money player

Guling Street.

In 1945, foreigners in Taiwan were repatriated to Japan one after another. They set up stalls on this street to sell some books, calligraphy and paintings that were difficult to carry, and thus used book stalls gathered together.

In 1949, as people from the mainland moved in, the source of used books became more sufficient, and the collection expanded from Guling Street to neighboring streets.

Shanfeng Bookstore, a bookstore located on Guling Street, sells both used and new books, and also recycles old books and photos. As long as they are photos, they will be accepted, even if they are just portraits of family or oneself.

When Xian Yaowen arrived at the door of the bookstore, the owner Kaohsiung was sorting out a pile of old books, and the young master Gao Lan was sitting on a pile of books seeking knowledge.

Xian Yaowen came to Gao Lan's side and touched her head. "What are you looking at?"

Gao Lan turned to look at him, and when she realized she didn't recognize him, she shouted to Kaohsiung, "Dad, there's a guest."

Kaohsiung looked over and saw Xian Yaowen. He put down the book in his hand and walked over immediately, "Mr. Xian, you arrived early?"

"The schedule changed. I arrived yesterday afternoon." Xian Yaowen looked around deliberately. "You've been back in Taiwan for a while. Didn't you find another one?"

Kaohsiung smiled shyly, "I met someone, but we're not officially together yet."

"It's good that you have a place to stay. I can talk to you without worrying about something. Let me talk with you for a moment." The two walked a few meters away and stopped at a place where Gao Lan couldn't hear their conversation. "Li Suqiu later worked as a dancer in the Ritz Garden. I asked the people below, and she was taken out by customers several times. About two months ago, she resigned and became the lover of a man named Quan Xu.

Quan Xu is also my subordinate. He travels on business in the United States all year round. He returned to Hong Kong for the Chinese New Year before the New Year. I asked him to go to Ritz Garden to have fun, but who knew that he actually met Li Suqiu.

After the Chinese New Year, Quan Xu returned to the United States. The lease he rented for Li Suqiu expired a few days ago. I asked him if he wanted to renew the lease, and his answer was no. The meaning was very clear, so I asked someone to check on Li Suqiu, and found that she had a new lover, so I stopped paying attention to her. "

Xian Yaowen patted Kaohsiung's shoulder and said, "This is how it is. Li Suqiu is not a good person. You should get over the hurdle in your heart."

"In fact, I gave up on her the day I returned to Taiwan," Kaohsiung said calmly.

Patting Kaohsiung's shoulder again, Xian Yaowen said, "That's great, go ahead. Tell me what it's like for you and your new sister-in-law to not be together officially? Not registered or not having that?"

"Not registered." Kaohsiung smiled embarrassedly.

"Your sister-in-law was a girl before you?"

"Xinyao is an employee of Taiwan Fertilizer and she is just 19 years old this year."

"If nothing unexpected happens, my sister-in-law will be with you for life. Don't let her down. Not only must we have a wedding, but we must have a grand one. Let's do it while I'm in Taiwan. You only need to buy the bride's dress and jewelry. I'll take care of the banquet, and I'll give you a new home."

Kaohsiung waved his hands repeatedly, "Mr. Xian, no, no, the gift you gave me is too expensive, I dare not accept it."

Patting Kaohsiung's shoulder again, Xian Yaowen said earnestly: "Ah Xiong, listen carefully. You follow me to eat. It is my responsibility to make sure you have good food and drink. Your responsibility is to be loyal. If you do well, I will not let you down. Keep your head held high. There will be bread and milk."

Kaohsiung's lips trembled a few times, "Mr. Xian, I will definitely do my best and live up to you."

Xian Yaowen smiled faintly and said, "Here, you just need to say thank you."

"Thank you."

Xian Yaowen picked up a book from the top of the pile and flipped through it, saying casually, "It's the weekend today, does my sister-in-law still have to go to work?"

"I don't have to go to work, but I have to do the cleaning at home. Xinyao is the eldest, and there are four younger siblings."

"Oh, will you come over today?"

"I'll be here soon. Maybe Lin Wanzhen will come too."

"I remember now. Lin Wanzhen also worked at Taiwan Fertilizer before."

