Wu Tong, the editor-in-chief of Ta Kung Pao, was sitting in the editorial office at the moment reviewing the manuscript, and he looked at the first draft of the next edition that had not yet been filled, feeling a little anxious, and his brows were slightly furrowed.

He obviously has a headache: It's not easy for a newspaper to put together a page that is real and attractive enough.

"Editor-in-chief Wutong, Mr. Hou is here!"

The doorman stumbled over and shouted, his voice was so loud that the news instantly spread throughout the editorial office.

When Wutong heard the news, he was immediately overjoyed, and his originally tired brain cleared up a lot.

He immediately put down his work, and after roughly arranging his white neckline, he got up and prepared to receive Mr. Hou in person.

There is no doubt that today's Hou Debang is a popular figure, and he is fully worthy of being received by an editor-in-chief in person.

Last year, that is, in the 15th year of the Republic of China, Hou Debang led Yongli Soda Factory to win the gold medal at the Philadelphia Expo, and the soda ash produced was called "the symbol of the development of the main chemical industry of the Republic of China", which can be said to have won a lot of light for the country.

Now it has reached the end of 17 years, and there has been an interval of more than a year, if in this short period of time, Yongli Soda Factory has a new breakthrough in the soda method, it is undoubtedly a big news.

After hearing the news, several editors in the newspaper also wanted to go over for an interview and ask about it, but there was still a lot of work in their hands to complete, so they could only watch the editor-in-chief leave after looking at each other, and then continue to complete the work at hand.

After crossing the threshold of the editorial office and passing through a corridor that is not long or short, we will arrive at the main hall of the newspaper.

The first door of the west wall of the main hall of the newspaper office opened to the living room, and Mr. Hou wanted to stay in it at the moment.

The walls of the wide living room are hung with all kinds of landscape calligraphy and paintings, the huge curtains are half-open and half-hidden, a few rays of sunlight shine in from outside, the breeze floats the curtains, and the light and shadow on the marble floor by the window flicker.

In the center is a solid black main table, on which are placed paper, pencils, melons and fruits, drinks, and various magazines and newspapers to pass the time, and there are exactly eight chairs around it.

At this moment, there were only Hou Debang and Bao Guowei in the room, who had already sat at the main table, sitting opposite each other, discussing matters related to the new alkali production method.

Mr. Hou was holding a pencil in his hand and wrote on the paper:

"Bao Guowei, this is Mr. Fan's landline number, he is usually busy, flying around several cities, and often can't be contacted.

I have already written down the usual numbers for you on paper, and you can talk to him yourself about the specific situation later.

Oh, by the way, you don't seem to know my landline number yet, I'll write my number now. ”

When Bao Guowei heard Mr. Hou call himself, he always felt a little angry, after yesterday's incident, it is time to climb the relationship:

"Okay, thank you Mr. Hou, but ...... I think that in the future, Mr. Hou can still call me Bao Guowei directly, and he always has to add a classmate later, which is a bit too raw. ”

Mr. Hou put down his pencil and handed over a piece of paper, with a slight smile on his face:

"Haha, this is negligent, if you say so, it is a bit raw to call Ling's name directly, call you Guowei directly in the future, if you don't mind, just call me Uncle Hou in the future!"

For this very "talented" and sensible student in front of him, Mr. Hou also wants to get closer to this title.

Before the two of them could shout "Guowei" and "Uncle Hou" to each other, the door of the reception room was suddenly opened.

As soon as Wutong opened the door of the living room, he focused on Bao Guowei, who was sitting opposite Hou Debang.

Just now he stood at the door and eavesdropped for a while, and the conversation between the two had been fully understood, so he was very curious about Bao Guowei.

With his eyesight, he noticed that Bao Guowei had an extraordinary temperament as soon as he saw him, and he looked like a young master with glasses, and the origin was definitely not simple.

"Mr. Hou is here in person, the company is really vibrant, this little gentleman and Mr. Hou are here together, I just don't know what to call it?"

While talking, Wutong trotted to the main table, and saw that the teacups of the two were still empty at this time, and immediately began to pour tea and water.

Mr. Hou seems to have known the editor-in-chief of Wutong for a long time, and directly called out his real name:

"Liu Shan, this is Bao Guowei, from Suzhou, Jiangnan, he will be sixteen years old after the New Year, and he is still in middle school in Jiangnan."

