Shanghai in the Republican Era

Chapter 103 Exquisite Attire: Crisis, Undercurrents, Dilemmas, and Mysterious Assistance in the Turb

7. Splendid Costumes: Lin Fangfei and Gu Zixuan's Turbulent Republican Era

Crisis brewing

That anonymous letter, like an ominous ghost, permeated the air of the textile factory with an aura of fear. My hand holding the letter trembled slightly, my eyes fixed on the short but threatening words. Today I was wearing a light gray cheongsam, the color of which seemed to be shrouded in the gloom brought by the letter, appearing even more somber.

Gu Zixuan noticed my expression and quickly came over. "Fangfei, what's wrong? What happened?"

I handed the letter to Gu Zixuan, my voice trembling slightly. "Zixuan, look, this letter says that if we don't accept loans from foreign banks, the textile factory will face an even greater disaster. What exactly is going on?"

Gu Zixuan took the letter, read it, and frowned deeply. "This is definitely someone deliberately threatening us. But we can't be intimidated by this kind of threat."

Shen Wanqing also came over, and after reading the letter, she said, "Miss Lin, Mr. Gu, I think there must be a conspiracy behind this. We have to find a way to find out."

I bit my lip, my mind in turmoil. On one hand, the old worker's warning filled me with distrust of foreign banks; on the other hand, the threat in the letter made me worry about the future of the textile factory.

"We cannot blindly accept loans, but we also cannot sit idly by and wait for our doom," I said firmly.

Gu Zixuan nodded. "Let's start with this letter and see if we can find any clues."

We began to examine the letter closely. The paper was ordinary, and the handwriting looked deliberately smudged, crooked and difficult to decipher.

"This letter doesn't contain any sender information, so it seems the sender is very cautious," Gu Zixuan said.

Just when we were completely clueless, a commotion suddenly broke out at the entrance of the textile factory.

Gu Zixuan, Shen Wanqing, and I rushed to the door and saw a group of people surrounding a young man. The young man was wearing tattered clothes and had an anxious expression on his face.

"Let me in, I have something important to tell Miss Lin," the young man shouted.

I stepped forward and asked, "Who are you? What do you want to tell me?"

Upon seeing me, the young man hurriedly said, "Miss Lin, my name is Qiang. I work at a newspaper. I overheard some news about your textile factory, and I think you might be in danger."

A thought struck me. "What news?"

Ah Qiang glanced around at the people and said in a low voice, "Miss Lin, it's not convenient to talk here. Could we find a quiet place?"

I nodded and led A-Qiang to the office.

Ah Qiang sat down, took a sip of water, and then said, "Miss Lin, I heard that the foreign bank has connections with the Japanese. They want to control your textile factory through loans and then turn it into a Japanese enterprise."

I was startled. "How did you know?"

A-Qiang said, “I have a friend at the newspaper who is in charge of investigating economic news. He discovered that many of the foreign bank’s businesses in Shanghai are connected with the Japanese. Moreover, he also heard that the Japanese are plotting a scheme to suppress local enterprises in Shanghai, and your textile factory is one of their targets.”

Gu Zixuan frowned and said, "So, that anonymous letter was also one of their methods?"

Ah Qiang nodded. "Very likely. They want to threaten you into accepting the loan and then falling into their trap."

I said angrily, "They are despicable. We will never let them succeed."

Just as we were discussing how to deal with it, another incident occurred at the textile factory.

Some of our key clients suddenly cancelled their orders.

"What happened?" I looked at the canceled order, filled with doubt.

Shen Wanqing said, "Ms. Lin, I think this is definitely a conspiracy by the Japanese. They want to suppress us economically, put us in a difficult situation, and then force us to accept loans from foreign banks."

I bit my lip. "We can't let them defeat us like this. We have to find a way to win back these orders."

Gu Zixuan said, "We can go and explain the situation to the customers, let them know that our textile factory is strong and will not be affected by these conspiracies."

So, Gu Zixuan and I started visiting the customers who had cancelled their orders.

We first arrived at a large clothing store. The store owner looked at us with a hint of indifference.

"Ms. Lin, Mr. Gu, what brings you here? I've already decided to cancel the order," the boss said.

I hurriedly said, "Boss, why do you want to cancel the order? Our textile factory has always been trustworthy, and the product quality is very good."

The boss snorted. "Miss Lin, I heard that your textile factory's cash flow is about to dry up, and it's also being targeted by the Japanese. I don't want to cooperate with troubled companies."

I explained, “Boss, those are all rumors. Our textile factory is undergoing reforms, and we have the capacity to fulfill your order. Besides, we are a Chinese company, and you should support us instead of believing the rumors spread by the Japanese.”

The boss hesitated after hearing my words. "Miss Lin, are you telling the truth?"

Gu Zixuan said, "Boss, of course it's true. Look, these are some new design samples from our textile factory. You can take a look."

The boss glanced at the samples, a hint of approval in his eyes. "These samples are indeed quite good. But I still have some concerns."

Just as we were trying to persuade the boss, a Japanese man suddenly walked in.

"What are you doing here?" the Japanese man asked in broken Chinese.

