1928: The rise of giant merchants

Shanghai railway station platform.

One mule cart after another was waiting on the roadside waiting for business to arrive. Although there was already a Chevrolet 490 from Ye's Automobile Dealer to carry passengers, only a few wealthy families who could afford to rent a car could take it.

The vast majority of people fleeing from the north can only rent animal-drawn rickshaws. Many people even pack small bags and bring their families with them. They cannot afford even the cheapest rickshaws and have to leave the train station on foot and rush to the outskirts of the county. Find relatives in rural areas.

A group of people wearing dark gowns and carrying various large wooden boxes just got off the train and were shocked to see such a bustling station.

"Uncle, Shanghai Beach is different. The Ten Miles Foreign Field Fireworks Land is well-deserved. Even a train station is more lively than the most prosperous area in our city!" The speaker was a handsome young man who was looking around curiously at the moment. everything.

"Well, talk less and watch more." The majestic-looking middle-aged man nodded slightly, and then whispered to the people next to him, "Hongqun, our troupe has so many props, and the second young master will definitely not be able to take them. Let's call a few. The mule cart is ready, so as not to cause trouble to others, go and ask the price."

"Yes, brother." Meng Hongqun was in his forties, tall and mighty, and stood out among the crowd. He glared at his youngest son, Meng Keke, who kept chattering, and then walked towards the mule cart on the other side of the platform. .

"Drivers, how much can you carry in one truck? How much does it cost?" Meng Hongqun called a driver and asked.

When the coachman saw that business was coming and there was a large group of people, he immediately beamed with joy. When he got closer, he suddenly saw the nameplate "Yip's Charitable Foundation" on Meng Hongqun's collar. Although he was illiterate, this logo was very familiar, and his eyes immediately flashed. Warm light: "Master, may I ask if you are coming from Ye's Company in the north?"

"Yip's Company? Oh, you are talking about the nameplate of the Yip's Charitable Foundation. We are not from the foundation, but we were once invited to perform at the foundation. They said it would be convenient for us to wear this nameplate when we come to the south. Walking." Meng Hongqun was stunned for a moment, but he didn't expect that a mule cart driver also recognized this nameplate.

"Ah, then I can't do your business." The coachman smiled honestly. The mule cart drivers behind him were already planning to load the goods for them. When they heard his shout, they all moved down the goods one after another, "Brothers, these The master has performed for the second young master’s charity foundation. If you don’t do it, we can’t do it!”

Meng Hongqun looked confused and asked quickly: "The driver, the price is easy to negotiate."

"No, no, no, sir, these are the rules set by the second young master. The fact that we can make a living here is the reward of the second young master. We dare not disobey." The mule cart driver quickly waved his hand and explained, "All of us in Ye's Charity The foundation has done charity work, and we don’t accept guests from the north.”

"Why?" Meng Hongqun was stunned. Is it illegal to do charity?

The answer came before the mule driver could reply to him.

A group of mules and carts gathered around quickly left, making way for rows of dark teams behind them.

The all-new Chevrolet 490 is extremely spectacular.

"Is the Winter Emperor coming?!"

A tall and handsome young man got out of the leading luxury car.

He was wearing a clean suit and a suit hat, and there were many people following behind him, and he walked straight towards Meng Hongqun.

Meng Hongqun's eyes were sharp and he immediately realized that this was the real owner, and quickly shouted: "Second Young Master! I have admired you for a long time!"

It turned out that Ye Luo was driving here and heard about it on the way. After describing it, he guessed the true identity of the mysterious guest invited by Mei Lanfang——

The emperor of Peking Opera, the Winter Emperor Meng Xiaodong!

Meng Xiaodong was born in Shanghai. She made her stage debut in 1915 when she was only seven years old. She became popular in Wuxi in 1920. In 1922, the name of the Winter Emperor spread throughout the south of the Yangtze River. Then she went north to perform in the Beijing and Tianjin areas and became famous in one fell swoop. But in 1925 , when she was only seventeen years old, she suddenly retired from the limelight and lived in seclusion in Tianjin. She did not come back until 1927.

Ye Luo knew the general reason.

In 1925, when Meng Xiaodong was performing, she was spotted by the warlord Sun Chuanfang, who sent people to intimidate and lure her. However, Meng Xiaodong would rather die than obey. She was famous, and many famous people in the theater co-signed as guarantees, so she escaped.

In 1927, last year, Sun Chuanfang completely lost power. She secretly married Mei Lanfang in Peiping, and then quietly made a comeback.

