Quick Wear: Cousin, Come to the Bowl Quickly

The Shanghai stock market is about to descend into chaos.

This is an unspoken consensus among almost all people who grew up in this land of dazzling lights and glittering neon signs.

Or rather, it wasn't just the Shanghai Stock Exchange, but the entire country of China, that was shrouded in a dark cloud of impending doom.

Half a month ago, news came from the north that the Japanese had staged and blown up the railway in the concession, but then turned around and blamed the local Chinese garrison.

Immediately afterward, before the local garrison could react, they used the pretext of a missing soldier to pressure the Chinese government, demanding entry and search.

This move was an open secret, as everyone knew, but the Japanese army was eyeing the city with predatory intent, and when they were about to attack, the authorities issued an order to abandon resistance.

With the garrison retreating, the Japanese army advanced rapidly, and the Fengtian line collapsed instantly, turning the beautiful land into scorched earth.

When the news came, the whole country was shocked. Although the people knew that the authorities were fighting fiercely with the Communists, at such a critical moment, instead of thinking about resisting foreign enemies, they let the wolf into the house. What difference was there between such behavior and drinking poison to quench thirst?

Although Shanghai and Fengtian are thousands of miles apart, even an ignorant child understands the principle of mutual dependence.

In those days, newspapers large and small in Shanghai rushed to report on the incident, and patriotic people ran around and cried out, hoping to awaken the authorities, but in the end, they were all suppressed, leaving only a chilling silence.

But even this facade of peace and tranquility couldn't last long.

Two days ago, two Japanese soldiers attempted to break into the Shanghai Pujiang Military Airport under cover of darkness. They were discovered by the officers on duty, and after their attempts to dissuade them failed, the two Japanese soldiers were shot and killed on the spot.

This was originally a legitimate act by the Chinese army to defend its territory and safeguard its sovereignty. However, in the blink of an eye, the Japanese packaged themselves as "victims" and demanded exorbitant compensation and the signing of a treaty ceding territory from the Shanghai authorities, otherwise they would resort to arms and launch a large-scale invasion.

Such a despicable scheme is obvious to anyone with discerning eyes. But it is precisely because we see through it that we feel even more apprehensive.

If we agree, the previous court was weak, and the lesson of how territories were lost and people suffered is still fresh in our minds.

However, if they did not agree, war would break out at any moment. Shanghai is the gateway to the south and is adjacent to Nanjing. Once it falls, the Japanese army will advance westward, and the south of China will be in danger.

Faced with this dilemma, the chairman of the Nanjing committee hesitated to make a decision, and the entire Shanghai city fell into a state of fear and unease amid this suffocating standoff and stalemate.

In an instant, the once bustling Bund became visibly desolate. Apart from the shops run by foreigners in the concessions that were still stubbornly keeping their facades up, most Chinese merchants had quietly closed their doors. The few pedestrians on the street were mostly hurrying along with anxious expressions, as if they were afraid that the next moment, a cannonball would fall on their heads.

Under the blazing sun, the air in the August afternoon was so sultry it seemed to have stopped flowing, and the whole street was so quiet that only the chirping of cicadas in the trees along the street could be heard.

"Oppose signing a traitorous treaty! Drive out the Japanese pirates! Reclaim our land!"

Suddenly, a high-pitched, clear shout, carrying the sharpness unique to young people, abruptly pierced the suffocating silence, coming from one end of the long street.

Immediately afterwards, the sounds grew louder and louder, footsteps and shouts merging into a wave, as a group of young people turned out from the street corner and walked towards them.

Leading the group were several male students dressed in black Zhongshan suits, with school badges pinned to their chests and white cloths wrapped around their arms. They held up banners with ink stains dripping from the paper and shouted slogans.

"We swear we will never be slaves of a conquered nation!"

"The rise and fall of a nation is the responsibility of every citizen!"

"Protest the authorities' compromise! Defend Shanghai with armed forces!"

Behind them followed more young people, men and women, students and young people in work clothes or long gowns, most of them with still very young faces, but their eyes were bright and dazzling.

Waving their small flags, they scattered leaflets along the streets while shouting slogans. Their voices were hoarse with excitement, but they were exceptionally clear and loud, like the first clap of thunder rolling across a dull sky.

"Oppose treason! Fight for national resistance!"

"Japanese pirates, get out of China!"

The once quiet street was awakened by the sudden noise, and many surprised and uncertain faces peeked out from behind the tightly closed doors and windows on both sides.

Some glanced at the crowd and shrank back like startled rabbits, while others cautiously peered through the cracks in the window, their eyes filled with complex emotions as they watched the moving crowd.

Some faces that had been expressionless seemed to be ignited by the passionate shouts of the young people, and gradually showed excited expressions. Some even quietly opened a crack in the door and nodded vigorously at the marching crowd.

Chi Xianqiu was among this group of people. She was wearing a slightly worn blue cotton school uniform, and her cheeks were flushed with an abnormal flush from excitement and running around. There was also a layer of fine beads of sweat on her forehead.

Yu Fangfei, standing close to her, was pale from the heat and dehydration. She tugged at Chi Xianqiu's sleeve, her voice barely audible, almost drowned out by the deafening slogans around them.

"Xianqiu...can we really do this? So many people are watching..."

Chi Xianqiu followed the crowd, shouted a slogan with all his might, then took a deep breath, turned his head to look at his friend, his eyes shining brightly, and said firmly.

"It will definitely work, Fangfei!"

"You see, the Japanese are insatiable. They weren't satisfied with occupying the north, and now they've set their sights on our south! If we don't speak up and let them bully us, China will truly be finished!"

"Although we are unarmed students, we have courage! We stand here today to tell everyone that we are unwilling to be slaves of a conquered nation! We also want to show those in power that we will not stand for it!"

Her words were like a shot of adrenaline, injecting strength into Yu Fangfei's heart. Looking at her friend's radiant face, Yu Fangfei's hesitation and fear were strangely dispelled.

She nodded emphatically, bit her lip, and suddenly raised the stack of flyers in her hand, shouting along with the crowd.

"Oppose compromise! Fight to the bitter end!"

The snow-white flyers were tossed from her hand, like the first brave snowflakes of winter, fluttering down to both sides of the street and landing at the feet of pedestrians.

On the paper were several bold, dark characters, the ink still wet: "The survival of the nation depends on this one battle; compatriots, wake up!"

The crowd grew larger and larger, and more and more citizens came out of their hiding places, silently joining the procession, or standing by the roadside, silently watching the group of young people gradually walk away.

At this moment——

"boom!"

A sharp, piercing gunshot rang out without warning from the end of the long street.

The crowd froze, the shouts stopped abruptly, and the heads that had just peeked out from both sides of the street instantly retreated. Doors and windows slammed shut like startled clamshells.

The students turned around in alarm.