gao Hu and asked, "What do you think of my idea? In this way, you can take off your uniform and we can do it together. Kong Li can't find this place even if he wants to catch deserters. Even though Kong Li is so powerful in Sanlong area, he is nothing in Shanghai!"

Gao Hu smiled and nodded. It was obvious that although he didn't say anything, he supported Xu Tianyi's idea.

Xu Tianyi’s suggestions are correct and make sense, but Su Bai’s ideal place is not Shanghai, but Chongqing or Yan’an.

If we take production equipment and conditions into consideration, Chongqing is better.

We cannot tell them the reason for not choosing Shanghai, because Shanghai will fall soon, and Chongqing is the rear base.

Producing medicine there would not only allow him to make some money, but also allow him to contribute to the war of resistance.

……

The next morning, Manager Wan came to the hotel.

"Young Madam, tell Wan what plans you have first, and I will arrange everything for you!"

"Our sudden arrival will disturb Manager Wan's business?" Su Bai asked.

"No, no," Manager Wan waved his hands repeatedly and told Su Bai the truth. When he was in Longxing a few days ago, he had no intention of resigning. It was only after he learned that the Kong family business would be handed over to the second wife for management that he decided to quit temporarily.

Having served the Kong family for many years, he had some understanding of the ladies in the mansion. Now that the business had been handed over to the fourth wife, Manager Wan was even more certain that his resignation at that time was the right decision.

If the young lady takes charge of the Kong family business again one day, he would be willing to help her.

"Thank you, Shopkeeper Wan," Su Bai paused and said, "Don't call me Madam anymore. I don't want anyone to know that I came to Shanghai. Once it's exposed, Shopkeeper Wan might be implicated. Just call me..."

Su Bai thought for a moment and said, "Mrs. Lan or Miss Lan."