Shanghai in the Republican Era

Chapter 36 Lin Fangfei and Gu Zixuan: A Journey of Struggle and Love in Republican-Era Shanghai, Ami

Chapter 36 Lin Fangfei and Gu Zixuan: Struggle and Love in Republican-Era Shanghai, the Legendary Journey of a Poor Female Scholar and a Rich Young Man

At dawn, the factory gates slowly opened, and the workers began their day's work as usual. I stood at the factory gate, wearing a light gray cheongsam today, with simple geometric patterns embroidered on the cuffs and hem—understated yet exquisite. My gaze wandered; the figure of that mysterious person kept lingering in my mind.

Gu Zixuan walked over. He was wearing a light gray suit with a light blue tie, making him look both neat and composed. "Fangfei, what are you thinking about? Are you still worried about that mysterious person?" He looked at me with concern, a hint of worry in his eyes.

I nodded slightly. "Zixuan, I have a feeling this isn't as simple as it seems. Why would he help us? Could he have some ulterior motive?"

Gu Zixuan grasped my hand. "No matter what, let's focus our energy on the development of the textile factory for now. The new brand is just starting out, and there's still a lot to do."

Just then, the factory's accountant rushed over, "Miss Lin, Mr. Gu, something bad has happened. A batch of our important raw materials has encountered a problem during transportation and may not arrive on time."

My heart sank. "How could this happen? What's the problem?"

The accountant wiped the sweat from his brow. "They say they encountered bandits, some of the goods were stolen, and the road was also damaged. We don't know when the remaining goods will arrive."

Gu Zixuan frowned. "This is troublesome. Without this batch of raw materials, our production schedule will be greatly affected."

I bit my lip. "We need to find a solution. Is it possible to urgently source some raw materials from other places?"

Gu Zixuan pondered for a moment, "I'll contact other suppliers. You should reassure the workers and have them do some preparatory work to minimize losses."

Gu Zixuan turned and left in a hurry. I took a deep breath and walked into the workshop. The workers saw me and gathered around.

"Ms. Lin, I heard there's a problem with the raw materials. Should we stop production?" an older worker asked worriedly.

I smiled and reassured everyone, "Don't worry, Mr. Gu has already started looking for a solution. Let's do what we can to prepare, and I believe we'll have the raw materials soon."

The workers nodded in agreement after hearing what I said, and then returned to their posts to begin preparations.

I was making my rounds in the workshop, but I was extremely anxious. The problem with the raw materials was like a huge rock, making it hard for me to breathe.

After a while, Gu Zixuan returned, looking somewhat dejected. "Fangfei, I contacted several suppliers, but they either didn't have enough stock or their prices were outrageously high."

My heart sank. "What can we do? We can't just stand by and watch production come to a standstill."

Just when we were at our wits' end, Su Yao arrived. Today she was wearing a beige dress with a light blue knitted cardigan over it, looking both elegant and gentle.

"Fangfei, Zixuan, I heard you've run into problems with your raw materials. I have an idea. I know a friend who's in the transportation business; he's often around this area. Maybe he can help us recover the stolen goods," Su Yao said urgently.

Gu Zixuan and I exchanged a glance, our eyes igniting with hope. "Su Yao, really? Thank you so much!" I said excitedly.

Su Yao smiled and said, "We're friends, so we should help each other. I'll take you to him now."

We followed Su Yao to a small dock and met her friend, Brother Li. Brother Li was a burly middle-aged man, wearing a coarse cloth short jacket, with dark skin and a hearty look in his eyes.

“Brother Li, these are Miss Lin and Mr. Gu whom I told you about. Their goods have been robbed. You must help them,” Su Yao said.

Brother Li patted his chest and said, "Su Yao's friend is my friend. Don't worry, I'll go and find out right away."

Brother Li left with a few of his men, while Gu Zixuan, Su Yao, and I waited anxiously at the dock.

A few hours later, Brother Li returned with a smile on his face. "Miss Lin, Mr. Gu, I've found out. Those bandits are in the nearby mountains. I have some connections with them. I'll go talk to them and see if we can get the goods back."

I was overjoyed. "Brother Li, then I'll leave it to you."

Brother Li led us up the mountain to the bandits' stronghold. When the bandits saw us, they all grabbed their weapons and surrounded us.

"Boss Li, what are you doing bringing these people here?" a bandit leader shouted.

Brother Li said with a smile, "Brothers, these are my friends. You robbed their goods. We're all just trying to make a living in this chaotic world. Can you return their goods to them?"

The bandit leader glanced at us and sneered, "If you want the goods, bring five hundred silver dollars to ransom them."

My eyes widened. "Five hundred silver dollars? That's way too much."

The bandit leader snorted, "Enough nonsense. Don't even think about taking the goods without five hundred silver dollars."

Gu Zixuan stepped forward. "Brother, we really don't have that much money right now. Could you perhaps reduce the amount a bit? We can give you some clothes produced by our textile factory; those clothes are very popular in the market."

The bandit leader thought for a moment, "Clothes? What use would we have for those? But for Boss Li's sake, three hundred silver dollars is the lowest I can offer."

Gu Zixuan and I hesitated for a moment. Three hundred silver dollars was a considerable sum for us, but if we didn't redeem the goods, the losses would be even greater.

