Eighth year of Chongzhen

Chapter 760 Descartes' New Life

"Good morning, Mrs. Fan!"

One early morning in the summer of the 15th year of Chongzhen, in a four-entry mansion of the Institute of Technology, René Descartes, with a tall nose and thin eyes, and black shoulder-length hair, spoke poor Ming Mandarin and smiled at the courtyard cleaning the inner house. A woman greeted.

"Good morning, Monsieur Descartes!

Your breakfast is ready, would you like to eat now?

Please wait a moment, this concubine will bring it to you! "

The woman who was only in her twenties stopped the broom when she heard the sound, looked up at Descartes, and replied with a narrow smile.

This woman was one of the servants hired by Honglu Temple to help Descartes' mansion.

Since Descartes came to Daming alone, there were not many servants in the mansion. In addition to this woman surnamed Fan, there were two gardeners, a laundry woman, a coachman, a The steward and three handymen.

Among them, the woman surnamed Fan was responsible for cleaning the backyard and cooking for Descartes. According to Zheng Zhifeng, the secretary of Honglu Temple, her monthly salary was as high as one or two or five yuan. The salary can almost be regarded as net income, nearly 20 taels of silver per year, even in the capital, you can live a relatively prosperous life.

"Thank you for taking care of me all the time!

You are such a hardworking and kind lady!From you, I have seen the light of civilization in this land!
Everything in this mysterious country is so fascinating. Unfortunately, until I met Mr. Fang and Mr. Zheng, I knew too little about it! "

Although Descartes didn't understand the second half of what the woman surnamed Fan said, it didn't prevent him from understanding the other party's meaning, and then he said a lot of words in French.

The woman surnamed Fan with narrow eyes and nose and a plain skirt also couldn't understand what Descartes said, but she still had a gentle smile on her face, standing in the yard and listening quietly.

The first ray of sunlight in the summer morning reflected on one side of her cheek, making the facial contours of the woman surnamed Fan look more layered. Although her appearance is plain, the gentle taste makes people feel kind. Descartes on the opposite side obviously lost his mind for a moment, but his mind became more and more determined.

It has been eight months since I came to Daming. What I saw, heard and experienced in the past six months made Descartes fall in love with this magical land from the bottom of his heart, including everything on this land.

In Daming, the 46-year-old Descartes has never felt so at ease and comfortable as he is now. If it is not for the difference in skin color and appearance, he sometimes doubts that Daming is his real hometown.

For more than ten years in the Netherlands, Descartes, who was severely insecure, often lived a precarious life. Due to doubts about the authenticity of his religious beliefs, he was often attacked and abused by believers. These huge troubles, He was forced to change his residence frequently, and published a statement in the newspaper, claiming to be a devout Roman Catholic believer, and invited a close friend to defend him.

But all he did was in vain.

The believers cited various examples, trying to prove that he was only a Catholic on the surface, but in essence a believer in deism and atheism. Among them, a speech by his fellow countryman, the famous French physicist and mathematician Pascal most famous.

"I cannot forgive Descartes; in all his philosophy he wanted to be able to leave God alone. Yet he could not do without a touch of God to set the world in motion; God."

Pascal’s remarks were affirmed by fanatical Catholics, and they used this speech as a weapon to make their personal attacks on Descartes even crazier.

Just when Descartes felt extremely helpless and anxious, an envoy from an ancient country in the far east appeared in front of him.

Encouraged by the polite Mr. Fang and the very sociable Mr. Zheng, after careful consideration, Descartes decided to go to the far east to find his own paradise.

Before Descartes only knew that Daming was an ancient country rich in luxury goods such as silk, porcelain, paper, and sugar, but he knew nothing about the culture and customs of Daming. Through several contacts with Fang Yizhi and Zheng Zhifeng, Descartes felt the attitude of each other His sincerity, as well as his personal cultivation and open and inclusive attitude, made his already uneasy heart a little more at ease.

After writing farewell letters to several friends, Descartes, with complicated and incomprehensible feelings, boarded the Deming Fleet consisting of more than a dozen huge ships with several large boxes. The voyage around the world has finally set foot on this land that is completely different from the European countries.

Descartes, who is accustomed to the European Gothic, Baroque, and French Classical architectural styles, is fascinated by the exquisite buildings in front of him, including halls, buildings, pavilions, pavilions, pavilions, corridors, pavilions, platforms, and gardens. Shocked by the beautiful buildings, these ingeniously arranged and colorful buildings fully displayed the human subconscious perception of beauty in front of him.

Then he learned from Fang Yizhi that this garden, which is like a work of art, belongs to him exclusively. If he has descendants in the future, this exquisite house will always belong to the René Descartes family. .

Although Descartes, who had reached middle age, did not have much desire or pursuit of material enjoyment, he was still deeply moved by the super standard treatment given to him and others by the Ming court.

These residences with traditional oriental aesthetics, compared with those castles and residences in Europe, which are all piled up with cold boulders for safety, can be compared with heaven and earth. If such residences are placed in Europe, they must be It can only be owned by the nobles above the earl, but now, it belongs to them, and it is a permanent property right.

Since then, this place has become their home.

After moving in, Descartes and the other talents brought in once again felt the sincerity and preferential treatment of the Ming court.

On weekdays, they only need to turn their knowledge into books, while other basic necessities of life are taken care of, and this kind of care is meticulous and full of human touch.

Despite the language barrier, Descartes will continue to try to use the simple Mandarin he learned every day to communicate with everyone who took care of him after he was released from the Polytechnic Institute, expressing his gratitude to them, and his gratitude can also be expressed every time. Receiving a sincere response made Descartes feel warm in his heart.

Among these people, Descartes had the deepest affection for this woman surnamed Fan.

As time went by, the two parties had more and more contacts, and their understanding of each other became deeper and deeper. Descartes suddenly found that he had an inexplicable affection for this woman with the unique gentle temperament of oriental women. .

　Thank you for your favorite toss 10 and Taoist Yuming for the reward.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)