"There are still a lot of rich people in New York!" Chen Qiang looked at the account book and couldn't help but sigh.

And what surprised Chen Qiang even more was the huge profits of the gym!

Although Chen Qiang knew that opening a gym was very profitable, he didn't expect the gym to be so profitable. Originally, Chen Qiang planned to pay off the $8,000 loan in two or three years, but now it seems that he will be able to earn $8,000 in less than half a year.

At this time, Chen Qiang finally understood why his few students who opened a gym all drove luxury cars like BMW and Mercedes-Benz, and this gym could have such a big profit, and it was normal to drive a BMW and Mercedes-Benz!

Although the investment in this gym is very large, it is basically a one-time investment, after the investment is completed, it is lying down and counting the money, as time goes by, the profit will become bigger and bigger, it is no exaggeration to say that this is simply a hen that lays golden eggs, and this hen only needs to eat a little bit of feed.

Chen Qiang's gym equipment is more advanced, the management is more standardized, and the service is more thoughtful, these are the magic weapons to attract customers, especially for many rich people, they care more about quality, Chen Qiang's gym is to cater to their psychology, so that these rich people are willing to pay money.

This is like many brands or consumption places that focus on petty bourgeois taste in later generations, things are not cheap, not necessarily value for money, but what people sell is a kind of forced style, a kind of style.

While selling membership cards, Chen Qiang was not idle, he was engaged in staff training to prepare for the future courses.

There are many courses that can be opened in the gym, Chen Qiang only needs each employee to master one course skill, with the current scale of the gym, as long as it can ensure that the daily classes are continuous, there will be sufficient profits.

At the same time, Chen Qiang is also paying attention to major events at home and abroad. After all, this was 1939, the year of the outbreak of war in Europe, and almost every major international event at this time was closely related to future wars. Although Chen Qiang knew that World War II would break out at the end of the year, as a time-traveler, he still wanted to witness this major historical moment.

The Germans announced a Plan Z, a five-year naval expansion program aimed at building a large German fleet, and the Germans even proposed to bring the German fleet to rival the British Royal Navy by 1944.

Before the Pacific War, the U.S. war machine was not yet running, and the U.S. Navy had not yet begun to make dumplings, so the largest naval force in the world at that time was the British Royal Navy, but the British colonies were all over the world, and Britain had too many places to defend, so the British Royal Navy was still all over the world, and the forces were too scattered.

In response to the expansion of the German navy, Britain began to shrink its naval power in Asia, such as Hong Kong, Singapore, India and other places were transferred back to the British mainland, which also made the Japanese navy more and more unscrupulous throughout East Asia. Later, when the Japanese occupied Hong Kong and other Southeast Asian regions, they did not encounter much resistance.

This move of the Germans also paralyzed the British and French to a certain extent, making Britain and France mistakenly believe that Germany would start a war around 1944, so many British and French politicians are still stupidly waiting for Germany to fight with the Soviet Union. In order to allow the Germans to concentrate on dealing with the Soviet Union in the east, Britain and France even recognized the Franco government in Spain, so that Germany no longer had to worry about Spanish affairs.

In March, another rumor appeared in Europe that Germany was going to attack Romania, which sparked a panic of war in Romania.

There had been a "Dutch war panic" before, and now there was a "Romanian war panic", which was nothing more than a trick played by the Germans. At the subsequent meeting in London to deal with the Romanian crisis, French Foreign Minister Bonnet suggested that the ideal country to save Romania from the Germans would be Poland!

The French had already planned to abandon Poland and allow Germany to attack Poland, and since the Soviet Union had always regarded Poland as its sphere of influence, if Germany attacked Poland, it would inevitably lead to a dispute with the Soviet Union, and then the plan to let Germany and the Soviet Union go to war would succeed.

It can be said that in the first three months of 1939, Europe was turbulent, and in the past, there might not have been so many moths in a year. It's just that the American media only has a rough idea of the situation in Europe, and Americans still don't pay much attention to things outside the United States, even when the war between Slovakia and Hungary has begun, and the media in New York are still focusing on the Brooklyn Blackbirds and Chicago Loyola, two basketball teams, who will win the 1939 NCAA championship.

The U.S. media doesn't pay much attention to Europe, and there is little coverage of Asia, so Chen Qiang still has to go through the news from the Chinese embassy to understand the situation at home.

Chongqing has expelled President Wang from the party, but the serious consequences of President Wang's defection have been continuously expanded.

In January, the Executive Yuan released a piece of information that in 1938, overseas Chinese donated more than 100 million legal dollars in order to resist Japan, of which overseas Chinese in Malaysia donated the most.

Chen Qiang doesn't know how much of this 100 million fiat currency will be implemented on the battlefield of resistance against Japan, but it is certain that a lot of money will inevitably go into the pockets of the four major families. Moreover, it will not be long before Japan will launch an attack on Southeast Asia, and at that time, the overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia will not be able to protect themselves, and the financial aid of the overseas Chinese will be cut off.

