Back to the Republic of China to open a department store

Under the momentum of many media, Shimai Department Store's "Rooftop Paradise" became an instant hit, and tickets were hard to come by!

"My friend, do you need tickets? Tickets for Shimai Department Store..."

Just at night, I saw a family of three walking to the door of Shimai Department Store with their children, pointing at the four big golden characters on the roof, a "piling mold" - commonly known as "scalper" man pretending to be He passed by inadvertently and walked to the father of the three.

"One yuan, as long as one yuan, you can get a three-person family ticket."

"You are sick. You have to buy a ticket to enter a department store. Do you think you are going to Xijiao Park? Although I am from other places, I have been to 'Shimai' several times. Except for the first few months when it opened You need to buy a ticket to take the escalator, but then it’s all free? Don’t think I’m a ‘countryman’ who has never seen the world!”

The father rolled his eyes and waved his hands roughly, "No, no, get out of the way."

"My friend, haven't you been here for a long time? When you hear it, it sounds like 'Yangpan (a layman)'!"

The scalper smiled nonchalantly, instead of being driven away, it moved closer.

"At the end of last month, the third young master of the Luo family invited a group of reporters from various newspapers in Shanghai to conduct a trial operation of a 'Rooftop Paradise'. The Rooftop Carnival project is over. Tickets are hard to come by now, you probably don’t know yet, do you?”

"Dad, what's 'Carnival'? I want to see it!"

The youngest son among the three heard one ear, and excitedly pulled the hem of the man's clothes.

There is no such thing as "Disney" or "Happy Valley" these days, and even the "Big World Amusement Park", which will be famous in Shanghai in the future, has not even had a prototype yet.If adults want to have fun, they can also go to dance halls, bars, and theaters, and the only place for children to play is the park.

"Yeah, I want to see it too."

The mother gently touched her son's head, raised her face and smiled, "Didn't you say that following us to the department store is boring, why don't you go to this 'amusement park' first?"

"Then you don't need to buy a 'yellow ticket'. God knows how much they have increased the price! You wait here, and Dad will buy a ticket."

Dad glared at the "scalper", and immediately went to the newly opened small ticket window on the first floor of Shimai Department Store.

Half an hour later, he ran back dejectedly.

"Then what, a family ticket for one yuan, here's one!"

"Okay! The ticket is well received, and there is a sale date on it. The ticket is only for use on the day, and the ticket will not be refunded unless the roof is closed in rainy or snowy weather."

After paying the money with one hand and delivering the goods with the other, Brother Scalper floated away with his pockets in his pocket.

After a while, he aimed at a group of men and women who looked like lovers, and hunched their necks and clustered past.

"My friend, do you want to buy couple tickets for the Shimai Department Store Rooftop Paradise? It's authentic, and you don't need to wait in line..."

Dad took his wife and son back to the door of Shimai, looked at the window where the rooftop tickets were sold, the people who lined up to buy tickets had already turned a few corners, and ran to the next road to the "grand occasion", the wife finally knew Why did my husband choose to buy "scalper tickets" after waiting in line for half an hour just now.

Looking at the queue, I can't buy it for a few hours.

"My child's father, how much is the original price of the 'three-person family ticket'?"

"Fifty cents... doubled the profit for that 'pile-driving mold'. Forget it, forget it, it's all here..."

Just when the family of three was about to line up to enter the arena, there was a commotion in the ticket selling line over there.

"Why is there no more? I have been waiting in line for two hours. If you say no, then there will be no more?"

"All tickets are sold out today, please be early tomorrow!"

"Today's Sold Out" wooden boards were hung on the window of the ticket office, and then the doors and windows were blocked with wooden boards.

"Then what shall we do?"

The people in the queue relentlessly pestered and tried to slap the board.

"Oh, don't be noisy. The roof is only that big. If you put all of you on it, the roof won't be crushed. Come and line up early tomorrow. Besides, everyone is here. It's nice to buy something to eat and play when you go back. Okay, don't be unhappy!"

The security department deliberately excluded a few well-spoken young men from guarding the ticket gates.Hearing what he said, the unhappy crowd gradually dispersed.

"My son's father, luckily we bought a 'scalper ticket'..."

The mother who had witnessed everything swallowed her saliva with lingering fear.

"Well... I hope everything upstairs is 'worth it'."

That being said, it still cost twice as much as the original fare!If it's not fun, it's really more and more loss.

Since the guests who bought the rooftop tickets took the special direct elevator, the family of three followed the waiter all the way to the left side of the building along the route specially planned for them.

There are already a lot of customers who have successfully bought tickets and are waiting excitedly for the arrival of the elevator.

"Oh, I'm so happy. Today's performer is 'Perfume Lotus' from the 'Navigator Butterfly Class'. I like him the most! He stepped down from the stage last week, and I met him when I was shopping in the department store downstairs." Yes. He looks handsome even without makeup."

"I don't like listening to Beijing opera. But today there will be a Pingtan performance, right? The lady who sings Pingtan looks really good in a cheongsam."

"Can I watch the show on the rooftop?"

