Chapter 265 The Building of Physics Has Been Completed
Sorbonne University does not provide dormitories for students, so Zhang Xingjiu still has to rent a house. He arrived at the school on the first day and did not know where to find a house, so he asked the Curies.
Mary said with some concern, "For your studies, it's best to rent a house near the school, but the rent in Paris is too expensive."
It is not easy to live in Paris, and this has been going on for a long time. As the capital and most prosperous city of France, a large number of outsiders flock to Paris every year, and the rent is naturally high.
When Marie first came to Paris, she initially lived with her relatives. It took her more than an hour to take a public horse carriage from home to the Sorbonne University every day. Later, she rented an attic for 15 francs a month.
There were 85 francs left, and the daily expenses were less than 3 francs. He could only eat the cheapest bread and cheap vegetables such as carrots. He did not dare to make a fire to cook easily because it was too tiring to carry the coal to the fourth floor.
The intense study and extremely poor food made her seriously ill. If she hadn't met Pierre later, it would have been difficult for her to hold on, let alone achieve the success she would have achieved later.
Zhang Xingjiu smiled and said, "When I was in Shanghai, I made some money from stocks. On the train from Marseille to Paris, I also heard another Mr. Pierre introduce the prices in Paris. This money should be enough to support my studies for a few years."
"That would be the best. A more affluent financial situation will allow you to study better. I wonder what kind of house you want to rent? What is your budget?" Pierre asked.
The average rent in Paris city is 642 francs per year this year. The 8th and 16th arrondissements in the west of Paris are where wealthy people live, with rents in these two arrondissements being 2,425 francs and 1,427 francs per year respectively. The 20th arrondissement is in the east of Paris, where rents are only 218 francs per year.
Some high-end luxury apartments cost tens of thousands of francs every year. Some years ago, when the famous Robert Hart came to Paris on a business trip, his assistant Jin Denggan found a four-story house with a garden for Hart at 189 Avenue Marles-Berby, and the rent for half a year was 50,000 francs.
The Latin Quarter where the Sorbonne University is located is not a wealthy area, and the rent is slightly cheaper. However, because there are a large number of students renting houses near the school, the rent in these places is not that cheap.
Pierre took Zhang Xingjiu to see several houses. Zhang Xingjiu chose a moderately priced one with an annual rent of 1,500 francs, a two-bedroom, one-living room layout, and all water, electricity, and gas included. The landlord's maid would come to help him clean the room every week.
"If you live alone, one bedroom will be enough, and the money saved can be used for other things." Seeing how lavishly he spent, Pierre couldn't help but advise him.
Today, the annual salary of a French high school teacher is 7,000 francs, and the annual salary of an engineer who has just graduated from the École Polytechnique in Paris is between 3,000 and 5,000 francs.
Pierre works as a professor and laboratory director at the university. He works long hours and his salary should be high, probably more than 10,000 francs. Even so, he feels that Zhang Xingjiu's spending is a bit extravagant.
"It doesn't matter. I have some confidence in stock market operations. After I have cleaned up the house, I will go to the Bank of France to withdraw the money and invest it in the stock market. In addition, I may have an income this year, so I can fully afford this expense."
Zhang Xingjiu also explained why he rented a two-bedroom apartment. "I like making friends very much. The collision of ideas can often spark inspiration. Sometimes if the conversation lasts too late, I can let the guests rest at home without worrying about them going home late at night and getting into trouble."
Pierre shook his head and smiled. “For me, stocks are much more complicated than physics.”
After signing the contract and paying the deposit, Pierre accompanied him to the nearby Bank of France to withdraw cash. Seeing the balance in Zhang Xingjiu's account, he finally felt relieved. "This money is indeed enough for you to get a bachelor's degree, but I still want to remind you that the stock market is very risky, so it's better to be cautious."
"I won't invest all my money. I will only take action when I encounter a sure opportunity," said Zhang Xingjiu.
Although he was not clear about the French stock market in the 19th century, some principles were universal. Changes in political situation and progress in science and technology would affect the stock market. He only needed to make decisions at several key points according to his memory, allocate funds well, and not go all in easily. He would basically make money.
Pierre was very enthusiastic. After paying the rent, he took Zhang Xingjiu to buy some second-hand furniture to decorate the room. Zhang Xingjiu originally wanted to buy some Chinese kitchen utensils and seasonings to show Pierre his cooking skills, but unfortunately the Chinatown in Paris would not be formed until after World War I, and these things were not available for a while. He could only simply cook a few dishes to entertain the Curies.
Before school started, Zhang Xingjiu led a very regular life. Every morning after getting up and having breakfast, he would go to the stadium of the Sorbonne University to exercise. Then he would go into the library to read when it opened. At noon, he would take the borrowed books back to the apartment to have lunch and take a nap.
I would read books at home when I woke up, and occasionally go for coffee with the Curies. I also met many classmates and teachers from the Department of Physics in the coffee shop. If the conversation was enjoyable, I would invite them to my home, we would have dinner together, and then continue chatting while drinking.
Before the school started, many people in the Physics Department of Sorbonne University knew that a new talented young man from the East had arrived at the school. He had a very deep understanding of mathematics and physics, and was very talkative and hospitable. In the future, if anyone wanted to find a place to have a quiet chat, they could go to him.
Soon, it was time to start school. New students from all over France flocked to the campus, and some students from other countries also came to report. These students were either from neighboring European countries or from France's colonies. There were really few people like Zhang Xingjiu.
Zhang Xingjiu officially started his college career. Today's universities are roughly similar to those in the future. There are many classes to take every day and the teachers' requirements are very strict. Many freshmen are overwhelmed.
As a guy who had attended college several times and obtained several doctoral degrees, he was able to cope with it easily and achieved good results in both professional courses and sports activities.
If he were white, there would probably be girls who would have confessed their love to him. Unfortunately, in this day and age, racial discrimination is a prominent problem, and many girls are obviously interested in him, but no one dares to show any interest in him.
On the weekend of the first week of school, Professor Lippmann held a lecture to welcome the new students and introduce the current development of physics. The first sentence stunned Zhang Xingjiu, "The edifice of physics has been built."
(End of this chapter)
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