A month ago, Xian Yaowen asked Kaohsiung to find a role similar to the original Sti, and Kaohsiung found Lin Wanzhen.

"Lin Wanzhen was introduced by Xinyao. They are both in the same office. Mr. Xian, please come in and sit down. I'll make you some tea."

Xian Yaowen waved his hand. "Don't bother. I just drank a lot of tea and have no place to put it. How is your investigation of the magazine going?"

"Please wait."

Kaohsiung walked into the store, took out three magazines and returned, "Mr. Xian, I have investigated all the private magazines, and these three are the best."

Xian Yaowen took the magazines and looked at the covers respectively: "Contemporary Youth", "Half-Month Literature and Art", and "Wild Wind".

“Which one is profitable?”

"Mr. Xian, there are no profitable magazines in Taiwan."

"Not even one?" Xian Yaowen confirmed.

"No."

Xian Yaowen pointed to the magazine in his hand and asked, "If I want to invest, which one do you think is the most suitable?"

"Wild Wind."

"why?"

"The founders of Contemporary Youth are Lü Tianxing and Li Jigu, who are both editors-in-chief. The couple are idealists. In the first issue, they set the four principles of the magazine as "striving for the integrity of the country, striving for the backbone of the nation, striving for the vitality of the society, and striving for courage for oneself."

The idea is good, but it is simply impossible in Taiwan today. Since 1945, many idealistic cultural figures have founded magazines. Some of them lasted only two or three issues before being discontinued, while the longest lasted three years. Without exception, they all failed due to poor management skills.

"Contemporary Youth" has already owed the printing factory the printing fees for several issues and may cease publication at any time.

The editorial of "Half-Month Literature and Art" emphasized the need to criticize the red trend, and the content of the published journal mainly revolved around criticizing the reds, which did not meet Mr. Xian's requirements.

Ye Feng was founded by five employees of Taisugar, who were responsible for editing the employee publication at Taisugar.

Based on their love for literature and art, and seeing that the bimonthly magazine "The Gleaners" published by an oil company was very popular, but it was a translated magazine, the five people thought of publishing a magazine similar to Shanghai's "West Wind", but focusing on publishing creative works, and this is how "Wild Wind" came into being.

The editorial office of "Wild Wind" was in the common office of the five people in Taiwan Sugar. The conditions for the publication were simple, but full of enthusiasm. At the beginning, the five people agreed to jointly review the manuscripts. Each manuscript must have more than three votes before it can be passed for publication..."

After patiently listening to Kaohsiung talking about the many advantages of "Wild Wind", Xian Yaowen smiled and said, "You have a good impression of "Wild Wind"?"

"To be honest with you, Mr. Xian, I've had drinks with the five of them a few times and we're already friends."

Xian Yaowen put the magazine in his hand on the pile of books and said, "You should have said this earlier. I invested in magazines not to make a voice, but to advertise. A magazine that mainly publishes creative works meets my needs.

Did you tell the five people that there was a financial sponsor who had too much money to spend and wanted to invest in a magazine? "

"There was a little wind."

"What was the reaction of the five people?"

"interested in."

“I’m going to disappear now. If you think Wild Wind is suitable, you can negotiate the investment with the five of us on my behalf. I will be responsible for all the expenses of running the magazine. The five of you can not only get a salary of NT$200 per month, but also share 33% of the profit dividends.

You represent me with 67% of the shares. I will not interfere in any affairs of the magazine. The only thing is that they must unconditionally agree to the advertisements and the advertisements in each issue. "

"Okay, I'll talk to them."

Suddenly, Kaohsiung looked behind Xian Yaowen, with tenderness on his face, "Mr. Xian, Xinyao and Lin Wanzhen are here."

Xian Yaowen turned his head and saw two women in their twenties walking and talking. The one on the left looked ordinary, but she was obviously a woman who could live a decent life. If nothing unexpected happened, she should be Xin Yao as mentioned by Kaohsiung.

The one on the right has a pretty face, with delicate and three-dimensional features. She looks more like a Westerner, and her figure is similar to Su Lizhen, being a little plump.

A face that tends to be mixed-race made Xian Yaowen suspect that Kaohsiung considered too many things when deciding on the candidate, even taking Xian Yaowu's needs into account.

