Why did Zhou Hexuan leave the underwear business in Shanghai and return to Tianjin in a hurry?

Because the "purging of the party" began. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

Not only was the blood flowed from the south, but the north also raised the butcher's knife.

Zhang Zuolin and Principal Chang are ostensibly fighting to the death, but in fact, they have been in secret contact since last fall. The Beiyang warlords and the leaders of the southern government actually joined forces to carry out a bloody crackdown on the progressives.

Just like Zhou Hexuan said to Zhang Xueliang, it doesn't matter if there is chaos on his side, as long as he messes up his opponent more. Zhang Zuolin is playing this wishful thinking, and he doesn't need Zhou Hexuan to remind him at all, he has already planned it.

Now the forces of the Northern Expedition have actually been divided into three, and it is so chaotic that it is almost impossible to distinguish between friend and foe.

Not to mention people from both parties, even innocent people were slaughtered.

During the "purging of the party" in Guangzhou, all those who wore suits, tunics, and student uniforms, as well as those whose hair was combed back, were all arrested as members of our party.

In some places, progressive women were also regarded as red elements, and women with short haircuts were killed without interrogation in the county. The situation in the Lianghu area is the most serious, and some people even came to Shanghai and asked: "Why are there so many women in Shanghai who cut their hair short, and are they not afraid of being killed?" ”

Zhou Hexuan could only be silent about this, he couldn't do anything, and he didn't even dare to voice opposition. The "Qing Party" wants to kill hundreds of thousands of people, and it doesn't care about killing one more of them.

On the contrary, Zhou Hexuan still had to pretend that nothing happened, looking indifferent to it. After he returned to Tianjin, he honestly ran a newspaper and wrote articles, and in his spare time, he went to the theater to watch Meng Xiaodong's performances, or accompanied Wanrong to play ball and have fun in foreigners' clubs.

At the same time, he also received several letters from Zhang Leyi, the first of which was sent from Nanjing, saying that he was going to return to Lushan with his father, and attached Lushan's home address. Looking at the date of her letter, it was when Zhou Hexuan was about to go south, and he missed it because the letter was too slow to deliver.

The next few letters were all sent from Lushan.

Zhang Leyi said that her family's business is becoming more and more prosperous, and many new upstarts in the southern government want to build villas in Lushan, and the Zhang family's real estate development business is going smoothly.

Perhaps because Zhou Hexuan never replied to the letter, Zhang Leyi seemed a little panicked. In the fifth letter, Zhang Leyi said that she wanted to come to Tianjin because she wanted to help her father negotiate business, but in fact, the main purpose was to meet Zhou Hexuan.

As for Shanghai, Zhang Jiazhu also sent a telegram, saying that the daily sales of underwear have exceeded 3,000 pieces, and the gross profit is nearly 10,000 yuan per day.

It's just that there are more and more copycat products, and now there are two new underwear factories in Shanghai alone. Zhou Hexuan's patent certificate and monopoly right are completely useless, because the political situation is too chaotic, and the Beiyang government does not mention it, and there are two legitimate governments in the south, and they don't know which law to follow when they go to court.

Fortunately, Zhou Hexuan and his underwear are famous, and they have already produced a brand effect, and many women have recognized "Zhou's underwear", and their market share has not declined quickly.

……

Mid-April, weekend.

Wanrong took a thick stack of sketches, and rushed to say, "Brother Zhou, the first episode of "Sanmao Wanderings" has been fully drawn, you can help me revise it." ”

"Okay, show me." Zhou Hexuan said with a smile.

Wanrong, who found interest sustenance, is more energetic than before, and his complexion is much better. She was wearing a new civilized dress at the moment, and even her hair was cut short, and at first glance, she thought she was a progressive schoolgirl.

Zhou Hexuan didn't look through the sketch immediately, but asked, "Have you quit cigarettes?" ”

Wanrong said with some humility: "I only smoked one yesterday." ”

"Take your time, haven't you reconciled with your family yet?" Zhou Hexuan asked again.

