July 23 of the 21st year of the Republic of China was a Saturday, and the weather in Shanghai was slightly muggy, especially in the afternoon.

No. 13 Shanghai Bund is the Jianghai Customs Building. The building is imposingly built, with a Greek Doric colonnaded door and a granite façade.

A chiming clock is built on top of the building, and its twin sister is Big Ben in London, England. The chiming bell is engraved every day, and the Westminster Newspaper Engraving is played.

The west bank of the Pujiang River is busy with commerce, and the Jianghaiguan Building is also not idle, with crowds coming and going, and noisy voices.

In the office of the tax collection department upstairs of the building, the paper was turning rapidly in the light and dust, making a rattling sound, and the telephone rang one after another, and everyone was busy.

In the corner, a middle-aged man answered the phone and listened for a long time before he understood the meaning of the other side.

He opened his throat and shouted, "Ye Weizhou!" Ye Weizhou was a customs officer in the tax collection department, and he was busy with her affairs at this time.

She has a distance from the middle-aged man, and she is noisy everywhere, but she is attentive. Therefore, the middle-aged man shouted several times in a row before she finally heard her name.

Ye Weizhou raised his head and looked around, looking for the source of the sound. The middle-aged man wiped the sweat on his forehead with a gray handkerchief, and shouted loudly: "Ye Weizhou! Ye Weizhou is not there?" This time his voice was loud, and Ye Weizhou could hear it clearly.

She put down the pen in her hand and stood up. With her tall stature, Ye Weizhou confirmed at a glance that it was the middle-aged man in the corner calling her.

After a distance, she raised her voice and said, "I'm here!" The middle-aged man's expression was a little impatient, and he raised the phone microphone in his hand as if he gestured to her: "Your phone!"

Ye Weizhou was a little confused, but he still stepped over and took the phone microphone. She cleared her throat and said, "Hey, hello." I'm Ye Weizhou. A bright woman's voice came from the other end of the microphone.

This is her best friend Zhao Ronghe, because Zhao Ronghe is married and has been moving recently, the two have not spoken together for some time.

Now, hearing this voice, Ye Weizhou's originally haggard facial features became angry. However, in the end, it was too noisy.

She frowned and confessed, "I can't hear clearly." Zhao Ronghe at the other end was originally lying on his side lazily, but when he heard this, he immediately supported the sofa with one hand, sat up straight, and raised his voice cooperatively: "I said, please come to dinner tonight!" This time, Ye Weizhou finally heard clearly.

She replied, "You've moved all the house?"

"It's all moved......" Zhao Ronghe said something later, but Ye Weizhou couldn't hear it clearly.

She only vaguely caught it

"Guest",

"Talking about things",

I don't know if the word "man" is important. Ye Weizhou sighed: "Let's talk when we meet in the evening." Zhao Ronghe responded.

After hanging up, returning the phone microphone to the middle-aged man, Ye Weizhou said politely: "Thank you." The middle-aged man wiped the sweat from his forehead and complained: "Why do you young people call everything? This is treating the customs as your home!" Ye Weizhou didn't say anything, and he didn't take his words to heart.

She quickly returned to her place and went about her business. However, unlike before, this time she is dual-minded, doing things while looking forward to getting off work.

Finally, it was five o'clock in the afternoon. Outside, the chiming bell rang, and the sound was thick and long. At the sound of the bell, the flow of people poured out from the building.

The staff of the office of the Taxation Division also went home from work in twos and threes. Shoulder to shoulder, the voices are boiling.

The dialects of various places and the languages of various countries resounded one after another. Ye Weizhou doesn't like crowds. She waited patiently until the wait was almost finished, then she packed up her things a little, and then got up and walked outside.

She was going to find her father Ye Shenxing and tell him that she was going to her friend Zhao Ronghe's house for dinner.

Ye Shenxing took up a post in the personnel department of the Jiang Customs. In fact, Ye Shenxing has a deep affection for the customs.

He was always the first to come and the last to leave the Personnel Department. As a habit, every day after work, Ye Weizhou would go to the office of the personnel department to find Ye Shenxing, and then the father and daughter would take the driver's car home together.

There was still some distance from the office of the Personnel Department, and Ye Weizhou vaguely seemed to hear Ye Shenxing's voice.

“…… Even if we don't talk about aggression, which staff member of the customs is not clear about this new tariff policy, and which of our Chinese staff members is willing to accept it?" Another unfamiliar voice said: "Lao Ye, this matter cannot be refused! The Northeast Customs has fallen, do you know how many ships and goods have been detained there? Jiang Customs is also dangerous! Now, that Japanese is almost here, and you must find a Chinese clerk to ......." Ye Weizhou adhered to the mentality of not listening to indecent people, and did not plan to eavesdrop on this conversation, even if he heard it, he tried not to take these contents to heart.

As soon as the person who spoke noticed Ye Weizhou who appeared outside the door, he immediately stopped talking. Ye Weizhou didn't care much.

Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the man and saw that it was a clerk she didn't recognize, so she didn't have to say hello.

She only obediently shouted, "Father." Ye Shenxing responded, and then stood up: "I've packed up, and the driver is already ...... outside the door" Ye Weizhou said busily: "I won't go home for dinner." Lotus called me to go to her place to eat. Worried that Ye Shenxing would say no, Ye Weizhou quickly added: "Lotus has just moved, and I haven't seen her for more than half a year...... Ye Shenxing smiled: "It's naturally a good thing for friends to meet." Ye Weizhou's mood was bright, and she was about to retreat, when she heard Ye Shenxing ask her, "Do you want the driver to send you?"