After a while, the two girls came closer.

As soon as Kaohsiung introduced them, Xian Yaowen's guess was confirmed. The person on the right was Lin Wanzhen.

Holding Lin Wanzhen's hand, Xian Yaowen's resume appeared in his mind:
Lin Wanzhen was born in 1930. Her parents were from Fujian. They gave birth to her when they ran a cloth shop in Shanghai. She was the youngest child in her biological mother's family and the eighth child. Her father had a concubine who gave birth to seven children.

Because her father favored his concubine and disliked his wife and legitimate children, Lin Wanzhen's family had a hard life. Her sisters either got married early or became child brides.

In 1947, she followed her two brothers to Taiwan to live with her eldest sister and brother-in-law. Not long after, her two brothers returned to the mainland, and she stayed alone and lived with her eldest sister.

She didn't have a separate bedroom, so she could only sleep in the living room. If there were guests, she had to wait until they left before she could sleep...

The resume of Lin Wanzhen that Kaohsiung sent to Wang Xiamin contained a lot of very private information. Xian Yaowen originally mistakenly thought that Kaohsiung did a meticulous job, but now it seems that the information mainly came from Xinyao's mouth.

"Good day, boss."

"Ms. Lin, you are very beautiful."

Lin Wanzhen said calmly: "Thank you for the compliment, boss."

Obviously, Lin Wanzhen has a full awareness of her appearance, and probably many boys have expressed their affection for her.

Xian Yaowen took his hand back and asked, "Does Miss Lin have a boyfriend?"

"No."

"You finally got into Taiwan Fertilizer, but you left for a weird job. Did your sister say anything to you?"

Taiwan Fertilizer is a state-owned enterprise. According to Taiwan's interpretation of civil servants, employees of state-owned enterprises are civil servants. At a time when the employment situation in Taiwan is not ideal, becoming a civil servant is almost equivalent to having a stable job. Although the salary is not high, one can live a fairly stable life.

Since state-owned enterprises were established only four or five years ago, nepotism is not rampant, and becoming a civil servant not only proves one's ability but also gains a good social status, making one look quite respectable when going out.

Lin Wanzhen's resignation is about the same as quitting a state-owned factory in the mid-1980s, running to the street to set up a stall, and becoming a self-employed person who was both despised and envied. To use the words of an "old man", "Don't think that this idiot is making a lot of money now. He has no security at all. He will regret it if he gets a serious illness."

"said."

Xian Yaowen smiled faintly, "It seems that I need to do something to help you eliminate the suspicion of Daizi."

As he spoke, he nodded gently to Meng Xinyao, who already knew the last name Meng, and said, "Sister-in-law, before you came, I just told Axiong that you two should hold the wedding as soon as possible, the banquet will be mine, and I will give him the house.

These two are gifts for Ah Xiong. I also want to show my appreciation to my sister-in-law. You can go and look at houses, pick out furniture, and go to department stores to pick out things. I will pay for everything you like, except for men."

Upon hearing this, Meng Xinyao looked towards Kaohsiung in astonishment; upon hearing this, Lin Wanzhen's heart began to beat wildly, banquet, house, furniture, decorations, all... all included?
Kaohsiung nodded to Meng Xinyao in affirmation. Meng Xinyao turned to Xian Yaowen and said haltingly, "Xian, Mr. Xian, your gift is too expensive. I..."

"Don't be polite, sister-in-law." Xian Yaowen waved his hand, "Miss Lin and I are going to take a walk, so you can pinch Ah Xiong and ask if it hurts. If you don't feel any pain, it's true."

Before Meng Xinyao could react, Xian Yaowen had already turned around and walked away.

Lin Wanzhen glanced at Kaohsiung and the other man, then followed them.

After walking more than ten meters away, Xian Yaowen said softly: "I know it's not pleasant to live under someone else's roof, and you urgently need a bedroom of your own.

You accompany Meng Xinyao to look at houses and buy a house of comparable condition. I will divide the property rights of the house into 1095 shares. You can get one share of the property rights if you do one day's work for me. After three years, if you are not fired by me, the house will belong to you.

