The entertainment tycoon of the Republic of China

In Hankou in the cold winter, it always gets dark faster.

Xie Yan took the tram back to Yunlai Tea House. It was already pitch black outside. Shopkeeper Liu asked someone to save rice for him. Mix the rolled noodles with vegetable juice, put them in two large porcelain bowls, and put them next to the stove. Keeping warm, once opened, there will be a hot aroma, blowing towards the face, very attractive.

Xie Yan took the rice bowl and chopsticks, but was not in a hurry to eat. He had something to talk to shopkeeper Liu about.

Shopkeeper Liu relieved him of chores before and asked him to concentrate on writing stories for Mr. Shun in the teahouse, and he could still receive the clerk's salary, Xie Yan accepted.

But now that he has the job of teaching Miss Wen San, he will not be in the restaurant for most of the day, so it is inappropriate to continue to get paid.

"Shopkeeper Liu, I went to the Wen Mansion today, and I want to tell you something."

Xie Yan didn't talk about what happened at Wen's house in detail, but said that he was hired as Miss Wen San's husband, and he might not have time to continue working in the teahouse in the future.

"Well, Xiao Xie, can you say it again?" Shopkeeper Liu didn't react, his eyes widened.

"I said that starting tomorrow, I will go to Wen's house to teach Miss Wen San."

"Which Wen family? Ship King? Wen Jiulou?"

"Yes."

"My God!" Shopkeeper Liu put down the abacus in his hand, rubbed his hands and paced back and forth, "Go to Wen's house to be a teacher? My God! What do you teach?"

"I have some knowledge of Western books and can play the piano. Mrs. Wen wants to find a new-style gentleman for Miss Wen San. She thinks I am more suitable in all aspects."

"So that's it, I knew that you are not a simple person!" Shopkeeper Liu said excitedly, that is the Wen family, it is impossible for him to get acquainted with people in his life.

He had long felt that Xie Yan was definitely not something in the pool, and looking at it now, he was right.Is it an ordinary job to be a husband for the daughter of the shipping tycoon Wen's family?From the waiter in the teahouse to Mr. Wen's family, it's one step to reach the sky!

"Shopkeeper Liu, I won't be counted as a waiter in the restaurant from now on, but something happened suddenly, I haven't found a place to live yet, I wonder if you can accommodate me and let me stay in the restaurant for a few more days, and I can pay for the room if I need it. "

"Xiao Xie, no, Mr. Xie, what are you talking about!" Shopkeeper Liu waved his hands repeatedly after hearing this.

"The house behind the teahouse is unoccupied. You can live there for as long as you want. What kind of money do you charge? The Hankou Romance you made up only took three days, and it has already earned dozens of silver dollars for the teahouse. Really. If it’s so small, I haven’t paid you any dividends yet.”

Shopkeeper Liu refused again and again, and after finishing speaking, he said that not only the house can be lived in freely, Xie Yan's salary for this month will also be paid according to the agreed amount.

Xie Yan thanked shopkeeper Liu with a smile, but he didn't insist on paying the room fee, and still didn't ask for wages.

Seeing this, Shopkeeper Liu understood that with Xie Yan's current status and prospects, he might have looked down on the buddy's four silver dollars a month, and didn't want to owe him this favor, so he didn't insist, but hurried to the front hall, calling for the cleaning staff On Wednesday, the Big Five pulled out of their sleeves.

"Hurry up! Go to the Wangji Braised Meat Shop at the street corner and buy a roast chicken that is so tender, two white flour pancakes, and a pot of hot soup."

"Shopkeeper, you didn't eat—"

"Hurry up! Run, hurry up!"

On Wednesday, I was confused, but I didn’t dare to touch shopkeeper Liu’s bad luck. Hearing this, he immediately took the money and rushed out. There were not many people buying lo-mei at night, and there was no queue on Wednesday, so he hurried back to the teahouse with a pile of food.

However, under his shocked gaze, shopkeeper Liu actually brought some dishes and put all the delicacies on the table in front of Xie Yan.

