Paris

Railway station, station square.

Dirt Dirt –

One could clearly hear the train whistle fading away.

The sun shines through the thick clouds on the roof of the train station, creating a golden halo, and the snowflakes fall in the breeze, adding a touch of romance and mystery.

Three East Asians walked out with their luggage,

Led by Gu Hongming, who he hadn't seen for a long time.

He looked back and frowned,

"Heqing, move quickly."

"Ah...... Here it comes. ”

The answer was a man in his early thirties, dressed in a long robe and a pair of glasses, not tall, with a small voice, showing mildness, elegance, and politeness.

This person is Cai Yuanpei, the word Heqing.

He trotted after him.

"Tsk......"

Gu Hongming was slightly stunned,

For Cai Yuanpei, he always has an awkward mood, and the reason is nothing more than two words-

Kang Party.

The old gentleman doesn't look down on Kang Youwei, so he naturally looks down on his lackeys.

There is another point, this Cai Yuanpei likes to be close to and contact feelings, and he insists on sticking a cold ass on his hot face.

It's hard not to feel like you're looking for something about yourself.

But Gu Hongming can't help it,

Reach out and don't hit the smiley person.

On the contrary, it was another young man who came with him, named Jiang Guoliang, who often fought with Gu Hongming, giving people a sense of integrity.

Cai Yuanpei beckoned to Jiang Guoliang,

"Guanyun, don't come soon!"

Jiang Guoliang sighed,

"I really don't understand why I came to France. Is it bad to go straight to London? ”

said, he didn't forget to glance at Gu Hongming, and complained: "What are you doing' re-walking the road of study tour', it's a pure waste of money." ”

Although the voice is lowered, it can still be heard clearly.

Gu Hongming: "......"

I secretly said in my heart,

The young man really doesn't give any face.

He snorted,

"Alright, let's go, let's go to the University of Paris. I speak French very well and have no problem communicating with each other on a daily basis. ”

Jiang Guoliang pursed his lips, slightly unhappy,

Old man Gu is too capable of pretending, and he can say at every turn that he is proficient in English, French, German, Latin, Greek, Malaysian, Russian and other Chinese, showing off very much.

Cai Yuanpei noticed his friend's attitude and reminded: "Watch the clouds! ”

Jiang Guoliang was helpless,

"Got it."

In fact, the scholars of the Qing court generally did not recognize Gu Hongming's academic ability.

The so-called sentence "When you go to China, you can't ignore the three major halls, you can't ignore Gu Hongming", is just a fool and bullying other gringos who don't know how to do it.

Cai Yuanpei underwent the baptism of eight strands, and the 25-year-old Zhongjin Shi also thought so in his heart,

But he didn't show it on the surface.

He said, "Sir, didn't you graduate from Edinburgh?" ”

Gu Hongming smiled proudly,

"Edinburgh? I'm more than that. ”

He beckoned to stop the carriage,

The carriage turned slowly,

Jiang Guoliang was ready to carry his luggage up.

Gu Hongming stopped him and stuffed three francs to the coachman,

"When I was in Calais, I said, in Europe, you don't have to do this kind of service yourself, but you have to spend money to buy it, do you understand?"

"Tsk......"

Jiang Guoliang was speechless,

He turned his face away, not hearing.

Cai Yuanpei glared at his friend, saw that the coachman over there was busy, and then diverted the topic,

"Sir, I haven't finished talking about it yet~"

Gu Hongming smiled,

"I studied at the University of Leipzig, and after graduating, I went to Paris to study French. At that time, Mr. Brown contacted the University of Paris for me to study law and political science. ”

His expression was full of nostalgia,

"I was 22 years old. What a good year. ”

Cai Yuanpei asked as if coaxing the elders, "Why do you say that?" ”

Gu Hongming sighed,

"At that time, I could read and read, and I read the lecture notes and reference books of the University of Paris for the whole semester at a very fast pace. Like now, memory is like ...... Alas...... At that time, I had studied science, literature, philosophy, and was familiar with various Chinese. ”

Started loading X again.

