Chapter 133: Five Seven Gathering and Parting
The luggage was carried onto the ship piece by piece and stacked in the first-class warehouse.
From inheritance and dowry to wedding details and returning to Hong Kong...all things piled up together, but there was no sign of panic at the Ge Mansion.
Everything is proceeding step by step and in an orderly manner.
Everything that appears orderly and calm is the result of hard preparation in advance.
All the way in the cabin, there was constant chatter about the wedding.
Miya made no secret of her jealousy: "The whole world is busy with Linzy's affairs, but she's just bored and staring blankly."
"If you could get a university diploma at the age of fifteen, earn a salary of over one hundred Swedish kronor a month, easily receive a bonus worth 150,000 Swedish kronor, and become famous all over the world, you can now hide away and bask in the sun with a clear conscience," said Mrs. Ge.
"How much is that?"
"Forty thousand U.S. dollars, eight hundred thousand silver dollars, the total annual salary of eight hundred middle-class Americans."
Amidst everyone's exclamations, Chu Wang stuck out his tongue and quietly slipped to the balcony to bask in the sun.
This is also a kind of knowledge and ability, but it is not her ability.
During the most difficult times in the past, she had barely managed to keep her life from becoming a mess. Now that she was about to leave the Ge Mansion, she immediately walked to Xie Zeyi's side, feeling extremely relieved.
But as she watched the waves surge, she felt so unsure for the first time.
Xu Shaoqian's letter was just a very ordinary question, but it happened to touch her heart.
She was more than one step ahead of her time. In this era and in this discipline, any degree meant little to her.
But with Xu Shaoqian, she always felt that she would never be able to graduate from her training even in her entire life.
If you ask her what she felt before seeing Xu Shaoqian at this moment: she would say - it was like the winter vacation ended in the past, but the winter vacation homework was not finished yet. She stayed in bed with a lantern to finish the homework the night before, but found that she could not finish it even if she stayed up until dawn.
The moment he turned his back on her and Liang Zhang, threw the thunderous shot put onto the scales, and turned to ask her, "What is the mass-energy equation?" she felt a deep sense of fear, and she knew then and there: she was in awe of this man. But in the end, it was Xu Shaoqian, the man most concerned with the greater good, who accompanied her on this most maddening of steps, dragging many top scholars along with her.
If she puts aside everything that Lin Chuwang's identity brings her and just considers herself as Lin Zhi, she only has one choice.
She desperately wanted his approval, just as a student childishly longs for approval from their teacher.
It has nothing to do with the wedding, nor with the hypocritical sense of ritual such as whose hand she will walk to Xie Zeyi's side in the end; she doesn't care even if the person who finally holds her hand and walks into the church is a governor, an earl, or even a president, the Fifth.
She didn't even mind walking towards Xie Zeyi alone. After all, she was an outlier in this era and didn't care what others thought of her from the bottom of her heart.
But she urgently needed a nod or a smile from Xu Shaoqian to tell her: As of this moment, I still recognize the significance of your existence in my era.
She still has to move forward.
Just one sentence, and she would still have the courage to continue going forward with the denial of herself and the guilt that no one knew about.
——
During the three-day voyage, Miya conveyed to her more than once the high expectations that everyone in the Xie family had for her - at all levels - including the most important one, fertility.
She was also told that based on the characteristics of the group of mothers in her family, in order to see the bride in advance, they would probably drag their daughters with them, find more than ten cars in advance, and appear at the dock at the same time to compete for attention.
So before getting off the boat, Miya specifically asked her, "Do you want to sneak out of the crowd with me now, avoid them, and go see the three new houses first?"
She thought for a moment, "Maybe I'd like to go see the science museum first."
Miya probably couldn't think of what was so interesting about the Science Museum compared to the mansion, which was quite disappointing.
Mrs. Ge glanced at her and said to Miya, "The house is right there, you can't run away."
Miya asked, "Could it be possible that a science museum could grow legs?"
"My name is written there, I dare not disrespect it."