Even if you are fired by me midway, you can still cash in the property rights share you have already obtained.

This is the benefit I give you, are you satisfied? "

Lin Wanzhen's eyes curved into crescents and she nodded repeatedly.

Xian Yaowen stopped and stared at Lin Wanzhen's face. "I will definitely satisfy you with the treatment I give you. At the same time, your work performance must also satisfy me. Only in this way can your treatment continue to improve."

Lin Wanzhen nodded mechanically again. Her mind was already filled with the word "house" and she lost the ability to think seriously.

"In business, high returns are often accompanied by high risks, and in work, high pay is naturally accompanied by high requirements. You will get a lot of money, and the work will be very hard. If you can do it, do it. If you can't, you can quit. There are no restrictions.

but……"

Xian Yaowen placed his hand on Lin Wanzhen's shoulder and said, "There are two things you must do. First, shut up. Regardless of whether it is confidential or not, you must not tell anyone about your work.

Anyone, including your sister and your future husband.

Second, loyalty.

If you follow me for a living, you must consider my interests. I can tolerate your mediocre ability, but I will never tolerate betrayal. If you are a traitor, it means that you have voluntarily given up your professional ethics and legal protection, become my enemy, and give me unlimited right to pursue you. "

Xian Yaowen took his hand away from Lin Wanzhen's shoulder and said, "Please believe me, you can't bear my pursuit at all. Don't be blinded by a little profit. I have always been generous to my people. What you get must be more than you deserve.

Okay, I will only say these words this time, and from now on you have to practice them, so please keep them in mind."

Lin Wanzhen nodded again, "You treat me like a national hero, I will repay you with my country."

Xian Yaowen smiled faintly and took out an envelope. "This is your clothing allowance. Go and buy some clothes. Tomorrow morning at 7 o'clock, bring your newspaper and report to me at the Hengyang Hotel."

Looking at the thick envelope, Lin Wanzhen's heart started to beat again, "Okay, okay."

During the Japanese occupation, Guling Street was the dormitory area of ​​the Governor's Office. There were many Japanese-style buildings on the street, and many senior civil servants lived there. Chen Changtong's residence was located in one of the Japanese-style buildings.

When you arrive at the gate of Chen's mansion, you will see a half-brick wall with exposed bricks, except for a piece next to the gate that is covered with cement. The gate is made of iron and painted dark green. There is a nanmu tree planted on one side and a cypress tree planted at the corner of the other wall.

Knock on the door.

Fei Baoshu opened the door.

"master."

"Where's Sister?"

"In the kitchen."

"You didn't help?"

Fei Baoshu pointed to the bamboo pavilion in the yard and said, "I'm picking vegetables."

Xian Yaowen looked towards the pavilion and saw half a watermelon, a glass bowl filled with watermelon pulp, and a few pieces of watermelon rind placed on a low table.

“Stir-fried edamame with watermelon rind?”

"No edamame, stir-fried snow vegetables."

"I'll help you choose."

Xian Yaowen embraced Fei Baoshu and entered the pavilion, cut the watermelon, and shared it with Qi Longque and the other two. Fei Baoshu held a bamboo stick in his hand and picked out the watermelon seeds hidden in the flesh of the watermelon.

"Shuying hasn't come yet?"

"I called and will come over later. Gu Zhengqiu called just now and she will come over."

"Gu Zhengqiu is coming to the family dinner?"

"I just found out today that Sister and Gu Zhengqiu are old acquaintances. They met in Shanghai, and after coming here, they became closer."

"Oh."

In this case, it was inevitable that Chen Changtong's greeting to Gu Zhengqiu yesterday was just for show, or perhaps the relationship with Gu Zhengqiu only remained with Fei Baoqi personally, and did not become a relationship with the Chen family.

"Where did the master go today?"

"I didn't go far, just around Ximending. I had stinky salmon and steamed loofah with rice wine and clams for lunch. I sat in a teahouse for a few hours in the afternoon and met a tea girl named Youyun."

"Inquire about news?"

"Ah."

"My sister and I went to a department store and a tailor shop, and had Sichuan beef noodles for lunch." Fei Baoshu chuckled, "The noodle shop owner was a Sichuan veteran, but he had never eaten beef noodles in his hometown."

