Compared with later generations, the most impressive thing in Shanghai during the Republic of China era was the high price of various industrial products.

- No way, in Wang Qiu's time, China was a real "shijie factory", and even in the most remote part of the black African rainforest, those tribal hunters who hunted wild deer with javelins often wore a pair of Chinese-made sneakers on their feet......

And what about China in the era of the Republic of China? Iron nails are called foreign nails, cement is called foreign ash, kerosene is called foreign oil, and even a small match is called foreign fire...... The development of national industry is really quite sad.

Even in Shanghai, where industry is the most developed, its so-called eight industrial pillars are nothing more than light textiles, papermaking, cigarettes, matches, soap, flour, leather, and rubber.

What is even more tragic is that even these light industry sectors are mostly in the hands of foreign-funded enterprises, especially Japanese-funded enterprises......

As a result, Shanghai, which appears to be prosperous and fashionable, is in fact a consumption-oriented city, not a production-oriented city, and a large part of Shanghainese people are completely dependent on imports for the various daily industrial goods that maintain a "modern urban lifestyle".

Among them, the light industrial products that the Chinese national capitalists were able to produce on their own, such as cigarettes, soaps, matches, etc., should be relatively cheap in Shanghai - by the general standards of this era.

As for imports...... Well, at present, there are no giant container ships of more than 100,000 tons like in later generations. The cost of freight is far from so cheap, and it is also necessary to take into account the fact that European and American countries have far higher human resource salaries than China, plus thousands of miles of re-export freight. The price of this commodity is really going up like a rocket.

“…… A mere mechanical watch, not a famous brand, actually costs 140 yuan! It is equivalent to half a year's salary of an ordinary employee in Shanghai! ”

When he came out of a shop, Wang Qiu couldn't help but curse, "...... The stall I have now is much more beautiful than the broken watch in their store, and I remember that it only cost 60 yuan when I bought it! Even if it's a first-class watch. As long as you don't buy an aristocratic luxury like a limited-edition Rolex, two or three thousand yuan is enough...... How can you even buy a watch go bankrupt these days! ”

“…… This is not surprising that countries without industry suffer in this way. Who told you that China simply can't produce watches in this era? ”

Kotori Yu Mahaku, the former prime minister, touched his chin. So commented, "...... Even a century later, that hasn't changed. I've visited some of the capitals of African countries, where the cities look in tatters. Prices are surprisingly expensive. Internet cafes cost as much as $10 or even $15 an hour because all the computer accessories and consumables had to be shipped from thousands of kilometers away......"

“…… I've heard about the same thing - I have a very close relationship with a female college classmate who recently got married and went to the Maldives with her husband for her honeymoon in the Indian Ocean, which looks like a tropical fishing village, and who knows how ...... the prices are."

Senior Sister Ma Tong also shook her head and sighed and interjected, "...... Alas. Because their return ticket was booked a little late, and it was a travel fee according to domestic standards. As a result, for a few days in Zuihou, I could hardly only eat my own Master Kong's instant noodles in the hotel to survive, and I was also blinded by the waiter......"

“…… Yes, I remember that in the 80s, in order to buy a color TV, it was really necessary to build a relationship with people, spend a few years of savings, and get bankrupt - the monthly salary of ordinary workers is only two or three hundred, and a color TV costs more than 1,000 yuan, and people who have no way may not be able to buy it. However, by the time I crossed over, it seemed that the color TV or something had already become the price of cabbage......"

Jin Qina, a female literary youth, also expressed her opinion, "...... After coming to Shanghai in this era, I at first saw that there were electric lights, telephones, radios, automobiles, and so on, and it seemed that the living environment was not much different from the living environment in the seventies and eighties, but at most it was a little bulky and backward in function. But if you look closely, the price of these things is really staggering!

For example, an ordinary hot water bottle is actually called a 'magic bottle' in this era! And a bamboo-shell thermos bottle costs three oceans! Three silver dollars! With so much money, in Shanghai at the moment, it is enough to hold a decent banquet! ”

“…… Well, at our time, the cost of buying a hot water bottle can buy a boxed lunch at most, and the dish has to be very poor......"

Wang Qiu counted with his fingers and found that a silver dollar in the Republic of China era weighed half a tael (according to regulations, the standard weight of a silver dollar should be 26.5 grams, containing 88% silver, as well as nickel and copper. The purchase price in the modern ancient coin market is generally around two or three hundred yuan...... Of course, the market capacity of ancient coins in any place is very limited, and if you rush to invest a large amount of silver dollars, it will inevitably cause the price to plummet.

However, even if you only count the sterling silver in the ocean, and refine, a silver dollar can be refined into at least twenty grams of silver, no matter how much you consider the discount and fire consumption, at least fifty yuan of silver dollar can always be exchanged......

