Go back to the past and be a schoolboy

Chapter 102

"Come on, come on, guys, work harder, and try to bring all these tables into the classroom before the sun sets, so that we can start the labor cram school tomorrow." Mr. Li rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, and while working, he Give encouragement to the workers who came to move the tables and chairs: "The only thing left is the door, and the move will be finished soon."

"It's okay, Mr. Li, you are a scholar, and your body is more expensive than ours. Why don't you take a break? We are good at doing coolies. Don't let your waist slip by when you turn around. It's too worthless. Turn around, Li Madam has to settle accounts with us." The leading worker smiled honestly, although it may seem that it is just lifting a piece of furniture, it actually requires skill, otherwise you will be tired if you can't move a few pieces, and you won't be able to get up the next morning. is a thing.

"This is not enough. We are all equal people. No one is more valuable than the other. I can't start to engage in privileges just because I drank more ink for a few years. Come and work together, so that everyone can rest early .” Mr. Li rejected the people who came to help, but insisted on finishing the work in hand.

It wasn't until they saw Cheng Nuo and others coming that they were "thrown away" by the workers and asked to take a break.

After straightening his collar and trying to expose as much of his neck as possible, Mr. Li smiled and said, "What's the matter, Manager Cheng, did you come to our school to inspect the work today? Did you bring any new instructions this time? "

After such a long time of cooperation, the relationship between the two has become much closer, and some laughter that does not touch the bottom line can be casual. Cheng Nuo just smiled when he saw this, and handed over a pot of sour plum soup that he bought along the way: "Not only are there instructions , I even came here to supervise you, the contractor, to see if you are lazy, and even the shoes are prepared for you."

Mr. Li laughed loudly, took the sour plum soup without hesitation, pulled out the spout and drank it all down, when he suddenly thought of something, he said in embarrassment: "Oh, I just cared about my own enjoyment, so I forgot to save some for you , look at my memory, I will invite you next time."

Cheng Nuo waved his hand and asked Li Laosan to push the tricycle over, and said with a smile, "Remember yours first, I'll invite you this time."

Lifting the sackcloth, there are several large vats in the carriage, which are full of sour plum soup, not only for Mr. Li, but also for all the workers who came to help.

"It's a hot day, we, as the masters, of course have to take care of the water in addition to the food." Patting the big tank on the car, Cheng Nuo smiled and said, "Sweet and sour, cool but not cold, how about it? Is Foreman Li Dabao going to have another bowl?"

The two looked at each other, both laughed, and then the scene was distributed to each worker.

The sun was setting, and the weather that had been hot and dry had cooled off a lot. Looking at the afterglow, Cheng and Li sat back to back on the floor, talking about the future.

Talking about the recent Zhonghua Match Factory in the Tianjin Concession, Mr. Li asked, "Zhiyuan, has the location of the match factory been decided?"

Cheng Nuo already has a plan in mind, but out of respect, he still wants to hear the other party's opinion first: "There are a few preliminary locations for the time being, but I haven't decided which one to choose, Mr. Shouchang, do you want to help me with my staff?"

Mr. Li turned his neck, felt more relaxed, and said: "I can't do anything about addition, but about subtraction, I can still say a few words, but let's say it first, the only thing that has anything to do with business is running a newspaper, so The following are the words of the whole family, just listen to them.”

Cheng Nuo stretched his waist, and said with a tinge of satisfaction in the breeze: "This is not the Shouchang brother I know. Come on."

Mr. Li found a cattail fan from nowhere, and he did not forget to bring Cheng Nuo with him when he fanned himself: "Actually, it's simple. The first choice for setting up a factory in North China is Beijing or Tianjin, but the political situation in Beijing is gloomy. It's really not a place to do practical things with peace of mind, and there are many people who are vassals, and setting up a factory here is a disadvantage to the eyes."

