In the evening of the same day.

Liang Qichao carried a small suitcase and returned to his mansion in Tokyo.

He looked left and right,

The surrounding low-rise buildings are covered in a golden glow.

A few old people sat around the inside of the alley,

Listening to them closely, it seems that they are discussing the plot of "Lord of the Flies".

The corners of Liang Qichao's mouth hooked an arc,

Professor Lu is really popular.

He pushed the door open and entered the house.

Compared to when I left home, the messy room has been tidied up, and the manuscripts, newspapers and magazines that should be received are all neatly piled up in the corner, and they are sorted into categories.

In the room, the babbling of young children was faintly heard.

Liang Qichao opened the sliding door,

I saw Liang Sishun kneeling on his knees, his hands lying on the crib, teaching his younger brother to speak against a table.

Liang Sishun: "ā-"

Liang Sicheng: "nāng-"

Liang Sishun: "ā-"

Liang Sicheng: "niāo-"

The little girl was completely collapsed by her younger brother.

Forget if it's wrong,

Why is it not the same twice?

She pinched her brother's little face,

As a result, Liang Sicheng's mouth was grinned by an external force: "ā......"

Liang Sishun is happy,

"Yes, yes, you got it right this time."

Liang Qichao next to him looked at it, couldn't help laughing, and then said, "What is Sishun doing?" Teach your brother to endorse? ”

Liang Sishun turned his head,

"Father!"

She didn't care about her brother, she got up, patted the dust off her knees, and ran over,

"Look at this!"

As he spoke, he handed over the "Pinyin Alphabet" as if offering a treasure.

Liang Qichao didn't take it seriously, just read it roughly,

But soon, he sensed that something was wrong,

"This is ......"

Liang Sishun smiled proudly,

"Sir gave it to me."

Liang Qichao didn't react at first, but it took a while to realize that his daughter was talking about Lu Shi.

He looked at the table again,

In my heart, the turbulent waves surged.

At this moment, Li Huixian entered the house while wiping her hands, and said to Liang Sishun: "Go and clean up the table and serve the dishes." ”

Liang Sishun jumped out of the room.

Li Huixian shook her head,

"Look at her happy. Maybe it's because of the freshness of Mr. ”

Liang Qichao said: "Professor Lu has agreed? ”

Li Huixian glanced at the "Pinyin Alphabet" and said in a low voice: "I took a telegram and hurriedly called you back, just to let you see that thing." I've studied it carefully, it's easy to understand, and if it can be promoted, it will be of great benefit to literacy. ”

After the two got married, Li Huixian continued to learn new things.

Of course, Liang Qichao knows her academic level.

He groaned,

"That's what you think."

Li Huixian hesitated,

"It's just that Professor Lu's method seems to be based on the pronunciation of the Zhili people."

Liang Qichao smiled,

Pronunciation isn't really the point.

Just like the first time he and Guangxu met, the southern accent was against the Zhili accent, although they were both Chinese, they sounded like two languages.

But this did not affect the communication between the two,

Because you can rely on Chinese characters.

Even if dialects are prevalent everywhere, Chinese characters can be consistent.

Liang Qichao asked: "When Professor Lu took out this set of forms, what was the situation at that time?" ”

Li Huixian told it from the beginning, and even the details of Zhang Taiyan's teasing of Liang Sishun were not mentioned.

Finally talked about Lu Shi took out a pen and paper to write the "Pinyin Alphabet",

Liang Qichao was stunned,

"You say, this is written by Professor Lu on the spot?"

Li Huixian nodded,

"Yes."

Liang Qichao: ???

What a living immortal!

He whispered: "In the West, there are linguistics, phonetics, in Paris, London, and even special academic academies. So, when I first saw this form, I thought that Professor Lu had already prepared it. ”

Li Huixian said "ah......, only to find that this matter is indeed a little unreasonable,

She asked, "Could it be that Professor Lu has already done research?" ”

implication

Lu Shi already had a manuscript, and he only wrote it out silently at that time.

Liang Qichao shook his head,

"No, it won't."

He pointed out several frustrations in the strokes of the Pinyin Alphabet,

Although Professor Luk writes with a pencil instead of pen and ink, it can be seen that he writes while thinking, otherwise his writing would not have been so intermittent. What's more, there are more than ten alterations, which is even more evident. ”

Li Huixian was shocked,

Therefore, Lu Shi was really improvised.

She asked in a low voice: "Husband, do you say that those linguists and phoneticians in the West are as high as Professor Lu?" ”

Liang Qichao smiled bitterly: "That must be nothing." People are normal people. ”

These words made Li Huixian "giggle" and laugh.

