In the third lunar month of 1933, the spring breeze blew the land of China, and the weather in the south of the Yangtze River slowly warmed up, which was a season of recovery of all things. The warm sunlight sprinkled on the branches, the new leaves of the willow tree became more and more green, and the fragrance of the immature catkins buds mixed with the faint smell of grass, which made people feel invigorated when they smelled it. Zhou Yizhi likes this taste better than in a garden full of flowers. The fresh breath gives people a sense of reality, a kind of down-to-earth hope. So he asked his assistant Huang Chenkuan to park the car on the side of the road at the head of the bridge, get out of the car and breathe the smell of grass in the fields for a while. After a few sips of rice wine, they continued on the road refreshed, and their destination this time was Shangqiu County. The Shangqiu branch of Zhoujia Foreign Bank is about to open, and Zhou Yizhi, as the chief treasurer, will naturally arrive. But he had to be in Shanghai for three or five days, and Lu Hong of the Public Board of Directors (1) said several times that he would introduce Gao Xiaojie, director of the Finance Bureau of the Shanghai Municipal Hall, to him. Gao Xiaojieming is idle in the Finance Bureau on the surface, but he is actually the director of the Nanjing Government Salt Audit Office, and the salt industry that Zhou Yizhi wants to vigorously develop is really not possible without his support. Lu Hong also introduced a German doctor to Zhou Yizhi by the way to treat his palpitations that had plagued him for many years.

Speaking of the Zhou family in Nanxun Town, Wuxing County, it can be traced back to the middle of the Ming Dynasty, with generations of scholars and scholars, and several high-ranking officials in the late Ming Dynasty. After the Qing army entered the customs, the family moved south and settled in Nanxun, Huzhou, where they made a living from raw silk and silk fabrics. After that, although he was also keen on the imperial examination, until the fall of the Qing Dynasty for hundreds of years, there was only one Engong (2). When the Taiping Army (3) occupied Huzhou, they moved their families to Huangpu Bay, Nanshi, Shanghai, and started a cotton silk and silk business. Later, seeing that Nanxun had not changed much, he went back to continue his business. The business on both sides was not only gradually expanding, but also doing business with the Taiping army. By the generation of Zhou Yizhi's father, Zhou Shengping, the family had a population of more than 300, and its ancestral industries involved the garment industry, raw silk, papermaking, brewing industry, salt, and mining. Zhou Shengping's sisters can't participate in business, the four brothers can be said to be inactive and inactive in business, and the children they teach have become children who can't do anything but spend money. For Zhou Shengping, who is in charge, he is also helpless, and there is no other way than how hard he works. Because his grandfather beat his second uncle to death because he smoked a lot of cigarettes when he was there, although no one in the family dared to touch the tobacco soil after that, he also did not dare to be too harsh.

Zhou Yizhi, as the eldest son of the long house, is undoubtedly the next generation of the family. Therefore, he began to instill various cultures from the beginning of his speech, and he was proficient in all kinds of scriptures, historical classics, dictionaries, and music, and eight-strand literature. In the sixth year of the Republic of China (1917), 16-year-old Zhou Yizhi graduated from Nanjing Higher Normal School. Zhou Shengping still felt that he needed to be trained, and asked him to study in England (4). Zhou Yizhi took Huang Chenkuan, a two-year-old scholar who was two years younger than him, across the ocean to Durham in the United Kingdom, where he studied engineering at Durham University for four years. In the 11th year of the Republic of China, he returned to Nanxun and opened the first foreign goods trading house in Huzhou. At the end of the year, he married Xing Hongying, the daughter of a wealthy businessman in the same town, and devoted himself to his career and continued to innovate after marriage. Not only did foreign goods and clothing stores flourish, opening more than 10 companies, but also gradually investing in the banking, real estate, and shipping industries. He also assisted his father in vigorously developing the family business, exporting raw silk and rice wine to Britain and France. At the age of 30, he became the treasurer of the Zhou family, and pushed the family business to the peak in a few years. At present, what he wants to do most is to change the previous business model of independent government, and unite several or even dozens of powerful commercial banks to form the most competitive joint stock company, and the salt industry is the first step.

