"No, I'll go with you!" Zhang Shixue said, "After all, I have been in Shanghai for several years, and I am familiar with the situation here. When you go to Nipi Lane, you don't know what to expect, but with me, a person who is familiar with the situation in Shanghai, things are easier to handle! ”

Seeing Zhang Shixue's resolute attitude, Lin Jiangbei couldn't refuse, so he nodded and agreed.

So the two of them walked out of Guangfu Mixing, stopped a taxi on the side of the road, and rushed to Nipi Lane.

Taking advantage of the time on the road, Zhang Shixue briefly introduced the situation of the City God Temple and Nipi Lane to Lin Jiangbei.

The City God Temple is located in the Nanshi area of Shanghai, but Shanghai locals prefer to call it the Old Town Chamber.

The old town is actually very interesting, basically a road name represents a kind of industry gathering place.

For example, the chicken feather lane was originally a gathering place for shops that bought and sorted poultry feathers and made feather dusters. As the name suggests, the sugar mill lane is named after the many shops that burn maltose. In addition, there are countless street alleys such as gluten alley and reed mat street.

The destination they went to this time, Nipi Lane, was naturally no exception, it turned out to be a place where nitrate fur was made. However, since the early years of the Republic of China, the function of the nitrate leather lane has changed suddenly, and the nitrate leather shops and workshops have been squeezed out by the gradually increasing number of Ningbo tailor shops, and it has become a place where the foreign clothing industry is concentrated. The so-called foreign clothes refer to suits and fashion. Therefore, it gradually became a gathering place for the Red Gang tailors who made suits for foreigners, and a Xuanyuan Hall was built here to worship the Yellow Emperor, who was considered omnipotent and the ancestor of all industries in China, but the actual function was to become the guild of the Red Gang tailor industry. It wasn't until a few years ago that the Shanghai Suit Merchants Association was established that the Xuanyuan Palace, the original Red Gang Tailor Industry Association, gradually declined.

Zhang Shixue has been in Shanghai for several years, and he still knows something about this story, but he just didn't remember it for a while. But after Vice President Huang's reminder, he remembered this story, and took advantage of his time on the road to give Lin Jiangbei a brief introduction.

More than 20 minutes later, the taxi drove to Nipi Lane. Because the alley was very narrow, the car couldn't drive in, so Lin Jiangbei and Zhang Shixue got off at the alley and walked inside.

Just after walking a few steps, Lin Jiangbei suddenly heard a surprise shout, "Boss Cheng, why are you here?" ”

Lin Jiangbei looked up and saw a tall young man standing a few meters in front of him, it was the young guard he met at the door when he first went to the Shanghai Federation of Trade Unions to look for Zhu Xuemo.

For a while, Lin Jiangbei couldn't help laughing, and said to the young guard: "Yes, it's really a coincidence." By the way, what do you call it? Also, how could you be here too. ”

"My surname is Gu, and my name is Gu Dabiao. Boss Cheng, just call me Xiao Gu! The young guard knew the weight of Lin Jiangbei in Zhu Xuemo's heart, and hurriedly replied respectfully: "My home is here, I don't have to go to work today, just go home and take a look!" ”

"This is where your house is?" Lin Jiangbei was even more pleasantly surprised. He was worried that there was no one who was familiar with the situation of the nitrate alley, but he didn't expect that a ready-made one would come immediately.

"yes, I grew up here." Gu Dabiao replied.

Zhang Shixue looked a little puzzled on the side, so he asked Lin Jiangbei: "Boss Cheng, who is this?" ”

"Shopkeeper Leng, this is a guard of the Shanghai Federation of Trade Unions, I met when I went to visit Chairman Zhu Xuemo." Lin Jiangbei pointed to Gu Dabiao and introduced Zhang Shixue.

Zhang Shixue nodded, and he knew it in his heart. Since he is a person who wishes to learn from the model, there is naturally no problem with reliability. Otherwise, with the Jianghu method of Zhu Xuemo, the general two or five boys can't please him much!

"Boss Cheng, what are you doing here? Don't know if there's anything I can do to help? Gu Dabiao asked earnestly on the side. He has always been dissatisfied that he was only a guard at the Shanghai Federation of Trade Unions, and at this time, he met Boss Cheng, who had a very close relationship with Chairman Zhu Xuemo, and naturally he would not let go of this opportunity.

"Xiao Gu," Lin Jiangbei said, "Since you grew up in this alley, do you know that there is a Xuanyuan Hall in it?" ”

"Yes, yes, it's diagonally across the street from my house." Gu Dabiao said, "Boss Cheng, are you going to Xuanyuan Palace?" ”

Hearing that the Xuanyuan Hall was diagonally opposite Gu Dabiao's house, Lin Jiangbei was even more happy in his heart, nodded and said, "Yes, I just want to go to the Xuanyuan Palace." Xiao Gu, since the Xuanyuan Hall is diagonally opposite your house, you should be very familiar with the situation of the Xuanyuan Palace, right? ”

"Of course familiar!" Gu Dabiao said, "My grandfather used to be the deacon of Xuanyuan Palace. ”

After saying this, he explained to Lin Jiangbei: "Xuanyuan Hall is actually the location of the Red Gang Tailor Industry Association, and the full name is the Xuanyuan Hall of the Shangyi Yangguang Garment Industry Association, and the deacon is basically equivalent to the director of the current industry association. ”

"Then your grandfather, is he still in Xuanyuan Palace?" Lin Jiangbei asked Gu Dabiao.