Wutong's technique of pouring tea is very particular, and when he can't distinguish which guest has a higher status, he chooses to pour two portions together:

First, put the two teacups together, pour them separately, and then hold one teacup in one hand and put it in front of the two of them at the same time:

"Oh, it turned out to be Bao Guowei, this is the first time to come to our newspaper, right? I haven't tasted this Laoshan green tea yet, try it, if it's delicious, say it, and I'll ask someone to bring you a bag in a while! Enjoy it when you get home! ”

……

After some pleasantries, it was time to talk about business.

Wutong knew very well that Mr. Hou, as the director of Yongli Soda Factory, was usually very busy, and he definitely didn't come to the newspaper office to greet him, but he must have something serious.

He finally sat down on a chair next to Bao Guowei, and after a deep groan, he said to Mr. Hou:

"Mr. Hou came here in person this time, but what's the matter?"

Hou Debang raised the teacup and took a sip of tepid tea:

"I came this time to bring good news - there is a new breakthrough in the alkali production method, and the results are not small."

Wutong had already vaguely guessed that it was this, but when Mr. Hou said it, he was inevitably a little excited in his heart.

The title of the next issue has already been prepared in his mind: "Shocking at home and abroad, genius chemist Hou Debang has made a big breakthrough again"

So he hurriedly asked:

"So Mr. Hou, what is the specific breakthrough? How high is the outcome? ”

"We have successfully developed a new alkali production method, which is almost a completely new direction of alkali production.

This is a new alkali production method that is completely different from the focus of the Solvay alkali production method, but the practical value is not inferior to its new alkali production method. ”

In these years, there are relatively few people who know chemical engineering, and even among cultural people, they often know little about science, so Hou Debang did not say any professional words, and Wutong can fully understand it.

"Mr. Hou is really a master in the field of chemistry, he won the gold medal at the Philadelphia Exposition last year, and he ...... this year."

Before Wutong's words were finished, Mr. Hou hurriedly waved his hand, interrupting his praise.

"It's not me who came up with this method, it's the classmate sitting next to me."

Seeing Mr. Hou's serious face, Wutong also knew that this person was not joking, and the words he originally wanted to question were stuffed back into his stomach.

He looked at Bao Guowei with some surprise and disbelief in his eyes:

"I remember that Mr. Hou just said that this classmate Bao Guowei was only 16 years old after the New Year.

In other words, he is only fifteen years old this year, and he has really developed a new alkali production method? ”

"Yes, and the new alkali making method was almost done by him alone, and we only provided a laboratory bench and sufficient raw materials."

Sycamore gasped and contributed to global warming, and it took him a while to accept it, in his heart.

He has already drawn up the title of the next edition of the news in his mind: "Shocking at home and abroad, the chemical genius boy Bao Guowei ......"

"I don't know, what is the name of this new alkali method?"

"In my opinion, it's better to call it Bao's alkali method, I don't know if Guowei has thought of a better name......

Just now, Mr. Hou and the editor Wutong were talking almost all the time, and when it was finally Bao Guowei's turn to speak, it was such an embarrassing question for him......

……

Half an hour later, under the leadership of the editor-in-chief of Wutong, Bao Guowei and Hou Debang came to the photo studio in the newspaper office together.

"Bao Guowei, please go take a photo first, maybe there will be your portrait on it in the next journal......"

Taking pictures is very much in line with Bao Guowei's wishes, who would refuse to have his face in the newspaper? Bao Guowei nodded and walked in.

In the center of the studio, there was a large, bulky camera, and it seemed that there was already a photographer waiting inside, and he instructed Bao Guowei to stand behind the white curtain.

After Bao Guowei posed, the photographer bent down and began to adjust the camera, and about half a minute later, he took a few photos of Bao Guowei with a few "clicks".

After a few photos were developed, Bao Guowei took a look at them himself and was very satisfied - although they were all black and white photos, he could probably show that he was half handsome.

By the time Mr. Hou and Mr. Bao left the newspaper, the matter was almost complete:

With someone as authoritative as Mr. Hou to vouch for, Ta Kung Pao's editors have already begun to work on the first draft of the newspaper for the next periodical.

However, as an authoritative newspaper, the most basic research is still necessary, and this afternoon they will arrange for someone to investigate the situation in the Wynn soda factory.

……

At around two o'clock in the afternoon, Bao Guowei and Hou Debang had already returned to the Yongli Soda Factory in a car.

The two made a landline call to Fan Xudong in the office.

