Chapter 72 Patient 16

Mrs. Xu's mind was full of calculations, but on the surface she remained calm and smiled at him. Xu Shaoqian was completely unaware of this. He was also smiling, but at something else that made him happy.

Xu Shaoqian said, "The weather has been nice these past few weeks." As he spoke, his mind raced faster than his thoughts. He thought of a way to cheer his wife up, and he smiled again, though his words couldn't quite keep up.

Wen's mother also found it strange, "Why is the master so happy?"

Xu Shaoqian wanted to give his wife a surprise, so he just shook his head and happily pushed the door open and went out.

Wen Ma went to see Mrs. Xu again.

Mrs. Xu wasn't in a hurry to ask him what made him so happy—it had been a long time since she'd asked. For years, whenever she was around, Xu Shaoqian always smiled like this, never letting her worry, no matter how big the problem.

But it was a different feeling in her heart. Even if he told her something, she might not understand. She couldn't just sit there with a blank face and let him down. Even if his heart was already in turmoil, he'd still make up jokes to cheer her up, not knowing if he was trying to keep a smile through a tormenting pain. But she still couldn't understand his pain and joy. Sometimes, these insignificant little things made her feel even more deeply that she wasn't a good wife—not a good listener, not a good soother, and even more so that he had to work even harder to comfort her, and worry about her and suffer for her.

In fact, it wasn’t like this before.

When she was three, her family fled Beijing, traveling with over a dozen horse-drawn carriages, all carrying her father and brothers' collections of books. For a long time in Guangzhou, with her many older brothers enrolled in school, she had only her few books to keep her company. But she preferred not to read classics, her only favorite being "The Story of Loyalty, Bravery, and Righteousness." As the only daughter and the youngest, she was doted on from a young age, even when she flirted with the rules.

In the past, most Beijing residents hated foreigners and worshipped the Boxers, and so did she. Later, when she heard from Guangzhou that the Boxers had been crushed, she was deeply saddened and lost all interest in anything. Later, when the Republic of China was established, men shaved their braids, and everything in the streets and alleys was brand new, she rejoiced for a while. However, the Republic of China was not the one she had imagined. The old dynasty, like a rotten tree, had turned its page, but the country remained a chaotic mess.

Later, her family arranged a marriage for her—a match made in heaven for a handsome young man. He was described as "rarely gifted, intelligent, and quick-witted." His father and brothers once summoned him to their home to quiz him on the various schools of thought and the Nine Arts. His brother even quizzed him in foreign languages ​​on astronomy, geography, physics, chemistry, politics, and history, and he answered every question fluently. Initially, her father had her listen behind a curtain, intending to let her make her own decision, but in the end, he made the final decision for her.

At first, she was incredibly reluctant about this marriage. Her ideal partner was supposed to be the ethereal, unrivaled Bai Yutang, a man of both literary and martial prowess; the man before her was merely a handsome, unsophisticated young man. On their wedding night, he said only one thing to her: "Don't worry. From today on, I will bear seven out of ten of your hardships. All the daily necessities will be my fault."

When she heard this, she couldn't help but sneer in her heart: How old are you? What can you do for me?

But he did what he said.

He has seen and endured all kinds of hardships and difficulties in the world, even separations of life and death - although he is not perfect, he always does what he says.

He was different from those other men who had girlfriends or even remarried while living a life of luxury and debauchery behind their wives' backs. But precisely because he was different, she felt even more ashamed of herself.

The more carefully he cared for her, the more she felt unworthy of him. It wasn't because she didn't love him, nor was it because of her pride. It was because she was so humble that even liking him became increasingly difficult.

He tried many ways to please her.

He never despised her now repulsive appearance. Countless times when they went out together, people mistook them for mother and son, but he would always smile and explain, "This is my wife." He never felt that she had betrayed him.

It didn't matter if she couldn't have children. He'd gone to great lengths to adopt his nephew into her family—but what about her? Wen Jun had finally gotten closer to her recently. Ever since that day when his craving for cigarettes struck, even if he didn't say it, he could still sense his fear and disgust whenever he saw her.

