Insufficient balance

  A person's future path is greatly influenced by their early years. Chen Ke, as an ordinary only child, had no companions to play with. His parents were very busy with work, and for them, it was a great convenience if Chen Ke could stay at home and study quietly without causing any trouble. And indeed, Chen Ke spent his childhood just as they had hoped.

  In many popular science books, "The Story of the Candle" and "The Road to Conquering Bacteria", had a great impact on Chen Ke at that time. Originally belonging to the popular science works that are easy to understand, they explained the development history of chemistry and medicine in words that children can understand. Later, Chen Ke chose to major in chemistry, and it cannot be said that these two books did not play a huge role.

  In "The Road to Conquering Bacteria", the story of Dr. Ehrlich's research on the special medicine 606 is introduced. Chen Ke later also studied the preparation methods of 606 and 914, and even produced them himself. After completing this experiment, the joy in his heart at that time was still remembered by Chen Ke until now. Therefore, on June 27, 1905, Chen Ke felt double the joy.

  606 and 914 pioneered the field of chemotherapy. In 1908, Ehrlich received numerous honors. Chen Ke envied this great predecessor for the honors he received back then. Now, although he didn't expect to get the "face" of his predecessor, at least he could get the "inside". Ehrlich was German, and this medicine couldn't be replicated by the British until the outbreak of World War I. During the war, the British couldn't obtain supplies of the drug and had to spend a huge amount of money researching alternative products. It wasn't until Germany's defeat that the victorious British finally grasped this effective medicine after the end of World War I.

  "We must bring He Zuodao back. He is our comrade, our fellow worker, we cannot abandon him." Chen Ke said to the young people. "Hui Shen, you take me to see He Zuodao. Tell him this news."

  Qizhui looked at Chen Ke with deep emotion, "Mr. Wenqing, please write a letter for me to take over. He said that he respected Mr. Wenqing very much and was ashamed to see you after contracting this disease."

  "What's embarrassing about this?"

  "Mr. Wenqing, if you want to give He Zuodao medicine for this matter, I'll go tell him now. Since he's contracted the disease, He Zuodao has had thoughts of death. If you were to see him now, he might really lose hope. You write a letter and I'll take it to him."

  Qizhi's words were sincere, Chen Ke had no choice but to take out his notebook and a disposable pen, and under the admiring and astonished gaze of the young people, he wrote a letter in terrible handwriting. The content of the letter was very simple, Chen Ke wanted He Sudao to believe that he would definitely be able to make a special medicine to save him. This new group would never abandon any of its companions.

  Watching Qi Hui slip out of the gate with the letter, Chen Ke looked at the other young people who were gazing at him with eager eyes, and he wasn't very reassured about the confidentiality work. So far, Chen Ke had only been able to cooperate with You Yun. These young people knew too much, which was all bad and no good.

  Chen Ke is no longer in Germany, nor is he the renowned Dr. Orlitski. This special medicine is a double-edged sword for Chen Ke, and it requires a collaborator to work.

  Chen Ke called the young people to the front of the blackboard and began to explain the reasons for the spread of syphilis. Upon learning that skin contact was enough to contract the disease, no one present did not change color in their face. As for how to ensure disinfection, it was a matter of changing clothes, taking baths, and exposing clothes to the sun. Although Chen Ke didn't know if his method of killing bacteria was correct or not, he had to scare these people back home, so he could only say this much.

  Seeing the young men one by one in a state of anxiety, Chen Ke let them go back first. Upon hearing this, the young men were overjoyed and ran away in a hurry.

  Hua Xiongmao's face also fell, "Wen Qing, is it really that serious?"

  "It's definitely not. But when we're doing the experiment, you can't go back yet. This way, let's go back first, I have some things to discuss with Autumn sister. We'll go back and get our change of clothes, and we won't be going back to our living quarters for these few days."

  "Okay. I'm listening."

  Qiu Jin and Xue Xilun were not at home, Chen Ke asked the maid Lin Jian, she was also unclear. Chen Ke simply went with Hua Xiongmao to the meeting place last time. After a long time in this world, the two of them couldn't remember where they were either. They wandered around like headless flies over there and didn't dare to knock on doors to ask questions randomly. In the end, they simply returned home to pack their things while waiting.