Gu Zixuan gritted his teeth, "Fine, three hundred silver dollars it is."

We scraped together three hundred silver dollars and handed them over to the bandits, only then did the bandit leader order his men to return the goods to us.

We returned to the textile factory with the goods, and the workers cheered when they saw the raw materials had arrived.

After this setback, we cherish our hard-won raw materials even more, and production has accelerated. Products from the new brand are being produced continuously, and the market response is getting better and better.

However, just as we were basking in our joy, another problem arose. We discovered a new textile technology on the market that produced products of better quality and at more competitive prices.

Looking at the products manufactured using the new technology, I was filled with worry. "Zixuan, we can't fall behind. If we don't introduce this technology, our new brand will soon be eliminated by the market."

Gu Zixuan frowned as well. "I know, but introducing this technology requires a lot of money, and we don't know the specifics of this technology yet."

We decided to investigate this new technology first. After some inquiries, we learned that it was brought by a foreign businessman who was looking for partners.

Gu Zixuan and I met this foreign businessman, a blond, blue-eyed Englishman wearing a sharp black suit and a black top hat.

"Hello, I am Mr. Henry. I heard that you are very interested in my textile technology," Mr. Henry said in somewhat broken Chinese.

Gu Zixuan said politely, "Mr. Henry, your technology looks very advanced. We would like to know how we can cooperate."

Mr. Henry smiled and said, “I can license my technology to you, but you will need to pay a hefty licensing fee and give me a percentage of your annual output.”

I did the math in my head, and realized the fee was far too high. "Mr. Henry, we may not be able to afford this fee. Could you perhaps lower it a bit?"

Mr. Henry shook his head. "This is my bottom line, it can't go any lower."

We are at a stalemate. On the one hand, we need this technology to enhance our competitiveness, but on the other hand, the high cost makes us hesitate.

Just as we were about to leave, Mr. Henry suddenly said, "Actually, there is another way. I can cooperate with you by contributing my technology as equity, but I want to own fifty percent of the shares."

Gu Zixuan and I exchanged a glance; this condition was indeed harsh. But if we didn't accept it, we might lose our competitiveness in the market.

“Mr. Henry, we need to think about it,” Gu Zixuan said.

Back at the textile factory, we convened a meeting with the factory management and cooperating factory owners to discuss the matter. Opinions were divided; some thought it was acceptable, while others strongly opposed it.

“If we let him take 50 percent of the shares, wouldn’t that be like handing over the textile factory that we’ve worked so hard to build?” one factory owner said angrily.

"But if we don't accept it, our new brand will be eliminated, and then none of us will have anything to eat," another factory owner said helplessly.

Gu Zixuan and I are also conflicted and don't know what to do.

Just then, the mysterious man reappeared. He brought us a letter saying that he knew of a more advanced textile technology that didn't require such a high price, and that if we were interested, we could find him at a certain place.

Gu Zixuan and I looked at the letter, our hearts filled with doubt. Who exactly was this mysterious person? Why did he help us time and time again? Was the more advanced technology he mentioned real?

That night, I sat in my office at the textile factory, gazing into the darkness outside the window, my heart filled with uncertainty about the future. Gu Zixuan came over and gently embraced me.

"Fangfei, no matter what, we must choose carefully. The appearance of this mysterious person has brought us hope, but it may also be an even bigger trap."

Lin Fangfei and Gu Zixuan: Struggle and Love in Republican-Era Shanghai

The legendary journey of a poor but academically gifted girl and a rich boy

The morning sun shone through thin clouds, illuminating the streets and alleys of Shanghai. I stood at the entrance of the textile factory, clutching the letter delivered by the mysterious person tightly in my hand, my heart churning with turmoil. The handwriting on that letter seemed to possess a magical power, drawing me to uncover the truth behind it, yet also as if concealing endless danger. Today I wore a smoky gray cheongsam, its intricate patterns embroidered with silver thread, much like my conflicted thoughts—seemingly calm, yet turbulent beneath.

Gu Zixuan walked to my side. He was as handsome as ever today, wearing a dark navy blue suit with a burgundy tie, looking both composed and stylish. He looked at the letter in my hand, his brows furrowing slightly. "Fangfei, are you really going to do what the letter says? This mysterious person is too suspicious."

I bit my lip, a determined look in my eyes. "Zixuan, we don't have many options right now. If there really is a more advanced and cheaper technology, it would be a great opportunity for us to turn things around. But I also know the risks involved, so I want to go and check things out first."

Gu Zixuan pondered for a moment, then took my hand. "Then I'll go with you. No matter what happens, we'll face it together."

Following the instructions in the letter, we arrived at an abandoned factory on the outskirts of Shanghai. The place looked eerie, overgrown with weeds, and the walls were covered with mottled moss. I couldn't help but shiver. Gu Zixuan pulled me closer to him, looking around warily.

As we entered the factory, a musty, rotten smell filled the air. We walked cautiously when we suddenly heard soft footsteps. I nervously grabbed Gu Zixuan's arm, my heart pounding.

A figure emerged from the darkness; it was a man wearing a hat and a long black overcoat. His face was partially obscured by the shadow of the hat, making his features impossible to discern.