Chapter 54: Preparing To Become The First Members Of The Flying Club
The next day, early morning at the Shanghai Bund.
Although it lacked the nighttime prosperity and bustle, it was still starting to see streams of people like tides at various food markets and streets—people rushing to work, hurrying to buy vegetables, strolling, or drinking tea and chatting.
The myriad states of life were fully displayed in the crisp morning.
Rows of buildings in European, Russian, American styles… Romanesque, Baroque, Gothic, French classical—architectures from all nations stood majestically, towering and varied, standing side by side, none too tall, mostly one to three stories, with the tallest around six stories, thick and beautiful outer walls, arched windows, showcasing the essence of foreigners’ buildings to the fullest.
The bustling “Far East Wall Street,” “Peace Hotel”… bank buildings, customs buildings, HSBC Bank building, were also shining with the style of “Far East Wall Street” during this period.
Although these Western buildings at the Bund weren’t as spectacular as when night fell with neon lights flashing and the nightlife of Shanghai taking the stage, they were still livelier and more prosperous than early mornings in many other areas of the same period.
Of course, aside from the civilian area and slum areas, where the scenes weren’t as beautiful or prosperous as this side of the foreign concession at the Bund.
On such a refreshing morning,
Huang Zijian, who had just returned to Shanghai from the United States by steamboat, was also waiting at the wharf for the people coming to receive him.
Huang Zijian was a new era youth passionate about flying, so he studied abroad overseas, wanting to learn more flying technology, and to gain insight into foreigners’ flying schools and airplanes.
So in the early 1930s, he received flight training in the United States and graduated in 1932.
He had also visited several foreigners’ countries like Britain, Germany, and France, and through introductions from his United States pilot alumni, gained insight into the flying schools and flying clubs in those foreigners’ countries.
So his learning of flying technology and insight into airplane models from various countries were still at the forefront of this period.
However, the purpose of his return here this time was not to join the National Revolutionary Army Air Force that was being established.
In the Republic of China period, literati’s monthly salary was even higher than that of National Revolutionary Army pilots.
Although domestic pilots at this time were not only mostly rich second generation, but also many from prestigious families, or overseas Chinese returnees, or from top-tier academies, or from military families, or even from impoverished backgrounds,
But regardless of these pilots’ identities, for Huang Zijian returning home this time,
He just wanted to rest well here in Shanghai for a while, to feel the breath of life in his homeland that he had left for so long.
After resting, he would still go back to the United States again, and to other foreigners’ developed countries, to learn more flying technology and knowledge about new-style airplane models and structures.
“It’s been a long time since I came back here?”
“Unexpectedly, it’s even more prosperous and lively than before I left, and with even more foreigners’ buildings!”
“That guy Guo Zhijie is late again?”
“After so many years, he still hasn’t changed his old habit of being late!”
After disembarking from the foreigners’ luxurious steamboat,
Huang Zijian with his backpack stood at the bustling wharf with cars and pedestrians coming and going, a bit impatiently waiting for his good friend Guo Zhijie.
But after waiting nearly 15 minutes without seeing anyone, he started to get impatient and muttered to himself.
Just as he was about to find a rickshaw to ride home first,
Guo Zhijie, also a rich second generation, had already driven over hurriedly in a car purchased from Zhou Wenhua’s “New Era” automotive company.
“Hey! I’m here!”
Before even getting out of the car, Guo Zhijie excitedly waved at Huang Zijian and greeted him.
Huang Zijian, without a word, walked toward the car he was driving.
“Hey! You guy, after so many years without seeing you, you’re still so slow, not punctual at all! I thought you weren’t coming, and I was about to take a rickshaw to leave!”
Coming to the front of Guo Zhijie’s car, Huang Zijian complained unhappily to his good friend.
“Hahaha! That’s because I bought this new domestic car, and only today completed all the handover procedures!”
“To buy this domestic car, I queued and waited nearly a month before purchasing it!”
“Originally I didn’t plan to buy a domestic car. Although their ads were everywhere promoting it heavily, many rich alumni at school bought it, and after I went to the research institute to test drive it, I fell in love with this domestic car!”
“It’s really unimaginable that there’s actually a domestic car on the market, even better looking in appearance than foreigners’ cars, with excellent performance!”
