Chen Xuan went to Shanghai and back again, took a plane and a train, and felt that her eyes were opened. When comparing them in her mind, Chen Xuan still felt that the train was better than the plane! Although the plane was very fast, Chen Xuan didn't dare to read on the plane, probably because it was too high and too far from the ground. It was different on the train. Even though she had to sit on the train for three days and three nights, Chen Xuan didn't feel tired at all. It was so convenient on the train. She could eat three meals a day in the dining car, and they were all Western-style meals. If she was hungry, she could just go there to eat. In the first-class carriage, if she didn't want to go to the dining car, the waiter could still bring it to her.
In Chen Xuan's opinion, this is not a trip, but a enjoyment.
Therefore, with such conditions, Chen Xuan was even more unwilling to waste time. Whenever she had free time, she would hold a book and read endlessly. Not only did she study hard herself, but Chen Xuan also persuaded Wei Nian and Wei Yin to read together. Anyway, Chen Xuan brought several books with her and could lend them to the brother and sister.
Wei Nian never resisted studying. Wei Yin was stimulated by Shanghai. In the past, Wei Yin felt that although he could not be said to be excellent, at least he was not too bad. Although he had not studied in a formal new-style school, Wei Yin was good at English and had been learning French. He was also learning painting and opened a hat shop. He could also make money. However, this time when he came to Shanghai, the salesmen in Shanghai Department Store could speak with a foreign accent. Wei Yin felt that he had been sitting in a well and looking at the world, so he also worked hard.
When they were tired of reading, the three of them would chat, and Chen Xuan talked about the salon at Mr. Wen's house. Chen Xuan's favorite social activity was to attend the salon at Mr. Wen's house, but this time, she missed it because she came to Shanghai. Chen Xuan couldn't help but talk about it, and Wei Nian said, "Mr. Ouyang's salon is usually at the end of the month. At the end of this month, I will take you there. Mr. Ouyang is also a very knowledgeable and humorous person."
"He must be the gentleman who praised the delicious and authentic sesame-flavored and caramel-flavored biscuits at the entrance of our alley in the newspaper." Chen Xuan read this in the newspaper.
Wei Nian smiled, "Yes."
Chen Xuan said, "I went to the bookstore and saw Mr. Ouyang's books. He is also a famous scholar today."
Wei Yin also likes to join in the fun, "Second sister-in-law, don't forget to take me with you when you go."
"Of course, we are all in this together."
Speaking of salons, Wei Nian was lying on the couch on the train thinking about cosmetics, and suddenly he had an idea. Wei Nian's time in Shanghai was too short, and he couldn't find a good technician. He originally thought that he would continue to recruit people after returning to Beijing. In Beijing, he has a wide network of contacts. As long as he has a good technician, he will have the recipe. The master chefs of this era all have their own recipes and skills.
But Chen Xuan's mention of the salon really reminded Wei Nian. In Wei Nian's opinion, lipstick is not much different from the rouge that women used to use. It is a new thing that came from the foreigners. Wei Nian watched two masters in Shanghai make lipstick samples. They mixed several things together and finally had a cooling and demolding process. Wei Nian wondered if many of the scholars and professors in the university came from the West. He wondered if they knew about making lipstick.
Wei Nian was picked out from the crowd by Rong Yang. Although Rong Yang had mostly painted a pie for Wei Nian, this pie was not painted for others but for Wei Nian, which shows that Wei Nian has his own strengths. And Wei Nian's extraordinary vision also confirmed this. He directly jumped from digging out ready-made master chefs to cooperating with the university intellectual community.
Wei Nian has been in the cultural circle for nearly two years, and he was thinking about who he should go through to find out the truth.
By the time the train arrived at Beijing Station, Wei Nian already had a rough idea in his mind.
Wei Nian took the things he brought back from Shanghai, and took Chen Xuan, Wei Yin, Master Xu and Master Li off the train. He called three rickshaws and a cargo truck, and sent four boxes of things directly back to Wangfucang Hutong to his uncle. Then, Wei Nian took everyone home. On the way back, he first called a clerk from Dongdan Shop. Wei Nian had sent a telegram home in advance about the residence of the two masters, asking his family to rent two more rooms in the yard rented by the clerks to accommodate the two skilled workers.
When we go home, we meet our relatives and distribute things to the elders, peers, and juniors. We give them food, Shanghai specialties, such as pear candy paste, Zhuangyuan cake, and Chongming cake, as well as Shanghai milk candy and fruit candy. They are very high-end, and the wrapping paper is different from that in Beijing. There are both Chinese and foreign words on them. In addition, there are canned anchovies, which are rare in Beijing. Wei Nian said, "People over there also like to eat salted fish and duck in sauce. We are not used to them, so we didn't bring any."
Old Mrs. Wei was grinning from ear to ear. She had already pulled Wei Yin to sit next to her and looked at her youngest son. Seeing that her daughter and son both had rosy faces and bright spirits, the old lady felt relieved. She looked at the things again and kept muttering, "This is a lot. Don't buy any more. How much does it cost!"
