Due to the war, a large number of people from outside the concession flooded in, causing extreme chaos. The prices of goods soared, and the security was extremely poor. In just a few months, as the war advanced westward, a large number of supplies entered the concession. People's lives began to stabilize, and the economy rebounded rapidly.
The population growth brought prosperity to the market, and the economy was abnormally prosperous. Because of the large number of idle labor, the number of factories in the International Settlement increased by nearly five times, and the number of commercial houses also increased by three times.
The abnormal prosperity of the economy had brought about the abnormal prosperity of the culture of the isolated island. Entertainment venues such as cinemas, dance halls, cafes, amusement parks, and theatres had sprung up like bamboo shoots after a rain.
Therefore, every time Xiao Hong arrived at the concession, she would first walk around Nanjing Road and then choose between the various cinemas. She would choose the best movie to pass two or three hours of good time. Then, she would have something to talk about. Every time she ate, she would start to show off in front of her colleagues and use a few fashionable terms, as if she was the real Shanghainese.
Every time the two of them came to Nanjing Road, Xiao Hong seemed to become the owner of the place, giving Liu Yuexin directions and introducing places. That movie star had just made a movie, and that movie star was having an affair with someone. The colors, styles, and fabrics that were trending this spring. Or she would comment on the fashionable girls who appeared on the streets and always find flaws here and there.
When he saw Liu Yuexin's dazed and absent-minded look, he would add, Aiyo, you wouldn't understand even if I told you.
When they reached Sichuan Road, Liu Yuexin pointed ahead and said,"It seems to be very lively over there."
Xiao Hong looked over and chuckled."It's nothing. It's just that that's Coffee Street!”
"Is that so? Coffee is very fashionable!"
"There's nothing good to drink. It's bitter.”
"I'll treat you, okay?"
Xiao Hong's eyes lit up." Alright, coffee is quite tasty!"”
The two of them walked south along Sichuan Road. After they finished their coffee, they turned from Fuzhou Road to the riverside and then walked back along the river. This was also a fixed shopping route for many Shanghainese.
Just as they were about to reach Fuzhou Road, an exquisite building came into their sight. It was an Italian Renaissance mansion with clear red brick walls. There were two sets of vertical Greek triangular gables and a combination of triple and double windows on the east facade. There were exquisite white embossed under the eaves and doors and windows. On the second floor, there was a long balcony with white Roman columns.
"This building is quite beautiful!"
"Yes, this is a Japanese firm, Mitsui Firm!”
"This is Mitsui Yang Co., Ltd. There are a lot of phone calls from their house every day!”
"Yes, their phone is always busy, and they call a lot of people outside.”
"By the way, do you have a lot of lines over there today?”
"Hehe, I'm not busy today. Even Mitsui's phone calls are surprisingly rare today. The calls that came in were quickly hung up as if they were not doing business today.”Little Red said with concern.
Xiao Hong said it casually, but to Liu Yuexin, it sounded like a bolt from the blue!
The thing he was worried about still happened!
------
Something must have happened to Mitsui Corporation today. What exactly was going on? How could he explain that Mitsui had been busy for twenty-four minutes?
She couldn't change the record book. If she changed the record book from 24 minutes to 24 seconds, it would only make things worse.
Perhaps her call records were already in the hands of a Japanese spy, or perhaps her records were already on the desk of Director Matsuta Yuta!
Perhaps, she would be informed to explain the time of the call tonight.
Then, what about him? She would definitely keep his secret. Could it be him who called the military police today? If it was him, there must be someone beside him, which was why he deliberately maintained a cold tone.
------
Liu Yuexin was in a mess. This was her first operation. Because of her mistake, all the related calls would be investigated, including the call to the church.
Thinking of the church, she suddenly thought of the strange bell that rang in the morning. Right, the bell of the church was followed by gunshots.
She understood it all
"Xinxin, what's wrong? Why do you look so pale?" Xiao Hong asked anxiously.
"No, it's fine. There's a coffee shop over there. Let's go over.”Liu Yuexin calmed herself down and smiled faintly.
In Little Red's eyes, that smile was even uglier than crying!
Special price: 2 yuan per cup! It was the sign at the entrance of the cafe to attract customers.
The rickshaw they took to and from work every day was only 20 cents, but this cup of coffee cost two yuan, enough for ten days of travel.
Xiao Hong knew that elsewhere, a cup of coffee would cost three yuan. Usually, a three-yuan coffee would come with a plate of snacks.
------
When the two of them walked into the cafe, a waiter came forward and nodded slightly, inviting them to a seat by the window.
"Miss, what would you like to order?”He spoke with a pure northern accent, just like the actor in the movie.
"Two cups of the coffee that was written on the door!”
Liu Yuexin smiled and pointed at the door. She spoke with a pure northern accent. Her voice attracted the attention of a few customers in the cafe.
Xiao Hong felt very embarrassed at this moment. Liu Yuexin's clothes didn't match the cafe, but her own dress suited the cafe.
