Back to the Republic of China to open a department store

On the morning of the day before New Year's Day, Tsubaki Yingko came to the house to announce the funeral.

Unlike Chinese people who wear white at funerals, the second sister-in-law, dressed in a black kimono, came to the Luo mansion very cautiously.Passed the post and asked the housekeeper to notify the door.

No one in the family who was having breakfast expected to receive such a post at this time.

Luo Xiazhi clenched his fists silently, seeing his elder brother's hand trembling as he put down the coffee cup.

The sensible Xiaoxiao took the initiative to go back upstairs, closed the door, and left the living room to the adults at home.

"Since my husband left on Christmas night, I haven't seen him again... No one thought that he fell into the river."

Chun Yingzi, who came to the funeral, did not wear makeup today.Tears kept sliding down her cheeks, she turned her head away, and wiped away the pearl-like tears with a handkerchief, making her look even more charming.

"The body was found yesterday at the mouth of the Wusong River in Baoshan, and it almost floated to the East China Sea..."

She sobbed and said, "Because the weather was too cold, the body was not particularly corrupted, but it was already unreadable... The coroner judged that he was my husband based on the clothes on his body and the things he carried with him." .Yesterday afternoon, I went to the police station to claim the body...it was indeed him..."

After finishing speaking, the woman buried her small face in her hands with sobs, and her shoulders trembled, which was very pitiful.

"Here... Aunt Lin, go and wring a hot towel to wipe Second Grandma's face..."

Bai Fenghuang was about to faint from crying when he saw her, but he didn't dare to come forward to comfort her, so he had to ask someone to prepare towels and hot tea.

Listening to the woman's narration, Luo Xiazhi turned his head and looked at his elder brother.

From the moment Luo Yunze heard the news of Luo Muze's death until now, his face was pale.

A kind of sadness, with deep powerlessness and angry sadness appeared on his face, which caused him to not say a word since just now.

Luo Xiazhi thought, after all, he still cherishes the brotherhood, even if this younger brother doesn't live up to expectations, he caused so much trouble for the family, and even became a lackey of the Japanese.Luo Yunze probably never thought that his younger brother would leave so early, and in such a miserable way in such a cold winter.

"It's been four or five days since Christmas. Hasn't the second sister-in-law sent someone to look for her?"

He grabbed Luo Yunze's hand, and firmly held his elder brother's palm.The latter seemed to hesitate for a moment, and after a few seconds, he also held his hand backhand.

The warmth conveyed in the palms of father and son made Luo Yunze's expression soften a little.

"Looking for it? I don't even know how many women he has outside, and how many places to have fun... How can I find it? It's normal for him not to go home for a few days or even half a month."

Tsubaki Yingzi drank the tea and finally recovered a bit.Hearing Luo Xiazhi's question, she smiled mockingly.

"Could it be that in the eyes of my brother-in-law, we are a couple... In the words of you Chinese, are we a couple who 'raise the eyebrows'? His scandals, his countless women from all over the world, I think you, my brother-in-law You've heard it too."

Rorschach really thought to himself that in fact, I only knew "a little bit" earlier than you, and let you know through some "methods".

"The dead are the greatest, so don't say these things."

Luo Xiazhi glanced at Luo Yunze.

"I don't know how the second sister-in-law is going to organize my second brother's funeral?"

Tsubaki Yingko also didn't want to entangle him meaninglessly about women, "Three days later, my husband's body will be buried at the Wanguo Funeral Home on Jiaozhou Road. His body...according to my father, it is Buried directly in the Japanese Overseas Chinese Cemetery in Shanghai..."

"His body will be sent back to his hometown in Shaoxing and buried in the ancestral grave of our Luo family."

Luo Yunze interrupted suddenly.

Not only Chun Yingzi, but even Bai Fenghuang and Luo Xiazhi were taken aback by what he said.

Buried back to the ancestral grave in Shaoxing?

"But he's my husband..."

Tsubaki Yingko argued hard.

"But he is my younger brother, a descendant of my Luo family, and he still uses a Chinese passport, not a 'Japanese overseas Chinese'!"

