Back to the Republic of China to open a department store

"Aconitine."

In the upstairs room, Gu Hanlin took out a test report and showed it to the Luo family brothers.

That day he took that snack to the chemistry laboratory of Hujiang University, and got the report this afternoon.

"As I expected, the poison is mild and will not be fatal once. But if it is ingested for a long time, it will cause symptoms similar to heart disease. First, sinus arrhythmia and increased blood pressure. Then there is numbness of the tongue and limbs, and finally... ..."

Gu Hanlin made a gesture of cutting his throat.

"Furthermore, Aconitum aconitum is not a hard-to-obtain herbal medicine. Folks have always used Aconitum infused wine to treat arthritis. Compared with poisons such as arsenic, it is easier to obtain."

"Sister Minmin's father-in-law was a sailor in his early years and suffered from rheumatoid arthritis all the year round. She should have been making wine for her father-in-law at her husband's house."

Rorschach said lightly.

"When my father was still alive, he liked Minmin's sweets very much. She even learned how to make Western-style pastries for her father. Even after she got married, she would send snacks home every week."

Getting off the sickbed, Luo Yunze took the towel that Luo Xiazhi handed over and wiped his face.

Immediately, the original pale complexion on his face receded, revealing a normal and healthy complexion underneath.

The girls in the "Xiantao Class" have top-notch makeup skills. Xiao Feiyan's skillful hands can not only turn ordinary girls into fairy beauties, but also teach healthy and strong people to look hopeless in an instant.

From the beginning of Luo Xiazhi's assassination at the train station, the Luo family brothers suspected that Luo Minmin was behind the scenes of instigating Manager Hua's wife, so they set up this scheme to lure the snake out of the hole.

Now it seems that they guessed right.

Luo Xiazhi once doubted why Luo Zhenhua, who was strong and strong, suddenly passed away, and now it seems that everything has been explained clearly.

This seemingly soft and weak Miss Six, who is completely different from her pungent sister and rascal mother, is the "ghost" hidden in the dark of Luo Mansion!

"She killed her father, and she will also kill her elder brother and me..."

Luo Xiazhi shook his head mechanically, "Why... What good will she do if we die? For the family property? Then there are too many people she wants to kill."

To put it bluntly, even if their two brothers died.There is still a long list of Luo Zhenhua's heirs...

Besides Luo Muze, there is also Luo Hehe, and the four older sisters who are already married.

Although two of them had to return to their natal families because of the decline of their husband's family.Luo Zhenhua directly sent them to the countryside for retirement as they were useless.

No matter how bad it is, Luo Yunze is dead, and there is another Luo Wanyi—that is, Xiaoxiao.

No matter what turn it takes, it won't be her turn, Luo Minmin.

"I'm afraid Luo Minmin has a pair of 'black hands' behind him."

Gu Hanlin frowned and said.

To be honest, as a new youth who has accepted progressive ideas, he very much dislikes the Luo family, a capitalist and feudal family.

Although some ancestors of the Gu family were officials, their medical origins have allowed them to uphold a compassionate heart of saving the world and helping others. They will not forcefully buy women as concubines just because they have a little fame and money, let alone expand the family business. and forces to sacrifice their children.

He had heard all kinds of things Luo Xiazhi told him about the Luo family, and he only felt that this was a bottomless mansion gate, and there were too many sad and helpless souls imprisoned in this courtyard.

Be it Luo Zhenhua or Luo Yunze, the father and son have a selfishness, arrogance and indifference in their bones.Luo Xiazhi grew up into such a gentle and kind young man in such a deformed family, it is simply a strange flower blooming in the swamp.

Unfortunately, he didn't know that the gentle boy with wet eyes had long been sacrificed by the evil spirits in the house.

What is in this shell now is a successor to socialism whose ideological quality has been honed over thousands of years.

┓(`)┏

"How is Big Brother going to deal with her?"

Luo Xiazhi didn't know what was going on in Gu Hanlin's mind, he looked at Luo Yunze, waiting for him to make a decision.

