Chapter 90 Tsinghua president's wife sells cakes

Lao Jin is not idle in Lizhuang. He is writing another philosophical treatise "On Knowledge". Before that, he just completed "On Tao" in Kunming.Whenever Sicheng and Huiyin were discussing the writing of "History of Chinese Architecture" and typing out outlines and drafts with an old, crackling typewriter, Lao Jin would sit quietly on a table in the corner of the workshop. Beside the table, I started writing at my desk.He once talked to Huiyin and Sicheng about the idea of ​​writing "Theory of Knowledge". He said that he studied "Theory of Knowledge" to solve the theoretical difficulties of the British philosopher Hume on the problem of induction.In this work, Jin Yuelin made a scientific criticism of Hume and Russell, not only absorbed the positive results in their philosophical works, but also pointed out the problems existing in their philosophy, and solving these problems became the starting point of Jin Yuelin's philosophical works .

When Sicheng wrote "History of Chinese Architecture", he and Mo Zongjiang needed to draw a large number of English-Chinese and annotated illustrations.Huiyin leaned on the bed and read the "Twenty-Four Histories" and various materials and classics, revising, supplementing, and polishing the manuscript. At four or five o'clock in the afternoon, the day's work came to an end.Everyone put down what they were doing, and gathered in the living room where Lin Huiyin supported the canvas bed, drinking a pot of rough tea, and chatting while drinking, as if they had returned to the time when they had afternoon tea in Beizongbu Hutong.

In Lizhuang, Huiyin and Sicheng especially missed those old friends who stayed in Kunming, most of whom taught at Southwest Associated University.Huiyin and Sicheng often asked Lao Jin to talk about life in Kunming and their mutual friends. That day, they talked about all kinds of food in Kunming from the soaring prices, and talked about Huiyin's favorite "Crossing Bridge Rice Noodles".Lao Jin laughed and said: Now in Kunming, the little money for teaching can no longer afford anything.A month's salary is paid out, and it is often spent in less than two weeks.Everyone usually eats white rice mixed with chili, and occasionally eating spinach and tofu soup is considered to improve life.In order to subsidize their families, the professors had no choice but to sell their clothes, and when they had nothing to sell, they went out to do small jobs or do some manual work to earn money.Wen Yiduo of the Chinese Department put up a signboard engraved with chapters and seals, and the wife of Tsinghua President Mei Yiqi wove some scarves and hats with the wives of other professors and sold them.Mrs. Mei was older than the others, her eyesight was not very good, and she was slow at knitting, so everyone asked her to make the tassels on the scarves.Later, the general affairs of the school taught her to make Shanghai-style rice noodle bowl cakes and sell them.Every day, Mrs. Pan Guangdan grinds rice flour, which is 70% rice and 30% glutinous rice, in the countryside in the suburbs of Kunming. Mrs. Mei mixes the rice flour with sugar and makes cakes with a silver ingot-shaped wooden mold.After steaming, it was named "Dingsheng Cake", which means that the Anti-Japanese War must be won, and then it was sent to Kunming Guansheng Garden with a basket for consignment.When selling cakes, Mrs. Mei took off her cheongsam and put on a blue jacket, saying only that her surname was Han.No one knew that she was a member of the Central Committee of the Kuomintang and the wife of the president of a prestigious university. ...

Lin Huiyin listened with tears in his eyes. She and Sicheng also met Mrs. Mei when they were in Kunming. She was a gentle and elegant lady.She imagined the lives of these familiar people, her own life, and the lives of countless Chinese people, and her heart was filled with indescribable sadness and emotion.How many unknown pains and tears should there be in this chaotic world! What kind of beliefs are supporting people through these days? It should be said that all the sufferings endured by the Chinese are dedicated to the War of Resistance Sacrifice is like twinkling stars shining in the boundless night sky.

Lao Jin continued his narration. After the establishment of Southwest Associated University, the leading body of the school was the "Union University Standing Committee" composed of the principals of Tsinghua University, Peking University, and Nankai University.Originally, the chairmen of the Standing Committee were assumed by the presidents of the three universities in turn. However, Jiang Menglin, the president of Peking University, and Zhang Boling, the president of Nantah University, have long held government positions in Chongqing. Therefore, Mr. Mei Yiqi actually presided over all the affairs of the General Assembly.Teachers and students of the United Nations all called Mr. Mei "Mei Standing Committee" when they met him.