Later, Bai Xiong sent several more telegrams without giving up.
Even the Japanese consul in Sweden came to Jin's house to lobby. It is guaranteed that as long as Jin Quan is willing to come back, he will be the president of the interim government.
Jin Quan kicked the consul out of the door and sent a telegram back to scold Bai Xiong.
Accusing him of forgetting his ancestors and being stubborn, he actually cooperated with the Japanese and was willing to be a lackey. Such behavior is simply disgusting.
Bai Xiongqi was scolded so badly that he had no choice but to give up.
The Japanese consul in Sweden did not have much power in Sweden. After being kicked out by Jin Quan, he had to admit that he was out of luck.
However, Xiang Nan was afraid of his revenge, so he asked Jin Quan, Mrs. Jin and others to come to Oresta Island to spend some time. Let them go back only after the storm calms down.
…
Entering 1939, Germany attacked Poland and declared the outbreak of World War II.
After the war started, Germany quickly captured Poland, Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium and other countries.
Seeing this, Sweden immediately declared itself a neutral country.
Because the mother and wife of the Swedish king at that time were German nobles, and he himself was very pro-German. In addition, Sweden itself maintains strong armaments, so Germany is unwilling to start a war against it.
However, Germany still blocked Sweden's outlet in the Baltic Sea, while the United Kingdom blocked Sweden's outlet in the North Sea, causing Sweden to lose all overseas markets, so its imports and exports were greatly affected.
For example, energy has dropped by 70%, food imports have dropped by 80%, and the foreign trade industry has almost died... which has greatly affected Sweden's economy and people's livelihood.
Especially with the outbreak of the war, there was a serious shortage of living materials.
It seems that sugar, coffee, meat, cheese, milk, cooking oil, etc. have all begun to become scarce, and prices have begun to rise significantly.
In order to alleviate the crisis of material shortage, the Swedish government introduced a rationing system. Supplies such as rice, flour, meat, sugar, coffee, fuel, etc. all need to be purchased with a ticket.
In order to alleviate the resource crisis, Swedes are also using their imagination.
For example, Swedish chemists mix wood pulp with leather waste to make shoe soles. Soldiers' uniforms contain 20% wood pulp. People drink gin made from wood pulp. Cows eat feed mixed with wood pulp. People drink it. The coffee is also made from sawdust.
Swedish scientists have even improved the engines of buses and tractors to burn charcoal directly...
…
While everyone in Sweden is having a hard time, the life of the Kim family is not affected at all.
There is still plenty of food on the table, and there is enough fuel, enough cotton cloth, and enough medicine...
At this time, Bai Xiuzhu, Leng Qingqiu, and Xiao Lian all began to admire Xiang Nan's foresight. He established a warehouse on the island early and hoarded a large amount of supplies.
Therefore, there is a shortage of supplies outside, but their family's life has not been affected at all, which is really great.
"Yan Xi, did you know that you would fight, so you stocked up so many supplies in advance?" Leng Qingqiu asked in confusion.
"That's not surprising." Xiang Nan smiled and said, "After World War I, Europe was originally clouded. Germany was not willing to fail and wanted to make a comeback. And the Italian political parties are so warlike. With these people in power, It would be strange not to fight.
Moreover, the outbreak of the economic crisis also forced them to go to war to divert domestic pressure. So I foresaw it at that time, so I stocked up on supplies early. At that time you thought I was stupid, but now you all admire me, right? "
When everyone heard this, they all nodded.
It is precisely because of Xiang Nan's precautions that their living standards can be maintained. Unlike those ordinary civilians, now wanting to have a delicious meal has become a luxury.
…
Because there is *****, Jin Quan and his wife. Families such as Jin Fengju, Jin Hesun, Jin Pengzhen, and Jin Meili did not go hungry, and their lives were still the same as before. There is coffee to drink, meat to eat, bread and cheese.
This also made them very grateful.
It is worth mentioning that at the end of the 1940s, Jin Minzhi, her husband Xu Jingyang, and their daughter Xu Wanying fled from France to Sweden.
It turns out that France was captured by the Germans in June, and then France also began to implement a rationing system. Start with bread, fat, rice, etc., then butter, cheese, meat, coffee...
The lack of materials is secondary, the key is the threat to personal safety. Jin Minzhi and Xu Jingyang did not dare to go out for the first few months for fear of being killed.
Finally they plucked up the courage and fled from France to Sweden. After all, this was one of the few places in Europe that had not been exposed to war.
"Okay, okay, just come here." Jin Quan was very relieved to see that his daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter were fine.
Jin Minzhi also didn't expect that Xiang Nan was so rich in supplies. Such a large warehouse and so many supplies, if opened, would be enough to feed the Jin family for three to five to seven years.
She couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, finally not burdening her parents' family. Then he looked at Xiang Nan and said, "Old Qi, it's really thanks to you this time."
"You're welcome, Fifth Sister, there's nothing to thank you for helping your own family." Xiang Nan said with a smile.
…
In the next two years, due to the war, Xiang Nan's business was also affected to a certain extent.
Especially the export business, because the ports are blocked, exports have almost come to a standstill. Fortunately, Xiang Nan has abundant capital and can still afford it.
He was just too lazy to educate his children at home, and also took them to grow vegetables, raise chickens, and pigs on the island, which not only enriched the family's food, but also exercised his children's hands-on skills.
In 1942, Song Shiqing passed away.
In 1943, Germany suffered a major setback in the Soviet Union. The Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of Kursk failed one after another, with more than 2.3 million troops killed and injured, 3,500 tanks, 12,000 artillery pieces, and more than 3,000 aircraft.
Since then, Germany has completely lost the initiative on the Soviet-German battlefield.
Sweden weighed the pros and cons and believed that Germany was no longer able to attack them, so it began to fall out with Germany.
Previously, Sweden allowed German troops to cross the border in their own name and go to occupied Norway to change defenses; allowed Germany to use Swedish railways to transport weapons, soldiers and supplies to Norway; and allowed the export of high-quality iron ore and bearings to Germany.
Now all these are banned, and even at the end of 1944, Sweden terminated all trade with Germany.
In May 1945, Germany announced its surrender. In August, Japan announced its surrender.
The whole world rejoiced.
However, Bai Xiuzhu was not in a good mood. She had received news that her brother Bai Xiongqi had been sentenced to death for treason, traitor, etc.
Although she strongly disagrees with his traitorous behavior. But knowing that he ended up like this still made her feel very sad.
