DCFRP Extra 27

TL: Hua

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Qi Xiaoyu held the receiver tightly, listening to the beeping sound in his ear, his mood rising and falling with each long and short interval.

“My dad mentioned some economic matters. If those Western banks are willing to help, Commander Xun’s pressure will definitely be much less, but it’s quite troublesome, very difficult to handle. There are too many interests involved. Those bandits are not easy to persuade.”

“If only I were a commander like Xun Qian, I could do whatever I wanted, and even my old man couldn’t control me. I would also take Qingqing out and introduce her to everyone as my girlfriend.”

“Hey, I really envy you and Xun Qian.”

Last night, Jiang Sicheng’s words echoed in his ears, mixed with the “beep beep” of the dial tone.

After about nine or ten rings, the call was finally answered.

But the person who answered wasn’t Xun Qian; it was Butler Cheng.

Butler Cheng said that Xun Qian had been called away to the Economic Department last night and hadn’t returned yet.

Then he asked if Qi Xiaoyu wanted to go see Xun Qian, and if so, he would immediately send a car to pick him up.

Qi Xiaoyu hummed softly, not saying he would go. He didn’t want to cause trouble for Xun Qian at this time. Instead, he asked about Xun Qian’s recent schedule.

Xun Qian wouldn’t tell him the truth, but Butler Cheng would.

After hanging up the phone to the commander’s residence, Qi Xiaoyu held the receiver and thought for a moment, then made up his mind to call someone else.

He remembered that the A-country’s ambassador to China had come to the Laurel Stage to watch his performance and had even sent him a flower basket. If he could contact them, perhaps he could help Xun Qian.

He prepared to call Manager Wu of the theater, wanting to ask him to help contact someone at the A-country’s embassy.

Ever since he had known Xun Qian, it had always been Xun Qian helping him, helping him solve the nuisance of Hu Haibing, and helping him secure locations for the opera troupe’s performances.

Between them, it had always been Xun Qian pulling him forward. Xun Qian gave him respect, gave him equal status, promised him a future, and made him commitments.

His master had once said that in life and in dealing with matters, one must first respect oneself and take oneself seriously.

Regardless of the social hierarchy in the eyes of the world, regardless of his master’s plans, and regardless of how Jiang Jing viewed him, he had to strive for his own worth.

This call was much shorter than the previous one.

The theater manager’s tone had just perked up, but when he heard Qi Xiaoyu’s words, he was obviously stunned. After hesitating for a long while, he finally agreed to help Qi Xiaoyu contact the A-country’s embassy.

After making the call, Qi Xiaoyu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Do your best and leave the rest to fate. Even though he was just an actor, he wanted to do his part for Xun Qian and for this city.

After making the call, Qi Xiaoyu returned to his master’s room, gathered all the dirty clothes, and took them to the backyard to wash.

It was just past seven o’clock, and the morning sun had cast a faint golden glow on the sycamore leaves.

The early breeze felt cool on his cheeks.

This was the moment between being fully asleep and fully awake. In the quiet world, there were only the sounds of birds chirping, water flowing, and the distant sound of car wheels rolling over the ground.

While washing clothes, Qi Xiaoyu was still thinking about Jiang Jing and Jiang Sicheng’s words yesterday.

After a while, the neighbors next door also got up.

The window of their bedroom faced the backyard. Qi Xiaoyu sat under the faucet. Across a low courtyard wall, he first heard the rustling sounds of getting out of bed, and then he heard a male voice with morning grumpiness say anxiously, “Go to the bank today. If you can exchange it, exchange all the paper money at home for silver.”

These words immediately caught Qi Xiaoyu’s attention.

Immediately following was the familiar voice of the mistress of the house, “Where did you hear this news? Is it reliable?

Paper money is more convenient for buying things now. Exchanging it for silver will be so inconvenient to use.”

“Hey, what do you women know? You can only see what’s in front of your eyes! Didn’t I tell you the rumor last night? The northern government has already ordered the banks to suspend cash payments. If you wait any longer, it will be too late to exchange it.

Hurry up and exchange all the paper money you have today!”

Qi Xiaoyu’s hands, which were washing clothes, paused. Although he didn’t quite understand economics, he knew this wasn’t a good sign. When information that hasn’t been officially disclosed spreads among the people as rumors, it’s easy to cause panic and lead things in the worst possible direction.

