Chapter 66 Patient 10
More and more research students are applying to come to the institute, with the largest number coming from mainland China and Singapore.
When these students first visit Liang Zhang, he asks them a familiar question: "Why did you choose to do research here?"
Many people would enthusiastically offer compliments: "Of course it's because of 'The Existence of Neutrons'! I never imagined that, besides Europe, Japan, and the United States, our colonial country could also have such a school where one can truly pursue knowledge!"
Some were quite honest: "Because it's cheap. A boat ticket to Europe costs over 80 dollars, to the US 60 dollars, to Japan over 10 dollars, but to Hong Kong only 5 dollars. And, prices in Hong Kong are lower than in Shanghai and Beijing."
There are even some alternative girls: "I saw an interview with Professor Xu at Nankai in the newspaper. He looks so handsome in the photo! He is even more elegant in person than in the photo!"
Since he was already here, no matter if he thought it had a promising future, could save money, or that Xu Shaoqian was a walking advertisement; Liang Zhang only sighed slightly and accepted all the compliments.
Mr. Sachang arrived in Hong Kong by ship from India and reported to the Institute. Liang Zhang has never had a peaceful day since then.
Whenever he had free time, he would grab Liang Zhang and tell him endlessly what he was thinking on the boat.
He chatters away from morning till night in his devilish Indian English, and his opening line always begins with, "I heard there are only three people in the world who can understand the theory of general relativity!"
He then gave a two-hour long, logically clear presentation titled "The Incompatibility Principle of General Relativity Has a Limit."
After weeks of being bombarded with the incantations of Indian English, Liang Zhang could only apologize: "My understanding of astrophysics is limited, so I can't answer your questions. I'm very sorry! But Professor Xu next door is very knowledgeable about this. I suggest you talk to him!"
Chu Wang leaned over to the side, offering encouraging glances to Mr. Sa Chang. Several times, he couldn't help but say, "You're explaining it very well! Hurry up and do the cold star gravity calculations and derive the Chandrasakkar limit! You're the next Nobel Prize winner!"
The research institute, initially comprised of only three people, was suddenly infused with so much new blood, causing a period of chaos. Liang Zhang handled most of the institute's miscellaneous affairs, while Xu Shaoqian locked himself in the office next door, seemingly lost in thought, and chose to remain isolated most of the time.
Everything was barely back on track the day Li Mai arrived.
As for Ms. Li Mai, Liang Zhang decided to receive a professor of this level with the highest etiquette available in the institute - he would go to the dock in person.
As a result, he came back with a red face that day.
Chu Wang was happy: "Huh?"
Xu Shaoqian also ended his nearly ten-week silence and, for the first time ever, emerged from the adjacent lab to meet the new members—looking more sullen and unshaven than ever before. Not only did he scare the female students back with his "Looks so handsome in the photo! He's even more charming in person!" but he also genuinely frightened Chu Wang.
Liang Zhang glanced at him, sighed, turned and went into the laboratory, throwing his crumpled calculation drafts into the trash can.
Li Meitner introduced herself to Xu Shaoqian in the usual opening remarks of two academics, speaking in a pure Austrian-German accent. "Li Meitner. I know you, Dr. Tusi. I cited your wave equation conjecture in one of my quantum theory papers."
Xu Shaoqian thought for a moment and said, "I've cited many papers by you and Dr. Hahn, and I can't finish them all in a short time."
Chu Wang stood aside, watching the two men exchanging compliments on each other's academic prowess. He almost couldn't help but interrupt, saying, "I haven't cited your paper because your theory is so classic, already written into high school textbooks and common sense. When you mention it in a paper, there's no need to cite the source."
Li Mai already had four or five atomic theory projects under her belt, and she was accompanied by two German doctoral students working on them. These other two, presumably compared to their former university, the University of Berlin, were less impressed by the scientific prospects of the University of Hong Kong. Consequently, they appeared quite arrogant compared to their modest advisor.
