The Rise of the Writers of the Republic of China - Chapter 1019

  Canteen.

   Zhou Weilie looked down at the yellow and black rice in the bowl, as well as the stones and mouse feces mixed in the rice, and suddenly felt nauseated. Although Mei Yiqi and Hua Luogeng’s rice is also very rough, but at least they have been cleaned, and they will not add some special “nutritional products”.

  New students learn to knock bowls from old students. Legend has it that this is a must-have skill for eating at the United Nations University. Zhou Weilie also asked for some tips, but it was difficult to master the first time, so in the end, he only used chopsticks to slowly pick up the debris.

   Today’s dish is boiled kidney beans again. The dish for 50 large tables only uses half a catty of oil, so there is no oil or water in it.

   Zhou Weilie took a few mouthfuls of food with difficulty, feeling that his throat was choked, he quickly picked up the rice soup to moisten his throat and delivered the meal.

   “Bah!”

   A mouthful of rice soup spurted out, Zhou Weilie said in shock, “Is this rice soup or vinegar? It’s sour!”

   Peng Xu, who had already owed six laundry errands, said rather gloatingly: “The rice soup cooked by Chen Mi is so sour, appetizing and strengthening the spleen, the more you drink, the more hungry you become.”

   Zhou Weilie had no appetite at all, but his family education made him not want to waste food, so he closed his eyes and swallowed the rest of the rice in the bowl. He didn’t want to drink rice soup anymore. The taste of that thing was no different from vinegar. He put down the tableware and asked, “Is there a store in the school?”

   “No,” Peng Xu said with a smile, “Do you want to buy food? There are fellows who sell things at the gate of the school. They will fry some peanuts, beans and the like to sell.”

   “I’ll go take a look.” Zhou Weilie said.

   After he left, the students at the same table began to discuss:

   “This younger brother Zhou doesn’t seem to be used to the food in the cafeteria. The food in Mr. Zhou’s house must be plentiful.”

   “Don’t talk about Mr. Zhou’s house, my family’s food is not so bad.”

   “How long do you think he can last?”

   “How long does what last?”

   “Cry your nose and shout to go home to find your mother. After all, you’re only 12 years old, and you haven’t suffered a crime, how can you bear it?”

   “Maybe I’ll get used to it in a few days.”

   “It’s hard to say.”

  “…”

   When I was twelve or thirteen years old, when I was growing up, I would definitely not be able to eat a bowl of rice.

   Zhou Weilie walked quickly to the school gate, and he saw a few fellow villagers selling snacks. He didn’t ask the price, he walked up to a seller of fried peanuts and said, “Give me two pounds.”

   “28 yuan for two catties,” said the fellow.

   Zhou Weilie held the fried peanuts packed in old newspapers, walked while eating, and returned to the dormitory leisurely. For the first time, he found that peanuts are so delicious.

   The students in the same dormitory came back one after another, smelling the aroma of fried peanuts, and they all looked at Zhou Weilie and swallowed.

   Zhou Weilie is getting worse and worse as he eats. There are too many people and not enough points. Eating alone makes him feel bad. After thinking about it, I simply went outside the school gate again and said to the fellow villagers who sold snacks: “I bought all your things, please help me move to the dormitory.”

   “Little classmate, do you have that much money?” a fellow villager asked with a smile.

   Zhou Weilie took out a stack of banknotes: “This is not enough, but there is still some ocean in my dormitory. By the way, I will buy a few more frames and sell them to me along with the moisture-proof rags in the frames.”

  Because the teachers and students of the school are very poor, a basket of peanuts and beans could not be sold out for several days. Now that some people are directly wrapping up the circle, the fellow villagers are overjoyed, and they go to the student dormitory surrounded by Zhou Weilie.

   This group of people walked through the campus in a mighty manner, attracting bursts of side glances.

   Back at the dormitory, Peng Xu pointed to the fellow villagers waiting outside and asked, “Little brother, what are you doing?”

   “Everyone please eat.” Zhou Weilie smiled.