Indeed, Professor Lu is not normal.

Liang Qichao put on a serious expression again, shaking the form in his hand,

"I'm a little worried......"

Li Huixian was puzzled at first, and then showed an expression of sudden realization,

"Fu Jun is worried that Professor Lu is a faction that abolishes Chinese characters? Don't worry, I just told you that when Sishun was apprenticed, there was also a Mr. Zhang present, and he and Professor Lu had a heated discussion on the matter. ”

Liang Qichao was curious,

"Tell me more."

Li Huixian began to speak again.

Liang Qichao nodded approvingly, sometimes frowning slightly,

After a long time, he said, "I'm still not at ease. ”

With that, he put on his hat again and walked straight to the door.

Liang Sishun's voice sounded behind him: "Doesn't my father need dinner?" ”

Liang Qichao waved his hand and went out.

……

Buchanan Residence,

Restaurant.

Buchanan, the British ambassador to Japan, was drinking Earl Grey tea while looking at Zhang Taiyan, who was eating bread over there, and the whole person was stunned.

This guy is too familiar, right?

Say stay and eat!

Zhang Taiyan deserves to be called a madman, he doesn't treat himself as an outsider at all, and even said to the maid in half-baked English: "Bread! Very tasty! One more! ”

Buchanan: "......"

He's not in a rut,

Because Sir Lu and the surname Zhang have academic things to discuss.

Buchanan was a gentleman and waited until the end of the dinner, and then went directly to the second floor and went into the study to deal with official business.

Lu Shi and Zhang Taiyan went back to the living room.

Zhang Taiyan said: "Master Lu ......"

Lu Shi hurriedly interrupted,

"Mr. Taiyan, I've said it many times, don't call me that."

Zhang Taiyan learned the tone of the landing and said, "Master Lu, I have said it many times, you deserve to be called you that." ”

Lu Shi: "......"

What else can be said?

I can only let the other party call me that.

Zhang Taiyan no longer refuted when he looked at Lu, showed a happy smile, and continued: "Master Lu, it's still the same question I just mentioned. I can't understand it just by talking about it, so let's just give an example. ”

He took out a pen and paper and wrote down two pronunciations:

bō、

buō。

Then another Chinese character was written:

Wave.

Lu Shi understands in seconds.

From the point of view of phonics, the word "wave" should be pronounced buō, not bō,

However, the "Hanyu Pinyin Scheme" chose the latter.

Lu Shi remembered his kindergarten days, and made similar mistakes when he first came into contact with pinyin.

He spelled "fierce" as xüōng, not xiōng.

Zhang Taiyan is a scholar and very rigorous.

"Lu Shi, you also said just now, pinyin is pinyin, and phonetic transcription is phonetic transcription. Since it has been made clear that pinyin does not assume the function of Latinization of Chinese characters, why bother with abbreviations? Of course, changing the letters can prevent confusion, but I always find it a bit tasteless. ”

Lu Shi nodded,

"I understand what you want to ......"

Before he finished speaking, Zhang Taiyan spoke again,

"Master Lu, let's discuss only from the perspective of pinyin, if it is from the perspective of pinyin characters, it will be endless."

"Poof! Ahem......"

Lu Shi was coughed,

I didn't expect the other party to patch it before he refuted it.

Zhang Taiyan continued to express his opinion: "Your pinyin is really good, but there are too many exceptions. AO should be AU, ONG should be UNG, IU should be IOU......"

That's right.

Just then, the maid came over,

"Sir, there's a Mr. Liang out there asking to see you."

As soon as he heard this surname, Zhang Taiyan knew who it was, shook his head and said, "Bad luck." ”

Lu Shi glanced at him,

"I'm tired of seeing each other, maybe people will feel bad luck when they see you~"

Zhang Taiyan laughed,

"Master Lu is so right!"

Lu Shi asked the maid to welcome people in.

Liang Qichao entered the living room, looking like a dusty servant,

He saw the paper on the table at a glance,

"Professor Lu, Mr. Zhang, you are really still studying the "Pinyin Alphabet", it seems that I have arrived at the right time."

Lu Shi was a little surprised,

The other party didn't say hello at all, and went straight to the point.

Zhang Taiyan also noticed,

"Mr. Liang, you seem to have something important?"

Liang Qichao let out an "um", looked directly at the landing, and asked, "Professor Lu, have you ever heard of Lin Lezhi?" ”

Lu Shi was stunned for a moment, and immediately understood the other party's intention to come here.

He clenched his fists at each other,

"Ren Gong's fist protects the heart of Chinese culture, which is moving."

Liang Qichao pursed his lips and didn't pick up.