Luo Yunze said without any doubts, because of a little excitement, his originally pale face returned to rosy.

He raised his chin and said arrogantly, "Of course, if you die one day, brother and sister, as the daughter-in-law of our Luo family, you are also qualified to be buried in the ancestral grave and serve the heroic spirits of our ancestors."

"That's... no need."

Tsubaki Yingko gritted her teeth and spit out the last few words, then slowly got up and said goodbye to everyone.

"Xiao Xia, help me see off the guest."

Luo Yunze waved his hand, turned around and went upstairs.

Bai Fenghuang looked at him worriedly, then turned his head to look at his son who was sending Tsubaki Yingzi out, and finally chose to chase up the stairs.

"Sister-in-law, my condolences."

Luo Xiazhi sent Chun Yingzi to the car at the door all the way, and said the last thing before she got into the car.

His eyes made contact with a bodyguard standing by the car, and then moved away without a trace.

"Do you still call me 'sister-in-law'?"

Tsubaki Yingko didn't get into the car immediately, but stood outside the car and started talking with him.

"Of course, my second elder brother will always be my second elder brother, and my second sister-in-law...as long as you don't remarry, you will always be my 'second sister-in-law'."

He said pointedly.

"Will it always be your 'Second Brother'... Yes, I know a Chinese idiom called 'Break the bones... connect the tendons'. You Chinese, the most important thing is the blood relationship."

There was hatred in her words, but there seemed to be something else in them.

"That's natural. After all, the second brother is the second young master of our Luo family. No one can change this."

Anyway, everyone is dead, and Luo Xiazhi doesn't mind at all the "crime" of Luo Muze's confrontation with him and exchanging information in private.

"Okay, okay, you're right. I've seen it, I've seen it."

Chun Yingzi nodded with a half smile, got in the car, and drove away.

The second brother's matter is finally settled, at least in the short term, Sakura Department Store will no longer cause trouble for Shi Mai and Luo's family.

It's just that this matter still has a small tail...

That child who was brought back to Japan by Sakurako Tsubaki, the second brother's "outdoor" child...

It is indeed a troublesome thing.

He looked up at the dark sky, which seemed to be the prelude to snow again.Even though it's morning, it doesn't feel the least bit angry.

Luo Xiazhi put his hands in his pockets and walked slowly back to the villa.

Big brother is old.

It was also at the moment when he held his elder brother's hand just now that he realized that his elder brother was really old.That man who looked like a god was actually so depressed.

He walked back to the living room, except for a few servants who were cleaning up, none of the Luo family's master and young masters were there.

Luo Xiazhi walked back to the dining table and continued to eat the half-eaten breakfast.

The eldest brother should know that the death of the second brother was definitely not an accident.

It was indeed the Japanese who did it, but it was also his push and help...

The eldest brother must be disappointed, I don't know if it is only for the second brother, or for him.

But he has no regrets.

He made such a decision from the beginning.

After all, he is not the real "Luo Xiazhi". This Luo Muze, who suddenly returned from Japan, has no emotional entanglement with him.

But Luo Yunze is different.The elder brother used to love his younger brother so much, the "only" younger brother.They spent their childhood together and lived through the most difficult period in the early days of Luo Zhenhua's business.

So even knowing that his father objected, the eldest brother would secretly send money to the second brother who was far away in Japan.

The second mother is also very kind to the eldest brother. When returning to the hometown to worship the ancestors, the second wife's share of incense is exactly the same as that of the eldest lady. Even the god's main card is the two of them, standing on the left and right in Luo Zhenhua's ranking beside.

Although this doesn't make any sense to Luo Xiazhi, it can also be seen that the elder brother respects the second mother.

So after the second brother returned to China, he did so many things wrong, even though he almost died a few times, but the eldest brother never mentioned once that he wanted to kill the second brother.

The only one who wanted to kill Luo Muze from beginning to end was Luo Xiazhi himself.

This game of chess began to be laid out when I came back from Jiashan and was lying on the hospital bed to raise my arms.

Luo Xiazhi slowly tore the bread while recalling.

Luo Muze can bribe his subordinates, and he can naturally bribe the employees of Sakura Department Store and those Japanese in turn.