  I found Dayang from the box to pay, and two-thirds of Zhou Weilie’s pocket money had been spent. He opened another soap box and wrote on the cardboard: “Snacks are free, you can pick them up by yourself. Due to the limited quantity, each person is limited to one.”

   Zhou Weilie mixed peanuts and beans, and placed a basket under the eaves of each row of dormitories, not even the girls’ dormitory.

   Putting the cardboard in front of the basket, Zhou Weilie went back to the dormitory by himself, leaving behind hundreds of curious students.

   At first, no one was too embarrassed to do it. Peng Xu was more familiar with things. He smiled and grabbed a hand and said, “Everyone, you are welcome. This is Zhou Gongzi’s treat. Remember to cover it with cloth, so that the peanuts and beans will not return to the tide.”

   “You’re welcome, you’re welcome, the landowner has a meal, haha.” Another student also jokingly grabbed a handful.

   Another student said: “You can save yourself some food. Don’t eat it all at once. The classmates in the library don’t know it yet.”

  The students were still very self-conscious, and they only caught a small amount. Because the number of these snacks is obviously not enough, if you catch them too hard, the students behind will have no chance.

   For Zhou Weilie’s actions, most of the students chose to accept good intentions, but a small number of students thought that he was inviting names to show off. Hatred of the rich exists in any era, it is inevitable.

  Peng Xu returned to the dormitory eating peanuts, sat next to Zhou Weilie and said, “Little brother, don’t do this in the future, the impact is not very good.”

   Zhou Weilie didn’t care about it, he said: “My pocket money is almost exhausted, and I can’t afford it if I want to buy it in the future.”

   “You don’t have any money to buy so much?” Peng Xu was surprised.

   “Money is meant to be used.” Zhou Weilie has no concept of financial management at all.

  Peng Xu was convinced: “As expected of Mr. Zhou, generous and arrogant!”

  …

   went to pick up the textbook in the afternoon, and the class officially started the next day.

  I finally ate boiled eggs on Monday morning. While eating eggs, Zhou Weilie missed the food at home, and at the same time looked at the gobbling classmates thoughtfully.

   Being isolated doesn’t exist at all. Zhou Weilie’s popularity at school is surprisingly good, and both teachers and classmates take good care of him. On the one hand, it is because of Zhou Hexuan’s face, and on the other hand, because he is too young, classmates often take the initiative to help with chores such as laundry.

   About half a month later, Zhou Weilie’s pocket money ran out. Eggs can only be eaten on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. On weekends, I go to Mei Yiqi’s house for a tooth festival. At other times, I am forced to accept the school’s pig-like meals.

   After pulling his stomach twice, he got used to it. Zhou Weilie had already learned the skill of knocking the bowl and sieving stones, and the rice soup that was as sour as vinegar was also delicious. It’s a pity that there is too little oil and water, and I am drooling when I see anything to eat, and I am half hungry and half full every day.

   At this time, the noble appeared.

   Another day after school, Wu Mi stood at the door of the classroom and shouted, “Weilie, come here!”

   “Uncle Wu.” Zhou Weilie greeted respectfully.

  Wu Mi hooked Zhou Weilie’s shoulder and said with a smile, “Let’s go, uncle will take you to eat something delicious.”

   Zhou Weilie swallowed subconsciously and said, “When I get to Chongqing, I will invite Uncle Wu back.”

   “When the time comes, let your dad invite me, I won’t suffer anyway.” Wu Mi joked.

   During the entire Anti-Japanese War, Wu Mi was the number one moneymaker of the Southwest Associated University. This gentleman just got divorced when he came to Kunming. He has enough food for one person and the whole family is not hungry, and he has a lot of part-time jobs. He can earn six or seven thousand yuan per month. He goes out to restaurants every day, and even invites three ladies who are in an ambiguous relationship to have a social dinner at the same time, so that his life should not be too casual.

Wu Mi hated the professors’ behavior of planting vegetables very much. The two vegetable fields that Chen Daisun reclaimed were just outside Wu Mi’s house, and he was arguing every day—”From morning to evening, they were all planting vegetables outside Mi’s window, and Mi Shu hated them. “.

