Chapter 2 Chapter 02

Ni Huanzhi's father was a friend in the bank, and later he was promoted to be in charge.His personality is honest and upright, which doesn't really correspond to his profession.His wife is a submissive woman, but she is a bit nervous. She often frowns and worries for no reason when she is not doing housework.Of course their life is not rich, but the men are frugal and the women are diligent, so they will not be exhausted. When Huanzhi was born, his father was over forty and his mother was under thirty.His father thought that it was just a perfunctory way to get ahead like himself; the son always wanted him to prosper, and of course it was wrong to study business.At that time, the imperial examinations were still being held, and they were born in a humble family. After a short time, they became successful, and there were several in the city.Didn't his son also have this desire?When Huanzhi was four or five years old, he entrusted Huanzhi to a well-written and prestigious tutor for enlightenment, because he didn't plan to teach Huanzhi a few words and keep accounts.

Huanzhi started writing essays when he was ten years old, and was often praised by his tutors.Father looked at the thick red circle on the manuscript, with a smile lingering on the corner of his mouth, twirling his short mustache and shaking his head, saying that the master rewarded him too much; this naturally meant joy.In less than two years, writing classics, righteousness and policy theory can reach more than 300 words.At this time, the imperial examination was abolished, which disappointed my father.Fortunately, there was a school. Hearing that it was the same as the imperial examination, he asked Huanzhi to go to the examination school.Passed the exam.

School life is like entering another fresh and vast world.Standing in line to practice gymnastics, raise your throat and sing elegant or beautiful songs, watch the dissection of animals and plants, learn unheard stories from English readers, and read poems of ancient people other than classics and theory in Chinese class: Zai Huanzhi They all feel extremely intoxicated.He recited poems with his classmates, carved seals, and visited old book stalls; he played cards, drank, and rode horses without telling his parents and teachers.He didn't think about his own future or the expectations of his parents, he just felt that the life in front of him was quite comfortable.

One day when he was a third grader, his father suddenly said something that he didn't expect.My father said that it takes more than two years to graduate from middle school; if you don't get promoted after graduation, you don't have much hope; if you get promoted, how can you have such strength to cultivate?Let's stop here. The father said this not because he didn't want Huanzhi to develop, but because he found a better shortcut than the school, and that shortcut was the telegraph office.It is a lifelong job, and the salary gradually increases according to the charter, and it is higher than the salary of the head of the bank at the beginning. If you are sent to a distant place, there will be a special increase: isn't this a superior and stable occupation?

After my father explained the reasons why he didn't need to read any more, he came down to the present question and asked Huanzhi to take the telegram test; Huanzhi was a little angry, and immediately replied that the telegraph business was nothing to do.He has never visited a telegraph office, but only saw a model of a telegraph in a physical and chemical laboratory. Two toy-like guys passed an electric current. "Take, ride, ride" over there.He didn't think about it carefully, he just felt that it would be too useless and too embarrassing to live in the sound of "Take, Go, Go".

My father bumped into a wall by accident, and was also emotionally moved, saying that everything is done by people, so what is there to do? Huanzhi can't help but reveal that this matter is useless, because it doesn't require much thought, it's just a dull thing.Also, it does the majority no good by doing it.He said, to do something, always do what is good for the majority.This idea has been in his mind for a year or two, but it is not clear, only a rough outline.Now that his father has questioned him, he confides it so that his father can understand him, but he doesn't explain it thoroughly.

His father heard that he likes to use his thoughts, and if he wants to benefit others, he must be promoted step by step to the higher education institutions.But I'm getting old and my body is getting weaker and weaker. The original wish to cultivate Huanzhi's path is probably in vain.He was eager to see Huanzhi's establishment.He said something like "I'm getting old" sourly. The mother sat beside her, her eyes lowered, of course, worrying timidly. Huanzhi was very moved when he heard his father talk about old age; his previous anger dissipated, he only felt that his father was kind and pitiful, and wanted to throw himself into his arms and pamper him for a while, so that he could forget about old age.But Huanzhi, who has reached his youth, looks down on that kind of childish acting like a baby.He only made his voice softer on purpose, begging his father to let him graduate from middle school, and then try to do other things.He said that by then, he would do anything.

