Chapter 2 May's Fresh Flowers (Part 3)

  Until the start of dinner, Zhang Songling was in a daze. The lively Peng Weiwei talked to him for a long time, but he didn't remember any of it. He only remembered that most of the time, Peng Weiwei was asking questions and he was answering. From elementary school to middle school, skipping grades, getting bitten by a snake while digging out bird eggs with the young apprentice from the ironwork shop, to learning calligraphy from Mr. Chen at the bookstore but not putting in effort and being slapped on the palm of his hand... all sorts of things, whether glorious or shameful, were poured out like beans spilling out of a bamboo tube.

  It's no wonder that he had poor self-control. In those years, the social customs of Shandong Province were far from being as open-minded as Shanghai or Beiping. When Zhang Songling was in elementary school, he hadn't even seen what a girl looked like. When he went to the provincial capital for middle school, there were finally three girls wearing blue skirts and canvas shoes in his class, but one of them got married after finishing only one year of high school on her parents' orders. As for the other two, by the time they graduated, Zhang Songling had exchanged fewer than a hundred sentences with them in total, more than 80% of which were things like "Wei Tingting, when can you hand in your homework?" or "Zhao Xiaoli, the teacher wants to see you after school!" - completely devoid of any substance or worth remembering.

  Suddenly encountering a "freak" like Peng Weiwei, he almost refreshed all his understanding of girls of the same age. How could he not feel fresh and interesting?! And for Peng Weiwei, a girl who grew up in a big city since childhood, Zhang Songling, who was slightly awkward, wasn't also a new species?! He didn't resemble his brother, mature and worldly, always weighing the pros and cons in his heart before doing anything; nor did he resemble other Beiping students of the same age, who all liked to point out the scenery, looking down on others. This boy, about her age, had eyes as clear as a small stream, allowing her to see the stones and fish at the bottom with just one glance. His face was clean like a white paper, without any worldly air, straightforward, sincere, reflecting a faint sunlight.

  Even if he was actively showing off, Zhang Songling's approach was extremely unconventional. If his current behavior can be understood as trying to impress the girl, other boys, including Peng Xuewen's university classmates, would try their best to appear perfect in front of Peng Weiwei. They would all talk about their glorious and impressive past experiences. Even someone from a prestigious school like Beida would likely be considered an outstanding talent from their hometown, with each person having similar impressive stories. Only Zhang Songling, perhaps because he hadn't learned how to show off in front of girls yet, talked about completely unremarkable trivial things, including his own embarrassing moments.

  Two young people were sharing their joy without any reserve, but they couldn't escape the eyes of others. Soon, Peng Xuewen discovered the little tail next to his sister and raised an eyebrow in alarm, suddenly raising his voice: "Little Zhang, I just heard Shi Tou say that you're very good at math, is that true?! I know a professor named Shen who has a great reputation both domestically and internationally. If you have a letter of recommendation from the principal of Provincial No. 1 Middle School, when things settle down, I can take you to visit him in advance!"

  "I, oh, Brother Peng is asking me? I'm just faster at mental math! Our family runs a small business, and I've been helping my brother with the accounts since I was young!" Zhang Songling initially didn't hear it, but after being secretly kicked under the table by Lu Ming, he came back to his senses and naturally gave an irrelevant answer.

  "Pfft!" Tian Ruyu spat out the tea he hadn't finished drinking, directly onto his front lapel. He turned his head and started coughing violently. The other members of the Blood Flower Society also struggled to hold back their laughter, looking at Zhang Songling's bewildered face, and took turns speaking up for him, "He really is skilled in mental math, for numbers under four digits, he doesn't even need an abacus, he can just give you the result directly."

  "The principal of National No. 1 Middle School only issues ten recommendation letters each year, and he's the top student in his grade, so it's a given that he'll get one!"

  "Entering the world is also a subject of study! We, who read books, most detest closed-door carriages!" Poker-faced Fang Guoqiang rarely praised Zhang Songling with a sentence, although some words didn't quite convey his meaning.

