Dear readers, the author's income is so meager that he had to include a short 5-second ad in the text, and you can read the full text for free by watching it. I know it might be a little intimidating, but it does help me increase my income and keep writing. Your understanding is my biggest motivation, I will try my best to bring more quality content, thank you to every reader!
"When I met you, I became very low, very low, all the way down to the dust; But my heart rejoiced, and a flower blossomed there. ”
This poem, which moved everyone who heard it, is a famous sentence in Zhang Ailing's novel "Half Life", and it was also written by her to Hu Lancheng, the "prototype" of the male protagonist of the novel.
Zhang Ailing can be regarded as a famous family, such a talented woman in the Republic of China who has received a high education since she was a child, can write such a humble confession, which is enough to see how much she loves Hu Lancheng.
However, even if she gave up everything, and even loved Hu Lancheng with infamy, she never really got Hu Lancheng's heart.
Even knew that after Hu Lancheng cheated, she still had a glimmer of hope, and dragged a box containing 300,000 cash to find Hu Lancheng: "This money is for you." ”
As a result, Hu Lancheng accepted the 300,000 cash, but he was no longer willing to accept Zhang Ailing's infatuation......
However, there is still such a woman, she has always used Hu Lancheng as a "pedal", and in the end, she only spent 200 yuan to directly "handle" this man.
Shanghai's "white-faced people"
In the 1930s, Shanghai was known as the "Paris of the East", and it was a ten-mile foreign market for drunken fans.
Under the neon lights, the busy Nanjing Road is crowded with all kinds of people, including modern girls in cheongsams and wealthy businessmen in suits and leather shoes......
During the day, it is an exchange where businessmen talk and laugh; At night, when the neon lights are on, the whole city turns into a drunken dream, and the casinos, dance halls, and smoke houses all show the prosperity and depravity of Shanghai.
In this city, the smell of money is everywhere, and the relationship between people seems more utilitarian and realistic.
She Aizhen, who was born in Shanghai, has been accustomed to the prosperity and luxury here since she was a child.
The She family's mansion is located in the Shanghai concession area, and She Aizhen's father is a businessman, although he is not as famous as the Song family and the Sheng family, but he can be regarded as a talker in Shanghai.
The She family owned several money houses and some real estate, and lived a prosperous life, and there were often servants in the family who were busy before and after.
She's father is very fond of She Aizhen's daughter, and regards her as the pearl of his palm.
She Aizhen didn't like to read since she was a child, but she was smart, beautiful like a flower, and very business-minded.
As a teenager, she began to help out in the family business, managing the money and handling the accounts, all of which she did very well.
One evening, Father She sat on a wicker chair in the living room and frowned: "Aizhen, why is there three hundred silver dollars missing from this account?" ”
She Aizhen was playing with a candy in her hand, she raised her eyebrows, and replied unhurriedly: "I took it to buy a fur coat, you know, those celebrities wear such clothes, I can't lose face." ”
After hearing this, Father She sighed helplessly: "That's it, the girl's family, face is more important." ”
She Aizhen has never been informal, she is bold by nature, and she likes to mingle with people since she was a child. She is not like those young ladies who are raised in the boudoir, but prefers to hang out with the "white-faced people" on the street.
These white-faced people are idle, unprofessional gangsters on the beach who are proficient in eating, drinking, prostituting and gambling, and often wander between casinos and dance halls.
She Aizhen is very close to these white-faced people, she likes this unrestrained life, and gradually makes a name for herself in the circle of these people.
Father She frowned and persuaded her to stay away from those people, but She Aizhen always disagreed: "Dad, where are they so bad?" It's just some friends, don't worry, I know it. ”
was so deviant, Father She was helpless, just kept sighing, saying that he had spoiled her.
She Aizhen stuck out her tongue and didn't care much.
How did Father She know that his precious daughter's "rebellion" had just begun!
After She Aizhen grew up a little, she secretly communicated with the rich company Young Master Wu, and later became pregnant.
Not to mention in that era, even if there are women who are pregnant unmarried now, it is also an "ugly thing" that many parents cannot accept, not to mention the She family, which is quite a famous family with a head and a face.
At that time, She Aizhen's mother once wanted her to go to Hong Kong to kill the child, but She Aizhen was unwilling, she insisted on keeping the child, and forced the young master of the Wu family to marry her.
"Are you crazy? If this continues, how can you get married! She Mu was so anxious that she stomped her feet.
She Aizhen replied with a sneer: "It's already like this, what's wrong with marrying him?" At least the reputation can be kept. ”
In this way, She Aizhen married into the Wu family.
The life after marriage is not satisfactory, and the young master of the Wu family spends all day drinking, and he does not care about She Aizhen and the children.
She Aizhen raised her children alone, and it was hard work.
After a long time, she completely lost her heart to this man, and simply played outside, the husband and wife played their own games, and the relationship was completely broken, and finally chose to divorce, and the children were left to the Wu family.
After the divorce, She Aizhen did not return to her parents' house, she knew that she had a bad reputation now, and she did not want to go back to shame the family.
She Aizhen began to crawl in society, in order to survive, she worked as a girl, worked as a female worker, and even went to a casino as a swinging cylinder girl. The cylinder girl is a woman who shakes the dice in the casino, and she must be beautiful and flexible.
With her beauty and wit, She Aizhen quickly gained a firm foothold in the casino.