At first, no one responded, and it took three or four consecutive dials before someone finally answered the phone, and as soon as it was connected, there was a loud voice from the microphone:

"Outside! Xiaohou? ”

"Huh! Lao Fan, I have someone here, let's talk to you! ”

Hearing the voice from the landline, Hou Debang handed the phonephone to Bao Guowei.

"Hello Mr. Fan, I'm ...... Bao Guowei"

On the phone, Bao Guowei talked in detail about the discovery of the new alkali making method.

Knowing the emergence of the new alkali production method, Fan Xudong was obviously very interested in it, and hurriedly asked about related matters.

Bao Guowei roughly summarized it on the phone, and Fan Xudong after a preliminary understanding, even if he knew that the commercial value of the new alkali method was not as great as he imagined, he was still interested, indicating that he would soon take the train to Tianjin.

After learning about Bao Guowei's age, he invited Bao Guowei to stay in Tianjin to study and work part-time as a researcher in the soda factory, but Bao Guowei politely refused.

He has no plans to settle in the north for the time being, after all, Lao Bao has lived in Suzhou for so many years, and he may not be able to stand it when he suddenly moves to the north.

After discussing the relevant matters, Bao Guowei honestly stayed at the Yongli Soda Factory and dealt with a reporter from the "Ta Kung Pao" newspaper:

This time, they carried an extremely heavy camera and asked Bao Guowei to pose for experiments in the laboratory.

……

A few days later, the time had come to December 14, 1927, and the four members of the Bao family had been away from home for nearly half a month.

Today's weather is very sunny and cloudless, but the temperature is getting colder: put a basin of water out that night, and when you look back the next morning, you will find that there is a layer of ice on the surface of the basin.

According to Wu Tong, the editor-in-chief of Ta Kung Pao, Bao Guowei's deeds have been published in the next issue of the newspaper.

This means that Bao Guowei's fame is about to skyrocket, and perhaps he does not have to wait until he returns to his hometown in Jiangnan, when he is still sitting on the train, the contents of the newspaper will be quickly transmitted by telephone and telegram.

Once this news is learned, it will set off a wave in the academic world, and the teachers of the new-style school will probably be even more excited than themselves, and they will immediately hype it up.

Maybe when Bao Guowei returns to Suzhou, he will become a famous "big man".

On this day, Mr. Fan Xudong's train arrived in Tianjin and met with Bao Guowei.

……

On December 15, at 11 o'clock at noon, it only took half a month for Bao Guowei to deal with almost all matters related to the new alkali production method.

At the gate of Yongli Factory, Bao Guowei looked at the three family members who had already sorted out their luggage, and shouted a sentence that they had been thinking about for a long time:

"Go home!"

Under the eyes of Hou Debang and Fan Xudong, the four members of the Bao family left the Yongli Soda Factory with large bags and small bags and went to Tianjin Railway Station.

Of course, before leaving, all three guns that everyone had stored in the guard room had been retrieved.

……

Whether it is Suzhou, Shanghai, or Tianjin, the train stations seem to be crowded at all times.

After buying the tickets, the Bao family began to squeeze into the train.

Having learned the lesson of the last time, Bao Guowei chose to take first class.

The first class cabin has a spacious bed, and you can sleep directly in the bed at night, and take a long-distance train, if you don't have a luxurious bed, it is really a bit difficult.

As for the other three subordinates, they were arranged in the second class, but the most valuable luggage was kept by Bao Guowei himself.

On this trip, Bao Guowei gained a lot, and it can almost be called "returning home".

The whistle sounded, the train started slowly, and the scenery outside the window slowly receded.

Bao Guowei looked at the scene outside and began to think about the harvest of this trip:

The first is that there are already a few more landline numbers in hand:

Chu Ze's, Fan Xudong's, Hou Debang's, and the rich dragon he met when he took the train, but compared with the few people in front of him, this person is almost negligible, and he can't get on the stage after all.

Quantitative change causes qualitative change, just these three people, add up to a relationship that should not be underestimated, and what happens in the future can be solved with just a phone call.

Of course, if you encounter something that these people can't solve, then you don't have to solve it, just wait for death.

But the most important thing is that now that Bao Guowei is about to become famous, he is going to become a "big name", and there is no need to become a "big name" in the future, but others need to slap him.

In terms of money, Bao Guowei made no less money this time, and Fan Xudong did not treat him badly, thousands of oceans, plus part of the patent ......

(End of chapter)