Chapter 23 Chapter Twenty Two

In the evening, in the restaurant of Tianjin National Hotel, Zhou Taofei wanted to invite Shouting and Dongchu to dinner.Zhou Taofei was thirty-one or twelve years old, and looked much younger than Dongchu.He is dressed in a suit and leather shoes, with high spirits and a sense of fortitude in his brows.He bowed gracefully: "Director Chen, Director Zhao, Chinese food or Western food?" Dongchu looked at Shouting, and Shouting said: "Let's put the Chinese food and Western food first, and let's change the words first. Brother Taofei, everyone in the printing and dyeing industry in China knows that I, Chen Shouting, came from a beggar, and I can't read. I can read today." When I came to Tianjin, I could eat with an industrialist who has studied abroad. I never thought about it when I was begging for food. I thought about getting rich, but I didn’t expect the situation today. Ever since I saw my brother for the first time, I liked him from the bottom of my heart. The storyteller said, this man would rather live in poverty than in poverty! If this appearance is not pleasing to the eye, this man will be very unlucky. I can see that my brother is not an easy person. It's a pity that Zhao Zilong followed Gongsun Zan and voted for the wrong leader! We are like this today, brother, one person is pleasing to the eye, this is fate! It is not easy to meet, but it is even more difficult to be pleasing to the eye. Brother, I am older than you Ten years old, you can call me Sixth Brother, and I will call you Taofei, what do you think?" Shouting's voice was bright and open.

Taofei smiled humbly and said: "Master Chen is a legend in the printing and dyeing industry. Taofei just entered this field, and Taofei felt that it was inappropriate to be called a brother of his predecessors." There was an elderly waiter in a white uniform at the entrance of the restaurant, smiling and neat. Shouting pointed: "Isn't that guy over sixty years old? If I'm commensurate with his brother, wouldn't that be flattering? Bro, business is business, and friends are friends, so let's do it! If you don't agree, I will I will help Shanghai Lin Xiangrong handle you!"

The three of them laughed together. Taofei smiled and said, "Okay, then I'll call you Sixth Brother." Dong Chu took it over and said: "Taofei, you and Sixth Brother have known each other for a short time. After a long time, you will miss him. That's how I am. I don't see Sixth Brother for a few days, and I feel that I have no idea. I got to go around his factory and tell a few jokes, and my heart will brighten up all day." Taofei sighed a little: "I am very envious of the relationship between your two factories. They are colleagues and get along so well. This is not the case in Tianjin. Everyone is very polite when they meet, but they are all on guard against each other. Sixth brother, we haven't said anything yet. What about Chinese food or Western food?"

Shouting said, "Let's talk about it when your friend comes." Taofei said: "Ding Wendong is my assistant and a very good friend. Let's leave him alone. He can eat Chinese or Western food." Shouting said: "It's better to have Chinese food! The foreign devil's machine is fine, but his food is really not very exciting." Tao Fei smiled and clapped his hands, and the waiter hurried over. "Serve the dishes according to the order I ordered." He pointed to the foreign couple on the table next to him, "Tell them to go away, I've bought all the tables around here, we want to talk. Sixth brother, This restaurant doesn’t have private seats, but the food is pretty good.”

The waiter said hesitantly, "Sir, that's a foreigner." Taofei raised his eyebrows: "Foreigners are more reasonable, tell them that these tables are reserved. This is Chinese land! Do you want me to say it myself?" The waiter went over and said something to the foreigner. The foreigner stood up and bowed to Taofei in apology, and Taofei returned the salute. Shouting said: "Okay, buddy, I don't talk much, but I'm very energetic. I'm like you, when I see foreign devils wandering around here, I don't get angry at all." Taofei said: "Sixth brother, you have never been abroad, so you don't know how foreigners look down on Chinese people. It is said that I can find a job in England, and some companies invite me, but it feels too uncomfortable. They have a way to treat servants. Politeness, but what about the Chinese? Why not treat the servants!"

Dong Chu said: "Taofei, we seem to be so-called industrialists on the surface, but we are actually struggling helplessly. In the whole world, which country has lost three provinces and has not declared war? Only China! People can look down on us Us? We can’t blame the foreigners.” Shouting said: "Let's not talk about these unhappy things. If you get angry, let's not eat this meal! Let me tell you a joke." Shouting lit a local cigarette, "The Germans came to our factory to install Machine, wash your hands and get off work at six o’clock. I don’t understand, why don’t you stop working before dark? Just ask my friend Lu Jiaju. He said that foreigners are like this, and they get off work at o’clock. The foreign devil called, and he called the three of them. I said this is in China. You don’t look at your watch when you get off work, but you watch the sky. You get off work when it’s dark. If you leave work before it’s dark, I won’t give you the balance of the machine. They are also workers, so they agreed because they were afraid of losing their jobs. Coincidentally, that day, the sky was dark and it was going to rain heavily. It was dark after five o’clock, so they washed their hands and left work. I couldn’t see the point. I asked why, and he pointed to the sky, which meant it was getting dark. It's so fucking interesting!"

