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

Chapter 681 Prodigy
When Li Yu returned home, his son Li Xian was just coming home from school. He was currently studying at Chengzhi School, also known as Tsinghua Elementary School, which is now the best elementary school in Beijing.

"Dad, that guy named Qian is bullying us again!" Li Xian complained.

"Didn't I tell you to get along well with your friends?" Li Yu said.

"I was trying to be friendly, but he pulled another little brother."

"Little brother?" Li Yu was a little puzzled.

"Yes, their last name is Qian too! They are going to form a small alliance!"

"What's the point of forming a minor league?"

"They want to dominate the IQ of Chengzhi School!"

Li Yu smiled. Well, I just brought the word IQ back to China. Even primary school students understand it. Li Yu said, "You are not stupid. What are you afraid of?"

"They compete with me every day. If they can't beat me, they compete with me! I won the division competition yesterday, and today they competed in reciting the "Xiang Guang Xian Wen" and writing. I, I lost..." Li Xian said dejectedly. The science education in schools at that time was still a little weak. For a time traveler like Li Yu, who grew up under the exam-oriented education, there were too many skills that could be taught.

"Do they write very well?" Li Yu asked softly.

"The one called Qian Xuesen writes well, but he is almost a year older than me, so I don't accept his superiority at all! But his younger brother called Qian Sanqiang writes better than me!"

Li Yu smiled and said, "Everyone has his own strengths. Qian Sanqiang's father is Qian Xuantong, a master of Chinese studies. But you should learn from each other and be good friends."

"Of course we are good friends, but I must be better than him! I can't bring shame to the Li family!" Li Xian said, raising his head.

"Okay, you should have this ambition!" Li Yu encouraged, "I will find you a better Chinese studies teacher someday."

Li Xian tried to enlighten him: "Dad, I think the father of Sanqiang is quite capable, and you two complement each other, why don't you let the Qian brothers learn from you, and I learn from the father of Sanqiang?"

Li Yu immediately understood what the child meant and said with a smile, "Was it Qian Xuesen's idea?"

Li Xian blushed: "No!"

Li Yu did not expose it and said, "Okay, I promise you."

Li Xian said happily: "I will tell him tomorrow!"

Li Yu laughed secretly in his heart, children really can't keep a secret.

Qian Sanqiang's father is the master of Chinese studies, Qian Xuantong, who has been introduced several times; Qian Xuesen's father, Qian Junfu, is less famous, but he is definitely a cultural figure. He now works in the Ministry of Education of the Beiyang Government and is a colleague of Lu Xun.

What a coincidence, they all went to the same primary school.

Qian Xuesen was a prodigy since he was young. If his IQ was measured, he would be among the best in Beijing. He was also very hardworking. Li Yu did not take it too seriously that his son could not compare with him.

But it’s so embarrassing that my ugly calligraphy was passed down to my descendants!

During the Republic of China period, if a scholar could not write well, he would be laughed at.

I have been practicing for so many years and was about to make some progress, but I was interrupted many times. I either went to other cities or went abroad. I didn't stick to it for the whole time. It was all because I was too busy.

Li Yu made up his mind and decided to go to Liulichang to buy some rice paper and practice hard.

Although it may not be very effective...

Stores that sell Xuan paper are generally called "Southern Paper Stores". There are also Jing Paper Stores in the old Beijing city, which sell Korean paper, old-style account books, window paper and other civilian papers. Southern Paper Stores sell Xuan paper, Hu brushes, Hui inkstones, and Duan inkstones, most of which come from the south, and Xuan paper is sold in bulk, so it is called Southern Paper Store.

Li Yu hadn't been to Liulichang for a long time. After a short stroll, he became interested in a Nanzhi shop because there was a sign hanging at the door of the shop that read: "Hunan Baishi, seal stone calligraphy and painting; fan price, special price of two yuan!"

It looks like this is a shop visited by Qi Baishi, a 58-year-old migrant worker from Beijing.

The price is very low. In other shops, as long as the artist is a famous painter, the price of a fan is generally four yuan.

When Qi Baishi first came to Beijing, he was indeed a little uncomfortable with the climate. Northerners didn't know much about him, and few people bought his paintings, so he could only lower the prices again and again.

Li Yu walked into the store and saw several paintings by Qi Baishi hanging on one wall, which were very impressive.

Qi Baishi usually used raw rice paper for his paintings, and he particularly liked to use the thinnest type of raw rice paper, "Liaoban", which absorbs water and ink very well. This type of paper is most likely to show brush marks and brush and ink techniques, but it is difficult to control without a certain level of artistic skill, because it absorbs water too quickly and is difficult to master. When writing, if there is a slight hesitation or pause, bumps will appear in the ink lines, which cannot be corrected.

