Chapter 5 In the Study

Sixteen shops, this is the starting point of Shanghai Shili Yangchang. Perhaps because of the early morning, the bustling Shili Yangchang is filled with thick fog, which makes the Shili Yangchang much more blurred, and the scenery 50 meters away is wrapped in a blurred shell.

Standing in the bow of the ship, Chen Moran saw that several towering tall buildings only showed the highest floors in the fog. The rows of window holes flashed with yellow lights. From a distance, it looked like a mirage floating in the air, giving people a sense of false and untrue, without any majestic spirit.

And the thick fog was boundless. The cargo ship on the Huangpu River broke through the suffocating tide and moved forward, and even the people close at hand became dizzy and strange. Everything lost its distinct outline, and everything was in a vague deformation. Although the tweed coat hit the back fog on his body, Chen Moran still stood in the bow.

"This... is Shanghai!"

In the memory of countless people, the old Shanghai is just a yellowed black-and-white photo. It is a freak under the poor and backward Chinese and foreign powers **, but everyone who knows it knows that on the other hand, it is a paradise for the rich and an arena for adventurers, but a hell on earth for the poor people...

I left Jinling to come to Shanghai for a very good reason! Without electricity, his own machine can't run. Although Jinling has a small power plant, the power supply is not enough for the government, the rich gentry, and the arsenal to light the lamp. Chen Moran, who has no background and no strength, wants to start his own machine in Jinling. I'm afraid it's just a dream.

"Sir, the ship is on the dock!"

The tip of the boat must be respectfully saluted. From Jinling to Shanghai, the chartered ship is 500 taels. I'm afraid that this high price is still the first Cao. However, in order to transport the two iron cabinets of the master in front of me, the sand ship is a sawboard and a cushion board, but it took a lot of effort. If there were no two wooden cranes on the dock in Jinling. At the same time, I was afraid that the two big iron cabinets could not even get on the boat.

"Hmm!"

Chen Moran nodded and looked back at the two containers covered by the sails and rain. Those two containers were everything for him.

"The boat is waiting on the dock, stop for a day, and I will pay for a day!"

With that, Chen Moran walked towards the springboard and walked on the swaying springboard. As soon as he stepped on the land of Shanghai, his heart suddenly jumped, and his breathing was aggravated. This was the boundary of Shanghai.

A high-rise building, behind it is a two-way southern-style house. The door building has a door box, and the door of the red lacquer background is closed tightly. The plaque on the door is horizontally written from the right to the left. The golden character "generational scholar fragrance". The authentic Hanli is soft and steep, and the peace is dangerous.

The house has white walls and green bricks, and the begonias hanging snow in the courtyard. Although it is placed in the southern country, the snow-hanging begonia adds some colors of the north, and a beautiful girl with tea enters the main hall.

In the main hall, Sun Jingnan, who was sitting in the first seat, was drinking tea. Although he was over 50 years old, he was energetic. He was as thin but not woody. He sat on the chair and his body was very straight.

Although the furnishings in this main hall are not luxurious, they reveal the family and the taste of the owner. The door is a big lacquered eight-fairy table and chair. Although the jujube red paint on the corner of the table and the armrest of the chair has been polished by the years and exposed the wood, it shows that the family has been passed down for a long time. The middle hall above is equipped with a very old begonia reflecting snow. Although I don't know the crazy grass on the painting, it is holding it. Chen Moran of tea guessed more or less that it was from a famous family.

Sun Jingnan, who was sitting in Taishi's chair, didn't say anything at this time. He just bowed his head and tasted tea. He seemed to be not interested in the man in front of him.

"Five thousand taels!"

Simple numbers suddenly spread the smell of copper in this room.

When he heard this number, Sun Jingnan just smiled and continued to drink his tea.

"Mr. Sun, the price is already very high!"

The indifference of Sun Jingnan in front of him made Chen Moran feel a headache. Since he came to this study, this person didn't say a few words. He just occasionally asked himself something and seemed to have no interest in renting a house.