Wanrong sighed and said: "Alas, they refuse to see me, saying that Guo Buluo does not have an unfilial daughter like me. ”

Zhou Hexuan comforted: "It will get better slowly." ”

The two chatted for a while, and Zhou Hexuan opened the sketch.

Wanrong's "Sanmao Wanderings", although the storyline is similar, the overall style is quite different from the original. Her printmaking style is more delicate and delicate, with some taste of fine brushwork, which is a little less market-like than the original.

There's no way, the court lady was born, and she really can't paint that flavor.

Zhou Hexuan shook his head and said: "You don't need to pay too much attention to the details, this is not a fine brush painting after all, and the overall style is not right." In this way, I will accompany you to walk around the streets and alleys, and even go to the slums to feel the atmosphere. ”

"Do you want to redraw?" Wanrong asked.

"Redraw them all." Zhou Hexuan said.

Anyway, there was nothing to do today, Zhou Hexuan immediately went out with Wanrong, and the Sun brothers were followed behind his buttocks.

They first went to the streets of the concession to take a turn, and Zhou Hexuan pointed to the descriptors on the road: "You have to pay attention to their demeanor and demeanor, what do foreigners look like?" What does a senior Chinese look like? What about the common people? Look at the candy seller, the wrinkles on his face and his smile, and the flattering look on his face. Only when you are familiar with these, can you draw a good comic in the market, showing the three religions and nine streams, and all living beings, your current comics are too detached from reality. ”

Wanrong suddenly realized and said: "I said how awkward it feels, it turns out that the characters in my comics are all carved out of a mold." Without Brother Zhou's reminder, I really wouldn't have paid attention to these. ”

Zhou Hexuan said with a smile: "In the future, you can go out every day, observe people of different identities, and pay attention to their words and deeds, which is good for your painting skills." And it can also be a good way to relax and relieve boredom, killing multiple birds with one stone. ”

"I made a note of it." Wanrong likes to listen to Zhou Hexuan talk like this, and she feels valued and cared for.

The two had lunch outside, and in the afternoon they went around the city of Tianjin, observing all the way to the slum in the northeast of the city.

The style of painting here has changed dramatically, and I can see that the narrow streets are lined with ragged and withered refugees. Their eyes were blank and their expressions were helpless, like walking corpses, and they didn't feel any anger at all.

Zhou Hexuan's arrival was like throwing a stone into a pool of stagnant water, and those refugees frantically surrounded them.

"Sir, Miss, okay, I haven't eaten for two days."

"Sir, sir, do you want a maid? My daughter does the laundry, cooks, folds quilts, everything, you can buy her...... 10 bucks, only 10 bucks! ”

“……”

Where has Wanrong seen this kind of situation, she was suddenly shocked, and even the three views were subverted, pulling Zhou Hexuan's sleeve and asking, "...... them How could they have nothing to eat? It's all to the point of selling sons and daughters. Naoli hasn't been fighting recently. ”

Zhou Hexuan asked Sun Yonghao to throw out dozens of copper plates, and sighed: "They are all refugees who escaped from Shandong." ”

Earlier this year, torrential rains in Shandong caused most of the houses in the countryside to collapse and people were displaced. And Zhang Zongchang is still leviing and expropriating, not only does not bail out, but levies heavy taxes. At first, the refugees were still begging in Shandong, but with the spring famine, it was difficult to continue in the places where there was no disaster, so they could only drag their families to Tianjin.

Tianjin is under the control of Chu Yupu, and Chu Yupu is still fighting with Zhang Zongchang, and he doesn't care about it. The only thing the Tianjin local government can do is to send a corpse collection team to come over, and every day it can receive a few corpses that are dying of disease and starvation.

Zhou Hexuan learned about the disaster from Ta Kung Pao, but he did not know that there were many refugees in Tianjin, and that the government and non-governmental charities did not help them.

"Alas, it's hard to make some money by selling underwear, and it looks like I'll have to throw some out again." Zhou Hexuan smiled bitterly. His heart is also soft, he didn't meet it, but now that he has witnessed the tragic situation of the refugees, he is not happy not to do something.