The prosperity of industry naturally led to the prosperity of commerce and finance. Due to the continuous fighting in the surrounding areas, merchants, landlords and bankers in Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions have relocated their companies and businesses to the concession. Throughout 1938, 491 new firms and more than 160 banking institutions were added in the concession, and at the end of the year, all but one of the banks and money banks in the city made a profit.

Due to the unimpeded shipping between the concession and foreign countries, and the resumption of communication with the hinterland, wealthy families from all over the country brought large amounts of money to Shanghai to avoid disasters, and lived a parasitic life of arrogance and lasciviousness, which created a false prosperity for the market.

At that time, the six major department stores in the magic capital were operating unprecedentedly prosperous, and merchants renovated their facades in order to further attract customers. The Little Luzon Department Store on Jinling East Road has completely renovated the floor of the mall, and uses thick glass built-in electric lights, which are brightly lit every night, and entering the store hall is like stepping into a crystal palace. Around 1939, the famous Yongan Company had an average daily turnover of more than one million yuan. According to the memories of the old staff of the store, business was booming every day, "from the opening to the closing, there was always an endless stream of customers every day." In the afternoon, it is even more crowded, with a crowd of people in the mall and customers at the counters. On average, each employee has to receive 50 or 60 customers a day, and he is so busy that he doesn't even have time to eat, and he often has to work overtime." The turnover of Yongan Company in 1941 increased by five and a half times compared with 1938, and the profit increased by more than 11 times.

According to Weifeld's record, "by the beginning of 1941 there was a strange boom in the Magic City, where it was so hard to book a room that a weekend movie had to be booked in advance, and nightclubs were lined up."

But all the prosperity of the "island" is deformed and erosive, even hopeless. Wealth is associated with only a very small few, and the rest are lambs to the slaughter.

During the "island" period, prices rose for a long time and speculation was rampant. Around 1939, although production recovered rapidly and the efficiency was better than before the war, many factories still paid workers' wages at 70%~80% of the pre-war level for various reasons, and the situation of the working class actually deteriorated.

According to the Japanese scholar Kazuhiro Iwama in his book "The Living Conditions of the Employees in the Magic City Around 1940", before the war, food and rent accounted for 53.2% and 8.3% of the living expenses of the workers in the magic capital, respectively, and by 1940, food and housing expenses accounted for more than 82% of the total expenditure. If in 1936 the cost of living index for the workers of Mordor was 100, then by March 1941 the price of food was 774, the rent was 385, the fuel was 636, and the daily necessities were 599.

The newspapers at the time reported in a helpless and mocking tone as follows: "Prices are like a kite that has been blown off, and it is like becoming an immortal and soaring on the ground." The copper and silver coins have all been scavenged, and the stamps have a new use, temporarily made as auxiliary coins, but unfortunately people can not send them as letters, otherwise the difficulty of crowding the car can be avoided. The competition for survival gradually sheds its ornaments and masks, revealing its primitive viciousness. Shame is not cheap, and many people cannot afford to maintain it......"

Therefore, for the young people of later generations, if they do not understand the viciousness of capital and the oppression of the three mountains, they will not be able to figure out why the Qingbai Party will fail.

The abnormal prosperity of the economy of the magic capital also shows that Qin Di's decision is not wrong, and it is right to leave the Shenlong Bicycle Factory and the Wanguo Watch Factory behind.

Both factories are supervised by managers, and there is no need for Qin Di to personally manage them.

Since Qin Di found out that the Japanese treated shipping differently and did not block the ships of European countries, he breathed a sigh of relief, at least some of the scarce materials could still be imported, as long as he informed Old John and sent them by American ships, not as he thought at the beginning, he would have to wait eight years before importing grain and cotton yarn.

At the same time, the "Ci'an Surgical Hospital" in various places was still open as usual, because of the war, many people were injured, so the doctors and nurses were dying.

Sixty percent of the teachers and students at Ci'an Medical College remained, and these people continued to attend classes as usual. There is a lack of teachers in some subjects, which is not difficult in the magic capital, because there are many European and American doctors, such as Jews, who have fled to the magic capital with their families, and some of them have medical backgrounds.

Although Mingzhou Home Textile has withdrawn half of its personnel, it is still operating in the part of the magic capital, and the scale of production has not been reduced, which is equivalent to rebuilding a new enterprise in Chongqing.

Uncle Qin Hanliang's family is still safe for the time being, because the Japanese soldiers have not yet entered the concession.

Qinjian's flour mill was blown down half of its houses by a bomb that fell from the sky, killing more than a dozen workers and injuring more than 20 people on the spot.

Neither Cathay Cinema nor the Phoenix casino were affected. As long as you get through this cold winter, next year will be very prosperous.

Qin Hanliang didn't go out either, and stayed at home every day to read the newspaper.

He is more and more similar to the deceased old man Qin Zhaoji, as a national capitalist who has worked hard all his life, seeing the Japanese occupy a large area of China's land, he held a sulk in his chest, and his meals were reduced by half.

Hu Ying couldn't even read all the words, so she rarely read the newspaper, and her mouth nagged vigorously: "There are more and more displaced people, and the price of pork has risen, should the rent of our house be raised?"

Qin Hanliang didn't raise his head, he didn't bother to take care of her.

After the separation, Hu Ying still had millions of oceans in her hands, and later part of it was bought into real estate, and she became a rent collector, so she was happier when she saw more people pouring into the concession.

"In my opinion, this house price will rise sharply......"

The more Qin Hanliang listened, the more annoyed he became: "Why don't you go out to play mahjong today?"

Hu Ying said: "Alas, don't mention it, Mrs. Wang, who was playing cards together, had an accident at home, and her husband was killed by a bullet by the Suzhou River!

Qin Hanliang said: "I said to leave the magic capital, but you refused, according to Adi, wouldn't it be good to hide in Sichuan for a few years?"

Hu Ying's face was furious: "When I mention that bastard, my heart is on fire! Do you still want to listen to him? It's not safe to stay at home, is it safe to go out? Are you in your sixties, can you stand the toss?"

The more Qin Hanliang listened, the more angry he became, and he pulled his legs and left the house.

Unconsciously, all the way to the north, to the Suzhou Creek, saw the other side of the broken ruins, lifeless, he felt a desolation in his heart, turned his head, he saw the Japanese soldiers guarding the bridge, bright bayonets, searching every person who crossed the bridge, he felt scared from the bottom of his heart.

He didn't dare to look more, so he had to go home the same way, and he had no appetite for food.

He thought to himself: "If this continues, even if the Japanese don't enter the concession, I will have to live more than ten years less!"