As soon as the father changed his mind, he felt that Huanzhi was fine and had a lot of ambition, so he couldn't help but feel satisfied and comforted.He canceled his proposal to take the telegraph student exam. After the Mid-Autumn Festival in the next two years, shocking news suddenly spread in the newspapers: the Wuchang new army revolted, occupied the Gunpowder Bureau, and directly attacked the Supervision Office.The governor Ruicheng and the governor Zhang Biao both fled in a hurry.So Wuchang recovered.Within a few days, Hankou and Hanyang also came down. It was the militiamen who rebelled against the Qing government, and the place they occupied was the hub of the country, where it was convenient to get supplies, transport, and sex: this awakened the comatose people from their dreams, and they opened their eyes to take a look. At the same time, I looked at the new characters in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River with a feeling of shock and surprise, and I believed that they would perform a great drama, although I only saw them. a prologue.Cities everywhere are still the same as usual, the morning light arouses their sounds, and the night sends them back to silence; but there is something different from the usual, which already contains countless excited hearts, uneasiness, fear, hope, joy,—unity Believe that big changes are coming in big strides.

In the middle school, of course, there is also a heart that is excited.The students thought this way: Now that there is a revolution, what classes are there?This means that the revolution is so important that compared with it, the homework in the school is insignificant. This afternoon, Huanzhi took a class on Western History.The Western history teacher is deeply myopic, with a pointed and high nose, and reading is like sniffing.He has taught history for more than ten years, and he has an unchangeable habit of sniffing handouts and notebooks in turn.The handouts are the main text, and the students read them spread out, and all the interludes are in the notebooks.When he was speaking a sentence in the text, he hurriedly wanted to read the accompanying passages, so he put down the lecture notes and picked up the notebook; after sniffing in the notebook for a while with his sharp nose, when the passages were over, he changed to the lecture notes to sniff again.In this way, people can only see his right hand moving up and down.This earned him his second nickname, "Leverage" (his first nickname was "Oh Handout").His voice was very loud, and many characters lost their original pronunciation because of the loud reading.The students said that this is also interesting to him: firstly, it is to comfort himself, because he can hear his own voice ringing for a full fifty minutes every class, which is by no means dereliction of duty, and the salary is certainly not for nothing; secondly, it is also to comfort himself, The ears are filled with my own voice, and the voices of the students talking and laughing are inaudible.

"Shanghai has been restored!" Huanzhi came into the classroom with a newspaper in his arms, and put his hand over his mouth, indicating that it was a whisper. In fact, even the teacher who raised his throat heard it; Flushed with excitement, breath whistling, it was obvious that he had come running back. In these few days, posters in Shanghai are very expensive, and those who are a little dull often have to read the empty cloth bags of newspaper dealers.Therefore, they made a pact among their classmates, and went to the train station to buy newspapers in turn; when they bought them, they rushed back, and everyone knew the new news earlier than the gentlemen who were sitting idle at home.Naturally, the teacher did not express his permission; but the special agent who bought the newspaper went out and then came back. Even when he ran into the classroom where the class was being taught, the teacher turned his head and pretended not to see it.This day, it was Huanzhi's turn.

