The pines in Lushan Mountain are strong, the branches are bent, and waves of pine waves can be heard from time to time. In the villa garden, more than ten magnolias are in full bloom, beautiful and white, exuding a delicate fragrance.
Little Wei Lie turned one year old a few days ago, and his grandmother held a special birthday party for him, inviting many celebrities and gentry from Jiujiang. When he was celebrating his birthday, little Wei Lie first picked up the toy to look at it, then put it down again, and then turned over the pages curiously.
I opened the book and finally fiddled with an abacus.
The guests congratulated Zhou Hexuan one after another, saying that the Zhou family was going to have another big businessman. Zhang Leyi was a little unhappy. She hoped that her son would study knowledge when he grew up, and that cultural people would be more respected than businessmen.
Zhou Hexuan did not believe in arresting Zhou. He believed that his son chose the abacus because it made a lot of noise when he played with it, which made the child find it very interesting.
Compared with his older sister Zhou Lingjun, who is lively and active, little Wei Lie is much more introverted and quiet. He learned to walk when he was ten months old, but he is always too lazy to move. Every time an adult puts him on the ground, the little guy just stands there.
He stood motionless for a long time.
Zhang Leyi often worries that her son has intellectual problems, but the truth is just the opposite. Although little Wei Lie looks a little stupid, he learns to walk and speak very quickly. He even taught him a few Chinese characters a few days ago, which is quite a sign of a child prodigy.
In the garden, Zhou Hexuan held his son in his arms to read, pointed to the copybook and said: "This is water, recite water with daddy!"
Little Wei Lie was stunned for a long time, looking up at the birds on the pine branches, his eyes full of curiosity about the unknown.
"Oh, forget it, you kid just knows how to be in a daze." Zhou Hexuan smiled bitterly. He felt that his son was a child prodigy, so he wanted to train him early, but now it seems that it is too early.
The bird chirped and jumped among the branches, then suddenly fluttered its wings and landed on the branch of another pine tree.
"Yeah!" Little Wei Lie suddenly became excited, pointing at the bird and dancing.
Zhou Hexuan had an idea and took the opportunity to educate him: "Wei Lie, that's a bird. Read Birds with Dad!"
"Bird!" Xiao Weilie repeated, with a slightly irregular pronunciation.
Zhou Hexuan pointed at the bird again and asked, "What is that?"
Little Wei Lie was stunned for a moment, then suddenly replied: "Bird."
Zhou Hexuan couldn't laugh or cry. He was happy for his son's intelligence, but also speechless for his slow-tempered nature in everything.
Just as the father and son were interacting, Zhang Leyi suddenly came to the garden: "Brother Xuan, the second brother asked someone to deliver the tickets for the ship. It will set sail at one o'clock tomorrow afternoon. I followed your instructions and bought a ticket from the China Merchants Ship Company.
"
In the early 1930s, there were four major shipping companies in the Yangtze River Basin, including British Jardine Matheson, British Swire, Japanese Nissin and China Shipping Merchants. Among them, China Shipping Merchants had the smallest market share, and the freight and passenger transportation business in the Yangtze River Basin was basically controlled by the British.
In the hands of Japan and Japan.
The boycott of foreign goods movement was very popular in the Republic of China, so Zhou Hexuan naturally responded to the patriotic call.
Zhou Hexuan did not talk about the boat ride, but pointed to the bird and said to his son: "Wei Lie, tell mom, what is that?"
Little Wei Lie habitually stayed dumbfounded for two seconds before replying: "Mom, bird."
Zhang Leyi smiled, picked up her son dotingly, and praised: "Wei Lie is so smart!"
A family of three was enjoying family happiness when suddenly a servant came to report: "Master, Madam, there are three gentlemen outside to see me."
"Invite them in." Zhou Hexuan ordered.
Since a first-year banquet was held for little Wei Lie at Zhang's house a few days ago, many people in Jiujiang knew that Zhou Hexuan lived in Lushan, and more than one or two people came to visit him.
Zhou Hexuan was a little surprised by the three people who came to visit today: Li Siguang, director of the Institute of Geology, Academia Sinica, Hu Xiansu, director of the Botany Department of the Institute of Biological Survey, Peking University, and Wu Zongci, a famous local chronicler.
Among the three, Wu Zongci took the lead, clasped his fists and said with a smile: "Mr. Zhou, I take the liberty of disturbing you!"
"Where, where," Zhou Hexuan asked with a smile, "Why did the three of you come to Lushan together?"
Li Siguang said with a smile: "Brother Bu Zeng (Hu Xiansu) and I were both invited by Mr. Ailin (Wu Zongci) to inspect Mount Lu. As soon as we arrived in Jiujiang, we heard that Mr. Zhou was also in Mount Lu, so we stopped by for a visit."