During that turbulent era, Zhou Yizhi's reputation in Huzhou grew day by day, surpassing the name of his great-grandfather, the Five Tigers of Nanxun (5). But he is quite low-key, and he does not go to the celebrities in the industrial and commercial circles of Beiping, Shanghai, and Nanjing, and there is no trace of him in Fengyuechang. This is more or less related to the heart palpitations he brought from his mother's womb, and in recent years, the attacks have become more frequent, and he is often uncomfortably breathless. Even the rice wine brewed by the old Chinese medicine doctor can't relieve much pain, and it may also be the reason for the antimicrobial resistance in the body after drinking it for more than ten years. Therefore, for the trip to Shanghai, the biggest expectation is that the foreign doctor introduced by Lu Hong has real skills, and it is best to relieve his innate heart palpitations. lest you always worry about leaving your wife and two sons and a daughter, and lest your father send a white-haired person to a black-haired person at any time, and there is so much family business, it is not safe to hand it over to your younger siblings, and it is not filial piety to let your father work hard.

In the evening, Zhou Yizhi and Huang Chenkuan came out of Zhoujiayang Goods Store and drove to Jiujiang Road. Zhou Yizhi invited Lu Hong's family to dinner at the Huamao Hotel tonight, and it was faster to take Jiujiang Road than the crowded Nanjing Road. The car drove slowly on Xiafei Road, Zhou Yizhi sat in the back seat of the car, looking at the signboards on both sides of the road, and couldn't help but sigh that Shanghai was changing too fast. Every time I come here, I feel a sense of oppression, and I am really worried that I will not be able to catch up with the current situation when I wake up, but his old problems make it impossible for him to make a choice. Compared with birth, old age, sickness and death, manpower is too small after all.

Lu Hong, whose name is Qingyun, is 65 years old, his ancestral home is 16 shops in Shanghai County, and he has relied on the port to do shipping business for several generations. Lu Hong has been diligent and progressive since he was a child, stayed in the East when he was young, and studied history diligently, and is a veritable Confucian in the industrial and commercial circles. He took over the family and expanded the business to two waterways, and later vigorously developed real estate and power construction, becoming the Chinese businessman with the largest scope of cooperation with the concession, and was also one of the first five Chinese directors to enter the public board of directors. Lu Hong's family business and prestige are only a handful in the Shanghai Public Concession, but the family is not very prosperous, there is no one in his father's generation, nor is his sisters, and his descendants have three sons and two daughters. The eldest son, Lu Jiacheng, was thirty-six years old, studied medicine, and after graduation, he was obsessed with medical machinery research and had no interest in his ancestral career at all. His wife is a hospital nurse and has two sons after marriage. The eldest daughter, Lu Jiaying, whose breast name is Jinhuan, is thirty years old, and she was engaged to Zhou Yizhi when she was a teenager, but it was canceled because he was frail and sick. After graduating from Santa Maria Girls' School, she married Cai Heng, the son of a celebrity in Shanghai, and lived a simple life as a young grandmother. The second son, Lu Jiaxun, was 28 years old, studied social sciences in France, and after returning to China, he worked in a newspaper. His wife's maiden family was also in business, and after marriage, she had a daughter who lived in a simple house. The youngest daughter, Lu Jiayu, whose name is Yinhuan, has just turned 19 years old and is teaching at Xuhui Girls' High School after graduating from Suzhou Jinghai Female Teacher (6) last year. The youngest son, Lu Jiabao, is just 10 years old and is in primary school at Xuhui Public School.

The dinner on this day was a combination of Chinese and Western, with local dishes and imported grilled sausages, which not only accommodated the Lu family, but also took care of the foreign doctor, but the foreign doctor was delayed. Zhou Yizhi picked up the teacup again and said to Lu Hong: "Uncle Lu, drink tea." I wonder how old that Ms Niclas Schneider is? How many years have you been practicing medicine? Are you good at treating heart diseases? ”

"Hehe, my nephew is worried." Lu Hong took a sip of tea with a smile and looked at Zhou Yizhi gently, "You also came back from abroad, don't Westerners value ability rather than experience?" Why are you still as conservative as Brother Shengping? If Mista can be a doctor, what-"

"Dad, Mista means sir, an honorific title for foreigners, not a name." Lu Jiayu, the second daughter of the Lu family, interrupted her father's words.

