Chapter 24: The 24th Choir and One of the Reviewers
After the wedding, the girls in Qiao Mansion became a little different.
After seeing the ways of the Ge Mansion, Miss Xue changed her pampered ways. Perhaps compared to the wonderful people in the Ge Mansion, the maids in the Qiao Mansion were no longer to her liking, so she simply told Mrs. Qiao that she had grown up and no longer needed maids to serve her.
Hearing her say this, Yunyan, who was a few months older than Xue Zhenzhen, naturally did not want to be outdone and handed over her maid to show her independence.
Chu Wang didn't even look at his two sisters, and just said: "I'm still young and can't leave Die'er."
After the May 30th Massacre, the Shanghai girls in the class were extremely angry, but they received repeated warnings from Mr. Wilson: students of the Hong Kong Girls' School must not participate in the movement, otherwise they would be expelled.
Lin Yu also wrote several letters reminding the two Lin girls to be good students and not to be instigated to cause trouble. He also mentioned in his letters that he had tentatively arranged a marriage for Zitong with the daughter of a renowned Shanghai doctor, surnamed Xu. The Xu girl was a student at the Shanghai Chinese and Western Girls' School and was two years older than Yunyan. They were to marry upon graduation.
Chu Wang couldn't help but think that Xie Miya's poor older sister was about to suffer a heartbreak. She had met that older sister once. She was taller than Xie Miya, but not as agile. She exuded an air of nobility, perhaps because she wanted to shed her Chinese heritage and become a true British person. But she pushed too hard, becoming a bit out of place.
Before summer vacation, the nun came over with a choir registration form. Girls who filled out the form would officially become choir members starting next semester and could attend weekend morning services. Lin Chuwang had no idea when the girls in the class became so passionate about singing, but except for her, every one of them filled out the form. When Xie Miya returned from the nun with a pen, she proudly waved her hand at Chuwang and said, "Don't worry about not being able to squeeze in with them. I took the brunt of the pressure and rushed forward to fill in your name. Why don't you thank me?"
Chu Wang had a question mark on his forehead: "When did I say I was going?"
Xie Miya chuckled softly and said, "Don't tell me you don't know what fun there is in the choir? Your two sisters are more enthusiastic than you!"
She stroked her chin and thought, what is a choir? Aunts and uncles who come to worship?
Xie Miya patted her and said, "No matter what, you have to accompany me! I'll be too bored if you don't go!" Then she ran out of the school gate, jumped into the Xie family's car and left.
At the tailor shop, Mr. Saumier and Chu Wang's interests expanded from lipstick to perfume. The licorice scent of Champagne No. 5 was extremely popular at the time, a favorite among the upper class, from wealthy ladies to socialites. Mr. Saumier jokingly called it "the fragrance of a classy social gathering." Lin Chu Wang preferred woody scents like pine, cypress, and birch, while Mr. Saumier preferred chamomile. Mrs. Ruan, who had little experience with perfume, said she could always buy whatever the wealthy ladies bought.
Although they lived under the same roof, Aunt Michelle in the other building seldom appeared in public - probably because Master Joe had taught her: pay respects to the mistress as early as possible when it was time to do so, and disappear completely when it was not time to show up, so as not to be scolded by the mistress.
It had been a long time since she'd last heard from Si Yansang. Just when Lin Chuwang thought she'd offended her fiancé, another letter from Germany arrived at the Qiao Residence. Ever since Yunyan had disgraced herself at the Ge Residence on the eve of Qiao Maling's wedding, prompting a scolding from Mrs. Qiao, Mrs. Qiao had become more attentive to the upbringing of her three daughters. She'd overheard Xue Zhenzhen's suggestion of "going to Repulse Bay to sunbathe," and finally, on the first afternoon of summer vacation, the family decided to head to the beach.
Before the group, donning long skirts and sunhats, headed out to the bus, the postman arrived. Chu Wang had learned her lesson this time: seeing the heavily stamped letter, she was the first to grab it. Ever since her period began, Yunyan's growth had slowed. Meanwhile, Lin Chuwang's height was increasing rapidly, and she was on the verge of surpassing her sister—so when it came to snatching things, Lin Yunyan had lost her inherent advantage.
