A Man of Science and Engineering in Troubled Times Wandering in the Late Qing Dynasty

Chapter 293
Although both Yan Fengsheng and Yan Shi had greatly improved their views on Li Yu, Lu Bicheng was very embarrassed, standing there not knowing how to talk to Li Yu.

She felt that the air around her was frozen, and her mind seemed to have turned into a pile of paste, unable to function.

Fortunately, Qiu Jin came over at this moment and called out, "Bicheng."

Lu Bicheng was still in a daze and didn't hear it.

Qiu Jin called out again: "Bicheng!"

"Ah? Me, I haven't made up my mind yet." Lu Bicheng said carelessly.

"What are you talking about?" Qiu Jin was at a loss.

Only then did Lu Bicheng realize that it was Qiu Jin in front of him, and asked quickly, "Sister, why are you here?"

Qiu Jin said, "Of course I'm here to see you off. If Fanzi hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known you were going to Japan."

Lu Bicheng shook his head: "I'm not going to Japan, but to America."

"America?" Qiu Jin asked in surprise, "Could it be?"

Lu Bicheng quickly pointed to the distance: "Li Yu is going to take a few students to study in the United States."

Qiu Jin saw the figure of Jinwei Zhaoxue and another beautiful figure, so he asked, "Who is that?"

"She is the head of the American Education Foundation." Lu Bicheng said.

Qiu Jin said: "My good sister, you really need to be more careful and careful. You must know that there are far fewer good men than good women in the world."

"I see," Lu Bicheng said, and then asked, "Sister, do you want to go together?"

Qiu Jin smiled and said, "Do you lack me as a military advisor?"

Lu Bicheng: "I..."

Qiu Jin smiled: "Okay, I won't mess around with you," then looked at the sea and sighed, "Why don't I want to cross this sea and see what the outside world looks like."

"You are, the heroine Qiu Jin?" Li Yu came over and asked.

Li Yu felt a little familiar when he saw her just now, but he didn't dare to recognize her for a while.

The most famous photo of Qiu Jin is the one in the textbook, wearing leather gloves, holding a sharp knife with her hair in a bun.

Very chic.

Qiu Jin said, "That's right, Mr. Li Yu."

Li Yu said happily, "You recognize me?"

Qiu Jin glanced at Lu Bicheng: "Of course I do, my ears are almost calloused."

Li Yu said, "I recognize you too."

"How did you know me?" Qiu Jin was a little puzzled, and turned to look at Lu Bicheng, "Oh, I got it!"

Lu Bicheng quickly waved his hand: "It's not me."

Qiu Jin said, "Silly sister, don't deny it."

Lu Bicheng continued to shake his head: "It's really not me!"

Li Yu said, "I still know your phrase 'autumn wind, autumn rain and autumn evil'!"

Qiu Jin opened his mouth: "It's a good sentence, but is it too chilling?"

Li Yu suddenly remembered that this was Qiu Jin's last words, so he said, "It's true that the murderous spirit is too strong, I hope it's just a poem."

He didn't want to watch Qiu Jin die in vain.

Lu Bicheng said: "The autumn wind, autumn rain and autumn are terrible, the three characters of autumn are very suitable for my sister."

Qiu Jin said: "Thinking about it carefully, I really like this kind of heroic words and phrases. You are indeed a genius. I will accept it without hesitation, thank you!"

Li Yu smiled and said, "You were the one who said it."

Qiu Jin didn't understand what Li Yu meant, but didn't have time to ask.

Hattori Unoyoshi and his wife Hattori Shigeko came over, and Hattori Shigeko said, "Qiu Jin, if you really want to promote women's rights and build a women's school, you can go out and see what it looks like."

In fact, how much better women's rights in Japan can be, it is better than that in the late Qing Dynasty.

Qiu Jin's eyes were full of longing, "I want to too."

Li Yu said: "Reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles, the world has changed too much."

Qiu Jin knew that Li Yu was a master of western learning, and said, "I will think carefully about it."

Qiu Jin suddenly remembered that Li Yu had cut his hair, so he asked, "Should you obey some Western rules?"

Li Yu didn't understand, so he asked, "What Western rules are you talking about?"

Qiu Jin said: "I heard that even a king in the West can only have one wife, and there will be no concubines."

This is simply common sense for Li Yu. Bigamy was a crime in the era before he traveled, so he said casually: "Monogamy is a matter of course."

Qiu Jin nodded: "Very good."

Li Yu always felt that her "very good" had a deep meaning.

As one of the earliest advocates of women's rights, Qiu Jin of course fully supported monogamy, and believed that having a concubine was a bad rule.

It's just that even after the founding of the Republic of China, many rich people still took concubines, and even many women took it for granted. As long as a man is rich, he is rich or powerful, and marrying more concubines is a symbol of status.

