Chapter 25 Chapter Twenty-Four

The department secretary asked Ding Jieqiong to go to the principal's house. Ding Jieqiong's performance appraisal has always been top-notch, and those who can be recommended to study abroad according to the regulations are also called recommended study abroad or study in the United States without examination.But the girl was stubborn and self-confident, and asked to participate in the public-funded study abroad entrance examination according to the regulations.It wasn't a problem to do so, she could pass the exam easily, but it became a problem when she came back from Peiping.She had a serious illness and was hospitalized for more than ten days. After being discharged from the hospital, she was still weak, and stayed at Principal Ling's house for a few days before returning to the dormitory.

Freshly brewed tea is placed in the living room, as well as fruits, melon seeds, and snacks.There are several calligraphy and paintings hanging on the wall, one of which is Zheng Banqiao's ink bamboo: a thin branch of bamboo stands upright in the wind, the density of the branches and leaves is just right, it seems to be trembling and rustling, and there are some light ink smudges on the background, which seems to be A cloud of gloom.Zheng Banqiao often inscribes a paragraph or a poem on his paintings, but this painting of ink bamboo only has the five characters "Gao Jie Ling Yun Tu" written on it...

The female college students are familiar with the inside and outside of this small building.For five years, she has been homeless, she does not need to keep appointments for love, and her schoolwork is very easy for her; therefore, she comes to Teacher Ling's house every holiday, and often comes to live, eat, Come to help with the small garden and do other housework, come to discuss physics problems with Professor Ling, come to drink "afternoon tea" with the principal, his wife and other professors... Philosophy is a compulsory course at Jin Dali College, and social science is a must as an elective course—this is the "New Deal" after Ling Yunzhu became the principal.Ding Jieqiong's social science course is "General History of China", focusing on "Tang History".It was also an afternoon tea, and Principal Ling once asked her why she made such a choice.The girl's answer was: "The Tang Dynasty was the most powerful in Chinese history. I hope and will be committed to restoring China to the Tang Dynasty!" Several professors present were amazed when they heard this, and said that this is not like a girl. if.

Between Ding Jieqiong and Principal Ling, there was only one unpleasant incident in the five years—— The "September 18th" incident aroused the strong indignation of the Chinese people against the Japanese invaders, and inspired a wave of protests by young students against the non-resistance doctrine of the Nanjing government.On December 17, 2020, more than 30,000 student representatives from Peking, Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Jinan and other places and Nanjing students gathered in Nanjing to hold a demonstration, demanding that the government resist Japan; It was suppressed by the military and police, killing and injuring more than a hundred people, leading to the "Pearl Bridge Tragedy"...

Ling Yunzhu has always been suspected of being "Leftist" and "communist", and the government stares at him, and the church doesn't like him. As a result, it is difficult to be the president of a Christian university in China, especially in Nanjing. up.But he still adopts various methods to acquiesce and even support the student patriotic movement, the only exception is Ding Jieqiong - he even "imprisoned" the girl in a small building in his own house, let Song Subo guard it every step of the way, and called the school officer Help to prevent her from going out for demonstrations.For this reason, Ding Jieqiong was once excited, painful and angry, and even accused Principal Ling of being a "coward" and a "traitor" in person!The professor looked at the girl pale and trembling with anger; but he persisted in his course and never explained anything.After the tragedy, one student of Jin University was killed, four students were injured, and more than a dozen people were arrested; Ling Yunzhu ran day and night to government offices, prisons and hospitals to deal with the aftermath and rescue the students.When I got home, I was always exhausted, covered in sweat, the smell of medicine and blood.Ding Jieqiong was stunned by the ruthless facts!She fell silent, thinking painfully; then, she devoted herself to her homework...

After that, nearly three years passed, and the matter was never mentioned again between teacher and student; but, it is certain, neither of them forgot it. Now, Ding Jieqiong came to this living room again. After taking a sip of tea, the female college student looked down at the teacup without making a sound. "Jieqiong, I asked you to come here today to talk about a few important things." Principal Ling didn't even have an opening sentence, and went straight to the point, "First, of course, it's about your application for studying abroad..." "Teacher, teacher's wife," Ding Jieqiong burst into tears immediately, "I, I, I am sorry for you!"