Everyone laughed, and Taofei burst into tears. At this time, Ding Wendong, Taofei's assistant, came.This one was also thirty-one or twelve years old, of medium build, straight, and rarely handsome.Navy blue suit, white shirt, and bow tie.They all stood up, and Zhou Taofei introduced them one by one: "This is Director Chen, Mr. Chen Shouting. This is Ding Wendong." Wendong bowed and saluted.Shouting frowned first, and then asked: "Brother Wendong, let me ask a digression first, are you and Teng Jing related?" Wen Dong was puzzled: "Tengjing? Which Tenjing?"

Shouting said, "Why do I look a bit like a Japanese!" Taofei stomped his feet while laughing, and Ding Wendong also laughed.He introduced Dongchu again, and after sitting down, he said: "Wendong's father was originally a procurement officer of the Beiyang government in Japan. Wendong went to university in Japan, and later taught the history of Chinese science and technology at Tokyo Imperial University. "September 18" Afterwards, I couldn’t bear the humiliation, so I came back. I forced him to open the port. The sixth brother said that he looks like a Japanese, which is true, even the Japanese think so.”

Dong Chu was smiling and wiping away tears.Shouting asked: "You have been in Japan for so many years, do you like Japanese people?" Wen Dong smiled: "I like Japanese women. Ha..." Tao Fei said: "He found a Japanese wife and brought them back together. Her wife's family is a so-called nobleman in Japan." Shouting looked at Wendong: "My brother has his own way! Neither the Nationalist Government nor the Northeast Army can handle the Japanese, but you have managed the Japanese!" After speaking, he realized that he had made a slip of the tongue, raised his hand and slapped himself on the mouth, "Bah! That's not what a brother would say! I'm sorry, brother!"

Everyone laughed harder.The foreigners in the distance shrugged helplessly. Shouting asked again: "Is your wife treating you well?" Wen Dong said: "It's good. But since the Japanese devils took over the three provinces in the Northeast, she seemed to have done something wrong in front of me, and she suddenly became half short. Sometimes I look at her and get angry for no reason. She The more I humble myself, the more I want to kick her!" When Wen Dong said, there was a slight hatred on his face. Shouting took Wen Dong's hand and held it: "brother, I don't have to worry about food and clothing. I came back from across the ocean with us, leaving my parents behind. It's not easy. They don't want us, they are Picture us. Treat people well. The thieves who occupy our northeast are not the same as her. You can’t make a price. The Nationalist government can’t beat the Japanese, so you can vent your anger on the Japanese at home. If you do that, brother Laughing at you!"

Wendong admired Shouting's words, and he nodded deeply in approval. Taofei said: "Wendong, Sixth Brother—you should also be called Sixth Brother! Wendong, if you don't know, I'll tell you that Sixth Brother can't read. Do you believe me?" Wen Dong shook his head: "Absolutely don't believe it! Sixth brother, you really don't know a single word?" Shouting said, "No, I know the characters on the money. Ha..." Dongchu said with a smile: "Although the sixth brother is illiterate, he is definitely not uneducated. Many years ago, a senior commented this way. Even now, he specially hires someone to read the newspaper every day. What Sitara (Hitler) It’s coming to power, there’s a war in Spain, Sixth Brother knows all about it.” Zhou Ding and the two were very surprised.At this time, the dishes came, and Wendong began to pour wine. Everyone picked up the wine, and Taofei delivered a speech: "Sixth brother, Dongchu, because the shareholders of our factory refused to listen to my younger brother, refused to use low-grade cloth to fight Lin Xiangrong, and did not dare to sell the cloth to the northeast. The rivers and rivers of the printing and dyeing factory in Bu are in decline. Please come here from a long way, the fate of life is unpredictable, thank you in advance, brother!" Just as he was about to do it, Shouting put down his wine: "Slow down! Taofei, Wendong, I can't read, and I can't say four or six sentences, but I have to say a few words. Kaibu Dyeing Factory and I are not relatives. Two are not friends—but you two are my friends—I just want to help you two. Taofei, Wendong, although I am rough, I never talk big, because I like it from the bottom of my heart Two. So, it won't be long before I let Lin Xiangrong's 'poppy' fly with flesh and blood. Come on, do it!" In the evening, Shouting sat on a chair and listened to the play.Suddenly the phone rang, he twisted his mouth, let Caiqin go to pick it up, and said: "If it's Zi's nest, just say I'm asleep, and let him come to the factory to find me tomorrow." Caiqin nodded: "Who is it? Hey! Brother Dongjun, is