From then on she realized that she was not worthy of him.

But how did she get herself into this state?

Not only did he make himself look like this, but he also destroyed the warm and beautiful home that he had worked so hard to protect.

Sometimes she even wished he could be a little meaner and crueler, so she could feel better. In the years before he graduated, she secretly hoped he'd find a girlfriend in England to keep her company, a mixture of a perverse longing and a touch of resentment. During those years apart, she took to opium—it was a popular habit among the wealthy men and women around her, and she had plenty of money, so she could afford it—and it truly made her happy.

What she hated was not her own incompleteness and humility, but his insistence on keeping his word. He said, "I have tasted seven parts of hardship and suffering for you," and of these seven parts, three parts were dust and bitter rain, two parts were scorching sun and strong wind, two parts were desolate and lonely; the remaining three parts, illuminated by the spring light and moon, were all filled with her own shame.

And that child was so wonderful. From the moment she first laid eyes on Chu Wang, she felt he shone like a little sun. Back then, he wasn't exactly beautiful, but he possessed a clarity and clarity unmatched at his age. Just like the year she first met Xu Shaoqian: astonishingly talented, yet aloof, he looked at people as if they were across a vast desert, yet within him lay a bright light.

Although Chu Wang was only a few years older than Wen Jun, she had just grown from a child into a young woman. When she frightened him with her nicotine addiction, he was the first person to think of asking her for help.

She herself is transparent, and the person she photographs is also warm and transparent - she is so similar to him when he was young.

Of course, only the true celebrity Yan Chasan is worthy of meeting the beautiful hero Bai Yuting.

Wen Ma knew what she was thinking. She sighed and said, "Madam, please don't let your imagination run wild. It's not like you're in poor health, and the master isn't interested in anyone else. Over the years, he's had his fair share of wonderful young ladies, but no matter how beautiful or wonderful they were, they never caught the master's eye. Don't you know the master's character? Besides, isn't that girl already engaged?"

"I know how I feel." Mrs. Xu said this, her mind wandering off again. She repeated the word "engagement" twice before snapping back to reality and calling out to Wen Ma, "Is that young master's surname Si?"

Wen's mother reluctantly agreed, then added, "I hear that young master is quite talented, also studying in London. His writings are well-known abroad, renowned both in China and abroad. Lately, he's even more famous than his father."

"What? Is there any at home?"

"Master Wenjun mentioned it. He should have some... I'll ask him for two copies for you."

——

The spring sun was shining brightly outside, and Xu Shaoqian, in high spirits, went out to buy a car. He had learned to drive in England, secretly because his wife was reluctant to see people, hoping to take her out for outings. But before he even bought the car, she had somehow managed to find someone to buy her a boat ticket back home.

This sudden thought of buying a car wasn't entirely for his wife. British diplomats were at a diplomatic standstill with the Nanjing government, and everyone at the institute was bored, especially the European researchers. Liang Zhang tried everything to improve Ms. Meitner's mood, but he didn't notice. Chu Wang saw this and secretly told him that he had selfishly thought of buying a car so he could take his wife to the beach and lend it to Liang Zhang to take his wife out for a walk when he had some free time. After all, he was in his thirties, and his mother was always pushing him, which often affected Xu Shaoqian. Every time his mother wrote to Hong Kong, she included a copy for him. When she was happy, she would send him some winter melon and watermelon from her hometown. When she was unhappy, she would write him a letter and scold him harshly - scolding him for being a boss who didn't understand his subordinates, who exploited him all day, and who refused to let him go out and have a girlfriend.

When the car drove to the school for the first time, Chu Wang was delighted when he saw it and jokingly said, "Why don't you lend it to me for fun?"

After finally letting her play with the car, Xu Shaoqian felt a bit uneasy: not because he was worried she couldn't drive, but because he was worried others would see her looking at the car. It just so happened that there was a depressed patient at the institute who had nothing to do—he sent Oppenheimer to keep an eye on him. The two of them drove out for a day and came back to find a car radio in the car, which was unnoticeable.