  While packing things up, Chen Ke asked: "Zheng Lan, do you think those people are trustworthy?"

  "The literati are worried that as soon as this medicine comes out, someone will take advantage of the situation?" Huaxiong Mao smiled and said.

  "That's right."

  "We must find a reliable backing. The officials are absolutely unreliable. The people in the rivers and lakes... are also unreliable. If it's really not possible..." Huaxiong Mao muttered, "If it's really not possible, Wencang will have to pretend to be a fool. Don't let them intimidate you, they need something from you, as long as this prescription doesn't leak out, they won't dare do anything to you. This medicine is a lifesaver."

  After hearing Hua Xiongmao's words, Chen Ke felt that it could only be this way. After packing up their things, the two of them instructed Lin Jian that if Qiu Jin returned, they must let her wait for Chen Ke to return at the residence. Only then did they leave.

  Back at the workshop, You Fen didn't return. Zhou Yuanxiao had said that he would only be back in three days. Since there was no one else in the workshop, Chen Ke and Hua Xiongmao thoroughly cleaned the entire place. Just as they were working busily, they heard You Fen's excited shout: "Hard work, both of you!"

  He had finally waited for someone, and Chen Ke's mood immediately relaxed.

  "Young Yu, there's something important I want to discuss with you!" Chen Ke shouted.

  You Yun dressed up very beautifully, the dyeing had ended, she deliberately changed into a brand new sky blue silk long skirt, You Yun who normally didn't wear accessories, today also inserted a silver hairpin on her head.

  After listening to Chen Ke for a short while, You Suteng, who was originally smiling, stood up with a gloomy face like water, looking at the bench with disgusted eyes. "I won't be infected, will I?" Her tone sounded chillingly indifferent.

  "Definitely not."

  "Hmph!" Yu Yun kicked the stool to one side with a foot, his anger uncontrollable. "A person sits on a stool, disaster comes from heaven! Wen Qing brother, if I contract this disease..." At this point, Yu Yun's small mouth pursed, his two eyes red all over, and he had already begun to cry in grievance.

  "Calm down! Calm down! I'm just going to take this medicine." Chen Ke knew that if Yu Yun, a big girl, contracted the disease, it would be impossible to explain.

  "I don't want to hear this nonsense. I'm going back now and burning all the clothes I've worn." As she spoke, Yu Xuan's eyes widened in fear as she grabbed Chen Ke's collar, her voice trembling: "Wen Qing, Wen Qing, my family won't be infected, will they?" By then, Yu Xuan had already scared herself to tears with her own imagination.

  "Good grief! What a mess!" Chen Ke's mind was filled with emotions. He had originally planned to research new medicine with You Huan, but he hadn't expected her to pull off something like this, completely disrupting his plans. Normally, You Huan was a confident girl, but now she was thoroughly flustered. "Women are unreliable!" Even Chen Ke, who always advocated for gender equality and respected women, couldn't help but think this way.

  However, looking at You Yun's trembling body like a frightened little rabbit, Li Hua brought rain. Chen Ke still had to patiently comfort You Yun. Exhausting all the knowledge of medicine and biological transmission that he knew, Chen Ke lectured You Yun on how safe she was, even explaining the human immune system to her, but it didn't give You Yun any sense of security at all. The knowledge Chen Ke just explained was instead used by You Yun to randomly question Chen Ke back.

  In the end, Chen Ke suddenly roared in anger, "I told you, nothing will happen to you, and no one in your family will be affected. That's for sure!" This clear and forceful rebuke frightened Yu Xun, but it also steadied his nerves.

  "This has nothing to do with you, we need to go save He Zuodao now! This guy is almost done for." Chen Ke continued to bellow.

  "Ah......, oh, as long as my family is fine." You Yun finally managed to squeeze out this sentence. Almost made Chen Ke laugh again.

  Chen Ke made Yu Huan sit down, but Yu Huan hesitated and looked at the stool unwillingly. Chen Ke didn't care about her and directly pulled over a stool to sit on. "First, we'll go find Wang Bin to buy materials. You absolutely cannot reveal what you're going to do."

  Yu Yun listened and nodded desperately.