The professor's words were interrupted.But he looked at the girl and was not in a hurry to continue. "I'm not promising, I didn't do well in the exam, I didn't pass the exam...but I could have done well and made my teacher and teacher's wife proud of me!" Ding Jieqiong choked up, "I think, I can find a teaching position first, and then I will be able to do well in the future." Re-examination……" "No," Ling Yunzhu waved his hand, "You passed the exam." "What did you say?" Ding Jieqiong thought she had heard wrong.

"I said, you passed the exam." The girl was dumbfounded and speechless. "You heard me right, Jieqiong." The professor said more clearly, "You have indeed passed the exam, the 'geng fund' to study in the United States." "This, this, this is impossible!" "Yes, it's impossible. But a miracle happened to you. 'Impossible' turned into 'possible'." Principal Ling showed a contemplative look, and turned to look out the window. "The fact is that you passed the exam. You were admitted in California Polytechnic."

Ding Jieqiong still couldn't recover, as if in a dream. "We invited you here to tell you the good news and to congratulate you." Song Subo also said, "California Institute of Technology is a famous university!" The rankings of American universities often change, but Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, Duke University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University and Caltech are always at the top. College, and sometimes Dartmouth, Cornell, or the University of California... Founded in 1891 in Pasadena, the private "Sroop Institute of Technology" was renamed the California Institute of Technology in 1920.The Chinese sometimes call it simply "California Institute of Technology".It consists of departments of biology, chemistry and chemical engineering, engineering and applied science, geology and earth sciences, humanities and social sciences, physics, mathematics and astronomy.

"Mr. Ling," Ding Jieqiong seemed to wake up from a dream, "Did you help me out of it?" The professor smiled and shook his head: "I don't have such authority!" "Who has such authority?" "I don't know. But I think, no matter who he is, he has done nothing wrong. 'Demoting talents without sticking to one pattern'! Besides, in terms of real talents and learning, you should have been admitted." "Yes, real talent and real learning are the most important thing!" The girl breathed a sigh of relief, "You believe in me, and I believe in myself."