My heart skipped a beat. Who was this Japanese man? Why was he here? And what kind of obstacle would he pose to our persuasion?

"Splendid Costumes: Lin Fangfei and Gu Zixuan's Turbulent Republican Era"

Dilemma Game

The moment the Japanese man appeared, the atmosphere in the room instantly became tense. He was dressed in a sharp black suit, his leather shoes were polished to a shine, his hair was slicked back, and his eyes exuded arrogance and disdain.

I watched him warily, a nameless anger rising within me. I was wearing a light blue dress today, intending to project a positive and energetic image of the textile factory to the clients, but now I felt as if his arrogant demeanor had tainted the dress.

The clothing store owner smiled ingratiatingly when he saw the Japanese man. "Mr. Matsuda, you've arrived. These two are representatives from the textile factory; they've come to discuss an order with me."

Matsuda slightly raised his chin and gave us a disdainful look. "Your textile factory, humph, it'll be going bankrupt soon, what orders are you talking about?"

Gu Zixuan frowned and took a step forward. "Mr. Matsuda, what do you mean by that? It's none of your business as an outsider to interfere in the affairs of our textile factory."

Matsuda sneered. "Mr. Gu, don't be so naive. Under the plans of our Great Japanese Empire, none of your Chinese companies will have a good ending."

I clenched my fists in anger. "Matsuda, is this the only despicable tactic you Japanese can use to suppress us?"

Matsuda walked up to his boss and patted him on the shoulder. "Boss, don't be fooled by them. Their textile factory is already on its last legs; there's no benefit in cooperating with them. If you cooperate with Japanese companies, I guarantee you'll reap much greater profits."

The boss hesitated for a moment, glancing at us and then at Matsuda. "Mr. Matsuda, I've been working with Ms. Lin and her team for a long time, and their products have always been excellent."

Matsuda's face darkened. "Boss, you need to think this through. In Shanghai now, we Japanese call the shots. If you don't listen to me, you'll regret it."

I saw the boss starting to waver, and I became very anxious. "Boss, don't let him threaten you. We Chinese people must unite and not let the Japanese succeed. Our textile factory will definitely overcome the difficulties, and our products are all to meet the needs of the Chinese people themselves, unlike the Japanese, who just want to plunder our wealth."

Gu Zixuan added, "Boss, you're Chinese too. You should support our local businesses. The right choice is for us to stand together against the Japanese economic aggression."

The boss fell into deep thought, a conflicted expression on his face.

Seeing his boss still hesitating, Matsuda became furious. "Boss, if you don't agree now, I'll shut your clothing store down immediately."

The boss's face turned ashen. He looked at Matsuda, then at us, and finally sighed. "Ms. Lin, Mr. Gu, I'm sorry. I can't offend Mr. Matsuda because of you. I have no choice but to cancel the order."

Gu Zixuan and I exchanged a glance, our hearts filled with disappointment and anger.

"Boss, you'll regret your decision." After I finished speaking, I pulled Gu Zixuan and turned to leave.

Back at the textile factory, we told Shen Wanqing what had happened.

Shen Wanqing said angrily, "These Japanese are despicable. They are using any means to suppress us, and we must find a way to fight back."

I sat in the chair, hands clasped behind my head, feeling utterly dejected. "But what are we going to do now? Orders are dwindling, funds are tight, and we're facing threats from the Japanese."

Gu Zixuan sat down beside me and gently took my hand. "Fangfei, don't be discouraged. We still have a chance. We can go to other clients, those patriotic businessmen, they will definitely support us."

I looked up at Gu Zixuan, a glimmer of hope rekindling in my eyes. "Zixuan, you're right. We can't give up."

So we began searching for patriotic businessmen. We inquired everywhere and finally found some who were willing to cooperate with us.

However, when we were negotiating cooperation with these businessmen, we encountered new problems.

Although these businessmen are willing to cooperate with us, their funds are limited, and they are also worried about retaliation from the Japanese.

“Ms. Lin, Mr. Gu, we really want to support you, but we also have our own difficulties. We don’t have much capital, and if we cooperate with you, and the Japanese target us, our business will also be affected,” a businessman said helplessly.

I understand their concerns, but this is another huge blow to us.

Just when we were feeling hopeless, a mysterious phone call came to the textile factory.

“Ms. Lin, I know you are in trouble right now. I can help you, but I have one condition.” The voice on the phone was deep and mysterious.

"Who are you? What are your conditions?" I asked hurriedly.

"Who I am is not important. My condition is that you do one thing for me. If you agree, I will give you enough funds to revive your textile factory."

Who is this mysterious person? What does he want us to do? Is it a new turning point, or yet another trap?

"Splendid Costumes: Lin Fangfei and Gu Zixuan's Turbulent Republican Era"

Mysterious Helper

The mysterious call was like a ray of dawn in the darkness, yet it also carried an unsettling and eerie quality. My hand holding the receiver trembled slightly, my eyes filled with doubt and anticipation. Today, I was wearing a deep purple cheongsam, and the plum blossoms embroidered on it seemed to take on a colder, more somber air in the tense atmosphere.

"What exactly do you want us to do? You have to tell me first before I can consider whether to agree." I tried to make my voice sound calm.