Money can make ghosts turn the clock, doesn't it just refer to "Chinese ghosts" and "Japanese devils" are not "ghosts"?

The manager of the Seventh Heaven Hotel who let the Japanese woman into the presidential suite before was bought by the Japanese to deceive Qian Jinger's waiter, and even the bodyguard next to Tsubaki Yingko just now, in turn, all became his "insiders".

They vomited out the list of those under Chun Yingzi who were responsible for helping her with dirty and messy things.Then he ordered Li Ye to investigate them bit by bit to see if they... lack money.

Then all the evidence was pointed at Luo Muze, making the Chun father and daughter who had already doubted him even more suspicious.

Luo Muze must die, and at the hands of the Japanese, this is what he deserved most.

He does not deserve to die at the hands of the Chinese.

Luo Xiazhi drank the last sip of milk and slowly got up from the table.

I saw Bai Fenghuang standing behind him with a worried expression on his face.

"mom……"

Luo Xiazhi was startled, and reflexively felt a little guilty.

"Your second brother..."

"Ok?"

Luo Xiazhi did not expect that Bai Fenghuang would suddenly ask Luo Muze.

"Your elder brother...he asked me to send you a message."

Bai Fenghuang looked up worriedly at her son who was getting better and better, but also made him feel more and more alienated.

"Actually, I don't quite understand what he means. You know, my mother has never read a book. He said...you are a boy who slays a dragon. Don't become a dragon. Once blood is on your hands, you will be killed again." It can't be cleaned either."

Luo Xiazhi took half a step back, the eldest brother really knew, but he...why did he let his mother tell him this.

"Your elder brother has been in poor health recently."

Bai Fenghuang lowered his head and looked at the empty restaurant.

Once here, it was full of people, many people.

Luo Zhenhua, He Lan, Luo Hehe, Luo Minmin, and Ah Le who stood aside...

Although it was noisy at that time, the house was really lively for a time.

But now, if Xiaoxiao lives in the school and Xiaoxia lives back in the summer palace, the only masters in the big family are her and the "son" in name.

Although when she was young, she also fantasized about how wonderful it would be if there were only her and Yunze in this family.But now that this wish has really come true, they can only be referred to as "mother and son" in this house, and they dare not go one step further in front of the servants...

It's so lonely...

Just a few days ago, the orange cat named "Isabella" also died of old age.

When it was found by the housekeeper, it was lying in the small garden, under the eaves where it used to like to bask in the sun, its body was already stiff.

Xiaoxiao cried for a long time, and then buried it in the flower bed with orange trees.

The current situation is not good. In winter, there are more and more robbers and thieves on the road. The wives from other families can't often come to play cards with her.

Sometimes when she sat in this huge living room, she felt eerily silent.

"This family really can't lose one person..."

She lowered her head, tears fell on her pale yellow embroidered shoes, leaving a pool of water stains.

"You must take good care of yourself... don't let anything happen, mom, please?"

Luo Xiazhi let out a long sigh, rubbed Bai Fenghuang in his arms, and patted her on the back lightly.

"Okay, okay, I'll take care of myself."

"Then...you don't want to go to the 'Summer Palace' recently, okay? Stay until the Spring Festival? Live until the Spring Festival is over?"

"well……"

"Call Principal Gu over for the New Year's Eve dinner! And Li Ye. Oh! And that 'Flying Dragon'!"

"Okay, okay! It's all up to you."

Before entering the twelfth lunar month, a row of simple shelters at the junction of Putuo and Zhabei was finally completed.Although there is no heating, at least there are walls on all sides that are airtight, and there are two meals of porridge a day, so I won't starve to death.

Because the shelter only accommodates homeless street children and does not accept adults, there have been many incidents of adults with children and even homeless people attempting to break into the shelter at the beginning of its opening.

After a few trading companies that paid for it, the fellow villagers paid for guards, and the order gradually improved. It should be no problem to get through this winter for the time being.

After the shelter was built, Luo Xiazhi and Gu Hanlin also visited it once, and were surprised by the messy layout and high population density inside.