"Silver Ring! Adults are not allowed to interject when talking to children! Mrs. Lu glared at her second daughter and comforted Zhou Yizhi, "Yizhi, don't worry, the needle of the foreign devil is very magical, the last time the little five sons were swollen and sore and rolled all over the bed, and they could go to school at dawn with a needle." ”

"It's just an ordinary anti-inflammatory injection, which can be administered by any Western doctor." Lu Hong disagreed with his wife's words, "The nephew doesn't have to mind too much, let Dr. Meate Yang take you for a check-up tomorrow." As long as the diagnosis direction is not traveling, take a dose of medicine and try it, you will know! When he talked about "Mista", he deliberately changed his words to become a foreign doctor, and glanced at his second daughter Lu Jiayu intentionally or unintentionally, and said that he would not be picky this time.

"Dad, the medicine of foreign devils is according to the course of treatment, unlike traditional Chinese medicine." The second son, Lu Jiaxun, interjected beside him, while his wife lowered her head and pulled the corners of his clothes in private.

"What am I talking about? After a few days of eating, foreign ink has come to teach me a lesson, hasn't it? Lu Hong drank all the tea in the cup as he spoke, his eyes turned white at Lu Jiaxun, but he was embarrassed to reprimand him in front of so many people, after all, he had already started a family.

Zhou Yizhi saw that Lu Hong was very displeased, and just about to divert the topic, Mrs. Lu cleared her throat as if she wanted to speak, so she motioned to Huang Chenkuan next to her to give Lu Hong tea. I only heard Mrs. Lu reprimand the Lu family: "You child is really not big or small, how can you expose your father's shortcomings in public?" Although your brother Yi is not an outsider, doesn't that hurt your father's face? ”

"Pop" Lu Hong put the cup heavily on the table in front of him, but fortunately the tablecloth was not broken. looked at his wife even more displeased: "Originally, there was still some face, okay, now it's gone." In his tone, he complained that his wife's speech was inappropriate. This big move frightened Huang Chenkuan, who was just about to pour tea for him, and hurriedly retreated, almost pouring the hot tea on his hand.

"Uncle Lu speaks very funny, and your kindness to your family really makes Yizhi admire. I envy Jiaxun, Jiabao brothers. Zhou Yizhi hurriedly smiled and talked to Lu Hong, lest their way of speaking escalate and make Lu Hong lose face.

"Alas, spoiled by their mother!" Lu Hong shook his head helplessly.

At this time, Lu Jiacheng, the son of the Lu family, walked inside from the outside. Behind him was a golden-haired, white-skinned foreigner, tall, narrow-faced, dressed in a black dress and black leather shoes, about twenty years old. Lu Jiacheng said with a smile as he walked: "Brother Yizhixian, Dad, Mysta Schneider is here." Mista Schneider, inside please. ”

Zhou Yizhi stood up and nodded at the two, smiled and walked a few steps, stretching out his arms to shake hands with Nicholas. I couldn't help but feel cold in my heart, what kind of ability can such a student have, and the doctorate degree is estimated to be obtained by special methods.

I didn't expect this Nicholas to speak Chinese quite well, and he was also very good at things. Before sitting down, he gave Lu Hong a Renaissance oil painting, and gave Mrs. Lu and her daughter two boxes of French toilet water. After entering the table, he began to discuss the condition with Zhou Yizhi, and it can be seen that he has also studied ancient Chinese medicine, and said in a few words about Zhou Yizhi's recurrence symptoms, as well as the impact of diet and daily life on the condition, and he and Lu Jiacheng frequently nodded in agreement.

After the greetings, Zhou Yizhi asked Huang Chenkuan to arrange the serving, and opened two bottles of foreign wine to beckon everyone to eat and drink. At this time, he noticed that Nicholas used chopsticks to pick up vegetables for everyone from time to time, and the chopsticks were more skilled than knives and forks. It can be seen that he is very respectful to Lu Hong, and he also knows the eating habits of Mrs. Lu and the Lu family brothers and sisters. When clinking glasses with him and talking about Nanxun's business, it can be seen that this person is very set.