"Mr. Xie, it's too late today to prepare, so let's eat something light. I wish you the best of luck in your high school, and wish you a bright future and smooth sailing."

"Thank you shopkeeper." Xie Yan stood up upon hearing this, and cupped her hands like shopkeeper Liu.

Xie Yan was not particularly surprised by shopkeeper Liu's behavior.

Xie Yan has already felt what the ship king Wen's family means to ordinary Hankou people in the past few days. He has a relationship with the Wen family and became Miss Wen San's husband, which is definitely a step up to the sky in the eyes of ordinary people.

It's not surprising that shopkeeper Liu wants to speculate and make friends.

These are all human nature, shopkeeper Liu is a good person, and he takes care of them, so Xie Yan doesn't dislike this feeling, let alone——

Xie Yan glanced at the dark-faced Wednesday who was puzzled, and smiled inwardly.

This Wednesday, since the first time we met Li Wei who found fault with him and was turned against by Xie Yan, he has been holding a grudge.Xie Yan didn't show up often these few days, so he took all his anger on Li Quan, and all kinds of sarcasm made him trip up. Although Li Quan avoided it several times with his cleverness, he almost fell into his way.

When Xie Yan heard these things, she remained calm on the surface, but kept them in her heart.

He is not a good person and does not have the Holy Father's disease. Since Wednesday has to deal with him and hurt the people around him, although he will not drop the price to design specifically for Wednesday, he will never let him have a good time if he has the opportunity.

"Shopkeeper Liu, I'm not in good health yet, so I can't eat so much. Anyway, there are no customers in the tea house now. Why don't you ask Li Quan to come over and let the three of us eat something together?" Xie Yan suggested with a smile, and the whole process Ignore the big living Wednesday on the side.

"Okay." Shopkeeper Liu knew about the grievances between Xie Yan and Zhou Zhou, but he didn't say anything.

For Wednesday, who is narrow-minded and likes to squeeze people out, shopkeeper Liu has also disliked him for a long time, but because of years of friendship, Wednesday has not made any major mistakes, so he has not been dismissed.

But at this time, Xie Yan deliberately wanted to lose face on Wednesday, and Shopkeeper Liu didn't stop him.There is no hesitation in choosing Xie Yan, who has a bright future with the Wen family, and Wednesday, who is idle and ignorant all day long.

"Then ask Li Quan to eat with you. You two came to Hankou together. He should be there when you have a happy event." Shopkeeper Liu turned to call Li Quan, "From now on, you will teach well at Wen's house, don't worry about other things. Li Quan is a diligent and clever guy, I like him, and I will definitely not let him suffer."

Upon hearing this, Xie Yan understood that shopkeeper Liu was promising him that he would take care of Li Quan, and thanked him immediately.

"Then trouble the shopkeeper. I believe the shopkeeper is a man. If you have anything to do in the future, you can also discuss it with me."

Shopkeeper Liu was waiting for these words. Hearing this, he rubbed his belly with a smile, and kindly told Xie Yan about some of his experiences over the years.

After all, shopkeeper Liu has been doing business in Hankou for so many years, and has experienced a lot of good times and bad times. Speaking from the bottom of his heart, Xie Yan, who does not belong to this era, has benefited a lot from many things, and has new considerations.

The three chatted while eating, and the aroma of roast chicken wafted in the back hall. I heard that Wednesday, who was working in the front hall, was getting more and more angry, but he had no choice but to increase the strength in his hand. Unexpectedly, he accidentally broke his ring finger nails.

"Hold!"

Wednesday threw away the rag in pain, cursed, and looked viciously in the direction of the back hall of the teahouse.

Xie Yan, Li Quan, and Shopkeeper Liu... He will make all these people regret one day!

"Wednesday, why don't you go back, your mother is still sick?" Shopkeeper Liu came to the front hall to pick up things, and saw Wednesday frowning.

"..." Wednesday quickly came back to his senses, suppressing the malice in his heart, "I was delayed for a while, I'll go back now."