Gu Dabiao's expression darkened, shook his head and said, "My grandfather had a serious illness at the end of last year and is no longer alive!" ”

"I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have asked, mourning!" Lin Jiangbei didn't expect this result, gently patted Gu Dabiao's shoulder, and apologized to him.

"It's okay, you don't know about being the boss. Besides, it's been a few months. Gu Dabiao hurriedly waved his hand, and then asked Lin Jiangbei: "Boss Cheng, although my grandfather is gone, but because I often go to the Xuanyuan Palace, I am also familiar with the situation inside, I don't know what you want to do when you go to the Xuanyuan Palace, you can tell me about it, and I will see if I can help." ”

Lin Jiangbei also had nothing to hide from Gu Dabiao, he said: "I want to inquire about a Belarusian tailor named Old Drunkard to see if he has registered with the guild of the Xuanyuan Palace." ”

"Old drunkard?" Gu Dabiao hurriedly said: "Is his full name Rotyodov Leonovsky, and he likes to raise carrier pigeons?" ”

Keeping pigeons?

Lin Jiangbei and Zhang Shixue met a look, but he didn't expect that there would be such an unexpected gain here in Gu Dabiao.

"His name is indeed Rotyodov Leonovsky. But whether I like to keep carrier pigeons or not, I don't know. "I've just heard that he is very skilled in tailoring suits, and he often goes in and out of the U.S. Consulate General, the German Consulate General and the Japanese Consulate General to cut clothes for officials of all sizes." ”

"That must be him!" Gu Dabiao patted his thigh and said: "Although Xuanyuan Hall is the Red Gang Tailors Guild, the foreigners in Shanghai who really have status, such as the officials of foreign consulates in the United States, Germany, and Japan that you just mentioned, will not let the Red Gang tailors in Ningbo cut their clothes for them. Either they brought their own tailors from abroad, or they asked Belarusian tailors to come over. ”

"I heard my grandfather say that when the old drunkard first joined the Xuanyuan Palace Tailor Guild, his attitude was relatively humble, and he respected the Red Gang tailors from Ningbo. Later, after taking the line of several foreign consulates and opening up the business, the attitude became arrogant. If it weren't for the fact that his clothes and fabrics needed to be purchased from the Xuanyuan Palace's Tailors Guild at that time, he might have left the Xuanyuan Palace a long time ago. ”

"Later, as Western and Japanese cloth merchants gradually gained a foothold in Shanghai, the old drunkard took advantage of the opportunity of the establishment of the Shanghai Suit Merchants Association, which was officially supported by the Nationalist Government, and officially broke away from the Xuanyuan Palace."

"If it is officially calculated, he should not have been to Xuanyuan Hall for three or four years!"

"I see!" Lin Jiangbei nodded, it seems that the old drunkard that Gu Dabiao said is the target he is looking for, "Xiao Gu, then you just said that the old drunkard likes to raise carrier pigeons, what's going on?" ”

"Huh this?" Gu Dabiao scratched his head and said, "When I was young, I used to raise pigeons for a few days, so I liked pigeons more. A few years ago, an American businessman named Basgur came forward to lead a group of expatriates from Shanghai to set up a Shanghai pigeon club in Hongkou Park, where pigeon activities were often held. ”

"Because I like pigeons, I often go to Hongkou Park to participate in their activities when I have nothing to do. Then it is not uncommon to meet the old drunkard who brings his own pigeons to events and races. ”

Hearing this, Zhang Shixue couldn't help but interject and asked: "Xiao Gu, I have also heard about the Shanghai Pigeon Club." However, what I heard is that those Western expatriates led by Basgur thought that the level of Chinese pigeon breeding was very low, and refused to join Chinese pigeon breeders, so when Shanghainese mentioned this pigeon club, they called them the Western pigeon club. How can you go over and attend their event? ”

"You're talking about the old yellow calendar!" Gu Dabiao glanced at Zhang Shixue and said: "Three years ago, our Shanghai pigeon master Li Meiling spent a lot of money to introduce a Japanese pigeon pigeon from Japan because he was not angry that these Western pigeon lovers looked down on Chinese pigeon breeders, and then made an appointment with the carrier pigeons raised by Basgur, and then won the first place. Since then, the Shanghai Pigeon Club has allowed Chinese pigeon enthusiasts to join. It was after that I often went to the Shanghai Pigeon Club. ”

"So, you're also a member of the Shanghai Pigeon Club?" Lin Jiangbei asked.

"Yes, I am also a member of the Shanghai Pigeon Club, but I don't have the money to buy foreign pigeons, only two Chinese pigeons, and the results are very poor." Speaking of this, Gu Dabiao paused for a moment and said, "The old drunkard's grades are better." Just a few days ago, in a sprint pigeon race held in Hongkou Park, one of the old drunkard's pigeons won second place! ”

"Do you know where the old drunkard lives?" Lin Jiangbei asked again.

"I don't know much about that. However, there should be someone in the Shanghai pigeon club who knows the address of the old drunkard, if Boss Cheng is free now, I can take you to the Shanghai pigeon club in Hongkou Park to help you inquire! ”

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