"What kind of professional direction do you plan to choose as a graduate student?" "Nuclear physics—" Ding Jieqiong paused every word. Ling Yunzhu didn't find it strange after listening.Ding Jieqiong's graduation thesis "Mathematical Analysis of "Rutherford Experiment"" has explained everything.He has long discovered that this girl is not satisfied with the "something" of undergraduate physics, but is interested in mathematics and the most abstract physics.She often discusses "Theory of Relativity" with Teacher Ling and other professors. The most frequent name in her mouth was "Einstein".She believed that Einstein's theory "predicted the enormous energy contained in the atomic nucleus".German physicist and Nobel laureate Walter Nijkster realized this "huge energy", and once said in 1921 that "human beings live on an island made of gunpowder, fortunately, human beings There was no match to light it."But Ding Jieqiong asserted that "mankind will find this match sooner or later!" "Do you want to make this match?" Professor Ling asked with a smile many times, "Or, do you want to be Pandora?" Zeus, the main god in Greek mythology, in order to avenge Prometheus, ordered Hephaestus, the god of fire, to make Pandora out of clay, and gave it to Prometheus' brother Epimetheus as his wife.Pandora opened a box that Zeus asked her to bring to Epimetheus without permission, and the plague, sin, madness, jealousy and other scourges in the box flew out all at once, and filled the world ever since... Whenever this topic comes up, Ding Jieqiong just laughs and doesn't answer. Song Subo raised another "important question": "Jieqiong, you are twenty-four years old. For a girl, you are not young!" "So what if you're not young?" Ding Jieqiong smiled. "What about the relationship, or the lifelong event?" Ling Yunzhu asked, "Should I still make friends with Su Guanlan and fall in love?" "yes." "Still writing letters to each other for five years without ever seeing each other?" "Yes." Ding Jieqiong bit her lower lip. "Every year on 'Qixi', the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl can get together, alas!" Ding Jieqiong bowed her head and remained silent. "How is that young man now? Did you go to Beiping last time to meet him?" Song Subo repeated, "What is he thinking about the two of you? What is he going to do?" Ding Jieqiong finally couldn't bear it anymore, tears streaming down her face.It took a long time for her to calm down and tell her about her misfortunes in the past one or two months. "What, Su Guanlan has 'disappeared' again?" Ling Yunzhu and his wife were amazed when they heard this. "Really, I can't even think about going abroad..." Ding Jieqiong sobbed. "why?" "Stay in the country and look for Guanlan! After you find him, go out with him." "Your idea is unrealistic!" Ling Yunzhu became serious, "You are a girl, where can you find him? Can you find him? China is too big, too deep and dangerous, if you don't do it well, you will lose yourself Woolen cloth!" "Then what should I do? I'm afraid that Su Fengqi will kill Guanlan..." After hearing this, Ling Yunzhu shook his head vigorously. "Didn't you say that the old man had the nickname 'Cold-Blooded Animal'?" "Cough, you!" The professor laughed, "'Cold-blooded animal' is also an animal, and the nature of the beloved son will not be wiped out. He is just domineering, insisting on his son obeying his will, and will never put his son to death. I guess..." At this point, Ling Yunzhu slapped his forehead, showing a sudden realization. "How do you estimate? Come on, teacher!" "You have been communicating with Su Guanlan for five years, and it is almost impossible not to be exposed for such a long time! They probably discovered it and put Su Guanlan under strict control..." "Why strict control?" "At most, it's just shutting up and thinking about it!" The professor said while thinking, "making him penniless, making it difficult for him to move, and sending people to watch his every move, that's all." Ding Jieqiong breathed a sigh of relief. "This kind of method can't last long." Song Subo said, "So, Jieqiong, everything must be considered in the long run. You go to the United States first, and we will continue to search for Su Guanlan in China, and we will definitely find it." "Yes!" Ling Yunzhu comforted, "Perhaps, Su Fengqi heard that you have gone to the United States, and she will relax her control over Su Guanlan after she is relieved." "that would be great." Speaking of this, the living room fell silent.Ling Yunzhu and Song Subo looked at each other, their eyes and expressions were indescribable.The professor shook the folding fan for a while, then picked up the cup to sip tea, and the time passed by every second; Song Subo just picked up the cup, but put it down again, thoughtfully.They seemed to want to say something, but it was difficult to speak.Ding Jieqiong had a panoramic view of all this; she became nervous, held her breath, and straightened her posture... "Jieqiong, soon, you will leave us, your alma mater, your homeland, and go to a foreign country far away from the ocean." Ling Yunzhu finally spoke again, with a serious expression and tone, and spoke slowly, "We are happy for you, Reluctant too; you lived with us five years—how many five years are there in life? You know how much we love you..." "I also love you deeply, teacher, teacher's wife!" Ding Jieqiong's eyes were moist. "Before we leave, there is a fact that we should tell you." The girl stared at the teacher with her eyes up, silent, with an ominous premonition surging in her chest. "Jieqiong," the teacher's wife said from the side, "You have to be stronger, stronger!" "Teacher, teacher's wife!" Ding Jieqiong trembled. Ling Yunzhu