"Go back quickly, you are a big man." Shopkeeper Liu couldn't hold back after all, and said a few words, "Your mother's illness this time is just a reminder to you, get married and start a business, don't drink flower wine, and don't drink wine. Let the old man unpack and wash clothes for others at his age."

"Well, well." Wednesday nodded perfunctorily.

Seeing this, shopkeeper Liu knew that he hadn't listened to him at all, and felt displeased, but he had no other choice but to send him away quickly.

After the three of them had dinner, shopkeeper Liu locked the door and left the teahouse, while Xie Yan and Li Quan returned to the small house behind the teahouse.

This small house was built in the corner left when the tea house was built. It is only a palm-sized area, and the eaves are not high. It feels very depressing when you walk in. It can only be regarded as a place to sleep. It is firewood and coal, and the fire can burn very well.

Xie Yan went to the countryside to do as the Romans did, and imitated Li Quan's appearance and sat cross-legged on the kang. He took out all the money he had on him and counted it carefully. The wages given by the Wen family plus the previous money came to a total of 35 yuan and [-] taels copper plate.

This is Xie Yan's first objective wealth since he came to this world. He plans to take the time to open an account in the bank tomorrow, and deposit the money in it first, just to be on the safe side, so as not to be stolen and robbed, and there is no place to cry.

"Ayan, you are really good." Li Quan sat aside and watched, his eyes were full of envy, but not the slightest jealousy.

"That's where it is." Xie Yan shook his head, since he had seen the wealth of the Wen family and his own powerlessness, how could he be satisfied with such a small gain.

If you want to survive in this era, you must keep moving forward and not stop.

"Ayan, after the class leader and the others arrive in Hankou...won't you go back to the Dechun class with me?" Li Quan asked suddenly after watching.

Xie Yan came back at night and told Li Quan the good news that the Dechun class was fine. After some excitement, he calmed down, and Li Quan finally realized what was wrong.

Xie Yan glanced at him and didn't say anything, which was a tacit consent.

He really has no idea of ​​returning to the opera troupe, one is because he has no artistic talent for singing at all, so why waste time; the other is that he prefers to struggle freely rather than being controlled by others.

Xie Yan has already made a plan. In the next few days, he will ask Qi Xiuji to help him find a single room near the pier, which will be convenient for him to commute to and from get off work. With the money he has now, it shouldn't be a big problem to rent it out.

When the Dechun class arrives in Hankou and sends Li Quanan back safely, he can start his own independent life that belongs to Xie Yan.

The original owner doesn't have much memories of Bai Luoqiu, the leader of the Dechun troupe. After Bai Luoqiu deliberately rescued the original owner back to the troupe a year ago, he left him in the crowd and ignored him. People didn't understand him at all. true thoughts and purposes.Xie Yan could only deduce based on his feelings that Bai Luoqiu should not be a mean person.

But even if Bai Luoqiu was determined to keep him in the Dechun class, Xie Yan could do nothing about it. With his current relationship with the Wen family, it would definitely not be a problem to ask them to help him with a few words.He didn't believe that Bai Luoqiu would turn against the Wen family in Hankou for a little apprentice who was not valued.

Seeing that Xie Yan didn't speak, Li Quan understood the other party's answer. He was a little disappointed, but he could also think about it. After all, A Yan and himself, even a year ago, were never the same.

"It's good to be a gentleman. You are knowledgeable and respected by others. Not only do you get looked down upon in the theater troupe, even if you become a famous actor, life is not easy...A Yan, you will definitely have a great future!"

"Then I will borrow your good words." Xie Yan smiled when he heard the words, he still liked Li Quan, the first person he met in the Republic of China era.

Li Quan is not only smart and hardworking, but also good-natured, and he has a good relationship with him. A tree cannot form a forest, so if you need it in the future, you can ask him to help you.

"Don't act like you'll never see him again, maybe I need your help in the future." Xie Yan comforted Li Quan.

"Ayan, don't worry, as long as you need it, just tell me that I will definitely be there!" Li Quan patted his chest to assure, suddenly felt something, and hurriedly took out a letter.