  In front of so many people from the Blood Flower Society, Peng Xuewen couldn't directly say, "Hey, stupid kid, can you please stay away from my sister?" Doing so would not only make his old friend Zhou Ju lose face, but also wouldn't gain him any benefits in front of his own sister. However, he really couldn't stand Zhang Songling's behavior of staring at women with unblinking eyes, and chuckled, continuing: "Having a letter of recommendation is good, having a letter of recommendation is good. Our Beida, the math department is really hard to get into. In previous years' admissions, out of twenty people, it's not guaranteed that even one can get in. Unlike other departments, as long as you don't perform too badly on the spot, there's always a glimmer of hope left!"

  "I, I haven't thought it through yet, which university and department to apply for!" Zhang Songling originally wanted to confess that he hadn't decided whether to apply to a university in Beiping or Nanjing's Central University. But seeing the students from Beiping at the next table pricking up their ears to listen, he cautiously changed his words.

  This hit the wrong target, making Peng Xuewen's prepared attacking words lose their mark. The latter was so choked that his eyes were steaming with smoke, and he could only force a smile and say: "Then you must work harder. If you choose a subject you don't like, it will be painful to read, and after graduation, it will be easy to have no use for what you've learned. It's better to waste several years of time!"

  "Hey, brother, do you only know how to lecture people all day?! " Before Zhang Songling could speak, Peng Weiwei took over the conversation. "He's following Shi Tou Gege, what questions can't he ask? And it's your turn to go on and on here?!"

  "I'm concerned about him, aren't I? He's so young, it can't be a bad thing for him to listen to some advice from someone with experience!" Peng Xuewen furrowed his brow and explained with great grievance.

  "Everyone has their own choices, your experiences may not be applicable!" Peng Weiwei didn't know how to give her brother face at all and bluntly struck back.

  Peng Xuewen just wanted to divert Zhang Songling's attention from his own sister. As for whether the experience was useful or not, it was not within his scope of concern. Seeing that his purpose had been achieved, he shook his head and smiled: "Alright, alright, you say it's useless then it's useless. Let's not talk about these things today, let's talk about something interesting! Come on, everyone, let's have a drink first to celebrate that we all didn't sleep on the streets tonight!"

  "Cheers!" Thinking of the hardship of finding an inn tonight, students from all over the south and north raised their cups.

  The wine was authentic Hebei Laobai Gan, with a very strong flavor. As soon as it entered the mouth, it was like a ball of fire, burning from the throat to the belly button. After just one cup of wine, Zhang Songling's face immediately turned red like pig liver color. Looking at other companions, they were all flushed and embarrassed, but no one would admit that their drinking capacity was not good, holding up the already empty wine glass, and letting the male waiter next to them refill it again.

  "We didn't study in the same city, yet we meet face to face today. What a coincidence! I propose that for today's encounter, let's have another drink!" Peng Xuewen was very good at socializing and his reason for drinking was also something that everyone couldn't refuse.

  A group of students from Xuehua Society went to Beiping to join the army, with a determination to die. So, in their daily lives, they had long abandoned those rules that they used to force themselves to follow. Seeing Peng Xuewen and other Beiping students raise their cups, they also didn't want to show weakness and drank up all the wine in their cups.

  "I propose..."

  "Dry..."

  What was the reason for the third cup of wine, Zhang Songling had already completely lost his hearing. He only felt dizzy, his legs went soft, and his five internal organs were churning in his stomach.

  Han Qiu sat close to him, saw his crimson face and understood that he might not have drunk before. He stretched out his chopsticks to pick a piece of bamboo shoot for him and reminded him very considerately: "Don't drink so fast, eat some dishes first. The food here is expensive, but the chef's craftsmanship is really good!"

  "Thanks, thanks Sister Han!" Zhang Songling felt a bit embarrassed, and responded with a smile, starting to look for his favorite dishes on the table.

  As Han Qiu said, the chef of Peace Restaurant was indeed first-rate. Especially for Zhang Songling, who was usually frugal and thrifty, everything on the table at this moment could be called a delicacy. After a few bites, he temporarily forgot about his stomach discomfort, and after picking up a few more chopsticks, even Peng Weiwei beside him almost forgot.

  Found that the silly boy was no longer getting close to his own sister, Peng Xuewen also didn't take Zhang Songling as a target. He smiled and had a few cups of wine with everyone, and then started talking about some idle chatter from all over the world.