"Not urgent."

Luo Yunze waved his hand, "Director Gu is right, there are people behind her... The real good show has not yet appeared. After all, all the singers have to be on stage, so that we can know what will be performed later. Let her play. "

Xiaoxia, she is still young, a little too impatient, and wants to see the result quickly in everything.

Although Gu Hanlin is not too old, after all, he has been the principal for so many years, and his city and vision are all set there.

Having him around is really reassuring.

Seeing the two of them walk out of the room together, Luo Yunze heaved a long sigh.

This Gu Hanlin is good at everything, but he can't have children...

Ah, thinking of this, he felt that his heart was really hurting like a convulsion, and he couldn't help stretching out his hand to cover his chest.

Forget it, children and grandchildren have their own blessings.

No matter how bad it is, there is still a smile, let her get married when the time comes...

The old father, who was not considered old, walked to the window sill, looked at the white clouds in the sky, and thought faintly.

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

After leaving the door of Luo's house, the two of them walked towards Sima Road.

It is not easy to buy books these days.I don't know who made the rules. The books of the writers living in the north are all published in Beiping, while the books of the writers living in the south are basically published in Shanghai.Readers in the south want to buy books in the north, it is simply a kind of suffering, and vice versa.

At this time, there was also a profession called a book dealer, who used boats to exchange books between the two places in the Yangtze River, resulting in an additional "river crossing fee" for books that were already expensive.In the eyes of Rorschach, who can buy all kinds of books every other day with just a click of a mouse and a screen in 100 years, it seems ridiculous.

Gu Hanlin has several acquainted bookstore owners who will call him when the book he specified arrives, and they are going to pick up the book today.

The weather at the end of May was already a little hot, and the two of them could only walk under the shade of the trees as much as possible.

Not long ago, Shimai Department Store has announced that it will open the newly renovated rooftop amusement park on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, and increase the number of rides and expand the repertoire.On the opening day, a Russian circus was even invited to help out.As soon as the advertisement was published, Shanghai citizens who had been waiting since last winter couldn't help but look forward to it.

Although the modern department store has opened the roof ahead of them these days, the antique courtyard has been well received.But in the minds of Shanghai people, the roof of Shimai Department Store is the most "authentic". The key is that Luo Sanye has the strongest "flower head essence", and his endless ideas are the best spices for boring life.

It is conceivable that the opening of the two rooftops separated by a road will definitely make Shanghai more colorful this summer night.One step closer to the bustling "Night Shanghai" imagined by Rorschach!

The two of them got hot, so they stopped altogether, bought two salt water popsicles, found a big tree and sat down.

One of these two people was in his 20s, and the other was in his thirties. They made such childish actions on the side of the road, and people couldn't help but look at them twice.

It doesn't matter at this point, they are still two such handsome young men.A gentle and amiable boy with a youthful look, and a gentle and gentle man who can be seen as a cultural person, making the passing girls blush and turn sideways, but can't help but take a few more peeks through the reflection of the glass window.

"Do you think Ah Le was really bought by Luo Minmin?"

Luo Xiazhi licked the popsicle and asked.

"The other day I saw him feeding A Bao some snacks, probably because he didn't know it was poisoned."

Gu Hanlin turned his head and looked at his side face, "And didn't he eat the snack you gave him without any doubt?"

"So, he was used by Luo Minmin without knowing it."

This speculation at least made Rorschach feel better.

In any case, he couldn't imagine that Ale was always lurking beside him with great malice.

"And... I can tell, he likes Luo Minmin..."

The Rorschach solstice hadn't seen it before either.

It's just that when he was investigating Ale's life experience, he suddenly remembered that Ale had once told him: In their countryside, if a person is not married at the age of 20, no matter male or female, he will be discussed by others.

At this age, Ah Le's parents naturally want to talk about his marriage, not to mention that he earns a lot of money from working in Luo's family, and he can live in Shanghai if he gets married.No matter how you look at it, you will not become a single "old bachelor".