Her wrists were nimble, and the dice flew in her hands, winning praise from a crowd of gamblers.
She Aizhen's beauty also attracted the attention of the casino owner Jinbao.
Jinbao is the wife of Ji Yunqing, the leader of the underworld gang in Shanghai, she took a fancy to She Aizhen's cleverness, so she accepted her as her goddaughter, and matched her to marry her bodyguard Wu Sibao.
Queen of the Beach
She Aizhen's marriage to Wu Sibao was only for profit at first.
The forces in Shanghai are intricately intertwined, although Wu Sibao is a small person, he is fierce and brutal, and he has broken out of the underworld with a ruthless force.
For She Aizhen, this marriage has allowed her to get out of the predicament and give her a bigger stage to display her means.
Although Wu Sibao is the boss, he is far less shrewd and decisive than She Aizhen in handling interpersonal relationships and judging the situation.
Wu Sibao is always accustomed to solving problems with his fists, while She Aizhen knows how to retreat and use her brains to deal with it at the right time.
One day, Wu Sibao was in a bad mood and was furious at home: "These people are eating things inside and out, I really want to shoot them!" He said, slapping the table hard.
She Aizhen sat on the side, listening quietly, and only after Wu Sibao's anger subsided a little before she slowly spoke: "Sibao, some things cannot be solved by force. What we need now is to stabilize the situation, not to make it bigger. ”
Wu Sibao frowned and looked at She Aizhen, although he didn't want to admit it, he knew that what She Aizhen said made sense.
With the passage of time, She Aizhen gradually became the most powerful assistant by Wu Sibao's side. She not only assisted Wu Sibao in expanding her territory, but also resolved many crises at critical moments.
In this way, the husband and wife complement each other's personalities, and their lives are getting more and more nourishing.
Wu Sibao's trust in She Aizhen is increasing day by day, and he even began to follow her advice on some major matters.
But She Aizhen's mind is far more than that, she knows that although Wu Sibao's position in Shanghai is stable, if she wants to really control the city, she must have a higher backer.
So she began to take the initiative to contact some military and political dignitaries, hoping to pave the way for herself and Wu Sibao in Shanghai through their relationship.
However, just when She Aizhen thought that everything was under control, Wu Sibao was arrested for robbing a Japan car.
The moment she learned the news, She Aizhen almost felt that the sky was falling, but she did not collapse, but immediately stabilized her mind and calmly looked around.
In the next few days, She Aizhen ran among the major elites, exhausted all her connections and resources, and contributed money and efforts.
However, Wu Sibao still did not come out, and it was rumored that he died in prison.
Wu Sibao died strangely, but what can she do with a black woman?
The most important thing at this time is not to get to the bottom of things, but to get to the bottom of things. It was at this time that Hu Lancheng appeared in her life.
Twilight selection
Hu Lancheng is also a famous playboy in Shanghai, he has long heard of She Aizhen's name, and he is quite interested in this "pretty widow".
Later, the two hooked up together, and at that time, Hu Lancheng was still entangled with Zhang Ailing, but She Aizhen didn't care, she and Hu Lan just took what they needed.
But unconsciously, Hu Lancheng's feelings had already slowly tilted towards her.
In 1945, Hu Lancheng was planning to flee from Hong Kong to Japan, and in a hotel on the streets of Hong Kong, Hu Lancheng and She Aizhen sat opposite each other.
Hu Lancheng took out a half-worn fur coat from his arms and handed it to She Aizhen opposite, barely squeezing out a smile at the corner of his mouth: "Aizhen, you sold this coat, make up some travel expenses for me, I want to go to Japan." ”
She Aizhen took the coat, was silent for a moment, and then took out two hundred crumpled Hong Kong dollars from the bag beside her and handed it to Hu Lancheng: "I can't protect myself now, you can take this money, you don't have to sell the coat." ”
Hu Lancheng's heart made waves, and he was so moved that he almost cried.
A mere 200 yuan moved him so much, if Zhang Ailing knew, I was afraid that she would be so angry that she would drink all night......
In order to send Hu Lancheng to escape, she gave him 300,000 yuan, but she couldn't get Hu Lancheng's "good" word in the end.
And She Aizhen only used 200 yuan to make Hu Lancheng willing to remember her good.
This seemingly ordinary transaction actually contains the unique charm of She Aizhen. One was in Shanghai
In Japan in 1950, She Aizhen and Hu Lancheng walked side by side in a quiet alley, occasionally hearing the sound of a bell in the distance.
At this time, they have been married for many years, live in a foreign country, and live a peaceful life.
In 1954, She Aizhen noticed Hu Lan Chenghe.
Although the two respect each other on the surface, She Aizhen can feel that Hu Lancheng is becoming more and more cold to her. He always used excuses to go out, and his whereabouts became mysterious.
She Aizhen couldn't tolerate sand in her eyes, so she left decisively.
Later, She Aizhen opened a small restaurant in Japan, and her life was comfortable.
Hu Lancheng died in 1981, and She Aizhen did not attend his funeral.
She just stood in front of the window, looked at the sky in the distance, and whispered, "So be it." ”
Time passed, and finally She Aizhen passed away quietly in Japan, ending her magnificent life.
The once beautiful queen of Shanghai Tang completed her last journey alone in a foreign country.
Reference: CNKI "Let the Merry Hu Lan Become a Loyal Legendary Woman" Red Rose