Shanghai in the Republican Era

Chapter 65 Exquisite Attire: The Struggle of the Republic of China - Raw Material Crisis, Machine Ma

Splendid Attire: Lin Fangfei's Journey of Struggle in the Republican Era

The legendary business and love journey of a poor but academically gifted girl in Republican-era Shanghai.

The problem of raw material shortages weighed heavily on my heart like a dark cloud. Standing in front of the textile factory's warehouse, staring at the empty shelves, I felt a wave of dizziness. I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails almost dug into my palms, my heart filled with anxiety and helplessness. Today I was wearing a lotus-root-colored cheongsam, and the folds in it seemed to tell a story of my sorrow.

Gu Zixuan came to my side and gently patted my shoulder, trying to comfort me. His eyes also showed worry, but he tried to remain calm. "Fangfei, don't worry too much, we'll definitely find a solution." Although his voice was steady, I could still detect a hint of unease within it.

Su Yao stood to the side, frowning, her hands twisting a handkerchief incessantly. She wore a light blue dress, the color of which now appeared somewhat dull. "But with raw materials so hard to come by, where are we even supposed to begin?" Her voice trembled with tears, her eyes filled with helplessness.

I took a deep breath and tried to pull myself together. "Let's go to the market and see what's going on. Maybe we can find some clues." A determined look flashed in my eyes. Although I was filled with confusion, I knew I couldn't let the difficulties defeat me.

We arrived at the textile raw materials market in Shanghai. The market was bustling with people, and all kinds of fabrics and raw materials were on display, but the prices were outrageously high. I frowned and examined each stall.

Suddenly, I saw a familiar figure. It was Mr. Li, our competitor from before. He was standing in front of a stall, haggling fiercely with the stall owner. An idea struck me, and I walked over.

"Mr. Li, it's been a long time," I said.

When Mr. Li saw me, he was taken aback at first, then a forced smile appeared on his face. "Miss Lin, Mr. Gu, you're here to buy raw materials too?"

I looked at him and nodded. "Mr. Li, you know raw materials are hard to find right now, do you have any good ideas?"

Mr. Li smiled and said, "What good ideas do I have? I'm just like you guys, searching for sources of goods everywhere. However, I heard that a new batch of raw materials is to be shipped to Shanghai, but it's being controlled by a mysterious force."

I was startled. "A mysterious force? Do you know who they are?"

Mr. Li shook his head. "I'm not too sure either. I only know that this organization is very powerful, and ordinary people simply cannot obtain this batch of raw materials."

Gu Zixuan said from the side, "No matter who it is, we have to give it a try. We can't let the textile factory just shut down like this."

We began to inquire about this mysterious force. After some effort, we learned that it was a group composed of several wealthy businessmen who controlled most of Shanghai's high-quality raw materials.

We decided to visit the head of this group. Their headquarters were located in a luxurious mansion. When we arrived at the mansion entrance, two guards blocked our way.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" the guard asked.

I stepped forward and said politely, "We are Lin Fangfei and Gu Zixuan. We would like to meet with your person in charge and discuss the raw materials with him."

The guard glanced at us, then went inside to report. After a while, the guard came out and said, "You may go in."

We entered the mansion, which was lavishly decorated. We met the person in charge in a large hall. He was a middle-aged man, wearing an expensive suit, with his hair slicked back. He sat on a large sofa, with several bodyguards standing beside him.

"So you're Lin Fangfei and Gu Zixuan? What do you want with me?" the person in charge said arrogantly.

I looked at him and said, “Sir, we know you control a new batch of raw materials. Our textile mill urgently needs these materials, and we hope you can sell us some.”

The person in charge smiled and said, "You want raw materials? Sure. But the price won't be cheap."

I frowned. "Sir, please name your price."

The person in charge held up one finger, "This number."

My eyes widened. "So expensive? This is several times more expensive than the market price!"

The person in charge shrugged. "You don't have to buy it. Anyway, there's a shortage of raw materials right now, so I'm not worried about not being able to sell it."

Gu Zixuan said from the side, "Sir, what you're doing isn't reasonable. You're taking advantage of someone's misfortune."

The person in charge sneered, "Business is business. I didn't force you to buy."

Just as we were at an impasse with the person in charge, a young woman suddenly walked in. She was wearing a gorgeous red cheongsam embroidered with exquisite phoenix patterns. Her hair was styled in a high bun, and she wore a charming smile.

"Dad, are you talking business with a customer?" the woman asked.

The person in charge's expression softened slightly upon seeing the woman. "Xiaodie, why are you out here?"

Xiaodie looked at us and said, "Dad, don't make things difficult for them. I think they really want the raw materials."

The person in charge frowned. "Xiaodie, this is business; you don't understand."

Xiaodie walked up to me and said, "Miss Lin, I admire your courage. How about this, I can put in a good word for you, but you have to agree to one condition."

I looked at her and said, "Miss Xiaodie, what are your conditions?"

Xiaodie smiled and said, "I've heard you're a very talented designer. I'd like you to design a unique outfit for me. If I'm satisfied, I'll have my dad sell you the raw materials at a reasonable price."

I hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, Miss Xiaodie, I promise you."

Xiaodie said happily, "Okay, you guys go back and wait for news."

We left the mansion, our hearts filled with hope.

Back at the textile factory, I started designing clothes for Xiaodie. I locked myself in my studio all day, meticulously crafting every detail. Gu Zixuan and Su Yao also helped me.

After several days of hard work, I finally designed a satisfactory outfit. I took the design drawings and returned to the mansion.

Xiaodie's eyes lit up when she saw my design drawings. "Miss Lin, you are really talented. I really like this outfit."

Seeing Xiaodie's satisfied expression, the person in charge didn't say anything more. "Alright, since Xiaodie is satisfied, I'll sell you the raw materials at market price."

I was overjoyed. "Thank you, sir. Thank you, Miss Xiaodie."

We thought the raw material problem was finally solved, but when we went to pick up the goods, we found that the raw materials had been switched. The originally high-quality raw materials had been replaced with some inferior substandard products.

Splendid Attire: Lin Fangfei's Journey of Struggle in the Republican Era

The legendary business and love journey of a poor but academically gifted girl in Republican-era Shanghai.

Staring at the pile of raw materials that had been replaced with inferior products, my heart felt like it was being gripped by an invisible hand, a mix of anger and despair churning within me. My eyes widened, unable to believe what I was seeing, my body trembling slightly. Today, I was wearing a plain cotton cheongsam, originally intended for convenience while working in the factory, but now it seemed to mock my naiveté and helplessness.

Gu Zixuan's face turned ashen, his eyes burning with rage. He clenched his fists tightly, the veins on his arms bulging like a volcano about to erupt. "What exactly happened? We must find out!" His voice was deep and powerful, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth.

Su Yao stamped her feet anxiously, her eyes brimming with tears, her hands twisting helplessly at the hem of her dress. She wore a light blue dress, the color appearing even more melancholic in the moment. "We finally managed to get these raw materials, how could it turn out like this?" Her voice trembled with sobs, filled with grievance and bewilderment.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. "Someone must have done this on purpose. We can't just sit here and wait to die." A determined look flashed in my eyes. Although I was filled with anger and anxiety, I knew I had to calmly find a solution.

We began carefully searching for clues at the pickup location. I bent down, examining the packaging of the substandard raw materials closely, hoping to find some trace. Gu Zixuan, on the other hand, looked around for suspicious footprints or other marks. Su Yao was also helping, wiping away her tears as she searched the corners.

Suddenly, I found a small scrap of fabric in a corner. This scrap didn't belong to our original raw material. I picked it up and examined it closely, noticing a peculiar mark on it. I frowned; the mark looked somewhat familiar.

"Zixuan, look at this," I called out.

Gu Zixuan walked over and saw the markings on the fragments. His eyes narrowed slightly. "This marking looks like the logo of a transportation company. I've seen it in business before."

A thought flashed through my mind: "Could it be that the shipping company switched the raw materials during transportation?"

Gu Zixuan pondered for a moment and said, "That's possible. Let's investigate this transportation company."

We arrived at the transportation company. The office reeked of engine oil. A man in greasy work clothes sat behind a desk; he looked up at us with a puzzled expression.

"Who are you? What do you want?" the man asked.

I stepped forward, took out the piece of fabric, and said, "Sir, we found this piece with your company's mark in a batch of raw materials that were switched. We would like to know what happened."

The man looked at the shards, his expression changing slightly. "This... I'm not quite sure. Our company wouldn't do something like this."

Gu Zixuan frowned. "You can't explain it clearly? Does your company have anyone responsible for transporting our batch of raw materials?"

The man hesitated for a moment, then said, "Yes, he is, but he's not at the company today."

I looked at the man, my eyes filled with suspicion. "When is he coming back? We have to see him."

The man shook his head. "I don't know when he'll be back. You should go ahead."

Just as we were about to leave, we suddenly heard a commotion outside. We went out of the office and saw a group of people arguing with the transportation company's workers.

One of the women, dressed in a glamorous cheongsam, was particularly eye-catching. Her voice was sharp and angry. "Your transportation company has to give me an explanation! My goods have also been switched; someone on your side must have sabotaged this!"

Gu Zixuan and I exchanged a glance; it seemed this transportation company had a serious problem.

We stepped forward and said to the woman, "Miss, our raw materials have also been switched. We suspect it was done by people from this transportation company."

The woman glanced at us and said, "It seems we've been through the same thing. We can't just let them get away with this."

So we decided to investigate the shipping company together. We searched the company thoroughly for evidence and finally found some high-quality raw materials hidden in a corner of a warehouse. These raw materials were the very goods that had been switched between us and the woman.

Just as we were about to present the evidence, the owner of the transportation company showed up with a group of thugs.

"What are you doing? This is our company property, you can't just rummage through it!" the boss shouted.

I stepped forward and said, "Boss, we've found evidence that your company switched our goods. What else do you have to say?"