“…… In this case, how about we simply wholesale a large number of hot water bottles and dump them? Even if the price is reduced to one silver dollar and one hot water bottle, it is already a huge profit! A flash of inspiration struck him in his mind, and he proposed to the crowd, "...... Well, there are also mechanical watches, reading glasses, and cameras, which were expensive in the Republican era and relatively cheap in modern society — China in those days could not produce optical glass lenses. ”

“…… Well, clocks and thermos may also be considered, and reading glasses, binoculars and magnifying glasses can also be purchased in batches to try the water...... But the camera is a joke - we basically use digital cameras over there, how do we print photos after we take them? ”

Professor Yang rolled his eyes, "...... Even if you can get some cameras that use film. I'm willing to bet that the Kodak, Fujifilm and Lucky films of the future will not be able to be developed by any of the photo studios in Shanghai right now...... Do you want to sell that kind of instant cinema camera that is 'Polaroid'? ”

“…… That's not unavoidable! As long as the purchase price is right......" Wang Qiu shrugged his shoulders and sighed. “…… Unfortunately, on our side, with the popularity of digital cameras and mobile phone cameras, the 'Polaroid' has become a obsolete product, and it seems that production has long been discontinued......"

“…… Electric fans and table lamps should also be considered, I was in the shop on Nanjing Road, and I saw that the electrical appliances of this era were all very bulky. The bases and frames are made of solid wood or even cast iron and copper, which look dead and expensive. ”

Yuan Qi Lori Cai Rong also raised her hand and proposed. “…… There should also be a market for radios, but you have to try to see if you can receive the radio of this era...... Then there is the rice cooker - Shanghainese generally eat rice as their staple food, and it stands to reason that the rice cooker will definitely be very marketable......"

“…… I think the most profitable product should be all kinds of antibiotic drugs! Today, tuberculosis and syphilis are still terminal diseases. There are quite a few people who are sick. If some special drugs can be launched, major hospitals will definitely come to buy them......"

Ma Tong lowered his head and thought for a moment, and also made a suggestion, "...... That's right! Also try Viagra and condoms! There are also all kinds of sex toys! In this era, there are so many prostitutes from all over the world in Shanghai, and the sales must be very hot! Well, I can go and sell it myself! ”

She said with a fluttering eyebrow, completely ignoring the embarrassed and tangled expressions on the faces of the others.

- As a yellow flower girl, she went to the red light district to sell condoms...... Senior Sister Ma Tong. Where the hell is your discipline?

“…… Ahem, I remember that condoms have been available since the Republic of China. Of course, it is imported, and it is called 'foreign big eggs' by Shanghainese, and it seems that there is not much sales...... Moreover, some things are better taken gradually, step by step...... You can't always think about making a lot of money in one step......"

Professor Yang coughed dryly a few times and diverted the topic, "...... I think that we are not very familiar with the business atmosphere and various unspoken rules of old Shanghai now, and the assessment of market demand may not be accurate, so it is better to start with some small businesses first, so as not to lose all ......your money."

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Compared with the extreme cost of various imported industrial products, the daily food cost of Shanghainese people in the Republic of China era was relatively cheap.

In Shanghai at this time, the price of white rice was about four oceans and a load, fresh pork was a pound of triangular money, and a copper dollar could be exchanged for an egg.

In order to find out the real living standards of ordinary citizens in Shanghai, when eating lunch, Wang Qiu and they also deliberately went into the alley, found a cheap rice shop similar to a modern fast food restaurant, and found that the price of a grass carp with scallion oil here is eight copper yuan, and the price of a "pickled Du Xian" is two and a half small oceans, and the salted meat is calculated as three copper yuan per piece, and a bowl of white rice is three copper yuan, and the second bowl of white rice is called Tiantou, and two copper yuan are collected.

In general, except for the former Prime Minister Kotori Yu Mashiro, who muttered a few words, the picky tableware is not clean enough, the chopsticks are long and short, and the rice bowl is notched, everyone else is from a poor background, and it is not much difficulty to adapt to this "common people's diet".

“…… I don't know if it's weishenme, this pickled fresh in old Shanghai is to add more flavor than the pickled fresh in new Shanghai! ”

Wang Qiu picked up a piece of pork belly from the bowl with chopsticks and chewed it carefully, while exclaiming vaguely, "...... Could it be because the pork in this era is green and pollution-free, and it is not fattened with hormones and synthetic feed, so the taste is particularly fragrant? ”

——"Pickled Du Xian" is one of the Jiangnan specialties often eaten by Shanghainese, and is one of the representative dishes in Subang cuisine and Hangzhou cuisine.

The taste of this dish is salty and fresh, the soup is white and the juice is thick, the meat is crispy and fat, the bamboo shoots are crisp and tender, and the umami is strong. The main ingredient is a soup made with spring bamboo shoots and slices of fresh and salted pork belly. "Pickled" means salty; "Xian" means fresh; "Tu" means to simmer over a small fire.

“…… I think the proprietress didn't use the soup treasure (compound condiment) to season, but used the original stock! ”

Senior Sister Ma Tong raised her eyebrows, and pointed to the steaming soup pot not far away with chopsticks. “…… This fish is also doing okay......"