"Almost forgot, Ayan, a female student in the teahouse came to you this afternoon and asked me to bring you a letter."

Li Quan explained clearly what happened in the afternoon in a few words. After the female student gave the letter, she didn't say anything. After listening to the book quietly, she got up and left.

A female student in a foreign dress, who came to the teahouse to find someone?

Xie Yan was taken aback when she heard the words, and after taking the envelope and seeing the signature in the corner, she became even more puzzled.

He was very familiar with the name written in elegant handwriting on the brown envelope. It was Li Qing, the author of the article about the racetrack that he saw in the Xinhan Daily when he was reading the newspaper yesterday morning.

Could it be that Mr. Liqing, who is extremely suitable for ideological propaganda work, is actually a talented woman?

Xie Yan remembered that when she was in college, a middle-aged professor talked about the talented men and women in the Republic of China, and his words were full of disdain.In his view, looking at the entire Republic of China, there are only a small number of people who have the conditions to receive new-style ideological education, and even fewer people who have the conditions to become famous after completing their studies. Most of them are people from outstanding families.

As long as these people are not too stupid, they can stand out from the crowd with their thoughts and knowledge different from the environment at that time. Coupled with the popularity brought by their family background, they can easily become famous as talented men and women, but what do they really have to show? Most of the research results that are worth seeing are not there.

In the modern society, those talented men and women may be just unknown people, but they only gained a good reputation when they caught up with the wisdom of the people.

Xie Yan admits that the professor's thinking has some truth. There were indeed many talented men and women in the period of the Republic of China, but there were exceptions to everything. Heroes emerged in troubled times. In that era of shining stars, there was no shortage of passionate and talented geniuses. Without hesitation, he devoted himself to different industries and ran on the front line of saving the country and the people.

With the analysis of the racecourse in the previous Xinhan Daily article, Xie Yan can be sure that this Mr. Li Qing is definitely the latter.

Xie Yan opened the envelope, and read it by the light of the oil lamp in the hut. The whole letter was written in great detail, with seven or eight pages of letter paper.

In the letter, Li Qing first revealed his identity, bluntly saying that he is an overseas student who came to Suzhou to join his relatives, and now he is studying in Hankou New Style School. People's own stories, exploring different art forms, but have not selected a suitable theme.

Until they overheard the story of Hankou Romance, they felt that this story was very suitable for a drama, so they specially transported them to the teahouse to find Mr. Xianzhe, hoping to get authorization for the adaptation. If possible, they would also like to ask Xianzhe to be the director The consultant of their troupe will share [-]% of the money earned from the performance after the successful arrangement.

Drama?After Xie Yan finished reading the letter, she fell into deep thought.

In terms of the story itself, Romance in Hankou is indeed suitable to be arranged into a drama. On the one hand, it is because foreigners appear in this story, which is not a traditional classical story. It is expressed in the form of a drama, which is more acceptable to the audience; on the other hand, this The story takes place here and now, and the audience in Hankou has a stronger sense of substitution.

Li Qing didn't say everything in the letter, but Xie Yan just read the other party's article about the racetrack yesterday, and quickly thought of Li Qing's other purpose for establishing this new theater company - and the racecourse companies The Western Theater played against each other.

Whether it is successful or not, it is already a great breakthrough to dare to try.

Xie Yan put away the letter and decided to meet this unique talented woman.

After he came to this world, he had never interacted with students of this era.

Liang Gong’s young China theory has been resounding through the ages—the wisdom of the young makes the country wise, the wealth of the young makes the country rich, and the strong of the young makes the country strong... A country, a nation, only the young never give up, and only the young can live forever. Looking to the future in the dark quagmire!

Although this era is not the Republic of China in his original world, there are countless young people with lofty ideals like Li Qing who are working hard for this ancient and dilapidated country, calling for help, and making sacrifices for its future!

Xie Yan took a deep breath. He didn't have any idea of ​​pursuing fame or being a talented man, but now that China is at a great turning point in history, if he doesn't do something that benefits the country and the people, he and the professor What is the difference between those fake "talented scholars" who rely on their family background to gain fame?