However, two days later, Xu Shaoqian suddenly made a decision: to divide the department.
And he told everyone that he had submitted an application for division of the department last week, dividing the institute's research into two directions: large-scale astrophysics and small-scale atomic theory.
He is in charge of astrophysics.
Nuclear physics was entirely entrusted to Li Mai, assisted by Liang Zhang.
Subsequently, more than 20 students from mainland China, Hong Kong and Singapore, including Mr. Sa Chandra, followed Xu Shaoqian to study astrophysics.
More than ten other people followed Li Mai and Liang Zhang.
Chu Wang once asked Xu Shaoqian why he suddenly made this arrangement. Xu Shaoqian replied, "She has the qualifications and ability to lead a team. Given her reputation, I believe many European students will choose to join this team. It will also give me more time to study general relativity. Also, out of selfish motives, I hope Liang Zhang will become a leading figure in a particular field in the future. All things considered, this is the most beneficial decision I can make."
Each of the three mentors has their own strengths, and the future will be much more than just one paper on "The Existence of Neutrons." Chu Wang admitted that this is indeed the best choice for the institute.
She also had her own selfish motives. Out of her selfish motives, she chose the goddess and Liang Zhang's laboratory.
Upon learning of this, Xu Shaoqian asked with a smile, "Can I ask the reason?"
After a moment of silence, Chu Wang said, "Because I like it."
"Like it? Really?"
"You've already asked once."
She barely ignored the gaze that was staring at her like a thorn in her back, packed up her things, and went to the atomic theory laboratory next door.
——
Mr. Yan Sang,
Thank you for the translation.
I recently had the pleasure of reading your series "European Love Letters" in Yibao, carefully reading it twice. People like Mr. Wang often consider themselves overseas students and "new figures." When forced into marriage before leaving the country, he thought, "My wife is very intelligent and capable. She's proficient in poetry, prose, and painting, far superior to me, and has a good grasp of the big picture." "But I had to leave anyway. With no other options, I went to France alone." After four years in France, he met a new love and "immediately wrote to my father, asking for a divorce." These "European lovers" ultimately create tragedy for others. Many years later, with the passing of the tragic "Chinese lover," this kind of tragedy finally came to an end.
Mr. Yan Sang's writing about human nature often incorporates a touch of dry humor. I'm curious to know how this book will be received by Westerners after it's published in Europe.
Please forgive the absurdity of these words, coming from someone who has never done any literary work. Perhaps you won't believe it either—I have carefully considered and memorized the poems attached to every one of your letters. I'm actually looking forward to the subsequent story of "European Lover."
Best wishes
Chu Wang
November 9, 1918
After writing this letter, she enclosed another envelope, wrote the address of Yansang London on it, and entrusted Mrs. Ge to send it to Mr. Du Peng in her name first.
The second remittance from France came along with a rose gold peach blossom lighter. She put the lighter away, planning to give it to Mrs. Ge on her birthday next month.
When she didn't have to go to school, she would stay in the Ge Mansion and sit with Mrs. Ge in the reception room, drinking tea and drawing blueprints.
Mrs. Ge has recently become obsessed with buying properties in the Shanghai Concession. She's a lazy person who doesn't have the time to browse through every property in the Shanghai Concession. On the other hand, she's incredibly picky. All of these traits combined make her approach to buying properties quite peculiar and tricky.
Mrs. Ge, wearing a silk gown suitable for afternoon tea and a headscarf, sat reclining on a sofa, holding a teacup. Another man, a real estate agent from Shanghai, held a magazine-bound brochure in his hand and flipped through it page by page for Mrs. Ge to review.
Out of every ten sentences the real estate agent said, Mrs. Ge would only reply with two or three, all of which were, "It's too remote," "There's no elevator," "There's no place to park a sedan," and "Are you trying to fool me with these alley houses?"
After looking at more than ten houses, Mrs. Ge was in a state of headache. The agent was embarrassed and said timidly, "Mrs. Ge, these are the ones that Boss Xu carefully selected before letting me send them to Hong Kong for you."
