Chapter 52: He who is near cinnabar is red

  Deng Zixuan returned home, and Wanyu saw her husband's appearance almost didn't dare to recognize him. At that time, she rushed into his arms and choked back tears. "Look! I haven't come back with any missing arms or legs, you should be happy instead of crying." Wanyu burst into laughter: "You're so dark and thin, people are heartbroken for you!" "You may not know, these past few months I've been suffocating," after saying that he wrapped his waist around Wanyu and picked her up. Wanyu let out a cry of surprise, Deng Zixuan didn't care and rushed straight to the bed.

  That night, Deng Zixuan listened to the report of Deng Qiang and others, feeling very satisfied. The next morning, Deng Zixuan opened his eyes to find Yuanner wearing a skirt that covered her feet, looking at him with a charming expression. Deng Zixuan suddenly discovered that Yuanner's height had increased by a block, becoming even more slender and elegant. "Husband, do you see anything?" Deng Zixuan asked: "How did your figure become taller?"

  Wan'er smiled slyly and lifted her skirt, saying: "Look at this!" "High-heeled leather shoes, what's going on?" "You said Western women all wear high-heeled leather shoes, so I made a pair according to the drawings you did before. The maids all say they're good, what do you think?" "Not bad! Very good, really didn't expect my wife to have such skills, wearing high heels makes your figure even more beautiful!"

  Hearing her husband's praise, Wan'er smiled and asked: "Husband, haven't you noticed anything special about my dress?" "The style is quite novel, Wan'er, you look good in anything." "Take a closer look, is there something unusual?" Deng Zixuan shook his head. "Follow me!" The couple walked through the moon gate into the cross courtyard. The cross courtyard was originally a neighboring yard, but it was bought by Deng Zixuan last year and a moon gate was opened on the partition wall, making the two houses one. Entering a room, several maids were busy working beside the machines.

  "Sewing machine, ah! I see, your dress was made with a sewing machine." Yu Wan said proudly: "Sheng Da Ren had the factory produce sewing machines according to your request, I bought several of them. This machine is great, the stitches are dense and even, much faster than doing it by hand. Now I can use the sewing machine to make clothes, this dress was made by me myself."

  Deng Zixuan went forward to carefully examine the stitches, and indeed they were even and dense. Looking at the needlework being done by the maidservants, he said: "Huaixuan younger brother is really talented, he has successfully imitated the foreign sewing machine. It seems I should help him out, set up a garment factory." Deng Zixuan did not expect that in just a few months, everything would change so much. The foot-powered sewing machine was invented by foreigners over ten years ago, but as soon as they broke through one layer of window paper, the Chinese could do it even better.

  Deng Zixuan was interested in checking out the sewing machine, although it was a bit rough and crude, but after all, it was a sewing machine. What's the point of a sewing machine? It was undoubtedly earth-shaking for the garment industry, and no one could appreciate its value.

  "Hubby, Sheng Ge organized an exhibition sale and it was really lively! On the day of the exhibition sale, the sewing machines were all booked up, and I heard that the orders are lined up until next year."

  "Haha! Sheng Ge has increased my profits again!" Deng Zixuan had 49% shares in the machine factory, so naturally, he earned an additional income.

  Deng Zixuan was overjoyed and thought to himself: the next step must be to push the wave and build a clothing factory. Of course, he couldn't eat alone, he had to pull Hu Xueyan in together. This move could mix Hu Xueyan and Sheng Huaixuan together. "Let's go!" "Where are we going?" "You forgot to look at the high heels!" Deng Zixuan suddenly realized. Entering another room, two shoe craftsmen were busy working. On the wall opposite, a picture of high-heeled shoes drawn by Deng Zixuan was posted, and several pairs of high-heeled shoes in different colors had been made.

  When Deng Zixuan came in, the two shoemakers hastily stood up to greet him. Yuanner introduced them, and Deng Zixuan was very polite in his inquiries, then began to inspect. After returning inside, Deng Zixuan thought to himself: "High-heeled shoes have long been popular among foreigners, but the common people of the Qing dynasty look down on them, so it would be difficult to promote them widely. At present, most foreigners who wear high-heeled shoes are three inches tall, and half-high heeled shoes are rarely seen. Ah, I can produce half-high heeled shoes."