In addition, another good news is that the No. 1 well of the Yumen Oilfield has produced oil, although the daily output of only 1.5 tons of oil, for the whole of China's oil demand is just a drop in the bucket, but in the most difficult period of the Anti-Japanese War, the supply of materials in the whole of China was completely blocked by the Japanese army, and the Yumen Oilfield has become the lifeblood of the whole of China's oil supply.

In New York, the Chinese and overseas Chinese in the United States held a 10,000-person march to raise funds for the Anti-Japanese War, and after the parade, Ambassador Hu Shi also came to New York in person to express his gratitude to the local Chinese and overseas Chinese.

By the way, Hu Shi also visited Chen Qiang's gym.

"Chen Qiang, you kid is powerful enough, you haven't seen you for a few months, and you have made such a big business in New York." Hu Shi said with a smile.

"Sir, don't make fun of me, all these things I got were bought with loans, and I don't know when I will be able to pay off the loans." Chen Qiang paused in his voice and asked, "How is the situation in China recently?" The newspapers in New York don't report much about other countries, and I don't know where the situation is going in the country. ”

"The domestic situation is still very bad, Hainan Island has been occupied by Japan, and now Japan is attacking Nanchang, it is estimated that Nanchang will soon be unable to hold, and then we will have to retreat to Changsha for a generation of defense." Hu Shichang sighed, and then said: "A few days ago, Britain held an anti-aggression conference, and we China also sent people there, and Chongqing hoped to follow this conference to win the attention and sympathy of the international community, and also to put pressure on the Japanese, but what I didn't expect was that the Europeans didn't pay attention to us at all. ”

"When is it that Chongqing still wants to rely on Britain to deal with Japan? If the British can be trusted, the sows will have to go up the tree! This is a war related to the survival of the country and the nation, no one can rely on outsiders, and if we want to drive away the invaders, we can only rely on ourselves! Chen Qiang said indignantly.

"Who's to say it isn't! I think Chongqing also has dates and no dates, in case the British are willing to help us! Hu Shi smiled helplessly, and then continued: "In fact, the British themselves are too busy to take care of themselves!" ”

"It's because of Germany, right?" Chen Qiang asked.

"Not only in Germany, but also in India, there are people making trouble." Hu Shi replied.

"Gandhi?" Chen Qiang didn't even think about it, and instinctively spit out the name.

"You know Gandhi!" Hu Shi was a little surprised, and then his expression was much more relieved: "But it's normal, we Chinese don't know Gandhi, you often go abroad, you will definitely hear of him!" ”

At this time, Gandhi had already led many "non-violent non-cooperation" movements, and was also quite famous internationally, but for those countries with colonies, Gandhi was a big problem, and he wanted to get rid of it quickly.

In 1939, India's Congress party asked Gandhi to return to leadership the party, and it was also the same year that Gandhi organized a massive campaign to protest against British colonial rule in India. At that time, Britain needed to focus on the Germans, and the problems in India, Britain's largest overseas colony, were undoubtedly worse for the British, making it difficult for the British to balance the whole thing.

I saw Hu Shi lower his voice, and then said: "There is news from the White House that Britain and the United States have differences in their stance on the Sino-Japanese war, the Americans want to support us China to deal with the Japanese, and Britain wants to compromise with Japan, as long as Japan can ensure that Britain's interests in China are not harmed, Britain can recognize Japan's aggression against China!" ”

"Unexpectedly, in order to deal with Germany, Britain's military forces in the Far East were basically exhausted, especially after the Japanese occupied Canton, and I think the British must be very worried that Hong Kong will also be taken away by Japan! These British, in order to keep Romania, are already planning to sacrifice Poland, and now in order to keep Hong Kong, it is not strange to sacrifice China! Chen Qiang said.

"Fortunately, the Americans still support us, and my main job now is to build a good relationship with the US government, and if possible, I hope to get some more money from the Americans. It's just that there are big divisions within the U.S. government, and the conservatives have a policy of isolation, and they don't want the U.S. government to support us. ”

Hu Shi shook his head helplessly, and then said: "On the domestic battlefield, we have been defeated again and again, which also makes the Americans not optimistic about us, and it is becoming more and more difficult to get money from the Americans. The Americans are reluctant to be on the side of the losers, and they are worried about whether the money they lend out will go down the drain, so what we need most now is a victory, at least to make the Americans realize that we can win, so that they can continue to lend us money. ”

"There will be a victory." Chen Qiang opened his mouth and comforted.

Chen Qiang knew that the war in China would shift from the strategic defense stage to the strategic stalemate stage, and after entering a protracted war, some news of victory would come from various battlefields.

And now, on the domestic battlefield, the Chinese army is losing and retreating, and cities are lost one after another, and it seems that China is struggling and has no hope of victory at all. In this situation, Hu Shi's work is indeed difficult. An ambassador who is about to die is bound to be unwelcome.

"Sir, let's not talk about these troubles, why did you come to New York this time?" Chen Qiang asked.

"The 10,000-person march in New York a few days ago, as you must know, the march raised some donations, and I came to take the money away, and by the way, I would like to express my gratitude to the Chinese community in New York." Hu Shi opened his mouth and said.

