Volume 1: A sound on Wall Street, Xinxiang City is busy copying books Chapter 36: Stylish
Subtitle of this chapter: Southern Tang and Northern Lu, starting in three years.
Yuan Yanshu met MS. Tang as soon as he arrived at NYU. At that time, he was not as unruly as he is now. To be more precise, he was so unmotivated, partly because he gave up on himself because of the woman in front of him.
At first, he was a little fascinated by MS. Tang, who had the characteristics of both Eastern and Western new women, and his pretty face really made the girls who looked at foreigners all day long fall in love with him, which was a good thing. Both of their elders were not around, and at that time, it was a fashion for overseas students to regret their marriages and divorce.
The problem is that Yuan Yanshu was actually a wimp.
Our Master Yuan looked up and took another look at Ms. Tang. She was really average looking, but she had the elegant temperament of an intellectual woman.
She was wearing a high-end woolen coat and a calfskin glove, holding a bag that Yuan Yan could not recognize the brand of. But if it was not a LV brand, it must be a Hermes brand. Add to that the absolutely genuine pearl necklace, the well-made mid-heel shoes and the low-key and long-lasting perfume. The noble and elegant feminine taste came out immediately.
Under the coat was a half-sleeved dress made of a light fabric called silk chiffon, with the hem of the dress extending 9 inches (nearly 23 cm) from the ground! Even though it didn't even reach the knees , only a small part of the calf was exposed, this was quite a big deal in 1920. Last year, the old American fashion magazine Vogue wrote that for the first time since the Bourbon dynasty, the ankles of fashionable women were visible to the world.
Although makeup is no longer exclusive to prostitutes in the United States, the dark eyeshadow and bright red lipstick she wore like Hollywood actresses still showed her avant-garde and liberation. The most exaggerated thing was her short hair that was permed into small waves, which is not surprising in later generations. But in November 1918, a riot broke out in New York City because of women's short hair!
What happened was that the Palm Hotel in New York rented its auditorium to a woman who was "dressed well and drove a luxury car", but on the day of the rally, the people who showed up were members of the Women's World League for Peace. Well, the name "Women's World League for Peace" sounds like a quasi-Bolshevik organization, and some of these left-wing women had short hair that represented "radicalism". The hotel refused them entry, and the two sides had a dispute at the door. Coincidentally, a group of retired soldiers who had just disembarked came from the east, and a group of drunken sailors came from the west... With a shout of "Down with the Bolsheviks!", the melee began.
This outfit, which was completely consistent with the popular fashion in the United States in 1920 and even slightly exceeded it, did add a bit of "modern" feminine charm to Ms. Tang, who did not have outstanding looks.
In fact, this style and this temperament are the learning goals of gentlemen and ladies like MS. Tang who study in liberal arts colleges. What they want to learn is how to be a rich and stylish person.
If MS. Tang's outfit was worn during Yuan Hongjian's era, it would not be worth mentioning the "Korean Wave" that costs no less than a thousand yuan and no more than ten thousand yuan. She could definitely compete with that "powerful" female star whose dressing level is far higher than her acting level and who has lowered the quality of the movie by her own efforts.
It is not certain that a widower like Yuan Yanshu will find such a westernized Chinese woman after returning to China. Moreover, this woman's family background is even more extraordinary, even better than Xu Zhimo's wife Zhang Youyi.
My "schoolmate" Ms. Tang, whose maiden name was Baokun, was the twelfth daughter of former Prime Minister Tang Shaoyi, and her fifth sister Tang Baoyue married the famous Gu Weijun! Unfortunately, she was a beauty with a short life. In 1918, when the Spanish flu was raging around the world, Ms. Tang Baoyue died of the disease, leaving only one daughter.
To be honest, the family backgrounds of the two were too different, and the man was the weaker party. Originally, Yuan Yanshu felt inferior because of the man's high family background, and felt that she was not up to the standard, which led to the end of their relationship.
My great great uncle, my father's great uncle, I am not being disrespectful as a junior, but you really don't value the opportunity. If you had made it a done deal earlier, why would I have traveled from a hundred years later to press the coffin for you?
But Master Yuan changed his mind and realized that he might be wiped out in a year, so wouldn't he be harming others by doing this?
Moreover... he is going to be a master, how can he not have a famous lady after returning to China? Nowadays, the two beauties of the imperial capital... well, the two ladies of the Republic of China are still unmarried, even if the "Northern Qiao Feng" in the imperial capital can't afford it and is out of reach, but the "Southern Murong" in the Magic City still has some chance.
Thinking of this, his little calculation turned into a long sigh. He avoided the other party's burning gaze, lowered his head, and didn't know what to say.
Seeing him act like this, the light of hope in Tang Baokun's eyes dimmed, and he also felt resentful: I have come to your door, why can't you seize it? Do you really want me to offer myself to you like your "Muses"? There is no such self-deprecating woman in my Tang family!
Thinking of this, her tone softened: "I came here today to say goodbye to you. Mr. Yan... Mr. Hongjian, take care of yourself."
As she spoke, she stretched out her hand, and Yuan Yan suddenly stepped forward and held her cold little hand, saying, "Well, Bao...Ms. Kun, take care of yourself too."
Tang Baokun couldn't suppress his love and resentment when he saw his lovely and "cowardly" lover. This lady from the Republic of China didn't even care that they were in a public place. She rushed over and bit his lips hard. Then, before Yuan Yan could react, she pushed him away and rushed out of the apartment building.
Our Master Yuan was lost in thought as he touched his lips that were bitten and bleeding. He suddenly remembered something, his face suddenly changed, and his legs became weak.
Speaking of "Two Beauties of the Republic of China, Nan Tang and Bei Lu", "Nan Tang" is only ten years old now, so doesn't that mean... it starts from three years? !
Yuan Yan, with weak legs and feet, climbed up the stairs with the handrail. As soon as she entered the room, she saw the strange expressions on Xu Zhimo and He Lian's faces. It seemed that they were trying to hold back their laughter...
He reacted immediately, took out a handkerchief to wipe the blood off his lips, and said awkwardly: "Excuse me, excuse me. Brother, I am just..."
"This is exactly the practice of my theory!" Yuan Yan's expression changed instantly, and she threw the handkerchief on the table and said righteously.
Going back a little, to the time when his friend Xu Zhimo started speaking, seeing his heartbroken look, our Master Yuan felt relieved.
Yuan Yanshu had long anticipated that a master of neoclassical liberalism like himself would one day have to confront this group of romantic petty bourgeoisie head-on. This was the master's destiny.