Sure enough, a few days later, the situation worsened.

Rumors about paper money being worthless and banks lacking silver spread throughout the streets and alleys.

Suddenly, the entrances of banks were crowded with people wanting to exchange money. The lines of people waiting to exchange stretched beyond three blocks. It was said that even the windows of the banks were broken by the crowd.

The news about the bank run continues to dominate the headlines of newspapers.

Accompanying this was the devaluation of paper money and the gradual rise in prices.

Perhaps foreseeing that the situation was about to become turbulent again, the number of people coming to the Laurel Stage to watch performances decreased by 20-30% compared to usual.

On the other hand, although the theater manager has contacted the ambassador of Country A, there is no definite news yet.

Qi Xiaoyu was worried. Apart from performing on stage and going home to take care of Qi Fengjian, he spent the rest of his time silently lost in thought.

“I heard that the northern government has ordered banks to suspend cash payments. Shanghai’s economy is about to collapse. Xiaoyu, do you have any inside information? Is it really like this? Are we going to have to flee again?

Alas, with Master’s current condition, we have nowhere to escape to even if we wanted to.”

Qi Xiaoyu didn’t speak. He was more anxious than anyone else.

The morning after that, when Qi Wanrou came back from buying groceries with a basket over her arm, she looked worried. “In just a few days, the price of groceries has actually doubled or tripled.”

Qi Xiaoyu was about to comfort his senior sister when the telephone finally rang.

Hearing the clear ringing sound from across the living room and through the doorway, he immediately rushed to the telephone.

Sure enough, it was the theater manager, asking him to go to the concession in the afternoon.

After hanging up the phone, he took a breath, put down the receiver, ran upstairs like a gust of wind, took a few things, and then ran down.

Qi Wanrou called after him, “Xiaoyu, where are you going? Aren’t you going to eat lunch?”

Qi Xiaoyu didn’t even turn his head back. “I’m not eating.”

In the largest office of the Economic Department, Xun Qian, sitting at the head of a long conference table, put down the documents in his hand. His slender fingers curled, rubbing his forehead.

In front of him, several officials from the Economic Department were fiercely discussing the current situation and solutions.

An official with graying hair clenched his fist and knocked it twice on the table. “The banks in Shanghai absolutely cannot suspend cash payments. The vitality of the entire country depends on Shanghai. If Shanghai also suspends payments, the government’s credibility will be completely lost, and the economy will collapse.”

Opposite him, an official slightly younger, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, retorted loudly, “Then does Brother Zhengyang dare to defy the orders of the central government? The central government has written in black and white that banks must suspend payments. Do you dare not to? If you defy the central government’s orders, they can immediately dismiss you, dismiss all of us, and replace us with puppets.

At that time, the situation might be even more chaotic!”

The one called Brother Zhengyang shouted, “This kind of executioner who slaughters his compatriots—you, Jiang Tingyuan, go and do it, but I, Wang, will never do it!”

Someone else said, “The two of you, stop arguing. Aren’t we trying to find a solution?

Suspending payments is certainly not an option, but the central government’s orders cannot be defied either.” Saying this, he sighed deeply and turned to another person. “Banker Zhang, do you have any ideas?”

Zhang Hanquan, the bank president sitting to Xun Qian’s right, had a face wrinkled like a bitter gourd, his eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep. He offered no opinion, simply closing his eyes and waving his hand as if possessed, muttering, “Cannot suspend payments, absolutely cannot suspend payments. If payments are suspended, Shanghai’s economy is finished.”

The people in this room were all top talents in Shanghai’s financial world, but facing such a dilemma, they were all at a loss.

Xun Qian lowered his eyelashes, concealing the dark circles under his eyes. This era was far more complex than a hundred years later. The government, national entrepreneurs, warlords, and foreign capital—various forces were intertwined, capable of turning a simple matter into something incredibly complicated and extremely troublesome.

But he also admired the people of this era. No matter how difficult the situation, they exhausted their efforts without retreating, striving to maintain a glimmer of hope for the country and its people. And precisely because the situation was difficult, everyone was even more determined, firmly guarding the nation’s lifeline.

And he, too, had to protect the stability and prosperity of this city for everything he cherished.