"I know, I also donated at that time. I still owe a loan, and I don't have a lot of money, so I don't donate much. Chen Qiang said.

"Just have this heart." Hu Shi continued: "Another thing I came to New York for is to meet two people, by the way, come with me at night, and I will introduce you to two beauties." ”

"Sir, I know no less than you do with these ladies of New York." Chen Qiang pointed to his gym, and then said, "Many of them are still members of mine!" ”

"What I let you see is not a foreign woman, but a Chinese." Hu Shi smiled, and then said, "Yan Yaqing and Li Xiaqing, have you heard of it?" ”

"It......'s a little familiar," Chen Qiang thought for a while, and then asked, "I read it in the newspaper, are those two female pilots?" ”

Hu Shi nodded and replied: "Yan Yaqing and Li Xiaqing are going to hold a flight around the United States to raise funds for refugees in China, and they invited me to attend the opening ceremony of the flight, which is also the second thing I did in New York. ”

"I heard that Li Xiaqing is still a movie star, right?" Chen Qiang asked subconsciously.

"Yes, she has acted in several movies, and ten years ago, she was one of the most popular movie stars in Shanghai. But the family has already been married, and the children are all in school. Hu Shi said with a smile.

……

Li Xiaqing is known as "China's first female pilot", her father is a patriot and the founder of Shanghai Minxin Film Company, so Li Xiaqing once acted in movies under the stage name of "Li Dandan", and she is very popular. In the Mid-Autumn Festival in 1928, the domestic film industry once selected a "Star Seven Sisters", and Li Xiaqing, who was only 16 years old at the time, was one of them, and Butterfly and Ruan Lingyu were also rated as "Star Seven Sisters".

At the age of 17, Li Xiaqing married and retired, and her husband was the secretary of the League of Nations at the time, so Li Xiaqing and her husband went to live in Europe together, and learned the art of flying at the Cantana Flight School in Geneva.

After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, Li Xiaqing applied to join the Chinese Air Force, hoping to go to the battlefield to defend against the invaders, but was not approved, so she worked as an ambulance in the rear hospital, and later the Japanese wanted to arrest this "China's first female pilot", so she was wanted, and Li Xiaqing ran to the United States. And even when she came to the United States, Li Xiaqing still did not forget the cause of the Anti-Japanese War in China, so there was this flight around the United States to raise funds for domestic refugees.

Another female pilot, Yan Yaqing, was also from a wealthy family, and his uncle Yan Huiqing was a well-known Chinese diplomat who served as ambassador to the United States and defended national sovereignty many times in the diplomatic field. Yan Yaqing followed her uncle and also engaged in many diplomatic activities, such as in 1935, Yan Yaqing participated in the League of Nations Congress in Geneva as the only female representative sent by China.

Yan Yaqing was close friends with Hu Shih, and she also served as Mrs. Roosevelt's personal secretary, was also one of the drafters of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, and was an early information officer of the United Nations.

After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, Yan Yaqing came to the United States and was admitted to the Shafir Flight School in the United States, in November 1938, Yan Yaqing was admitted to the pilot license, that is to say, Yan Yaqing is still a rookie flyer, and she has to be labeled with the sign of "internship" when flying the plane.

It is worth mentioning that both female pilots have experienced setbacks in their marriages.

Li Xiaqing has been married three times, and his first husband was Zheng Baifeng, the nephew of Ms. Zheng Yuxiu. Zheng Baifeng is a literati and likes to read at home, while Li Xiaqing likes to have parties outside, and later Li Xiaqing wanted to live in Hong Kong, but Zheng Baifeng was unwilling, so the two divorced, and it is said that the sensational effect of this divorce case at that time was no less than Xu Zhimo's divorce.

Yan Yaqing's husband is economist Chen Bingzhang. Chen Bingzhang is a top student at Yale University, who worked as a secretary to the Ministry of Finance with Minister Song and Minister Kong, and later as the director of the Department of Public Debt at the Ministry of Finance. Chen Bingzhang's personality is more calm and introverted, Yan Yaqing is more lively and enthusiastic, the two have different personalities and values, and Yan Yaqing does not want to be bound by the family, she is eager to go to the society to do a career, so the marriage between the two finally broke up.

But if you think about it carefully, it is inevitable that the marriage between the two will be bumpy. In old China, men's requirements for their wives were to teach their husbands and children at home, not to go out and show their faces, and a woman who dared to learn to fly an airplane, how could she be at home with her husband and children!

Chen Qiang didn't know anything about flying a plane, but he knew that flying a plane was definitely a very dangerous thing at that time, and among the celebrities in modern times, there were not a few people who died because of plane crashes, so he knew how dangerous it was to take a plane at that time.

During World War II, there were a lot of non-combat attrition of pilots, and many times pilots drove the plane into the sky, but when they landed, it was not necessarily whether they landed normally or fell down directly.

It was undoubtedly a feat for two female pilots to dare to do such a thing as flying around the United States, and even many male pilots may not dare to do such a thing.

What's more, these two female pilots are raising funds for China's Anti-Japanese War, and they are really women who don't let their eyebrows go!

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