Nicholas was born in 1907 in Frankfurt (7) to a military family, his father and older brother were both professional soldiers, and his mother was dissatisfied with the government. At the age of twenty-three, he received his Ph.D. in Medicine from the University of Heidelberg with honors, and was influenced by his mentor, Max Neumann, to study Chinese medicine in China. The year before last, he was recommended by the German consul Paul to enter the National Jiangsu University School of Medicine for further study at his own expense, and at the same time sat in the Department of Western Medicine of Gongji Hospital (8).

After a meal, Nicholas and Zhou Yizhi were like old friends. When Lu Hong's family packed up tickets to treat his heart palpitations, they made an appointment to go for a check-up the next day. Zhou Yizhi gave him a set of four treasures and two jars of rice wine in the Song Dynasty study, some British daily necessities for the Lu family, and a calligraphy and painting of the Ming Dynasty to Lu Hong. When he left the hotel, he sent Nicholas to his place of residence, and said that he would pick him up at nine o'clock tomorrow morning before returning to his old house in Nanshi.

The car made a U-turn in the eastern section of Petain Road and drove in the direction of the Zhou family's old Shanghai house. Huang Chenkuan looked at Zhou Yizhi through the rearview mirror while driving, saw him leaning back with his eyes closed, and said with concern: "Young Master, you didn't drink too much, did you?" ”

"No, how dare I drink too much with my bones?" Zhou Yizhi still closed his eyes and recuperated.

"Well, that's good." Huang Chenkuan continued to look ahead, looking in the rearview mirror from time to time, paying attention to the safety of the master, and then having something to say. His driving skills and skills are first-class, and he is also loyal to the Zhou family. This is also the reason why Zhou Shengping chose him to accompany Zhou Yizhi since he was a child, and several people who have been nursing homes in the Zhou family for the same generation, only he is the most pleasing to a few masters.

The car drove out of Petain Road, he saw that Zhou Yizhi was still closed, and couldn't help but ask again: "Young Master, do you think Schneider's medical skills are reliable?" ”

"Judging by his confident attitude, he should be a capable person." Zhou Yizhi still closed his eyes and recuperated, "As Uncle Lu said, try to take a course of medicine from him after the examination." If it gets better, continue to do it, and if it doesn't work, think of another way. Anyway, I have half a life left, and I've survived all these years. Death is liberation, and living one more day is a gift from God. ”

"Don't be so pessimistic. In the history of medicine in China for thousands of years, the 'Yellow Emperor's Neijing' recorded in clear text is 2,200 years earlier than the Greek 'Hippocrates Anthology', and nearly 4,000 years earlier than the Babylonian 'Code'! Huang Chenkuan said seriously. He wanted to say that Nicholas was unreliable, but he didn't dare to be too direct, so he had to beat around the bush, "So the small ones think that Chinese medicine is more reliable, and the masters must have it." Take Schneider as an example, don't you still want to study Chinese medicine after getting a doctorate? ”

"Theory is theory, in fact, I'm afraid that my illness will not have time to meet a master." Zhou Yizhi sighed after speaking, but did not open his eyes.

"Young Master, don't be discouraged. As you often say in England, 'Life is hope, and ambition can be achieved if you are not discouraged'! Right? Gentleman? Huang Chenkuan encouraged Zhou Yizhi as much as possible.

"Oh, I hope." Zhou Yizhi really has no confidence, because the frequency of the disease has changed from once a week two years ago to twice every three days, and his physical strength and spirit are not as good as before.

"Did you notice Schneider's eyes? I was staring at Miss Jiayu's face all night, and I didn't have a good heart. Huang Chenkuan gradually approached the subject, his eyes still looking in the rearview mirror from time to time.

"That's a private matter, Uncle Lu is naturally measured." Zhou Yizhi said lightly.