The biggest requirement of a woman is only to be a regular wife, thinking that this is the greatest respect for herself, and then accepting her man's concubine frankly.

It can only be said that feminism is also a long way to go, and the change in thinking and atmosphere cannot be achieved in a short while.

After waiting for a long time, Zhang Baixi, Yan Fu, Gu Hongming and others finally finished their speeches. Hattori Unokichi led 39 students to board the ship and headed to Tokyo, Japan.

Li Yu and others also boarded the boat.

The siren blared, and the ship slowly left Tianjin Tanggu Port.

But Qiu Jin stood on the shore, unable to let go of his heart for a long time.

After a while, she leaned over and picked up a handful of cold sea water, looking at the direction of the ship thoughtfully.

-

On the ship, except for a few students who had been to Japan with Li Yu before, most of them were extremely excited.

Even in a society with a highly developed Internet in later generations, everyone has long known what foreign countries are like on videos, but going abroad is worth posting on Moments for several days.

Not to mention that opportunities to go abroad are so rare now.

Everyone was jumping around on the deck, and Ouyang Mouyuan said: "Look, we have moved so far away that we can no longer see the port."

Li Yu said with a smile: "Actually, human eyesight can theoretically see infinitely far."

Many students objected when they heard Li Yu's words: "How is that possible?"

Li Yu pointed to the sky: "Otherwise, how could you see the distant stars? The distance between them is beyond everyone's imagination."

However, it is impossible to explain the concept of light years to them. Many stars in the sky are thousands of light years away from the earth.

The farthest star Eta Carinae can be seen by the human naked eye, which is seven to eight thousand light-years away.

Even the brightest star Sirius is eight or nine light-years away from Earth.

The distance unit of light-year is really scary.

Fan Xiren stroked his chin: "That's right, why didn't I think of this question."

Li Yu asked, "Why do you think so?"

Fan Xiren shook his head: "I don't know."

Li Yu said to He Yujie, "Yujie, tell him."

He Yujie smiled and said, "Because the earth is round."

"What?" Fan Xiren felt inconceivable, "This proves that the earth is round?!"

Li Yu said: "Actually, this is almost the earliest evidence. Have you ever heard of Aristotle?"

The students said: "Of course I know, he lived more than 2000 years ago, and he was at the same time as the most holy teacher Confucius."

Li Yu said: "Very well, ancient Greece is the root of Western civilization. Aristotle dared to assert that the earth is spherical because he discovered that when a ship leaves the coast, the first thing to disappear is the hull, followed by the mast; And it's the opposite when a ship docks."

As if one word awakened the dreamer, the students suddenly realized: "So it is."

He Yujie said: "You are really more suitable for teaching."

Li Yu said, "I'm not good at teaching, but I just know a little bit of truth."

He Yujie is an expert in physics, and he understands Li Yu's intention in citing this example, which is to show that very profound truths can be drawn through keen observation and a thinking mind.

It's a pity that only a few people can understand Li Yu's deep meaning.

Hattori Unoyoshi came over and said: "But it was not until Magellan's voyage was completed nearly 2000 years later that it was truly proved that the earth is spherical."

Li Yu said: "This is the power of science, which can obtain many correct cognitions ahead of time. People 2000 years ago were even able to measure the radius and circumference of the earth."

Hattori Unokichi admired Li Yu's insight more and more, "If you are willing, I think even the University of Tokyo is willing to hire you as a professor."

When the students heard Hattori Unokichi praise Li Yu so much, they also felt that their faces were bright: "Li Yu, you are a professor at the University of Tokyo, what a status!"

But soon other students said: "Are you kidding me? He is already an academician of the Royal Society, no, he should be an academician of many countries."

Hattori Unokichi felt that what the students said made sense, and said to Li Yu: "But after all, academicians from various countries also have positions in a certain university."

Li Yu smiled slightly and declined, "I have my own plan in mind."

Of course he knew that the level of the University of Tokyo is not high now.

Speaking of which, the quality of European and American universities is far higher than that of Japan.

Students studying in Europe and the United States also have a higher level.

That's why Li Yu spared no effort to open up channels for domestic students to study in the United States.

Historically, since Boxer indemnity began to be refunded, Europe and the United States have accepted foreign students for many years.

It is a pity that in 1930, because the national government raised the review standards, and the Boxer indemnity for studying abroad was exhausted, the number of people studying in Europe and the United States fell precipitously.

Ordinary families simply cannot afford the expensive tuition fees of European and American universities, so most Chinese students can only choose to study in Japan.

After the 30s, there were few masters among foreign students.

Of course, after the 30s, there were not all those who studied in Europe and the United States. The national government briefly restarted the government-sponsored study abroad program, and the boss Qian Xuesen caught up with this good opportunity.

However, the window was only opened for three years and was closed again by the national government.

I have to say that education is also a matter of what you pay for.