Xian Yaowen smiled faintly, "It doesn't matter if you haven't eaten it. Beef noodles made by Sichuan people can certainly be called Sichuan beef noodles."

"That's right." Fei Baoshu cut a piece of watermelon pulp, cleaned the seeds, and put it into Xian Yaowen's mouth. "Master, many soldiers here have a lot of money at home, and it's hard to support their families with low salaries. Many of them run side businesses to supplement their family income. Some are tailors, some do hair perms, and most set up stalls to sell food."

"Oh, what are you talking about?"

"I want you to open a factory here, and recruit people from the dependents in the military villages."

"A common man who rewards the emperor's army is a rioter and should be executed! This matter needs to be considered carefully. I will find a chance to talk to the Taiwanese side about it."

Fei Baoshu was stunned for a moment, "Master, why don't we just forget it."

"It doesn't matter. Everything has its pros and cons. It all depends on how you handle it." Xian Yaowen patted Fei Baoshu's hand. "I'll make a phone call later to formally inform Lei Zhen that I've arrived in Taiwan. I think a welcoming banquet is inevitable. Be prepared."

"Yeah." Fei Baoshu held Xian Yaowen's hand and rubbed it on his cheek.

"This is my home, don't show your affection here." Fei Baoqi walked over and pretended to be coquettish.

Xian Yaowen responded with a smile, "Sister, I'm not shy, your home is my home."

Fei Baoqi sat down next to Fei Baoshu, "You'd better be polite. I made five dishes. Is that enough?"

"Sister, you just asked me to be polite, but you are being polite again. When we have distinguished guests, we have to serve twelve dishes."

"You are also a distinguished guest?" Fei Baoqi rolled her eyes at Xian Yaowen, "You are lucky enough not to be asked to help in the kitchen."

"Don't help in the kitchen, just let me cook."

"You can do it?"

Fei Baoshu covered his mouth and laughed, "Sister, the master is really good at cooking."

"Yao Wen, this is really rare." Fei Baoqi looked at Xian Yao Wen with admiration, "Chang Tong is a man who has never touched a household turkey. He didn't even bother to pick up the fallen soy sauce bottle."

"It's hard to compare. My brother-in-law is busy. Sister, if there are any dishes left to cook, I'll do it."

"No, you're a guest, how can I let you cook? The dishes are already prepared, just stir-fry them. Yao Wen, Zheng Qiu, Boss Gu will be here soon, don't mind."

"Sister, it's okay."

The three people's casual chat made the sunset intoxicated, and Gu Zhengqiu came in the sunset glow.

After exchanging greetings in the pavilion, the four of them went indoors. The Fei sisters went into the kitchen to busy themselves, leaving Xian Yaowen and Gu Zhengqiu in the living room.

"Mr. Xian is coming to Taiwan to do business?"

"I was invited by Mr. Lei Zhenlei to come here for inspection."

"Mr. Xian and Mr. Lei are acquainted?"

"We have never met, but someone invited me."

"Mr. Lei and I are quite familiar with each other. I have been to his house for lunch many times." As he said this, Gu Zhengqiu frowned slightly, thinking that it was at Lei's house that he met Chiang Ching-kuo, a dog-skin plaster that he could never get rid of once it got on him.

"I just arrived in Taipei yesterday and heard about Boss Gu's great reputation. He is a great scholar and has many contacts." Xian Yaowen clasped his fists and said, "Yaowen is new to Taipei and feels like a headless fly. I hope Boss Gu will take good care of me."

Hearing this, Gu Zhengqiu chuckled and said, "Mr. Xian, you are such a wonderful person."

"He is not a wonderful person, but just a profit-seeking person. He travels far and wide to make a living."

Gu Zhengqiu exhaled and said with empathy: "Who isn't like that? If I had a choice, I would just want to be an ordinary person."

"In today's world, it's really good to be an ordinary person. You will have fewer worries. Every day you only need to worry about how to fill your stomach, and you don't need to worry about love, family and national affairs."

"Uh……"

Gu Zhengqiu looked at Xian Yaowen in astonishment, and after a while, he said, "Mr. Xian understands ordinary people so well?" (End of this chapter)