Chapter 60 Patient 4
Although the particle bombardment experiment here was full of twists and turns, it was still proceeding in an orderly manner. Chu Wang and Xu Shaoqian were teased by everyone in Xu's house for a long time, and it came to a temporary end when Leon and Xu Wenjun finally welcomed the new students of Queen's College.
After the first week of classes, Xu Wenjun returned to the Xu Residence with a sad face. Mrs. Xu wanted to ask him about it, but Xu Wenjun slammed the door and refused to come out.
Xue Zhenzhen would stay in Ge Mansion for three days a week and refused to leave, using the excuse of bringing Leon to see Chu Wang.
Mrs. Ge teased her with a smile, "You always stay here with me. Aren't you afraid that when you go back, Mrs. Qiao will tell your father, 'You've completely devoted yourself to my socialite training school'?"
Zhenzhen pouted and said, "Then I want to join. Will you accept me as your student?"
Mrs. Ge looked her up and down and said with a smile, "You've been acting like a spoiled brat ever since you were a child. Everyone has to look up to you. Men have to worship you like a living Buddha, 'to be admired from afar but not to be played with.' So, what can I offer to keep you?"
Xue Zhenzhen had already suffered setbacks from Ye Wenyu, so she naturally knew what Mrs. Ge meant. Her words stung her heart, and Xue Zhenzhen gritted her teeth and said, "How did Mrs. Ge know she couldn't keep him?"
Chu Wang and Xie Miya were both sitting on the sofa in the distance, looking over here from afar.
Xue Zhenzhen glanced at everyone in the hall, cleared her throat slightly, took two steps to get started, and then sang a section of "Begonia", the most popular song in Shanghai today.
After she finished singing, Chu Wang was stunned. He also understood what she meant by "spitting pearls and coughing jade" on the boat returning from Shanghai, so he couldn't help but cheer along with Xie Miya.
Xue Zhenzhen calmed down a bit and asked Mrs. Ge expectantly, "How is it?"
Mrs. Ge listened to it, but she continued to drink her tea and chuckled, "Just barely."
From that day on, in addition to speaking English with Mr. Henry, Chu Wang was also forced by Mrs. Ge with a small whip to dance with Xie Miya and Zhenzhen, from tango to rumba, which made Chu Wang groan in pain.
Beyond these two hardships, from the moment she picked up her morning teacup, her every move, every expression, every smile, was conditioned by Mrs. Ge's strict rules. For example, the way she held the cup while drinking tea, the movements, direction, and frequency of stirring were all prescribed. Exceeding these rules was considered inappropriate behavior. Another example: when smiling at someone, she couldn't show her teeth—since ancient times, showing teeth in a smile was a form of flattery, a lowly expression used by servants to please their masters. A superior smile should never show a single tooth.
It is very difficult to smile without showing teeth, and at the same time make the smile look natural and beautiful.
Since then, Mrs. Ge has proposed a new rule called - expression control and management.
Xie Miya, having been in elementary school, naturally understood the numerous rules of the Ge Mansion. Chu Wang couldn't remember them all, so she found paper and pen, and Mrs. Ge wrote each one down, making it easier to remember later. Mrs. Ge was also very patient, sometimes correcting her mistakes: "The early bird catches the worm; it's a good thing to be willing to learn."
Only a few days after the newly tailored clothes were delivered, Mrs. Ge called in the tailor again, saying that he wanted to make her new clothes for winter. Chu Wang had no choice but to persuade Mrs. Ge with both reason and emotion: "I change five outfits a day and can wear a different outfit for two months. It's not too late to make new clothes after I wear all the clothes in the closet."
"So what? The servants at the Ge Mansion aren't incapable of washing everything," Mrs. Ge said, angrily. "You should learn from those two maids: they all come to me eagerly, begging for my guidance. Your aunt wants nothing more than to nurture you. It's such a great opportunity, but you don't know how to cherish it. These days, every lady from a prestigious family has a unique skill: Zhenzhen can sing Peking opera, Miya can sing opera, so what about you? What can you do?"
