I traveled through time without patched pants, I was the richest man in the Republic of China

Wei Miao stopped a rickshaw at the entrance of the alley. The driver had been running back and forth all year round and knew that all the families in this alley had some assets.

He did not look down on Wei Miao, a kid who wanted a taxi, and bowed and said attentively:

"Young Master, where are you going?"

When Wei Miao said the name, the rickshaw driver's face turned ugly for a moment, "Young Master, the Japanese Concession costs money."

Wei Miao was surprised and asked curiously: "Why?"

The rickshaw driver cursed in his heart, thinking that the kid must be going to the Japanese Concession to look for someone with a suitcase and food box in his hand.

The Japanese Concession was different from other places. Apart from the Japanese Expeditionary Force stationed in China, the rest of the population was Japanese.

Even if there are Chinese living there, they are all second-rate people. Of course, second-rate people have to pay extra for riding in the car.

"Young Master, do you know that now the streets are full of anti-Japanese demonstrations and resistance to Japanese goods. The Japanese are also very cruel to the Chinese. I am just pulling a cart to make a living, and the risk is very high..."

Wei Miao thought what he said made a lot of sense and agreed generously.

The rickshaw driver was overjoyed and secretly pleased, "Young Master, please sit down. We will set off right away."

The French Concession in winter did not become desolate because of the falling yellow leaves. Instead, it became more prosperous and lively.

"The Daxin Department Store in front is having a promotion. If you spend ten copper coins, you can get a box of popcorn."

The rickshaw driver looked at the families queuing with their children, thinking that with the extra money he had today, he could finish work earlier and see if he could bring his two children over to join in the fun.

Thinking of this, he pulled quickly.

Wei Miao went to the western area of ​​the Japanese Concession, which was adjacent to the French Concession. Thanks to the rickshaw driver's speed, he arrived in 40 minutes.

Seeing that the checkpoints were much more relaxed than before, Wei Miao breathed a sigh of relief.

"Young Master, I won't take you in. After you go in, you can just find a rickshaw inside to take you to your destination."

Wei Miao saw the contempt and cunning in the rickshaw driver's eyes and didn't want to care about it.

It is hard to say whether such people are good or bad, but such cleverness will always lead to big losses.

She paid the fare, got off the car with her suitcase and food box, and walked towards the checkpoint.

The rickshaw driver drove away as if he was afraid that she would change her mind.

Wei Miao handed over the pass in her hand. The two gendarmes looked her up and down but did not make things difficult for her.

Wei Miao put away the pass and thanked the two gendarmes.

The military police waited until she walked away, then smiled and expressed their admiration for the power of the empire and the fact that the Chinese child could speak the language of the empire so authentically.

Wei Miao walked to the side of the road, ready to wait for a rickshaw to pass by.

Unfortunately, after waiting for a long time, I found that there were no rickshaws. I heard the Japanese mother and daughter who were also waiting for a rickshaw next to me complain.

"I heard that the coolies went on strike and marched, not only boycotting Japanese goods, but also boycotting the people of the empire."

"Just wait. The Empire will not let them go. They are just a bunch of rabble."

Then the two of them chatted about some family matters, such as where the vegetables were cheap and whose meat was fresh.

Wei Miao looked across the street with boredom and discovered that there was a telephone booth in the alley opposite.

If there is no car, just ask someone with a car to come and pick her up.

Wei Miao rummaged in her small cloth bag, found a phone coin, and dialed the number.

While waiting for the call to be transferred, she raised her eyes and looked into the alley.

I actually saw a row of small stalls with a white cloth with all kinds of things placed on it.

Some stalls sold pots, pans, and foreign soaps; some sold antique jade bracelets, small blue and white teapots, as well as cloth, sachets, and needles and thread.

There was something on one of the stalls that caught his eye. Wei Miao squinted and took a closer look. It turned out to be a small green tape recorder with the words MC-3 written on it. (Note 1)

Wei Miao was just about to take a closer look when Lu Pingsheng's somewhat vague voice came from the other end of the phone.

"I'm Lu Pingsheng, who are you?"

"Brother Lu, come pick me up."

After Wei Miao made his location clear, he hung up the phone and prepared to wait for him there.

Being bored, she walked towards the stall she had just been to.

Two young men in their early twenties were sitting cross-legged on the floor lazily chatting at the stall.

"Let me tell you, I was really lucky the day before yesterday. I met a jerk selling junk at the train station. He only wanted one dollar for a pile of junk. I saw this good stuff right away. What is it?"

The honest young man next to him looked at him with admiration and asked:

"what is this?"

"Anyway, it's a very high-end thing. It makes a sound when you press it."

As the young man spoke, he pressed a key, and after a click, a slightly angry voice of a Japanese was heard.

Maybe the tape was damaged and the sound was not clear. Wei Miao concentrated and listened carefully, and roughly told people not to disturb him.

After waiting for a while after this voice, an unclear scolding voice was heard again.

Wei Miao was already squatting in front of the stall, listening to the sounds inside with his ears perked up.

Others couldn't hear clearly, but she heard it, "Everyone stay away, don't come near without my order."

There was no more noise after that, and the young man next to him was a little disappointed.

"That's it? It's all crackling noises. I can't make out a word."

He raised his eyebrows while holding the recorder, and said proudly:

"What do you know? The stuff inside is not valuable. The one before was this, you know, this is the legendary tape recorder."

"A tape recorder, the one in the movies and newspapers? How come it's so small?"

The young man had no idea why it was so small, so he stroked the scratches on it and said:

"I'm looking for a buyer who knows the goods. I won't sell it for less than fifty dollars. No! I won't sell it for fifty-five dollars."

The companion next to him looked envious, "Awang, if you have fifty-five dollars, can you lend me five? I want to buy Miss Shizuka her favorite dress."

The young man looked at his companion who looked like a nympho and spat, "What the hell are you thinking? How can they buy the skirt they like for five dollars?"

The companion stammered and argued:

"I have saved some money working as a handyman at Yamazaki Restaurant. It should be enough for Miss Shizuka to be touched and agree to my pursuit."

The young man was about to make a few more laughs to clear his companion's head when he heard a voice coming from the recorder in his hand.

The two of them put their ears close to the machine, trying hard to hear what was inside.

This time was different from the previous two times. This time a male voice in Japanese minor key was heard from inside.

"Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms, in the clear March sky, there are cherry blossoms as far as the eye can see."

"It's a Japanese song. I've heard Miss Shizuka humming it before." The companion said sadly.

The young man was just about to advise him not to be a toad wanting to eat swan meat when he saw a young boy squatting in front of his stall.

Looking up, there was a girl in a kimono standing behind the boy.

They both look great.

Wei Miao calmly picked up a blue and white porcelain pen holder from the stall and said:

"how much is this?"

"You want to sell this?"

The girl's sweet voice makes people unconsciously let down their guard.

Wei Miao seemed to have just noticed someone behind him. He turned his head and was met with a sweet smile.

"Wei Sang."

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Note 1: I found this picture while lurking, ha ha ha ~~~