After getting on the bus, she sat far away from Yunyan and opened the letter.
Chu Wang,
It's been over a year since I left Shaoxing, and I've always wondered how I could get some news about you. I even often resent you for not being a world-famous figure, and I always try to find out what you're doing. I always think I'm being too intrusive and annoying you. But I'm always worried about you, wondering if you're doing well.
Since there's no reply, I'll just chat with you and tell you what I've been up to. This June, I'll leave Germany for England to continue my studies at Sherburn High School for another year before going on to university. Germany and England have signed many treaties, but prices in Berlin haven't improved. I used to aspire to be like Gu Weijun, but in the past two years, I've seemed quite interested in the literature department at Cambridge University. If my father knew I was improving my Chinese while in Germany, I'm afraid he'd publish a story in the newspapers and tell the whole country: would he expel this unfilial son from the family?
I don’t know if you laughed.
I recently visited Bavaria and stayed at a farmhouse. The milk there was surprisingly rich and fragrant. One day, while drinking it, I thought: I wonder if you, at your aunt's house, also insist on a glass of milk every morning, just like the ladies in other European families? It struck me as quite endearing.
I don’t know if you can read these few words.
The spring scenery outside the window is so beautiful, it’s better to go out for a walk more often.
Books cannot express all my thoughts.
Happy Spring.
Yan Sang
26.04
Munich in the 14th year of the Republic of China
The second page contained a poem, which Chu Wang had memorized in his previous life. However, the one he held in his hands now was a handwritten manuscript, copied once in German, English, and Chinese, each language and each font being very neat and beautiful.
Finally, there's a photo: Under the blue sky and white clouds of Bavaria, he and a group of German boys in overalls are playfully milking cows in a pasture. Although the black and white photo doesn't show color, this new old photo is very textured.
Chu Wang carefully stroked the little face in the photo, then quickly put the letter away and put it in the innermost layer of his backpack.
——
Everyone in the car chatted for a while, then drifted off to sleep in the sun. I don't know if two hours had passed before the car stopped outside a Repulse Bay hotel.
After the car stopped, his wife led them out of the hotel and rented a shed on the beach. The shallow, fjord-like bay was backed by a mountain, with the hotel nestled at the foot of it. A gust of wind blew across the sandy fjord, sometimes damp and sometimes refreshing.
On the beach, young men and women chatted clamorously, and the small fjord seemed to hold the world's languages. Lin Chuwang lay in a chair, sipping juice and watching all sorts of monsters and demons dart back and forth before her. Yunyan and Zhenzhen both wanted to bask in the sun like the white people on the beach, but Chuwang was reluctant. The sun was scorching, and without protection, they were afraid of getting sunburned, so she advised them to go later. Unfortunately, she had never had much say in her two sisters' opinions, so they ignored her and headed straight for the shallows.
It's easy to get a heat stroke on the beach this summer, especially with two spoiled little girls. Because heatstroke is so common, the hotel always has a cool-down mint and ginger soup on hand for guests. Mrs. Qiao was drowsy from the heat, and Lin Chuwang, who didn't particularly enjoy the humid, scorching wind on the beach, volunteered to return to the hotel to get some cool-down soup for everyone.
Because it was built on the mountainside, the Repulse Bay Hotel had three steps per floor, and the floors were staggered. From time to time, from the bottom of a flight of stairs, one could see a man and a woman kissing in the shadows on the balcony of a guest room not far away. Seeing this, Dier felt it was unsightly, so she hurriedly took her up the stairs and into the hotel. In the evening, the tables and chairs in the center of the hotel were removed, and the room was decorated like a ballroom. Lunchtime had passed, and the servants had already cleared the dance floor for use that night. Few people were dining, but a group of young people in their twenties were chasing and playing around in the hotel. They seemed to be students from the University of Hong Kong who had come to the beach for summer vacation.