Wei Yin smiled, "These are food, which cannot be checked in, so we brought them back with us. There are also fabrics for clothes bought for mom, elder sister, elder sister-in-law and the children, and silk from Jiangnan. Oh, there are so many kinds. Since we can't carry them, we checked them in, and they will take a few days to arrive."
The Wei family was familiar with shipping and the like, and when Mrs. Wei heard about it, she said, "How much stuff did you buy?"
Wei Jin peeled off a piece of fruit candy wrapped in colorful candy wrappers and stuffed it into the old lady's mouth. He also peeled one for himself and put it in his mouth, saying, "Mom, try it. It tastes good."
"It depends on where you bought it from. How can it be bad?" Mrs. Wei was naturally happy to see the things, but she felt sorry for the money. She said, "Don't do this in the future. It's not easy to make money."
Chen Xuan brought tea. Old Mrs. Wei and Wei Jin had candies in their mouths and refused to drink tea. Wei Nian and Wei Yin each took a cup to moisten their throats. Then they heard Wei Yin say with a beaming eyebrow, "It's not all things for the family, there are also goods we bought! Mom, you haven't been to Shanghai. My God, this time my second sister-in-law and I have really broadened our horizons. It's much better than our Beijing city. In our Beijing city, the tallest building is only four or five stories high, but in Shanghai, there are seven or eight stories high buildings. Mom, you haven't been there. If you had been, you would want to buy everything. There are so many good things. There are many fabrics that are not common in Beijing, lace, and various yarns for making skirts. There are so many things." After the long trip, Wei Yin became much more lively and talked a lot.
"Look how happy you are." Old Mrs. Wei stroked her little girl's beautiful face and smiled. "You are finally back. I haven't been able to sleep well these past few days. I have been thinking about you all."
Li brought the sliced melons. The sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law came home. Li was also very happy and said with a smile, "I put it in the well water in the morning. Eat a piece of melon to cool down."
"That's true. You came back early this time. If you were later, it would be hot." Wei Jinxian gave a piece to the old lady and asked Wei Nian, "How is the business going? Didn't you send a telegram a few days ago saying that two technicians would come back with you?"
"The technician has already gone to settle down. I know the rest." Wei Nian took a piece of melon and handed it to Chen Xuan first. Chen Xuan received a stern look from Wei Jin and didn't want to take it, but Wei Nian had already stuffed it into her mouth. Wei Nian took another piece and took a bite, "Big sister, is the strawberry okay?"
"It's okay. You were away for a short time and this is the last room in Hongguo. Third uncle takes good care of it. As for the strawberries in our yard, third uncle comes to check on them every day. He waters them when necessary and fertilizes them when necessary. You haven't noticed that the strawberries in the backyard have begun to color. These days, Jie'er's father delivers them to the restaurant every day." Wei Jin was very excited when he talked about the strawberries, and in his heart he despised his second brother for his useless way of loving his wife.
Wei Jin immediately became critical, looked at Chen Xuan, and said to her, "Why are you wearing pants? This is so weird! Every woman wears a skirt!"
"Sister, many fashionable girls in Shanghai wear this kind of casual pants. We bought them specially in a department store in Shanghai." Wei Yin was also wearing casual pants.
"Oh my God! We old Beijingers don't act like this! We look so weird!" Wei Jin said, "Change it quickly! We don't look like girls anymore, we look like boys!"
Wei Yin now had a way to deal with her elder sister. She narrowed her eyes and said, "Thank goodness my second sister-in-law and I specially picked out the fabric for this set of casual pants for you at the department store. If you don't want it, I'll sell it in the store when the stuff arrives."
Upon hearing this, Wei Jin immediately changed his tone, "I was just saying that. Young people nowadays are indeed fashionable. Okay, I've already bought it. It's your kind gesture after all. Just send it to my house when the time comes!"
There was nothing you could do when you met such a big sister. Wei Yin smiled and didn't argue with Wei Jin. Wei Nian said, "Big sister, among the snacks and candies I bought, there is also a portion for your old lady. You can take it back when the time comes."
Wei Jin muttered, "Another waste of money."
In short, it was definitely a lively event when Wei Nian and the other two returned home. Old Mrs. Wei also asked Li to go to the mutton bed to buy braised mutton in the evening for a reunion dinner. Wei Jin first went to Wangfucang Hutong to pack her and her husband's bedding and sent them home, while Chen Xuan helped Li prepare the evening meal at the old house.
When Old Master Wei came home in the evening, he called Wei Nian to ask him a few questions. Old Master Wei was also an old businessman. Seeing that the factory had not moved in, he guessed that things might not be easy. However, there is no easy thing in the world. If the Wei family wants to go further, they need to establish some connections with the upper class. Seeing that Wei Nian has his own ideas, Old Master Wei did not ask any more questions.
