Book 2 Chapter 43

  Dào Jìng was sitting in Deng Yún Xū's apartment room, arguing with him about whether or not to boycott classes. Suddenly, the door creaked softly twice, and then a woman's crisp, gentle voice called out from outside the door: "Master Deng, hurry up and open the door!"

  Deng Yunxuan hastily opened the door a crack, only to see Li Huaiying standing outside in a green woolen coat and a large green cloak, smiling brightly. He quickly opened the door wide and bowed deeply, saying: "I didn't know Your Majesty was coming, I'm guilty of not welcoming you from afar, forgive me! Forgive me!"

  Li Huaiying jumped into the house, waving her small white fist in front of Deng Yunxuan's glasses and laughed loudly: "If I didn't see that you're usually honest, I'd punch your glasses to pieces! ... Hey......" She saw Lin Daojing in the room, so she grasped his hand with one hand and pointed at Deng Yunxuan's nose with the other, saying: "Do you have any magical medicine that can make this old scholar who always talks about ancient people become younger and more lively? This old gentleman has always been polite and courteous!"

  Deng Yun Xuan covered his glasses and nose with both hands, as if Li Huaiying's fist had really hit him in the face. He hastily apologized: "Huaiying! Huaiying! I'm sorry, very sorry!..."

  He was so embarrassed and tense that Li Huaiying and Lin Daojing couldn't help but burst out laughing. Seeing them laugh, Mr. Deng became even more flustered, not knowing where to put his hands, and hastily begged for mercy, saying: "You two, don't laugh! Don't laugh!..."

  Li Huaiying didn't smile, pulled Deng Yunxuan's arm and said: "Old Master wants you to attend a meeting. You will definitely be very, very willing to attend this meeting! This is extremely, extremely important!"

  "What's going on? Why is it so important? How come I don't know?" Deng Yunxuan covered his glasses, his expression tense again.

  Li Huaiying waved his fist in front of him and said: "You, this old master, 'two ears do not hear the outside world, one heart only reads ancient books', how can you know such important national affairs? After the strike on the 10th, our government was anxious. Today, Principal Chiang wants to convene a student meeting with important instructions. You, sir, hurry up and attend!"

  "Is that so? I'm not going." Deng Yunxuan shook his head and sat down on the stool, looking like he had just run a hundred meters and was panting with sweat.

  Dào Jìng spoke up at this time, smiling and asking Deng Yunxuan: "Old Deng, aren't you opposed to the class boycott? You think it's detrimental to learning. I suppose Principal Jiang called a meeting with all of you for this very reason. Since you're all like-minded, shouldn't you go listen?"

  "Go quickly, I'm going too and you have to go even more." Li Huaiying pulled Lao Deng and they walked out together.

  Deng Yun stretched out a hand, staring at him with two round eyes, not knowing what to do. Dao Jing pushed him and said: "Go take a look. I'm not a student of your school, but I want to go and learn from you. Then you should go too."

  Deng Lao was being pushed and pulled by two young women as he walked along, waving his hand and saying: "I don't agree with the boycott, but I am not like those gentlemen in power. You two please do not misunderstand... Saving the nation from crisis is a responsibility that our young students cannot shirk, however... however..."

  "What's the matter? Never mind! On the 9th, everyone fought for their lives. And you, Old Master, sitting in your study, didn't you feel any distress?" Li Huaiying's words made Old Master's face flush to his ears. He panted and took big strides while loudly muttering: "Unjust! Unjust! How was I supposed to know..."

  Dào Jìng quietly pushed Deng Yun Xuan and whispered: "There are surveillance military police everywhere, speak softly."

  Li Huaying and Deng Yunxuan looked at each other and pouted.

  Look, they've already arrived at the entrance of the third courtyard. Dao Jing stepped in to mediate: "You two, stop arguing. Look inside the hall, there are so many people... it seems like there's still a large number of participants today." As he spoke, the three of them walked into the hall together.

  Principal Jiang Menglin saw that the students of Beida had been on strike for almost a week and showed no signs of returning to class. He made efforts to convene a general assembly to persuade the students to return to class. His wish to hold a meeting was indeed fulfilled. Today's meeting actually gathered more than one-third of the students - it seemed like there were three or four hundred people in total. At first, the students sat silently in the dimly lit and shabby auditorium, listening to Principal Jiang's speech. His speech did not seem like a living person expressing his thoughts and opinions, but rather like a radio broadcasting a mediocre article lacking literary flair. All he could be heard saying loudly was: "Today, seeing so many fellow students gathered together, I am extremely delighted."

  "Now the situation is unstable and there are many rumors outside. For your future, for the honor of our school, and also because of the orders from our superiors, I want to have a sincere talk with you all today..."

  "Talk! Talk! Don't waste time!" A student suddenly shouted from the crowd. Principal Jiang, standing on the stage, hastily pulled out a stack of documents from his large leather bag, extracted one sheet, glanced at Hu Shi, the head of the Chinese Department, who was standing beside him, and then loudly read from the document: "Recently, the Ministry of Education has issued an order, which I will now read to you all...". He cleared his throat and continued in a loud voice: "Nowadays, the national crisis is severe. Various schools in Beijing have repeatedly expressed their patriotic sentiments. The government and society have taken note of this. However, our goals and actions must not be contradictory. This is what young patriots should reflect on. From now on, any student strikes, demonstrations, or off-campus activities must be dissuaded by your teachers. Such unruly behavior..."

