It was early morning on February 15, 1923, the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month in the Renxu year of the lunar calendar.
The morning breeze on the Huangpu River blew the China Merchants Bureau flag with a red background and yellow moon.
The ship "New Name" blew two long whistles and, under the leadership of the port pilot, slowly approached the China Merchants Wharf at Shiliupu.
The waiter knocked on the door of a large dining room: "Sir, Mr. Chen, Baihai is about to arrive. You can pack your luggage and prepare to disembark."
Chen Muwu, who had been lying on his bunk for three whole days and nights, responded very weakly: "I understand, thank you."
To compare this ship trip with the train to the north, one does not need to experience the bumps and undulations caused by encountering a track connection every ten meters.
But this trip also made Chen Muwu discover another weakness of his, that is, he didn't know he would get seasick!
It turns out that the original owner was born in a water town in the south of the Yangtze River, and he began to crawl around on a awning boat since he was a child.
After I came here, I took several ferries on the Huangpu River and the Yangtze River, and I didn't feel any discomfort at all.
The night before the ship sailed, Chen Muwu, who had left Yongli Alkali Plant, boarded the ship and slept overnight at the China Merchants Pier in Lugu. At this time, he still felt good and couldn't help but sigh that the bed in the dining room was wide and soft. The sleeper ticket in the first-class carriage on the train was quite comfortable, so my ninety yuan was really well spent.
But when the ship blew its flute early the next morning and sailed away from the port, along the Haihe River from Dagu Port into the Bohai Sea, Chen Muwu was immediately dizzy from seasickness.
Not only did he vomit up the two pieces of fried pork chops he had eaten the night before, but during the three-day boat trip, he vomited everything he ate. Ever since, I would occasionally retch for a while.
Fortunately, the waiter provided a remedy, and found some hard squid that had been dried to the point of drying. He tore it into strips and chewed them into his mouth one by one. Chen Muwu managed to stop his spinning and top-heavy movements. The dizziness would prevent me from vomiting out all my entrails on the ship.
I don’t know what the reasoning behind this is. Anyway, during the three days, Chen Muwu only relied on these squid to survive. Unfortunately, he was not able to enjoy one bite of the three meals a day delivered by the kitchen.
The dining room, also called the dining room, is the most advanced room on a passenger ship today.
The reason why it is called the dining room is because passengers in this cabin will have three meals a day provided by the ship's kitchen.
Dacai originally refers to the Western dishes that flowed into Sihai after the opening of the port.
Because at the beginning, the steamship companies were operated by American and British merchants and other great powers. These companies prohibited Chinese people from buying the highest-end cabins, leaving these only to their compatriots.
These Westerners who stayed in the highest-end cabins naturally had Western dishes for three meals a day. Over time, the upper-class rooms got the nickname "The Dish Room".
In this era, any term may contain the history of humiliation of a nation if you look closely behind it.
The originally flickering lights on the shore could be seen clearly. The ship "New Name" finally dropped anchor, and the cable rope was tied to the pile on the shore.
Chen Muwu reluctantly climbed out of the bed in the cabin and opened the door. The waiter was already waiting outside.
Behind him were two porters wearing red hats. These people were waiting at the pier to earn hard money by helping passengers get on and off the ship by carrying their luggage.
At the same time, they became the prototype of the "Little Red Riding Hood" who helped people carry luggage in the train station, and the color of the hat has also continued.
"Good morning, Mr. Chen," the waiter greeted Chen Muwu humbly, "These are old workers on the dock. You can definitely trust them when you hand your luggage to them."
Passengers who can afford to stay in a large dining room usually spend a lot of money. This is why when Chen Muwu gets seasick, the waiter immediately takes good care of him. Just collect some reward money.
Moreover, he must have interests connected with these two red hats, otherwise he would not be so kind and give them the opportunity to make a fortune.
Of course Chen Muwu knew the twists and turns behind this, but since the person had already been brought in front of him, it was hard to refuse again.
He carried the suitcase himself, one of the two red hats carried the camphor wood box, and the other carried various specialties that Chen Muwu bought in Beijing.
After the ship's gangway was put in place, the three people were the first to get off the ship.
When his feet once again set foot on the majestic land, Chen Muwu's heart, which had been drifting for three days, finally settled down.
He looked back at the behemoth ship behind him and said a kind greeting in his heart: See you soon!
Before getting off the train at Lugu Station, Chen Muwu was still thinking that when he went to Europe in the future, he would not take the train and take the Trans-Siberian Railway, but would take a leisurely trip and float on the sea by boat.
But now after three days of wandering at sea, he finally understood that taking a train was just a waste of time, but taking a ship was a waste of life!
The person who picked him up at Shiliupu Pier was still the Austin car from Er Ge Qianzhuang.
Before getting in the car, Chen Muwu found the mailbox on the roadside and put in two letters he had written long ago.
Before sunrise, the concession was empty, and cars were passing through the streets at high speed.
The newsboy who got the newspaper had already started selling newspapers in the streets.
The New Year is getting closer and closer, and people all over the country are falling into the New Year syndrome. No matter rich or poor, they all hope that everything will go well in the coming year, and they will be safe and prosperous.
As the red sun rises in the east, there is a continuous sound of firecrackers in the streets and alleys, so much so that people in Hongshan, Echang, thousands of miles away, mistake the sound of a gunshot for the New Year's Eve firecrackers. 【1】
Chen Muwu returned to his home on Seymour Road. After not seeing each other for a month, the family naturally had endless things to talk about.
Chen Muqiao asked him how his lectures were going and how his old friends were doing. Chen Muping asked him whether he had enough money to spend and whether he had wronged himself when he was away from home.
On the other hand, the old lady of the Chen family was very unhappy, thinking that Chen Muwu had clearly said that he would only go for half a month, but the waiting time had doubled.
She was celebrating the New Year, so she couldn't scold her younger son, so she could only glare at him secretly.
In the mind of the old lady of the Chen family, an imperfect plan was gradually brewing: Since she can't tie him down, she should find someone who can tie him up!
Chen Muwu knew nothing about the upcoming "love". He gave two otter hats produced by Tianqi Sheng Xifu that he bought from Beijing to his eldest and second brother. He also took out a jade ring and stuffed it into his mother's head. in hand.
The old lady, who had always had a sullen face, now beamed.
"You still have a conscience." She scolded with a smile.
Eat New Year's dinner, celebrate the New Year, visit relatives...
The spring of 1923 came step by step like this.
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[1] Author's note: Shi Yang (June 13, 1889 - February 15, 1923).