Qi Baishi's style is perfectly reflected on this kind of paper. Often, only a few strokes are needed to capture both form and spirit.

A man in a long robe saw Li Yu studying Qi Baishi's words and came over to say, "Sir, you are dressed in a rather Western style. Do you also like painting? Mr. Baishi's paintings now have a style similar to that of Bada Shanren. Those who can appreciate this have good taste!"

Li Yu smiled and said, "I... just think it looks pretty."

"Thinking that something is beautiful is the first step in appreciating art. Only then can one - Hey, are you Mr. Li Yu?"

The other party recognized him. Li Yu asked, "Sir, who are you?"

"My name is Chen Shizeng. I accompanied Mr. Zhang Jian to visit you in Shanghai a few years ago. Maybe you have forgotten it," said Chen Shizeng.

"I'm so sorry." Li Yu apologized quickly. This was not the first time this happened.

Chen Shizeng said: "I was in the crowd at that time and was indeed not noticeable."

Chen Shizeng was the grandson of Hunan Governor Chen Baozhen. He was very influential in the painting world in the early years of the Republic of China and had close friendships with Li Shutong and Qi Baishi. Qi Baishi, in particular, would have remained unknown for many years without the help of Chen Shizeng.

"I'm here to buy some paper," Li Yu pointed at the paintings by Qi Baishi, "Are you selling these too?"

"Of course!" Chen Shizeng said happily, "Finally I have found someone who has a discerning eye for talent!"

Another customer suddenly said, "A discerning eye for pearls? Haha! A carpenter who has no ink in his belly and whose paintings are vulgar, what good is there?"

Chen Shizeng looked unhappy and said to the customer, "Mr. Sun, your words are too harsh, aren't they?"

The man called Mr. Sun was relentless: "An old man without any reputation can only paint this kind of thing. He is not even as good as Fan Jin!"

Li Yu asked, "Mr. Juren, I am curious. What is the standard for vulgarity and non-vulgarity? How do you tell at a glance?"

Mr. Sun smiled coldly: "How can the small works sold for a few copper coins on the street stalls be compared with the real works with the smell of ink?"

"You mean, Mr. Bai Shi's paintings are just small pieces sold at street stalls?" Chen Shizeng couldn't listen any longer.

Mr. Sun looked at Qi Baishi's painting with disdain in his eyes, and then said, "I think it's about the same! How many poems, fu, sao and ci has a carpenter read? Is he as good as Wang Wei, Wu Daozi and Gu Kaizhi?" Li Yu said slowly, "I can't agree with Mr. Sun's opinion. Many famous artists in history came from humble families. It can even be said that there have been famous people from humble families since ancient times. However, some dandies, like those wandering Jueluo in the capital, only know brothels and restaurants, and have no fame or honor."

Mr. Sun said angrily, "Who is the dude!?"

Li Yu said leisurely: "Failed to pass the exam, not a Jinshi but a Juren, what a name, tut tut tut."

Mr. Sun's face flushed: "You are such a smooth talker! You look so fancy dressed, and I haven't said anything about you yet. Why did you come to the Nan Paper Shop? Why are you pretending to be a cultured person!"

"Mr. Sun, can't you see that this is Mr. Li Yu, the world-famous scientific giant. You say he is uneducated, but that just shows that you are too uneducated." Qi Baishi happened to come to the store at this time.

"Li, Grand Secretary Li? Imperial tutor?" Mr. Sun was speechless after hearing this.

Qi Baishi said calmly: "You don't even know a few numbers and symbols, so don't embarrass yourself here. Go back and learn how to do the accounting, so that you don't have to worry about the next meal after the previous one."

"Let's settle the accounts. That was the servants' job!" Mr. Sun said this, but he had no confidence at all. He kept moving towards the door and left in a flash.

Qi Baishi bowed and said, "Thank you, Mr. Academician, for protecting my reputation!"

Li Yu said casually, "It just so happens that I also want to buy Mr.'s paintings. If he scolds you, it is also scolding my taste. Of course I have to talk back."

Qi Baishi said: "I have been in Beijing for several months and have not sold many paintings. I am grateful that the academician likes them."

Li Yu said, "I'll buy these paintings and the fan together. By the way, why don't I see any paintings with shrimps?"

Qi Baishi said: "Shrimp? I do plan to paint shrimp, but I need to concentrate on studying it for a few years."

It turned out that he had just started to paint shrimps at this age. Li Yu said, "I am looking forward to it! In addition, if you have time, can you carve a seal for my son?"

Qi Baishi readily agreed: "I don't have anything else to do recently, so you can carve as many as you want."

Li Yu smiled and said, "The price will be based on Mr. Bai Shi's rules."

The characteristic of Mr. Bai Shi is that he is a bit "stingy", not to mention that he is very short of money now.

Li Yu did not forget to buy some more rice paper.