"How many children does this accommodate? I remember the upper limit should be 500 people."

"It's more than five hundred. If you really want to accept it, you can accept 5000 people."

The temporary director of the shelter turned out to be the deputy director of a welfare home under the Children's Welfare Bureau, and was temporarily assigned here to coordinate the overall situation.

"There are a total of more than 1000 children here now. We really have no choice. If we really see them outside, then maybe tomorrow will be a corpse. Third Master, Director Gu, you left when you came It's the back door, I didn't see the main entrance, how many parents brought their children begging us to let them in at the door... Hey, but it really can't be done..."

As the director said, he took off the glasses on his nose and wiped away his tears.

"...In winter, we must pay attention to preventing fires. Also, if there are sick children, they should seek medical treatment. I will hold a few fundraising meetings in the future, and donate more rice noodles and winter clothes and quilts to the children."

"It's really too difficult..."

Luo Xiazhi sighed and left with Gu Hanlin through the back door.

"Nowadays the people are in dire straits, but the country is only focused on fighting. When spring starts tomorrow, I don't think it will be much better."

The Duan government in the north is crumbling, and the south is about to move, and the voice of the "Northern Expedition" is endless.On the other hand, not only Huaibei suffers from floods and droughts every year, but Jiangnan, known as the "Land of Fish and Rice", is also plagued by disasters.

After the beginning of next year, it is almost a fact that prices will take off.

But the southern government, apart from constantly collecting taxes and raising military expenses, really turned a blind eye to the lives of these people...

Luo Xiazhi pursed her lips, feeling depressed in her chest.

It is a completely different experience to know this history well and experience it personally.

"I heard that you gave Li Ye a vacation, and he and Liang Shaolong went to 'Plum Garden' to stay for a while?"

Today, Zheng Jiesen was driving the car. He was standing beside the car, being entangled by beggars. When he saw Luo Xiazhi and the other two coming, he hurriedly opened the door and started the car.

"He's... not in the right state recently, I'll let him rest for a while."

Since the assassination incident on Christmas Day, Li Ye has often lost his mind for no reason these days.Luo Xiazhi knew that he hadn't recovered from the shadow of the first murder...

"It's my fault, I shouldn't let him do such a thing."

he blamed himself.

Gu Hanlin was originally a doctor, a person who is used to seeing life and death.

Li Ye is different.No matter how capable and smart he is, he is just an ordinary person in his early twenties.

For him, he had to kill.Bearing the self-blame that should not have been carried.

"Look at the starving people outside, look at these helpless mothers..."

Gu Hanlin pointed to the outside, a group of hungry skinny people gathered outside the temporary shelter, shivering in the cold wind in thin clothes, "Do you think they'should' endure such pain? In this troubled world, originally There's nothing that shouldn't happen."

Knowing that Luo Xiazhi's usual self-blaming disease was about to break out again, Gu Hanlin quickly persuaded him.

"Instead of dwelling on the past, we might as well think about how to arrange for those refugees. They gather at the gate of the shelter like this, sooner or later something will happen."

"You're right, I can't be decadent anymore."

Luo Xiazhi patted his cheek, trying to cheer himself up.

"Those refugees...we can't take adults in, but we can hire them. The children in the shelter need someone to look after them, someone to do the laundry, cook and clean. We can pay them so they have a place You can live here, and you don’t have to wander around anymore.”

Seeing that he finally became cheerful, Gu Hanlin also nodded in relief.

"That's it. The boat will go straight when it reaches the bridge. There will always be a solution."

The car speeded up, and those people who were hovering around the car and kept looking at the car door begging with bamboo poles finally couldn't catch up.

Luo Xiazhi opened the car window and watched snowflakes falling again from the dark sky.I can only pray that spring will come as soon as possible... Don't let anyone in this miserable world freeze to death in the cold wind.

"The warehouse of Sakura Department Store on Shiliupu Wharf was robbed and set on fire."

On New Year's Eve, Luo's mansion was rarely full of people's voices and harmony.

Liang Shaolong was telling jokes to make Bai Fenghuang and Xiaoxiao happy, making the two ladies lean back and forth, when Li Ye, who was answering the New Year call, suddenly turned around and reported the sudden news to everyone.

