It is said that Sun Yuanqi and others changed trains in Tianjin and arrived at the front gate of Beijing in a day.

Out of the station, I saw that the sky was covered with lead clouds, directly pressing the capital. Although it was afternoon, there was no ray of sunshine. The cold wind of early autumn is blowing, and it is quite cool. Suspecting that it was going to rain, Sun Yuanqi was also anxious to see Vera and her son, rented a carriage, didn't even enter the old mansion in the city, and walked directly through the city, looking at the Jingshi University in the northwest corner.

Since they met, Lao Zhao and Lao Zheng have been talking about how the little master is liked and how smart he is. Although the child is not yet a full moon, these words are just talking to make Sun Yuanqi happy, but he never gets tired of listening to them. The more I listened, the more I couldn't wait to see it.

When I saw the people at the school gate from afar, a few points of rain finally fell from the gloomy sky. The coachman had to rush back to the city, and when he saw that it was beginning to rain, he had to throw his whip a few more times.

I haven't seen it for nearly half a year, and the school gate is even more lively, with fewer stables, newly built adobe houses everywhere, and the signboards set up on the road have added a bit of popularity out of thin air. Sun Yuanqi hurriedly glanced at the car, and saw a pen and ink shop selling the four treasures of the study, a southern grocery store selling department stores, and even a tavern.

When he was about to enter the school gate, Sun Yuanqi instructed Lao Zhao and Lao Zhao to take the guests to the Mid-Levels Residence to settle down first, and by the way, let the canteen prepare more wine and food. I got out of the car to see how the school had changed.

After a year of baptism of wind and frost, the school gate has faded from that frivolous new air, and gradually highlighted his simplicity and heaviness. At the entrance, a few more columns were added to the stone monument in the green space, and it seems that after I left, there were people who donated money one after another, which is a good phenomenon. Leaned forward and took a closer look, "In the summer and May of the twenty-fourth year of Guangxu, Sun Jianjianai, a scholar of Tirenge University, a scholar of the Ministry of Officials, and a bachelor of the Hanlin Academy, donated 5,000 taels of silver" and his line also moved Sun Yuanqi greatly, and the next one made him hesitate:

"In the summer and June of the twenty-fourth year of Guangxu, the governor of Zhili, the minister of Beiyang, and the prince of Chenzhou, Yuan Shikai, donated 10,000 taels of silver......"

After seeing Yuan Shikai's name, Liu Kunyi, Zhang Zhidong, and Sheng Xuanhuai in the back were all floating clouds. Holding the stele in his hand, Sun Yuan thought: In more than ten years, this name will have a spell with "Shanmu Building", do you say that it will stay or not when the time comes?

Before I crossed the wind and rain bridge, I heard a "Stand-up!" from the playground. "Turn right!" "Let's go!" With a Shandong-flavored password. Sun Yuanqi recalled: When he went abroad in April, he discussed with Zhang Yuanji, and when the school started in September, he organized military training for the whole school for a month. Military training is not mandatory, and at the beginning, it is possible to apply not to participate; After participating, you can't go back. It's late September, and the military training is nearing its end, so I don't know what the effect will be? Thinking of this, I hurriedly walked a few steps.

After crossing the wind and rain bridge, I saw Zhang Yuanji and Yan Fu coming over: "Baixi, don't come unharmed!" ”

"Thanks to all of you, all is well. It's been a bit of a labor for you these past few months! Sun Yuan arched his hand and bowed.

The greetings are over. Yan Fu smiled: "Baixi came by coincidence! It's Saturday, and the various faculties are organizing a drill! ”

Everyone stood on the edge of the playground and looked into the playground, only to see that in the vast playground, there were large and small squares lined up, with a total of two or three hundred people. Everyone wore a modern military uniform with gray tops and trousers, but a braided hair dragged under the military cap, which was somewhat awkward.

"Baixi, the group of Scouts closest to this side is the largest number of people in the elementary school. In addition to the children of school workers, nearby mountain farmers heard that they did not need to pay money to go to school, and they also distributed clothes, and they all sent their children one after another; There are also enlightened gentry in the city, and there are also people who ask people to send their children over. So one after another, there were fifty or sixty people before and after. Zhang Yuanji enthusiastically introduced on the side.

He pointed to the middle one and said, "That one is the middle school and the higher school. This summer, Nanyang College suppressed students' freedom of speech, provoking **, and more than 200 students dropped out of school in anger. Heqin and the students have written to them, hoping to borrow them here. We already had some incense with them, and at the beginning of the school's construction, we said that foreign students were welcome to listen and borrow, so I took the liberty to agree, and I hope Baixi will not blame me for my arbitrariness. ”

"What Mr. Kikusheng has done is extreme! Where is the arbitrary statement? Even I wanted to do it, but I didn't have the chance. Sun Yuanqi very much agrees with his approach of bringing in foreign aid.

