Chapter 61 Patient 5

To Chu Wang, Xu Shaoqian is a kind and gentle friend, but to Xu Wenjun, he is an elder who is very strict in managing the family. Because of this, he cannot understand his nephew from the perspective of a friend.

On the other hand, the computational work in the nuclear physics lab was so intense that he had to hire three computer technicians to assist. Consequently, he hadn't had the time to care for Xu Wenjun in the past few months. So much so that Xu Shaoqian was completely unaware that Wenjun had been bullied at school for quite some time.

Chu Wang and Liang Zhang were similar: once absorbed in a single task, they became completely absorbed in it. Often, when someone said something to her, her mind would suddenly speed up, causing her to ignore the other person's thoughts. Often, after someone finished a lengthy speech, she would suddenly snap out of her thoughts and offer a rather provocative response: "Huh?"

But Mrs. Xu made an exception for Xu Shaoqian. No matter how late he worked overtime on weekdays, he would leave on Friday night - "Sorry, I have to spend Friday night with my wife. This is the rule we have had for many years of marriage."

Liang Zhang was very familiar with his habit.

Chu Wang understood him very well and therefore felt that he was particularly worthy of admiration.

In addition, they both recently heard that Mrs. Xu's old illness had relapsed. Her smoking had weakened her immune system, and she had been sent to the emergency room again a few days ago. This was probably something that worried Xu Shaoqian, so since he didn't mention it, they pretended not to know, but they were more understanding of his absence on Friday night.

Chu Wang only saw Mrs. Xu twice during the entire winter. The first time, Mrs. Xu looked even thinner than before, her small body curled up in a recliner, looking even older. After Xu Shaoqian fed her lotus seed porridge, Mrs. Xu could only force a smile at Chu Wang, unable to speak.

Xu Shaoqian shook his head, sighed, and said, "It's really time to quit smoking."

Mrs. Xu turned her face away and ignored him.

The second time Xu Shaoqian came, he was probably doing calculations in the laboratory. When I visited the Xu residence, Mrs. Xu was in better spirits and could speak. She took Chu Wang's hand and said, "He has his own career, which is fine. When I first met him, I believed he had a bright future and would definitely make a big splash. I often wonder if I'm a burden to him. He's such a good man, he should marry someone better. A modern woman who can understand his letters, symbols, and equations, who can connect with him, who can make him feel less lonely, and who can greatly help his career... instead of a paralyzed burden like me. I only hope that Wenjun can be as outstanding as him in the future, so that he won't let down the Xu family's talent."

Chu Wang opened his mouth, unsure how to comfort Mrs. Xu. He simply wished more than ever that the paper on the existence of neutrons could be written and published sooner rather than later. Xu Shaoqian would be the first author, and the title page would read, "This paper is dedicated to Mrs. Xu, a traditional Chinese woman who has made countless silent contributions to her husband and family." He also hoped that Mrs. Xu would quit smoking sooner, live longer, and finally be able to watch Xu Shaoqian announce his Nobel Prize acceptance speech in the future and hear him say, "I want to thank my wife."

Chu Wang said, "I will definitely do that."

——

As was customary, exams were scheduled for various subjects after Christmas. For the entire semester, Chu Wang had been completely absorbed in the nuclear laboratory, not paying attention to a single class. The other courses were fine, but the English translation class had her scratching her head. Therefore, for three weeks before Christmas, Liang Zhang and Xu Shaoqian forbade her from setting foot in the laboratory, dictating, "For science to advance, Ms. Lin Zhi must first complete her studies and become a 'top student in terms of grades.'"

The neutron experiment was nearing completion, leaving only data processing and paper writing. The latter was what Chu Wang was best at.

However, due to her age and academic limitations, she could only sigh, silently put on her small schoolbag and study hard.

The contract sent from France also arrived at the Ge Mansion in early winter. In the contract, Mr. Du Peng's requirements for Chu Wang were quite low - two drawings per month, 9% of the equity and a high monthly salary in francs.

Mrs. Ge tried to negotiate a higher shareholding for her and was about to write a reply when Chu Wang intercepted it. After repeated pleas, Mrs. Ge finally gave up and angrily signed for her.

She asked a top-performing student from mainland China for a translation class translation. She read it over and over again, but still felt it wasn't much better than her own. Besides cramming to avoid failing the course, she found time to draw two blueprints: one for an external pocket watch with an aluminum lighter inside, and the other for a simple, compact rose gold and light pink lighter for women. In the lower right corner, she had painted a peach blossom—inspired by a later phone color popular with women and gay men.

Mrs. Ruan saw the drawing and laughed, "That won't work. How many women would buy lighters just to smoke cigarettes?"

Mr. Saumur also said, "Aren't the ladies' cigarettes always lit by gentlemen?"

Chu Wang pondered for a long time and added a sentence at the end of the letter to Paris: After the finished product is out, can you also send me one and deduct the money from your salary?

