Chapter 37 Section five
The official residence of the President of the United States - the White House.This is one of the famous buildings in Washington named after George Washington, the first president of the United States, in memory of the former residence of his wife Martha.The three-story main building with a simple appearance is located opposite Lafayette Square next to Pennsylvania Avenue, guarded by iron fences painted dark green and shaded by North American fir trees.The colorful Christmas lights outline and illuminate all of this very eye-catchingly, especially the several fountains in the fountain in the courtyard, which are more attractive in the colorful lights.
Cheng Shaozhong and his entourage followed Pete into the side door, and the guards had obviously been notified, and the journey went unimpeded.
President William Howard Taft was already waiting in the Green Room, which is a special place in the White House for the president to receive personal friends. It is much more luxurious than the appearance of this building.The tall and burly President Taft embraced all the guests one by one, and sat down face to face with Cheng Shaozhong.Cheng Shaozhong found that the most prominent feature of the fat president's face was the short beard neatly arranged on the upper lip and on the cheeks, much like an upside-down car door handle.
"I have learned your magic! Dear Mister Cheng!" the president said straight to the point, "Although you have never met Nellie, you can explain her illness and cause as clearly as she herself. I feel the power of God. You probably don't know, among all the previous presidents of the United States, I am the only Deist, so I believe in God, not in Christ. This is also the way I believe in you and not treat you As a reason for witchcraft. Moreover, you, as the imperial physician of the Chinese emperor, came to treat the wife of the American president. This is a foreign exchange between the two countries and will not involve American laws. So, don’t worry, I have notified the insider Lee's doctor, he'll be here in a minute."
Cheng Shaozhong first thanked the president for his trust, and at the same time explained: I am an imperial physician. Although I have treated the emperor and members of the royal family for many times with the imperial physicians of my father's generation, I don't have the title of imperial physician, so I dare not pretend to be an imperial physician. Doctor, please do not misunderstand the president.
"It's so miraculous without the title of Imperial Physician, but it will be even more miraculous if it is awarded the title of Imperial Physician?" President Taft wiped his two upturned mustaches and said with a smile, "You and your father studied medicine. , will definitely be more promising than your father. Because he will never be conservative with you, but you are younger than him, have a lot of new ideas, will overcome his prejudices, and continue to have new discoveries and creations, so in the end you will definitely More than your father. In addition to being the president, I am now the most successful legal person in the United States. This is mainly due to the fact that I also inherited my father’s career. It was my father who cultivated my legal talents, from an ordinary lawyer to the chief of the Supreme Court of the United States. Judge, there are many father factors in this. Therefore, we can find a common language as soon as we meet, because we are both good sons of our father, and we all do better than our father!"
After hearing what the talkative president said, the Browns, Sophia and Cheng Shaozhong all laughed.
Cheng Shaozhong said: "I am just a doctor who inherited my father's career, but you are the president of the country. From the perspective of achievements, you are the best son of your father."
"NO! NO! NO!" Taft said, waving his hands again and again, "You still don't know the bad news. I suffered a crushing defeat in this year's general election, and my hope of re-election has been shattered. In March next year, before Woodrow Wilson was sworn in , I am about to move out of here. This shows that my president has not done a good job, and I am sorry for my father's expectations. Therefore, I cannot be regarded as the best son of my father. Come, come, dear Mister Cheng! Dear citizens and friends , we patronized the conversation, and neglected such a good wine, Santa Claus is going to be angry. Now, let's toast to my new Chinese friends and to myself spending the last Christmas in the White House!" As he said, he Picking up the goblet placed on the coffee table, he drew a graceful semicircle towards everyone in the air, then held it up to Cheng Shaozhong and touched him lightly, making the two cups make a crisp sound at the same time, and then put the cup away Drink up the wine in one gulp.The president's bodyguards had already set up their cameras and captured the scene of toasting together just now.
Dr. Martin Denver, Helen Herron Taft's doctor, arrived, a white-haired Jew with a hale and hearty look, with deep-set and bright eyes behind gold-rimmed spectacles, a man of gentlemanly demeanor.
After President Taft introduced Dr. Martin Denver to everyone, he signaled Pete to explain the situation to him in detail, and asked him to say hello to his wife, Nellie, and get ready to ask Cheng Shaozhong for diagnosis and treatment.
Pete walked out of the green room with Dr. Martin.
President Taft asked Cheng Shaozhong and his party to taste his Sun King table wine. He personally filled everyone's glasses and said while pouring that he liked this table wine with the most mellow taste produced in France the most, and he didn't like the highly recommended table wine. Brandy liqueur.The reason is that the two types of wine manufacturing processes are artificial and natural.He said that brandy-type liqueurs are partially fermented, and the original juice is only stored in the fermentation tank for two or three days before being pumped into the wine storage tank, and grape brandy is added to make the alcohol content reach 20%.The Sun King table wine is fully fermented, and its grape juice has been kept in the fermentation tank until all the sugar has turned into alcohol, so its taste is so mellow.
Saying this, he told the Browns that he would also send them some Sun King table wine to entertain his Chinese guests with them.The Browns thanked President Taft.President Taft asked the guards to take a photo of him and each guest separately.Cheng Shaozhong felt that the American president was very approachable.
Pete informed that all the preparations were completed, and President Taft accompanied Cheng Shaozhong and his party to the Red Room in the White House where the President's wife received guests.After being seated, the service staff offered drinks and fruits again. After a short while, the nurses pushed the movable bed and walked in slowly. The haggard and swollen President's wife Helen Herron appeared in the somewhat surprised eyes of the guests.She slowly twisted her neck, nodded to the guests one by one with a faint smile, and with the help of the nursing staff, she extended her withered, gloved hand for the guests to kiss and greet.In front of Cheng Shaozhong, her eyes suddenly became bright and penetrating. After Cheng Shaozhong imitated others and kissed the hand lightly, the wife of the president asked the nurses to take out a piece of delicate cardboard and pen next to the pillow, and wrote "Merry Christmas!" "One line.Cheng Shaozhong already knew this line of characters, so he quickly replied in English: "Merry Christmas to Mrs. President!"
The president's wife nodded with a smile, and the nurses turned around and pushed out of the red room.