"Alright, please wait a moment!" The attendant nodded elegantly and left.
When the waiter was a certain distance away, Little Red lowered her voice and said reproachfully,"Xinxin, don't talk. I'll talk to the waiter.”
"Okay, this is my first time in a coffee shop.”Liu Yuexin said embarrassedly.
After a while, the waiter carried a tray with exquisite white porcelain plates, shiny spoons, and two cups of hot coffee, emitting an alluring fragrance.
Liu Yuexin quickly got up, but Xiao Hong stopped her with a light cough.
The waiter smiled slightly and served the coffee to the two of them with great self-restraint. He was about to turn around and leave.
"Sorry, where are our snacks?”Xiao Hong asked casually.
"Sorry, this special coffee doesn't go with snacks!”
The waiter spoke in a very soft voice, but it still attracted the attention of the customers from before. They looked over.
"You mean the taste of the coffee hasn't changed?”Xiao Hong asked coldly.
"That, that, this is a special coffee.”The attendant no longer had his previous demeanor as he opened his mouth and mumbled.
"Do you think we haven't had coffee before? The taste of the special coffee is already low, and there's no dessert! How can you do business like this? Call your boss over!" Little Red saw that the servant's morale had dropped by half a point, so she followed up with a victory.
"Alright, two yuan can buy two boxes of pastries.”Liu Yuexin didn't want to make a big deal out of it, so she quickly tried to smooth things over.
"You don't understand this. They obviously give you a plate of desserts when you drink coffee. We're not here for desserts. They're bullying you for not understanding. Call your boss over!"
The waiter smiled bitterly. The boss's method of attracting customers had made him quite troubled.
Not far away, there were two men drinking coffee. One of them, a handsome young man in a beige suit, walked over.
"Hello, ladies. I'm Tomie Kondo. Please take care of me. If you don't mind, I'd like to have a cup of coffee with you.”
Obviously, the other party was a Japanese. Celestial's tone was a little stiff, but it was already not bad.
"Who are you? Why are you treating us to coffee?" Xiao Hong was neither good nor bad to the Japanese, but she was currently in a state of emotional excitement. Her self-awareness was triggered to the maximum, so of course, she was full of hostility towards this man who suddenly stood up.
"I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm a manager of Mitsui Trading Company. I'm very familiar with that lady's voice. Today is the company's 30th anniversary celebration. I'm on duty. I came out for a cup of coffee. I was lucky to meet the two ladies.”
"Hello, Mr. Kondo. Thank you for your hospitality.”Liu Yuexin politely declined the other party's invitation in Japanese. She was very excited. It seemed that this trip was worth it.
"Since Mr. Kondo has invited us, we can't reject him, Xinxin!”
Liu Yuexin was speechless.
At this moment, the waiter said," Since you two are Mr. Kondo's friends, I'll prepare some good coffee. The price is still special, special!"”
"Thank you so much! You have a great conscience. Please change to a bigger place for us! Blue Mountain Coffee from St. Andrew's, Jamaica. The price was not to be underestimated!”
"Alright, thank you, Mr. Kondo. Please don't take offense. This way, please.”
"Then please recommend a song to us, Mr. Kondo! I prefer Japanese songs!" Liu Yuexin said happily.
"Thank you. May I know your name?"
"My surname is Liu." After saying that, Liu Yuexin panicked for no reason, and a touch of sunset color floated on her face.
Kondo Tomie made a gentlemanly gesture." Miss Liu, this way please!”
Xiao Hong tugged at Liu Yuexin, who was still in a daze. Liu Yuexin finally came back to her senses and nodded slightly. She smiled awkwardly and was dragged away by Xiao Hong.
"Are you a lovestruck fool? He's Japanese!”Xiao Hong maintained her walking posture and spoke softly in Shanghainese.
However, he did not expect another young man from Kondo Tomie's original seat.
The young man in the black suit stood up and said in a humorous tone,""Isn't the Japanese good? Haha, the friendship between China and Japan starts with me. Mr. Kondo forgot about his old classmate after getting a girlfriend! You really value sex over friends!"
"Haha, I forgot to introduce you. Yamamoto Kenzo, Ryu of Japan, is also a director of Chengda Company. This is Miss Liu. I've admired her for a long time. In the past, I only heard her voice and never saw her.”Kondo Tomie swallowed part of his words as Yamamoto Kenzo gave him a hint.
Yamamoto Kenzo's expression was a little ugly, but he still bowed politely.
"Hello, Miss Liu. It's an honor to meet you today!”
------
The four of them came to a relatively spacious and high-end VIP area by the window. The disc began to play Japanese folk songs.
Accompanied by two elegant gentlemen, soothing music sounded at dusk. The fragrance of coffee filled the air, and the golden glow of the setting sun filled the elegantly decorated room. It reflected the exquisite porcelain and shone brightly.
For the little red who yearned for a little money, she had already reached the peak of her imagination. Her red face naturally became charming, making the military-like Yamamoto Kenzou feel restless.