  Zhou Ju and others also responded with a smile. Soon, the two groups of students became familiar with each other, clinking cups and drinking until they were tipsy. As they talked, they started discussing the price of the hotel, and couldn't help but curse the restaurant owner for making a fortune during difficult times. Then, naturally, they began to criticize the Peace Hotel's awkwardly designed gatehouse, their smiles tinged with disdain.

  "There's another story about this thing!" Peng Xuewen deliberately lowered his voice and said mysteriously.

  "What's the story?!" The crowd had been tired all day, and after drinking a few cups of strong wine, their heads were a bit dizzy. Hearing Peng Xuewen speak mysteriously, they couldn't help but ask in low voices.

  "We arrived almost half a day earlier than you, and previously we thought this inn was expensive, so we went out for a walk. Then, we heard about this anecdote!" Peng Xuewen waved his hand to dismiss the servant, then said with a smile while shaking his head, "This restaurant wasn't originally a restaurant, but a villa built by some high-ranking official in his hometown!"

  "Villa?!" The crowd furrowed their brows, their faces filled with incredulity. "How could a villa be built in such a way?!"

  "Hey, don't be in a hurry, listen to me!" Peng Xuewen tapped his wine cup with chopsticks, overjoyed. "That guy followed Yuan Shikai back then and made great contributions, so he was sent to the Ministry of Finance to make some money. Coincidentally, the Beiyang government was preparing to import a batch of military equipment from Germany and needed the Ministry of Finance to approve the expenditure, so he took the opportunity to go on an inspection tour in Europe. Back and forth, he stayed in hotels and restaurants all the way. Suddenly, he had a brilliant idea - to build a high-rise building like this back home, and move his whole family into it, with each person having their own room. The higher the generation, the higher the floor they lived on; the lower the generation, the lower the floor...and so on..."

  "Haha, unexpectedly, there are still people like this..." Before he could finish his sentence, the students burst out laughing, shaking their heads gently as they chuckled.

  Here is the translation:

  "The people below also flattered him, and immediately invited French designers and German engineers. In no time, the building was completed. Just as a big family was about to move in, someone suddenly said that true nobles live in medieval castles. This kind of multi-story hotel is actually built for people without status. He felt humiliated and scolded his subordinates, demanding that they immediately demolish the building and rebuild a castle on the same site. Before demolition began, Yuan Shikai died, and he was forced to retire after failing to curry favor with the new ruler. When he returned and saw the small building again, he thought, 'It's idle anyway,' so he decided to open an inn instead. Nestled in the mountains and by the water, it was also a place for spiritual retreat. Later, the Beiyang government changed cabinets frequently, and every time there were countless people who lost their jobs. With nowhere else to go, they all flocked to Huluyugou, waiting by the railway for new opportunities from Beijing. As a result, this inn unexpectedly became famous, hosting many big shots..."

  No wonder Little Hu's boss talks so big! The students listened and laughed, shrugging their shoulders. The country has fallen to such a state, and it is not unrelated to the bullying and plundering of powerful countries. But the main problem lies with our own people. Those who have risen to power only care about benefiting their families, and they are all limited in their vision. This joke about building a hotel like a villa is just one of the most ordinary and harmless ones. The rest, such as buying outdated industrial equipment and weapons as advanced technology, are even more common.

  "So, to change this country, the most important thing is not how to strengthen its limbs." Peng Xuewen put away his smile and turned the conversation to the topic he had been planning for a long time. Even if the four limbs are well-developed, but the brain is empty, it's just a head that can be slaughtered by others. Only when the brain truly absorbs the knowledge of the strong powers, views the world with the perspective of the strong powers, and governs this country, can we wipe out the shame of the past hundred years!"

  "Peng's words indeed make some sense!" The crowd of students raised their wine cups, seemingly understanding yet not. Only Peng Xuewen's good friend Zhou Ke turned his face to look at him, as if deep in thought.

  "So, please allow me to say something bold." With a few cups of wine in him, Peng Xuewen turned his gaze towards Zhou Ju and faced him calmly. "Brother Zhou taking everyone to Beiping at this time may not be suitable. Why don't we head south together instead? We can go to Nanjing..."

  "What...” Before he could finish his sentence, Fang Guoqiang had already jumped up, pointing his finger straight at Peng Xuewen's nose tip, "The enemy is currently blocking the outside of Beiping City, what do you want us to go to Nanjing for?!"