my sister-in-law cured of her illness? All right, that's all right. You can find Shouting, all right! This phone isn't just for you men. First you Call my sister-in-law, and I’ll talk to her first. Then you two can talk.” Dong Jun called his wife, and Caiqin turned around and said to Shouting, “I’ll be quick, just a few words will do.” Shouting turned off the radio: "Just say a few more words, I'll go out and drain the water first." When Mrs. Zhao came, Caiqin said, "Sister-in-law, are you ready?" Mrs. Zhao said, "Okay." Caiqin said: "I made two consecutive phone calls in the afternoon, and Wang Ma said that you had gone out. You just recovered from the disease, why are you running all over the street!" Mrs. Zhao said: "Your cousin asked me to go to the street to buy two printed fabrics from the factories in Shanghai and Tianjin. I also bought three feet, but I didn't know what to use. I said, sister, Mei Lanfang came to Jinan gone." Caiqin said: "I'm looking for you for this matter. I sent someone to book four tickets for the first show tomorrow night. The two of us still have Mrs. Miao, and we will call the third family." Mrs. Zhao said: "You can't go to the old third's house. Now Dongchu won't let her go out, and if he says he will break her dog's legs. Can't you call the boss of Jiaju's family?" Caiqin said: "I thought so too, but Jia Kui said that he had booked a ticket and took the eldest and the second child with him. The third family also did the same, just meddling in the affairs of the man's family. I will give the third child a while later. Say, it’s enough to scare and scare, it can be endless! Okay, sister-in-law, Shouting is waiting to talk to my brother Dongjun!" Shouting answered the phone: "Brother Dong Jun, what's the matter?" Dong Jun said: "I don't worry! You can't see Zhou Taofei pleasing to the eye and just risk your life at the expense of money. Sixth brother, we can't do it." Shouting said: "Brother Dong Jun, we can't just wait like this. If this continues, the Kaibu Dyeing Factory will collapse. If Kaibu collapses, the surname Lin should be free to clean us up. Let Kaibu live, and with this factory ahead, we might be better off. What do you think, Brother Dongjun?" Dong Jun said: "I have figured it out these two days. Let's use a printing machine to print monochrome cloth. Printing monochrome cloth does not require a technician, and it can be done after adjusting the color. Don't disturb any other printed cloth. Sixth Brother "It's not easy for us to get two money. I know your temper. As long as you come up with that kind of energy, you dare not give up your head. Sixth brother, this can't be done. The third brother came to tell me, I couldn't sit still, so I called you Phone call. Listen to brother, don’t do it hard. It’s still the same sentence. Let’s take a look before we talk. Sixth brother, on the other hand, now Tengjing’s cloth has three dollars in it. This is for us Yes. In the next step, we have to use Shanghai cloth, and the guy surnamed Lin will get stuck, which is not good for us! If we don’t have printed cloth and give up the printed cloth market, can he sell us gray cloth at a lower price?” Shouting smiled: "Brother Dong Jun, we can't eat hairy meat even after the death of Butcher Zhang. If you leave Tengjing's plaster, you can also pull out the pus. Don't be afraid, it will cost you three dollars? Let him beg us to buy it. The boat cloth we got will not be used up in a while, so don’t panic.” Dongjun was helpless: "Okay, I didn't ask Chu on the phone, I'll go to your factory tomorrow, and we'll talk about it when we meet. Okay, okay." The phone hangs up. Shouting sat on a chair, smoking a cigarette, and said to himself: "It's no wonder that I had to fight with Lin. It turned out that I wanted to buy some cheap cloth." Caiqin said: "You don't listen to anyone else. Brother Dongjun is an old businessman. Don't be desperate with this all day long, or endless with that. It's better than anything else to be quiet in our hearts." Shouting said: "Call the third child and ask him to take Lanzhi's leave tomorrow. Lanzhi called the factory this afternoon and asked me to help her talk about it. If you come forward, I think it's smarter than me. Bear him!" Caiqin smiled and began to dial the phone, the old lady answered, Caiqin came up and said: "Let Zhao Dongchu answer the phone, I am his cousin." Soon Dongchu came to answer the phone: "Cousin, what's the matter, Brother Six, do you need me?" Caiqin said: "Return your sixth brother! I was the one who came to you. Now that you have grown up, you broke this leg and that one. What's wrong, I think it's your fault. Let Lanzhi ride a foreign You are the one with the car running all over the street, and you are the one who is not allowed to go out, what do you want to do!" Dongchu said: "Cousin, you don't know, she messes around and meddles