  "Secondly, we are starting to make medicine now. You can't leak our medicine out."

  Yu Fen nodded.

  "Thirdly, this is money we're talking about. How much money are we talking about? Even if there were a hundred thousand patients worldwide who bought the medicine, and each person gave you twenty pounds, that's still a lot of money!"

  "Two million!" You Yu had a somewhat nervous calculation of the result, but she was very obviously unaware of the concept of this amount of money.

  "So, young man, come with me now to find Wang Bin." Chen Ke said with a pretended ease.

  "Huh? Two million? Two million pounds?" Yu Yun finally understood Chen Ke's meaning. "Wen Qing, two million pounds!"

  "Absolutely impossible for you to have it all!" Chen Ke looked at You Yun's eyes that were almost radiating golden light, and struck back with a fierce sentence.

  "I want one million! No, half a million! No, five hundred thousand! No, three hundred thousand! Three hundred thousand pounds is enough." Yu Yun started to get confused again.

  "You took 30,000 pounds, aren't you afraid someone will take your life?" Chen Ke was amused by his own anger.

  After a rollercoaster of emotions, You Yu calmed down for a while before returning to normal. She composed herself, "Let's go find Wang Bin now."

  The chemical name of 606 is arsphenamine, also known as Salvarsan. It is an arsenic-containing antimicrobial drug that was first synthesized in 1908 by Paul Ehrlich and his colleagues. After testing hundreds of new synthetic compounds on infected animals, they found the 606th compound to have antisyphilitic activity. This was the first time a medicinal chemist had systematically made a series of chemical changes to a lead compound to produce an optimal therapeutic effect, which was safer and more effective than the original.

  Paul Ehrlich also opened up the field of chemotherapy. In 1910, 606 was marketed under the name Salvarsan; it was the first organic compound to be used in the treatment of syphilis and was a great improvement over the inorganic mercury compounds that had been used previously. In 1912, Neosalvarsan, a more soluble and easier to use version of Salvarsan (also an arsenic compound, 914), was developed. The invention of 606 was a major medical achievement at the time, and later improvements led to the development of "914" (Neosalvarsan) and sulfarsphenamine, which were even more convenient to use; the latter could be administered by intramuscular injection.

  The precursors to 606 and 914, arsphenamine, were actually quite ordinary. This compound was still widely used in Britain in the seventeenth century as an embalming fluid for corpses, and arsenic leached from ancient graveyards is one of the known pollutants of British groundwater sources in the twenty-first century.

  Wang Bin furrowed his brow when he saw the drug. It wasn't because Wang Bin had any foresight or concerns about China's environmental protection. He just couldn't understand why such a thing used for soaking corpses would appear on the long procurement list.

  On the road, Chen Ke had strictly ordered You Huan not to speak nonsense. So You Huan also remained silent.

  "Isn't this stuff hard to get?" Chen Ke asked.

  "It's not difficult to get, I'll give you the stuff the day after tomorrow.Tomorrow you come first, and I'll give you whatever I can get." Wang Bin replied.

  "This will worry Brother Wang. I'll bring the money over tomorrow."

  Back at the workshop, Chen Ke stopped Yu Yun's questioning and he and Hua Xiong Mao carried a piece of white cloth that had been bleached. The cloth was also in demand this year. Chen Ke left dozens of pieces of cloth of various colors in the workshop for his own use. The deep blue work uniform last time was made by Chen Ke and Yu Yun together.

  "Get ten white lab coats." Chen Ke said this and then took Hua Xiongmao away with a flourish.

  In the evening, when he returned to his residence, as soon as he entered the door, he heard Qiu Jin talking to Lin Jian inside. Chen Ke let out a sigh of relief. He had finally found someone.

  "Aunt Autumn, I have a favor to ask."

  "What's wrong?"

  Chen Ke took out a small package and pushed it to Qiu Jin, who was sitting across the table. Qiu Jin opened it and found a pile of silver coins inside. She sighed and began to remove her wristwatch.

  "Am I just a miser in Autumn's eyes?" Chen Ke smiled and said.

  "What's with that literary youth?"

