Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 63 Everything is ready except for security, a metal detector.

The selection process for flight attendants has begun.

Their names were called, but no one came up on stage for a long time.

A manager came over and explained the situation.

"I don't know who said it, but isn't this selection method the same as the courtesan selection in a brothel? Everyone is afraid of getting that kind of bad reputation, so they dare not go on stage."

“Nonsense! How can this be compared to those prostitutes? Go tell them that this is a serious matter for our eight families. If we weren’t worried about problems with hiring outsiders, it wouldn’t be their turn,” the head of Fu Shunxing scolded.

Other companies also chimed in.

Amidst the noise, Fang Wen remained an observer.

Times change, and so do people's values.

These days, with the clash between Chinese and Western cultures, many families who adhere to tradition are resistant to many things.

Even women like Yue Jinping, who returned from studying abroad, would collect fallen blood by turning it into embroidered pieces.

Not to mention women from more traditional families like the Eight Great Families.

But to be honest, the atmosphere in Shanghai is already very open.

During his leisure time last year, he read a book called "The Story of Shanghai Flowers", also known as "The Spring and Autumn Annals of the Flower Kingdom", which is a description of the Shanghai Bund by an author in the late Qing Dynasty.

It contains many descriptions of brothels, all called "tangzi," with different names for different places. There are tangzi not only in China but also in foreign countries.

What: Dongyang Tangzi, Yanrou Tangzi (Korean), Bai'er Tangzi.

These places have competition, so they came up with a project similar to the ancient courtesan selection, where people compete for the top spot every year, and voting for them requires real money.

Later, this kind of game also became popular in the concession area, and it was held four or five times a year under various names.

He even published it in the newspaper, calling himself the "President of the Flower Kingdom".

This is why the women from the eight prominent families who were nominated felt ashamed, just like the others, and were unwilling to go on stage.

Thinking of this, Fang Wen looked at the noisy scene. These days, respectable women care more about their reputation than men. No matter what the hosts said, they were unwilling to go on stage.

If this continues, the selection meeting won't be able to be completed today, and we'll just make a fool of ourselves in front of the onlookers at the airport.

He stood up, walked onto the stage, and took the megaphone from Manager Liu.

"Everyone, please stop arguing and listen to me."

As the general manager, Fang Wen's words carried authority, and the crowd gradually calmed down.

"The reason we are selecting flight attendants today is mainly to present a positive image for Taishan Airlines. In the future, passengers' most direct impression of the aircraft and flight attendants will be the aircraft itself. Therefore, we need to select flight attendants who are poised, dignified, and elegant, who can represent Taishan Airlines. They are not comparable to those others."

After a pause, Fang Wen looked at the reactions below. Although the women had softened somewhat, they still showed no intention of going on stage.

He continued.

"Besides, things are different now. You can't bring your businesses in the Northeast with you, and all your remaining wealth is invested in Taishan Airlines. Is that face enough to support your family?"

Manager Liu quickly added, "We are facing internal and external troubles, life is difficult, and the value of the silver dollar is depreciating every day. If we can't make money from money, we can't support such a large population, and they will eventually disperse."

Fang Wen clarified the situation first, and Manager Liu made people see the reality clearly from behind. With their cooperation, the women were moved.

Before they could move, a young woman in a brocade dress with her hair in a bun stepped out from the crowd, and the old woman next to her quickly grabbed her.

"Young mistress, you can't go up there."

"Everyone says it's for the sake of the family, and I want to do my part too, so why can't I?"

"They want someone who is still unmarried."

"But they are shy and afraid of this and that, so they don't dare to go on stage. So I have to go."

This is probably a provocation tactic.

Immediately, some of the auditioning girls couldn't stand it and went on stage.

Once one person joins, another follows, and the selection process officially begins. As Fang Wen said, selecting flight attendants is a matter of pride for Taishan Airlines; there are requirements for temperament, interpersonal skills, and conversation, and it's not just about being pretty.

Those who were lacking were eliminated in the first round.

Surprisingly, several of the remaining people were female members of the host family.

That's normal; these women receive a good education and are generally more outstanding in various aspects.

As for which one to choose, I can't decide right now.

The hosts discussed it.

"Deshenglong's family has extensive medical knowledge, has attended a private school, and is good at dealing with people, but he is a bit short."

“Ruifengxiang’s is also fine, but he’s a bit reserved, and I’m afraid that kind of personality might make it a little difficult for him to communicate with others.”

Amidst the cacophony of voices, the words became somewhat barbed, as they were all family members and descendants, and no one could bear to hear anything unpleasant.

Fang Wen quickly interjected.

“They are all good, but there is one more condition to meet: they must at least know some foreign languages.”

Yes, if you open an airline here, there will probably be many foreign passengers. If you're doing business with foreigners, you'll need to know some foreign languages.

The final winner was Xie Yuwen from Juyuancheng Money Exchange. Her advantages were obvious: she could speak English and some French. It is said that she studied literature with a foreign teacher along with her cousin.

With Taishan Airlines' routes confirmed, aircraft acquired, and airport construction completed, Fang Wen even flew a Boeing 80 to Fuyang twice.

It is basically ready for navigation.

The final issue is security.

For the sake of customers, and to prevent Japanese people from sneaking onto the plane, there needs to be a method for checking dangerous items, as well as an emergency plan for the plane.

In this era, class differences were very large, and the more powerful a person was, the more concerned they were with saving face. Using manual inspections to rummage through passengers' personal belongings and luggage had a significant impact.

However, it is impractical to determine whether a passenger is carrying dangerous items solely through visual inspection and questioning.

Fortunately, Fang Wen is from the future, and his knowledge far surpasses that of people of this era.

He can come up with solutions that others can't, but these solutions require highly specialized personnel.

Therefore, Fang Wen specifically spoke with Huo Duanyang about this matter.

"Duan Yang, do you know anything about electromagnetism?"

Huo Duanyang, who had rushed over from the Jinling Arsenal, opened his eyes wide.

"Brother Fang, you think too highly of me. I studied chemistry, and I barely managed to make a bomb when you asked me to. Electromagnetism is a very advanced subject; how would I know anything about it?"

Is electromagnetism really that advanced?
Fang Wen thought to himself that even in the future, middle schools would have teachings and experiments on electromagnetism. If you were interested, you could buy some equipment online and study it at home. He never thought that it would be such an advanced subject now.

"Do you know where I can find professionals in this field? I'm planning to make something small."

“Of course, it’s Tsinghua University in Beiping. Their physics department was only established two years ago,” Huo Duanyang replied.

Fang Wen got what he wanted from Huo Duanyang.

The best physics research experts in China are all at Huaqing School in Beiping.

In 1929, Huaqing University established a Physics Department, and many of its first students became leading figures in the Chinese physics community.

In 1920, the Physics Department of Huaqing University established the Institute of Physics.

If you want to create what you envision, that's probably the only place.

Therefore, Fang Wen contacted his teacher who was still in Beiping by telegram and rented the Nanyuan Flight School airport again.

He then piloted the Qingyun to Beiping.

(End of this chapter)