"how come?"

Everyone was taken aback.

"The warehouses of Modern Department Store were also robbed. There were also many commercial firms and warehouses on the wharf that were robbed and set on fire. Now the fire brigade has rushed over."

"Did the refugees on the docks do it?"

As the end of the new year approaches, more and more refugees flee to Shanghai.After getting off the pier, many people tried to find a way to live nearby, which led to the gathering of people on the pier and chaos everywhere.

"Yes, it should be organized by someone. They colluded with the original employees on the pier, opened the warehouse of Sakura Department Store, and looted food, clothing, flour, rice, etc. The daily necessities that could not be taken away were just Burn it all down. Then take advantage of the fire to rob the next one. When I robbed Modern Department Store, because the fire spread too much, I had to evacuate.”

"Where's our warehouse? We should have two warehouses in Yangshupu."

The warehouse of Shimai Department Store is located near the racetrack, but because the promotion at the end of this year did not produce much effect and the prices soared, the number of people who came to buy New Year's goods decreased by one-third compared with previous years.

A large number of products are unsalable, resulting in the company's original purchase of goods not being sold out in time.So I rented two warehouses in the Yangshupu area, where the rent is cheap, to store things temporarily.

"There's nothing wrong with Yangshupu's North Wharf. During the New Year's Eve, the refugees who made trouble gathered at the South Wharf near Shiliupu."

After listening to Li Ye's words, everyone felt relieved.

"However, many of those merchants bought water, fire and cargo insurance from our Shimai Insurance Company. Now that they have suffered a disaster, we have to pay compensation."

Li Ye pointed out the important point.

Today, Shimai Insurance Company can be regarded as one of the well-known insurance companies in Shanghai.Although it is not comparable to foreign financial giants such as Meiya and Dragonsea.However, relying on the Luo family's well-known financial resources and reputation in Shanghai, many small and medium-sized businesses choose to insure with their company.

If these merchants on the wharf really collectively claim compensation from Roche, then Roche and Shimai Department Store, which are already not very well-funded, will really be dealt a major blow.

The originally bustling living room became quiet all of a sudden, and the servants who were a little discerning didn't dare to serve food, and just stood at the door and secretly looked inside.

"Compensation, if they really buy insurance from our company, they will have to pay no matter what. This is a matter of credibility, and it is the foundation of our Roche's foothold."

Luo Yunze stood up and raised his wine glass, "The more difficult the world is, the more we have to act with conscience. Others call us businessmen who blindly seek profit and don't care about other people's lives, but our Luo family is different. The Luo family has a conscience." A businessman is a businessman who loves the country and the people."

"Yes, Brother Luo is right. Difficulties are temporary. And isn't this also good news—at least the Sakura Department Store will definitely be 'nothing' when it opens next year, right! Chun Yingzi must be screaming in anger, maybe you can't worry about it Disappointed, I ran back to Japan."

Even at this moment, Liang Shaolong could find a way to make everyone happy.As soon as this remark came out, Luo Xiazhi and Gu Hanlin couldn't help laughing.

"I'm afraid that the Japanese will take the opportunity to make trouble and make the already chaotic situation even more chaotic..."

Even so, Luo Xiazhi still couldn't stop worrying.

Under the dining table, Gu Hanlin held his hand tightly, trying to ease his worries.

The clock strikes and the new year is here.

This coming year is destined to be full of turmoil and unrest.

The author has something to say: Today's chapter is a bit SAD, after all, this is the true background of the Republic of China.This chapter will be used as a transition. After that, Xiaoxia's career will go to a higher level, and then she will go to Hong Kong to develop.The reason, everyone knows...

Then around the end of the month this article will be over.Originally, I expected to write 30 words, but before I knew it, it was almost 40, far exceeding my expectations.Almost at the end there will be 2-3 extra chapters.

感谢在2020-11-1520:03:16~2020-11-1616:28:04期间为我投出霸王票或灌溉营养液的小天使哦~

Thanks to the little angel who irrigates the nutrient solution: Xiaosi is a bottle of Beiliang persimmon;

Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!