The father asked in surprise, "How do you know what to play today? Do you need extra money to watch the show?"

"If you don't sit in the VIP seats in the front row, you don't need to pay extra. The repertoire that is performed every day is written on the big water sign at the gate of the department store. The weekly performance program is clearly written. You came in Didn't you see it?"

The two movie fans made a fuss and said, "You don't know what's going on today, why are you here?"

"Why are you all here to listen to the opera? I would say the best item upstairs is 'Snack Collection'. I read the newspaper, and it has everything to eat. American big burgers, Japanese small sushi, sweet-scented osmanthus red bean soup , white sugar lotus heart dates, ham deep-fried pork chops, rice with eight treasures of lard and sand, tea eggs with five-spice soy sauce~~”

A fat man next to him counted with his fingers, and he started singing while talking.

Because it was almost meal time, the son of this family suddenly felt extremely hungry and thirsty in his belly, and he pulled his mother's cheongsam hem and acted like a baby, "Mom, I'm hungry, I want to eat too!"

"Hey, let your father buy it for you later."

----------------

The family of three followed the crowd to the rooftop, and the father who thought he was "well-informed" couldn't help but opened his mouth wide, looking at a row of mirrors in front of him.

In front of them, there were four full-length mirrors as tall as a person, which clearly captured the dazed expressions of the family of three.

It’s just that they are different from ordinary full-length mirrors. The three people in these four mirrors are either fat and bulging like pregnant women, or thin and long like a “fried dough stick”, or squashed. It is a "spittoon pot that has been trampled down", and there is even a wavy figure. At first glance, I thought it was a little ghost, and immediately scared the children in this family to scream "Wow".

"Hey! What am I telling you, this 'distorting mirror' is interesting! When I came back, I saw the thin man in the mirror first, and I was so beautiful, I thought I had lost weight successfully!"

"It's fine, it's fine, you replace the mirror at home with this second 'distorting mirror', and you feel like you're better than Zhao Feiyan every day, and you don't need to take weight-loss pills anymore."

The two girls standing behind them looked at their "beautiful shadows" in the mirror, clutching their stomachs and laughing. Only then did the three realize that these mirrors are "distorting mirrors" that can deform people!

"Hahaha, look at you, you are as fat as a pig!"

"Why don't you take a look at yourself, this red dress is a female ghost, hahaha."

No wonder it is called "haha mirror". As long as anyone stands in front of this mirror, they are all crazy with joy and laughing like crazy.

Having figured this out, the three of them also looked at each other in the mirror one by one, looking at each other's funny looks in the mirror, and were overjoyed for a while.

After laughing, the stomach is more hungry.But at this moment, there was a burst of meaty and sweet smell in the air, which made the youngest son of this family anxiously keep looking around.

"Dad, Mom, there are so many people there, what are you holding in your hand, it smells so good?"

"Humph!"

A little girl was holding a large string of mutton skewers sprinkled with cumin in her hand. The length of the skewers was nearly half a meter, and she walked proudly in front of him, making the corners of his mouth drool like "flying down three times" Thousand feet", involuntarily followed the little girl for a few steps.

"Hey, who is your child following?"

The rooftop was so busy with people coming and going, fearing that the child would get lost, my father simply picked him up and sat on his shoulder.

"Wow~"

The angle of view suddenly became higher, and the little man became even more excited, waving his little hands to grab the little colored balls hanging on the lamp post.

Especially the scent at the front was getting stronger and stronger, he kept twisting his buttocks and kicking his legs, "Father, hurry up, go over there! There is meat! There is meat!"

A family of three came to an area that was specially divided, and a red banner was pulled between two lampposts. On the banner were written four characters: Food World.

"First, a bowl of sweet-scented osmanthus eight-treasure porridge, served with crab roe steamed buns. Then, a fried chicken leg. What is that? A kebab of mutton. Stinky tofu? I like stinky tofu. Come here. Grilled Half a fish, one portion of roasted garlic sprouts. Peking fried belly? I haven’t eaten it, so let’s have one. Let’s do this first, I can’t carry it anymore, I’ll take these to appetize, and I’ll buy them after I’m done.”

The fat man who took the elevator up with them held a tray in his hand, and reported a bunch of food to buy like a treasure. After paying, he took the tray full of food to the "dining area" at the back and took a seat. up.

Although many people came to the rooftop to play after dinner, there are still many people who are attracted by the food stalls lined up in rows.

Coupled with the strong aroma of the barbecue and the sweet porridge, the children and girlfriends began to act like a baby again, so they also paid for it one after another, either buying more or less, and finally lost to the "greedy" in the stomach .

In addition to the dine-in area, some people also choose to walk around with skewers, marshmallows or small bowls, watching the excitement while eating.

However, they were all warned by the waiter to pay attention to safety, not to poke and burn others, and to throw the garbage into the bamboo basket in the designated place. Otherwise, if they are caught, they will all be subject to high fines and will be pulled into "Shimai" forever. blacklist.

Unable to bear his son's begging, the father himself was also attracted by the dazzling array of food stalls - so many snacks from all over the world gather together, even the Town God's Temple can't see such a grand occasion?