"At the farthest end are the students of the University Hall. This year's enrollment, the enrollment of the three colleges of science, engineering, and medicine is very smooth, but in terms of scores, there are not many excellent results. According to several old gentlemen who read the papers, they are all the best of the best, and they can't bear to be deleted, and in the end, a few more places were added. Zhang Yuanji said in the end, looking very excited, "I thought that the students in the university hall would not want to participate in military training, but the result was very unexpected, and no one was absent." The people's wind is rising, which can be seen from this! ”

While talking, the drill has begun.

First of all, it was a security guard as an instructor. After more than half a year of tempering, these original mud legs have been freed from laziness and restraint, and they have the ability and decisiveness of a soldier in every move. From a distance, I couldn't see the braids behind them, and I thought they were coiled in their hats. The long-washed military uniform began to turn white, and the sun-tanned face became more and more set off. Legs like the wind, swinging hands and arms like knives and axes, these small phalanx of twenty or thirty people were stunned to walk out of a overwhelming momentum.

Yan Fu sighed on the side: "These security guards are actually not inferior to the students of the British Military Academy!" If all the soldiers of the Qing Dynasty are like this, why should Haiyu be restless? ”

Then there are the students in the elementary school. These children are of uneven height, it is estimated that the eldest is thirteen or fourteen years old, and the youngest is only six or seven years old at most. I thought they would go in pieces, but it turned out to be neat and tidy overall, which was eye-catching. On second thought: most of these children are children from poor families, who have been in the mud and water since they were three or four years old, and can endure hardship. For this opportunity to have enough food, wear new clothes, and study, whether it is parents or myself, I want to cherish it. Of course, military training is such a thing as a difficult thing for them.

Looking at the group of adult-like children in front of him, Sun Yuanqi suddenly had an idea in his heart, but he couldn't implement it now, and he had to wait for the time to be ripe.

Next are middle school students and college students, and after more than 20 days of beating, it is also remarkable.

When the exercise was about to end, the thin rain gradually became dense. Sun Yuanqi thought of his wife and children at home, and said goodbye to Zhang Yuanji, Yan Fu and others. They knew the situation, so they naturally didn't stay long, and they didn't forget to ask for the child's full moon wine to eat before parting.

didn't take a few steps, Lao Zhao and Lao Zheng greeted them with oil-paper umbrellas.

When I entered the house, I saw Zhao Jinghui holding a baby, Zheng Jingyi and Song Jingyao standing aside and teasing. Vera sat on the chaise longue and looked at the child dotingly. The old Zhao family and the old Zheng family next to him were gossiping. Seeing Sun Yuan get up, the old Zhao family hurriedly knelt down, and the old Zheng family cleverly went over to help Vera up. The crowd shouted unevenly: "Master! ”

Sun Yuanqi waved his hand: "In the future, I will still be called 'sir'!" Sir or something, I don't know how ugly it sounds. ”

Everyone was present, and it was inconvenient to be intimate with Vera, so they just patted her on the shoulder lovingly: "It's hard for you!" ”

"Hug our baby!" Vera looked at Sun Yuanqi and whispered, "His name is Linca." ”

"Linca? The kid's name is Linka? Sun Yuanqi reached out and hugged the baby in Jinghui's arms, and looked carefully: the coffee-colored fetal hair lay softly on the top of his head, and his soft face was a healthy pink. Realizing that he was looking at him, the little one looked curiously at him with royal blue eyes, and his two little hands kept waving. "It's like you, Vera, Linka's eyes are like you!"

Vera nodded happily.

Jing Yi and Jing Yao came over: "The forehead, nose, and lips of the little young master are more like Mr. ”

Little master? Sun Yuan scratched his head: "Vera, what is Linca's Chinese name?" ”

Vera pursed her lips: "Haven't gotten up yet." The right to name in Chinese belongs to the child's father. ”

"Then let's call Sun Nianzu." Sun Yuanqi said the answer he had been thinking about for a long time, and then said to Jing Hui and Jing Yi, "You can just call him Xiao Nianzu in the future, don't call him Little Young Master." You're still his sister. ”

Suddenly, Sun Yuanqi remembered, and his tone was a little stern: "Eh, why didn't you go to class?" ”

Jing Yao has been in Sun's house for three or four years, and now he is only thirteen or fourteen years old, and he is not afraid of this gentleman. He hurriedly replied: "It's military training now, we don't have to go to class." ”

Vera also explained: "Jinghui and the others are learning some medical skills from Mr. Manle Dao. Coming over to take care of me often has been a great help these days! ”

Sun Yuanqi was a little apologetic when he heard this, and his voice turned soft: "When school starts, you have to go to class with peace of mind." Vera is here, if only your mother was here. ”

The next day, the sky was still very overcast, and the autumn rain was as thin as a cow's hair, tight and slow, and there was no intention of stopping for a while. Fortunately, on the weekend, everyone didn't need military training, or hid in the repaired Chunpu Building dormitory to catch up on sleep, or went to the study room of Chengqi Hall to read, and everyone had fun.