"Ah! Shanghai! Shanghai has been restored! Good! Hello!" A burst of cheers that pretended to be suppressed, but not slight, came from the mouths of many students.A few people walked over to Huanzhi's seat, rushing to read the newspapers he bought; the rest of them raised their bodies, stretched their necks, and looked towards Huanzhi, as if they saw the big characters "Shanghai Restoration" on the ruler, At the same time, I seemed to see many bombs bursting out with sparks. The teacher of Western history couldn't be unmoved; but immediately the dignity of the provincial language teacher and the sanctity of the homework must be maintained no matter what, so he pressed his heart, raised his voice even higher, read a sentence of the text, and quickly changed from "leverage" Pick up the notebook and sniff it up and down. The students simply forgot about the Western History teacher.They say that Shanghai has been restored, and here will be soon; maybe it will be tonight; that tomorrow the market will be full of white flags; that everyone should cut off their braids immediately, who wants to keep this pigtail Who is the pig! The teacher of Western history seems to be a believer in non-interventionism. There was such a commotion in the classroom, he only showed his fish-like eyes on the handouts, stared twice, and at the same time his speech became sharp, as if there were horns and thorns : This is his usual method of attracting students' attention. This method has never been very effective, especially on this day.The students were still clamoring, discussing which door the revolutionaries should come in, who their bombs should be dropped on, and so on.A few students found the teacher's silly appearance like a one-man show disgusting and ridiculous, and even said, as if mocking and talking to himself: "Who are you going to listen to? Everyone is going to watch the Revolutionary Army! I have to tell it to you." Listen to the wall!" On this day, when Huanzhi came home from school, he felt different from the past, as if a new and strong force had invaded his body, spread to all his limbs, and he was eager to radiate it—to do something.Whether it's a flag, a bomb, or a gun, whatever it is, as long as he can get it, he is willing to take it and rush forward.However, there were only father and mother in front of him. Father was worrying about the current situation affecting finances, and mother was afraid that the military would close the market, and planned to buy some salted fish and bacon there. The two of them did not order him or give him anything.He paced back and forth in the room for a while, sat down, opened the textbook, and the lines of words seemed to escape.Suddenly wanting to compose a poem of Qilu, he propped his head up and meditated.It wasn't until I went to bed and the clock struck one o'clock that the fifty-six-character draft was completed, with the words "Shenzhou", "old things", "Hulu" and "Hanjia" embedded in the middle. At that time, it was popular among students to read some secret books and newspapers.This person is borrowed, and later lent to that person, and that person is of course also borrowed; as a result, everyone is borrowed, and it is not known who is the distributor.Huanzhi liked all those books and newspapers, and the inscription on the cover of "Revenge" was deliberately reversed, which he especially felt had a deep meaning. He was also deeply moved by the principal's speech.The headmaster is a Japanese student with cut hair and wears a hat with fake braids when he goes out.His speech was not very good, long and repetitive; but his manner was very earnest, and the corners of his eyes glistened when he spoke earnestly.He talked about North Korea, India, political corruption, and the need for self-improvement. In fact, it was the same thing every time, but the students didn't say his "old tune" behind his back. Racial hatred and the idea of ​​equality have long burned this young man's heart. Now that there is a thunderbolt, how can he not be so excited when he sees that he is about to step into the realm of hope? But he was immediately disappointed.The city also hung a white flag and recovered.His braid was also cut off like the headmaster.In addition, there is nothing different from before.The fresh and strong force in his body is like countless little snakes, just trying to get out; and he seems to feel that if he gets out, he will be able to make many different things from before——he seems to be sure of all reforms , I thought it was very simple and straight-forward—but where did the opportunity come from!Graduation was just around the corner, and if his father asked him to take the telegraph exam again, he would just leave with a brush and pen, let alone say anything else.So, "Take, ride, ride", an ordinary life... He began to feel the sadness of life.He thought that when a person came into the world, he would just appear on the scene with a sad horn, holding his heart, frowning, crying, and even weeping blood. At the end, when the dark curtain falls, everything is over.Don't appear on the stage, you really can't control it, because your parents have already sent you to the backstage of the theater.Go up and perform a comedy, the stage is not a stage for comedy, you have to be happy, you have to laugh, it will only deepen your disappointment and loneliness.He thought it was time for him to appear on the stage. After dressing up, he walked forward with a timid and resentful mood. How could he know whether the one waiting on the stage was a devil with blue face and fangs, or a poisonous dragon that breathed fire?Whether