Jiang Guoliang really couldn't listen to it, so he changed the topic and said: "Since you learn quickly, what do you do in your spare time?" ”

Gu Hongming replied: "I find time every day to teach my landlord Greek. Actually, how do I know how to teach? In addition to the Greek alphabet, the landlord could only teach him to recite a few lines of Ilion, Faust, and Shakespeare's plays. My landlord was making rapid progress in Greek, and many people were surprised to see the methods I taught. ”

Jiang Guoliang: "......"

The Book of Ilion is the Iliad, in Greek;

Faust, German;

Shakespeare's plays, English.

So, translation is inevitably involved.

Old man Gu is really alive and playful.

Cai Yuanpei on the side found Huadian and asked curiously: "Sir, who is the landlord...... It's a man...... Is it? ”

"Ah......h

Gu Hongming was embarrassed.

Cai Yuanpei also skimmed his face,

"It's a nice day."

It's snowing, and the weather is nice!

In fact, he regretted it after asking.

Fortunately, the driver finished moving his luggage at this time and said curiously: "Are you Chinese?" ”

Although Cai Yuanpei and Jiang Guoliang at the moment know little about French, they still understand the word "China".

The three of them couldn't help but look at each other,

Along the way, they were mistaken for Japanese several times.

The only time he was recognized as right was that a Yankee drank too much on the cruise ship, and said something "Chinese Yankee, pig tail, stupid pig" with the strength of the wine, which made the three of them angry for a while.

Gu Hongming was surprised: "Why do you think we are Chinese?" ”

The coachman scratched his head,

"Ah...... I just guessed casually. ”

That's not a good reason.

Gu Hongming asked, "Casually?" There has to be a reason for that. ”

The coachman "......" for a while,

Looking at that look, it seems that even I am a little confused.

He reacted for a while, suddenly slapped his forehead, and said with a sudden realization expression: "I know! Recently, I've been hearing from people in the car about a Chinese writer with a pen name 'Lu', so that's why I ......."

Before he finished speaking, Gu Hongming's eyes widened and he stepped forward,

"Lu Shi has a new work?"

The coachman was taken aback,

"Ah...... Be...... It's a new book. ”

Gu Hongming muttered: "I know." ”

The purpose of the trio's trip to Europe was to meet Lu Shi.

The last work they read before they set off was "The Nature of Japanese Civilization", but looking at the way it looks now, in less than two months, there must be a new work.

Cai Yuanpei ranked first in the middle of the year, and was the 34th place in the second class in the palace examination, which is equivalent to the 37th place in the national unified examination.

This also caused him to be sleek and sophisticated on the surface, but in fact he was very high-spirited.

But compared to Lu Shi......

He couldn't help but show a wry smile,

"What a monster."

Jiang Guoliang on the side didn't hear clearly,

"What?"

Cai Yuanpei shook his head, looked at Gu Hongming, and asked, "Sir, should we go to the bookstore first?" You're good at French, so you can give us a listen. ”

Gu Hongming nodded,

"Okay."

He asked the driver for the address of a nearby newspaper store.

The coachman looked Gu Hongming up and down for a while, and said, "Seeing that Ling can call out Lu's real name, do you think you know him?" Or try your luck at the Collège de France, where he lives now. ”

Gu Hongming was a little surprised, and muttered to himself: "It's really hard to find a place to break through the iron shoes, and it takes no effort to get it." ”

Hearing him say this, Jiang Guoliang asked, "Mr. Lu in Paris?" ”

Gu Hongming said "um",

"Yes, he currently lives at the Collège de France."

Jiang Guoliang: ???

"He lives at the Institut Française? Isn't that a research institute? ”

Gu Hongming shrugged his shoulders very Westernly,

"People have this level."