"He picked it over and over again? Tell me, what did he pick?"
The intermediary dared not speak out.
Mrs. Ge glanced at her and drank a sip of tea. After a while, seeing that she was breathing more smoothly, Chu Wang leaned over and said with a smile, "Aunt, how about I help you take a look?"
Seeing a glimmer of hope, the agent looked back and forth between Mrs. Ge and Chu Wang. Mrs. Ge, for Chu Wang's sake, reluctantly acquiesced.
Chu Wang didn't need her to say much. He took the booklet and sat in the corner to read it.
I don’t want houses in the International Settlement, I don’t want houses in alleys, I don’t want houses without elevators... I quickly eliminated many houses, and only two were left that suited my taste.
Mrs. Ge took it and looked at it, then laughed angrily, "My eldest daughter."
Chu Wang pulled the brochure over and sat down beside her, leaning sideways. "Aunt, please listen to my opinion first. I've eliminated the ones that don't meet your requirements. The only two rooms left in the French Concession are these two. The first one is a bit old, but it can always be renovated. The second one has damaged walls and wiring, which is not a big deal; but it's better than having to fix an elevator in an apartment building without one."
As to why they could only choose the French Concession instead of the International Settlement, she did not explain to Mrs. Ge and just laughed it off by saying "other things are not suitable".
Mrs. Ge shook her head and smiled. "The first one is too close to the tram tracks. How can I sleep with all the rumbling at night? The second one only has a corridor and two rooms, not even a living room. It's too small. Besides, there's no parking in either place, so it's very inconvenient to get around."
Chu Wang had forgotten that Mrs. Ge didn't like walking and always needed a car to pick her up wherever she went, so he smiled and said, "That's right." He closed the brochure and was about to return it to the agent when he suddenly thought and asked, "The second one is on the top floor of the elevator apartment building in Harlem Gardens in the French Concession. It has two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a long corridor. How much is it?"
The agent had come to Hong Kong on her boss's orders to win over Mrs. Ge, probably thinking that if she could sell two apartments, it would please her boss and she could get an extra ten dollars in commission. However, she hadn't expected Mrs. Ge to be so difficult to please, and the trips back and forth from Shanghai to Hong Kong weren't cheap. She didn't expect her efforts to be in vain. She looked at Mrs. Ge, but she didn't look at her. She just asked Chu Wang, "Do you really like this apartment?"
Chu Wang nodded, thinking: After all, she had saved for three or four years to save up the nine hundred yuan, so she had to spend it before inflation took over. Shanghai's land was so expensive, within the First Ring Road, and only a ten-minute walk from the Bund; she had survived the bombing of the Shanghai War and the post-liberation period. This was a better deal than buying a house in Paris's 8th arrondissement for retirement, so why not buy it?
Mrs. Ge glanced at her sideways, smiled, and thought for a while before asking the agent, "What's the price?"
The agent made a ten.
Chu Wang groaned inwardly; she hadn't expected to be short of a hundred yuan. Mrs. Ge squinted her eyes and smiled at her, then asked the man, "Based on my relationship with Mr. Xu, what's the price of this house?"
The agent had no idea how much the relationship between Mrs. Ge and their boss was worth, so he naturally didn't dare to say anything.
Mrs. Ge smiled and pushed the booklet back to her. "Go back to Shanghai and ask him about it. Have him call me and tell me."
The woman's eyes rolled, and she thought to herself: Boss Xu might not have sent her to Hong Kong to sell the house, but to use it as a pretext to curry favor with Mrs. Ge. As for what price to give Mrs. Ge, she would have to ask her boss back in Shanghai, and she would inevitably be accused of being a bad person and punished. Then she thought again: a thousand yuan might not be a small sum for the average person, but she had heard that Mrs. Ge had many properties in Hong Kong and Shanghai, so such a small house would definitely not be worth her attention. So she compared the price she had previously given to another gentleman with a seven-cent discount.