"
After Wu Zongci explained in detail, Zhou Hexuan finally figured it out.
It turns out that Wu Zongci was engaged in education and running newspapers before. He had run newspapers together with Cai Yuanpei, Zhang Taiyan, Yu Youren and others. After the Revolution of 1911, he began to enter politics, presided over the drafting of the constitution, and also served as the principal of a middle school. He was a famous historian and
Local chronicler.
In recent years, due to the warlords' melee and the people's livelihood, Wu Zongci was deeply disappointed with the current situation, and then retired from politics and started to save the country through industry. He successively participated in the establishment of three mining companies, but they all closed down due to the turbulence of the current situation and the default of foreign companies.
Just last year, Wu Zongci was invited to Lushan to take charge of the Kuling Transport Company, a subsidiary of Leping Mining Company. When he learned that Lushan had not renewed its mountain records for more than two hundred years, the literati nature in Wu Zongci's blood took over and he resolutely resigned from the company.
He took the post of general manager and began to compile "Lushan Chronicle".
Li Siguang and Hu Xiansu were both invited by Wu Zongci to conduct on-site inspections of the geology and biological conditions of Mount Lu.
Zhou Hexuan invited the three of them to the living room, and Zhang Leyi made tea herself and served it.
We all have some common topics. Zhou Hexuan was the president of Peking University, Li Siguang was the dean of the Geology Department of Peking University, and Hu Xiansu graduated from the Capital University (the predecessor of Peking University) and is now a professor of botany at Peking University. As for Wu Zongci, well, this gentleman
He is more senior, a person from the capital, and a senior revolutionary party member.
Wu Zongci was born in a family of officials. His grandfather served as a bachelor in the cabinet, and his father was a doctor in the Ministry of War. He himself also ranked first in the provincial examination and second in the imperial examination. It would be no problem to become a high official in the future, but he actively participated in anti-Qing activities and followed Zhang Taiyan.
, Yu Youren and Cai Yuanpei jointly published newspapers to advocate revolution.
I think back then, Wu Zongci must have been a man of great influence, but unfortunately he is old now. And because he was disappointed with the current situation, he voluntarily quit politics. I wonder if he ever regretted leaving his family to start a revolution.
The four people started talking about Peiping, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, Xiangshan and Peking University. Then they started talking about academics. Wu Zongci and others highly praised Zhou Hexuan's "General History of the World" and talked about the French Revolution and
Soviet October Revolution.
While chatting, Zhou Hexuan suddenly heard something. He quickly ran back to the study and took out pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and said with a smile: "You three, please!"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Hu Xiansu laughed loudly: "It turns out that what was said is true. Mr. Zhou likes to find people to write letters everywhere."
Li Siguang stood up and grinded his hands and said, "Then I will show my shame. It's a pity that I didn't bring the seal with me."
Wu Zongci is worthy of being the top scholar who ranked first in the provincial examination and second in the palace examination. This old man has profound regular script skills, which are not weaker than those well-known calligraphers. Li Siguang and Hu Xiansu are also very capable, although one is a geologist and the other is a botanist.
Scholars, but their calligraphy is enough to put Zhou Hexuan to shame.
Especially Li Siguang, who is a celebrity in the field of calligraphy and painting collection. The only collaborative painting left by Xu Beihong and Zhang Daqian was completed at the invitation of Li Siguang. Zhang Daqian painted lotus, and Xu Beihong added water ducks on the painting.
Zhou Hexuan happily put away the calligraphy of the three of them and asked: "Three of you are going to inspect in Lushan. Do you have a place to stay?"
Wu Zongci said: "We live in Guling Transport Company."
"That's too far," Zhou Hexuan took the initiative to invite. "My place happens to be vacant. Why don't the three of us move in, and it will be more convenient for inspection. I will decorate the two rooms on the first floor and use one for Mr. Li to make minerals.
Herbarium, a herbarium for Mr. Hu."
Li Siguang said happily: "That's just right, so as not to waste time running up and down the mountain."
Hu Xiansu clasped his fists and said, "If this is the case, I'm going to bother you!"
Wu Zongci, Li Siguang and Hu Xiansu moved in the next day. Zhou Hexuan, who originally planned to leave Jiujiang, simply asked someone to cancel his boat ticket. During the day, he followed Li Siguang and others to inspect minerals and plants, and at night he and Wu Zongci wrote "Lushan Chronicle".
After going back and forth, it was not until late May that Zhou Hexuan set off with his wife and children. The Chinese version of "Titanic" has been officially published.