stared at the girl and sat still. "Teacher Ling, tell me, tell me! Please believe me." "Yes, Jieqiong, we believe in you. Therefore," the professor tried his best to calm down and keep his sentence steady, "on this parting, we have the responsibility to tell you that you, your parents—" Ding Jieqiong's face suddenly turned pale. "You know they were arrested." This kind of topic obviously made Ling Yunzhu feel deeply pained. He expended a lot of effort and continued word by word, "But, you don't know, they were imprisoned in Longhua Three years later, they were killed at the same time in the middle of the night on February 8, 1931!" "Dad, Mom!" Ding Jieqiong cried out.She was dripping with cold sweat, trembling and shaking all over.Song Subo hurried over, sat beside her, hugged her with outstretched arms, stroked and patted her shoulders and back, and wiped away the sweat from her forehead and the tears from her cheeks over and over again... "Jieqiong, you said, You will be strong enough!" The teacher's wife said softly, "We believe in you, just as we love you." The girl buried her face in Song Subo's arms, closed her eyes tightly, neither made a sound nor moved, only her shoulders twitched slightly, and she was crying silently.After a long time, she raised her head, brushed her messy temple hair, covered her eyes with a handkerchief, and remained silent for a long time.After a while, Song Subo wiped the girl's face carefully with a wet towel, and Ling Yunzhu brought over the cup of cold tea... "If there's anything else I can tell you, it's that your parents were unavoidable in the face of adversity. They were heroic and fearless, showing noble integrity." The professor got up, walked to the window, looked out, and remained silent for a long time. Tone, "'In Qi Taishi Jian, in Jin Donghu's pen; in Qin Zhang Liangzhu, in Han Suwu Festival; for General Yan, for Yan Changshan tongue...'" From here, Ding Jieqiong and Ling Yunzhu recited "Song of Righteous Qi" together.When it came to "It is majestic, fierce and eternal", the professor stopped abruptly, turned around, and said emotionally: "Jieqiong, you should be honored to have such parents! They are heroes and are the heroes of the Chinese nation." spine." "Thank you, teacher, teacher's wife." Ding Jieqiong suppressed her grief, her voice was very soft, but her words were clear, "Thank you for telling me the truth and staying with me in my most painful moment." After a while, she He added: "Actually, I had a hunch..." "yes?" "Over the years, white terror, darkness ruled, many people were arrested and killed. Why is there no news from parents? There is no other explanation. It has been a long time. Embarrassed, and afraid to touch the most sensitive and fragile nerve deep in my chest..." "Jie Qiong!" Song Subo burst into tears. "Teacher, teacher's wife, I am deeply grateful to you! Over the past five years, you have given me the warmth of my family, and you are my relatives." The girl sobbed and said intermittently, "Today I finally understand why you are so careful. to protect me lest I should be harmed in any way..." "In the 20th year of the Republic of China, from the martyrdom of your parents on February 8th to the Pearl Bridge tragedy on December 17th, it has only been more than ten months!" Professor Ling was silent for a while, and said softly, "You don't know what happened and what happened. We know what is going to happen. You are the orphan of your parents, the continuation of their lives, and the successor of their unfinished business. We have the responsibility to care for you better, and we cannot make you make unnecessary sacrifices. Jieqiong, I have said to you many times: you are extremely talented - do you remember what I said next?" "You said: Jieqiong, you will definitely become an excellent physicist in the future." Ding Jieqiong's eyes were hot and tears were shining, "You said, remember to serve the country as an excellent physicist and in the same way. " "Today, on the eve of your going abroad, what I want to express is still the same: as an outstanding physicist and in the same way, to revive China's 'Datang Weather'!" Ling Yunzhu said, handing over a piece of paper. sheet of paper.Ding Jieqiong took it and looked at it. It was a check for three thousand dollars: "What does this mean, Teacher Ling?" "After five years of college, the money your parents left you is almost spent, right?" Song Subo folded the check slightly, stuffed it into the girl's pocket, and said in an indisputable tone, "We know it well, Jieqiong. In the United States, the cost is relatively high, and the money can be used.” "It's not money, but your love, your hard work!" Ding Jieqiong clutched her pocket like she was holding a fire.Indeed, she didn't have much money, and she only had a few hundred dollars left in her savings, which was barely enough to buy a boat ticket to the United States.She stood up and bowed deeply to Ling Yunzhu and his wife, her tears streaming down like broken pearls. "Jieqiong, I want to say a few more words to see you off." Ling Yunzhu choked up as he spoke.He turned his back, went to the window again, and looked outside. "You tell me, I will definitely remember it in my heart." The girl burst into tears, "Your parting words are more precious than money!" "Then, Jieqiong, listen: first, never forget your parents; second, no matter where you go, when you go, no matter what achievements, status and glory you have, never forget that you are a Chinese .” The professor finally calmed down.He turned and stared at the girl, with a serious tone, "Also, thirdly, after finishing your studies, you must return to China and dedicate all your wisdom and talents to your motherland and people!"