in things." Caiqin said: "Okay, I'll talk about her too, and I won't get involved in the future, and we won't go to the Jiangxi National Congress. Tomorrow, let her go to the theater with me. There will be your sister-in-law, me, and sister-in-law Miao." .Lend us that broken car of yours. What? How dare you say no? It’s against you! As long as you say no, I’ll let sister-in-law Miao come to you. Sister-in-law scolds, then you stand up. It's settled like this, let Lanzhi answer the phone!" Caiqin clutched the receiver, while Shouting said, "Tell her, the Zi family doesn't have a good thing, so don't go any further! I can't blame Dongchu for this." Mrs. Dongchu came: "Sister-in-law Six!" Caiqin said: "How is it? I have to save you! Ha..." The next morning, Shouting listened to Wen Qi read the newspaper in the office.When Mr. Wu came in, Wen Qi retreated automatically.Shouting hurriedly asked, "What is the tax bureau calling us?" Old Wu Gan swallowed his saliva, then poured himself a glass of water: "Say we evaded taxes." Shouting stood up: "Nonsense! When we came to Jinan, we didn't open much business, so what kind of taxes are we stealing? All the cloth we dyed went to the countryside, and there was no account at all. Those things processed for the Central Army are tax-free. We have already told them gone." Old Wu sat down and said, "Oh! Shopkeeper, if we hadn't done that for the Central Army, we would have been in big trouble. The 8,000 pieces of cloth we brought back from Shanghai were not recorded in my account at all. Just this one can It killed us. Fortunately, those thieves from the tax bureau couldn't figure out our details all of a sudden, so they didn't dare to mess around." Shouting understood: "Oh, it's no wonder that the third brother sent a telegram to the left and a telegram to the right. The one surnamed Lin just didn't come to mention it. It turns out that he wanted the tax bureau to deal with us. What did he say?" Old Wu said: "The director's surname is Wu, but he is quite polite. He said that he would consider the specific situation and handle it impartially. As soon as I heard that there was nothing wrong, I wanted to leave, but he was making tea and pouring water. He just wouldn’t let me go, and dragged me there to ask this and that. He beat me around for a whole morning, and finally I figured it out, and he found another good friend, and wanted us to buy him a courtyard house.” Shouting thought for a while and said: "I usually don't take this kind of thing. I don't eat any of the officials' ripping off, and the bandits' ripping off. But someone surnamed Lin put maggots on us, and we are somewhat leaky. If we don't Give him this quadrangle, maybe he will mess with us. Let him do it, pick a good one! Not to mention the quadrangle, let him do it too! Old Wu, you don’t have to do anything else, this quadrangle has to be clear Write it down on the account, and let him spit it out someday when we are free, and get rid of this bastard by the way. The meat that Chen Liuye feeds the dog is always filled with Qibuduerchangsan." At this time, Jia Kui came in. In the morning, as soon as Lin Xiangrong entered the office, the tea house handed him an express letter.Lin Xiangrong looked at it and was very happy: "Oh, it's from Uncle Wu." He put down the briefcase in his hand and started to read the letter.Then he threw the letter on the table, and still couldn't let go of his hatred after dropping it, so he picked it up and tore it to pieces.He shouted at the door: "Call Mr. Sun!" He walked back and forth in the room angrily, took the pipe and filled it with shredded tobacco. Mr. Sun came in: "Chairman." Lin Xiangrong said: "Fatty Wu sent a quick letter, saying that the surname Chen is very powerful in Shandong, and he wants to take his time. Damn, what an ungrateful bastard!" Mr. Sun was very surprised: "He took six gold watches from us, how can this be?" Lin Xiangrong lit his pipe and said: "We are far away, and it is accidental that he accepts gifts from us; Chen is right in front of him, and he can often accept them, so he wants to protect him. Once these people become officials, Just ungrateful, this is the most common law!" Mr. Sun said, "Then what shall we do?" Lin Xiangrong said: "You inform Shandong and Tianjin to lower the cloth price by another penny! I won't ask anyone, I will squeeze these Jiangbei guys to death myself." Mr. Sun said: "Then we will lose money." Lin Xiangrong smiled and shook his head: "No, I will notify the workshop in a while, increase the tension of the stretching machine, and stretch the short cloth forcibly. We will not pay for it." Mr. Sun said: "Chairman, this will damage our brand." Lin Xiangrong said: "It doesn't matter, when they are all dead, we will be left alone, and the common people will have to buy ours. Although some calico factories have started up in Shanghai, they