"No need," Ye Weizhou pursed the corners of his mouth slightly,

"The Zhao family's new home is on Xinzha Road, which is very close, and it doesn't take long to walk. No longer waiting for Ye Shenxing to say anything, Ye Weizhou said

"Father, I'll go first", quickly disappeared at the door of the personnel department's office. After Ye Weizhou left, Ye Shenxing finally thought of something.

He frowned lightly: "That Japanese really wants to go to the tax collection department, and he really insists on a Chinese clerk to guide him in his work, isn't it?" The clerk nodded: "That's right." I can't think of how to arrange it, and you are an old man who knows the customs best, so I have come to ask your opinion. Ye Shenxing paused for a moment, as if he had made up his mind, his expression was extremely solemn: "Look...... My daughter Ye Weizhou, how's that?" - The long street facing the Jianghaiguan Building is bustling and beautiful, and the radio is playing light and leisurely music.

The streets are wide and crowded, with red and green traffic lights flashing alternately, and the light is cast on people's bodies.

The tram sounded and the bicycles sped by. The Jianghaiguan Building is on the west bank of the Pujiang River, close to the Public Concession.

Ye Weizhou walked, and it didn't take long to arrive at Xinzha Road, the new home of the Zhao family. It is a new, single-bay new style lane house with three floors, an open iron gate and a small garden.

There was a private car parked in the garage, which belonged to Zhao Ronghe's husband Liang Pingzhang, and Ye Weizhou recognized it. In addition, there is a black Pontic car in the small garden.

The car is very new. Through the front windshield, it seems that a foreigner rag doll can be vaguely seen in the back seat.

For some reason, Ye Weizhou looked at the car and was a little fascinated.

"Weizhou, why don't you go upstairs when you're here?" Hearing this, Ye Weizhou's eyes trembled, and he hurriedly raised his eyes to look. Zhao Ronghe wore a wishful shirt weaving cloud pennant, went down the stairs, and walked straight towards her.

She stepped on a pair of shiny high-heeled leather shoes, the heels of which clattered against the ground. Getting closer, and without waiting for Ye Weizhou to speak, Zhao Ronghe asked, "When did you arrive?" You were stunned just now, what were you looking at?" Ye Weizhou was looking at the unmasked car, but she didn't want Zhao Ronghe to know about it.

Therefore, she subconsciously told a little lie: "I didn't see anything." Fortunately, Zhao Ronghe only asked symbolically, and did not mean to get to the bottom of it.

The lie was quickly revealed. Zhao Ronghe took her hand, pulled her towards the stairs, and said, "Didn't see anything?" Ah, maybe you're too tired from work. Pingzhang also often reads books in a daze, and once even spilled all the black tea! No wonder the nerd ......" As he spoke, the two of them went upstairs together.

Zhao Ronghe is in her twenties, so beautiful that she is flamboyant and intense, with a pair of peach blossom eyes and upturned eyes, which is particularly attractive. She got married last year, probably because of her husband's favor, Zhao Ronghe is a little plump, and this makes her even more graceful.

The new lane house is different from the old house, the floor is waxed hardwood, and it is wider and brighter.

The Zhao family has just moved these days, and some furniture has not been put away, and when they go up to the second floor, they can see three or two piles of garbage crowded on the ground in the corner of the living room.

Noticing that she had been looking at those, Zhao Ronghe couldn't help but say: "My good Weizhou, don't you want to clean up the house for me? You were invited by me to dinner! Besides, look at your thin arms and legs, you can copy the report and I can move the rosewood table, I don't believe it." After a pause, Zhao Ronghe said again: "I was cooking just now, and I made a lot of what you like to eat." The last snail was handed over to the aunt at home to make, and it was not good at this time. Pingzhang is in the study over there, and there are guests at home. Ye Weizhou was slightly stunned

"Guest?" Zhao Ronghe smiled and said, "That's right." That's what I told you on the phone. Who knew that you customs were so noisy, and you didn't hear anything. This is a young man, and he is very good-looking, if you see him, don't be frizzy......" In the middle of the conversation, they walked to the door of the study.

Ms. Zhao's husband, Liang Pingzhang, sat at his desk, facing the door. Across from him sat a man.

The two men were talking something. Zhao Ronghe raised his chin at the man's back, and whispered to Ye Weizhou: "It's him." "The man wears a close-fitting suit with broad shoulders and a straight back.

The sound of their conversation was not very loud, and they were not really heard when they stood in the doorway. However, Ye Weizhou still caught it keenly

"Customs Clearance",

"Policy",

Words like "export". Liang Pingzhang is the secretary of the Chinese Literature Section of the Jiang Customs, and they seem to be talking about the customs...... At this time, the aunt who was working for the Zhao family stepped forward and said to Zhao Ronghe: "Madam, dinner is ready." "Zhao Ronghe

"Hmm" said: "It's hard." In the study, Liang Pingzhang heard the movement and glanced at Zhao Ronghe outside the door.

Then, he said to the man in front of him, "Mr. Zhong, let's have dinner first." The man nodded in agreement.

Liang Pingzhang stood up, walked to the door of the study, raised his hand and pinched Zhao Ronghe's cheek very lightly.

Zhao Ronghe glared at him with disgust and slapped his hand away: "There is still Weizhou here!" Ye Weizhou didn't mind their affection, and just smiled politely when he saw this: "Mr. Liang." Liang Pingzhang bowed his head and said in a gentle voice: "Weizhou." The man in the study got up and walked over at this moment, and from the corner of Ye Weizhou's eyes, he could see a tall and lofty figure getting closer and closer.

The man stopped a foot away from Ye Weizhou, and soon, she smelled a very clear smell of tobacco.

Light shone in through the glass window behind him, casting his shadow on her. Ye Weizhou heard a deep voice slowly sounding: "This, is Miss Ye from Jing'an District?" she finally looked over.