Jiang Guoliang did not refute,

Lu Shi was able to ask Gu Hongming to suspend X, which shows that the level is indeed very high.

Cai Yuanpei said: "Let's go, let's go to the newspaper store first." ”

Chinese pay attention to etiquette,

Under normal circumstances, to meet the master, it is necessary to write a prayer post.

Even if you don't have that kind of conditions in a foreign country, you have to at least read other people's works and do your homework.

The trio asked the driver to take them to the largest newspaper store in the neighborhood.

Like a library and a university, a bookstore is a cultural symbol of a city.

The atmosphere in the store is very quiet, only the occasional sound of flipping books and whispered conversations,

Between the rows of bookshelves, the scent of ink fills the air.

Gu Hongming lowered his voice,

"Generally speaking, foreigners' books are put in ......"

"Hiss......"

He suddenly narrowed his eyes and gasped.

Cai Yuanpei and Jiang Guoliang followed Gu Hongming's line of sight, and then also showed shocked expressions,

"That's ......"

The three of them saw a huge photo of Lu Shi!

Next to the photo, various books are stacked on top of each other, forming several pyramids,

The cover of the book has been carefully designed, bilingual in English and French.

"No One Survives", "The Mystery of Roger", "The Lord of the Rings" two-part series, "Guns, Germs and Steel", "Fifteen Years of Wanli", "The Nature of Japanese Civilization", "Chaowen Dao", "Hunting", ......

All of them are the works of Lu Shi.

"Goo......

Cai Yuanpei couldn't help but swallow his saliva,

"That's how books are sold in Europe?"

Gu Hongming shook his head,

"Of course not! Only the best-selling authors get this treatment! ”

Cai Yuanpei: "......"

Jiang Guoliang: "......"

The two couldn't say a word for a long time.

Judging by the margin, the sales are excellent, while the academic works are much worse, but the sales are also passable.

They gathered around the stacks of books,

I saw that on the covers of all the books it was written:

Author: Lu;

Translation: Lu.

Outrageous mom opens the door to outrageous -

Outrageous home!

Cai Yuanpei glanced at "Chaowen Dao" and "Hunting", and said: "These two should be Mr. Lu's new works." ”

Gu Hongming took all the books,

"The French version, which is collectible."

They settled the bill, got into a carriage and headed straight for the Collège de France.

Da Da Da –

Every step of the horse was imprinted on the snow, splashing flakes of mist and leaving a clear trail of hoof prints.

In the car, Gu Hongming was munching on a book, translating by the way,

But soon, the destination arrived.

The coachman knocked on the door and urged, "Three, here we are." ”

Gu Hongming opened the door, stuffed another banknote to the other party, and at the same time instructed: "Borrow our carriage for use first." If so, can you make us some firewood? It's a bit cold to read here. ”

Coachman:???

"Big brother...... Uncle, what else do you want to do? ”

Gu Hongming was embarrassed,

"When I didn't say it."

He slammed the door shut.

By this time, they had already finished reading three of the short story collection "The Way of the Morning Story".

Cai Yuanpei touched his chin and expressed his opinion in a deep voice: "I didn't expect to be able to write like this...... This "Animal Farm" is really the most ghostly one I have ever read in my life. ”

Jiang Guoliang groaned,

"Ghosts? How is it compared to "Strange Tales"? ”

Cai Yuanpei said: "How can it be compared? What is the content of "Strange Tales"? Good and evil are rewarded, love between men and women, and mountains and rivers...... Most of them are mainly individuals. And "Animal Farm", as an allegory, alludes to...... Humph......"

The rest of the words are inconvenient to say.

Gu Hongming chuckled,

"Tsarist Russia of insinuation."

"Huh?" ×2

Cai Yuanpei and Jiang Guoliang both thought they had heard it wrong.

Gu Hongming shook the book in his hand and said, "There is an afterword, which was written by a writer named Verne. In it, he tells the story of what happened. ”

After speaking, he told the story of the Russian sealing of the book,

Then I couldn't help laughing,

"Tsar Nicholas is really cute. This book is clearly suggesting that I am ......"