"I can play the piano."
"Who can't play the piano? You don't need to impress everyone with your performances like a pianist in a grand occasion. Just knowing a few fashionable moves will be enough," Mrs. Ge said. "In the future, when you have to socialize, and someone asks you what you can do, you say, 'I can do scientific experiments.' Wouldn't that make people laugh?"
Chu Wang stuck out his tongue and scurried back to his room. Mrs. Ge watched from behind, smiled helplessly, and then let her be, letting her be happy.
Although she was determined to get her to learn more, she mostly let Chu Wang indulge her nature and do what she liked. However, there were only three things that she had to learn well: English, proper manners, and ballroom dancing, and Chu Wang was absolutely unambiguous about it.
As for the other two girls, Mrs. Ge's teaching had reached a rather strange level.
One day, Chu Wang came downstairs and was about to go to Yau Ma Tei. When he passed by the reception room, he suddenly heard the following conversation:
Mrs. Ge: "...As for the so-called flirting, since ancient times, you've all assumed that it has to be initiated by the man, so you just sit there and wait for people to come to you? Or do you want to outshine everyone else, to have a roomful of men vying for you, fighting until they get bruised and bloodied, and whoever wins wins you? Of course, that's not the way it works, is it? In so-called social situations, most couples are pre-set. Even in casual and free-spirited interactions, you must have one goal in mind: how to make him notice you, let down his guard and come to you, and only make him—and not someone else—come to you. That's a whole science."
After hearing this, Xue Zhenzhen suddenly threw herself into Xie Miya's arms, half pretending to be serious. She cried out in a shrill voice, "Sir! I'm sorry! I soiled your tuxedo! Please take it off and let me wash it for you..."
Xie Miya hugged her in her arms and laughed happily.
Zhenzhen half-lay in her arms and asked, "Like this?"
Mrs. Ge said coldly, "So you're joking. Why don't I find it funny?"
Mrs. Ge didn't even smile, but took two steps straight out. The two maids also suppressed their laughter and listened quietly. Mrs. Ge walked to a pot of azalea. The azalea was in full bloom, intense and powerful, but in the next moment it would be too gorgeous and wither away. Mrs. Ge was also wearing a black soft silk cheongsam with purple crabapple petals blooming on it. She glanced at Zhenzhen, her eyebrows slowly lowered, leaving only a slowly fading smile to the two maids behind her. After the smile faded, both of them doubted whether the smile just now had really existed. When they looked at Mrs. Ge again, she had her back to them and was sniffing the flowers - this made people feel a little disappointed, and they also wanted to see if the flowers were really so beautiful and what kind of fragrance they had. - "If there are flowers to be picked, pick them immediately, don't wait until there are no flowers and break the branches empty", the ancients were not deceiving us.
When both of them were stunned and couldn't help but take a step forward, Mrs. Ge turned back and asked, "Do you understand? You want him to think you are a beautiful misunderstanding, so you sincerely want this misunderstanding to become a reality. Look at the object, not the person. This is called - the drunkard's intention is not the wine."
Chu Wang, who was putting on her shoes at the door, heard and saw it all. Having been single for over 25 years in her previous life, she was horrified: it turns out that flirting with men is such an extraordinary skill!
But if it is performed well, like Mrs. Ge, it is an art; if a Frankenstein with a lack of facial expressions like her were to perform, it would be like a car accident scene in every minute.
She tutted her tongue and thought: "Let others interpret such a pleasing scene. She is only suitable for studying Rutherford scattering formula."
——
Unexpectedly, three weeks later, this teaching was put into practical use.
All social engagements at the Ge Mansion had been postponed until the weekend, so weekends were also the time she'd visit the Qiao Mansion. Perhaps it was simply too comfortable to stay at the Ge Mansion, but sometimes, on Saturdays, after teaching Latin at the Xu residence, she'd unknowingly get off the bus right outside. That day, she wore a half-length, slate-gray gown with a rounded collar. The plainness of the gown was shone by the raindrops dripping onto her shoulders, casting a faint, plum-blossom-like hue. The doors of the Ge Mansion were open, a vibrant scene. From the brightly lit ballroom to the lawn, all manner of gentlemen and ladies filled the space.