"Li Quan."

"Ayan." Li Quan couldn't read all the words on the letter, seeing that Xie Yan had been silent for a long time after reading the letter and finally spoke, he quickly agreed.

"If that female student comes back tomorrow, please ask her to make an appointment at the Disability Clinic in Huazhi Lane near the wharf at seven o'clock in the evening, and say that the presenter invites her to meet there."

Li Qing said in the letter that if the presenter is willing to meet and talk with her in detail, he can ask the waiter in the teahouse to take a message and tell her the specific time and place.Xie Yan thought about it, and decided on Qi Xiuji's clinic.

There are two main considerations in his decision.

On the one hand, if Li Qing is really a female student, men and women are different in this era, even if they don't care, other people's gossip is not nice, Xie Yan doesn't want to cause trouble for the other party, compared to private places such as teahouse boxes, clinics are more important for meeting people. The location is safe and will not fall into the population;

On the other hand, Li Qing said in the letter that she is an overseas student and Qi Xiuji also returned from studying abroad. The two should have some common topics. With Qi Xiuji by the side, the embarrassment of the first meeting can be alleviated a lot.

Seeing that Xie Yan really decided to meet the female student, Li Quan was relieved to make sure that he had done nothing wrong, and immediately promised to bring the message to him.

Xie Yan also had a busy day today. He has only been in this world for a few days, but there are new situations that need to be dealt with every day. The life is very fulfilling, and the uneasiness and discomfort caused by time travel are diluted to the greatest extent.He put away all his things, took off his coat and folded it carefully, said goodnight to Li Quan, and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Xie Yan got up early, called water to wash her face, got dressed, said hello to shopkeeper Liu, and went to HSBC Bank located in the concession.

In the early years of the Republic of China, the financial industry in Hankou was very complicated. There were traditional bank pawnshops, official bank accounts established by the government, and many foreign commercial banks.

Due to the lack of funds and the backward system, traditional banks have been severely beaten in the past few years. They only operate some small-scale lending business. Therefore, most merchants in Hankou choose to deposit their money in foreign banks.

It is not a good thing for a financial institution in a region to be completely controlled by foreign banks. Although Xie Yan was worried after knowing this situation, there was no good way to see immediate results.

He told shopkeeper Liu about wanting to save money last night. Shopkeeper Liu repeatedly emphasized not to deposit money in banks or official banks. Xie Yan thought about it, and finally decided to listen to the other party's warning and open an account with HSBC.

The foreign bank deposit business in this era is divided into two types. One kind of time deposit requires an amount of no less than [-] yuan and a period of no less than three months, and can obtain certain interest; the other kind of demand deposit has no such restrictions. But no interest is offered.

Xie Yan just wanted to find a safe place to save money, and didn't expect much interest, so she decisively chose a demand deposit, got her first [-]-yuan passbook in this era, and carefully put it in the pocket on the back of her coat .

Walking out of the bank, Xie Yan glanced at the big clock on the wall of the concession, and found that it was still early for the morning teaching time agreed with Wen's family, so she simply decided to walk there to save money.After all, it costs five coppers to ride the tram once, and every day is a big deal. Not everyone can afford it for a long time.

Xie Yan's sense of direction has always been good. After taking the tram to Wen's house once yesterday, he had already memorized the general direction. He walked along the tram track all the way, thinking that he should exercise and keep fit.

During the period of the Republic of China, Hankou was a well-deserved big city in the Yangtze River Basin, second only to Shanghai. Countless domestic and foreign businessmen gathered here, making it prosperous and lively.

Although it was early morning at this time, there were already people coming and going on the street, businessmen rushing to do business, hawkers walking through the streets, workers going to work and rickshaw drivers running with their heads bowed and running in harmony, each unrelated, forming an old documentary like the scene.

After leaving the boundary of Furong Street, the surrounding buildings are obviously much older. Western-style high-rise buildings are gradually disappearing, replaced by low-rise Chinese-style courtyards, but after walking for more than half an hour, when they gradually approach Hankou Wharf, those courtyards begin to become scarce again. , It became a hotel built by foreigners to facilitate the temporary residence of businessmen.