Isn't it her name, along with Xie Zeyi's, that's a massive building thrust before Xu Shaoqian like a chastity arch? I wonder how many still remember the scandal Mrs. Xu orchestrated. Perhaps after she, Xu, and Liang won the award together, it'll be brought up again, becoming a huge stain on her life, or perhaps even the ultimate evidence to negate her academic achievements and brand her a dodder. Who knows? She doesn't really care, anyway.
But Xu Shaoqian was a man of his time, and he had to fit himself into the constraints of his time. He wondered what kind of criticism he would face as he watched the towering buildings rise before him and taught his students.
She just couldn't wait to get her teacher's comments on a first draft of her paper.
Mrs. Ge waved her hand and said, "Let her be. You've made enough noise on the boat these few days. Let her be alone." She then put a dark brown coat on her shoulders, handed her the bag, and asked the servant on the boat to take her out through the special passage.
She got on the black Buick at the dock, and the driver kept chattering about the launch of new stores and the opening of new convenience stores... He spoke Cantonese, and she felt as if she was in another world.
The School of Science also had its own independent college. The largest eight-story building had just been completed. Her name was written in eight huge letters on the roof, which was shocking.
She paid the fare and tip to the driver, opened the door and got out.
It seemed like class had just started when a few late female students came running into the school, breathless. She followed them into the brand new teaching building, and the girls disappeared.
We should have hired a lot of new professors. She strolled slowly down the first-floor corridor, past twelve large lecture halls, each filled with students of all colors. She paused and listened for a long time, like a freshman. She smiled. How wonderful? One step closer to his original ideal.
When I went to the second floor, I was looking for someone to ask, but I was facing a very dimly lit classroom.
It was daytime, and the curtains in the large classroom were drawn, covering all the windows except for one, a full-height window, which let in a sliver of dim corridor light. Through that window, she could detect the classroom flickering between light and darkness. She leaned in to see—a pantomime was playing.
Before anyone noticed her, she stood at the corner of the window and watched intently. On the screen, Fred was saying to John Fredson in a panic, "Dad, do you know what being fired by you means? It means going underground!"
At the top of the stairs, a male student was holding the handle of the projector with great excitement.
Below the screen, in the far corner of the first row, Xu Shaoqian sat at the back of the lecture hall, leaning towards her window, intently watching the film with the students. His brows furrowed slightly, his face awash with light, his expression intensely serious.
She quietly pushed open the tightly closed door and walked into the classroom.
The classroom was packed, but many students couldn't find seats behind the last row. I don't know whether they were attracted by the film or by Xu Shaoqian.
She walked over and stood among them, slightly startling a few people around her who turned to look at her.
Only Xu Shaoqian, from his tiny seat in the entire classroom, could see the entire classroom. The moment she sat down, she noticed Xu Shaoqian turn his head and his gaze paused on her face.
One second, two seconds...
Two seconds later, Xu Shaoqian immediately turned his head and continued watching the video, as if she was just a late student.
During those two seconds, she heard several female freshmen around her, who were about her age, let out a small shriek and shouted rather unrestrainedly, "The professor's gaze is so intimidating."
She laughed in her heart: Sure enough, there are still many people who come here for Xu Shaoqian's demeanor.
A male student nearby complained, "This film reel is hard to come by. It won't be easy to pass the professor's class. Be prepared for the questions he might ask after the film is over."
The girl asked back: "Like what?"
The boy asked, "For example, why would a movie with religious significance appear in a physics class?"
Chu Wang nodded with satisfaction: A strict teacher produces excellent students. It seems that there are still many talented students in this class.
After listening to the boy's story, the female student immediately fell silent and immersed herself 100% in the film.
Chu Wang, on the contrary, felt that showing this distorted film again two months after the Great Depression was itself full of Xu Shaoqian-style educational significance.
She remained expressionless, joining everyone in the classroom as they relived this classic film, which would influence over a hundred science fiction films and silent films, for the umpteenth time. From time to time, they would exclaim in amazement at the German-made special effects and sets. Some even questioned, "Are European cities really filled with countless skyscrapers, towering highways, and airplanes flying between them?"
The experienced students all laughed at him for being old-fashioned.
An hour later, the film ended and the students sitting by the window opened the curtains. The sudden strong light that came into the room made many people cover their eyes.
Under the strong parallax, Chu Wang's eyes also felt a stinging pain.
