Chapter 8 7

Xu Zhimo was born in a wealthy businessman's family in Haining, Zhejiang Province. His father, Xu Shenru, runs a variety of industries and is the chairman of the local chamber of commerce.Xu Shenru not only has the reputation of starting a business in the province, but also spread it to other provinces. He has never been close to Zhang Jian, a great industrialist in the late Qing Dynasty.He hopes that Xu Zhimo will inherit his father's career and send him to study in the United States, which will lay a solid foundation for him to enter the financial world.Xu Zhimo's own ambition was to be a Chinese Hamilton, a politician who is also good at economics.When he was in the United States, he even studied socialism for a while.Xu Zhimo once again crossed the ocean from the North American continent to the island country of Western Europe, originally to worship Russell.He would rather give up his easy-to-get Columbia University doctoral cap and study at the Royal Academy in order to be Russell's disciple.God is too tricky, before Xu Zhimo stepped on the campus of the Royal Academy, Russell had been expelled from the school and set off for China.Xu Zhimo was so disappointed that he stayed and entered the London School of Economics and Political Science after being persuaded and introduced by the famous British writer Dickinson, and then transferred to the Cambridge Royal College and lived in the small town of Shaxton.Another scholar verified that Xu Zhimo's self-report in "The Cambridge I Know" that he followed Russell to England did not conform to the facts, and his original intention was to follow the British political scientist Laski. (See "Xu Zhimo and Cambridge University" by Liu Hongtao)

Xu Zhimo met Lin Changmin and his daughter almost at the same time as he met Dickinson.Perhaps because of the formality of the first social meeting, Xu Zhimo didn't pay much attention to the sixteen-year-old girl next to him.Lin Huiyin looked at the 23-year-old Xu Zhimo, saw that he was much taller than himself, and wore glasses that matched his age, so he blurted out to call him "Uncle".It wasn't until Xu Zhimo paid a formal visit to Lin Changmin that he was pleasantly surprised to find that the girl from the Lin family was so smart and charming.Xu Zhimo gradually became a frequent visitor to Lin Yu, obviously because "the drunkard doesn't care about drinking".Usually, even if he doesn't come to the door, he still writes frequently. A grocery store in the small town of Shaxton is where Xu Zhimo sends and receives letters. He rushes to the grocery store after breakfast every day. (Some people questioned that Xu Zhimo received letters from others, such as "Miss Ming" or Lin Changmin's "love letter", and there was no Lin Huiyin. See Yu Lixin's "Letter Exchange between Lin Huiyin and Xu Zhimo")

Lin Huiyin and Xu Zhimo had a reason to get along very quickly.Lin Huiyin was born in Hangzhou. His grandfather worked as a parent official in Haining, Zhejiang, Xu Zhimo's hometown not far from Hangzhou, Zhejiang. His mother was from Jiaxing, Zhejiang, which is adjacent to Haining.Now meeting Xu Zhimo in London is like meeting an old friend in a foreign country, and the common topics between them are naturally endless.Besides, Xu Zhimo is so smart.His middle school classmate, Yu Dafu, was always arrogant and conceited, but he had to admire Xu Zhimo: "What surprised me in particular was that naughty kid with big head and small tail, wearing gold-rimmed and gold-rimmed glasses. He loves to read novels—what he usually holds in his hands is a small roll of glossy paper with fine lithographs—but he always gets the most marks in exams or composition.” ( Yu Dafu's "Zhimo in Memories") Xu Zhimo is full of fire, full of vigor, as he himself said: "I am an active person, every time my body moves, my thoughts seem to dance along with it. "("Self-Dissection") In the cold and humid London, especially at the lonely moment when few friends came to the door, Lin Huiyin, who had just come into contact with the world, could not refuse the fire.Although Xu Zhimo was not a poet at this time, his poetic potential was revealed.Cai Yuanpei later commented on Xu Zhimo in this way: "Talking about poetry is poetry, actions are poetry, and lifelong scriptures are poetry. The artistic conception of poetry permeates, and there is a paradise for whatever happens." Not to mention that he is generous, considerate, and lively, and of course attracts young people. people.Liang Shiqiu also has a vivid description of Xu Zhimo:

I once played Go with him, the moves were fast, but faintly, quite methodically.After 30 to 50 moves, I felt his pressure, and he immediately pushed the scales up and smiled, not caring about the outcome.He is such a dashing person.He drinks, but not too much, just enough.He is open-handed and quick-handed without being aggressive.He also plays mahjong occasionally, playing cards without thinking, swaying freely, talking and laughing freely.He likes to joke and never hurts anyone.He feasted and entertained, never neglecting anyone.He also occasionally dabbles in flowers, but he has no prostitutes in his heart.He played roulette too, but never sat down for long.