Xie Yan's body hasn't recovered yet, he got up early in the morning and walked all the way, he was already a little tired at this time, his thighs were sore, and his ankles were also a little swollen, he realized that it was too late, and after calculating the time was enough, he looked around and planned to go on the road first Eat hot at the small stall selling wontons.

However, before he went to sit down, a group of people suddenly came at the end of the narrow asphalt road.

The group of people came from the direction of Wen's house, about a dozen, all wearing the bunt that Xie Yan was familiar with, looking very capable, as for the leader riding on the horse, he was even more familiar to Xie Yan, impressively It was Wen Heng, the second youngest of the Wen family who I met only yesterday.

Wen Heng obviously saw him from a long distance, raised his eyebrows in surprise, pulled the rein, turned off the horse, handed the rope to the man beside him, and strode towards Xie Yan with long legs.

"Why are you here?" Wen Heng looked up and down the young man in front of him, seeing the cold air on his thin body, he frowned.

"Go to work." Xie Yan replied innocently.

"Don't take the tram?"

"poverty."

"..." The corner of Wen Heng's mouth twitched, "I remember that the Wen family doesn't seem to have the habit of deducting Mr.'s salary, right?"

"But I'm still poor." Xie Yan smiled and said poorly, "I'm alone, and I still have to save money to buy a house and start a family. How can I be so extravagant? Alas, I'm so poor."

"..."

Seeing that Wen Heng was left speechless by herself, Xie Yan smiled and changed the subject, "Where is Second Young Master going in the morning?"

Wen Heng played with the slender riding whip made of cowhide in his hand, but did not answer.

When he went out in the morning, he was going to inspect the mansion to discuss the construction of the pharmaceutical factory, and then went to the military camp on the outskirts of the city to discuss with his eldest brother the follow-up of the Japanese chamber of commerce. Unexpectedly, he ran into Xie Yan halfway.

"If it's inconvenient, don't tell me, it's fine." Seeing Wen Heng's silence, Xie Yan knew that it was inconvenient for him to tell him what the other party was going to do, so he didn't care much.

"Do you want to eat wontons?" Sure enough, Wen Heng glanced at the small stall next to him, and moved the question according to his intention.

"Why, Second Young Master also wants to eat?"

Wen Heng smiled, did not speak, and walked up to the trembling wonton stall owner, "How much is a bowl of wonton?"

"Vegetarian, two copper plates for vegetarian stuffing, three copper plates for meat..." Although the stall owner didn't know Wen Heng's identity, he recognized Wen Heng's tricky attire. It's not easy.

The owner of the wonton stall lives near the wharf, and has sold wontons at this intersection for many years. The price is cheap and the taste is good, and it is very popular among the nearby workers.Wen Heng looked around the environment of the stall calmly, and saw that the cooking utensils and bowls were washed very clean, the wrapped small wontons were neatly arranged on the chopping board, and there were bursts of noise coming from the steaming cauldron. Aroma, silently looked away.

Under the uneasy gaze of the wonton stall owner, Wen Heng switched the horsewhip to his left hand, and took out a piece of ocean from his right coat pocket, "Order a month's worth of wontons, a bowl every morning, and keep the extra money for yourself."

"This is..." The stall owner was puzzled, such a noble person would come to him to eat wontons every morning?

"It's not for me to eat, cook it for him." Wen Heng pointed to Xie Yan who was watching the play.

"Second Young Master, what do you mean by this?" Xie Yan realized later that it was a bit strange for Wen Heng to be such a genius.

"Aren't you poor? Treat you to breakfast." Wen Heng smiled, before Xie Yan could refuse, "You are so thin, don't eat more, maybe the third sister will be taller than you in a few days, how can you look like a gentlemen?"

Does this person always say bad things when he does good deeds?Xie Yan gritted her teeth speechlessly, feeling that she had been shot in the knee.

