Chapter 5 Chapter Four Encounters on the Journey

Will the events of the past really "gone forever"? No, it won't.Once something has happened, it is a kind of existence, and it will be recorded in one way or another. In history, it will leave deep or shallow traces in social life, affecting people today and in the future. This is the case for Professor Su Guanlan at this moment.The night was dark and silent, and the whole study was still immersed in a piece of light green; the clock on the marble table was unhurried, and the pointer moved from nine o'clock, ten o'clock, eleven o'clock to midnight, and then pointed to the early morning.And the professor is still deep in the soft sofa, his arms are resting on the armrests on both sides, his left hand is hanging, and the five thin and soft fingers of his right hand are supporting his broad and protruding forehead. in the drowsy.

Ye Yuhan was also still sitting on the other single sofa.The night air was cold.She wrapped her shawl, rested her chin in one hand, and glanced at Su Guanlan from time to time.On the wall, the "Unknown Girl" is still looking up; the "Ninth Wave" is overwhelming, almost devouring everything. Ye Yuhan couldn't remember how many sleepless nights like this she had spent with her husband.It was not until today, at this moment, that she realized the full meaning of it.She knew that Sister Qiong's unexpected arrival had stirred up such a storm in Guan Lan's chest! Although Su Guanlan closed her eyes, she did not fall asleep.Those long-gone years, everything that happened between him and sister Qiong, is replaying like a movie, sweeping his mind like the "ninth wave".

The professor clearly remembered that his first acquaintance with Miss Qiong was exactly thirty years ago, in the summer of 1929... Woo-- The siren blew.On the Shanghai-Nanjing Line, a train is speeding from Shanghai to Nanjing. Like a long black dragon, the passenger car vibrated and swayed rhythmically.The steam locomotive panted heavily, dragging out clouds of black smoke and white mist on the dark green field under the scorching sun.This train is extremely crowded, all the seats are full of people, the aisles and both ends of each car are full of people, every space and every gap is filled with people sitting, standing, squatting, lying crouching Others are lying on the luggage rack or under the seat.Although the windows were all open, there was no air flow at all; the cabin was hot and stuffy, mixed with the smells of sweat, tobacco, powder, pickled fish, body odor and bad breath, making people dizzy and want to vomit.

"It's really like being stuffed in a sardine can!" Su Guanlan, a nineteen-year-old college student, was thinking, carrying a bulging rattan suitcase, squeezed at the junction of two carriages, sweating and upset.Nanxiang, Anting, Lujiabang, Suzhou, Huzhiguan, Wangting... Market towns and cities were left behind by the train.There were a lot of passengers getting off at Wuxi Station, and the compartment was a little looser, but there were no empty seats, and some passengers were still standing.Su Guanlan carried the rattan box and staggered through several carriages, finally seeing an empty seat not far ahead.He was overjoyed and hurried forward, only to see a girl in plain clothes sitting by the window on the other side of the seat for two.

Su Guanlan hesitated for a moment and asked, "Can I sit here?" No one answered. He took a look, and there were two passengers in their thirties sitting opposite this seat, who looked like a couple.There is no sunlight in the car, but the girl is wearing a white cloth straw hat, which completely covers the back of her head and neck; she has a slim waist and is wearing a white silk dress. small table.A thick and fluffy braid rarely seen among southern women, chestnut black and shiny, stretched from the back of the head to the waist. "Excuse me, is there anyone here? Can I sit?" Su Guanlan asked again.Of course I asked that girl.

However, the girl still sat still, facing out of the window, silent, like a stone sculpture.Not only did she not talk to Su Guanlan, she didn't even turn her head; she might not have heard what the young man said, but she mostly pretended not to.Su Guanlan felt annoyed, but there was nothing she could do.I can't see the girl's face, but her figure fully shows her reserve and arrogance... "Really, I don't even have the least courtesy!" The young college student muttered in his heart, held back his anger, and raised his voice again: "Hey! Miss, is there anyone here, can I sit?"

The girl still didn't answer or move. "Hey! You—" Su Guanlan got angry.But before he could yell out, the other party finally spoke up, his voice was as cold as ice: "If you want to sit down, just sit down." Almost at the same time, a man also spoke: "Sit down, sit down, you can sit down." Su Guanlan followed the sound and saw that it was the man in his thirties sitting on the opposite seat.He wears a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and holds a black folding fan in his hand. He has a handsome face and a cowardly demeanor; he sits by the aisle, while his wife sits by the window.Su Guanlan's anger did not dissipate because of this.The girl's obvious contempt and disdain made him angry!But after thinking about it, I had no choice but to endure it, because there was nothing wrong with the other party.He looked around but couldn't find another empty seat; and after hours of being crammed in the sardine-can-like compartment, he was dazed, exhausted, panting, and sweating.He shook his head, found a space on the luggage rack nearby, and put the rattan box on it; then he glanced at the girl's back, and sat down hard, the whole seat was shaken and creaked.Then, he unbuttoned the top buttons of his shirt, exposing his muscular chest, took out a handkerchief and wiped it vigorously, panting for a while; he stepped up and took out a book from the rattan box, lowered his head and read it quietly.

The train is running, the whistle is whistling, and the carriages are shaking rhythmically.I don't know what time it is, and I don't know where the train is... "Sir, what book are you reading?" Who is speaking?Who are you asking?Su Guanlan looked up, oh, it turned out to be the man in his thirties on the opposite seat.The other party was smiling at him and nodded. Su Guanlan closed the book and handed it over. "Hey, here's the original German version!" The other party said, and interpreted the German on the cover, "'Introduction to Topology', by Tony Klein." He flipped through the contents of the book casually, and looked at Su Guanlan : "Sir, do you study mathematics?"

