Chapter Eleven

  Liang Zhongguo gazed at Lian's receding back, saying: "I can tell from the way Senior Lian recited this poem that he is extremely lonely."

  "I think it's because he has no one to accompany him that he's like this."

  "Huang Xiangsu didn't understand and asked: "Liang Gege, who wrote the poem that Lian Qianbei just recited?"

  Liáng Zhōngguó deliberately exaggerated his surprise and said: "Xiāng Sù, how is it that you don't even know this poem? Didn't your teacher teach you?"

  "Are you aware of it?" Huang Xiangsu said with a pout.

  Li Chongguang smiled complacently and said, "Of course I know."

  Huang Xiangsu said: "Xiao Zhen, do you know?"

  Xiao Zhen nodded and said, "I know."

  "Huang Xiangsu said: 'Can you tell me what the poem that Lian Qianbei recited means?'"

  Liang Zhongguo frowned and said: "Xiang Su, you weren't supposed to ask me, why did you go ask Xiao Zhen again?"

  "Huang Xiangsu hummed: 'I see your behavior and I don't want to ask for your advice anymore.'"

  Liang Zhongguo shook his head uninterestingly, and Xiao Zhen explained with a smile: "The poem that the senior just recited is 'Traveler's Night Thoughts' by Du Fu. The meaning of the poem is: A gentle breeze blows across the fine grass on the riverbank, and a small boat stands tall in the night, lonely and moored. The stars hang low in the sky, making the plain seem vast; the moonlight ripples with the waves, and the Yangtze River flows eastward. Am I famous for my writings? Even if I'm old and sick, I should retire from office. What am I drifting around like? Like a solitary sandpiper between heaven and earth. This poem was written by Du Fu when he left Chengdu Caotang with his family, took a boat downstream, and drifted along the Minjiang River and Yangtze River. The poet first describes the scene and then expresses his emotions, writing about the scenery with an extraordinary atmosphere, and expressing his emotions in a desolate and bleak tone. The last two sentences use metaphor to deeply express the poet's feelings of drifting without dependence, touching people deeply."

  Li Chongguo praised: "Xiao Zhen, you know it's quite detailed."

  Xiao Zhen said with a humble tone: "It's nothing much, I think you can also tell that it's this detailed."

  Li said with a smile: "I'm different from you, I specialize in studying ancient poetry, so naturally I know more details than ordinary people. You're a university student who learns much more than me, but still knows the details of ancient poetry, it's clear that you're exceptional."

  Xiao Zhen said with a smile: "I just spent the time you practiced martial arts on studying instead."

  "Huang Xiangsu inserted a sentence: 'Liang brother, where are we going to play now?'"

  Liáng Zhōngguó shook his head and said, "Xiāng Sù, I don't want to play around anymore. I want to go home and practice Baguazhang. If I don't go home and absorb the essence of Baguazhang, then it's all for nothing."

  Huang Xiangsu let out a disappointed sigh. She had originally expected to have a fun day out in Beiping with Liang Zhongguo, but who would have thought it would end like this? Her mood was naturally low, but Huang Xiangsu didn't blame anyone else, she could only blame herself for being jealous and causing things to develop in this direction. She said: "Liang gege, I'll work hard, I believe you can defeat that little devil Zhang Zhiyuan."

  "And me."

  Liang Zhongguo smiled and said: "I also believe." As they spoke, the three of them walked out of the alley and onto the street.

  Xiao Zhen said: "Liang Zhongguo, I want to go home."

  Liáng Zhōngguó said: "Xiāo Zhuàn, don't be in a hurry, why don't you come to my place and sit for a while, and have lunch too?"

  Xiao Zhen declined: "No, I'd better go home."

  Liáng Zhōngguó suddenly touched Xiāo Zhēn's belly with his hand, and Xiāo Zhēn couldn't help but let out a soft "ah". The former frowned and said: "Xiāo Zhēn, look, your belly has already been kicked by Táng Zhì Yú. There are many medicinal wines at my place, go get some to rub on it."

  Xiao Zhen thought of his own home without medicinal wine, so he said: "Okay."

  Huang Xiangsu said: "Xiao Zhen, don't you want to inform your parents? Otherwise they will worry."

  "My parents both died when I was twelve years old."

  Huang Xiangsu was taken aback and asked curiously: "What's the reason? Did he die of illness?"

  Xiao Zhen shook his head and said: "You're half right. My mother died of a cerebral hemorrhage, my father was a miner who died in an accident."

  Huang Xiangsu smiled wryly and said, "I didn't expect your life to be more miserable than mine. Although my mother died of liver disease, at least my father is still alive. You're really a hapless person."

  Li Chongguo asked: "Xiao Zhen, where did your tuition come from?"

  Xiao Zhan explained: "I only have my parents in the world. After they passed away, I worked part-time jobs to support my tuition fees."

  Liang Zhongguo patted Xiao Zhen's shoulder and said, "You're really not easy to live with."