Although he was also a 1.8-meter-tall male god in his previous life, with wide shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs, but the hero does not mention the bravery of the past, his current body is indeed too thin, not to mention Wen Heng, Xie Yan himself When I wash my face, I can't bear to see the reflection.

"Haven't the second young master heard an old saying that he has a poetic and literary spirit in his stomach? What a gentleman looks at is knowledge and culture, so what does it have to do with height? Could it be that the second young master has such an illusion because of his own conditions?"

Wen Heng had already said this, and Xie Yan didn't bother about the wonton money anymore.

If Wen Heng wanted to give him ten dollars, Xie Yan might not accept it, but if it was 100 dollars, Xie Yan would not even want to refuse directly.But an ocean is not a big amount for him and Wen Heng now, Wen Heng invited him only out of friendship, and Xie Yan would not refuse without tact.

But if he doesn't refuse Wonton, it doesn't mean that Wen Heng can blatantly damage his height.

Xie Yanhui's words against Wen Heng seem simple, but they actually hide a mystery. The first half of the sentence proves that knowledge and height have nothing to do with each other, while the second half of the sentence asks Wen Heng back, directly implying that although Wen Heng is superior in height, he may be reckless in his stomach. , there will be such an illusion.

Xie Yan raised her head and looked at Wen Heng with a smile, intending to see how the other party would fight back.

However, the young man in the dark gray coat in front of him only had a slight smile in his eyes, watching him curl up his mouth, suddenly stretched out a big hand with white gloves, and gently landed on top of his head.

The palm is warm, and the strength is reassuring, which makes the body startled suddenly.

"It's stained with dead leaves." Wen Heng spread out his palms, showing Xie Yan the taupe leaves that he took from his hair.

"..." Xie Yan opened her mouth, feeling speechless for the first time.

If this was Wen Heng's counterattack, he undoubtedly succeeded.

"I still have something to do, so I'm leaving first." Wen Heng held the residual leaf in his palm, turned around and led the horse in the man's hand, and finally paused and smiled, "Also, didn't I tell you your name before, from now on I will be called Wen Heng Bar."

"..."

Xie Yan stood in the cold wind and watched Wen Heng leave.

The young man on the horse is tall and straight, with a firm back, and his gray coat stretches and flutters in the wind with his movements, rising and falling, blending with the surrounding gray and old buildings, just like a scene in an old black and white movie.

Xie Yan was taken aback, and suddenly remembered the lyrics of a song that later generations had heard——

Who is still waiting for the boy on horseback,

Waiting for his back to turn around,

wait for him to entrust his life

……

"Sir, your wonton is ready." Seeing that Xie Yan had been standing still, the stall owner couldn't help reminding him in a low voice.

"...Thank you." Xie Yan snapped back to her senses, suppressed the inexplicable melancholy in her heart, patted her face, took the wonton and ate it.

The whole journey was silent, and I never met anyone worthy of a pause. When Xie Yan finished eating wontons and came to Wen's compound, it happened to be 10 minutes before nine o'clock in the morning, and Wen Yanhui was already waiting in the room.

"Morning, Mr. Xie." The girl in the peach red pipa jacket stood up and said hello, Xie Yan keenly noticed that Wen Yanhui's personality was a little brighter than when they met yesterday.

"Morning."

Xie Yan greeted her with a smile, and saw that on Wen Yanhui's desk lay a dictionary and the original document given to her by the little woman yesterday, as well as a notebook and a pen.

"Already started studying so early? Great."

"Anyway, idleness is idleness." Wen Yanhui was praised, his face became hot, "Mr. Xie, I have already read Chapter 1, there are some things I don't understand, can you explain to me?"

Already read Chapter 1?Xie Yan was taken aback when she heard the words, and then felt admiration for the little girl in front of her.He had already learned about Wen Yanhui's English level yesterday, and reading Chapter 1 of the original text in just one night required not only talent, but also great energy.

Xie Yan guessed correctly, after he left Wen's house yesterday, Wen Yanhui almost spent all his time on reading except eating, and even slept for five or six hours at night.But she didn't find it hard at all, because this was the first time she could read these books in a fair and honest manner.