Chu Wang exclaimed in his heart: "That's a full 40% reduction! Is this how the price of a house is slashed?"
Mrs. Ge drank her tea without even raising her eyelids: "I'm willing to give you this little money. You, Mr. Xu, would be embarrassed to ask for it."
After saying this, he called Mr. Henry over, and the agent chatted with him as he left. He returned a moment later, handing the deed and contract to Mrs. Ge. Mrs. Ge raised her eyebrows at Chu Wang, and the agent handed them back to Chu Wang.
She opened the contract and saw that it had already been signed. Her name was on it, and the checking account was under Mrs. Ge's name.
Mrs. Ge also asked Mi Qiu to give the agent some money for the round-trip fare from Shanghai to Hong Kong and some hard work fees, and then sent him away.
Chu Wang was holding the contract in his hand and was about to speak when Mrs. Ge raised her eyebrows and said, "It's not like our family can't afford this little money. But I, your aunt, need to spend some time talking. Don't talk about yours or mine. It will make people think you're stingy. Just keep the little money in your pocket for yourself."
Chu Wang opened his mouth, but Mrs. Ge stopped him before he could say anything. He then smiled and sighed.
"You've never asked your aunt for anything. Since you asked today, I'll buy it for you so you and your sisters can stop by and have some fun when you go to Shanghai. When Qiao Maling got married, some people said I gave her that house. If you were to get married, there's no need to worry about the dowry."
I'm still a long way from getting married! Chu Wang couldn't help but laugh. Then he exclaimed again and asked, "Was the house really given by you, my aunt?"
"I give her a gift? That's a nice thought!" Mrs. Ge glanced at the next door and continued, "When her daughter got married, I, as her aunt, didn't give her anything. When others heard about it, they blamed me for being stingy. If I give her a gift, your aunt will think she has gotten a huge bargain from me and think that I am flattering her and letting bygones be bygones. I just can't stand her face. It just so happens that Sir Xie is not willing to let his precious son get married casually in Hong Kong, so he came to discuss it with me. I thought about it and discussed it with him, 'I happen to have a villa on Barton Road. I will go and explain your intention to my niece and ask her if it is right. "I have to marry your son; or I'm willing to break off all ties with your son, take the property, and marry someone else in style." Qiao Maling, of course, made her own decision. I then discussed with Old Man Xie: "The house isn't big, but it's just enough for a couple to settle down in Hong Kong and have a few servants. I'll give you a 40% discount on the house. If you're willing, buy it and give it to her as your adopted daughter as a wedding gift. That way, you'll be proud, and the Qiao family will be better off." That's how it all came about. After all, I only gave her 40% of the price of the house. If others insist on saying that I gave it to her under Sir Xie's name, I'm happy with that."
Chu Wang was shocked when he heard this. So, this is how things can be handled?
She then asked, "Did Mr. Xie's father come to you to discuss marriage?"
Mrs. Ge snorted coldly, "His son has been playing with me since he was little. I can say that I nurtured him. I know this kid's character very well. I think he's a good guy, so how can I just give him to my sister's daughter? If I can get through this test first, and then say a few good words to Old Man Xie, the marriage will be done. But I just won't let her get away with it."
I couldn't help but recall the scene when I first came to Hong Kong and listened to Mrs. Ge arrogantly scolding Mrs. Qiao upstairs.
Besides, Mrs. Ge had allowed Qiao Maling to make a free choice on this matter: bread or love, it’s your choice.
She simply didn't want to give away the previously overbearing Mrs. Qiao any advantage. Therefore, she was too lazy to waste a few words trying to get Qiao Maling both bread and love.
She couldn't help but count the people and relationships involved in this case.
Old Master Xie naturally knew that Mrs. Ge had taken advantage of her connections. However, after so many years of friendship, they knew each other's thoughts and tricks well, so instead of being angry or upset, he was delighted by the good plan. His niece, Qiao Maling, who had no grudge against Mrs. Ge, naturally got what she wanted. Mrs. Qiao, whom Mrs. Ge hated deeply, thought she had gotten a great advantage, but in fact, she was being severely manipulated by Mrs. Ge. Mrs. Ge herself, however, simply retained a reputation for being magnanimous and decent.