won't be able to become popular for a while. .Besides, this is temporary, we can still restore the tension of the stretcher!" Mr. Sun understood. Lin Xiangrong had a cold nose: "I will not only crush Chen, but also ruin him! Now is not the time. I will deal with the so-called British student who opened the port in Tianjin first, and then the Chen. He is Without calico, I can't spare him. I want to make him unable to gain a foothold in the printing and dyeing industry." Spring is here, and the peach blossoms are blooming.The small garden of Hongju Dye Factory is also full of vitality. Shouting stood at the office window looking at the small garden with a calm expression.At this time, Mr. Wu came in: "Shopkeeper, those masters in Shanghai asked if we still dry floral cloth? If not, they will go back." Shouting smiled: "Do it! Just don't do it now." Mr. Wu said: "Then we have to tell others about the time." Shouting said: "Tell those people, don't feel that you don't work, just get wages, and feel sorry for it. It's okay! If we stop doing floral cloth from now on, let him go back and let them wait. Now the surname Lin The fight with Kaibu is so lively, let's see what happens first. We will not start until the two of them die!" Mr. Wu said, "What if the one who died was Kaibu?" Shouting smiled: "No need to think about it, Kaibu will definitely not be able to do it with the surname Lin. I don't think Kaibu can last long. Dongchu went to Tianjin again, and just came back. Now Kaibu wants to stop work, and shareholders have begun to withdraw their shares. , and asked if we wanted his printing machine." Old Wu didn't wait for Shouting to finish, he waved his hands quickly: "Shopkeeper, this matter must not be done! It's not hard enough for us to be hurt by this printing!" Shouting smiled: "Dong Jun also meant the same thing. If he doesn't want it, we certainly can't. Let Kaibu sell it to whoever he wants! Let's just wait and see the flowers in the yard and dye some cloth. Selling it to the countryside, isn't that good!" Old Wu said: "Shopkeeper, now Poppy's cloth has been reduced to a foot, and he is not enough!" Shouting smiled: "I know he's not good enough. But this man surnamed Lin is too vicious. He increased the pulling force of the machine. Yesterday I asked your sister-in-law to buy a foot. After entering the water, it shrank by two feet. It's more than an inch. I think his brand is about the same. After all, Lin is a scholar. Hmph! Little bastard, wait for you, Liuye Chen!" Old Wu smiled: "Shopkeeper, you haven't scolded people for a while. Once you don't scold people, I feel that our business has no bottom. Ha..." Shouting also smiled: "Old Wu, I've been thinking for a while, this person can't be kind! Especially the businessman, he can't be kind! If you are kind, you can't do anything. When I just came back from Tianjin , I wanted to help Kaibu fight with Lin. But I thought again, even if Lin is defeated, Kaibu will turn around and bite us. There is no way, let them fight first." Old Wu said: "Shopkeeper, you can't send out your kindness again. We gave three yuan and two hundred thousand horses for sale, but he stopped the printing machine and didn't say hello to us. Knowing that there is a pit ahead, He went around and let us go forward." Shouting smiled: "The 200,000 horses are not all from good intentions. I don't want to do that kind of business. That is to say, I have Miss Shen's love, but I can't ask for the money. Old Wu, I let Jiaju Inquire about Miss Shen, still no news?" Mr. Wu shook his head. Shouting stood up and said, "Old Wu, the sweet and sour carp in Jinan Huiquanlou is a must. You call Lao San and tell him that I will treat him to dinner and let Jia Kui go too." When Tianjin opened a port dyeing factory, Zhou Taofei's office was very luxurious, with purple-red furniture and a purple-red floor.He was discussing with Ding Wendong there: "The manager Chen told me well, and his tone was so firm, why hasn't he made any progress yet? It was cold in the previous stage, and the flower cloth was off-season, but the flowers are also blooming. It's time, why don't you do it? You can't just listen to what he says, you have to watch what he does." Ding Wendong was also thinking: "I don't think Director Chen is a person who doesn't keep his word. He may have other plans. Maybe he thinks it's not the time yet?" Taofei smiled wryly: "Not yet? If we wait any longer, it will be too late to start. Now the shareholders are eager to withdraw and ask around for buyers. No one wants it in Tianjin, and Director Zhao also came to see it. Shareholders I also talked to him. The machines in our factory are so good that they are only offered at the price of scrap iron. Factory Manager Zhao and his elder brother will not buy them. Factory Manager Chen is even more agile. He didn’t come at all. Two words, 'Don't'! Wendong, now