She carefully dodged the crowd and reached the stairs. Just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, a middle-aged man, who looked to be in his early forties, with a dark yellow square face, slightly droopy eyes, and a slightly bald head with a pointed shape. He was well-dressed and walked up to her holding a high-heeled glass. He asked with a smile, "Did you get wet? Would you like some Lizhu? To prevent a cold... Hmm?"
The ambiguous "hmm" at the end of the sentence, accompanied by the ambiguous smile on the man's face, almost made her shiver. She could easily come up with unromantic words. But this was a guest invited by Mrs. Ge, and she was afraid that Mrs. Ge would have financial interactions with him in the future, so she didn't dare to carelessly touch on his feelings with words. Just as she was worrying, Xie Miya walked out from behind her like a god, and very naturally took the man's arm. With a naughty and innocent smile, she led him three or four steps away from Chu Wang, saying, "I've been looking for you for a long time. Why are you here?" As she spoke, she turned back and winked at Chu Wang, indicating that she should take the opportunity to go upstairs quickly.
Chu Wang climbed a few steps and heard Xie Miya feigning surprise from afar. "Oh! It's Mr. Zhao! I confused you with Mr. Jiang. I'm so sorry! Mr. Jiang isn't as tall, majestic, and gentlemanly as you. I simply admire Mr. Zhao. So, Mr. Zhao wouldn't tell Mr. Jiang about this rude remark secretly, would he?"
Xie Miya took quite a while to finally coax Mr. Zhao into a frenzy of joy. Everyone knew that Mrs. Ge had almost already found a partner for the banquet tonight, and since Xie Miya had Mr. Jiang, Mr. Zhao naturally kept a polite distance from her.
After finally getting rid of the person, Xie Miya ran upstairs in one breath, carried Chu Wang into the living room on the second floor, and pulled her to sit on the sofa facing the floor-to-ceiling window.
"You and Zhenzhen have to thank me tonight!" Xie Miya pointed at herself and took credit with a smile.
"Thank you so much!" Chu Wang said with a smile, "What about Zhenzhen?"
Xie Miya nodded outside and said, "The show is about to begin."
"What's the show?"
"That Mr. Ye is here tonight with a friend. Zhenzhen was waiting for you upstairs and happened to see you. As for young people, my aunt never pairs up with them. Among the young girls, there is a Miss Lu who plays the guqin very well, so she has taken all the limelight tonight. Mr. Ye's friends are also fascinated by her, and a group of people are gathered around her to listen to her music. I nudged Zhenzhen and urged her, 'What did my aunt teach you the other day? Why don't you try it out?' She said, 'After playing tennis that day, I was She had completely seen through Ye Wenyu's foolish nature and had no interest in him anymore. 'I said, 'No matter how foolish he is, you have already failed him once in your life. You will always be inferior to him when you see him in the future. You will never regain your confidence and will never be able to turn things around.' She was a little shaken. So I continued, saying, 'You can go out and have fun once in a while. Your father won't know. Besides, who here knows your name except Ye Wenyu?' So she went, which is what happened just now. Hey, here it comes——"
As the piano music of "Six Records of a Floating Life" began to play, the boys gathered around the girl playing the instrument suddenly and spontaneously made room for her—for Zhenzhen. She wore a lively, bright yellow cheongsam, its hem reaching past her ankles and embroidered with silvery-white ginkgo leaves. Her hair was tied in a small bun, making her face appear even smaller and more delicate. As the music grew more captivating, she sang with a sorrowful heart: "...Once we've met, we've known each other. How could meeting be better than never seeing each other? How could I say goodbye to you, to spare us the pain of longing for each other through life and death..."
