Shanghai in the Republican Era

Chapter 60 Exquisite Attire: The Struggle of the Republic of China – Business and Love, Raw Material

Splendid Attire: Lin Fangfei's Journey of Struggle in the Republican Era

The legendary business and love journey of a poor but academically gifted girl in Republican-era Shanghai.

The voice from that mysterious phone call lingered in my ears like a ghost, each word like a cold raindrop, mercilessly striking the flame of hope that had just been ignited in my heart. My hand holding the phone receiver felt frozen, unable to let go for a long time, my eyes filled with fear and confusion.

"Fangfei, what's wrong?" Gu Zixuan noticed my unusual behavior and asked with concern. He gently placed his hand on my shoulder, trying to comfort me, but I still couldn't stop trembling slightly.

I slowly put down the receiver, my voice a little hoarse, and said, "A mysterious person just called and said that we thought everything was over, but actually an even bigger crisis is waiting for us."

Gu Zixuan's brows furrowed instantly, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by determination. "No matter what the crisis is, we'll face it together. We've been through so much already, there's nothing to be afraid of."

Su Yao also came over. Today she was wearing a beige cheongsam, her hair was styled in an elegant updo, with a few wisps of hair hanging down beside her ears, making her look both elegant and capable. "Yes, we can't be intimidated by these few words. Let's go back to the textile factory first and discuss this further."

I nodded, and the three of us left the police station and got into the car back to the textile factory. Along the way, I gazed out the window at the bustling streets, my mind a jumble of thoughts. The faces of the pedestrians wore expressions of weariness or brimming with hope for the future, but I had no idea what kind of disaster awaited us.

Back at the textile factory, I sat in my office, trying to calm myself and consider the potential crisis. I was wearing a light blue work uniform, the kind I often wore at the factory—simple and comfortable. I absentmindedly fiddled with the pen on my desk, my mind replaying the various difficulties and conspiracies I had encountered.

Gu Zixuan paced back and forth in his office, his leather shoes making a rhythmic sound on the wooden floor. "We need to start by examining our own weaknesses, seeing in which aspects our textile factory is most vulnerable to attack." His voice was steady and calm, his eyes focused on deep thought.

I looked up at him. “Our raw material supply has always been a problem; it’s been cut off before. And our market share, although we’ve expanded it through our efforts, is still not stable enough.”

Su Yao added from the side, "And our cash flow, although it's not a problem at the moment, could easily break if it's subjected to a large-scale shock."

Just as we were discussing this, a worker rushed in, looking anxious. "Miss Lin, Mr. Gu, something bad has happened! Our raw material supplier has suddenly said they're stopping deliveries, and some materials haven't arrived on time."

The news struck me like a bolt from the blue. I jumped up from my chair. "What? How could this happen?" My heart sank. If the raw material supply were cut off, our production would come to a standstill, which would be a huge blow to us.

Gu Zixuan frowned and said to the worker, "You go down first, we'll figure out a solution."

After the workers left, I said anxiously, "This must be the beginning of the crisis that the mysterious man mentioned. They want to cut off our raw material supply so that we can't produce."

Gu Zixuan nodded. "I'll contact other suppliers now to see if we can find new sources of goods."

After Gu Zixuan left in a hurry, Su Yao and I didn't rest either. I went to the workshop to calm the workers down, telling them that we would resolve the raw material issue as soon as possible and that they shouldn't worry about their jobs. I entered the workshop, where a tense atmosphere permeated the air. The workers were all gathered around the machines, their faces showing worry.

"Don't panic, everyone. We've encountered difficulties before, and we'll definitely be able to overcome them this time too." I tried my best to make my voice sound confident, but actually I was also very unsure.

Su Yao went to check our current raw material inventory to see how long it could sustain production. She carefully counted the raw materials in the warehouse, her brow furrowed and her eyes filled with worry.

A few days later, Gu Zixuan returned dejectedly. His hair was disheveled, his clothes were not as neat as usual, and his eyes were full of fatigue. "I contacted many suppliers, but none of them dared to supply us. It seems like they were threatened by someone."

This news weighed even heavier on our hearts. Without raw materials, our textile mill is like a ship without power, left only to wait to sink.

Just when we were in despair, an unexpected person appeared. It was an old merchant we had met once before. He was wearing a slightly worn long gown, his hair was gray, but his eyes were very bright.

“Miss Lin, Young Master Gu, I heard you’ve encountered some difficulties. I have some raw materials here that I can supply to you first,” the old merchant said.

I looked at him in surprise. "Why would you help us? It might be risky for you too."

The old businessman smiled and said, "Although I am a businessman, I also have my own patriotic feelings. I can't stand those foreigners always bullying our Chinese companies. Moreover, I believe you have the ability to overcome this difficulty."

We gratefully accepted the old merchant's help, and with the raw materials, our textile factory was able to get back up and running.

However, our crisis did not end there. A new textile technology suddenly emerged on the market, producing products of better quality and lower prices, which had a huge impact on our products.

