Peking.
It was the end of March, the spring chill still lingering with occasional warmth. Although people on the streets still wore thick coats, they no longer hunched their necks against the cold.
With the arrival of spring, more food became available, and pedestrians’ faces showed a bit more color and hope. On the surface, everything seemed calm and full of life, but the undercurrents had never ceased to flow.
Take a while back, for instance.
Suddenly, someone brought up a point: “Miss Su hasn’t shown her face in a long time, has she?”
Indeed. If it were anyone else, it might not matter.
But this was Su Ning!
Wherever she appeared, she was always making headlines. For her to stay quiet for so long was unusual. Soon enough, the truth came to light—
Miss Su had gone abroad.
At first, no one thought much of it. Going abroad was just going abroad.
But then news spread that it was all about Tai Gu Shipping.
That revelation made many people suddenly see the light:
“No wonder. I knew Miss Su wouldn’t fall for some half-breed foreign devil.”
“Don’t be a Monday morning quarterback. Still, this is exactly the kind of thing Miss Su would do… Tai Gu Shipping really is important, you know. It’s not just about making money.”
“Yeah. After this, Miss Su’s stature is bound to rise even further.”
“As far as I’m concerned, it’s fine. No matter what, Miss Su is Chinese—she’s one of us!”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
But as days turned into weeks—half a month, a month—
Su Ning still hadn’t returned?
That got people wondering. Was Tai Gu Shipping so hard to secure that she was bogged down? Or did she…not want to come back?
As for the first reason, few bought it. Tai Gu Shipping was a behemoth, yes, and a Portuguese company at that, so complications were to be expected.
But the one going after it was Su Ning!
That left only the second explanation. At the time, public opinion was still under control, but as more time passed, a very credible rumor leaked from the local Tai Gu Shipping branch—
Su Ning had officially become the owner of Tai Gu Shipping!
The public erupted.
“Isn’t this a good thing?”
“What do you know? We’re thousands of miles away from that Portugal place. By the time news reaches us, it means Su Ning had already taken control of Tai Gu Shipping long ago. The deed is done, and she still isn’t back. What does that tell you?”
“Oh no, she’s really not coming back? She still has so many businesses here—fertilizer plants, oil fields… and relatives, too.”
“Businesses won’t run away. Besides, the grass is always greener on the other side. Maybe things are even better abroad. As for relatives, she can just move them overseas.”
Having learned from past painful lessons, the newspapers dared not report it.
But word of mouth couldn’t be stopped.
From glitzy salons and banquets to humble teahouses in back alleys, everyone felt compelled to weigh in.
Opinions varied.
The pessimists thought: China was backward and chaotic, nowhere near the stability and advancement of foreign lands. Besides, Su Ning had grown up abroad, so it was only natural she’d go back.
There were optimists, too.
“Bullshit! Home is home, no matter how shabby. Even if China is backward, it’s still our roots. If she really despised it, my niece wouldn’t have come back in the first place. You lot, with your snobbery and contempt for the poor, dare to judge a gentleman’s heart with a base mind—how outrageous!”
Unfortunately, despite his fighting spirit, that certain Banxian was no match for the overwhelming tide of public sentiment.
Pessimism became the dominant view.
Seizing the opportunity, those with ulterior motives fanned the flames, and the situation spiraled out of control.
Even distant Yumen sent inquiries about the details, let alone Nanjing and the areas around Peking.
The reason it had escalated to such a one-sided, panicked state was, at its core, a lack of confidence—a subconscious belief that China was inferior, and Su Ning’s choice to stay abroad was normal.
Then, on an ordinary morning,
at a newsstand in the foreign concession,
bundles of newspapers were delivered from various publishers. The shrewd owner inspected each one carefully, haggling over any damaged copies.
“Hold on, I didn’t order this many?”
The owner pointed to a bundle noticeably thicker than the others,
grumbling unhappily:
“Fine, trying to pull a fast one on me, huh? Take back these extras. If you don’t, don’t expect me to pay at the end of the month.”