The Jewish young man left without a word. Chu Wang patted his shoulder, smiled slyly, and whispered, "Drive the car to the sparsely populated cliffs of Repulse Bay. Enjoy the breeze, the moon, and some music. Mrs. Xu will surely love it."

Then he added, "I'm clumsy and can't make this. Robert assembled it."

Before Xu Shaoqian could come to his senses, she disappeared in a flash.

After buying the car, he rarely got the chance to go out with his wife. His wife seemed to be in better spirits lately, and even had the urge to read. When he asked about it, his wife smiled and said, "This is written by Chu Wang's fiancé. The characters in it are quite similar to your classmates in England, and the more you read, the more interesting it becomes. I heard that Mr. Nas has translated many books, and he is truly a handsome young man. To be able to have such a marriage, I guess Chu Wang must be a pretty good writer, right?"

Xu Shaoqian went to read the serial. After a while, he praised it, saying, "To be able to make such a joke about a foreign student who abandoned his wife, he must be a rare and reliable person." After thinking for a while, he smiled again, "She barely passed her Chinese classes and ranked last among the students from the mainland... It would be difficult for that girl to exchange letters with him."

Mrs. Xu, holding a magazine in her hand, tilted her head and smiled at him. Chu Wang's Chinese was poor, and she had heard Ye Wenyu's jokes countless times before, so she knew it all. But hearing it from her husband made her feel more at ease. She then asked, "Are they a good match? What do you think?"

"I've seen their photos, and they're quite a good match. Even if there's some language barrier, we each have our own strengths. If we can accommodate each other in the future, we might be able to live in harmony." Xu Shaoqian thought briefly and smiled again, "Are you suddenly interested in this? It seems you're in a much better mood."

Mrs. Xu's spirits had improved considerably, but she still wasn't very willing to go out with him. Liang Zhang had also gotten a new car and a new radio for free. He'd been driving around with his beautiful woman, listening to music, and seeing all the romantic sights on the island. He'd been beaming these past few days—as if he'd successfully won her heart.

The people in the laboratory who had been bored recently often joked about this with Liang Zhang, and the experimenters of all races gradually began to have a good time.

The more harmonious the lab became, the more repulsive the British soldiers outside became. Even the blackback became a nuisance, barking and snarling at everyone it saw. The British soldiers' greatest amusement was when the experimenter walked past the dog, and both man and dog shouted at him, "Prussia, stop barking! He's one of us! Oh! I forgot Prussia doesn't understand English—except for Indian English."

Back in Nanjing, things weren't going smoothly either. From what Chu Wang could tell, the government was repeatedly probing the British, trying to learn more, perhaps demanding more resources, or simply stating, "We can't provide the troops and funds you're asking for." Every time he heard this kind of news, Chu Wang trembled with fear, fearing that the two countries would fall out again and start a war.

The person who suffered most from the many problems both inside and outside the institute was Xu Shaoqian. Rutherford often vented his anger on him.

"How can the British in the colonies be so rude and arrogant! I have never seen such a thing in England, I have never heard of it!"

"The longer we stay here doing nothing, the more we'll have to watch our researchers being bullied by British soldiers. However, your government is ignorant and incompetent! I don't see any hope for progress!"

"Why did you come back in the first place? You had a bright future in England! But your country's future is bleak and hopeless!"

Xu Shaoqian pondered for a long time and suddenly asked, "What if a third party were to join? This would halve the manpower and funding. Is that feasible?"

Rutherford said, "For this plan, we require it to be swift, prudent, and, most importantly, secretive and safe. The involvement of one more country will increase insecurity and uncertainty. I don't think it's appropriate."

Xu Shaoqian smiled bitterly, "That's right."

Chu Wang heard this and his heart suddenly moved.

Privately, she quietly went to Xu Shaoqian's office, closed the door, and whispered, "I think the third party doesn't necessarily have to be a certain country."

"So what could it be?"

"Could it be our own...another political party?"

Xu Shaoqian was startled and raised his eyebrows to ask, "Which one?"

Chu Wang whispered, "Jiangxi."