When her eyes narrowed slightly, Xu Shaoqian was still sitting there. He just turned around and his gaze fell on her again, motionless.
She was startled and her eyes widened.
Xu Shaoqian's gaze drew many people's gazes towards her. The heads and faces of all colors in the front row lit up, and gradually they all stared at her.
The students nearby whispered to each other: "Is it because she's late?"
"Tell me, what did you see in the Metropolis?"
The student who hadn't turned around yet asked in confusion: "Professor, who are you going to ask to answer?"
He said, "Linzy."
As soon as he finished speaking, the classroom erupted in excitement: "That controversial Nobel Prize winner?" "The donor of the building in front! She's here too?"
She brushed aside the chaotic voices, took two steps forward, and approached the discussion from a perspective that seemed strange to everyone: "In the world of the metropolis, capitalists are subjects, workers are the people, and science is the devil. But science is a panacea for leaders. To lead a nation, one must establish something that makes the people proud. It's not about showing off, but about confidence and deterrence—at once for both the people and the enemy. These are the ambitions of decision-makers."
"Like what?"
She cleared her throat. "Like skyscrapers, like world-class metropolises, like warships and cannons, like...super weapons."
A curious student immediately interrupted and asked, "What is a super weapon?"
She pursed her lips. "Let's imagine another brand new metropolitan world."
Many people couldn't contain their curiosity and sat a little higher and turned around.
After a pause, Xu Shaoqian said, "Please come to the front and talk."
She took her coat and walked to the front of the classroom, facing over a hundred faces. Xu Shaoqian was on her left, staring at her intently.
After a moment's thought, she said, "Imagine a hundred years from now, my world is filled with countless robots. They look like us, can speak, move, think, and even have emotions. However, their brains aren't filled with cells, nerves, and blood, but with countless copper, cotton, and electrical wires, as well as physics, chemistry, and mathematics programs. If I want to lose weight today, should I eat a banana or a croissant? My brain's innate programming suggests that a croissant has more calories than a banana, so I'll go with the banana."
Amidst the laughter, she relaxed completely and continued, "Humans can make this judgment, too, right? But if I were a robot, I wouldn't understand what you're laughing at. Mathematical and physics formulas can't make people understand humor. Similarly, they can't understand Shakespeare or Confucius. When it comes to problem-solving, humans are naturally slower than robots made up of formulas. Therefore, foreign firms no longer need typists, big bosses don't need secretaries, and tailor shops no longer have tailors... All the mental work that can be solved with formulas is stored in databases, greatly saving time. When you go out, a robot maid will choose the most appropriate outfit for the occasion, matching your coat and shoes. Cars on the street only communicate with each other, negotiating whether to give way to each other. The fastest human-carrying vehicles are also robots. In this vehicle, a ride from Hong Kong to London takes only one minute."
The boy in the last row asked, "Will they one day awaken and rise up in resistance?"
She smiled and repeated, "Look at the repetitive tasks performed day after day by today's working class. How is that different from the robots of the metropolitan era I described? Workers have gone on strike thousands of times, yet this era remains a metropolis ruled by capitalists."
"But you still haven't mentioned what a super weapon is."
She continued, "Let us boldly imagine that one day, Germany's strategic focus will shift westward without having to pass through Verdun. The German Imperial High Command can simply sit at home and press two buttons on a machine, and 20,000 bombs will be launched on Paris and London at the right time, razing the two cities to the ground without any destructive effort."
Another male student immediately asked back, "Then the Queen can also sit at home and press the button of the machine to immediately blow up Erich von Falkenhayn at the headquarters on time."
Chu Wang nodded. "So, when Erich considers the possibility of himself and the Imperial High Command's senior decision-makers being blown up, will he be more cautious than if an entire army were to die?"
Many male students immediately exclaimed: "Chip exchange!"
Just as she was about to continue, she heard a baritone voice from her left: "The pawns only move one step, the general never leaves the Nine Squares, and the chariots travel in a straight line, never going east or west. From now on, war will no longer require soldiers; it will be like a game of chess between two decision-makers sitting opposite each other."
All the noise in the classroom suddenly quieted down.
Chu Wang was shocked.