"No, I major in chemistry." "Chemistry," the other party pondered, "Can chemistry use topology?" "It's not useful today, but maybe it will be useful in the future." Su Guanlan smiled, "Hey, let's learn a little more, and practice German as well. I believe in Darwin's words: 'Extensive thirst for knowledge can often make people become systematic. naturalist'." "Where did you buy this book?" "My father bought it abroad." "Bought for you?" "yes." "May I ask your father's name?"

"His name is Su Fengqi." "Oh, you are Mr. Su's son!" "You know him?" "The famous master of astronomy, who doesn't know in the scientific community!" The other party continued, "I'm sorry, let me ask again: which university did you study in?" "Qilu University." "Oh, Qi University. In Jinan." "Yes." Su Guanlan was very polite, "However, may I take the liberty to ask your name, sir?" "I'm taking the liberty! I should have reported myself first—my surname is Ling, Ling Yunzhu." The other party smiled heartily, and then nodded to the woman beside him, "This is my wife, Song Subo."

"You are Professor Ling Yunzhu?" Su Guanlan was overjoyed, "It's a pleasure to meet you, a pleasure to meet you!" "Have you heard of me?" "You are famous, a famous solid-state physicist! You discovered the energy band distribution law of electrons when you received your Ph. Created the first metal lattice vibration calculation table, known internationally as 'Ling table'..." "Oh, you know so much about physics!" "So, you can no longer call me Mr., but you should call me student." "How is this possible!" Ling Yunzhu laughed. Song Subo also laughed, "But we don't know your name yet." "How dare you call it a taboo! My name is Su Guanlan—the crown of a champion, the orchid of bluegrass." "Su Guanlan—what a good name!" Suddenly a woman's surprised voice sounded: "Guan Lan, is that you?" Su Guanlan was taken aback, and hurriedly searched around; unexpectedly, it was the girl—the girl in plain clothes, the girl who was too reserved and arrogant just now!The girl has an oval oval face, white and delicate skin, sculptural facial features, and graceful lips; big and bright eyes protrude to the temples on both sides, with dark lids, long eyelashes, and dark brown pupils glowing blue.Because of the surprise, her face was flushed, and sparks sparkled in her eyes. "Ah, it's you!" Su Guanlan was also taken aback. "Yes, it's me, it's me, it's me! Guanlan, do you still remember me? You, where did you go?" The girl kept yelling, as if she was going to rush up and hug Su Guanlan!However, she finally controlled her impulse, and just pulled the opponent's hand hard to grab and pinch, and shouted ecstatically, "Finally found you again, it was so hard for me to find you. Guanlan, you Tell me, where did you go, where did you hide? Oh, and, do you remember what to call me?" "Remember, remember." Su Guanlan hesitated. "Say, what should you call me?" "Joan, Miss Joan." "By the way, it's Miss Qiong!" The girl wiped the sweat off the young man's neck and chest with a handkerchief, "Tell me, Guan Lan, where did you hide after you left the hospital?" "I didn't hide, I didn't hide, I went to Yandang Mountain." "What are you doing in Yandang Mountain?" "Collect, collect specimens." "What specimens were collected?" "Insects, plants, and mines, rocks, and so on." "Hmph, you must be avoiding me!" "no no……" "Okay, I won't pursue it anymore! Anyway, I want to tell you, you made me wait so hard, you are too cruel!" Looking at the scene in front of them, Ling Yunzhu and his wife seemed to be in a fog.Song Subo couldn't help it: "What's the matter with you? You knew each other before?" "More than that." Ling Yunzhu said, "It seems that there is still a legend." "It's really a legend!" The girl hung the straw hat on the coat hook. "It's a great blessing to meet Guan Lan on this train——Professor, madam, it's thanks to you." "I'm afraid it's really thanks to us," Song Subo interjected, "If that's the case, you should try to thank us." "How can I thank you?" "Isn't there a legend? Tell us about it." "Okay, I'm about to talk!" The girl thought for a while, "However, both Guanlan and I have to talk. I can't tell what happened between the two of us alone." "What can I say!" Su Guanlan shook her head. "It should be said." Ling Yunzhu smiled at the girl, "How about this, Miss, oh, 'Sister Qiong'..." "Why do you call it that!" The girl was embarrassed. "Such a beautiful title should not be monopolized by anyone." The professor said, "Besides, we don't know what to call you, but we just learned that someone called you 'Sister Qiong'." "My name is Ding Jieqiong." "Jie from 'Quality Benjie Comes and Cleans', Qiong from 'Qinglou Yuyu', right?" the professor exclaimed, "This is even more beautiful, as beautiful as 'Guanlan'! Well, listen to me : Ding Jieqiong, you speak first, and then Su Guanlan will make supplements. He said just now that he is a student, so he has to listen to me." "Okay!" Ding Jieqiong was very happy, and turned to Su Guanlan: "After I say it, you have to say it! I know almost nothing about your situation, and I just want to take this opportunity to get to know you; once I know you, you won't be able to hide next time It's gone." Su Guanlan smiled, noncommittal. "Has it been a month? That day, I went swimming in Gaoqiao." The girl concentrated and began to recall, "I swam too far, and I encountered a terrible storm..."