The voice did not fall,

"Ahem!"

Jiang Guoliang on the side cleared his throat contrivedly.

Gu Hongming was already disappointed in the Qing court, and sighed indifferently: "Okay, okay, I won't say it." ”

The three of them began to watch "Hunting" again,

As a result, after only about a quarter of the time they read it, they couldn't help but feel a chill down their spines.

Cai Yuanpei muttered: "The winter in Paris is inevitably too cold......

Gu Hongming took over the conversation,

"So, just now I asked the coachman to help make a firewood, but he didn't agree."

That's right,

But they know very well in their hearts that this chill has nothing to do with the temperature.

The real reason is the content of "The Hunt", revealing a sense of slaughter and oppression, as if a boulder is pressing on the chest, making the reader unable to breathe.

"Don't read it!"

Gu Hongming closed the book,

"Reading this book, my heart tugging, it's really uncomfortable."

Cai Yuanpei and Jiang Guoliang nodded,

They all wanted to open Lu Shi's skull to see what was in it to come up with this kind of theme.

The three of them got out of the carriage and walked into the Collège de France.

The snow is getting a little lighter,

Snowflakes are falling,

Not far away, the busts of celebrities in the central square are covered with a shallow layer of white, which makes the facial features appear more three-dimensional.

A clerk stepped forward,

"Who are you?"

That's when the most famous people come out.

Cai Yuanpei and Jiang Guoliang each took a step back.

Gu Hongming was very satisfied with their consciousness, straightened up proudly, and said, "I am Gu Hongming. ”

The voice fell,

“……”

“……”

“……”

The scene was eerily quiet.

The clerk looked at Gu Hongming with a puzzled expression.

The latter's face seemed to be a little red, but thinking that the two juniors didn't know French, he tried to stay still, and said calmly: "I, Gu Hongming, came to the Institut de France this time to meet Professor Lu Shilu. ”

The clerk sighed,

"Didn't you say it earlier when you were looking for Professor Lu? He has been lecturing at the University of Paris for the last few days. ”

After saying that, he waved his hand and prepared to go back to the stove.

Gu Hongming hurriedly stopped him: "I, Gu Hongming, I heard you say ...... just now."

Before the words fell, he was interrupted by the other party,

"Are you bad at French? In our grammar, there is no need to introduce yourself every time. ”

“……”

“……”

“……”

There was another eerie silence.

Gu Hongming coughed lightly,

"That, I just heard you say that Professor Lu has been giving lectures recently, has it been going on for a few days?"

The clerk nodded,

"Well, it's been three days. Either you go to him or wait here. He came back in the evening. ”

After saying that, he left.

Gu Hongming turned around,

"Mr. Lu is now giving a lecture at the University of Paris, and we can go over now."

Jiang Guodian nodded,

"I still have to go to the University of Paris."

The two looked at Cai Yuanpei.

Unexpectedly, Cai Yuanpei's attention was not on the conversation at all, but stared at a statue in the central garden, with a puzzled face,

"Isn't that...... I feel very similar to the pictures I saw in the library. ”

Follow his gaze.

It was the easternmost part of the garden, and there was a bust erected.

Snowflakes fall on top of the bust like a white wig.

Gu Hongming narrowed his eyes,

"That's ...... Land time? ”

They subconsciously leaned in.

Jiang Guoliang bent down and brushed the snow on the stone tablet at the base with his hand.

I saw that Kong Sheng's remarks were written on it:

"Knowing is knowing, not knowing is not knowing, and knowing is knowing."

The three of them were confused.

Cai Yuanpei asked softly, "What font is this?" Cursive? ”

Jiang Guoliang next to him couldn't help but say with a poisonous tongue: "The grass characters are not qualified, and the gods are difficult to recognize." Cursive writing is regular, and each stroke has a different cursive pattern in different characters. If you look at these words again, is there a rule? 'Knowing is knowing, not knowing is not knowing, is knowing', there are five 'knowing', which of them is the same? ”

One sentence silenced Cai Yuanpei.

