On February 15, 1923, the thirtieth day of the lunar calendar, early in the morning.

The morning breeze on the Huangpu River blew the flag of the China Merchants Bureau on a red background and the yellow moon to the ground.

The steamship "Xinming" sounded two long whistles, and under the leadership of the port pilot, it slowly approached the China Merchants Wharf of the 16th shop.

The teahouse knocked on the door of a large dining room: "Sir, Mr. Chen, the sea is about to arrive, you can pack your luggage and get ready to disembark." ”

Chen Muwu, who had been lying on his bunk for three days and three nights, responded very weakly: "Got it, thank you." ”

Compared to the train coming to the north, there is really no need to experience the bumps and ups caused by a track junction every ten meters.

But this trip also made Chen Muwu discover another weakness of his own, that is, he knew that he would be seasick!

Originally, the original owner was born in the Jiangnan water town, and he began to climb and roll on the canopy boat when he was a child.

After I came, I also took several ferries on the Huangpu River and the Yangtze River, and I didn't feel any discomfort.

The night before the departure, Chen Muwu, who left the Yongli Alkali Factory, boarded the ship and slept on the China Merchants Wharf in Minggu for a night, at this time he still felt good, and couldn't help but sigh that the bed in this dining room was wide and soft, which was more comfortable than the first-class ticket of the locomotive, and his ninety yuan was really not spent in vain.

But in the early morning of the next day, after the steamer sounded its flute, sailed out of the port, and entered the Bohai Sea along the Haihe River from Dagukou, Chen Muwu was immediately dazed by the seasickness reaction.

Not only did he vomit the two cutlets he had eaten the night before, but he also vomited whatever he ate during the three-day boat trip, spit out a few mouthfuls of water if he didn't eat, and even if he didn't drink water, he would occasionally retch for a while.

Fortunately, a tea room provided a home remedy, and found some squid fish that were so hard that they couldn't dry anymore, and let him tear them into strips and chew them into his mouth one by one, so that Chen Muwu could barely stop the dizziness of spinning and lightheadedness, so as not to vomit all the internal organs on the ship.

I don't know what the truth is, anyway, during the three days, Chen Muwu only pointed to these squid fish to spend his days, but unfortunately he couldn't bear the three meals a day sent by the kitchen.

The dining room, also known as the large dining room, is the most advanced kind of room on a passenger ship today.

The reason why it is called the big kitchen is because the passengers in this cabin will be served by the ship's kitchen for three meals a day.

Dacai originally referred to the Western cuisine that flowed into the sea after the opening of the port.

Because in the beginning, the steamship companies were operated by the American and British powers, and these companies forbade the Chinese to buy the highest cabins, leaving only these for their compatriots.

These Westerners who live in the highest cabin naturally have three meals a day called Western dishes, and over time, the superior rooms have been nicknamed the big food room.

In this era, any term, a closer look at it, may contain a history of humiliation of a nation.

The flickering lights on the shore can already be seen clearly, the "Xinming" steamship has finally dropped anchor, and the cable has been tied to the pile on the shore.

Chen Muwu reluctantly got up from the bed in the cabin and opened the door, where the tea room was already waiting outside the door.

Behind him were two baggagemen wearing red hats, who were laborers who waited at the dock to help passengers on and off the ship carry their luggage.

At the same time, the prototype of the "Little Red Riding Hood" that helped people carry their luggage in the railway station in later generations, and the color of the hat has also been continued.

"Mr. Chen, good morning," the tea room humbly greeted Chen Muwu, "these are all old workers on the docks, you can definitely trust them to hand over your luggage." ”

Travelers who can afford to live in the dining room are generally generous, which is why as soon as Chen Muwu gets seasick, the tea room immediately cares for him, not only running up and down, but also providing him with home remedies, just to collect some more reward money before getting off the boat.

And he must have had an interest in collusion with these two red hats, otherwise he would not have been so kind and gave them the opportunity to make a fortune.

Of course, Chen Muwu knew the twists and turns behind this, but since the person had already been led in front of him, it was always difficult to refuse.

He carried his suitcase, two red hats, one carrying a camphor wood box, and the other carrying various specialties that Chen Muwu bought in Shaojing.

After the gangway of the ship was placed, the three men disembarked in first place.

When his feet stepped on the majestic land again, Chen Muwu's heart that had been drifting with the tide for three days finally settled down.

He glanced back at the behemoth ship behind him, and greeted him cordially: See you again!

When he got off the train from Minggu Station, Chen Muwu still thought that when he went to Europe in the future, he would not take the Trans-Siberian Railway by train, but would swim in a good way and float on the sea by boat.

But now, after three days of drifting on the sea, he finally understands that taking the train is just a cost, but taking a ship is a life-consuming!

When he went to the Sixteen Pu Pier to pick him up, it was still the Austin car from the second brother Qianzhuang.

Before getting into the car, Chen Muwu found the mailbox set up on the side of the road and put in two letters that he had written a long time ago.

The concession was empty before sunrise, and cars sped through the streets.

The newsboy, who had picked up the newspaper, had already begun to sell the newspaper in the streets.

The New Year is getting closer and closer, and all parts of the country are caught up in the New Year syndrome, and both rich and poor are hoping that everything will go well and be safe and prosperous in the coming year.

As the red sun rises in the east, the streets and alleys sound endlessly, so that thousands of miles away in the Hongshan of Kuichang, people mistake a gunshot for firecrackers in the old year. 【1】

Chen Muwu returned to Seymour Road's house, and after not seeing him for a month, the family naturally had endless words to talk about.

Chen Muqiao asked him how he was lecturing and how his old friends were, and Chen Muping asked him if he had enough money to spend, and whether he had wronged himself when he went out.

However, the old lady of the Chen family was unhappy, thinking that Chen Muwu clearly said that he would only go for half a month, but when he waited and waited, the time was doubled.

During the Chinese New Year, she couldn't scold her youngest son, so she could only stare at him secretly.

In the heart of the old lady of the Chen family, an imperfect plan is gradually brewing: since she can't tie him, find him someone who can tie him!

Chen Muwu didn't know anything about the upcoming "love", he gave the two otter hats produced by Tianyu Sheng Xifu that he bought from Shao Jing to the eldest brother and the second brother, and took out a jade wrench and stuffed it into his mother's hand.

The old lady who had been straining her face smiled happily.

"You still have a conscience." She laughed and scolded.

Eat New Year's dinner, celebrate the New Year, go to relatives......

In the spring of 1923, it came step by step.

*****

[1] Author's note: Shi Yang (June 13, 1889 - February 15, 1923).