"By the way, Mr. Xie, I picked up an English article left by my second brother in the restaurant yesterday. After reading it, I don't quite understand its meaning. Can you explain it to me?" According to Heng's request, he took out the paper from the drawer.

Wen Heng's lost article?That should be something related to his profession.Xie Yan didn't have too many doubts, because Wen Yanhui was obviously at the time when his thirst for knowledge was at its peak, and he wanted to understand everything he saw.

But Xie Yan took those few pages and looked at them, only to realize that she had guessed wrong.The article on the paper was actually a very famous prose written by the Irish poet Wilde in later generations, The Nightingale and the Rose.

Nightingale, who longs for true love, meets a college student who loves a girl deeply. He wants to have a rose so that the girl will agree to dance with him at the ball tomorrow.

But where are the roses in full bloom in the cold winter?The college student frowned and lamented for his love.

All the animals and plants outside the window were laughing at the college student. They didn't understand what was worth sad about. Only Nightingale heard his sigh, was moved by this love, and decided to fulfill this wish for the college student.

However, when it finds the rose in the garden, the rose tells it that only when the nightingale inserts the thorn on the branch into the heart and sings non-stop all night, can it bloom in the cold winter.

The nightingale agreed, its small body hung on the sharp thorns, and sang the great love of the night with a gentle voice.The next morning, the roses bloomed, and the nightingale's body was already stiff. The college student didn't see the nightingale in the grass, so he picked the delicate rose in surprise and went out to find the girl.

Ironically, the girl rejected him because the rose did not match the jewels given by her court ministers. Compared with bright and beautiful roses, money is her eternal pursuit.As for the college student, he didn't seem too sad when he threw the rose into the ditch, and planned to go home and continue studying.

From the beginning to the end, the only one who was moved and sacrificed was the little nightingale hanging on the dead branch...

This prose has a certain taste of sex, and it has been widely circulated as a classic in later generations. Xie Yan feels that the emotions contained in it are very complicated, as if it is praising love, but it is also satirizing love, and at the same time it is compassionate...

I really didn't expect Wen Heng to read this kind of article.

"Have you read it already? What do you not understand?" Xie Yan asked. In his opinion, the choice of words and sentences in this article is not very difficult. Wen Yanhui was able to gnaw down Chapter 1 of the little woman. Can't understand what it means.

"I understand what it means, but I don't understand what it's about." Wen Yanhui has already finished reading the article, "The college student likes that girl. Nightingale traded her life for roses for him, but the girl loves that girl because of money. Contradicts with status—it seems to say that love is meaningless."

Wen Yanhui's voice was a little low. For her, just saying the word "love" was embarrassing enough.

"However, I read the words of the nightingale, which said that life is precious, but love is better than life."

"It says that though philosophy is clever, love is wiser; it says that though power is great, love is greater."

"It's clearly wrong, but I always feel it's right...why?"

……

The questions that Wen Yangui asked came from her heart. Although Wen Heng asked her to ask Xie Yan about Nightingale and Rose at first, after reading those beautiful and sad words, her mood became agitated and disturbed. It was like peeping into the gate of a new world, and I was very confused.

"In this article, Nightingale was indeed wrong. It saw the wrong person and did not find true love." Xie Yan organized the words.

"But you think it's right and normal, because there are indeed many things in this world that are higher than life, not just love."

"Like what?" Wen Yanhui was a little confused, "Ethics, rules, or... face?"

"Not at all." Xie Yan shook his head, "Things that can make you risk your life must be things that you truly recognize as valuable and meaningful. The meaning in Nightingale's heart is to sing love, so it died for love; you You can also find the meaning in your heart and work hard for it, other than that, there is nothing else worth hurting yourself.”

My own... meaning?

Wen Yanhui lowered her head and thought, she couldn't think of anything in her heart that was worthy of this word, but she still kept these words in her heart.

If one day, she is lucky enough to find this meaning, then there is nothing to be regretful about dying for it like a nightingale, right?

"I don't know who the author of this article is, who can write such a text."

"His name is Wilde, is love