Chen Shizeng was very happy to meet Li Yu, and then suggested: "I just bought a few tickets for the Wenming Teahouse. There is a new play today, performed by the famous Mei Lanfang and Yang Xiaolou. It is called "Farewell My Concubine". Why don't we go and enjoy it together?"

His attitude was very sincere, and Li Yu couldn't refuse at all, so he followed him to the teahouse.

After all, "Farewell My Concubine" is indeed very famous and it's nice to listen to.

This play had just been rehearsed by Mei Lanfang and Yang Xiaolou. The original script was adapted by the great playwright Qi Rushan based on the legend "A Thousand Golds" by Shen Cai of the Ming Dynasty. On the basis of the original work, the script of "The Chu-Han Contention" was referred to and "Farewell My Concubine" was revised.

When the original version was written, there were so many venues that it would take two days to complete. Then many opera stars felt that it would be incomplete if it were divided into two days, so it was shortened and eventually became the current version that can be completed in one day.

The show that Li Yu and his friends attended today was divided into 15 scenes. There were many fighting scenes, which were very popular with the audience, but Yang Xiaolou was a little tired.

Around 1936, "Farewell My Concubine" was changed to twelve scenes; after liberation, it was further reduced to eight scenes.

After repeated cuts and revisions, only the essence of the play remains.

Of course, another objective reason for changing it to such a small number is that after Yang Xiaolou passed away, Mei Lanfang did not find a better partner.

Even if one has not heard the original version, everyone knows this play by Mei Lanfang.

I remember someone once sarcastically said, "Doesn't Mei Lanfang only know eight plays?"

But this statement just exposes their ignorance. Mei Lanfang performed more than 300 plays in his lifetime, and he could perform even more plays. The so-called "Mei Eight Plays" does not mean that Mei Lanfang could only sing eight plays, but that there were eight representative plays that Mei Lanfang often performed in his later years. "Farewell My Concubine" is one of the "Mei Eight Plays".

There was a splendid performance on the stage. Now Li Yu understood a little bit. When it came to the most exciting act, the twelfth scene, "Xiang Yu was defeated and drunk in the tent", Yu Ji, played by Mei Lanfang, danced with beautiful sword flowers and sang, "The saying since ancient times is true, wealth and poverty are just a moment away."

The audience in the audience cheered loudly.

Qi Baishi also understood opera, and said to Li Yu and Chen Shizeng: "It is really not easy for a new opera to have such an effect! I think it won't be long before theaters across the country will be vying to let you two perform."

Qi Baishi's guess was quite accurate, and there were even fans present at the scene who came from Shanghai.

Yang Xiaolou, Mei Lanfang and Li Yu were old acquaintances. After the singing, they invited Li Yu to the backstage.

A theater owner in Shanghai was chatting with Qi Rushan about performing in Shanghai.

Yang Xiaolou had just finished removing her makeup and was very tired. She stood up and greeted Li Yu: "Academician brother! Long time no see!"

Li Yu said: "It's been a long time. Your play is really wonderful!"

Yang Xiaolou said: "Originally Mei Lanfang and Qi Rushan wanted to add another section after Yu Ji committed suicide, because there were fighting scenes afterwards, but I really don't have that much energy. This day can tire people to death."

Yang Xiaolou said this very generously.

Because logically, this fighting scene is Yang Xiaolou's unique skill. During the audition, there was indeed a fighting scene.

But now the audience's appreciation level is also improving, and they like Mei Lanfang's performance as Yu Ji more.

So after the audience saw Yu Ji commit suicide, they all "left the hall" and were unwilling to watch Yang Xiaolou's fight anymore.

This cold reception made Yang Xiaolou, who was already known as the "Grandmaster of Chinese Opera", quite embarrassed. His mood was greatly affected and he was unable to complete the last fight scene to its fullest.

After a hasty perfunctory response, he stepped down and said in a rather complicated tone: "This doesn't sound like Farewell My Concubine at all, it's more like Farewell My Concubine."

Although Mei Lanfang knew that Yang Xiaolou was unwilling to give up, he still believed that the audience was the most important thing, so he decided to perform the play only until Yu Ji committed suicide. Yang Xiaolou did not say anything else.

The theater owner in Shanghai said, "Boss Qi, this great play must be performed in Shanghai for a few times. The appearance fee is negotiable!"

Qi Rushan had to seek the opinions of Mei Lanfang and Yang Xiaolou, so he asked them: "What do you think?"

Mei Lanfang had been to Shanghai before and said, "Shanghai is tolerant and inclusive. We should show our new plays to the audience there. It would be great if everyone likes them. If not, it would be even better if they can point out the flaws."

Qi Rushan felt that what he said made a lot of sense and agreed to the request of the Shanghai theater owner.

(End of this chapter)