Zhang Taiyan next to him said: "Who is this Lin Lezhi?" ”

Lu Shi replied: "Foreigners." ”

Zhang Taiyan was stunned, and said in a low voice: "This foreigner will choose a name for himself, he is happy to know his fate, and he has some charm, he should be willing to integrate into China and understand China." This kind of person is usually a missionary, right? ”

Lu Shi snorted coldly,

"Integration? On the contrary, he did not want to assimilate into Han culture and was a staunch European center...... To put it simply, he doesn't have the slightest tolerance for cultural exchange. ”

As he spoke, Lu Shi turned to Liang Qichao,

"Charlie Xia should be cited as an example, he was the first foreigner to advocate the abolition of Chinese characters."

Listening to this name, it should be a missionary again.

At this point, Zhang Taiyan finally figured out what was going on,

He chuckled,

"Mr. Liang, Master Lu is not the kind of person you think. He compiled the Pinyin Alphabet to promote Chinese characters, not to ban them. ”

Liang Qichao pointed to the paper on the table,

"And how do you explain that?"

"Ah......h

Zhang Taiyan couldn't refute it.

As Liang Qichao said, if you only consider phonics and do not consider spelling, the omission and variation of pinyin are meaningless.

When he looked at Lu,

His eyes flickered, and he asked silently.

Unexpectedly, Lu Shi spread his hands,

"After all, I've always developed in the UK, so I will more or less bring out some English writing habits. Mr. Ren Gong and Mr. Taiyan, if you think that the plan I gave is not suitable, you might as well think about it yourself, and even modify it on the basis of my plan, I have no opinion. ”

Liang Qichao: ???

Zhang Taiyan: ???

Both of them were overwhelmed by Lu Shi.

Zhang Taiyan said: "Master Lu, you can't pick a child!" ”

Lu Shi was also helpless,

Because from a historical point of view, Hanyu Pinyin did appear in order to ban Chinese characters, so there will be the problem of inconsistency between phonics and spelling.

Liang Qichao said: "Therefore, Professor Lu is a supporter of Chinese characters. ”

Lu Shi nodded,

"Of course. After two thousand years, I can still read the inscription left by my ancestor Yan Ran Leshi, which is worthy of being blown to the sky in any nation, who would want to destroy it quickly? ”

It's funny to say,

Zhang Taiyan laughed,

"What a 'blow to the sky'!"

Liang Qichao couldn't help but smile and said, "It seems that I blamed Professor Lu for it." Yes, the abolition of Chinese characters will really bury Chinese civilization and disconnect culture. Moreover, the Chinese vocabulary is accurate, and which languages can do it throughout the world? ”

Lu Shixiao,

"That's not necessarily true."

He turned the paper on the table over and wrote a paragraph in the margin,

——

A: "What do you mean by that?" ”

B: "It doesn't mean anything, it means what it means." ”

A: "That's not interesting enough. ”

B: "Small meaning, small meaning." ”

A: "Hmph...... You're a pretty funny guy. ”

B: "Actually, it doesn't mean anything else. ”

A: "Then I'm embarrassed. ”

B: "Where?" It's clear that I'm embarrassed. ”

——

Liang Qichao and Zhang Taiyan were dizzy.

The first reaction of the two of them, Lu Shi wrote a cross talk joke and a smooth passage,

But after careful consideration, the taste gradually came,

This dialogue is clearly the process of B giving money and gifts to A and asking A for help with errands, which is vividly expressed.

Lu Shi said: "Ren Gong, do you still hold the previous point of view? ”

Liang Qichao couldn't help but smile bitterly,

"Professor Lu, you are amazing! I can't talk about you! ”

Lu Shi said: "And, to be honest, I am in the newspaper industry, and I have an understanding of the latest typewriters and printing presses. From the perspective of communication, after the Latinization of Chinese characters, the printing efficiency will be improved by several steps. ”

Of course, after digitalization, that advantage is gone.

It even becomes a disadvantage.

Liang Qichao and Zhang Taiyan were dizzy,

They don't understand which side Lu Shi is from.

How does it feel like he's jumping back and forth between abolishing and not repealing?

Liang Qichao was puzzled: "Professor Lu, can you tell me what you really think?" ”

Lu Shixiao,

"I can make it clear right now that I do not support the abolition of Chinese characters. However, it is undeniable that it is not surprising that there is a trend of thought to abolish Chinese characters. Although those people have different views from us, they also have a pure heart to seek a way out of the country. I just said that, just to tell Ren Gong that this is a matter of public opinion and reasonableness, and mother-in-law saying that mother-in-law is reasonable. ”

Obviously, the "those people" he said definitely did not refer to the gringos with evil intentions like Lin Zhile and Charlie Xia, but the Chinese people who were really anxious about the spread of Chinese culture.