  "Hubby, what's wrong? Don't you like me wearing high heels?" Yuanyu was puzzled. Deng Zixuan chuckled and instructed the servant to summon the steward. In a moment, a 40-year-old man with a clear face entered, "You immediately go to the city to recruit shoe-making craftsmen, I want to set up a shoe workshop." The steward took orders and left. "Two shoemakers are enough for me, why do you need to recruit so many people?" "I want all the maids to wear high heels too! And have someone bring over the shoe samples of Sheng Huai Xuan, Hu Xueyan's wife, concubine!" "I understand! You want to sell shoes!" "Right!"

  Suddenly, the whole house was bustling with activity. Deng Zixuan drew dozens of designs in one breath and asked the craftsmen to make them. A few days later, Deng Zixuan brought back a phonograph and played Western music. "Husband, this is Western music, do you like Western music?" "There's still half a month until Christmas, I'll take you to a dance party!" "What's a dance party?" "It's when men and women hold each other and walk together!" Deng Zixuan came up to demonstrate the action.

  Back in college, Deng Zixuan had won the third prize in waltz dance, so he was quite familiar with the popular three-step dance among foreigners now. "Husband, what kind of image will we present in front of a large crowd in the hall? And hugging and embracing between men and women is against social norms." "Nonsense! You're my wife, what's wrong with that? Besides, it's normal for men and women to dance together freely among foreigners, no one will laugh at us. Don't worry, we'll only dance in foreign settings."

  Wan'er couldn't resist Deng Zixuan and had to comply. A slow waltz started playing. Deng Zixuan's right hand grasped Wan'er's left hand, asking her to put her right hand on his left shoulder, then wrapped his left arm around her waist. Under Deng Zixuan's guidance, they began to step in time. Wan'er had a strong sense of rhythm and soon entered the atmosphere...

  Ten days later, Wan'er was already familiar with the dance and had become obsessed with it. On the night of the party, Ruihe and Mr. Charlie from the Central Bank invited them to attend, and the couple specially took a Western-style carriage to Ruihe's foreign firm. Deng Zixuan instructed the two maids who followed them to wear high-heeled shoes and fashionable skirts, and also brought 10 pairs of high-heeled leather shoes and several sets of new skirts.

  "Wan'er, at the dance party, a foreigner might ask you to dance!" Wan'er's small mouth opened in shock and said: "No way! I'm your wife, how can I dance with an outsider?" "Wan'er, when a foreigner asks you to dance, it means they respect you. If you refuse, it would be very impolite." "How is this good?" "I don't get jealous, what are you afraid of? When we interact with foreigners, we must adapt to local customs and can't let them look down on us." Wan'er glared at him with a hint of reproach, which was taken as consent.

  "Haha! Mr. Deng, and your noble and beautiful wife, you've finally arrived!" Charlie greeted them at the door with his wife. The entrance of the foreign firm was bustling with people, men and women dressed in their finest attire arriving one after another. But as soon as Deng Zixuan and his wife appeared, they immediately attracted everyone's attention. Especially since Wan'er was wearing high heels, a beautiful skirt paired with a luxurious sable coat, her entire figure curvaceous and elegant, perfectly embodying the beauty of an Eastern woman.

  What amazed the foreigners was that Wan'er could have a simple conversation in English, which was even more rare in the Qing Empire. Charlie kissed Wan'er's hand, and Wan'er's face turned bright red, making her look even more beautiful. Through the jealous eyes of Charlie's wife, who had a stout figure, it was clear that there was a problem. Deng Zixuan and his wife entered the hall like a pair of superstars. Soon, the music started, and the foreigners got up from their seats to enter the dance floor. Deng Zixuan stood up elegantly, took Wan'er's hand, and entered the dance floor.