War is like a game, a theory she'd learned playing an old single-player game in elementary school. Choosing a superweapon, while it's certainly satisfying to destroy the enemy camp, also means the enemy has the right to build it. Choosing this option also means you have to ensure the enemy hasn't built it before you, or that it's more powerful than yours, thus destroying your ability to counterattack.
In human-machine mode, humans are always faster than machines. She'd watched helplessly as power stations, mining carts, and arsenals she'd painstakingly built with hours of effort were destroyed in seconds, and it was heartbreaking. After so many times, she decided to play the game in the non-superweapon mode.
Unexpectedly, after just a few casual remarks, Xu Shaoqian immediately figured out the whole process of her inference.
"The soldiers are not fighting, but fate is playing games," he said.
It turns out that our ancestors had already glimpsed the truth many years ago.
"But have you ever thought about the other extreme?" he asked.
"Which extreme?" When she turned to look at him, the bell in the teaching building rang loudly, but no students left the classroom.
"The full use of physical violence in no way excludes the simultaneous use of wisdom. Therefore, the party that uses violence recklessly and without hesitation will inevitably gain the upper hand if the other party does not do the same. In this way, they force the other party to do the same, and both sides will tend to extremes. This tendency is not limited by any other constraints except the internal restraining forces." Xu Shaoqian still did not move, as if time had stood still. Only his lips moved, and he turned to all the students and said, "get out of class is dismissed."
After a long silence, students began to pack their backpacks and leave.
Neither she nor Xu Shaoqian moved.
There seemed to be no class next period, so no students came into the classroom to disturb us.
It seemed like a century had passed before she heard Xu Shaoqian say, "Sit down and talk."
She sat down in the first row of desks facing him, and moved her sweaty palms nervously. "I'm just making a reasonable assumption."
"Of course you can make a reasonable assumption. Because for you, this place is also largely like a game of fate, isn't it?"
"Players never stake their lives on any game." She was completely unprepared for the consequences of allowing this weapon to arrive prematurely. She tried to speculate, but knew it was unreliable. She knew she was going crazy, and that she might drag hundreds of millions of people down with her. But she knew she wasn't treating this as a game. Otherwise, why would she trust Xu Shaoqian so firmly, believing he could make her madness effective?
"Back to the question, when does a Ziploc bag kill a deer?"
"Three seconds."
"Very clear." Xu Shaoqian smiled. "Then, if the moment you opened your eyes, you were not Lin Chuwang, but Sakuma Ichiro. From the moment you were born, you have felt a love for your mother. She loves you, cherishes you, and shields you from the storm... just like your own mother."
She heard his question.
He continued, "Today this rubber bag is over her head. What will you do in these three seconds?"
"I can't be both Lin Zhi and Sakuma Ichiro."
"So you're conflicted, just as you've been internally struggling for months," he said.
"If I can't avoid the fate of becoming an executioner, I would rather put a rubber bag over my head."
"No. Lin Zhi, you're still not ready to answer my question." He shook his head, staring into her eyes, seeming a little disappointed. "There's a British travelogue about a hunter who accidentally picked up a tiger cub while hunting..."
"I've heard that travelogue, Professor Xu," she said loudly. "I wouldn't carry a pistol in my pocket ready for it at any time, because I don't know how to use a pistol. If I had known it was a ferocious beast, I would have put a rope around its neck from the beginning and sawed off its sharp teeth, making it tame. I would never have to worry about endangering my life."
Xu Shaoqian smiled and shook his head. "Then why did you bring it home? Every day since you sawed off its teeth, you will never forget the look on its face when it suffered the damage it inflicted upon you, defenseless and harmless. That look will condemn you forever, and it will haunt you for the rest of your life, Lin Zhi."
"So what? It's better than having my neck bitten off by it one day—"
"One day? To be half a step ahead of the times is a genius, to be one step ahead of the times is a madman."
She lost control of her emotions. "God knows how much I wish it wasn't Lin Zhi who opened my eyes, but someone wise and intelligent who knows everything about astronomy, geography, military affairs, and politics, and can see the big picture. History needs heroes, but unfortunately, I'm not one. But I always feel that there must be a reason for sending a mediocre lunatic like me here, right?"
"Lin Zhi."
