I don’t know why, but foreigners seem to be particularly fond of the word “Pétain”. After they came to China, they named local streets, buildings, and even pubs “Pétain”.
Perhaps, the French marshal who was a meritorious figure during World War I did not expect that a few years later, all foreign buildings named after him would be forced to change their names, and only a trace of his name would be left in China.
Geng Chaozhong walked to the second floor of this small Western-style building, where Situ's office was.
The principal's office of Leighton Stuart is very simple. Except for a row of bookshelves and a few flower pots, there is no particularly gorgeous decoration. Behind the two desks, one is Leighton Stuart, who is reading a book, and the other is a man wearing glasses.
The young man is writing something with his head down.
Seeing Geng Chaozhong come in, Stuart immediately stood up.
"Mr. Zhou is here? Have you eaten?"
Situ greeted Geng Chaozhong in a unique Chinese way. Born in Hangzhou, China, he had already fully adapted to the Chinese lifestyle and way of thinking. He would only use it again when he went to the United States to raise funds.
His appearance transformed into that of an "authentic" foreigner.
"After eating, the food in the charity home is not bad," Geng Chaozhong replied with a smile, "Thanks to Mr. Situ for taking care of me. The old man has settled down and I feel relieved. Now I just feel that there is no freedom in life. Really
It’s so refreshing!”
"Haha, Mr. Zhou is a good man and a wonderful person," Situ said with a smile, "I just asked my colleague that the position of librarian you are interested in is already filled, but he still needs a deputy. I think
I would like to ask, would you like to serve as associate librarian of Yenching University?"
"Of course I do." Geng Chaozhong showed an overjoyed expression.
Leighton Stuart shrugged helplessly and said:
"That's good. Unlike the Chinese, we foreigners like to talk about salary first. The salary for your position is fifteen yuan a month, which is indeed not much, but I can't break the school's rules and regulations. Also,
Let me ask you again, are you sure you want to accept this position? If you work as a translator, your monthly salary can reach eighty yuan per month."
"Really?" Geng Chaozhong suddenly hesitated.
This is a four-fold difference. This difference is not small. If I refuse, it would be too unreasonable!
Yes, there are people who are not willing to give up for five buckets of rice, but even Mr. Lu Xun went to Shanghai for a higher salary!
"If, I mean if, I can do some translation work part-time while working as a librarian?" Geng Chaozhong lowered his head and thought for a moment, and finally asked.
"Of course," Situ laughed loudly, "As long as you are willing, I can give you a subsidy based on the number of materials you translate. This should add up to about fifty yuan a month. How about that?"
"Okay, thank you very much, Principal Situ!" Geng Chaozhong smiled sheepishly.
"It doesn't matter. A gentleman is likened to righteousness, and a villain is likened to profit. But it doesn't mean that a gentleman doesn't value profit. It's just that righteousness comes first. Even if Confucius teaches his students, he still has to practice!" Stuart Leighton said with a smile.
"Mr. Situ is very knowledgeable about world affairs, and I admire him very much. I, on the other hand, have lived in an ivory tower for a long time and have no knowledge of world affairs. I am really ashamed of myself!" Geng Chaozhong quickly complimented him.
"It seems that Mr. Zhou is not as ignorant of world affairs as he said." Stuart's blue eyes contained a certain meaning, "Mr. Zhou, your views on Western general history are admirable. As far as I know, even
In Europe and the United States, I am afraid that no one has done much research on the history of barbarians and the origins of medieval theology. What you just said can be said to be the first of its kind in China. I think that if the time comes, you will not refuse to do so.
Take a lecturer or even professor position at Yenching University!"
"I'm not qualified for this," Geng Chaozhong waved his hands repeatedly, "I'm just a country boy, I can't get into the upper echelons of society."
"Oh? I haven't asked Mr. Zhou where he studied. Did he study abroad?" Leighton Stuart raised his eyebrows.
"Ashamed, I just studied in the United States and have no academic qualifications." Geng Chaozhong shook his head in denial.
"It doesn't matter, the motto of Yanda University is: freedom through truth, and service. Academic qualifications are not valued. As long as the students are talented and can make temporary insights, the school will not hesitate to grant teaching positions to students." Situ paused and spoke again.
road:
"Mr. Zhou, an ordinary teacher in the school, has a monthly salary of 360 oceans, plus various allowances, the maximum can reach 600 oceans, and he is never in arrears."
When he mentioned the words "never default", Situ Lei's face flashed with pride. Obviously, he was quite proud of this matter.
Geng Chaozhong knew clearly that Yenching University was funded by the church and was famously wealthy. At this time, many national universities often defaulted on salary arrears, but this had never happened to Yenching University.
"I know very well that my talent and knowledge are shallow and it is difficult to meet the expectations of the public. It is better to do some chores in the library first, and then I will make progress in my studies. Then I will consider this matter. Thank you very much for the principal's love."
After much thought, Geng Chaozhong declined Stuart Leighton's kindness. Firstly, he felt that he was lacking in talent and learning. Secondly, he wanted to avoid being too big to attract trouble. He would wait until the situation in Peiping stabilized a little before he would consider it again.
"Okay, then I won't force you. You can go to the Academic Affairs Office to get the school's certification documents. After completing the formalities, you will be the associate director of the library of our Yanjing University. This is the certification document I issued to you.
, after you go, the school will arrange a staff dormitory for you."
Stuart lowered his head and wrote a piece of certification document and handed it to Geng Chaozhong.
"Okay, thank you!" Geng Chaozhong took the document, thanked him repeatedly, and walked out of the office.
When Geng Chaozhong walked out, the young man next to him who had been working with his head down raised his head and asked in confusion:
"Mr. Situ, this man is so young, does he really have any real talent?"
Stuart smiled and said:
"People should not be judged by their appearance. When Hu Shizhi first returned to China, he was only in his twenties. The knowledge he studied was not popular and talents were extremely scarce. Even if he cannot teach alone, it would be good to be an assistant to Mr. Qi."
"Oh." The young man agreed and lowered his head. It was obvious that he was very busy with work.
It’s no wonder that Situ is not only responsible for the management of school affairs, but also participates in social affairs and has contacts with many politicians. Therefore, many daily tasks are entrusted to this young man.
Over there, Geng Chaozhong took the certification documents and came to the school affairs office. After briefly checking the certification documents, the clerk quickly went through the entry procedures for Geng Chaozhong, and sent a person to take Geng Chaozhong to the faculty dormitory behind Yanyuan.
, the whole process was extremely fast and concise, which made Geng Chaozhong sigh.
Compared with later universities, this Yenching University completely followed Harvard University's departmental setup and teaching management. Its style was extremely Westernized, and its efficiency was as good as, if not more than, that of later generations.
After settling everything, Geng Chaozhong lay in his brand-new dormitory, looking at the individually configured bathing facilities and flush toilets in the dormitory, as if he had returned to the days of college in later generations. No, even when he was in college, he had never enjoyed such treatment.
This kind of treatment is comparable to that of international students in later generations! (Did I write something wrong again...)