After a long time, he said: "Perhaps, Mr. Lu is developing a new font, but I don't know." ”

Jiang Guoliang rolled his eyes,

"Do you believe that?"

He shook his head and continued to wipe the inscription,

A small poem in French is revealed underneath.

Cai Yuanpei and Jiang Guoliang looked at Gu Hongming in unison, waiting for translation.

Gu Hongming then translated:

——

Your eyes will deceive you;

Your feelings will deceive you;

Your experience will deceive you;

But math doesn't,

No, it just won't!

——

When the poem was read, all three fell silent.

suddenly

"Hahahahaha!"

Jiang Guoliang couldn't stop laughing and said, "Professor Lu is really a wonderful person. Isn't the connotation of this poem exactly 'knowing is knowing, not knowing is not knowing, and knowing is knowing'? is worthy of being a best-selling writer in France, but he is also a philosopher. ”

Because the laughter was so loud that the clerk just now came back.

He saw that the three of them were still there, so he urged: "Why haven't you left yet?" It's such a cold day...... Hmmm......"

He paused,

"Are you looking at Professor Lu's Mobao?"

Gu Hongming nodded again and again,

"Yes, yes! It's to look at Mobao. ”

As he spoke, he was going to pull Cai Yuanpei and Jiang Guoliang away.

Unexpectedly, the clerk said, "Then you should go to the University of Paris to have a look." Professor Luk worked with people from the legal, media and publishing circles in Paris to fund the renovation of the Sorbonne building and dormitory, which he named the building 'Ming Fa Building'. ”

When the three of them heard this, they were all stunned,

There are even masters!?

They couldn't wait to say goodbye to the clerk, then hailed a carriage and headed straight for the University of Paris.

As soon as you enter the campus, you will notice that the administrative building, library, cafeteria, and laboratories are very new, while the school buildings and dormitories are quite old.

The largest building is the school building.

They walked briskly,

I saw that the building has not yet begun to be renovated, but the new name plate has been hung up.

There are three Chinese characters written on it——

Ming Law Building.

Jiang Guoliang couldn't help but comment: "This word is really breathtaking." The strokes vary in thickness, like a caterpillar wriggling, lacking fluidity and strength. The structure of the characters is even more random graffiti, with improper proportions, and random placement on the side, which looks like mathematical symbols......"

Before he finished his evaluation, Cai Yuanpei next to him began to pull his sleeves,

"Guanyun, don't say it."

Jiang Guoliang is righteous and awe-inspiring,

"Don't stop me! Today, even if Mr. Lu himself is here, I will tell the truth! His handwriting, the beginning and end of the pen is sloppy and confusing, some of the strokes are top-heavy, some of the strokes are too long, and there is no standard ......"

Cai Yuanpei's head is full of black lines,

￣□￣｜｜

"Watching the clouds!"

Jiang Guoliang was still unmoved,

"The most terrible thing is that there are only three words in the 'Ming Law Building', but the arrangement of the words has no rules, like a duck walking on the paper, and there is no order. It's written ...... words."

Cai Yuanpei finally couldn't bear it anymore,

"Say no more! You don't look at who's coming! ”

"Huh?"

Jiang Guoliang is still a little ignorant,

"No matter who comes today, it can't change what this picture is...... Hmmm......"

He paused.

I saw a young Chinese walking out of the Mingfa Building quickly,

Who else could it be if it wasn't Lu Shi?

Beside him, followed by a few Frenchmen,

Poincaré, Dumas, Herzel, Clemenceau......

They whispered something to each other.

So, Jiang Guoliang instantly changed his tone and said loudly in Chinese: "No matter who comes today, it can't change the character of this painting...... Good word! What a good word! ”

(End of chapter)