The Rise of the Writers of the Republic of China

Whether it was donating 10 aircraft to the government or recruiting 60 student pilots to fly to the United States, these news caused quite a stir in the society, and Zhou Hexuan was once again hailed as a model of patriotic and progressive people.

Our patriot Mr. Zhou is now buying a house for his little lover.

Jia Fei Road.

A real estate agent tried his best to sell it: "This villa was built eight years ago and has always been occupied by a big French boss. Let's take a look at the home decoration inside. It is all top-notch. The leather sofa alone is worth hundreds." The ocean. And this crystal chandelier..."

He Aying carried a bag and walked around upstairs and downstairs, nodding her head repeatedly to express satisfaction: "Very good, very beautiful. This house is comfortable to live in."

Ruan Lingyu said weakly: "Mom, the house is too big, and it is a waste of time for us to live in it."

"What are you afraid of when you get older?" He Aying smiled from ear to ear. "When you buy the house, you and your uncle will live on the third floor, and your sister and I will live on the second floor. We will also hire ten or eight servants, cooks, and gardeners. and the driver, the first floor is full."

Ruan Lingyu advised: "There is no need for so many servants. Just ask one to help clean the room."

He Aying educated him: "Ah Ruan, you are really stupid. Who is our uncle? He is a famous scholar and a rich man. There is only one servant in the family who wants to be laughed at. It's too shabby!"

The real estate agent immediately answered: "So, who is Mr. Zhou? Who is Miss Ruan? Even 20 servants are not too many."

"Look, I'm right." He Aying's face was full of joy.

Ruan Lingyu blushed and said nothing, timidly looking towards the balcony, for fear that her mother's words and deeds would cause Zhou Hexuan's dissatisfaction.

The real estate agent also walked quickly to the balcony, nodded and bowed and asked: "Mr. Zhou, are you satisfied with the house?"

Zhou Hexuan smoked a cigarette and nodded: "I'm quite satisfied. How much does it cost?"

"One price, fifty thousand!" the real estate agent said, extending his hand.

Zhou Hexuan smiled and asked: "Based on the current situation in Shanghai, are you sure someone will buy the 50,000 yuan?"

The real estate agent yelled, "My Mr. Zhou, this is a garden villa on Xiafei Road. A year ago, you couldn't even buy it for 150,000 yuan, let alone 50,000 yuan!"

The real estate agent really didn't lie. Let's take the house Lu Xun rented when he first arrived in Shanghai as an example. It was just an old Shikumen house in a suburban area, but it cost 50,000 yuan to buy it outright, and the price was still the same seven years ago.

As for the villas on Xiafei Road, even those with money could not buy them. In the 1930s, they were only rented and not sold.

Living in Shanghai during the Republic of China was very difficult. Most citizens had to spend 30% to 50% of their monthly income on rent.

Why does Zhou Hexuan suddenly want to buy a house in Shanghai?

Two reasons.

First, the house on Haige Road was bought by my father-in-law. It is not appropriate to place Ruan Lingyu and her daughter there. It is best to buy a house specifically;

Second, Shanghai's property market collapsed, with house prices falling by 80% within half a year, and the collapse continues.

"Twenty thousand, if it doesn't work, I'll look elsewhere." Zhou Hexuan said with a smile.

The real estate agent looked bitter: "Mr. Zhou, 20,000 is really too low. Otherwise, I'll call the French landlord first and discuss the details."

"Go." Zhou Hexuan nodded.

The impact of the silver crisis in China in 1934 was continuous. Take housing prices as an example. Land prices in public concessions evaporated by 600 million yuan, and land prices in Shanghai as a whole evaporated by more than 2 billion yuan. The British and French people who invested the most in real estate in Shanghai, including the Concession Government (Ministry of Industry and Commerce), suffered losses that made their hearts bleed.

The losses of countless speculators in the real estate market were quickly passed on to major financial institutions through defaults on loans from financial institutions, causing a more serious financial crisis and causing the bankruptcy of a large number of banks and companies, including many in the UK. capital and French-owned enterprises.

The British and French governments, together with British and French enterprises, suffered losses in Shanghai alone of at least 1 billion yuan.

British capitalists are already anxious and continue to urge the British government to help China solve the silver crisis. The power of capital is huge. The British government can no longer withstand the pressure. It has finally given up its plan to regain control of China's customs and is actively negotiating with Nanjing.

"Thirty-five thousand," the real estate agent came back after calling, "Mr. Zhou, the French landlord said he wanted thirty-five thousand!"

Zhou Hexuan smiled and said: "Thirty thousand."

The real estate agent ran to make a call again, and soon said happily: "Mr. Zhou, it's done, how about we make an appointment to sign the contract?"

"Okay." Zhou Hexuan nodded.

The real estate agent smiled and said: "Mr. Zhou, your house is worth buying. I have been working in Shanghai for so many years, and this is the first time I have sold it at such a low price."

Zhou Hexuan put out the cigarette butt: "It's worth a damn, I'll make a huge loss. If I wait until next month to buy it, he'll probably sell it for 20,000 yuan."

"See what you said...well, I'll make an appointment with the landlord." The real estate agent ran away embarrassed.

Ruan Lingyu came over and whispered: "Thank you."

"You're still telling me these things." Zhou Hexuan smiled and hugged Ruan Lingyu's waist.

"That's right, that's right," He Aying's voice trembled with joy, "We're all one family, we don't need to be so clear-cut. Uncle, what do you want to eat tonight? I'll cook it for you. I'm not bragging, my craftsmanship is very good. The Shanghainese food is excellent!”

"No, I have something to do in the evening," Zhou Hexuan said, "The British Consul General in Shanghai invited me to dinner."

He Aying said with a look of admiration: "My uncle is really a person who does great things. Even the British Consul General wants to invite you. Why don't you take Ah Ruan to see the world too."

"Mom!" Ruan Lingyu quietly pulled He Aying's clothes.

Zhou Hexuan nodded and said, "Okay."

He Aying suddenly became more excited: "Ah Ruan, look how much my uncle loves you. You will enjoy the blessings in the future."

Ruan Lingyu's face turned red with embarrassment, and her heart felt as if she had eaten honey.

Zhou Hexuan suddenly asked: "By the way, that Tang Jishan hasn't given you any more troubles, has she?"

Ruan Lingyu said: "No, Boss Tang takes good care of me. He seems to have had some business problems recently. He has left Shanghai and gone to Nanyang."

It’s no surprise that there were no problems in the business. In the past, Tang Jishan’s main export destination was the United States. However, the economic crisis broke out in the United States, which made it difficult for Tang Jishan to do business in tea, so she moved her main market to Africa and Southeast Asia. Now that both the pound and the U.S. dollar have depreciated wildly, British tea has become more competitive in the international market, and Tang Jishan is extremely anxious.

These are all the negative impacts of the silver crisis on Chinese businessmen, and Tang Jishan is just a microcosm of countless Chinese businessmen.

On the other hand, Shanghai's real estate can be used for investment. As long as Zhou Hexuan invests in dozens of properties in Shanghai, he can make a lot of money when the real estate market picks up next year. There is not much profit, and it is still very easy to make one or two million.

In the evening, Zhou Hexuan took Ruan Lingyu to the appointment.

It's funny to say that the purpose of inviting Zhou Hexuan by the British Consul General in Shanghai was to ask Zhou Hexuan to be the intermediary in the negotiations. Now it is the British government's turn to be anxious, while Nanjing has been stalling for time.