("Looking Back on the Old Tour") Xu Zhimo is cute, but for Lin Huiyin, it's just a friend's cuteness.She didn't expect that their intimate contact quickly surpassed the boundary of friendship on Xu Zhimo's side, so she panicked and had to ask her father for help to guard this emotional line of defense.So there is this letter from Lin Changmin to Xu Zhimo: Zhimo's footsteps: I respectfully read the long letter. The intensity of my step's affection is frightening. Hui is also terrified and doesn't know how to answer. There is no mockery (mockery).Sunday (December 3) lunch, I hope you will come to talk and make an appointment with Bosheng and his wife.Friendship lasts forever, I am glad to see this.Praise Wen An.

Brother Changmin paused, December 1st.Huiyin Fuhou. I don't know how Xu Zhimo replied, but his reply letter has not been preserved.Judging from Lin Changmin's letter to Xu Zhimo the next day, it can be generally inferred that Xu Zhimo temporarily put away his burning emotions. I got the handwriting last night and recited it over and over again. I am very grateful.Feeling public and sincere, Pei Gongying is also clean.Tomorrow's lunch, all the relatives and relatives are lovely, and the guests are salty and late. If you have a literary talent, I beg you to come.Even though we have a small gathering, the friendship will become stronger from now on, and it is also a great blessing in life. Shang Xi cherishes it.Respect

Shimo Changmin Dayton first December 2 There is no way of knowing how they ate lunch on the third day. Presumably, they are both gentlemen. Afterwards, their getting along confirmed Lin Changmin's wish to "strengthen the friendship". Although Lin Huiyin did not agree, Xu Zhimo has decided to divorce Zhang Youyi.Zhang Youyi was pregnant, and Xu Zhimo left without mercy, leaving his wife who had just arrived in England in a cold hut in Shaxton.As soon as the baby was born, he forced his wife to sign a divorce agreement.Before and after this, Xu Zhimo made some confessions about love and freedom. No matter how high-sounding the words were, they definitely could not conceal his indifference to a weak woman.As a modern intellectual, it is difficult to be forgiven for losing fraternity.

The acquaintance of Lin Huiyin and Xu Zhimo is undoubtedly an important event that affects their lives.This is especially true for Xu Zhimo. This relationship has completely changed the course of his life, and China's Hamilton has become China's Shelley.He described his transformation in "Tiger Collection Preface" as follows: I checked my family tree, and since Yongle, our family has not written a line of verse that can be recited.Before the age of twenty-four I was far less interested in poetry than I was in the theory of relativity or the theory of the civil contract...

But the tricks of life are incredible!We are all benevolent beings who are subject to dominion. Which matter can we be the master of?Ten years ago, I was blown by a strange wind, which may have illuminated some strange moonlight. Since then, my thoughts have tended to write about branches.A deep melancholy took possession of me; this melancholy, I believe, gradually sublimated my temperament. ...Life is shocked by a great force, and all half-mature and immature ideas are scattered in the fingertips. Colorful flowers rain.At that time, I had no one to rely on, and I didn't know what to worry about. I had something pent up in my heart, so I just combed it randomly with the bottom of my wrist, as if I was urgent to save my life, so I didn't care about beauty or ugliness!

The "melancholy" Xu Zhimo said was the result of his failure to pursue Lin Huiyin, and the loss of love made a poet, just like the Western proverb "anger makes a poet".However, a good poet needs not only anger, but also artistic tempering.Xu Zhimo, who was new to the garden of new poems, was naturally not tempered enough. This "colorful flower rain" that fell for half a year only moistened the garden soil but did not produce young shoots.Xu Zhimo did not keep any of these works, which are quite numerous, in his collection of poems, nor did future generations collect any of them.Today, it is very difficult for them to have hope of sinking.

Xu Zhimo's fanatical pursuit is well known, but the academic circle has never reached a consensus on whether Lin Huiyin fell in love or not.So far no one has provided conclusive evidence of Lin Huiyin's love for Xu Zhimo.Many rumors, such as the saying that Lin and Xu "passed a long cave together on a train in England, they embraced and kissed each other" (now "Xu Zhimo loves more than poetry") are all hearsay and nonsense. talk.They were first written by Chen Congzhou's "Chronology of Xu Zhimo". The "Chronology" in 1922 contains a piece about the divorce between Xu Zhimo and Zhang Youyi: "From Zhou to another case, it was the year when Lin Huiyin was in England and had a discussion with Zhimo. For the meaning of marriage, Lin said that he must first divorce his wife Zhang Youyi before proceeding, so Zhimo made a decision (press, referring to divorce)... Later, due to a small misunderstanding, the two (press, referring to Xu and Lin) temporarily announced their disagreement." Chen Congzhou was only less than thirteen years old when Xu Zhimo died, and most of his materials came from visiting relatives and friends.Regarding Lin Huiyin's "discussion on marriage", he did not provide evidence materials, and the relevant information is only rumors.Afterwards, many articles using this theory described the love between Xu and Lin vividly, but they were just literary novels based on the "chronology".