Back to the Republic of China to open a department store

"I hope that every girl can read. I hope that every woman can choose her own future - they can choose to be a professional woman and enter the society; they can also choose to be a housewife and enter the society. Family. Even, they can become women scientists and politicians! Their choices should be respected. As their predecessors, as a responsible and responsible social person, I think what we should do is Create such an opportunity, so that more girls have the opportunity to enter school. Education - is the most critical step to change their destiny!"

Standing under the spotlight, Bai Fenghuang uttered the lines she had practiced for nearly half a month very fluently.

There was thunderous applause from the audience, and the reporters kept flashing spotlights. This familiar feeling reminded her of the scenery when she was the "No. [-] Tsing Yi in the Xiantao Class".

"Today, the proceeds from the auction of this car, and half of the turnover on Christmas Day, will be used as the founding fund of the 'Guangci Girls School' founded by my mother, Ms. Bai Fenghuang! Honma School, admission will be free Girls from impoverished families and orphans go to school to teach them the necessary knowledge and survival skills. Even after they graduate, they can be given priority in being admitted by Shimai Department Store and Roche Commercial Bank!"

Bai Fenghuang held "Puff"'s throbbing chest, proudly watching her son walk up to the stage, talking to the crowd with his handsome appearance.

"You are all well-known people and good believers in Shanghai, and you are welcome to make donations and contribute to the girls' school!"

Rorschach bowed and stepped down, and won another round of warm applause.

Lastly, Xiaoxiao and her classmates, more than a dozen little girls dressed as angels, holding wreaths and wearing white wings behind them, sang Christmas carols with the accompaniment of the live piano, bringing this Christmas festival to life. Charity auctions reached a climax.

Silent night! Holy night!

Alliscalm, allisbright!

Round young virgin mother and child!

Holy Infant, sotender and mild,

Sleep in heavenly peace!

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"Give it to you."

As soon as Luo Xiazhi got off the stage and turned around, he saw a wintersweet flower in front of him.

Isn't the person who handed him the flowers the principal Gu who should have arrived early but is now late!

"I've never heard of the tradition of giving plum blossoms to people at Christmas."

Having said that, Luo Xiazhi happily accepted it.

Well, it is really a good plum blossom, with blossoming buds and strong branches. After a while, I asked Ale to find a beautiful porcelain vase to put on the table of his desk. In a few days, the room will be full of fragrance.

"The auction was a success. Congratulations."

"Thank you!"

After the carols were sung and the cherubs stepped down, the band came on stage.The entire atrium becomes a stage for parties.Ladies and gentlemen in gorgeous costumes slipped onto the dance floor like swimming fish, and began to carnival with the accompaniment of music.

"Tell me, these people who listened to your speech here today have generously donated money. Do they really agree with the establishment of a girls' school, or are they just unwilling to be left behind and feel that they can't lose face in front of these media reporters, so they have to donate money? "

The passing waiter brought champagne, and Gu Hanlin and Luo Xiazhi each took a glass.

"I bet that among their group of people, there may not even be a third of them who really feel that this is a meritorious thing."

Rorschach took a sip of champagne.

"The remaining one-third may even think that I run this girls' school for nothing more than fame. I can also be sure that a considerable number of them don't think girls should go to school at all, and they should not even be able to read."

"But they're still donating money."

Gu Hanlin looked at him with a smile in his eyes.

"Because times have changed."

Holding the stem of the champagne glass, Luo Xiazhi smiled.

"In any case, this is no longer the time to blatantly say: 'How are women qualified to go to school? Women must marry and have children'—even if they think so in their hearts, but facing the public, as a group of people with status People, they can't say it. So I say: times have changed. Anyway, it's moving, even if it's rough."

"Just like what you said a few days ago - the trend of the world is mighty. If you follow it, you will prosper, and if you go against it, you will perish."

Gu Hanlin expressed his feelings.

"Where did I say that, I'm just picking up people's teeth."

"Then for the common people of China, for the Asian yellow race, and for the humanity of the world—a toast!"

"cheers!"

"Ding~"

The glass clinked lightly, like a short and light kiss.

Luo Xiazhi, who was a little drunk, turned his head and looked at the dance floor. Seeing Luo Yunze holding Xiaoxiao in his arms, he danced solemnly, while Bai Fenghuang stood beside him with a happy smile, and simply grabbed it. Gu Hanlin's hand.

"Let's go! Take you to a good place to let off the smell of alcohol!"

With that said, he pulled him up and ran towards a place where there was no one in the background.

Gu Hanlin looked at the young man in a snow-white suit in front of him, feeling the heat of his palm on his wrist.

The child born on the day of summer is indeed a little sun...

"Is this what you mean by 'good place'?"

Standing on a bare concrete floor, looking at the huge light sign in front of him, he turned his head to look at the clock tower on the side.A gust of cold wind blew past, and Gu Hanlin couldn't help but sneezed.

"Isn't this the rooftop?"

"Rooftop? Do you think this is just a 'rooftop'?"

Luo Xiazhi is not afraid of the cold, probably because of his fiery heart. Although he is only wearing a thin suit, his face is still flushed.

He wrote his autobiography on the spot, and said excitedly, "This will be the most fun place in my entire department store in the future! I'll take you to see it in advance."

"Well……"

Gu Hanlin really wanted to compliment him, but he was as knowledgeable as he was, facing a bare concrete floor, he couldn't find any suitable words of compliment for a while.

"My department store plus the warehouse underneath has a total of eight floors. Now the first to fifth floors are actually used. The sixth floor is an office. The first floor is now a warehouse. The seventh floor and the rooftop are empty—don't you think Is it too wasteful? This is a building on the main road, and Shatong will charge me 20 yuan in rent a year, so how can I not use every inch of the land?"