I held the sample produced by this new technology and studied it carefully. My brow furrowed, and my heart was filled with worry. "This technology is very advanced. If we don't keep up, we will be eliminated by the market."

Gu Zixuan was also worried, "We need to find a way to introduce this technology, or develop a similar technology."

We began searching far and wide for people who could master this technology, hoping to apply it to our production. In this process, we encountered many difficulties; many skilled workers were being recruited by foreign companies with high salaries and were unwilling to come to our textile factory.

Just when we were about to give up, we discovered a young technical talent named Chen Yu. Although young, he possessed a high aptitude for textile technology. He wore a simple long gown and glasses, his eyes gleaming with a thirst for knowledge.

We found him and explained our situation and our ideals. Chen Yu was moved by our sincerity and decided to join our textile factory.

With Chen Yu's help, we began to reform the textile factory's production technology. Together with him in the lab, we researched new production processes. I wore a white lab coat, my hair tied in a ponytail, diligently recording every data point. Chen Yu, meanwhile, focused intently on operating the equipment, his eyes gleaming with excitement and concentration.

After a period of hard work, we finally developed a new production technology, which made our product quality and price highly competitive. Our products were once again well-received in the market, and orders increased significantly.

Just when we thought everything was going well, I received an anonymous letter. It said that if we didn't stop using this new technology, we would face annihilation.

This new threat has once again plunged me into deep unease. Who sent this anonymous letter? Why are they trying to prevent us from using new technologies?

The anonymous letter, like an ominous ghost, exuded a chilling aura in my hands. The paper felt rough, as if the writer's malice had solidified on it. My hand trembled slightly involuntarily, my eyes fixed on the short but threatening words on the letter, my heart feeling as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, throbbing with pain.

"Who is this? Why are they stopping us?" I muttered to myself, my voice filled with barely suppressed anger and fear. Gu Zixuan walked over, took the letter from my hand, and his eyes became extremely serious, his brows furrowed tightly together like two insurmountable chasms.

"No matter who it is, we cannot be intimidated by this letter." Gu Zixuan's voice was low and firm, but I could still hear a trace of worry in his words. He placed the letter on the table, his hands clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white from the force.

Su Yao also came over. Today she was wearing a light purple dress, her hair was styled in an elegant updo, and a silver hairpin was inserted. She looked at the letter and said angrily, "This must be the work of our competitors. They can't stand to see us doing well."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. "But we can't just ignore this threat; we have to find out who's behind it."

Gu Zixuan nodded. "I'll go and find out if there are any suspicious people paying attention to our new technology recently."

I continued working at the textile factory, but the anonymous letter was constantly on my mind. Wearing a blue cotton cheongsam, I walked back and forth in the workshop, checking on production. The workers were all working diligently, the roar of the machines echoing in my ears, but my mind was elsewhere. I kept glancing towards the door, hoping Gu Zixuan would bring back some useful information.

Finally, Gu Zixuan returned. His face showed signs of fatigue, but his eyes shone with excitement. "Fangfei, I've heard some news. Recently, a mysterious organization has been active in the Shanghai textile industry. They seem to be colluding with foreign forces, specifically targeting Chinese textile companies. I suspect this anonymous letter was sent by them."

I frowned. "Then what should we do? If they really are connected to foreign powers, then we're in big trouble."

Gu Zixuan pondered for a moment and said, "We need to take preventative measures first. We need to strengthen security at the textile factory to prevent them from disrupting our production. At the same time, we need to continue our in-depth investigation of this mysterious organization and find their weaknesses."

We began to take action. Gu Zixuan arranged for more people to patrol around the textile factory and also set up some hidden sentries. Su Yao and I, on the other hand, continued to inquire about this mysterious organization through our connections in the business world.

During the investigation, we discovered that this mysterious organization frequently held meetings in an abandoned warehouse. One night, we decided to go to that warehouse to investigate.

I changed into a dark-colored cheongsam to better conceal myself. Gu Zixuan, on the other hand, wore a black suit and brought several trusted subordinates with him. We quietly approached the warehouse and hid in a secluded corner to observe.

A faint light shone from the warehouse, and I could hear voices coming from inside. I cautiously approached the warehouse window and peered through the crack. I saw several people dressed in black sitting together, their faces obscured by masks.

"What are they saying?" I asked Gu Zixuan in a low voice.

Gu Zixuan shook his head; he couldn't hear the conversation either. Just as we were about to get closer, we suddenly heard a low shout: "Who's there?"

We've been discovered! My heart skipped a beat, and Gu Zixuan grabbed me and we ran back. The mysterious figures were chasing after us, and they were very fast.

"Split up and meet at the textile factory!" Gu Zixuan shouted, and then we ran in different directions.

I ran desperately through the dark alley, my heart pounding as if it would burst from my chest. I was wearing a cheongsam and high heels, which made running very difficult, but I gritted my teeth and dared not slacken my pace in the slightest.

Suddenly, I slipped and fell to the ground. My knee was scraped and a sharp pain shot through me. I tried to get up and keep running, but my ankle was twisted and I couldn't put any weight on it.