The only possibility is that he has a girl he likes in Shanghai, so he rejected the marriage arranged by his parents.

There were so many beautiful girls in the department store, even Xiao Feiyan and Xiao Bailing, Luo Xiazhi didn't see Aledo look at them.

It was just mentioned by chance that he hadn't read any books, so he admired Luo Minmin who was able to graduate from high school.

From then on, Luo Xiazhi observed that every time he saw Luo Minmin, Ah Le would blush...

When ten-year-old A Le first arrived at Luo's house, he followed the seventh concubine He Lan to serve the two young ladies.

One is Luo Hehe, who is domineering and domineering, and the other is Luo Minmin, who is euphemistic and considerate and educated.It is normal for him, a kid who just came from the countryside, to be attracted to the older, noble and gentle sister, and even after puberty he still can't forget it.

It's a pity that the eldest lady he adores with all his heart can only use his admiration to do ulterior motives.

After the sweetness of the popsicle is sucked away, only tasteless ice cubes are left, even with a bitter salty taste.Luo Xiazhi frowned and ate the ice in two bites, urging Gu Hanlin to continue on the road.

The two quickened their pace and came to Fourth Avenue. When they passed a familiar intersection, Luo Xiazhi stopped and looked at the huge two words on the signboard in front of him: for sale.

This signboard was pasted on a colorful children's pictorial poster, with one corner rolled up pitifully, swaying weakly in the hot wind of late spring.The children's picture magazine poster behind it was even worse, it was so mottled that it was almost impossible to tell that it was a little rabbit with a lantern.

"This...does this mean that it is going to close down?"

Luo Xiazhi pointed to the small Chinese-style building behind the signboard, which was deserted and the grass almost covered the roof, and asked.

This, isn't it the theater garden of the "Xiantao Class", which was later sold to Gu Hanlin's friend as the building for the Children's Pictorial Publishing House!

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

"We're actually out of business."

Because the outside looked really dilapidated, the two also tried to knock on the door, but who knew there were actually people inside.

Gu Hanlin's child education friend greeted him with a sad face. It was almost summer, but this friend was still wrapped in a thick winter coat.However, with the airy walls on all sides and his face like a bitter melon, it is surprisingly harmonious.

"Drink tea."

Because of unpaid electricity bills, the building has long been without power.Fortunately, there is still a well in the yard, so it's not even useless.

Now the afternoon sun is just right, three people dressed like two seasons are sitting on a small stool in the backyard, each holding a cup of "tea" with almost no tea in his hand.

Luo Xiazhi was the first to meet Gu Hanlin, a friend who was engaged in education. After Gu Hanlin took the lead, he sold the theater that Luo Zhenhua had given him to him, who originally wanted to engage in children's magazines and children's literature.

Five years ago, he was still a beautiful middle-aged man in his prime, but now he is so downcast that he doesn't shave his beard and wear tattered clothes.If it weren't for knowing that he is a down-and-out cultural person, he would almost be regarded as a beggar.

"I just heard that you have changed from a monthly magazine to a bimonthly magazine. I didn't expect that there are no people now... The editors and workers are all gone?"

Gu Hanlin used to go to the bookstore at least once a month, but since he was promoted to the deputy director of the Education Bureau, he was busy with various things and couldn't set foot on the Fourth Avenue for more than half a year. Otherwise, he would not have just found out that his friend's magazine had actually closed down.

"It's all gone. I still owe wages..."

The former president of Children's Illustrated Magazine is surnamed Qu, Qu Hefeng.

"Then why are you still here? Do you live here?"

Looking at the clothes drying in the yard, Gu Hanlin asked in disbelief.

"I owe a lot of foreign debts, paper fees, ink fees, manuscript fees, editors' and workers' wages. I sold my house and paid back part of it. I have nowhere to live, so I can only live here... Even so, but also If it’s not enough to repay the debt, I can only sell this building. I hope to pay off the wages of the workers as soon as possible. It’s almost the end of the year in June..."