Although in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, Japan was still better than domestic universities, but compared with the top universities in Europe and the United States, it was not a spoon at all.

Li Yu felt that Song Jiashu really had a vision, and all his children were sent to study in the United States. Facts have proved that the effect is really outstanding.

After a five-day voyage, the ship docked at the port of Tokyo, Japan.

Students will live in a special international student hall.

Many Chinese people have already received the news and came to pick up the ship.

Among them was Lu Xun. At this time, Brother Xun was still a passionate young man who aspired to study medicine.

Lu Xun saw Li Yu in the crowd, his hairstyle was so recognizable, he came up to greet him: "Sir, why are you here?"

Li Yu said, "I'm just stopping by, and I'm going to the United States."

Lu Xun asked again: "What we did for Mr. last time, shouldn't something go wrong?"

Li Yu smiled and said, "Very good. If it weren't for your help, my experiment in Germany would not have gone so smoothly."

Although communication is extremely backward now, the country pays too much attention to Li Yu, and various reports rush to send back to the country.

Lu Xun pointed to a person next to him: "Not only me, but Brother Baili also provided a lot of help."

"Baili keeps the promise?"

Jiang Baili came over: "Emperor Master, I am Jiang Fangzhen, and my name is Baili. The word 'Shou Yue' after the Emperor Master is the name of Pei Xingjian, a famous general of the Tang Dynasty?"

Li Yu laughed and said, "You really have a quick brain!"

—Desperately trying to hide that he just blurted out.

Jiang Baili said: "I dare not compare myself with General Pei Xingjian, who was famous in the Tang Dynasty, recovered the Western Regions, and defeated the Turks."

Li Yu said along, "Since you are interested in joining the army, I think Pei Xingjian is certainly a role model worthy of admiration."

Immediately, Jiang Baili thought that the Qing court had lost power, humiliated the country, and lost countless lands, so he said: "What the emperor taught is that soldiers should take it as their own responsibility to recover rivers and mountains."

Lu Xun also smiled and said, "Brother Baili, you are Zuo Zongtang's second, and your name can be changed to 'Baili Shouyue Ji Gao'."

Ji Gao is Zuo Zongtang's character.

Jiang Baili couldn't help laughing: "I think the four characters are still nice, and the name you named is not as good as the name given by the emperor."

The meeting of the few people was relatively short, and Lu Xun and Jiang Baili had to help settle the overseas students.

As the ship needed to be repaired, it could continue to leave for San Francisco the next day, so Li Yu and others stayed in a hotel.

Xie Yuxi, Lu Bicheng, and Jinwei Zhaoxue shared a big room, the remaining four male students had a big room, and Li Yu had a small room alone.

Hu Jiayan moved swiftly, and came to the door first, but froze in place, "Where is the doorknob?"

A few other students asked in surprise, "Doorknob?"

They came over, but they didn't find it, "Hey! That's weird!"

Li Yu stepped forward: "Push to one side."

From the corner of his eye, he found that at the end of the corridor, Jinwei Zhaoxue opened the door naturally.

The next day, when everyone had breakfast together, Hu Jiayan even rubbed his waist: "The Japanese sleep too weirdly, they don't even have a bed, they have to sleep directly on the ground."

Another student, Cao Yuan, said: "What are you talking about, your feet are too smelly! It's so close, I really can't sleep well."

Hu Jiayan handed him an egg: "This is as compensation."

Cao Yuan knocked, "Why is it raw!?"

At the table next to it, Konoe Zhaoxue skillfully cracked the egg into the small bowl next to it, and drank it in one gulp.

Li Yu was a little horrified. Of course he knew that Japanese people like to eat raw eggs. A classmate who studied in Japan once told him that there would be very small cups in the cafeteria of Japanese universities. Japanese students beat raw eggs into them in the morning and drank them up.

But even so, before he crossed over, many Chinese students studying in Japan could not accept this way of eating, so they tried to cook raw egg bibimbap.

Li Yu frowned, it was so natural!
Why is she so familiar with life in Japan?

After the meal, Li Yu called Lu Bicheng aside and asked, "How did you sleep last night?"

Lu Bicheng blushed, "Why are you asking this?"

Li Yu had no choice but to say, "I'm just asking casually, because Hu Jiayan and the others have always felt uncomfortable."

Lu Bicheng said: "I'm really not used to it, and I haven't seen it before. If Zhaoxue hadn't demonstrated it to us, Ms. Xie and I would not have known that the bed should be laid directly on the floor."

Li Yu already had [-]% certainty in his heart that even if this Wei Zhaoxue was not Japanese, at least he had lived in Japan for a long time.

Spies often hide themselves very deeply, but some unintentional details cannot be changed, because this is a habit they have developed since childhood, and it has long been subtly and deeply ingrained.

This is the power of habit.

(End of this chapter)