"So—do you think the old man of the Lu family will give Miss Jiayu to Schneider?" This is what Huang Chenkuan is most concerned about, so after finishing speaking, he looked at Zhou Yizhi's subtle expression in the reversing mirror.

"Probably not, right? Uncle Lu is cautious-" Zhou Yizhi heard the meaning of Huang Chenkuan's words, smiled lightly and opened his eyes to look at the rearview mirror, and the eyes of the two happened to collide together. He sat up straight and leaned forward slightly, "Chen Kuan, why did you suddenly care about Yinhuan's marriage?" Fancy someone? ”

"What's the matter? The little ones are just friends who care about the big young master. Huang Chenkuan hurriedly sat upright and looked ahead.

"Oh-" Zhou Yizhi deliberately lengthened his voice, "Alas, I thought that you two were talented and beautiful looking for a chance to match you, so forget it." ”

"Huh? Is this possible? Where do you dare to climb Miss Jiayu? After Huang Chenkuan finished quietly, he found that Zhou Yizhi did not react, and when he looked at it again, he leaned back and closed his eyes, and couldn't help asking, "Young Master?" Are you tired? ”

"It's none of my business, hang high. If it's not interesting to others, why bother asking about their private lives? Zhou Yizhi squinted his eyes and didn't move.

"The eldest young master, the little one doesn't have this blessing, and the little one only serves by your side in this life." Huang Chenkuan once again expressed his loyalty, not sure which of Zhou Yizhi's words was joking and which was serious.

"You! How many times have I told you that we are brothers in the name of the master and servant. You can leave the Zhou family at any time, no matter what belongings and property you want, you are as stubborn as Uncle Fu! Alas-" Zhou Yizhi sighed helplessly, feeling that Huang Chenkuan was still not worried about his body, so those who admired him were reluctant to leave him.

"Big young master, don't say it, the little one will never change his mind!" Huang Chenkuan has said this sentence more than ten times.

When Zhou Yizhi gets engaged, gets married, has children, and has major festivals, he will think of marrying a protégé for him, but he always refuses. Some are like his father Huang Youfu, who is older than Zhou Shengping, but he has always been unwilling to start a family and neglect to be loyal to the Zhou family. In the end, when Zhou Shengping was engaged at the age of ten when his eldest daughter was engaged, he forced Huang Youfu to set up a courtyard and marry the only daughter of the Chen family in Shuanglin Town, who was 30 years younger than Huang Youfu. And Huang Youfu insisted that Huang Chenkuan and his daughter Huang Meili be servants to the Zhou family. Zhou Shengping is also good to this brother and sister, sending houses and land. also recruited a son-in-law for Huang Meili, and the couple worked as supervisors in the distillery, but Huang Chenkuan, like his father, refused Zhou Shengping's kindness three times.

Lu Zhai is located in Huangpu Bay, a small villa complex adjacent to the Bund in the southeast of Yu Garden. The interior furnishings are mostly wooden, with celebrity calligraphy and paintings hanging in conspicuous places, and the furniture is simple and elegant, not ostentatious or tacky. A family of young and old lives here with more than a dozen servants, and is a little more restrained than other neighbors in the same area, but the living atmosphere wants to be harmonious.

After entering the room, Mrs. Lu told Lu Hong about the dinner, and felt that Zhou Yizhi was more haggard than the previous meeting, and was glad that she didn't marry Jinhuan into the Zhou family back then, otherwise she would have to worry about their future all day long. It was not easy for Lu Hong to think about his old friend Zhou Shengping, and he couldn't help but sigh. Mrs. Zhou comforted her with a few words of relief, and planned to put water in the bath for her wife. Suddenly, he remembered Nicholas again, approached him and said leisurely: "Master, you said that this foreign devil is so worried about the silver ring, will you really hook her away one day?" ”

"Hahahaha, do his spring and autumn dreams! How could my Lu Qingyun's daughter marry a white ghost? Lu Hong's voice increased at least three times.

"You be quiet, the brother and sister are drinking tea in the hall." Mrs. Lu lowered her voice and glanced out the door.