  "I heard that Sister Qiu is going to Japan, and I want to ask Sister Qiu for a favor. Mr. Chen Tianhua is also in Japan now, and Sister Qiu will definitely be able to see him after she arrives. I want to ask Sister Qiu to invite Mr. Chen Tianhua back to the country to meet with me. These fifty taels of silver are for Mr. Chen Tianhua's travel expenses."

  "Oh." Qiu Jin finally understood Chen Ke's meaning.

  "I have never met Mr. Chen Tianhua before, but your reputation precedes you, Autumn sister, it's only fitting that you help me get in touch with him. Originally, I should have gone to Japan with you to visit Mr. Chen, but something came up and I won't be able to make it."

  "Ha, Wen Qing has been busy." Qiu Jin smiled and said. After learning about Chen Ke's intentions, Qiu Jin was quite curious. From the interactions over the past few days, Qiu Jin knew that Chen Ke was not a person who would let an opportunity slip away. He had seen Xu Xilin, Tao Chengzhang, and Cai Yuanpei all do the same. With just the little bit of silver he provided himself, Chen Ke managed to make money in Shanghai with empty hands. Indeed, Chen Ke relied on his own abilities, but without the help of so many people, it would have been impossible for him to achieve what he has today.

  Chen Tianhua's "Meng Huitou" and "Jingshi Zhong" were renowned among the revolutionaries. He, like the late Zou Rong, was a prominent figure among the younger generation. Chen Ke must have had some special reason for taking such great interest in Chen Tianhua.

  "Do hipsters know Mr. Chen Tianhua?"

  "Don't know him personally, just read his book. Really want to get acquainted with Mr. Chen."

  "Why don't you come with me to Japan? Wouldn't it be more sincere if you went to see Mr. Chen in person? Are you literary youths always this busy?"

  "For the next month, I don't know how many hours of sleep I'll get," Chen Ke said with a helpless smile. In Chen Ke's English textbook, there was an article about Dr. Ehrlich 606, who had to write letters to himself in order not to forget his family members' birthdays and attend their birthday parties on time. Although he had done this before, it was in the laboratory of the 21st century. What kind of "Chen Ke Laboratory" would be created in 1905 is beyond imagination."

  Qiu Jin knew that Chen Ke didn't like to talk nonsense, although he hadn't seen Chen Ke's specific operation of dyeing cloth, but every time he came back, the strong smell on Chen Ke and Hua Xiong Mao could prove what they were doing. Since Chen Ke said so, it must be really busy.

  "Then I'll help Wen Qing with this." After saying that, Qiu Jin put away the silver.

  Rushing back to the workshop, You Yun had already left. On the table was a letter, Chen Ke opened it after mentally preparing himself. Even if the letter contained words from You Yun asking him to break off all relations with her, Chen Ke would be able to accept it.

  The content of the letter really surprised Chen Ke, and You Huan didn't complain about anything in the letter. On the contrary, she clearly informed Chen Ke that during her treatment, she planned to move into the workshop. To avoid trouble, You Huan would bring a maid with her to live here. This time she returned home was to persuade her family on this matter. So tomorrow she won't come too early, and it's even possible that she won't come at all.

  Chen Ke put down the letter. As expected, being from a chemistry background, everyone really had the same awareness. There was no one in the workshop, so Chen Ke was about to leave. But then he heard the sound of someone pushing open the door. The dyeing work had already finished, and the curfew had naturally been lifted as well - who could this be coming here at night?

  As soon as the door opened, Qi Hui appeared at the entrance.

  "Mr. Wenqing, I've already met He Zuodao. I came here several times today and there was no one here. In any case, I must deliver He Zuodao's reply to you."

  "Quick, sit down." Chen Ke hastily said. Qi Hui Shen's serious spirit was indeed something that Chen Ke liked. "The only thing to fear in the world is the two words 'being serious'. We Communist Party members emphasize being serious the most." This clear standard was put forward by a great man. Chen Ke originally already liked Qi Hui Shen, this revolutionary party member, and now he even listed Qi Hui Shen as the number one person to recruit.

  He Zuodao's letter moved Chen Ke deeply, the child's painful emotions were fully revealed in every word. Getting this disease is a shameful thing in itself, He Zuodao repeatedly swore in his letter that he had not done anything "bad". Moreover, he begged Chen Ke to save himself. He Zuodao said that after recovering from this illness, he would follow Chen Ke devotedly and be willing to brave any danger for him.