  Shen Congwen’s income is also very high, but all his money is used to buy pottery and books. When he invites student Wang Zengqi to go out to restaurants, he only eats a bowl of rice noodles.

  Wu Mi and Zhou Hexuan have a deep personal relationship. They are often dragged by Liang Qichao to play mahjong together in Tsinghua Garden. He was also invited by Zhou Hexuan to be the editor-in-chief of the supplement of Ta Kung Pao for more than half a year. There was a time when Wu Mi returned from abroad and lived in Tianjin Sanletang for half a month. Wei Lie was also very familiar with him.

   One big and one small, two people went to the restaurant and ordered three dishes and one soup, which was so rich that it was almost extravagant.

   Zhou Weilie was like a beggar who hadn’t eaten for a few days. He devoured three bowls of rice, and swept away several dishes on the table. Finally, he simply poured the rice into the dish and boiled oil and water.

  Wu Mi shook his head and smiled bitterly: “Your dad is also cruel, but in a good life, he has to throw you to the hellish place like Kunming to be poor. In the future, if you are greedy, I will come to your Uncle Wu, and I will definitely make you full and well fed.”

   “Thank you, Uncle Wu,” Zhou Weilie put the last few grains of rice on the plate into his mouth and wiped his mouth, “I understand what my dad means, he is showing me the true face of China.”

   Wu Mi smiled and said, “Yo, you quite understand the big truth.”

   Zhou Weilie said: “When I was in Tianjin and Chongqing, my father often told me this, but I didn’t understand it at the time, but now I finally understand it personally.”

   “As long as you can understand it, you have a bright future.” Wu Mi nodded in approval.

   Zhou Weilie said: “I am considering whether I should change my major and study physics, chemistry or mechanics.”

   Wu Mi asked, “You are so good at math, what do you do when you change majors?”

   “Math is of no use to the country,” Zhou Weilie said. “Since the beginning of the school year, two students in our class have changed departments, and several other students also have the same plan.”

   Wu Mi rebuked: “Who said mathematics is useless? Mathematics is the foundation of all natural sciences, and it can drive the development of other science and engineering disciplines.”

   Zhou Weilie muttered: “Professor Hua also said the same, and wrote a letter to my dad last week to complain.”

   “Your task now is to study with peace of mind, don’t think wildly, you know?” Wu Mi said solemnly.

   “Got it.” Zhou Weilie was a little depressed.

  Wu Mi was not the only one who improved Zhou Weilie’s meals. Whenever conditions allowed, many professors would come forward to help. Shen Congwen, for example, basically asks Zhou Weilie to go out to restaurants two or three times a month, or asks his wife Zhang Zhaohe to make fermented eggs for Weilie.

  Wine-stuffed eggs is Zhang Zhaohe’s specialty. In Zhu Ziqing’s words, it is simply the most delicious food in the world.

   In the second month of school, Fairbank visited the Southwest Associated University as the special envoy of the United States. This old man knows Zhou Hexuan better. Whenever he came to Tianjin before, Fairbank and his wife lived in Zhou’s house, and they also lived in Zhou’s mansion in Shanghai for a few weeks.

   Fei Zhengqing learned about Zhou Weilie’s situation, and immediately invited the boy to a big meal, and left a red envelope of 200 US dollars.

Fairbank wrote in his memoirs: “Chinese people have two extreme ways of educating their children, one is doting, wishing to give everything to future generations to enjoy; Mr. Fang Weiren. I disagree with Mr. Zhou Hexuan’s choice, because his son should not be in a semi-starvation state every day during the critical period of his development. But it is undeniable that this method of cultivation was very successful. Zhou Weilie had an in-depth discussion, and his thinking is more mature than many adults. He said that he used to focus only on mathematics, but after entering the Southwest Associated University, he began to pay attention to social and political issues. Perhaps it was the change in thinking during this period that led to the contributed to his later choice…”