"Isn't that just right?" Lu Hong's voice was even louder, "I, Lu Qingyun's children, should know the righteousness, and I would rather marry a peddler than commit myself to barbarianism!" She should understand this truth, and if she doesn't understand, she will have to let her know sooner or later. ”

"That being said, isn't the king concubine (9) married to the barbarian Hu Han evil? And married three consecutive terms of Shan Yu (10), the righteousness has become a beautiful talk in ancient and modern times. Mrs. Zhou said leisurely that she felt that her daughter belonged to a girl with knowledge and avant-garde thoughts, and it was not completely impossible to say that she would go to extremes.

"It was a political marriage, and I had no political ambitions and no desire to be a high-ranking official. She herself should also understand the truth that 'those who are not of my race will have different hearts', and the barbarians of all countries are eyeing our Huaxia, and it is a matter of time before war is fought. Lu Hong said earnestly. He has always been cautious in his dealings, and it is one thing to cooperate with others, and it is impossible to trust them completely. It is the theory of "only three points of words when you meet people, and you can't throw away all your hearts", which is also the idea that most people in that era have, whether they are conservative or patriotic, they all more or less widen the distance between people.

"But master, seeing that she is twenty years old, and she has no clue about the marriage, should it be difficult to become the boss?" Mrs. Lu began to worry about her daughter's lifelong events again.

"It's okay, in terms of appearance, character, the silver ring is not lost to anyone. In terms of family background, with our position in Shanghai today, good marriages abound, and it is only a matter of time. Lu Hong is really not worried that his daughter will not be able to get married.

"In my opinion, it's better to open up Luo as soon as possible, in case she does something." Mrs. Lu's voice was lowered, and she leaned closer to Lu Hong, "Look at her eyes today, don't be in love with him." ”

"Ah—it's impossible, they're very different in age. How can Lu Qingyun's daughter be small? Put 10,000 hearts, even if Yinhuan is young and changeable, it is also a temporary interest. I still have confidence in the father and son of the Zhou family, and they will never ruin the lifelong happiness of my daughter. Lu Hong was full of confidence, paused slightly and said, "You can't stop nagging, have you released the water?" ”

"Just let it go, I think you should take precautions, the tuberculosis ghost is a person who has stayed in England and has a belly!" Mrs. Lu said and went into the bathroom.

"A woman's opinion." Lu Hong turned around and picked up the book from the bedside table, sat down and read it carefully. For the time being, the matter of Zhou Yizhi and Nicholas is put aside, and it can only be said that one step at a time. If you want to talk about worry, I am not worried about my second daughter, because she has been smart and knowledgeable since she was a child, and she is stronger than her brothers and sisters in terms of self-care ability and academic performance. It is worth worrying that the situation is unstable and the world is declining, and although he is still respected as a father, he obviously has ideological differences, and all he can do is to try his best to eliminate the potential harm to her from the outside world.

Notes: (1) The full name is the Shanghai French Concession Public Board of Directors (1865-1943), which is the highest municipal organization and leading body in the old Shanghai French Concession, and is under the unified management of the Shanghai Concession Ministry of Industry. (2) In the Ming and Qing dynasties, when the national celebration or the promulgation of the edict of ascending to the pole were tributed, the students were selected from the provincial capitals, prefectures, and counties to join the national eunuchs. (3) The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom (1850-1864) rebel army. (4) The unification of the English state and people in the Middle Ages. (5) In the old days, the nickname for the rich merchants of Nanxun was famous, including five tigers, four elephants, six sheep, and eight oxen. (6) Women's Normal University, built in 1902, is located in the campus of Soochow University. (7) Frankfurt, a city in eastern Germany. (8) It was built in Shanghai in 1864 as the largest western medicine hospital in China at that time. (9) 嫱 is the name of Wang Zhaojun (about 52 BC - about 8 BC), the character Zhaojun. Zhaojun went out of the fortress to marry the Xiongnu and maintained the stability of Han-Hungarian relations for half a century. (10) Single Yu (chan yu) surname, the original meaning of "support plough lonely Tu Shan Yu", after sinicization, it is "the vast son of heaven". Among the descendants of the Xiongnu royal family in the past dynasties, anyone who is the king can take "Shan Yu" as the surname.