No matter how complicated the human relationships are, Mrs. Ge can play Tai Chi with ease, taking care of the emotions of all parties while being able to take revenge.
This is how smart people do things. There are causes and consequences, calculations and plans, and everything is clearly organized.
Then she sighed again: What a retribution.
I just feel sorry for classmate Xie Zeyi, who was having a good relationship but ended up being cannon fodder for no reason.
——
The atomic theory laboratory was equipped with more and more new instruments: new particle emitters and flame spectrometers, and even a fog chamber.
In addition to the equipment, some purified elements were also quietly delivered to the laboratory, including beryllium, plutonium, and a small amount of highly enriched uranium-235.
Chu Wang certainly knew what was going on in the subsequent lab. He remained silent, quietly doing his job at the back of the crowd: calculating and recording.
The lab next door also has a new telescope. According to rumors from the school, they seem to be planning to build a small astronomy lab on Taiping Mountain, with the intention of expanding it to include an observatory once funding is sufficient.
At this time, mainland newspapers began to report conspiracy theories again: "Why did the University of Hong Kong establish an astronomy laboratory in Hong Kong just a few months after the establishment of Purple Mountain Observatory?"
Chu Wang sighed: We came here by boat to do research, will you reimburse our travel expenses and boat tickets?
This is the daily routine in the laboratory.
Mr. Sa Chandra knocked on Chu Wang's door more than once, looking for him. He had a sad face, a pile of calculation papers in his hand, and said in fluent Indian English, "Linzy, come and help me calculate this gravity and resistance!"
Liang Zhang, on the other hand, repeatedly scratched his head and roared, "Why can't I produce heavy uranium? Why is there always a quality difference?"
While Chu Wang was calculating the internal resistance of the star for Sa, he calmly looked up and suggested, "Maybe you should go out for a walk with Ms. Meitner to relax and then you'll remember why."
As a result, Liang Zhang complained to Xu Shaoqian more than once: "Control your student! She has long questioned the purity of my working relationship with Ms. Meitner and has done everything she can to bring us together!"
Chu Wang smiled in his heart and said: I really just want to suggest that you go out for a walk. Because in the past, this theory was thought up by Ms. Li Mai when she was out for a walk.
While walking, you have enhanced your friendship, and that is something I can't stop you from doing!
Xu Shaoqian already had a draft of his paper in hand, but he was still in the process of meticulously reviewing it. He listened calmly, then asked with a calm smile, "What was the result of the matchmaking?"
Liang Zhang was several years older than Xu Shaoqian. But because he was unmarried and had a baby-faced appearance, Chu Wang had always assumed he was only twenty-five or twenty-six. Later, upon learning that the age difference between him and Ms. Li Mai was no more than eighteen years, Chu Wang felt free to make the "after-dinner walk" suggestion and match them up.
Although Ms. Li Mai was a bit older, she exuded the aura of a single, aristocratic woman. Her movements were graceful and elegant, her conversation was refined and full of mature feminine charm. There were many younger women in the lab, mostly from the southeast coast, India, and Singapore, and most of them were unmarried. Compared to her, they all seemed malnourished and lacked femininity.
For this reason, Liang Zhang once quietly commented: "White women really have 'arms that are arms, legs that are legs'. Their figures are much more recognizable than those of Chinese girls."
I don't know when this got to Ms. Li Mai's ears. I thought she would be angry, but unexpectedly, after work that day, she walked up to Liang Zhang and said, "Why don't you go out for a walk?"
——
In later generations, people would wear radiation-proof clothing when doing experiments on radioactive elements, but no one in the laboratory wore it.
Chu Wang had proposed this once, but was retorted by the two German students, "None of the scientists who conducted radiation experiments in the Leiden and Cavendish laboratories are as stingy as you."
