"Stop!"

The car drove out of Sassoon's villa, Zhou Hexuan suddenly shouted to stop, turned around and asked Zhou Xuan in the back row: "Where do you live?" ”

"Zhabei," Zhou Xuan was obviously frightened these days, and asked timidly, "Mr. Zhou, are you...... Are you really willing to send me home? ”

"It's okay, don't be afraid," Zhou Hexuan comforted and said to the driver, "Go to Zhabei." ”

The car crossed the public concession and then crossed the Suzhou Creek to reach the Zhabei boundary.

Zhabei was originally a very barren place, but with the border with the major concessions, it quickly prospered in the late Qing Dynasty. The "prosperity" mentioned here is not the glitz and high-rise buildings, but the large population, with all kinds of religions and nine streams.

Ordinary people can't live in the Shanghai Concession, not only is the rent extremely expensive, but they also have to pay nearly 20 yuan a month to patrol and arrest (equivalent to public security management fees).

According to the survey statistics of the Nationalist Government in 1935, the average monthly salary of workers in Shanghai yarn factories was 15 yuan, the average monthly salary of shop clerks was 10 yuan, and the average monthly salary of white-collar workers was 19 yuan. That is to say, even the small white-collar workers who work in foreign banks have a monthly salary that is not enough to pay the patrol donation, let alone the rent that is several times higher than the patrol donation.

So, anyone who lives in the Shanghai Concession is a high-income group – even if it's just renting a house.

The Three People's Principles include "people's livelihood", so the Nanjing Nationalist Government had to make an appearance, and since 1928, it has successively built a number of "civilian residences". In fact, it should be called "poor people's residence", but the government thinks "poor" is unpleasant, and the official documents always write "civilian".

"Civilian housing" is the Republic of China version of "low-rent housing", Yangpu, Luwan and Zhabei each have one, there are about 600 low-rent houses built anywhere, and the monthly rent is generally between 2 yuan and 2.5 yuan.

It's just that it is very difficult to apply for "low-rent housing", and most of the people who can live in it are related households, or the company and factory where they work are relatively popular, or they have bribed the clerks when applying.

Later generations recorded that Zhou Xuan moved into the Pillow Apartment in 1932, and these contents are still widely circulated in articles introducing Zhou Xuan. In fact, it's all nonsense, with Zhou Xuan's current situation, he can't afford to pay the rent over there.

After the car drove into Zhabei, there were still a few street lamps in a slightly prosperous place, and it was dark to go deeper.

"My house is right in front!" Zhou Xuan suddenly shouted.

The driver stopped at the door of an old-fashioned apartment, a brick and wood structure, a bit like a later tube building, which belonged to the local squires who built it to collect rent in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China.

Zhou Xuan's family lived on the second floor, knocked on the door for a while, and finally a woman came out to open the door, it was Zhou Xuan's adoptive mother Ye Fengmei.

"Xuanzi!"

Ye Fengmei was surprised and delighted, and hugged Zhou Xuan excitedly and asked, "Why are you back?" ”

Zhou Xuan seemed to have a deep relationship with her adoptive mother, and said with tears: "Mom, Mr. Zhou sent me back." ”

"Mr. Zhou?" Ye Fengmei looked at Zhou Hexuan and Ruan Lingyu curiously, and the black lights in the aisle were blind and couldn't see clearly.

Zhou Hexuan explained: "Hello, I am Zhou Hexuan. Mr. Sassoon gave me Xuanzi, this is her 20-year employment contract, please keep it. ”

"You...... You, you, are you the Mr. Zhou in the newspaper? Ye Fengmei was overjoyed and excited, and suddenly pushed her daughter towards Zhou Hexuan, "Mr. Zhou, since the employment contract is in your hands, then Xuanzi will follow you in the future, please treat my daughter well!" ”

Zhou Hexuan sweated wildly and said, "This lady, I'm afraid you misunderstood." I just treat Xuanzi as a sister, and I want her to be reunited with her parents. The matter is over, and I will return this contract to you, and no one will pursue anything more. ”

"No, no, no," Ye Fengmei said in a firm tone, "Mr. Zhou, I beg you to accept Xuanzi!" ”

"I really don't mean anything else." Zhou Hexuan was speechless.

"Mr. Zhou, I'll kneel down for you!" Ye Fengmei suddenly knelt on the ground, kowtowed, and said, "Please accept Xuanzi!" ”

Zhou Hexuan looked confused and couldn't figure out what the situation was. He had no choice but to ask, "What about Xuanzi's father?" ”

Ye Fengmei's face changed suddenly: "Don't mention that dead ghost, he took Xuanzi's money from selling his body and hasn't been home for three days." Now it's either fooling around in a prostitute or a cigarette shop, and sooner or later the money will be lost by him! ”

"Well, let's go inside the house and talk." Zhou Hexuan felt that things were a little complicated.