Xue Zhenzhen sang to herself, her expression cold and silent. As she walked, her high heels tapped back and forth, the hem of her cheongsam brushing faintly against Ye Wenyu's leather shoes. His feet couldn't tell through the leather of her shoes whether the beauty's cheongsam was made of soft silk or satin; but the owner's thoughts were stirred. Even distant observers like Chu Wang and Xie Miya could sense that Ye Wenyu's eyes followed Zhenzhen's gaze, clear and bright, a touch of emotion, a sense of discovery, a sense of admiration from afar, a reluctance to interrupt, and a pleading hope that she would turn around and look at him.
Xie Miya smiled and took a bite of the cantaloupe, then stuffed a slice into Chu Wang's mouth.
Chu Wang narrowed his eyes and sighed with a smile: "What my aunt taught me is really useful."
——
Mrs. Ge didn't allow Chu Wang to participate in most of the social activities at her mansion. Similarly, Mrs. Ge refused to allow Zhenzhen to spend the weekend at her mansion. But ever since Xue Zhenzhen, following Mrs. Ge's words and deeds, successfully "lured" Ye Wenyu into taking the bait, from that day on, Ye Wenyu has been looking for every possible way to come to the Ge mansion. Mrs. Ge heard a little about this and pondered for a long time. She called Chu Wang and Miya and asked, "Who do you think he has his eye on here?"
Chu Wang laughed. However, in order to conceal the fact that Zhenzhen secretly participated in the banquet at the Ge Mansion, she decided to keep it secret from Mrs. Ge.
Zhenzhen never showed up at any event at the Ge Mansion again, so Ye Wenyu was disappointed every time he went, arriving with high expectations only to return disappointed. Xie Miya saw it all and reported it to Zhenzhen without fail. Finally, she added, "I bet if he doesn't look for you again, he won't be able to hold back and will stop you on your way home from school to express his feelings."
Zhenzhen thought about it seriously and said, "If he really comes, then I will agree to him."
Miya and Chu Wang were both a little surprised. Miya asked with a smile, "Don't you mind that he was abandoned by our most hated Miss Lin Er?"
Zhenzhen smiled and said seriously, "Although Mrs. Ge said, 'Let him think this is a beautiful misunderstanding,' you and I both know it—this is naked seduction. Even the best kind of seduction is still seduction. I seduced him first because I still have feelings for him, and I can't deny it. Don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you. So when you asked me to show off yesterday, I thought carefully about this question: 'Do I still like him?' After figuring it out, I told myself: If I succeed, I'll get along well with him. If I fail, the worst that can happen is that I'll lose face again. I achieved my goal, but kicked him away, just to satisfy my own noble vanity—so what's the difference between me and Lin Yunyan?"
Then, Zhenzhen said, "What about you? You're so young, are you really willing to date Mr. Jiang? You're better off than me, so it shouldn't be a problem for you to pick any outstanding boy you want."
Xie Miya smiled and did not answer, just brushing off the question.
Later one day when Zhenzhen was not around, Xie Miya finally opened up to Chu Wang about this issue.
"I don't want to discuss this issue with her because I'm jealous of her," she said with a smile.
"I'm jealous of her, madly jealous, simply because compared to her, I feel even more despicable. In my prime, how could I not want to be like her, to have a passionate and free love affair with a young and beautiful boy? Rushing around, getting hurt - but I don't have the capital or the confidence. My father is rich, but he can't compete with the many sisters in my family. My father loves me and will definitely prepare a generous dowry for me in the future - maybe it seems generous to others, but for me, it's far from enough. I can even foresee that if I don't fight for it, my future marriage will be... My life would inevitably be many notches lower than before I got married. I'm a money-worshiper, so even if many good men pursued me, beyond their handsome, youthful faces and gentlemanly demeanor, I had to carefully consider whether they could afford me. Those with lesser family backgrounds were immediately ruled out. Those with more established families might not be willing to give him a bastard wife. Therefore, my range of choices was greatly reduced... I loved the comfortable life that money brought me, but I also clearly understood the price I had to pay for it.