In spite of this, Chen Moran could only flatter. Sun Jingnan, who had been Tanhua and served as the aisle, was the landlord of the house he found. The backyard of the house was close to the river, and there was electricity. Not to mention that there was a wooden crane in the small wharf behind the factory, which solved the problem of the machine landing into the factory. After searching in Shanghai, it was not easy to find this suitable factory.

It's just that it seems that Mr. Nanping doesn't seem to have the idea of renting out, otherwise he would not have visited by himself.

Silver, although I got 12,000 taels of watches and necklaces in Jinling, in order to get the two containers weighing more than ten or twenty tons on two sand boats, I spent 1,000 taels. The freight of the chartered the boat, the cost of the ship near the dock for three days, and the running around Shanghai in the past few days, there are nearly 3,000 taels of silver. There has been no shadow for a long time. It was hard to find this suitable place, but the man was still unwilling to rent it, saying that his master was for his own use after the Spring Festival.

In a hurry, Chen Moran came in a hurry to rent a carriage and ran from Shanghai to Songjiang County, and now he will drive 5,000 taels, which is almost the highest price he can offer.

"Please invite Mr. Sun to become a junior!"

With that, Chen Moran was together. Although there was a dull pain in his left leg, he still bent down respectfully.

"You squeak, if you hadn't returned from abroad, you wouldn't have much courtesy to the country. I'm afraid that the previous words alone would have made people have kicked you out!"

Sun Jingnan smiled and scolded casually.

"Ah!"

Mr. Sun's words stunned Chen Moran. What's going on? Courtesy? I haven't been so respectful to that man since I was a child, and I have said anything about gifts.

"Yes, you just said that you have just returned from abroad. I don't know what you think of the current situation."

Sun Jingnan looked at Chen Moran, who was puzzled in front of him with interest. From the young man with a crutch to this hall, he became interested. It was because he had said that he had traveled to the United Kingdom and the United States for 20 years, and how many people had traveled to Europe and the United States for 20 years.

Especially the "industry to save the country" he mentioned in the rental factory, which made Sun Jingnan feel like a bosom friend. The factory was originally abandoned by the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau. After buying it many years ago, he originally planned to run a factory, but this delay was several years. Originally, he planned to try to run a factory in the New Year, but he didn't think that there was someone now. I like that factory building.

"The current situation?"

Chen Muran was suddenly puzzled by this question. It was just an exposition to say that he returned from abroad. At this moment, how could he know anything about it? Uh-huh! It seems that the Xinchou Treaty is about to be signed.

Xinchou Treaty?

Recalling this word, Chen Moran remembered a paper he had read in college, and he seemed to have argued with others because of it.

Although he saw through the darkness of the officialdom many years ago and resigned from business, he did not dare to forget the state affairs of Sun Jingnan. Still, since last year, the Eight-Nation Alliance occupied Beijing and Tianjin, and the Empress Dowager and the emperor fled to Xi'an in the west. The allied forces were in Beijing for several months. During this period, they continued to invade the south, which made Sun Jingnan more worried. Although it was reported that the foreigners were not destroyed. Yes, but I'm still a little worried.

"Yes, you grew up in Britain and the United States since you were a child. Do you think Britain and the United States destroy the heart of my Qing Dynasty?"

His question made Chen Moran breathe a sigh of relief. Although he was not from the background of history, he knew the 450 million taels of compensation of the Xinchou Treaty. Since he had lost money, the country would definitely not be destroyed. What's more, in that paper, he was the head of the analysis of this reason, and even like a queen. I added a comment like a cannon.

"Mr. Nanping, however, is only a later life, and he doesn't know much about military affairs, but the eight countries have no intention of destroying China except Russia."

When he spoke, Chen Moran paid attention to the expression of Sun Jingnan in front of him.

"Oh! What does it mean that other countries have no intention of destroying China except Russia?

Sun Jingnan attracted Chen Moran's words, or ignored the words of great rebellion in Chen Moran's words out of curiosity.

"The policies and contradictions between the eight countries against China determine that it is impossible for them to divide China! That is, there is no way to divide, and there is no way to destroy China!"

Putting the teacup on a shelf, Sun Jingnan's body couldn't help leaning forward slightly, with a full of interest.

"Oh! However, let's talk about it carefully!"