Taking advantage of the cool breeze, Cheng Nuo echoed, "Sir Carno said that republics have more quarrels and less pain, while autocratic countries have less quarrels and more pain, so they were not published for a while. Is our country now autocratic or What about the republic? Although the five-foot boy knew it was a republic and not an autocracy, there were actually many more quarrels. Counting from the day when the Manchu Qing Dynasty fell, first there was the mutiny on the [-]th day of the first lunar month, followed by the second revolution, and the dissolution The National Assembly, the national humiliation of May [-]th, Yuan Xiangcheng ascended to the palace. Up to the current restoration trend, it is really you who sing and I appear on the stage, but the common people have suffered."

Mr. Li heaved a long sigh and didn't answer. He was still shaking the cattail fan in his hand unhurriedly, but his gaze was unknowingly turned to the north. Maybe the seeds in his heart had already germinated.

After Cheng Nuo saw this scene, the corners of his mouth rose slightly, and he brought the topic back and continued: "After all, we still have to make our 'home' in Tianjin, and it's not necessarily safe to put it on our own territory. People are assured of their own people.”

Mr. Li regained his composure, was stunned for a moment and asked curiously: "So, you want to install the Zhonghua Match Factory in the concession? But as far as I know, the difference between the concession and the concession is not small, and some places are not as good as those in the Beijing city." .”

In fact, it can be seen from Tianjin's early name "Tianjin Wei" that it existed only as a defense military organization in the early days. At that time, besides it, there were two brothers-Tianjin Zuowei and Tianjin Youwei. Combined together, they are collectively referred to as Tianjin Wei. After the Second Opium War, according to the "Beijing Treaty", Tianjin was forced to open a port for trade, which opened the development of modern urbanization.

The Tianjin Concession is always mentioned in the film and television works of later generations, but the specific situation of the concession is rarely described.In fact, Tianjin only had the concessions of Britain, France, and the United States at the beginning. The area was not very large, only 851 mu. With the Eight Nations Concession, the total area soared to more than 1915 mu, which is directly eight times that of the old city of Tianjin.

Of course, this does not mean that the situation of these concessions is very good. For example, the British concession was just a desolate place at the beginning. Later, the British started to level the land, build roads and houses, and it took more than ten years to build one after another. A number of main roads, western buildings, the Ministry of Industry Bureau, etc., and even modern public facilities such as electric lights, running water, and public gardens have been introduced one after another, and gradually become the best-developed concession area. Therefore, it is Cheng Nuo's first choice for establishing the Zhonghua Match Factory. land.

As for other concessions in the same period, Cheng Nuo did not fail to investigate. For example, the French Concession is full of ponds, with many vegetable fields, vegetable cellars and fruit trees, and it still looks like a countryside; Taller permanent buildings; a street was built in the German Concession and real estate was built, attracting many dignitaries, warlords, and Qing Dynasty veterans to build villas here; the Russian Concession is only a commodity distribution center, which is only suitable for building warehouses; The Austrian Concession is close to the old city, the population is too dense, and the land price is too high.
In the end, after all the calculations, it can only be cheaper for the British.

However, the point of Cheng Nuo's visit this time is obviously not to simply deliver sour plum soup, but to have another purpose.

"Mr. Shouchang, do you know about the Frugal Society in France recently?" Cheng Nuo took the cattail fan and fanned the two of them as he did just now: "I heard that it was organized by Li Shizeng, Wu Yuzhang, Wu Zhihui and others. .”

"I've heard of it. When I tried to study abroad, I thought about it. Unfortunately, Yuan Xiangcheng stopped it later, but even so, I should have sent a lot of students in those two or three years, which is very meaningful." Li The gentleman pondered for a while, and said: "It seems that Mr. Cai is particularly supportive, and a special preparatory school for studying in France has been set up to support them."

"Yes, Mr. Cai was still the head of education at that time, and the preparatory school for studying in France was in Beijing. The purpose of the society was to 'import world civilization in China' and work hard to create a new society and new people." Cheng Nuo added in due course.

Mr. Li came to his senses and asked in confusion, "But what are you talking about all of a sudden? The academy and the school have long since ceased. You don't want to prepare one yourself, do you?"

Cheng Nuo picked up the cattail fan and patted his thigh, and laughed at himself, "I don't have that ability. Sending students to such a distant country to study further is not just a simple matter of just throwing money away."