"Besides, what's wrong with Mr. Jiang? He's rich and powerful, mature and steady, knowledgeable and tolerant of my many tempers. Mrs. Ge knows me very well. In her opinion, Mr. Jiang is a very good match for me, isn't he much better than that childish Ye Wenyu?" She fiddled with the pot of begonias that Mrs. Ge placed on the coffee table and smiled to herself, but her smile was a little uncertain. After a while, she asked Chu Wang, "What about you? I heard from Zhenzhen that the boy brought a huge teddy bear across the ocean to find you just to please you. It seems like a good marriage proposal. So do you love him?"
"Maybe he'd be a perfect match, but... I'm not so sure about love, because I don't really understand it." Chu Wang thought carefully and said with a smile. This was the truth: in her previous life, she had been too much of a homebody, spending all her free time with Billy. Therefore, she had never had the opportunity to fall in love, and she had no right to discuss the word with her.
"I think you're a very rational person, quiet, yet very purposeful in your actions," Miya said. "But being too rational often has nothing to do with love. Marriage—the kind of thing that can make a woman lose her mind—isn't it something that's done on impulse, without considering the consequences? Therefore, I also understand that my purpose for Mr. Jiang was too clear, so it was definitely not love. What about you?"
Chu Wang actually had no time to consider this question. Whether in her previous life or this life—she had too many other things to do, and there was no way she could distract herself from falling in love. She was too busy—too busy to have time for love.
She was a keen observer, often preferring to hide behind the crowd, observing everything from a bird's-eye view, occasionally letting out a sigh or a sneer. She lacked a sense of participation in most matters, save for one: her professional knowledge. She devoted herself to her studies and pondered a problem, often requiring an extremely simple environment to allow her to give her full, complete attention—the results would satisfy her completely.
Why do women have to have love?
Since college, she has thought about this question countless times when she saw the girls around her devoting themselves wholeheartedly to their lovers, not turning back until they hit a wall and ended up with broken heads.
Why can't men and women each do their own job, achieve the best in their respective fields, and then walk straight into marriage?
Love is merely the driving force of evolution, a hormone. The positive consequences of hormones are the passing of genes to offspring. The negative effects of hormones are the driving force behind their desperation.
So why can't we just skip the negative effects of hormones and achieve the former effect directly?
Of course, she couldn't convey these thoughts to Xie Miya. Many of her thoughts were incomprehensible, so in most cases, she chose to remain silent.
——
In addition to the girls in the Ge Mansion, the boys in the Xu family also have troubles.
Most of the time Zhenzhen visited the Ge Mansion, it was when Chu Wang was taking Leon to the Xu family to learn Latin. One day, Zhenzhen left Leon in the living room downstairs and quietly went upstairs to tell Chu Wang, "Leon's been a little... weird lately. He won't talk to anyone, and I'm worried he'll have problems, you know?"
Chu Wang didn't initially notice Leon's problem, but she was the first to notice Xu Wenjun's quirk. One day, while teaching Latin at Xu's house, she suddenly heard Xu Wenjun say to Wen's mother, "Duhexe!" (You shrew!)
This is a typical German swear word. Chu Wang pulled Xu Wenjun over and asked righteously, "Who taught you that?"
Even though Wen Ma was a servant, she was still an elder, and respect was a fundamental principle of life for a child raised in a respectable family. Teenagers often don't realize the seriousness of swearing when they first encounter it. He paused for a moment, then said, "Leon taught me that."
Chu Wangze was very confused: there were only Portuguese, English and Japanese learning environments in Qiao Mansion, so where did he learn German?
Not long after, she caught the culprit behind the scenes in Ge Mansion.
As usual, Zhenzhen brought Leon to the Ge Mansion on a Wednesday afternoon when she had no classes, and then went upstairs with Miya for tea. Chu Wang had just arrived home and went upstairs to change clothes, so Leon was alone in the living room downstairs for about half an hour.
That day, she suddenly remembered that she had left her backpack in the reception room. When she returned, she saw Xie Zeyi and Leon, both of whom were paler than the average person, sitting on high stools, chatting in English.
Xie Zeyi was saying, "... Today we'll learn this: dasichtan! dukleinersheisser!" (Disparagingly: You little piece of shit.)