When she heard this, her face turned pale and her eyes red as she looked up. Xu Shaoqian slowly emerged from behind the desk and moved towards her.
She was stunned.
Just because Xu Shaoqian had been sitting in a wheelchair before.
He sat behind the desk the whole time, so she thought he was just sitting there like other professors, maybe a little tired after teaching for a long time, that's all.
But who knew he was sitting in a wheelchair?
“How…what’s going on?”
When she looked down, she saw that one of his feet was bent awkwardly inward under the leg of his trousers.
"Don't be careful, the wheel of your right foot hit it." Xu Shaoqian said, "Don't worry. It's nothing serious. It's just a little harder to stand, but you can walk."
She was a little confused. She looked at Xu Shaoqian again and saw him walk up to her, facing her in a not very polite manner, with his body slightly tilted to the left.
It seemed as if he had been half-facing the crowd ever since she first came in.
Her heart was shocked: "Besides feet, what else is there?"
There was silence for a while.
She was keenly aware: "Right ear?"
"Deaf," he announced calmly.
She was a little bit incredulous. "It's definitely not as simple as being run over by a wheel by accident."
"Everything has a price."
She covered her eyes to control her emotions, not daring to look at Xu Shaoqian. It was as if all the punishment that might befall Xie Zeyi would fall upon Xu Shaoqian as retribution.
She heard Xu Shaoqian's voice getting closer. "The me you see now is the you Liang Zhang and I don't want to see. Even if you try to compromise, sooner or later, many years later, someone will make the asphyxiation theory public. It's not too late, before a larger earthquake causes devastation. You're not ready. Otherwise, when I discuss this with you in an extremely calm tone, you will still think I'm blaming you, simply because deep down you can't forgive yourself. That's why I beg you again to let yourself go."
Her eyes burned and she clenched her teeth.
God knows how much she wishes that the one who opens her eyes instead of hers is a great man who is well-versed in history and modern times, a man who is indomitable, immune to all poisons, fearless and thoughtful.
This person could even be a treacherous hero, killing people like crazy, bloodthirsty and killing everything, regardless of whether it is good or evil, as long as it is not beneficial to him, he will kill them all, and he is not afraid of being infamous for eternity.
History and current affairs require remarkable figures, but unfortunately, she is just a mortal.
He stopped asking questions and slowly and uncomfortably rose from his wheelchair. He was still tall and straight, but his right foot was slightly lame, and he involuntarily leaned to the right as he walked, and he slowly walked out of the classroom.
Who hurt him?
She was too weak to ask again.
All she knew was that she might have disappointed him at this moment.
——
How to let go of yourself?
She locked herself in the Ge Mansion for many days, thinking.
As the wedding date drew closer, as soon as the Xie family sent out the invitation, it seemed as if all the celebrities in Hong Kong were rushing to make friends with him, and the Ge Mansion became more and more lively.
Even Mr. Qiao, who had been wandering abroad for many years, returned from England.
Mrs. Qiao had lost her wife, and with the Lin family's experience, she was even more afraid of losing her troops. She would go crazy at home: smashing things, swearing... She scared the servants in the house, including Leon.
It wasn't until Mr. Qiao came personally that day that Chu Wang realized how Madam Ge had quietly caused unrest in the Qiao household. The Lin family was Madam Su's husband's family, but when it came to Madam Qiao, Madam Ge's complaint, combined with the fortune-teller's testimony fabricated by the Lin family's old lady, practically accused Madam Qiao of theft.
Mr. Qiao still had the handsome features of the past, but his hair had turned mostly white. Sitting before Mrs. Ge, he seemed over ten years older than her and his presence was much less impressive.
He spoke a touching speech, but Mrs. Ge remained silent. At the end, she only left him with a resounding, "Forgive her? Then who will forgive me?"
Mr. Qiao left sadly.
Chu Wang sighed after hearing this, and suddenly he became a little more sober.
She was just an ordinary person, and all she knew was a piece of tearful history and knowledge that was a century ahead of her time.
There must be a reason why God sent someone like her, right?
Anyone in the world could easily let them go.
But if even she lets go of that group of people of this era, who will let go of herself?
Such a conclusion... She smiled bitterly but could not make a sound.
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