  "Will you tell He Zuodao, I said, we will never give up on our colleagues."

  "Mr. Wenqing, I went to find He Zuodao, but he locked the door and wouldn't let me in. I specifically told him what you said, and although He Zuodao didn't open the door, I could hear him crying his heart out inside the room. Mr. Wenqing, I trust you, please, you must save He Zuodao!" Qi Hui Shen bowed deeply at this point, having been standing all along.

  Chen Ke hastily helped Qi Hui deep up, "Hui deep, we are all colleagues and friends. Where is the reason for not saving lives? He has been with us these days, definitely not going to any brothel. I trust him."

  "Mr. Wenqing, during your treatment, if you have any instructions, I will definitely listen to you and do whatever you ask me to do."

  "Is everything okay?"

  "That's right."

  "Hmm, can you come here and stay with me? We need to work day and night. The sooner we get this medicine out, the sooner we'll save Hei Zu Dao."

  "I will follow Mr. Wenqing's instructions." Zhi Hui Shen replied without hesitation.

  "That's good. I'm a chemistry major, and since I was young, I've always admired those seniors who can work day and night without rest. This time, I'll give it a try too, to save He Zuodao. Let me experience the hard work of my predecessors. Haha." Chen Kezhi said confidently.

  "You shouldn't overwork yourself either." Zhihui advised sincerely.

  "Labour is most glorious. It will be deep. Labour is most glorious. Sitting there doing nothing, the heavens will still drop a cake for you? Why do the powerful nations look down on China, because China has made no contribution to the world, our generation can only go and labour, create, fight out a new China, then the world will respect you. Tens of millions of people like you and me, together labouring, working, sacrificing ourselves, can bring about a new China. Will you or won't you join me in revolution?"

  "Mr. Wenqing, is this a revolution?" Zhi Hui couldn't help but dampen Chen Ke's enthusiasm, but the tone of doubt was unavoidable.

  "The revolution is not for killing people, it's for saving them. Revolution is a kind of humanity!" Chen Ke's voice was deep and powerful.

  Hearing this, Qi Hui was taken aback.

  Chen Ke patted Qi Hui's shoulder, "Hui, I'm not a ruthless killer. With my skills, I won't say I can be rich and powerful, but at least I have food and clothing without worries, with three wives and four concubines. In the future, having many children and grandchildren will bring me joy, it's not difficult. But I love our China, I love the Chinese people. China shouldn't have fallen to this state today, looking at China today, I feel worse than death. But what can I do alone? Without many comrades, I can do nothing. Join me in revolution, Hui! Let's gather those willing to revive China, we won't abandon anyone, let's save the Chinese people and rescue China from its current state."

  Listening to Chen Ke's words, Qi Hui deepened his silence. Gradually, Qi Hui's eyes had already turned red, "Mr. Wen Qing, you are a true revolutionary party member."

  "Stop flattering here, speak straightforwardly, are you joining or not?"

  Qī Huì wiped away her tears, "I will definitely follow Mr. Wén Qīng closely."

  "What's with the 'Mr.'? We're not much different in age. Since we're comrades, just call me Wen Qing directly. You hurry back and rest, come over tomorrow at noon. The days ahead will be tough, let's save He Zuodao first."

  "Wen Qing, I'm also a revolutionary comrade, right?" Hua Xiongmao interjected. Looking at Chen Ke's so formal invitation to join the party, Hua Xiongmao felt uncomfortable all over.

  "Zheng Lan, you are naturally a comrade in the revolution. You joined earlier than me, so I'm asking you not to flaunt your seniority here." Chen Ke smiled and said. Turning his head to look at Qi Hui Shen who was teary-eyed, Chen Ke patted him on the shoulder with force, "Hui Shen, revolution is not a dinner party, why are you so emotional? Starting tomorrow, prepare yourself for exhaustion. Let's go back now, don't waste your energy, where will you get the strength to work?"

  Chen Ke pulled Qi Hui deep, and together with Hua Xiong Mao, they turned off the lights and checked all around the yard before leaving the workshop together.