The dinner was lively, and Wei Jin even called her husband and son to come. After dinner, they returned to her husband's house together, and brought the things Wei Nian brought back. In front of her mother-in-law, Mrs. Zhao, Wei Jin was very proud, "My brother has been thinking about the old lady, saying that Feng Ge'er's father and I have been helping to look after the house these days, and we can't serve the old lady. This is what I brought back from Shanghai for the old lady, Shanghai snacks and candies. Look at this candy, there are several kinds, including fruit candies, milk candies, and chocolate candies, all with foreign words on them." Because of this package of things, Wei Jin felt very proud in front of Mrs. Zhao.
How could Mrs. Zhao not be happy to receive the gift? She even said a few polite words, "We are all family. Ah Nian has something to do, so it's nothing for you, as his sister and brother-in-law, to look after the house for two days."
Wei Jin knew that his mother-in-law was the type who would act ungrateful even if she got something for nothing, and seeing the old lady happily accepting the things, Wei Jin rolled his eyes and said no more.
Chen Xuan and Wei Nian returned home a little late. The third uncle heard the noise and came out to carry a few boxes of things to Wei Nian. Qin Shu also came out to help. Chen Xuan first gave Qin Shu the things that the Qin family asked them to bring. Qin Shu saw that they were all his favorite food and toys. He was very happy and thanked Chen Xuan quickly. Chen Xuan said, "Your family members miss you very much. Mrs. Qin had tears in her eyes when she talked about you."
Qin Shu sighed, "I miss my mother, my elder brother and his wife, and even my father. I miss him too."
Chen Xuan smiled, "You have a phone at home, it wouldn't be a bother to call when you have time, right?"
Qin Shu nodded.
As it was getting late, Qin Shu said a few words and then carried his things back to the house.
After the couple washed up, Chen Xuan took out her books to study. Wei Nian saw that she had no intention of packing up, so he said to Chen Xuan, "Take out my plaid suit first, and help me iron it tomorrow morning."
The plain plaid suit was newly bought in Shanghai. There was another suit in the closet, and Wei Nian specifically asked for this one. Chen Xuan couldn't help but ask, "Is there something wrong?"
Wei Nian told Chen Xuan about his plan for the cosmetics factory. "I've been thinking about it all the way. Things are different now. In the past, women would put on powder and rouge on their faces. Now, people prefer foreign goods. I think people who have been to the West have a broader view of foreign goods. Nowadays, whether it's food, clothing, or even going to school, people are more Western-style, and less Chinese-style. These lipsticks, nail polishes, and the like are all Western-style stuff. Mr. Ouyang is very familiar with the professors in the university. I plan to ask around to see if there are any people in the university who know about this. You've seen that making lipsticks and the like is just a matter of mixing a few ingredients, paying attention to the temperature, and finally pouring it into a mold, cooling it down, and demolding it. It's not a difficult thing. The professors who have returned from the West may understand it better than us. We also have a recipe here, but it's not very good. When the time comes, tell them about it and see if it can be improved."
Chen Xuan was shocked by Wei Nian's idea. She stared at Wei Nian for a long time and sighed, "Brother Anian, how come you are so smart! I just thought about whether I should go to other factories to learn something from others! It's just like what you said, there are so many learned gentlemen in the university, what don't they know!" For someone like Chen Xuan who is almost superstitious about knowledge, Wei Nian's proposal is simply opening a new door for Chen Xuan. So, in the end, Chen Xuan was amazed and worshipful of Wei Nian's idea.
Wei Nian coughed twice, feeling very pleased, and said, "That's the truth."
Chen Xuan immediately got off the kang and first found the clothes that Wei Nian would wear tomorrow and hung them outside. Chen Xuan collected the books on the small kang table and pushed them inside. Then, she brought in another small kang table from the outer room and laid it out flush, and found the electric iron. "I'll iron it now. The clothes are just ironed, so there's always some moisture and they won't dry. Iron them tonight and hang them overnight. They'll be perfect to wear tomorrow." Chen Xuan also said to Wei Nian, "Brother Nian, pick a basket of strawberries from the house tomorrow and send it to Mr. Ouyang. As for the things we brought back from Shanghai, you can pick out what's suitable and bring more to Mr. Ouyang. He's such a foodie, so he'll pick the best ones."
The two discussed about giving gifts to Mr. Ouyang tomorrow. Wei Nian said, "I will teach you some Japanese starting tomorrow. Mr. Ouyang's wife is Japanese, so it will be convenient for you to know some Japanese when you are going to interact with him in the future."
"Okay." Chen Xuan happily agreed and worked harder to iron clothes for Brother Anian. However, Chen Xuan suddenly felt a sense of panic in her heart. She thought of something and stopped ironing the clothes. She looked at Wei Nian, "Brother Anian, Mr. Ouyang's wife is Japanese?"
"Yeah, what's wrong?"
Chen Xuan said with a serious face, "Mr. Wen also knows a lot of knowledgeable people. Professor Chu is also the dean of the department at Peking University. Brother Anian, don't go to Mr. Ouyang. The Japanese are not good people. These people are bad!"
The author has something to say: ps: It's the second update, only two updates today~ Take a day off, and talk about more updates tomorrow~~~~~~~Shi Tou is going out to exercise~~~~~~