Mr. Li was confused: "Then what do you mean?"

"What I mean is that I will pay for it, and you can do the education." Cheng Nuo took the fan to Mr. Li's ear, fanned it gently, and said with a flattering smile: "There are specialties in art, I think we can work hard A cram school is also suitable for this.”

Mr. Li originally wanted to refuse, but he changed his words as soon as he got to his mouth: "This matter has a lot to do with it, and the speed of the turning point is beyond my expectation."

Cheng Nuo stood aside and stated his point of view: "To improve society, education is the first thing. If you want to transfer scientific knowledge to East Asia, you must study abroad in Thailand and the West. However, the tuition fees in Western countries are said to be expensive, which is the most difficult thing." Popularity. People’s livelihood is difficult, and industries need talents. If you want to cultivate young students who can help the world, it is especially appropriate to go to a country with advanced people’s wisdom. Therefore, we organize the Society for Studying in France and Frugality, with the consciousness of the police and civilians, and help the practice of diligent learning.”

Although Mr. Li was persuaded, he was still a little worried: "The amount of money involved is huge, and the Zhonghua Match Factory alone may not be able to afford it. Besides, it is not a good habit to think about spending money before making money. "

Cheng Nuo said with a smile: "Of course we can't contribute money from our family. Good things can't be enjoyed by ourselves. We have to recruit other colleagues. Besides, this is a work-study program, not a full-study scholarship. We must know it well."

The reason why France was chosen instead of other countries is very complicated. On the one hand, France is an old capitalist country with strong strength. Even in the later era of highly differentiated world industry, Gaul "black-bone chicken" is one of the few with the most industrial categories. One of those countries in China is much stronger than the so-called "the sun never sets".On the other hand, France is also an "old revolutionary area". Sending these students there can also feel the enthusiasm of the people in the base area, and avoid being trained as a leading party like Japan and other countries, which is shooting yourself in the foot.

Of course, in addition to these, there is also the fact that the Anglo-Saxons are simply unhappy. France is the first major Western country to establish diplomatic relations with us. It has a tradition of studying in France for many years in modern times and has produced a series of fierce people. The result of all the factors combined, then It was the reason why Cheng Nuo chose to study in France for the frugal society.

As for how to raise money, it is actually very simple, it lies in one word "willingness".

On that day, Cheng Nuo took the nearest train and came to the Tianjin Chamber of Commerce. Unexpectedly, he ran into Zhang Boling here. He seemed to be standing at the door for a long time, taking out his pocket watch from time to time to have a look.

Seeing Cheng Nuo coming, he hurriedly stepped forward to meet him: "Zhi Yuan, you've come, you've made me wait, it's really meaningless to keep such a big matter from me."

Cheng Nuo was a little confused: "Mr. Zhang, could it be that you are doing it for the sports meeting? How long has it been? Don't worry, Peking University will definitely participate in the next North China Games. We will compete with Tsinghua University."

Zhang Boling patted his thigh, annoyed and funny: "You are pretending to be confused, are you? This is the first time you participated in the sports meeting and directly challenged the previous champion. Is it because you are too strong or don't take others seriously?"

Cheng Nuo patted his chest and said, "Of course you won't underestimate the champions who have won several times in a row, but our Peking University has already become a blockbuster if we don't make a name for it. Next time, Mr. Zhang, you can just look at it."

Zhang Boling waved his hand and said with a smile: "Okay, it's good if you have confidence, but this is far away. I came to you today to study in France for a work-study program. Why didn't you inform me of such a big event in advance? I might as well help out."

Cheng Nuo was a little puzzled, did the news spread so quickly? In addition to Cai Yuanpei and Mr. Li, he didn't tell a few people. How could the news come to Tianjin before him.

"Mr. Zhang, I."

"I know what you're here for. You must have come here on a beggar. If you don't come here early to suppress the situation, you won't welcome me, an old fellow?" Zhang Boling stopped Cheng Nuo, and smiled to himself: " Sometimes, strong control is also afraid of local snakes."