But even so, it is still difficult for Liang Qichao to agree with the abolition of Chinese characters, and there are countless rebuttals in his heart,

But considering that Lu Shi's level is extremely high, even if he doesn't bring it up, the other party must have already thought of it, and I don't know how much truth there is to talk about later.

If we continue to talk, it will surely become endless.

What's more, the views of the two sides are already the same, so why argue?

This is also a point that Liang Qichao does not understand,

Since the views are the same, why does Lu Shi still say all those nonsense that there are and are not?

Lu Shi sensed the other party's confusion,

He smiled: "There is a saying, 'Xiucai rebels, and it will not be achieved in three years'." Ren Gong thought he had heard it. ”

Liang Qichao was surprised,

"What does rebellion have to do with Chinese characters?"

Zhang Taiyan next to him snorted,

"Stupid!"

Liang Qichao was suddenly unhappy and responded: "Rude! ”

It was the same as his daughter's scolding.

Thinking of Liang Sishun's girl, Zhang Taiyan's anger disappeared,

"Mr. Liang, didn't you understand what Professor Lu meant? Don't look at us as this master, that master, to put it bluntly, just a few poor and sour literati, just turn their brains and move their mouths, why discuss literacy and literacy? ”

Liang Qichao knew that the other party was going to advocate your revolutionary theory again.

But at this moment he couldn't refute it.

Regardless of whether Chinese characters are banned or not, Latinized or not, it is far from enough to rely on a group of literati to advocate, advocate, and debate.

In China, where the illiteracy rate is so high, at least a complete compulsory education system can effectively teach the new language to everyone in the country.

What is needed for the compulsory education system is a strong government.

Qing court?

Let's wash and sleep.

Professor Lu is a counter-example in order to explain this truth.

Liang Qichao sighed,

Suddenly, he wavered a little from his insistence.

But soon he perked up,

"Mr. Zhang, I'm afraid you're alarmist."

Zhang Taiyan sighed,

"Good! It's me who is alarmist! ”

Both sides know that they can't convince each other, so they simply stop saying things that will cause conflict.

Saying it only adds to the troubles.

Moreover, this is the residence of the British ambassador to Japan, and even if the two sides want to put on an all-out military parade, it is impossible to roll up their sleeves and have a good time.

Lu Shi said: "Regarding the Pinyin Alphabet, my opinion remains the same. If you think that the plan I gave is not suitable, you might as well think about it yourself, and even modify it based on my plan, I have no opinion. ”

Liang Qichao sighed,

"Professor Lu, are you disappointed?"

Lu Shi smiled,

"No, I'm glad."

Liang Qichao was puzzled: "What are you glad about? ”

Lu Shi replied: "Fortunately, our ancestors created this treasure of Chinese characters. I am confident that she will survive the test and pass on the legacy in its entirety. ”

Liang Qichao: "......"

Zhang Taiyan: "......"

The two were silent.

Unexpectedly, Professor Lu used the most simple words to say the most contagious declaration.

Zhang Taiyan joked: "This is comparable to someone's 'red sun rising, its way is bright; The river flows out of the subterranean flow, and the ocean is pouring into the ocean. ”

Liang Qichao glanced at this product, and he didn't bother to complain.

He looked at Lu Shi,

"Professor Lu, can you use the Pinyin Alphabet as a research topic in the University Hall? Or, just use it as a textbook! ”

Lu Shi said: "Ren Gong, do you still have this influence? ”

Liang Qichao couldn't help but be embarrassed.

Lu Shi thought for a moment,

"Do your best, but ask for a clear conscience."

Hearing this, Liang Qichao got up,

"Good! Professor Lu, then I will take your commission to change the "Pinyin Alphabet". ”

Zhang Taiyan said: "I also help." ”

Look at them when Lu Shi,

Somehow, Picasso's "Girl in Collaboration" came to mind.

He scoffed,

"I'm going back to London soon, so I'm not going to get involved."

Zhang Taiyan complained: "I can see it, Professor Lu, you just want to pick on you!" ”

Lu Shi laughed,

"Okay, I'm just picking."

But he can't be blamed for this,

After all, he is not a full-fledged linguist or phonetician, and the revision of the "Pinyin Alphabet" and the "Hanyu Pinyin Scheme" are extremely professional jobs, and he is really incompetent.

He said, "Please, two." ”

Liang Qichao nodded,

"I will take Professor Lu's words to heart. Do your best, but ask for a clear conscience. ”

(End of chapter)