that I think about it, I hurt you. Shareholders don't know how to manage, but they always scribble. When I came to this factory, I said I would use silk cloth and Lin Xiangrong to do it, but they I'm afraid it will ruin the brand, and I won't be able to do it in the future. This is good, and it's too late to use silk cloth now." He shook his head as he spoke, "Oh! The words of Director Chen are right, 'I would rather give a good man a horse Falling into the stirrups, don't be the ancestors of the Lai Han'! That's what we two do--serving the Lai Han as waiters." Wen Dong's expression was very calm: "Taofei, don't worry. I saw that the last time Factory Manager Chen came to Tianjin, he might have other intentions. Does he want to invite you to be the factory manager in Jinan? I'll see, he Your eyes never leave your face, it's a kind of appreciation from men to men." Taofei smiled: "Although we have not been in contact with Director Chen for a long time, I think he can run the factory in Jinan with his ability. Send a telegram to urge him to work with Lin Xiangrong for a while. Although the shareholders don’t know how to do it, they are all good people. Let’s buy some time and sell Kaibu Dyeing Factory for a little more money, which can be regarded as repaying them.” Wen Dong nodded and stood up: "I'll go right away. But, how should the telegram be worded?" Taofei smiled: "It's very simple, just four words: 'Save my brother'. Put three exclamation marks in a row." Huiquanlou Restaurant is built near the water, and under the window is Qingtan—Jinan's famous spring Jiangjiachi.Shouting and the others sat by the window.Dongchu asked: "Brother Six, why do you think of eating?" Shouting breathed a sigh of relief: "You just came back from Tianjin, I want to hear what's going on at Kaibu Dyeing Factory." Dong Chu smiled: "What else can I do? I can't hold it any longer. Lin Xiangrong is determined this time, and it seems that he will not give up if he doesn't squeeze the Kaibu Dyeing Factory to death. Those shareholders are eager to sell the factory now, and the price is really high. It’s low enough that no one dares to buy it now.” Shouting smiled and asked, "Your brother doesn't want it?" Dongchu said: "Him? If he has the guts, Sanyuan is not what it is today! But, Brother Six, why don't you?" Shouting said: "Oh, some things look cheap, but they are so cheap that they can bite your hands sometimes! I want to sell both of these two machines now, do you want more? Do you want to come and see?" Dong Chu said: "Then we won't print this floral cloth in the future?" Shouting nodded: "It is necessary to seal, but I haven't figured out how to do it yet." Dong Chu said, "My brother also means the same thing." Shouting smiled: "I think we also drank other people's wine in Tianjin and agreed to Zhou Taofei, even if we didn't express it, it seemed inaccurate. Well, I will think about it when I go back, or I will start printing and work on it." while talking." Jia Kui intervened: "Sixth brother, you should think about it, now you will pay more for more printing! Is this okay?" Shouting asked back: "Our printing machine is worth hundreds of thousands, so it just sits like this? Is this how our technicians keep it?" Jia Kui was speechless. Dong Chu took it over and said, "Sixth brother, the opening of Liuhe port is so lively, if we mix it in again, wouldn't it be a bit courting death?" Shouting drank a cup by himself: "If you don't mix it in, you just sit and wait to die." Jia Kui shook his head and sighed.Shouting thought for a while and said, "I'll do it for a while first, and I'll have a fight with Lin first." Dong Chu persuaded: "Sixth Brother, you have to be careful about this matter. We are different from Lin, he is a comprador, and we are native-born businessmen, so there is no need to work hard with him." Shouting asked back: "If we don't do it, can he spare us?" Dong Chu was speechless.Shouting said to Jia Kui: "Jia Kui, although you only have 10% of Hong Ju, you still need your consent. We have a thousand pieces of printed fabrics that have not been sold. I think Take these cloths and play with them, and make trouble for Liuhe." Jia Kui smiled: "You can do whatever you say, I will listen to Sixth Brother." Shouting put his chopsticks on the table: "Okay! You write an advertisement and send it to the big newspapers in Shanghai, Tianjin, and Jinan. Starting tomorrow, the price of Feihu calico is temporarily reduced, nine cents a foot!" Dong Chu opened his eyes wide: "Sixth brother, you are crazy!" Shouting smiled calmly: "I'm not crazy, boils don't squeeze, and pus never comes out. Dongchu, you send a telegram to Zhou Taofei and tell him that I'm starting to join the war." Dong Chu was puzzled, and agreed in a daze. In Shouting's office, Wen Qi finished flushing and was about to go out when Shouting called him: "Stand downstairs