On campus, there are either concrete roads or stone steps, which save countless troubles on rainy days. Sun Yuanqi sat in the principal's office and sent someone to invite Mr. Zhang Yuanji and the designer of the O&C office to discuss the planning of the school.

They all sat down, Sun Yuanqi didn't have time to speak, Zhang Yuanji said first: "Baixi has been gone for five or six months, and the situation in the school may not be understood. I will take this time to talk about the recent situation and problems, and everyone has a good idea in mind. ”

According to Zhang Yuanji, in the past six months or so, with the help of the municipal company, municipal facilities including tap water and sewers have been completed and put into use. At the same time, a small hydropower plant was built, which not only generated enough electricity for the school, but also had a large surplus. Electric lights have been installed throughout the school.

The Chunpu dormitory was completed in May and June, and all students moved in free of charge. - Of course, you will have to pay for borrowing books. The two teaching buildings and one laboratory building built on the top of the hill behind Tong Wenlou are estimated to be renovated before winter and can be delivered in the coming year.

In addition to the normal enrollment, many excellent teachers have also been hired from Japan, Shanghai and other places, including Einstein, Luo Zhenyu and Wang Guowei. Of course, as the number of teachers and students increased, problems began to come to the fore: the cafeteria was too small and crowded, the bathrooms were too few and too basic, the classrooms were tight, and the library was short of books......

"The new building is about to be repaired, so the classroom problem is temporary and can be ignored. The size of the collection takes time to accumulate, and it cannot be solved for a while, and it can also be ignored. Sun Yuanqi said: "Then, let's first discuss where to build a bigger canteen and bathroom today. ”

According to the survey of O&C Architectural Design Office, there is a ravine between the front and middle of the school, and across the ravine is a large and a small two small undulating slopes, the large one is more than 6,000 acres, and the small one is more than 2,000 acres, which is very suitable for building a campus. Now we are thinking about how to gradually shift the focus of the school back. As essential facilities for survival, the location of the canteen and bathroom determines the living area of teachers and students.

"Baixi, aren't you still planning to do that and that heating recently?" Zhang Yuanji was a little worried.

"yes!" Sun Yuanqi answered categorically. When I first came to the Qing Dynasty, I was frozen to death, and after going to the United States in 1900, I found that since the invention of heating in Europe in the eighties and nineties of the nineteenth century, it has quickly become popular in various countries, and wealthy families have regarded it as a necessity of life. When I returned to China, I found that the suburbs of Beijing in winter were completely unsuitable for human habitation. Therefore, before going to the United States this year, I made up my mind to use heating at least this winter, "The heating must be built!" I have already booked a radiator manufacturer in the United States, and as long as the quantity and specifications are confirmed, the goods can be shipped. ”

"At the beginning of this year, the school had less than 10,000 taels of silver. Later, two universities in the United States sent a check for 180,000 US dollars, equivalent to 250,000 taels of silver. After you went abroad, officials at all levels donated 110,000 taels of silver, plus the Commercial Press sent another 15,000 taels for manuscript fees. The front and back are 380,000 taels. Zhang Yuanji counted with his fingers, "However, in the past six months, nearly 100,000 taels have been spent on various municipal projects, construction costs, and salaries for teachers and students. If we build a canteen, a bath, a heating or something, 150,000 taels will not be enough this year. It can be supported next year, but what about the year after next? What about the year after graduation? ”

Sun Yuanqi looked at Zhang Yuanji's worried look and persuaded: "Mr. Jusheng, don't worry. As long as the two years pass this year and next year, there will be a relatively stable source of income after that, at least there will be no problems in maintaining the daily operation of the school. We now need to build the school as soon as possible, so that students can learn with peace of mind and teachers can teach with peace of mind. ”

In fact, he was thinking in his heart: after this year and next year, not to mention whether Jamie's car factory can be profitable, nor whether the radio broadcast can be used, as long as Mr. Bergman's MSG factory is operating normally, tens of thousands of dollars a year can still be guaranteed. In this way, there will be no problem with the salaries of teachers, students, and school workers.

"Okay." Zhang Yuanji looked at Sun Yuanqi with confidence, knowing that he must have some solution, so he didn't think much about it at the moment.

This autumn rain has been falling intermittently for nearly a week. Sun Yuanqi originally planned to wait for the sunny day to take Vera and Xiao Nianzu to the city to visit that uncle and grandfather, looking at this situation, it can be imagined that the official road outside must be full of muddy water. I had to give up.

Just when Sun Yuanqi was about to enter the city in a few days, Lao Zhao came to the door with a person. After reading the letter, Sun Yuanqi sighed: People are not as good as heaven, it seems that they still can't hide!

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