The number of students in Tianjin is no less than that in Beijing. It is the pursuit of every educator to find more opportunities for their students. It is normal to have a little "selfishness", not to mention that this kind of selfishness is not for self-interest. , in Cheng Nuo's view, as long as the students are excellent and part of the Chinese nation, it doesn't matter where they are from. Everyone's goal is the same.

Besides, the ones who stayed in France the most were from the school in Tianjin. From this point of view, Cheng Nuo agreed with both hands.

At the same time, this was Cheng Nuo's first visit to the Tianjin Chamber of Commerce. In the Manchu Qing Dynasty, these chambers of commerce were all fed by the emperor, and the president had a monthly salary of 100 taels of silver, which was not seen by ordinary people.

It's not that I'm afraid of anything, it's just that there are big bosses in the line, the negotiation will be much smoother, and there will be fewer detours.

Even though they didn't make an appointment in advance, Ye Dengbang, the president of the Tianjin Chamber of Commerce, and Bian Yinchang, the assistant, came out to greet them as quickly as possible after learning of their arrival.

"I just said why the left eyelid kept twitching today, and I wondered if some noble person would come to the door. Sure enough, after a short interruption, I heard a report from the servants, saying that the two gentlemen came to make our chamber of commerce flourish. " Ye Dengbang smiled, his words sounded a little exaggerated, but his behavior gave people a feeling of spring breeze.

The second-in-command, Bian Yinchang, paid more attention to Cheng Nuo, and said kindly: "Professor Cheng, I have admired your name for a long time. The Chamber of Commerce bought a lot of books from you before. I didn't expect to meet a real person today. To be so young is truly terrifying."

Cheng Nuo was a little puzzled, thinking that he had just published "Theory of Class Fields". It's not about commercial mutual praise, it can't be true.

When Bian Yinchang actually took out the book, Cheng Nuo was dumbfounded. Everything in the book was his own, and the sources were basically excerpts from newspapers, and finally compiled into a book. He didn't know about it at all, but he obviously didn't It's easy to debunk, so I can only temporarily default.

"Professor Cheng, I don't understand your other Western knowledge, but this female ban is very good. Because of your strong support, the number of female students in our industrial school has doubled. Girls who were originally subsidized to enter the school , Now it can fill the entire classroom, I would never have thought about it before." Bian Yinchang held the book and sighed, the expression of gratitude on his face was very sincere, not fake at all.

"Where is this? It's everyone's credit. I'm just playing lip service. It's up to you to do practical things." Cheng Nuo waved his hands again and again. These words are also sincere, not simply polite, but also sincere after the visit Feeling: "Sure enough, productivity determines the relationship of production. When the market demand for female workers is met, the ban on women is naturally opened. These articles are just to promote the process of history. After all, the process of history is still driven by the people."

"Professor Cheng, I didn't hear what you were talking about. Do you have any guidance for our women's industrial school?" Bian Yinchang was far away, and couldn't hear what Cheng Nuo was muttering. He thought he had discovered some mistakes, so he hurried up ask.

How could Cheng Nuo say those words, and shook his head again and again: "It's okay, you are doing very well. I just thought that besides the textile industry, our match manufacturing industry can also employ female workers, and there is not a small manpower gap."

Ye Dengke said happily: "This is a good idea. Although our Chamber of Commerce is not small, it is not a small problem to arrange these colleges every time. Members complain about the lack of people every day. They are really picky when they give them away. , worry me back and forth.”

Cheng Nuo stood up and said with a smile: "President Ye, our visit this time will not only solve the problems of your chamber of commerce, but also make everyone rich together. Do you want to think about it?"

Zhang Boling on the side was confused, so he quickly pulled him aside, and asked in a low voice, "Zhiyuan, don't get me wrong, we are here to ask for money, not to give money away. From Nanjing to Beijing, buyers are not as good as sellers. It's the same in Tianjin."

Cheng Nuo patted his hand to reassure him: "Don't worry, Mr. Zhang, I know it well. If they make money in some businesses, it means that I also make money. The more they make, the more I make."

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(End of this chapter)