Three Friends of the Cold (excerpt).
Wang Zengqi. 
Brief introduction of the previous article: Wang Shouwu, who ran a straw hat factory, Tao Huchen, who opened a cannon shop, and Jin Yifu, who painted, are old friends, with excellent character and different temperaments. They all had good luck for a time - the straw hat factory was doing a prosperous business, the artillery shop was doing a lot of work, and Jin Yifu won a lot of money by fighting crickets.
Jin Yifu was very happy, ordered a few dishes in Ruyi Building, and asked Wang Shouwu and Tao Huchen to drink.
After a few drinks, Jin Yifu's child took a business card and said that it was a guest at home. Jin Yifu took the business card and looked at it: "Ji Kuangmin!."”
Ji Kuangmin is a famous painter in the county, and at the same time he is a wealthy man and a big collector, and his family has good fields and land, and famous relics of the Song and Yuan dynasties. He was a professor at an art college in Shanghai, and he rarely went home.
After greetings, Ji Kuangmin explained his intention: I heard that Yifu has a few pieces of good Tianhuang, so I came to take a look. Jin Yifu took it out, he held it in his hand, piece by piece, and looked at it carefully. "Good,—— good,—— good. There are many Tian Huang seen in Kuangmin's life, and there are few moist like this. He estimated the value and said that it was worth two hundred oceans. He asked Jin Yifu very bluntly if he would cut his love. Jin Yifu also replied bluntly: "If you don't end up in the mountains and rivers, you can't give up your life." ”
Good!It's like the words of a man with pen and ink!The people will never be loved. However, if you want to do it one day, you have to do my best. ”
That's fine. "It's a deal. ”
"It's a deal. ”
Ji Kuangmin looked at Jin Yifu's paintings again and suggested that Jin Yifu select 100 paintings and go to Shanghai to open an art exhibition. He also instructed Jin Yifu that after selling his paintings and having a little money, he had to do two things: read 10,000 books and travel 10,000 miles.
Jin Yifu's exhibition was not a sensation, but dozens of paintings were sold. The newspaper published a message that two of his paintings were selected by an art magazine. Wang Shouwu and Tao Huchen saw the newspaper in their hometown and were very happy for him: "Yi Fu is famous!."”
After selling the painting, Jin Yifu really followed Ji Kuangmin's suggestion and "traveled thousands of miles". I have been going for three years, and I rarely write from me.
It's been three years!Wang Shouwu's straw hat factory is doing very well. If the brand breaks out, the business is easy to do. There is no second one in the whole city, and the four rattling machines suck in customers who want to buy straw hats from afar.
I don't want to meet a Wang Botao.
This Wang Botao buys and sells beans, wheat and grains, and there are two major characteristics in this business: First, they have strong capital, and most of them are concurrently engaged in other businesses. Second, they are all hooligans - they are all ganging and stealing the market. Wang Botao and Wang Shouwu are of the same clan, and when they meet, they always have a long "thin brother" and a short "thin brother". Wang Shouwu didn't like to deal with him, and avoided him as much as possible.
Who knows that they can't hide, and they have to meet every day. Wang Botao also opened a straw hat factory, just opposite the door of Wang Shouwu's straw hat factory!His newly opened straw hat factory has eight machines, eight masters, a façade, a counter, everything is twice as big as Wang Shouwu.
Wang Botao really disregarded the cost and kept the wholesale and retail prices extremely low. Wang Shouwu calculated, such a price is simply unprofitable. He was not convinced, and the price fell.
Wang Shouwu lasted for a year, but he couldn't hold it anymore.
The four machines, together with the stock in stock, were all poured into Wang Botao. Wang Shouwu was so angry that he had a serious illness and was ill for more than a year. All the money from the sale of the machine turned into dregs and fell on the street outside the door. A person is as thin as a piece of paper, and when a gust of wind blows, he can fall.
What about Tao Huchen?In the first year, because of bandits in Sixiang, the county ** and the local garrison jointly issued a notice: "During the winter defense period, firecrackers are strictly prohibited." "The business of the artillery shop is usually limited, and it all points to the end of the year. This winter defense can prevent Tao Huchen from suffering. Let's stay up and wait for next year.
Next year!Chiang Kai-shek engaged in his mother's "new life" and completely banned firecrackers. The artillery shop was closed, and the Tao family's pot could not be opened. At first, I drank porridge ,—— gruel, but then I couldn't even drink gruel. Tao Huchen's family has been hungry for a day and a half.
There is such a person who lacks virtue to be a matchmaker. For twenty yuan, Tao Huchen married his daughter to a company commander of a garrison. This company commander doesn't pick anything, as long as it's a yellow flower girl. Tao Huchen jumped to his feet and shouted: "This is not a marriage!."It's for sale!I, Tao Huchen, sold my daughter!You shout!I'm not ashamed!Tao Huchen!What are you!Tao Huchen!You're so incapable!”
Two and a half months have passed. The Tao family has always spent these twenty yuan. There wasn't much left of twenty dollars, and my daughter came back. The mother took off her daughter's clothes and looked at it, and she understood everything: this company beat her every day.
In the twilight of the year, the weather was cold, the clouds were brewing snow, Tao Huchen had no way out, so he went to the wild to hang himself.
He didn't die, he was saved.
Jin Yifu is back. As soon as he got home, he heard about Tao Huchen, he didn't even wash his face, and went to Tao's house with his feet. Tao Huchen was lying on a broken reed mat, hugging a piece of broken cotton wool. Jin Yifu took out five yuan and said, "Huchen, I just came back, and I didn't bring much money, you wait for me for a day!."”
With his feet, he went to the king's house again. Skinny Wu is also a family with four walls. He was staring at the empty house in a daze. Jin Yifu also took out five yuan and said, "Thin Wu, you wait for me for a day!."
On the third day, Jin Yifu asked Wang Shouwu and Tao Huchen to drink in Ruyi Building. He took out two foreign money from his underwear pocket, and put one in each of them in front of his two old friends. One is a hundred.
Use it first. "This money ——?
Jin Yifu smiled.
The two understood: Yi Fu sent three pieces of Tianhuang to Ji Kuangmin. Jin Yifu picked up his wine glass and said, "Let's get drunk once today." ”
Those two agreed.
Okay, get drunk once!”
It was the thirtieth day of the lunar month. Ruyi Building is empty, and there are only these three people.
Outside, it was snowing heavily.
There are deletions).