Leon repeated.
Xie Zeyi said, "If they ask, 'What the hell does this mean?' you should just say, 'Go home and ask your mother!'"
Leon said obediently: "Go home and ask your mother! Little bastards! Hahahahaha..."
Chu Wang: "..."
Great, I finally caught you.
She walked into the living room in two or three steps, frightening Leon so much that he staggered to his feet from the footstool and looked at Xie Zeyi uneasily. Xie Zeyi also stood up slowly, patted Leon, and told him to leave the crime scene first.
Xie Zeyi raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Oops! We've been discovered."
Chu Wang smiled and said, "Mr. Xie, do you think this kind of game is interesting?"
"It's okay, it's okay." He continued to pretend to be shameless.
"I thought Mr. Xie was quite serious, but it turns out he's still as good at being a hooligan as ever. Now he's even opening a teaching class, intending to train the next generation. Is he continuing to mislead students?"
"Are you angry?" Xie Zeyi looked at her expression for a moment, then said softly and seriously, "I went too far in my joke, I'm very sorry.
"Mr. Xie is very capable. He can use some unconventional language that others can't understand to tease girls or other people. He can make others feel uneasy. This is Mr. Xie's ability, which others don't have. I admire him very much. Words like schatz, ichliebedich, and other incomprehensible language often make you seem more knowledgeable and impressive, right?" Chu Wang said with a calm smile.
Xie Zeyi tilted his head and listened for a moment, then smiled. "You heard everything that was said outside the window." After a pause, he whispered sincerely, "I apologize—this will definitely not happen again, please rest assured."
After saying this, he quickly walked to the door of the mansion, put on his coat and went out.
——
It was also a week later that she realized she had done something very wrong.
After returning from Southeast Asia, Mr. Dupont had originally planned to return directly to France, but instead, he specifically commissioned Mr. Saumur to find Chu Wang. Mr. Dupont had come back to France with the intention of establishing a small lighter company, with a custom-made lighter business. He was very impressed with Chu Wang's designs and, eager to see more of her exquisite creations, he specifically asked her if she would be willing to provide him with some technical support.
Chu Wang was truly ashamed of this fact—for this blueprint had originally come from Mr. Du Peng's future custom-made company. She thanked Mr. Du Peng profusely, stating that it was only a spur-of-the-moment idea, that she had no talent for it, and that she might not be able to design something that would satisfy him in the future.
After Mr. Dupont left disappointed, Mr. Saumur tactfully suggested, "I think you're extremely talented. Even if your last drawing was accidental, think about your geometric cutting techniques. Custom lighters are a very emerging men's fashion trend with considerable future prospects. Geometric cutting, while somewhat inconsistent with women's fashion aesthetics, is very suitable for the design of men's mechanical lighters. This composition method is also very suitable for future mass production."
Chu Wang pondered this for a moment and realized: The lighter market hasn't developed yet. No matter how she tries, she'll be like a patriarch. Everything is difficult at the beginning, and if you don't make money, you'll lose it. So she changed her mind right there and then. Mr. Saumur was also happy to tell Mr. Dupont the good news before he left Hong Kong.
Because Chu Wang was still young, she decided to leave all contract signing and bank account management to Mrs. Ge. After discussing it with Mr. Du Peng, she made only one request: please do not start mass production of the lighter blueprint. She wanted this lighter to be the only one in the world.
Mr. Dupont naturally accepted the proposal with pleasure.
On her way back from Yau Ma Tei that day, she saw through the car window a group of six or seven teenagers gathered on the roadside, seemingly arguing. They were all wearing blue and black school uniforms and carrying Cambridge bags; they must be students from Queen's College in the city, having just finished school.
Because the bus stopped at a station, she watched intently. Five tall boys surrounded the two boys, beating and scolding them. The leader spoke in Cantonese, "Leon's mother was a Portuguese slave, a slave girl for the British... Suddenly, she hooked up with Mr. Qiao, and her power has lifted her family up. But at heart, she's still a slave girl, no different from those Portuguese whores in Macau!"