Newspapers had to be sold daily; settling accounts every day was a hassle. Stands like his would agree with publishers on a fixed monthly or quarterly tally. The advantage was stability; the downside was that restocking hot sellers was difficult.
“Don’t worry—every stand got extra copies this time. The publisher said to sell them first, and if they don’t move, you can return them at no cost to you.”
That kind of deal?
The owner quickly agreed.
He carefully unwrapped the white paper around a bundle, smoothing it out to use as scratch paper for his kids’ homework. Glancing up, he curled his lip.
Foreign newspapers.
How many of these could he sell? He thought the promise of extra copies was a bluff… then his eyes froze.
“What?”
A voice snapped the owner out of his thoughts. He looked up.
Blonde hair, green eyes—a foreign devil!
Foreign devils were common in the concession, nothing unusual. But this one looked like he’d seen a ghost, gaping at the huge photo on the front page.
No wonder.
The photo clearly showed a young woman with an East Asian face.
She was surrounded by other East Asians, clearly her subordinates, her expression cold—even her smile sent a chill down one’s spine.
She was watching a group of foreigners in positions of humiliation—being pinned to the ground by uniformed men, their faces a mixture of sorrow, pain, and anger.
The photographer had done his job well.
The contrast of power and vulnerability, the interplay of light and shadow—all conveyed what needed to be said.
So—
this was bizarre!
“I want a copy.”
“Sure.”
The owner, quick-witted, upped the price a bit.
The foreigner didn’t care. Tossing down the money, he snatched the newspaper and read as he walked.
He hadn’t gone far when a roar erupted. The foreigner’s face turned red with rage as he spewed a stream of curses. The owner, having dealt with concessions for years, could understand enough English to catch the insults—and that only confirmed it.
Good, good, good.
He was about to get rich!
Just as the owner expected, more and more people clamored to buy that paper. The price climbed so high it frightened even him, yet buyers kept coming.
This piqued the owner’s curiosity.
What was going on?
He stopped a regular customer, a good-natured man who could read foreign newspapers. The customer’s expression was peculiar as he pointed at the photo and asked:
“Do you know this person?”
“She looks familiar.”
Selling papers every day, the owner had a bit of knowledge. After a moment’s thought, he exclaimed:
“Oh, how could I forget! That’s Su—yes, Miss Su! Loaded with money.”
“My second aunt’s husband’s nephew works under her. At New Year’s, they handed out all sorts of stuff, even two live chickens that grew fast. I’ve been thinking of getting some chicks too.”
Then, lowering his voice, he added:
“So I heard, she’s gone abroad and isn’t coming back?”
“No, she will return.”
The regular customer’s expression grew even more peculiar—a mix of disbelief, vindication, and sheer amusement:
“Because, she’s prejudiced against white people!”
“What?”
…………
The boss wasn’t the only one taken aback.
Similar scenes unfolded repeatedly: some people were incredulous, others cursed, and still more burst into laughter.
“Hold on, prejudice against white people? Is that true or false?”
“Truer than pure gold!”
“Sssss—!”
Anyone who heard this news couldn’t help but discuss it with others, and most went so far as to buy a copy of the newspaper, afraid to miss even a single detail.
Idlers on the street, students, office workers, government clerks, professors—those who couldn’t afford a copy pooled their money together to get one. Despite repeated price hikes, nothing could dampen public enthusiasm.
For a time,
“paper was worth its weight in gold”!
Foreigners in China—whether Portuguese or not—all denounced Su Ning as barbaric, rude, and despicable, although a few bootlickers joined in.
But more Chinese people were stirred into fury. In the past, they had swallowed such insults.
But this time,
No way.
A full-blown melee began.
It wasn’t until Su Ning’s letter was airlifted to Beiping that the battle would finally die down. The sole beneficiary was the local branch of the News Daily, which not only turned a massive profit but also catapulted itself to fame.
Yet, aside from a handful of people, no one cared about that. Everyone was focused on one thing—
Su Ning’s letter had finally arrived!