"You sold the house? What about my sister-in-law and the children?"

This President Qu has a son and a daughter. In order to start a magazine, he resolutely resigned from his teaching position in the elementary school, and even had a big fight with his wife.

"Divorced. She took the child back to the countryside and said that she never wanted to see me in her life."

Qu Hefeng wiped away his tears.

Speaking of which, when the magazine was first launched, it was quite prosperous for a while, especially with the advertising support of sometimes Mai, the whole magazine seemed to be thriving.

However, the audience of children's magazines is limited after all, and the president Qu is not a person who is good at management, so he changed from a monthly magazine to a bimonthly magazine, then a quarterly magazine, and finally a semi-annual magazine...

In the end, I just couldn't hold on any longer, and I couldn't even turn on the printing press.

"Then what are your plans now? Where will you go after selling the house? You are a native of Shanghai."

Foreigners can go back to their hometown if they have no choice but to rely on that one-third of an acre of land. Urban residents have nothing, so there is really no way out.

"I bought a bottle of pesticide. I will settle myself after I pay off the debt."

Qu Hefeng spoke calmly, and nudged a brown bottle in the corner with his mouth.

Both Luo Xiazhi and Gu Hanlin turned pale with fright. It was hard to imagine what kind of news they would see in newspapers and newspapers if they hadn't been excited to pass by this room today.

"Not at all, really not at all."

Luo Xiazhi put down his teacup and walked around the room in the afternoon sun.

Although it looked messy and full of returned unsalable magazines, the typesetting frames and machines were all in good condition. If you want to start work, you only need to pay off the electricity bill.

He found a few magazines from the pile of books, went outside and looked through them.

"Hefeng, don't be too hard on yourself. If the magazine can't continue, it's a big deal to go back to teach. I have an official position now, and I can find you a position in the school. Why didn't you come to me sooner? Woolen cloth?"

Gu Hanlin comforted him.

"Where do I have the face to beg you? When I came out of school, I also set up ambitions. If the magazine closed down and went back to teach, it wouldn't be laughed to death."

Qu Hefeng smiled wryly.

"How about you sell the magazine to me?"

Luo Xiazhi tucked the magazine under his elbow, walked up to Qu Hefeng and squatted down, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Not only this building, but also machines and so on. If... I mean, if Mr. Qu doesn't mind, can you be my future magazine president?"

"'Your' magazine?"

"Mr. Luo's magazine?"

The two people next to them didn't expect things to develop like this, and asked in unison.

As the sun went down, there was no room for people in this small courtyard without electricity, so the three simply went out to find a place to eat, and sat down to eat and talk.

Qu Hefeng has not been sure about his meals recently, he has to hide from his creditors during the day, and only occasionally goes out to look for food at night.At this time, Shencheng is still chilly at night, so I don't think the season has changed to summer, and I still wear winter padded robes.

Luo Xiazhi's "foolishness" was an eye-opener. He thought that such a newspaperman could only be found in novels.

But just now he quickly browsed through the last few journals, and found that although the magazine is facing bankruptcy, the standard of the journals is still good.From the distribution of sections, the selection of articles, and even the selection of illustrations, they all maintain a certain quality. It is completely impossible to tell that this is a magazine that is on the verge of bankruptcy.

Perhaps just like what Gu Hanlin said, this president of Qu has good editing skills, but he is not good at management.After all, at this time, except for a few large publishing houses, there are no professional sales staff in ordinary magazines, newspapers, and literature agencies.

In this era, many people really rely on enthusiasm and word of mouth to create a publication. Of course, there are not a few that are quickly annihilated...

Since the last "Shimai Spring Fashion Conference", he had a faint idea.

No, perhaps it should be said that Rorschach has had such an idea since the earliest VIP product list——

Create a department store exclusive magazine, a fashion and life magazine!

It wasn't a decision he made out of nowhere, it was completely precedented.