Ye Fengmei hurriedly stood up and said, "Oh, yes, yes, Mr. Zhou, please come in!" ”

The lights in the room were very dim, Ye Fengmei brought two cups of boiled water, and said embarrassedly: "There is no tea at home, don't laugh at the two." As she spoke, her eyes widened suddenly, "You...... Are you Miss Ruan Lingyu? ”

"Hello, I'm Ruan Lingyu." Ruan Lingyu said with a smile.

Ye Fengmei said happily: "Today is really full of brilliance, and two distinguished guests have come. ”

Zhou Hexuan held the water and asked, "You still have to tell me about the situation." ”

"Alas!" Ye Fengmei sighed.

It turned out that Ye Fengmei was a singer and was born in Hua Dan. She was never popular when she was young, and she could only run in some small theater troupes, and her life became more difficult when she got older.

Ye Fengmei and her husband have never had children, and when she saw Zhou Xuan homeless, she immediately liked it, and treated Zhou Xuan as her own and loved her very much.

It's a pity that Zhou Xuan's adoptive father Zhou Liugen is an opium ghost and spends more money than he earns.

Zhou Xuan was less than 10 years old, and was sent by his adoptive father to the song and dance troupe to learn art, and also worked as a maid in the song and dance troupe.

Two years ago, when the Lianhua Song and Dance Troupe was disbanded, Zhou Xuan didn't even dare to go home, because her adoptive father Zhou Liugen wanted to sell her to a brothel, and Zhou Xuan was only 13 years old at that time. Fortunately, a kind-hearted person named Yan Hua recommended Zhou Xuan to join the Xinhua Opera Club, which avoided her from becoming a prostitute.

Historically, until Zhou Liugen was dying, he was still looking for his adopted daughter Zhou Xuan to ask for money to buy opium to smoke.

Due to the butterfly effect brought by Zhou Hexuan, Zhou Liugen has now made a windfall and received 50,000 yuan from Sassoon to sell his body. He was crazy, he didn't go home all day long, he either slept in a big tobacco shop, or slept in a prostitution house and restaurant, and completely fell into a state of drunkenness and dreaming of death.

Ye Fengmei felt sorry for her daughter, and was worried that Zhou Xuan would be bullied by the eldest master. Now that she knew that Zhou Xuan was given to Zhou Hexuan, and Zhou Hexuan was a university scholar and a good person, she immediately had other ideas - let her daughter stay with Zhou Hexuan, and she must not return to this home, otherwise she will be dragged down by her opium ghost husband sooner or later.

This is a respectable woman who silently endures her husband's nonsense, silently supports the broken family, and has motherly love for her adopted daughter.

After hearing this story, Zhou Hexuan could only sigh that opium was harmful, and he didn't know how many families were ruined by opium.

Ye Fengmei suddenly knelt on the ground and kowtowed, and begged with a crying voice: "Mr. Zhou, please, you can accept Xuanzi." She is very well-behaved, she can do everything about laundry and cooking, and she will sing and dance to relieve your boredom. Don't let her come back, she shouldn't come back......"

"Eh, don't kowtow at every turn," Zhou Hexuan said, "I see, you should divorce your current husband and live alone with your daughter." ”

Ye Fengmei twisted and said resolutely: "Mr. Zhou, although I am a bad actor, I still understand the truth from the beginning. Since I am married, I should take good care of the family, and I will never be able to do such a depraved thing as divorce. If you die, you will be poked in the back! ”

Zhou Hexuan suddenly didn't know what to say, as if he had traveled to an ancient feudal society.

Mr. Lu Xun's work of saving people's hearts and awakening their minds has a long way to go!

Ruan Lingyu understood Ye Fengmei's thoughts very well, and secretly pulled Zhou Hexuan's sleeve and said, "Just leave Xuanzi behind, I also have a companion." ”

Zhou Hexuan's mood is extremely complicated now, the feeling of lamenting his misfortune and being angry filled his chest, and his whole person was about to be blown up. But he couldn't get angry with this woman, their minds seemed to be centuries apart, and there was no possibility of normal communication.

"Alas," Zhou Hexuan took out his checkbook depressedly, filled in the numbers and tore them down, "This is 1,000 yuan, you can collect it yourself for your own use, don't buy opium for your husband." ”

Ye Fengmei said happily: "Mr. Zhou, you are really a good person, my family Xuanzi will be blessed in the future." She hugged her daughter again and said, "Xuanzi, remember to listen to Mr. Zhou in the future and serve Mr. Zhou well, do you know?" ”

"Mom, I don't want to go." Zhou Xuan hugged her adoptive mother and cried bitterly.

Ye Fengmei patted her daughter's head and said, "Don't be stupid, it's no good to stay in this house." You are different from your mother, who is a hard-working person and is destined to suffer for the rest of her life. You are blessed and deserve to be blessed. Come, don't cry, come with Mr. Zhou. ”

Zhou Hexuan was silent, feeling that this world was too absurd.