Another said, "You don't know, right? Jun's mother is a strange woman from the mainland with bound feet, and she's also an opium addict! That's why the two of them can hang out together all day long..."
The other four boys burst into laughter.
Chu Wang's mind buzzed with rage, and she rushed out of the car, pushing through the crowd without a care in the world. She had been a lecturer before, and her biggest aversion was when school violence escalated into insulting parents. So, all she could think about was, "These little brats, barely even grown out, are only interested in bullying others for their own sake. Let me teach you what good manners are."
However, after getting off the car, she calmed down again: boys of this age seem to hate embarrassment in front of the opposite sex, whether they are the same age or slightly older and can be called elders.
Losing a fight with someone of the same sex is a small matter, but losing face in front of the opposite sex will make you unable to hold your head up for a long time.
As he was hesitating, he heard Xu Wenjun's voice sinking deep into his dantian: "Hauab! Dubloedekuh!" (Get out of here, you beast!)
One has to admit, German insults are quite powerful. Furthermore, the insults, delivered across languages, completely stunned the four tall boys.
One of them smiled awkwardly and cursed back, "What are you talking about? You bastard!"
Leon sneered and said, "You don't understand, right? If you don't understand, go back and ask your mother if she knows what bloedekuh means."
Chu Wang was stunned.
It turns out that dirty words can be used as weapons.
The four boys suddenly felt outmatched and stared at each other. If their words weren't enough, then violence was bound to follow. Four punches couldn't defeat ten hands, so Chu Wang, observing their expressions, immediately rushed out and shouted in English, "The British police are here to arrest the Chinese students who are causing trouble. They're going to be shot. Run!"
The four boys reacted quickly, likely due to their habit of misbehavior, influenced by their parents' words and deeds. At the mere mention of the British police, they scattered like birds and beasts, running for cover. Seeing this, Xu Wenjun continued his curse, "Kommensiemirnicht!" (Don't show up again and offend me.)
Leon recognized Chu Wang's voice and said from a distance: "Thank you."
Chu Wang smiled at him and shook his head.
Leon thought for a moment and then said, "Wenjun and I were often ostracized after we entered school, so I told Mr. Xie about this. He is a good man, please don't blame him anymore."
Chu Wang nodded. After a moment's thought, he said, "Dirty words can be weapons, but don't use them against your loved ones; it will only make them sad."
Xu Wenjun must have heard it too, but being so arrogant, he just pretended not to hear it, turned his head away, and ignored Chu Wang.
But she knew he listened.
——
Chu Wang felt guilty towards Xie Zeyi and always wanted to find an opportunity to apologize to him, but he never saw him again at Ge Mansion.
One day she asked Mrs. Ge about it, and Mrs. Ge said, "Oh, he officially graduated and returned to England to be awarded a title. Sir Xie Zeyi had a distant relative in England more than twenty years ago, and he and his son both benefited from this opportunity to obtain citizenship. He was lucky, however; this distant relative's only son died, and after thorough investigation by British law, it was finally discovered that Xie Zeyi was to inherit the title. Isn't that ridiculous? A yellow baron—even though he was born quite white. Logically, this title should never have been given to him, but he became famous while studying in the United States, and he insisted on being awarded a lieutenant before graduation. So, this relationship was brought in, and the case was reviewed at every level. The result was: he definitely couldn't inherit the title, but he could barely enjoy some of the privileges of a baron. Although he couldn't get his hands on a few small plots of land, at least he was a distant nobleman."
Chu Wang said, "When will he come back?"
"Back to Hong Kong?" Mrs. Ge thought for a moment. "He's requested many times to be a patrol officer in the Shanghai Concession. It was probably three or four months after he was appointed. After that, he probably went directly to Shanghai. We might not see him in Hong Kong anymore." After that, Mrs. Ge looked at Chu Wang's expression and said with a smile, "He's such a fun guy. Without him, this mansion wouldn't be as lively anymore. Isn't it?"
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