He remembered that when he was in college, he had read about the business case of Yongan Department Store, one of the four famous department stores in Shanghai, which founded the earliest corporate magazine "Yongan Monthly".

That magazine was originally intended to be a platform to showcase corporate culture, but it eventually became a well-known literary magazine in Shanghai.

Because the target of distribution is the urban consumer class, and mainly female consumers, it unexpectedly became one of the bases of the novels of the "New Mandarin Duck and Butterfly School" back then.

However, Luo Xiazhi does not want his future magazine to be a literary field at all. What he wants to do is a magazine that combines fashion, furniture, parenting, and even flowers and plants...

Anyway, whatever is sold in his department store, this magazine should have something, a magazine for his Shimai department store to advertise softly!

Shimai Department Store’s annual advertising in major newspapers and magazines accounts for a quarter of the company’s sales. In this era without the Internet, Weibo, short video platforms, and even TV sets, newspapers and magazines are the only advertising medium.

The advertising battle with Modern Department Store back then still left Luo Xiazhi with lingering fears. "Shenbao" and "Ta Kung Pao" can cheer for Shimai, and at the same time cheer for his opponent's company.

That being the case, why didn't he take part of the money and set up a propaganda window that was completely his own?

You must know that maintaining the operation of a magazine may be difficult for readers like them, but for him, Luo Xiazhi, this is just a small amount of money saved for a few cups of coffee.

"How about it, Mr. Qu? Are you interested in becoming the president of my new magazine? Don't worry, I will pay you no less than the president of any newspaper in Shanghai. If you still want to be the president Editor-in-chief, or if you want to write the manuscript yourself, the manuscript fee and labor fee will be calculated separately, and it will definitely not take advantage of you."

Sitting in a Huaiyang restaurant, Luo Xiazhi held up his wine glass, his little face flushed red with excitement.

"Here……"

Qu Hefeng didn't expect that he was thinking about drinking pesticides in the morning, but in the afternoon, he encountered such a good thing—the famous Luo Sanye in Shanghai, the king of the department store wanted to hire him!

"Mr. Qu, don't you think you look down on business magazines?"

Rorschach suddenly thought of this.

Not to mention these days, after a hundred years, physical magazines and books have become lonely, and there are still "literary youths" who are obsessed with pure literature magazines.

This Mr. Qu, in this age when most people don’t have enough to eat, thinking of starting a children’s literature magazine is already a slant.

"Master Luo..."

Qu Hefeng put down his wine glass, and excitedly held Luo Xiazhi's hand with both hands.

"I'm not afraid that Nong will make fun of me. I'm very grateful as long as I can have a bite to eat now. Not to mention that I can continue to run magazines. What's wrong with business magazines? Mr. Luo, don't worry, give me the magazine, and I promise to keep it. This magazine is made into the whole of Shanghai...ah, no, the best magazine in all of China!"

“The best in the world!”

Rorschach raised his glass excitedly!

No matter how great the influence of department stores can be extended to where?

Even if he repairs the building to the hundredth floor, he won't be able to move it away, and at most it will radiate to Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces—but the magazines are different.

Magazines are mobile, the literati who contribute are mobile, and so are the readers.As long as it is done well, this can be made into a brand publication that radiates across the country and even the world!

Ah, maybe 100 years later, it will become a century-old fashion publication like "Vogue" magazine!

"Then Xia Zhi, give the magazine a name!"

"Yeah, come up with a famous name!"

Gu Hanlin and Qu Hefeng were aroused by him, and they also raised their glasses.

"Let me think about it... This is the magazine of our 'Shimai' department store, so let's call it——Shimai SMART!"

Rorschach said excitedly.

The author has something to say: Our magazine is called - Smart!Ha ha ha ha

Preview the next chapter "Issuance of the First Issue"

Ah, I'm so flustered, I'm going to go out to play in the next few days, I'm going to the ancient town, there are Hanfu activities.But none of the manuscripts survived. . . .Try to keep it updated every day.