and don't let anyone come up." Wen Qi agreed to go down. Shouting began to teach Lao Wu face-to-face advice: "Tianjin sent 200 horses, you tell Lao Liu to sell ten horses a day in Tianjin, and no more. Shanghai is a big place, and sells 20 horses a day. Remember, The 200 horses in Tianjin will be sold for 20 days, and the 600 horses in Shanghai will be sold for a month. Tell them, if anyone sells out ahead of time, there is no need to come back, and let them go!" Old Wu asked, "How long will it take to sell the 200 horses in Jinan?" Shouting smiled: "The store in Jinan is our own. Tell Lu Dengbiao that we can't sell more than two horses a day." Old Wu wondered: "Shopkeeper, what are you doing?" Shouting smiled and said nothing. In Lin Xiangrong's office, Mr. Sun said to Lin Xiangrong: "Chairman, what the hell is this Chen doing? He sells so many bolts of cloth every day, and another few bolts the next day. What is he doing?" Lin Xiangrong smiled very expertly: "He is playing cat and mouse. Once he lowers the price, we have to lower the price accordingly, and the opening of the port also has to lower the price. Mr. Chen, surnamed Chen, doesn't care, and neither do we, but the opening of the port does not matter. I can't stand this kind of disturbance. Mr. Sun, this man surnamed Chen originally wanted to squeeze us, but he is illiterate. Let's see how to open a port." Mr. Sun has some concerns: "If the surname Chen keeps playing with us like this, we will not be able to bear it after a long time." Lin Xiangrong waved his finger from side to side: "No, this is the cloth he has in stock. If he sells out, Kaibu will go bankrupt. I will find a way to deal with him. You go, come down, come down today, I want to see what other tricks the surname Chen has!" Zhou Taofei was worrying with Ding Wendong: "This factory manager Chen, he turned things upside down! He wants to hit Lin Xiangrong, but we can't stand it! If you are uneducated, you can't do good things with good intentions." Wen Dong said: "Should I go to Jinan and explain to him?" Taofei stood up and walked to the window, smiling bitterly: "It's a good intention to put out the fire, but I used gasoline as water. Wendong, there's no need to go. I think it won't be long before Kaibu Dyeing Factory will cease to exist. Let's think about what the two of us are going to do next. Nine cents is not enough to buy gray cloth! Director Chen, Sixth Brother Chen, alas!" Wen Dong came over: "When I came here just now, the directors were in a meeting, and they were about to fight!" Shouting is playing chess with Old Wu in the office.Outside, the spring rain is like catkins. Old Wu asked: "Shopkeeper, the cloth in Tianjin is sold out, should we let our people come back, or wait there?" Shouting looked at the chess game: "Shanghai and Tianjin will advertise again, saying that the new cloth will arrive soon. Let our people come back." Old Wu was puzzled: "Since people are coming back, why should we advertise?" Shouting dropped a chess piece: "General!" In Jia Kui's office, Jia Kui opened the newspaper. As soon as he read it, he immediately stood up and hurriedly grabbed the phone.The phone didn't work, he picked up his bag and was about to leave when Andrew came in. Andrew asked: "Are you going out?" Jia Kui said: "Yes, Tianjin Kaibu Printing and Dyeing Factory closed down, I'm going to tell Mr. Chen." Andrew smiled: "I'm also concerned about this matter. Lin Xiangrong sent another telegram. You inform Mr. Chen that if he fails to start work within a month, we will terminate the agreement with him. We can't blame us for this." Jia Kui glanced at him: "That's your business, you can talk about it yourself!" Saying that, he rushed out. Shouting is talking on the phone with Mr. Miao in the office. Mr. Miao said, "Sixth brother, can you hold on?" Shouting said, "Don't worry, Brother Miao, I haven't started yet!" Mr. Miao said: "Lin Boqing, that is, Lin Xiangrong's father, wrote me a letter, telling me about your affairs in Shanghai, praising you for being smart and capable, but he didn't say anything specific. I don't think you need to worry about him. You let go of him." Dry hands, it’s no big deal. You’re right, we can’t let him ignore Shandong people.” Shouting smiled and said, "Brother Miao, you have to do me a favor!" Mr. Miao said, "What's the matter? Tell me." Shouting said: "Well, I'll go to your house tonight and see Mrs. Miao together. Let's talk about it after we meet." Mr. Miao said, "Are you short of money? If you don't get the money, you can just send the cashier to come to the factory now, and you don't have to wait until night." Shouting said, "Brother Miao, this matter is more difficult than money." Mr. Miao said, "Okay, I'll be waiting for you tonight. Let me talk about it first. We'll have a big fight after we finish talking." Shouting smiled: "Brother Miao, I have