Gu Hanlin heard the string song to know the elegant meaning, and heard that Luo Xiazhi had already started to make the next round of development planning for the department store.

This department store has only opened for a few months, has he already thought of that?

Gu Hanlin has always believed that some people are geniuses in a certain way.

He firmly believes that successful painters and musicians are born with dispositions and should be born artists.

In the words of Liyuanxing, it means that the ancestors enjoy the food.

He just learned today that there are still people who are born to do business.To be correct, I was born to open a department store.

"What do you want to open here? An open-air teahouse? Or an open-air coffee shop for foreigners?"

Standing side by side with Luo Xiazhi by the railing, Gu Hanlin looked down at the street below.

Because today Shimai Department Store extended its business until ten o'clock in the evening, so at this time, the shops, dance halls and pubs in the surrounding streets are still open, and rickshaws are constantly pulling customers to and fro, forming a rare winter scene. prosperous scene.

Looking to the south, the neon revolving cross of Mu En Church is shining in the dark night, and it seems that believers can still be vaguely seen distributing food at the door of the church.

"I'm going to be here and build a playground—a playground where adults and kids can come in and play!"

Luo Xiazhi opened his arms and jumped to the front of the four golden characters of "Shimai Department Store". Gu Hanlin narrowed his eyes and looked at him amidst the bright lights.

"I want everyone to find their own fun in the department store! If ocean balls and slides are children's playgrounds, then department stores are adults' paradise!"

He jumped down from the bell tower and jumped in front of Gu Hanlin. His lips were shiny after drinking, and his eyes sparkled behind the lenses.

"Puff, puff."

Gu Hanlin felt his heart almost jumping out of his chest.

He stretched out his hand, wanting to caress the neon-reflected eyes.

boom!

Golden fireworks bloomed above their heads. When they looked up at the same time, they saw golden chrysanthemums in full bloom, peonies blooming, colorful butterflies fluttering, and a scene of fiery trees and silver flowers.

It turned out that Shi Mai also arranged a Christmas fireworks show tonight, and the two stood on the roof, standing in a sea of ​​bright honeysuckle.

Although it was a program arranged by himself, the fireworks suddenly exploded above his head, which still surprised Luo Xiazhi.

"Xia Zhi, I am pleased with you."

With his hands on Luo Xiazhi's shoulders, the shadows from the fireworks were like petals, falling on his shoulders in a pure white suit.

"what?"

The loud noise of the fireworks covered Gu Hanlin's voice, Luo Xiazhi turned his ears and shouted loudly, "What did you say?"

"I am happy with you, Luo Xiazhi!"

"What? You speak up!"

"Luo Xiazhi, I like you, I like you!"

"What……"

After a purple peony rose to the highest point, it turned into stars and fell down.

Lights flickered around the huge golden signboard, like a marquee emitting seven colors of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, blue and purple, which attracted the exclamation of everyone who looked up at the fireworks downstairs.

The shadows of the two were cast on the concrete floor.One of the figures bent down, and with the gentlest force, kissed the other figure's cheek lightly.

"Luo Xiazhi, I like you... I like you very much, I like you very much..."

Gu Hanlin whispered this sentence again in Luo Xiazhi's ear.

He heard Luo Xiazhi gasp, saw that the hairs on Luo Xiazhi's temples stood up slightly, and saw Luo Xiazhi's eyes widen, his unbelievably cute appearance.

"Merry Christmas..."

He chuckled lightly, then lowered his head and kissed him lightly on the forehead.

As if a feather had passed over his heart, Luo Xiazhi was scratched and took half a step back.

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"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

With fists in both hands, Luo Xiazhi sat at the desk and yelled loudly.

Although it had been more than a week, the wintersweet flowers on the table today were so beautiful and fragrant, it reminded him of what happened that night again.

What should I do, I was confessed by someone, by a man, by my "righteous brother"! !

People in Shanghai are too fashionable. Is it so progressive that they openly did it 100 years ago?Will the stride be too big?

For the past week, Rorschach's heart has been a world-famous painting - Edvard Munch's "The Scream"!

"Master, what's wrong?"

Hearing the movement inside, Ale ran over, opened the door, and asked in horror.

"Ale, help me throw this wintersweet flower out!"

Luo Xiazhi pointed to the wintersweet in the Ge Kiln porcelain vase.

"Okay, Miss Xiaoxiao took a fancy to this flower last week. Then I will let Qiaodi put it in Miss Xiaoxiao's room. She must be very happy to see it when she comes home."

"No need, just let it go."

Luo Xiazhi said firmly.

A Le walked around the desk in a daze, and then returned to the door of the room.

"By the way, third young master, the eighth wife is calling you to go down."

"what happened?"

"Several ladies came here just now, let you go down and meet."

Since Bai Fenghuang served as the honorary principal of the girls' school, she has joined several women's circles and women's family associations one after another. Now her social circle has spread more and more.

"Okay, I'll change into some clothes for meeting guests."

Luo Xiazhi stood up and asked casually, "Why do you want me to go down?"

"The wives said they wanted to give you a blind date."

"Okay...what?"

One wave of ups and downs and another wave of ups and downs, what are these things?

The author has something to say: Mu En Tang is not far from Nanjing Road. Friends who come to Shanghai for tourism can visit it if they have the opportunity, no tickets are required.Although I don't believe in religion, I went in to escape the rain. The decoration inside is quite beautiful.

The most interesting part of this Mu En Church is the rotating neon cross with a motor on the roof. It was made by Americans in the 30s, and it was a super eye-catching "electronic device" in Dan.Seems like a trendy idea now, hahaha