But on September 14 last year, Li Zhigang, a college student who had a crush on Meng Xiaodong, heard that Meng Xiaodong had secretly married Mei Lanfang and plotted to rob and kill Mei Lanfang. As a result, he accidentally killed Zhang Hanju (the chamber pot Zhang San). Meng Xiaodong and Mei Lanfang once again became the subject of tabloid discussion. At the center of the show, Meng Xiaodong once again exited the stage.

It is said that Li Zhigang's assassination was inspired by Sun Chuanfang, which shows that this great warlord has never forgotten the Winter Emperor.

No wonder Mei Lanfang said that this best friend had caused trouble in the north, and as a last resort, he hoped she would not perform on stage and draw attention to herself.

But when it comes to the relationship between Meng and Mei, it's also a bit sad.

Meng Xiaodong secretly promised Mei Lanfang, originally thinking that she could have "both ends", not only as a concubine, but also as the wife of the first wife.

However, Mei's family strongly opposed it, and Mei Lanfang was vague and kept dragging her until 1930, when the two broke up and divorced. In 1933, Meng Xiaodong officially announced her divorce through Ta Kung Pao and returned to the stage.

Later Meng Xiaodong married Lu Yusheng.

No matter what, Ye Luo is still quite curious about this Peking Opera master.

There were more than thirty people from the Meng family troupe. They had all moved to Shanghai. If the Winter Emperor could perform on stage, it would be a big favor.

Meng Xiaodong, who was wearing a hat to cover up half of his face, and men's loose clothing to cover up his body curves, immediately ran to his father after hearing the words, and Nuo Nuo said hello: "Hello, Second Young Master!"

"Hello, Winter Emperor, I'm your loyal theater fan." Ye Luo knew that she didn't want to attract attention, so he lowered his voice and reached out to give her a gentle shake.

Although she is an old Peking Opera singer, Meng Xiaodong has a very girlish voice and her appearance is absolutely beautiful. It shows that she has put in a lot of effort on stage to achieve such a great reputation.

"Thank you for your love, I'm very grateful." Meng Xiaodong replied crisply, "So the second young master also likes to watch operas? I thought that someone who could write such a wonderful script as "The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple" might not like this kind of traditional opera. It’s the things that matter, it’s me who is narrow-minded.”

"Haha, I like movies, and I also like to watch operas." Ye Luo's face didn't turn red when he told lies. Anyway, he used this kind of rhetoric to Ruan Lingyu and Hu Die, and they haven't been discovered yet.

"You are really well-informed. No wonder you have such enviable achievements." Meng Hongqun nodded with a smile.

"Mr. Meng was so impressed. There are so many people here. Let's get in the car and talk about it." Ye Luo pointed to the motorcade behind him, "I thought a theater troupe should be here, so I called the motorcade under my company. Fortunately, the car Too much, otherwise you’ll make a fool of yourself.”

"Oh my god, do all these cars belong to you, Second Young Master?" Meng Xiaodong pursed her lips and whispered.

She often heard about the name of the Second Young Master from Shanghai Beach in the north, but it was all based on charity.

She admired and admired Ye Luo when it came to charity.

Because the Ye's Charitable Foundation is the only southern charity group that is still alive and is really doing things in the north. Those Da Yang have done real things, and they also have the dual support of the Jinling National Government and Marshal Zhang!

This is also the reason why Meng Xiaodong is willing to take risks and come to Shanghai to support him.

Some people have also said that the second young master’s business is very big.

But Meng Xiaodong had met many rich people, including warlords. In her eyes, being rich was nothing.

But at a glance, the fleet of cars with no end in sight turned out to be just a small industry owned by him.

That's a bit exaggerated and shocking.

"There aren't many cars." Ye Luo waved his hand indifferently, "The matter is rather urgent, and Mr. Mei is unwilling to reveal your identity, otherwise I should prepare a feast for the Winter Emperor."

He asked Meng Xiaodong and Shi Jianqiao to ride together in his Ford V8, while other members of the Meng family's theater troupe gradually boarded the Chevrolet 490 fleet. As for the luggage, cars were naturally arranged to pick it up.

This is why mule cart drivers don’t pull people.

Anyone who comes from the north and has done charity work at Ye's can enjoy free pick-up and drop-off service in the Chevrolet 490.

This is also a small support from Ye Luo to charity.

But in Meng Xiaodong's eyes, he looked like a great businessman!