  The waltz was halfway through, and all the foreigners stopped dancing and retreated. Only Deng Zixuan and Wanyi were left in the dance pool, which was empty and spacious, and their dance moves became even more enchanting. At that time, the foreigners' round dance did not have many fancy steps, especially the continuous turns followed by reversals, and then connecting to dizzying fancy steps, which simply stunned the foreigners. When the music ended, Wanyi went down to change her dress and high heels, and what followed was almost a personal performance by Deng Zixuan and Wanyi.

  The light dance moves filled the room, and the gentlemen's eyes were fixed on this golden boy and jade girl. The foreign ladies and misses focused their attention on Yuanyuan's dress and high heels. Every time Yuanyuan changed her dress and high heels, she would put them aside. After several rounds of dancing, the high heels lined up in a row, making it even more eye-catching. During the intermission, the foreign ladies and misses swarmed over, eagerly examining Yuanyuan's dresses and high heels. Not to mention that Yuanyuan's vanity was satisfied, she couldn't help but show off excitedly. Although Yuanyuan's English wasn't very fluent, she could communicate at a basic level.

  The music started again, and Charlie eagerly asked Wanyu to dance. Wanyu was a bit nervous, her face flushed as she gazed at Deng Zixuan, who nodded encouragingly. Just then, a foreign lady took the initiative to ask Deng Zixuan to dance, while more ladies and girls examined their skirts and high heels. Logically speaking, high heels were nothing special for foreigners, but it was the first time they had seen half-high heels, especially when they saw Wanyu wearing them with elegant and steady movements, they understood the advantages of half-high heels. Some bold foreign ladies tried them on, and after one dance, they didn't feel tired at all. Suddenly, the foreign ladies and girls confirmed the practicality of half-high heels. Foreign women are usually tall and heavy, so half-high heels are more suitable for them.

  Deng Zixuan's dance steps were not only elegant and free, but also varied and complex, causing a sensation among the foreign women. Some men began to imitate Deng Zixuan's dance steps, as if this wild night dance party was held for Deng Zixuan and Yuanyuan alone.

  The dance party ended, and the foreign ladies surrounded Wen Er again, asking her to take orders. Two maids were busy taking down shoe sizes and running around. Before getting into the car, Charlie said, "In two days, my wife and I will visit your house, and my wife wants to order a few pairs of high-heeled shoes and skirts. Mr. Deng won't refuse, right?" "Charlie, we're old friends, so I'll take care of you first!" How could Deng Zi Xuan possibly refuse Charlie's request?!

  It was late at night, the horse carriage was moving lightly on the road. Wan'er leaned her head on Deng Zixuan's shoulder and whispered: "Husband! This evening is the happiest evening of my life, I will never forget it." "Wan'er, actually my purpose for coming here wasn't to dance, but to promote your skirt and high-heeled shoes, you won't blame me, right?" "I know what you're thinking, but I still feel happy. I married the best husband in the Qing Dynasty, a sweet dream that many women yearn for, and I got it."

  Deng Zixuan held Wan'er tightly, feeling comforted by her thoughtfulness. After a long while, Wan'er said: "Husband, you're a great man, so from now on, let me take care of the garment factory and shoe factory for you. Seeing you work so hard pains my heart." "Wan'er can share my worries, what's not to allow? The soap factory is managed well by you, I believe in your abilities." Deng Zixuan's painstaking efforts finally bore fruit, Wan'er taking the initiative was his long-held wish, and from now on, with Wan'er in charge of Shanghai, he could leave with peace of mind.

  In just one month, the neighboring courtyard was transformed into a shoe factory and garment factory. The benefits couldn't be enjoyed alone, so preparations were made to establish a garment factory. Since Hu Xueyan wasn't at home, he found Shen Ruisheng to invest in it. Don't underestimate the power of women! Managing the garment factory and shoe workshop, adopting large-scale production, laid the foundation for producing military uniforms, shoes, and hats after Deng Zixuan's time. Although it's just a small lotus bud now, its development momentum is unstoppable. Perhaps even Deng Zixuan didn't realize that his butterfly effect had begun to manifest, unintentionally turning Shanghai into a rising new industrial city, starting to play a model role.