So the three of them also ordered a lot of snacks, brought them to the "dining area" and ate them happily - anyway, "everyone comes", and it doesn't cost much!

The three of them ate their mouths full of oil, and left the "Gourmet World" contentedly, and took a leisurely stroll.

A burst of gongs and drums beating like torrential rain attracted their attention.

It turns out that there is a stage diagonally opposite the "Gourmet World". The concrete stage is covered with carpets, colored lights are hung on it, and five big characters are written - Qiankun Grand Stage.

Good guy, is everything inclusive?What a breath!

The child dragged the two adults and ran to Natou excitedly, and found that the rows of benches under the stage were half full, and only the first few mahogany armchairs were still vacant.

There is also a small tea table in front of the armchair, with various snacks on it.The child was immature and wanted to run ahead, but was grabbed by her mother and sat on the small stool in the back row - the front seat would cost extra!

The child's father looked around while sitting down, and sure enough, he saw the two theater fans talking to each other just now.There is a big water sign next to these two people, which shows the repertoire and time period of the day's performance.

In the morning, maybe because there were not many people, the performances were basically ordinary singing and dancing, Jiangnan ditties.

In the afternoon, there is a good show every one and a half hours.

At two o'clock this afternoon, the well-known Eye-Opening Acrobatic Troupe performed here, performing acrobatics such as "Jitsu", "Jiu-jitsu", magic tricks such as "Great Transformation", and "Goldfish Trick".

Dad clicked twice: It's a pity, his son likes watching magic the most, and he missed it today.

At 04:30, the famous sanxian master Jiang Ronggui and the female storyteller Xiang Yuehai, who is now popular in Suzhou, sang Tanci "Laughing Marriage", an excerpt of "Three Smiles", and sang until 05:30—that is, they were eating just now By the time everyone had finished singing...

But fortunately, the grand finale tonight is "Zhao Wuniang's Pipa Story" performed by "Xianglian" from the "Butterfly Class" that the fan said before.Calculating the time, the show will start in half an hour!

This time he can't miss it!

The father raised his legs and bought a triangular bun with mixed flavors from a passing peddler selling melon seeds and peanuts. The three of them kowtowed melon seeds and waited for the show to come on stage.

After a while, amidst the applause from fans, the "perfume lotus" with a pipa on his back appeared on the stage among the Huqin students, and won a lot of applause as soon as he spoke.

"it is good!"

After a play was sung, my father's hands became red, and he communicated with the audience who were also fans of the play.

"Xiangxianglian sings really well! It's hard to get a ticket in the theater on weekdays, but I didn't expect that when I come to Mai Department Store, I can listen to it for free."

"Will he come here to sing tomorrow?"

"We won't be singing Beijing opera tomorrow. We will be singing Wuxi opera and Yue opera tomorrow. Xiangxianglian will come to catch the big axis every weekend."

"Then I'll come next Sunday too!"

"That's right! I plan to buy tickets early in the morning, so as not to be turned away!"

"It makes sense and makes sense!"

Dad nodded like a pounding garlic.

As for his wife and son, they were really not interested in the babbling singing, so they left their seats early and went to play riddles in the "lantern riddle booth" opposite.

After guessing the riddles, the two went to play hoops again. After making a bunch of gadgets, they turned to watch people compete to catch goldfish and play marbles.After a while, I held a bunch of food and play in my hand.

The early summer breeze is still a bit cool, and standing on this rooftop is even more interesting.The family of three had a great time playing, until the employees announced on the loudspeaker that it would be closed today, and the colored lights were turned off one by one, and they reluctantly left here.

Great, this rooftop playground is so interesting, I really want to play here every day!

The three of them went downstairs and called a rickshaw. Not long after, the mother suddenly yelled, which startled the driver.

"What's wrong? Did you lose something?"

The son had already fallen asleep in his arms, and the father made a gesture of "whispering" and asked.

"We were going to do some shopping today—to buy clothes, a hot water bottle, and a gift for your father's birthday next month..."

"Ah... obediently thump..."

Dad's face changed, and his hometown dialect was accidentally revealed.

After playing on the rooftop all night, they didn't buy anything serious except for these messy puppet balloons, peanuts and plums.

"It seems...tomorrow we have to do it again..."

"Well... Come here early, buy good things and go to the rooftop again!"

The author has something to say: People all over the world have been suffering from "scalpers" for a long time!Scalper tickets were called "flying tickets" in the period of the Republic of China.The most powerful place for flying tickets, of course, is the theater.If there is a performance by a famous actor, the price of the flying ticket can be several times or even dozens of times the original ticket price!It's no different from today's concert.

In the era of the Republic of China, no effort was spared in cracking down on scalpers, and if they were caught, they would be paraded through the streets.But still repeatedly banned.

Shanghainese call scalpers "piling moulds" and "tuo'er" "warping moulds".

Friends who have been to Shanghai's "Big World" can see a row of distorting mirrors as soon as they enter the door.That row of distorting mirrors can be regarded as an antique from the Republic of China, but it doesn’t look like much now. When I was a child, I used to look at it for a long time every time I went there.