He put his hand down, crossed it over on his knee, and looked up at the person in front of him. “I have a solution, but it will require Bank President Zhang to make a sacrifice.”

Hearing Xun Qian speak, the others immediately stopped their arguments and looked at him.

“According to the laws of the concession, if Bank President Zhang is involved in a lawsuit, he cannot be dismissed, is that correct?”

Zhang Hanquan opened his bloodshot eyes and nodded thoughtfully.

The others all looked at Xun Qian without moving.

Xun Qian continued, “In that case, even if Bank President Zhang disobeys orders, the central government cannot dismiss you, can they?”

Zhang Hanquan nodded again, then his bloodshot eyes blinked, and a light flashed in them. “Commander Xun means to have someone in the concession sue me?

Then I can disobey orders?”

The others paused, then followed suit, realizing the implications. Everyone present was a financial expert. With Xun Qian’s suggestion, they could figure out the rest. “As long as Bank President Zhang is sued, the concession will step in and hold him responsible to the end. Brilliant, this move is brilliant.”

“Then who should file the lawsuit against Bank President Zhang?”

“That’s easy. Just find the chamber of commerce that has shares in the bank. It’s most appropriate for them to come forward.”

“Rong-beile, go find him!

He has shares in both the shipyard and the bank, and he usually helps the country. Let him represent the chamber of commerce in the lawsuit!”

“Still missing something.” Just as everyone was offering ideas one after another, Zhang Hanquan interrupted in a hoarse voice.

“Rumors about suspending payments are already rampant, and the bank run is already very severe. Even if we can defy the central government’s orders and not suspend payments, the bank can’t last for more than a few days. It’s still useless.”

Jiang Tingyuan nodded. “Yes, other banks must be willing to help, to lend a hand and stabilize public confidence; only then can we get through this.”

When Qi Xiaoyu came out of a Western-style building in the concession, it wasn’t yet dark.

He was in a good mood. After coming out, he stood by the roadside and took a long breath, looking up at the sycamore leaves.

The result was better than he had imagined. Although the process was a bit tortuous and the conversation was difficult, the other party seemed to be a genuine fan of his performances.

After he agreed to perform specific pieces for them privately, the other party readily agreed to the request to talk to the Economic Department.

They even gave him their private residential number, allowing him to contact them directly without going through the embassy.

Qi Xiaoyu looked up at the dappled orange-yellow sky through the gaps in the sycamore leaves and blinked. Xun Qian was like a towering tree to him, but now, he seemed a little closer to Xun Qian, not in an emotional sense, but in a different way.

He stood there for a while until some passersby recognized him and came up to talk to him.

Qi Xiaoyu smiled and responded. Then, he hailed a rickshaw and went directly to the Economic Department.

For the first time, he also wanted to give Xun Qian a surprise!

The Economic Department was in a tall building next to the Bund[mfn]The Bund, located on the banks of the Huangpu River in Huangpu District, Shanghai, is a historical and cultural district in China.[/mfn].

Guards stood at the entrance, strictly checking everyone who entered.

Qi Xiaoyu had no identification, and the guards wouldn’t let him pass.

He was a little annoyed, blaming himself for being too excited and forgetting to call Xun Qian in advance. He spoke politely to the guard, “I’m looking for Commander Xun; please pass on a message.”

The guard glanced at him sideways and said impatiently, “Do you think you can see the Commander whenever you want?”

So Qi Xiaoyu changed his approach. “Then can you pass a message to Adjutant Zhang? Tell him Qi Xiaoyu is looking for him.”

The guard waved his hand at him. “Go, go, go, don’t get in the way here.”

“You—” Qi Xiaoyu didn’t want to argue about such things and prepared to find a nearby phone booth.

Just as he turned around, a black car stopped beside him, and Jiang Jing got out.

Jiang Jing’s expression looked more haggard than yesterday, but when she saw Qi Xiaoyu, her eyebrows arched, and she immediately resumed her aggressive demeanor, gritting her teeth and saying, “Why are you here? Isn’t it enough that you seduce people on stage?

You actually came all the way here. Do you have no shame?”

Qi Xiaoyu calmed down, tilted his head, and curled the corners of his mouth as he looked at her. “I’m here to see my boyfriend.”