  "Report!" Just as he read to this point, a sharp and indignant voice suddenly interrupted Principal Jiang Menglin's speech. Then, Zhang Lianrui, who was stout, jumped up and pointed at the white gauze on his head, loudly questioning the principal standing on the stage: "Principal, you have always advocated for justice, so what does it mean that you come to read us this kind of inverted and distorted order? Is it a violation of discipline for students with bare hands and empty fists to express their patriotic passion and protest against the traitors who sold out our northern territory at a low price? Why did many innocent students like me suffer serious injuries, but the Ministry of Education does not condemn those traitors and national scoundrels, nor does it seek justice and revenge for its own students? Instead, it falsely accuses our righteous patriotic behavior as a violation of discipline?!... Principal Jiang, please answer!"

  "Answer! Answer!" Zhang Lianrui's voice had just faded away when a thunderous chorus of "answers" erupted from every corner of the auditorium.

  Jiang Menglin stood on the stage, his thin face illuminated by the faint light, looking even more haggard and sallow. His hand holding the order trembled incessantly. He clenched his lips in indignation, glaring at the students seated below for a while before suppressing the anger that had just risen to his head. Just as he was about to say something, an even louder shout erupted from below: "Principal Jiang, the Japanese detained you, the principal of this prestigious university, for three hours! Don't you feel indignant? Aren't you ashamed?"

  "Principal Chiang, you should plead for the people's lives and support students' righteous actions. You shouldn't fawn on the authorities just to keep your own position!"

  “………”

  The auditorium erupted into chaos. Although several student cadres shouted "Quiet!"

  "The meeting is on!" But the angry crowd of students was like a bursting volcano, with waves of uncontrollable flames surging out! The entire auditorium erupted in verbal attacks against Principal Jiang Menglin - one wave of questioning after another.

  The principal, Chiang, and the other school officials stood frozen like wooden chickens on the stage. They silently watched the boiling students below. When the noise had slightly subsided, Hu Shi, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a refined woolen scarf, pushed Principal Chiang aside and took his place, loudly speaking: "Fellow students, Principal Chiang has a heart that worries about the country and its people, don't misunderstand him. You've been on strike for almost a week now, how can this continue? Are you students or politicians? To save the nation requires real abilities. With empty hands, distributing flyers, shouting slogans, and causing trouble for half a day, who gets hurt? Who gets beaten? Who gets arrested and thrown in jail? Aren't they all you young, ignorant student youths? Our central government must use strategy and tactics when dealing with Japan, we can't just be brave and reckless. So I advise you that even when being patriotic, one should consider the method, find the correct path..."

  As he was talking, some students in the crowd had already shouted "Nonsense!" and "Rubbish!". When he mentioned "finding the right way", hundreds of students suddenly stood up and loudly shouted: "Get out! No one wants to listen to your nonsense! Hu Shi, the running dog of the Nationalist Party, get out!"

  After all, Dr. Hu Shi's temperament is different from others. Facing these students who insulted him in the face, he not only didn't get angry like Jiang Menglin, but instead, with a majestic momentum, he swung his scarf backwards and put his hands on his waist, just like a hero on the stage, shouting loudly to the audience: "I am a university professor appointed by the government, why should I leave?... I won't leave! I won't leave!"

  "Beat this shameless running dog!" The angry shouts from the audience still shook Dr. Hu on stage. He saw that things were not looking good - people in the audience had already rushed onto the stage. This clever doctor immediately pulled up Principal Jiang Menglin and nodded to a few gentlemen beside him: "Let's go, let's go!"

  He rushed upstairs while still talking to Principal Jiang, who was walking beside him with a gloomy expression: "Playing the lute to a cow - why play the lute to a cow! ... Hurry up! Menglin hurry up!"

  At the moment when Hu Shi shouted "Don't roll" and was pulled up by Li Huaiying to stand among the crowd, Deng Yunxuan let out a long sigh beside Lin Daojing and whispered in her ear: "You won! It's absolutely right to go on strike and protest! How humiliating for the literati! How humiliating for the literati!……"

  When Lin Daojing walked out of the North Big Three Institute's gate amidst a crowd of excited people, Wang Xiaoyan suddenly appeared from nowhere and tightly grabbed her arm. Her face flushed red as she whispered: "Your views are right! It's better to attend this meeting. Otherwise, how could Hu Shi be so humiliated?!"

  At this time, Hou Rui and Wu Yuping, Liu Li also walked over. They didn't talk to Dao Jing, but from the eyes they cast at Dao Jing - that excited and approving gaze - it seemed to say the same thing: "Your idea is great... look, our Beida students are not lagging behind!"

  Dào Jìng also looked at them but didn't say a word. However, her eyes replied to them: "Once the masses rise up, what kind of evil spirits can escape being swept away?"