it's a devil or a poisonous dragon, it's doomed to play a tragedy. This can be said to be a kind of unreasonable sorrow; although I did not see any important reforms, and I was worried that my father would propose again in advance, but after careful analysis, it is not all because of these.This sadness is like thick clouds before the summer rain, which piles up thicker and thicker, covering all the light in my heart.One day, he walked alone by a pond in an abandoned garden, and saw the light blue sky imprinted on the center of the pond, and the picturesque shadows of cold branches were imprinted horizontally. The two white geese did not want to go swimming in the pond, so Looking at each other leisurely, he felt that the scenery was wonderful.Suddenly, my heart moved, and I had a strong desire to jump off the pond to die. It seemed that the only way to do this was the easiest and most liberating way.But as soon as I thought about my elderly father, loving mother, and many classmates, this desire faded, and two sad tears ooze from my eye sockets. But it wasn't that he didn't have moments of high spirits.As long as he is among his classmates and reads the news of the successive restoration of various places in the newspaper with everyone, and the embarrassment of the Qing court in coping with difficulties, he is still a "Hello, Hello" optimist. Among the classmates, there were naturally some like Huanzhi. They wanted to let out the fresh and strong power in their bodies, so they thought of going to see the principal; Of course it is not difficult to do.When Huanzhi heard the plan, a light of hope shone in his heart, and he expressed his willingness to go with him. That night, when the headmaster came back from Nanjing after electing the interim president, five or six students knocked on the door of his office.Huanzhi felt ashamed in his heart, thinking that this was close to begging, which was a bit despicable.But at the same time, self-esteem also popped up, thinking that what was required was to serve the country and fulfill one's obligations, and the principal was an upright person, so there was nothing despicable about it.The heart of hope, the heart of gain and loss, went back and forth like a spear, and he couldn't help feeling apprehensive, and his hands felt cold. The headmaster welcomed the students in, sat down with each other, and a student who was presumed to speak made a statement to the headmaster.He said that he could not go to higher education because of his limited strength, and he also looked at the current situation, and things were waiting for others to do it, so he didn't want to go to higher education.Everyone has a lot of enthusiasm, regardless of the military and political circles, no matter how humble and small, as long as they can and are worth doing, they are willing to do it.In the end, it is natural to say that the principal knows a lot of people and has a wide range of aspects. Please pay attention to everyone.After the student finished speaking, several students held their breath and lowered their eyes, only hearing the sound of the small hour clock on the desk. The headmaster twirled his long beard, the light shone on his frozen red face, and his slender eyes looked very kind.But his answer was like pouring a bucket of cold water on the students.As soon as he opened his mouth, he said that the military and political circles were completely inappropriate for the students.In Nanking, everything is messed up, and so is everywhere.It is of no benefit for young people with no social experience to suddenly join the most difficult military and political circles during this period of change.He said that the students don't want to go to higher education, and they have to do things, so he can introduce them.Finally, he said that the students should become primary school teachers. The words "primary school teacher" pierced Huanzhi's ears, just like hearing "telegraph student" the year before, arousing intense disgust.How big was the hope that had been embraced before, and how little the headmaster promised!Although it is not "Take, Go, Go", the "Hozen King" of the first life may not be much better. On the way home, he decided that if the principal really introduced him to a teaching job, he wouldn't take it, even if all his classmates would, he wouldn't take it.Unwarranted sorrow assailed him, as usual, and more violently.He saw complete darkness ahead, just as it was during the night. But when he got home, he couldn't help but tell his parents what the principal wanted; he didn't reveal his decision for the time being, because the principal hadn't made an introduction yet, so he couldn't express his opposition out of thin air. But the father was overjoyed.He said that teaching those children is something that is beneficial to others; he expected that his son would agree.When my mother saw the teachers in the elementary school shouting and jumping all day to discipline the students, she couldn't help worrying, saying that it might be very hard work. Huanzhi didn't care if he wanted to work hard; this was something that was beneficial to others, and what his father said was a little bit right.At the same time, the theories and methods in several educational books I had read came to my mind, and I felt that this career seemed to have some value, at least it could not be compared with "Take, Take, Take" telegrams.But there is no intention to do it yet, and the unreasonable sadness still lingers. But after more than ten days, he went to meet the principal of the Sixth Primary School with half curiosity and half unhappiness.