“Otherwise, if I hadn’t really bought this domestic car today, I’d feel like I was dreaming!”
“Our country finally has our own domestic car for sale! I never even dared to think about it before!”
Being told this by his good friend Huang Zijian who studied abroad,
Guo Zhijie wasn’t angry at all, but rather emotionally excited and thrilled as he explained.
“What?”
“You bought a domestic car?”
“And with better performance than foreigners’ cars? And more beautiful appearance?”
“There’s such a thing? You’re not fooling me, are you?”
“I don’t know what our country’s automotive industry is like?”
“Where would there be any domestic cars? They’re all assembled from foreigners’ imported parts and engines!”
Hearing this, Huang Zijian was full of surprise, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Hehe! The car right in front of you now is the domestic hit car I’m talking about!”
“You drive it and you’ll know, and isn’t the appearance better looking and more stylish than the foreigners’ cars we usually see? Now many countrymen are using this car!”
“No! There are a total of four domestic car models! But all researched and developed by the same automotive company!”
“It’s simply revitalizing our country’s automotive industry level!”
“Alright, no more talk, you drive it right now and experience it, and you’ll know this domestic car’s performance absolutely doesn’t lose to any foreigners’ car!”
“Now our domestic cars have stirred up the foreigners’ automotive industry into a frenzy!”
Seeing his good friend Huang Zijian’s disbelieving look, Guo Zhijie didn’t waste words and directly let him experience the joy of driving it himself.
Because he too had once been like his good friend, not believing that a domestic car could really have such outstanding and excellent performance.
So he understood the other’s inner thoughts very well.
“Fine! Then I’ll drive it and see if what you say is true or false!”
Seeing his good friend Guo Zhijie’s confident expression,
Huang Zijian smiled with some anticipation and agreed.
“Hahaha! I guarantee you’ll love this domestic car!”
Seeing Huang Zijian open the car door and sit in the driver’s seat, Guo Zhijie also smiled comfortably in response.
At the same time, he immediately followed inside and sat in the passenger seat.
“Right! Where are we going now? To eat, or after test driving, go home to see family first?”
When Huang Zijian sat down and was about to start the car,
He also inquired of Guo Zhijie beside him.
“To a special place, you’ll definitely like it!”
Guo Zhijie responded mysteriously.
“Hm? What special place? Not taking me to those social entertainment venues to meet courtesans or something, right?”
Seeing Guo Zhijie’s mysterious and somewhat sly expression, Huang Zijian immediately became interested and asked back.
“Hahaha! Of course not, I have a girlfriend! How could I take you to those messy places!”
“I’m taking you to see a newly opened pilots club in Shanghai recently. It has two relatively new-style Soviet aircraft inside. Don’t you like gaining insight and researching new-style airplanes from various countries?”
“Now there’s a chance, and I’m also planning to join this pilots club!”
“Because among my alumni, several have already teamed up and are preparing to apply to join this pilots club today, to become the first batch of members of this pilots club!”
“I heard that as long as you join this pilots club, you can have the opportunity to learn and gain insight into the world’s latest-style airplanes, and even get free flying technology training!”
Guo Zhijie once again showed a mysterious smile as he responded.
“.”
Huang Zijian.
He felt that his good friend had given him quite a few surprises today?
And there’s actually such a boastful pilots club, daring to promote that it has the world’s latest-style airplane models?
He didn’t quite believe it,
Did he really think he was from the countryside?
With no insight at all?
Never gained insight or experienced flying clubs in foreigners’ developed countries?
Never gained insight into what the world’s latest-style airplanes are like?
So after listening to his good friend Guo Zhijie’s sharing and recommendation,
Huang Zijian had a look of utter disdain on his face.
He had gained insight into the latest airplane models from various foreigners’ countries, and even tried driving them under the recommendations and help of his foreigner friends.
In short, Huang Zijian felt he was an airplane expert, having seen all new-style airplanes.
So he was truly confident that no person or club would have new-style airplanes he didn’t know about.
But under his good friend Guo Zhijie’s invitation, he still started the car engine, and for the first time experiencing the domestic car produced by Zhou Wenhua’s automotive company, headed toward Zhou Wenhua’s pilots club.