After reading it, Mr. Saumur added a line at the end of the letter: "And a head-to-toe women's Chanel outfit, the latest Paris season, with accessories. Size: (Chu Wang's size)."

Chu Wang complained in his heart: This is simply the employees taking advantage of their good relationship with the boss to collude with each other to exploit the boss!

Although she was dissatisfied in her heart, she still accepted it with pleasure.

After finishing the letter to France, she thought for a moment, then turned to another page and wrote:

Mr. Yan Sang,

Until now, I have never told you: Thank you for your gifts and photos.

Please forgive me for not writing to you for so long. I checked many times outside my two aunts' houses and in Yau Ma Tei, where you often receive and send letters, and finally confirmed: you haven't written to me either.

So I comforted myself like this: Maybe the journey was too long, and the letter took a long time to arrive, so it got lost while running?

After saying goodbye on the Bund, I returned to Hong Kong and was incredibly busy for what. Suddenly, winter arrived. After Christmas, I had an exam. Instead of a perfectly good English class, I had to translate "The Memorial to the Emperor on Leaving the Capital," "The Petition to the Emperor on the Death of the Emperor," and "The Story of Xiang Ji Xuan." The pretext was "promoting the essence of Chinese culture to white people." After much effort, the translation would have made even a middle school student laugh, let alone vindicate the reputation of Chinese studies. I asked a classmate from a prominent family in mainland China for a copy, then studied it again and again, but still felt it wasn't good enough. There were even a few passages of the original text that were brilliant, but the translation was bland and blunt, losing the original flavor and making me laugh. Chinese studies are Chinese studies, and naturally, one must first master the vernacular and read it again and again to understand its profound and wonderful meanings.

The attached pages contain a few excerpts that are considered classic humor pieces and are good for making you laugh.

Hasty greetings

Safety

December 6, 1977

Chu Wang

——

Christmas at the end of 1927 was uneventful. Because of the many social parties at the Ge Mansion, Chu Wang was forced to stay at the Qiao Mansion with Zhen Zhen. Zhen Zhen unexpectedly did not return to Shanghai during the holiday, but for the first important man in her life besides her father.

The day before Christmas, Ye Wenyu led the tennis team to the main street outside the Hong Kong Girls' School for a frenzied courtship ceremony. Seven or eight tall and strong boys, each holding a large bouquet of roses, stood on the street. Ye Wenyu and another team member had somehow managed to procure a pile of firecrackers. Because the firecrackers had been sitting around for days and the weather was a bit damp, they were afraid they would take too long to light by the time Zhenzhen came out, and their impact would be much diminished. Someone suggested, "Why not try setting off a few beforehand?"

Though damp, the firecrackers still worked remarkably well and were incredibly loud. Before the girls' school even finished class, a group of boys clutching roses attracted countless onlookers. The ignition of the firecrackers attracted a group of British police officers, who, mistaking them for a group of Nanyang nationals engaged in a gunfight, arrested them and took them to the police station. One of the boys, for his assertiveness, was even punched by a police officer. Repeated interrogations and searches yielded no guns or bombs. Since they were purportedly seeking the girls' affections, they dispatched several more officers to the Hong Kong Girls' School and brought Zhenzhen, who was in French class, to the police station.

Zhenzhen, completely bewildered, hadn't witnessed her courtship. Instead, she was taken to the police station by a group of officers to redeem her. Upon entering the station, she saw a slew of boys, some tan and some dark brown, shackled to stools. One of them had been beaten black and blue. The tall, bulky boys cheered as if they had seen a goddess descend upon them.

The scene at that time was quite interesting. And through Zhen Zhen's vivid performance, it successfully contracted the laughter points for Miya and Chu Wang throughout the Christmas.

Although Zhenzhen was quite dissatisfied with not having a grand pursuit, but going to the police station to woo her was ridiculous, it was still a grand one after all.

Zhenzhen fell in love with Ye Wenyu naturally.

Mr. Ye Wenyu is generally quite good, except for his somewhat silly and cute appearance, and a minor stain of having a crush on Lin Yunyan during a certain period of his life. After all, who doesn't have some dark history in their life?

However, Mr. Ye Wenyu, as described by Xue Zhenzhen, is quite handsome and suave, unparalleled in the world, even when he is doing stupid things.

A woman in love hopes that the whole world will be filled with pink bubbles. Therefore, she told Chu Wang privately more than once: "I really hope that Miya can also have a healthy and normal relationship."

Chu Wang understood Mia's feelings, but did not tell her.

But at the same time, she wondered if Zhenzhen had said something similar to Miya, like, "How I wish she didn't have that damn engagement, so she could enjoy the beauty of free love." Or, "Why can't she go to Europe and have a legitimate relationship? Hand in hand, strolling through England, France, traveling across thousands of miles, and finally writing a biography to be praised by future generations? How romantic!"