The group of college students, both male and female, were fighting in the restaurant, thrashing back and forth. Chu Wang followed Die'er, carefully dodging, but was still knocked off balance by a man and a woman. The girl's hand, which looked like a stack of white flyers, immediately fell to the ground.
Die'er protected Chu Wang and angrily scolded the two men, "You are so old, yet you don't have any manners outside."
The two of them apologized to Die'er and Lin Chuwang very embarrassedly, while frantically picking up the flyers on the ground. Chuwang and Die'er were surrounded by flyers, and it was not convenient to step on the pile of white flyers to leave, so they had to lower their heads and help the two of them pick up the flyers one by one.
When Chu Wang bent down to pick up something, he saw the advertisement on it and was suddenly stunned.
Above is a recruitment notice from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Publishing House, with nine big words written on it: Recruiting scientific paper reviewers.
Applicants with a bachelor's degree or above are required to be proficient in English academic syntax and be familiar with the use of Latin in academic papers.
There is no requirement for the work location. You can leave your address and send the paper to be revised to the reviewer's home. After the revision, it can be mailed to the inbox of the Faculty of Science Press of the University of Hong Kong.
Finally, candidates must pass an interview. Please provide your degree certificate, published papers, and peer-reviewed manuscripts. Salary is calculated based on the number of words in the paper and is negotiable.
Chu Wang's eyes couldn't move away from the word "salary". Die'er called her several times before she came to her senses and hesitantly returned the stack of advertisements to the female college student.
The female university student took the flyer and, perhaps still feeling embarrassed about the incident, she explained with a talkative smile, "There's been a strike recently, and several reviewers have left. When the publishing house first opened, they couldn't bear to shut down, and they couldn't find reviewers in Shanghai or Guangzhou. They were so desperate that they sent us to Repulse Bay to see if there were any returned overseas Chinese or white people willing to serve as reviewers."
Chu Wang suppressed his excitement and asked cautiously, "I do know someone who can be a reviewer. Could you please give me an advertisement? I'll go back and ask her if she's willing."
The female student was naturally delighted. She handed her an advertisement and continued to explain, "If she's willing, she can call the office directly and schedule an appointment. Of course, she can also go directly on weekdays. However, they are worried about student unrest lately, so foreign soldiers have been guarding the outside of the school. It's not easy to get in without an introduction."
Chu Wang thanked the female student and carefully tucked the flyer into his bag. As he headed towards the beach, Chu Wang's excitement quickened as he took his summer-cooling soup. Die'er probably had her doubts, but she never asked her masters any questions, so she followed Lin Chu Wang silently, walking even faster.
Of course, she didn't know any other reviewers whom she could "go back and ask for her opinion" because the only one who could be a perfect reviewer was Lin Zhi herself.
The author has something to say: I feel like I'm not really suited to the writing style of farming literature... I always feel so depressed!! If I write fast, I'm afraid you'll think it's a rambling account, and if I write slow, I'm afraid you'll think it's just foot-binding cloth!!! Sometimes, when I'm writing!!! I really want a bolt of lightning to strike!! Six years have passed!!! I'm just going to brush off what happened in these years and get straight to the point of falling in love!!! Ahhhhhhhh
But there are so many things to discuss before falling in love!!! There are also so many unexpected events!!
Sometimes when I finish writing a chapter and put it up here, I always feel that it will deepen your disappointment... I feel very sad silently.
—————————————The author’s crazy dividing line———————————————————
In addition: During the May 30th Movement, the University of Hong Kong was on strike for about a year. In theory, it should have been very short of staff, so this period should have occurred during this period.
The heroine's thinking isn't unprogressive; it's because she already knew that period of history. A nation is no longer a nation, and feeble resistance won't change history. But the scientific development of the old era can't be stopped!
ps: An important character will appear briefly in the next chapter.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
The flight was cancelled. I am in tears. Please add another chapter.
——————————————————————————————————————————————
There's another chapter around 1:30 p.m., so I should be able to go out today.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