Just as the future people were eating and chatting at the dinner table, a group of company employees wearing dusty uniforms suddenly rushed into the alley, as well as two sweaty rickshaw drivers.

I saw them walking into the restaurant very familiarly. They each found a free table, and then shouted to the proprietress to serve the food.

Wang Qiu quietly peeked and found that the company employees ordered three dishes and one soup or four dishes and one soup for almost every table, although they couldn't talk about big fish and meat, but there was also a little meat like eggs or shredded meat in the dishes.

Even the two rickshaw drivers, who looked very depressed at first glance, asked for a big bowl of pickled vegetable and tofu soup in addition to two bowls of white rice. There was also a salted fish, and then each person was divided into half a fish, and they shook off their cheeks and chewed them with taste.

In fact. Judging from the average living standard of the whole of China in this era, the life of Shanghai citizens is already very affluent.

Even the poorest manual laborers, as long as they have a job, can generally afford steamed buns, noodles and white rice. There are also green vegetables, pickles, tofu and bean curd for rice.

— and at the same time. In the rural areas of the North China Plain, farmers have to satisfy their hunger with sweet potato gruel mixed with elm leaves, and they can eat a few meals of white noodles from time to time. And if you can use white flour as a staple food all year round, it is simply the corrupt life of a big landlord.

Therefore, it is not without reason that the Chinese in the Republic of China era are so yearning for the flowers of Greater Shanghai.

However, in the middle of continuing to shop after lunch. Wang Qiu and others discovered that in Shanghai in this year. That is, the price of fresh food in the vegetable market is relatively cheap, while the price of "high-end food" that needs to be carefully processed in regular stores is much more expensive - Wang Qiu saw with his own eyes in a candy store that a small box of Suzhou candy that looks very rough and rustic is about to be sold to the ocean.

As for the more exquisite Western candies, the price is even more staggering...... Well, the price of a small piece of chocolate is enough to buy a bowl of braised pork on a vendor!

So, when he came out of the candy store, Wang Qiu secretly decided in his heart that when he came next time, he would bring more Dove chocolates as a gift to Sister Jinchina's daughter, which must have made the little Lori very happy...... Well, maybe it would be nice to have some more White Rabbit toffee?

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The next day, on the desk of Miss Jin Qina, the female literary youth of the Republic of China, there was a whole box of beautifully printed modern literature books, including a set of more than 50 volumes of "Selected Novels of Qiong Yao"!

- According to Wang Qiu and Ma Tong, who helped her find books, since you have plagiarized the pen name "Qiong Yao", as well as several of her novels, then simply plagiarize the rest of Qiong Yao's novels! If you can change it, you can change it, and if you can't change it, you can just be a "copyist"!

However, Jin Qina hesitated again and again, but still did not directly plagiarize the genuine Qiong Yao novel - this is no longer a matter of smashing her brand and betraying the main purpose of women's emancipation, but subverting the most basic shijie view, outlook on life and values!

No way, in the novels of Grandma Qiong Yao, almost all of those normal people who think rationally end up in desolation, either dead or disabled, or half-dead, disheartened and discouraged, monks or seclusion; On the contrary, those scumbags and who have distorted three views, have no lower limit, and have never had a temperament, but they all live happily and happily live a happy life...... It simply ignores the normal rules of this shijie, violates the correct concept of the whole society without logic, and seriously confuses the normal thinking of readers!

What's worse is that the book is full of paranoia, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and other kinds of psychopaths, and these psychopaths can often easily defeat normal people...... Could it be that the theme of Qiong Yao's novel is "the invincible mentally ill"?!

Hey, I really don't know what kind of woman this Grandma Qiong Yao, who is so partial to mental patients, is herself?

“…… Well, I guess it's an extremely self-centered paranoia! Jinchina pouted and muttered.

As for rewriting the novel all over again - I'm sorry, since there are already so many ready-made masterpieces to copy, she really doesn't bother to use this brain.

So, Jin Qina silently said sorry to Ms. Zhang Ailing, who is now studying at Shanghai Santa Maria Girls' School, in her heart, and then took up the pen to transcribe her famous works "Agarwood Crumbs, the First Incense" and "Agarwood Crumbs, the Second Incense" nine years later - Ms. Zhang Ailing's works that can make a sensation in the Shanghai literary world after nine years should be read by readers now!

Two weeks later, Miss Jinqina, who had already been addicted to copying books, once again silently said sorry to Lao She's predecessors in her heart, and then copied his "Camel Xiangzi", which was supposed to come out the year after tomorrow......

Two months later, Jin Qina, who was becoming more and more bold, silently said sorry to the famous cartoonist Mr. Zhang Leping in her heart, and then took out a cart of "Sanmao Wanderings" comics, which were supposed to come out until next summer, and sent them to several familiar bookstores for consignment......

At the same time, a small grocery store next door to Jinchina's house, which was originally light and on the verge of closure, also quietly changed owners...... (To be continued......)