She offered no further suggestions.
Mrs. Ge noticed that many rich young ladies were in fashion recently of wearing Zhaojun suits - a fluffy white coat over a cheongsam or a skirt - pearl lamb fur and purple lamb fur for early winter, silver rat fur and Japanese sword fur for medium hair, white fox, green fox and black fox fur for large hair... whatever Mrs. Ge thought was pretty, she would buy her one and hang it in the closet.
But I was afraid that it would get dirty if I rubbed it in the laboratory, which was really bad, so I got the chance to try it on for the first time near Christmas.
Although winter was approaching and I was wearing thicker clothes, my exposed skin was showing some initial radiation symptoms, and I was becoming slightly sleepy. One day, while taking a nap at home, I woke up to the sounds of piano, singing, and the sweet laughter of a young woman downstairs. Chu Wang slapped his head, having forgotten he was supposed to go to the Qiao Mansion on Friday night.
If she went from the Ge Mansion to the Qiao Mansion inappropriately dressed, and was seen by Mrs. Qiao, she would inevitably be ridiculed by her. So she washed and changed into a long cheongsam with a small round collar and a gray-blue water-stained satin pattern.
The place downstairs was already bustling with people gathering in groups of three or four. But to get downstairs and back to the door, she had to walk through the bustling place, which inevitably bumped into someone.
Standing at the corner of the stairs, Chu Wang breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was thinking about how to avoid losing his composure and drawing attention to himself as he rushed out, he saw a man standing alone at the corner of the stairs. He was wearing a gray suit and stood in the shadows, gazing at the flock of birds and animals in the hall. He seemed to notice someone coming down from upstairs and looked up. Their eyes met, and the expression in his eyes when he saw her was different from before.
Xie Zeyi looked at Chu Wang with the politeness of a modern lady, not shying away from scruples. Instead, his gaze made her feel a little uncomfortable. She stood leaning against the railing and said with a smile, "I thought I'd never see Mr. Xie again in Hong Kong."
Xie Zeyi smiled, "Maybe someone accidentally missed me and told me to come back."
Chu Wang knew that this was just another witty remark, so he didn't bother to pay attention to him.
At this moment, a gentleman suddenly noticed Xie Zeyi. He walked over to get the champagne, followed his gaze, looked up, paused, and asked, "Who is this lady..."
Chu Wang's heart skipped a beat. He was just thinking about how to introduce himself to his aunt's friends when Xie Zeyi took over first, smiling naturally and saying, "My dance partner tonight."
The gentleman nodded, patted Xie Zeyi on the shoulder, smiled, and turned away.
Xie Zeyi immediately stretched out his hand to her, stood at the bottom of the stairs, and motioned her to come down.
Chu Wang knew what he meant, so she went downstairs and took his arm. Turning around, they walked side by side, and he naturally led her from the hall to the door.
Chu Wang released his hand, exhaled, and exhaled a cloud of white mist: "Thank you very much, sir."
Xie Zeyi put one hand in his suit pocket and stood in front of the dressing mirror, still smiling, "You're welcome."
Chu Wang took the white fox fur hanging by the door and put it on. The neckline was low, revealing a section of her white neck. There were a few tiny red spots scattered across her neck, like two extremely fine cinnabar moles. On someone else, they wouldn't be noticeable. But her skin was so pale and delicate, like a tiny red blemish on a piece of pure, smooth jade, which only made it appear more beautiful with a strange imperfection.
Chu Wang knew that the man was standing behind her, looking at her neck. She turned around and looked in the mirror, and saw the two red spots.
She reached out and touched her neck and said, "Oh, it's a broken capillary."
After saying that, he turned and walked out.
Many years later, someone asked Xie Zeyi, "What's the most unromantic woman you've ever met?"
He would always remember that sentence - "Oh, it's a broken capillary."
In the winter of 1928, a woman who was too rational strangled a love story that had not yet sprouted in the cradle.
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