The four of them communicated very smoothly. Language was not a problem at all. In the beginning, the four of them talked one after another. Later, Yamamoto Kenzo and Little Red got along, and Kondo Tomie was more willing to talk to Liu Yuexin.
It seemed that he had an unspeakable sense of respect and closeness to Liu Yuexin, as if they had been friends for a long time.
"I'm from the Capital. This is the first time I heard the accent of my hometown in a foreign country. Moreover, it was a beautiful lady. I was fascinated by that voice. Every time I called, I was the first to grab it. Miss Liu, your voice is simply too beautiful.”
"My teacher is from Kyoto. He told us that Kyoto is the spiritual hometown of the Japanese, the origin and symbol of Japanese culture. The ancient capital of Kyoto was built according to the Japanese aesthetic consciousness that prevailed in the culture of the past dynasties. It was also said that there were 1,000 shrines and Buddhist pavilions there. Kyoto cuisine was the most authentic. Kyoto had a long history and was known as the " ancient capital of a thousand years." "Actually, the capital is also a place I yearn for. It's such a beautiful place. The people there must be hardworking, kind, and educated.”
"Miss Liu, war always brings some regrets and helplessness. I don't like it either. Many Japanese are friendly.”
"Yes, my teacher is a kind elder. When I returned to Shanghai, he wrote a recommendation letter for me.”
"Your teacher, may I know his name?”
"My Japanese teacher is Shinteng Suyi!”
"You are Teacher Xin Teng's student, and I am also Teacher Xin Teng's student!”Kondo Tomie said excitedly. This was simply unbelievable.
------
With a common teacher, they had a common topic to talk about. The distance between the two of them quickly narrowed, and the sky was about to turn dark.
It was getting late. Liu Yuexin and Xiao Hong got up to say goodbye. It was the basic code of conduct for all unmarried Shanghai women to go home before dark.
The two Japanese youths naturally had to escort them personally, so the four of them walked out of the coffee shop, crossed Fuzhou Road, and walked along the river. The boats on the river were like weaving, and the early summer evening wind blew away the heat of the day, making it cool and pleasant.
Xiao Hong and Yamamoto Kenzang walked in front, while Liu Yuexin and Kondo Tomie followed behind.
"Today is your 30th anniversary celebration, why is the line busy?”
"Hehe, I was on duty today, and the phones on both sides rang at the same time. Before I could run over, the phone rang again. So I picked up the phone at the side, so the line was always busy, and it saved me the trouble of running back and forth! I didn't expect that I couldn't even slack off and was caught by you!”
Liu Yuexin's heart was finally relieved! He had never felt so relaxed before.
"Then why didn't you say anything when you picked up the phone?”
"I…" Liu Yuexin was speechless.
"Xinxin, Mr. Yamamoto plans to treat us to Japanese food tomorrow afternoon!”
"Is that so? Our Yamamoto is famous for being stingy. He has saved up some five-yuan coins and is unwilling to spend them. It was a rare occasion to treat someone to a meal. Don't miss it!”Kondo Tomie teased.
For young men and women who had just met each other, it was natural to tease their companions in front of the opposite sex.
"I have been a philatelist since I was young. When I first arrived in China, I was very interested in the coins of China. The texture and patterns are exceptionally exquisite. I want to collect some of each type and show it off to my friends when I go back.”
"Do you want a corner?" Xiao Hong asked.
"Yes, but I want new ones. I don't want damaged ones!”
"Okay, I do have a few brand new ones at home. They are very valuable!”
"Thank you very much!"
------
Liu Yuexin had successfully filled in the gaps. She had no interest in tomorrow's meeting and didn't want to see the two Japanese again.
Although she did not dislike Kondo Tomie, she could feel that he had the intention of continuing their relationship from a woman's intuition. She could not fall into the whirlpool of emotions. She had put on an act in front of him just now to not let him be wary. Now that the matter was resolved, she could not bear to lie to him anymore.
Under the expectant gazes of the three people, Liu Yuexin reluctantly nodded and said,"If it's near Hongkou, it's okay. My family doesn't allow me to go back too late. It's already too late today, so I have to go home early tomorrow!”
"Okay, it's where you work. It's not far from the Army Command. There are several new Japanese restaurants there, all of which are famous and old. The security there is good, so I'll send you home early!”
After two handsome young men called a rickshaw for the two ladies and paid the fare, Liu Yuexin and Xiao Hong got on the rickshaw.
Watching them leave, Yamamoto Kenzo said coldly,""Old classmate, you shouldn't have told them my identity, and you shouldn't have told them about my collection of coins. Don't forget, I came to China with a special mission!”
"Ha Yi, I understand. I will definitely keep my mouth shut.”
"I'm meeting the two of them tomorrow to confirm if they have any problems.”
"Old classmate, what problem could they have? Besides, we took the initiative."
"Sigh, old classmate, you haven't gone through any special training. That Miss Liu isn't simple. Oh, don't look at me like that.”
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。