convinced you! Alright, kill me." Sanyuan dyeing factory, Dongjun's office, Dongchu and Dongjun are discussing things.His expression was tense. Dong Jun said: "Third brother, remember, no matter how Chen Liuzi persuades us to start working on calico, you don't agree. We don't have the strength to do it with Lin Xiangrong. The opening of the port has failed, and we can't follow behind!" Dong Chu said: "Big Brother, Sixth Brother has always been very interesting to us!" Dong Jun said: "If you have kindness, you can repay your kindness. If Chen Liuzi falls down, we will help him get up again. It is a friendship. In business, you can't just look at the fire pit and jump into it with your eyes closed." Dong Chuyi turned his head: "I can't say that, you should say it!" Dong Jun was a little anxious: "We don't need to talk to each other. You go and fire all the workers from Shanghai and let them leave immediately. When Chen Liuzi comes, it's easy to talk about anything. It's not that we don't print, or we don't Without workers, we can’t print anymore.” Dong Chu looked at Dong Jun with strange eyes: "Brother, this is a bit inhumane!" Dong Jun said: "Business is not about benevolence and righteousness, but business is about understanding current affairs! The opening of the port has failed, and now only we and Liu Zi can print cloth. If we don't print, anyone surnamed Lin can fight with whomever he wants. Fight, but if we get involved, we have to die. Whether we or the six sons, they are all grown up like swallows eating food, and have no successor financial resources. But the surname Lin has been in business for generations. Why can’t we open a port? He? The cloth surnamed Lin is specially weaved, and it is so silky. When it is silky, less yarn is used, and less yarn is used to lower the cost. It is not that he does not understand opening a port, but the key is that no one will weave such cloth for him. The third child , you listen to me, we have to go ashore as soon as possible. The most important thing is that we resigned from the workers and quit the calico cloth market. The surname Lin will definitely appreciate it. You go to Shanghai to see him again and tell him that we will enter the market in the future. His gray cloth. If we open our mouths to make him cheaper, will he agree?" Dongchu said: "Brother, after we quit the worker, we can only dye cloth from now on. Alas! Brother, why can't we help Brother Six?" Dong Jun said: "Liu Zi is not an outsider, and Caiqin is our cousin. You don't know Liu Zi, if he gets violent, he doesn't care about the consequences. A while ago, Miss Shen dropped hundreds of thousands and left without saying goodbye, which made him always I didn't come back to my senses. I put down so much money and walked away. No one has ever seen such a person. I saw him the day before yesterday, and he kept laughing at the surname Lin, and said that he would let the surname Lin wait to die. You said, can he play with Lin with his little money? Hey! Don’t talk about it, go and resign the worker, if he steps in one step, it will be difficult for us.” Dong Chu shook his head, sighed, and stood up slowly. In Shouting's office, Jia Kui finished reading him the newspaper, and Shouting laughed. Jia Kui asked, "Sixth Brother, what are you laughing at?" 寿亭说：“该咱上场了，怎么着，不愿意看你六哥露一手？” 家驹没说话，只是干笑。 寿亭说：“你笑什么？觉得你六哥抵不住林祥荣？我这就弄出他的屎来！”他有点急。 家驹说：“不是，六哥，我不想再在洋行里干了，我还是想回来跟着你。” 寿亭惊且喜：“噢？不怕挨骂？” 家驹说：“六哥，自打我离开你去了洋行，就没有一天高兴过。翡翠也这么说，老二说我是把魂儿落在你这儿了。洋行里对我也不薄，可我就是不愿待了。这句话只能这样说，你的人格魅力别人是不能比的。” 寿亭说：“什么是人格魅……你直说，说我能听懂的词。” 家驹说：“就是你这人让人忘不下。” 寿亭一把拉住家驹：“这就对了。什么他娘的洋行，回来！回来！先别说多少份子了，只要是咱挣了钱，什么份子，抓过来花就是了。你还是天天给我念报纸。那文琪念得是不错，可外国的事儿，他说不明白，急得我直想揍他。”寿亭拉着家驹的手笑起来。 家驹问：“六哥，你想和林祥荣干一场？” 寿亭说：“对呀，你看我行不？” 家驹说：“不是，姓林的家里相当有钱。” 寿亭说：“他有钱，也是一点点地挣来的，也不是他祖宗一生下来就有钱。有钱怕什么？” 家驹说：“咱要是干，是不是拉上东初兄弟俩，让他给咱帮把手？” 寿亭笑了：“咱也不想拉，就是拉也拉不上。东俊的为人我很了解。你可千万别提这事，别让人家为难。家驹，没事，你就等着看热闹吧。哈哈……” 老吴进来了：“掌柜的，上海六合染厂的山东外庄掌柜的来了，这人姓周，点名要见你……” 寿亭一顿：“噢？下战书？请！” 东俊来到东初的办公室。他显然对弟弟很客气。 东俊说：“林祥荣知道咱辞了工人，也没说什么？” 东初没理他，随手把电报递给他：“你自己看吧。” 东俊看电报，小声念道：“'我兄深明大义，在鲁协助，将来定当厚报……'老三，这很好呀！” 东初站起来：“大哥，我想分出来自己干。” 东俊意外：“嗯？为什么？” 东初说：“我觉得这样挺没劲！” 周经理翘着二郎腿坐在寿亭对面，他摆弄着手里的烟嘴，根本没拿寿亭当回事。 周经理说：“我们林老板的要求很简单。第一，你先辞掉上海来的工人，特别是六合背叛过来的那三个人。” 寿亭用肘撑着桌子，表情很认真：“辞掉了工人，那我怎么干呢？” 周经理把烟叼上了：“那我们不管。我们就是要让那几个人知道，背叛六合是没有好下场的。” 老吴和家驹在旁边生气。 寿亭依然和气：“噢？背叛六合没有好下场，你们林老板这明明是不让我印花布嘛！” 周经理说：“印不印花布是你自己的事。不过我们林老板说了，你就是印，也顶多是下一个天津开埠。你自己看着办吧！” 寿亭说：“你老板没提那八千件布？” 周经理说：“林老板说了，说你知道该怎么办。” 寿亭说：“噢，是这样。我知道怎么办。周经理，林老板也没给我写封信？” 周经理轻蔑一笑：“林老板说不用写，说你不识字。” 家驹想冲过来，寿亭示意他坐下。 寿亭笑着说：“我周围有识字的呀！老吴，你去把金彪叫来，他识字。” 不用叫，金彪就守在门口，他推门进来，怒目而视：“掌柜的，什么事？” 周经理根本不看他，看着天抽烟。 寿亭说：“周经理，你们林老板的意思我知道了。现在请你转告我的意思。金彪！反正抽这个王八羔子十个嘴巴！” 周经理惊得站起来，金彪一把抓着他的领子。他叫道：“你不要胡来！你不要胡来！” 金彪的大巴掌抽了下去。 文琪在门外吓得两腿直抖。 周经理坐在地上，满嘴是血。 寿亭对老吴说：“通知车间刷机器，晚上江浙饭店请客。金彪，你这就去江浙饭店，让他把场子清了。两桌上海菜，专请上海来的师傅，三桌山东菜，就请那些老伙计。咱们来个一醉方休。喝完了酒，明天开工。” 周经理问：“陈先生，我可以走了吗？” 寿亭冷笑：“你也别洗脸，就这个模样回去，告诉林祥荣，用不了几天，他比你还惨。滚！” 金彪刚想过来扔出他去，周经理一看不好，自动蹿出去，由于撤退太急，一下撞在门框上。