  Xiao Zhen smiled and said: "I just think that this is heaven's way of tempering me, I feel that I am living a very fulfilling life."

  Li said: "Tomorrow is New Year's Day, are you going to work too?"

  Xiao Zhen said: "Yes, during the New Year, working overtime will pay much more than usual. I must go to work. How do you plan to spend the New Year?"

  Liáng Zhōngguó said: "I'll just stay at home and practice Baguazhang, striving to reach perfection as soon as possible." Then Liáng Zhōngguó continued with a smile: "The day after tomorrow is the first day of the new year, I have something big to do."

  "Huang Xiangsu asked strangely: 'Brother Liang, what big thing are you going to do?'"

  Liáng Zhōngguó smiled and said: "I'm going to teach the 29th Army knife skills, the day after tomorrow Sòng Zhéyuán will personally come to my home to invite me, just thinking about it makes me happy."

  Huang Xiangsu said: "Liáng Gēgē, how can you teach the 29th Army knife method?"

  Li Guoneng explained: "It was just yesterday that Xiao Zhen made a disturbance during the parade, Song Zheyuan himself led troops to suppress it. I took advantage of the opportunity to invite Song Zheyuan to my home. He first suggested that my father teach the 29th Army knife techniques, but I volunteered to be the teacher instead. So I had a competition with Song Zheyuan and the soldiers of the 29th Army, passed the test, and will teach them knife techniques the day after tomorrow."

  "Huang Xiangsu said with half-belief and half-doubt: 'Liáng Gēgē, you wouldn't be bragging, would you?'"

  Li Chong said with a scowl: "Am I that kind of person?"

  Xiao Zhen Dao said: "Liang Zhongguo, can I also go with you to teach the 29th Army knife skills?"

  Liáng Zhōngguó asked: "Xiāo Zhēn, are you skilled in knife techniques?"

  Xiao Zhen shook her head and said, "No, I just want to go take a look at the excitement too."

  Li Chongguang said with a smile: "Alright, then you come to my place the day after tomorrow early, I think Song Zheyuan will also bring you along."

  Xiao Zhen happily hummed in agreement, and Liang Zhongguo continued: "Xiao Zhen, don't always oppose Song Zheyuan."

  Xiao Zhen furrowed his brow and said, "China, actually I didn't want to oppose Song Zheyuan either. I was just promoting resistance against Japan, but then Song Zheyuan suppressed us, that's why I opposed him."

  Li Guoniu said, "I think Song Zheyuan doesn't really want to suppress you all. He's doing this for the greater good. As an official and a military man, he has to follow politics and can't be emotional like you students. He also has his difficulties."

  Xiao Zhen said: "China, it seems that your evaluation of Song Zhuyu is still quite high."

  Liáng Zhōngguó said: "To be honest, Sòng Zhéyuán is not a traitor, but he's also not a weakling. During his time in power, no matter what you say, he didn't do anything to betray the country for personal gain. This determination alone deserves admiration."

  Huang Xiangsu also said: "Brother Liang is right, Song Zheyuan after all commanded the Battle of Xifengkou and the Great Wall War, I believe he is not a bad person."

  Xiao Zhen sighed: "My evaluation of Song Zheyuan is not so high. Although Song Zheyuan has an unyielding national spirit, he has been stationed in Beiping, Tianjin, Hebei and Chahar for many years without a direct confrontation with the Japanese army, which shows that his mind still has deep militarism, extremely preserving his strength. He also yields to politics. I think Song Zheyuan cannot become the backbone of anti-Japanese resistance. Moreover, I don't like people who are good at playing politics and being opportunistic, so I'm not very fond of Song Zheyuan."

  Li Chong said with a smile: "How can evaluating someone mix personal emotional factors into it?"

  Xiao Zhen smiled and said, "Forget it, let's not talk about who is right or wrong anymore. Let's change the subject." Huang Xiangsu suddenly said, "Liang brother, what do we do with the photos taken by this camera?"

  Li Chongyu patted his forehead and said: "I almost forgot about the camera, of course I'll take it to the photo studio to develop it."

  So the three of them went to a photo studio on their way to Liang Zhongguo's home and had the film developed. After Liang Zhongguo paid, the owner said to come back for the photos in a day, so Liang Zhongguo took the receipt and left.

  The three of them left the photo studio and walked for a while before finally arriving at Liang Zhongguo's home. The door to Liang Zhongguo's house was tightly closed, but he took out a golden key and opened it, allowing the three of them to enter.

  Liáng Zhōngguó originally wanted to rush straight to the room to apply the medicinal wine, but in the courtyard he met his mother Chéng Chángyīng, who said with a serious expression: "Zhòng'ér, hurry up and go to the main hall, your father is waiting for you there."

  "Mother, what's going on?" asked Liang Zhongguo.

  Changying said: "Zhong Er, it's hard to say clearly for the time being, you'll understand when you see your father, in short, you've made a mistake."

  "Mother, what have I done wrong?"

  Changying glared at Liang Zhongguo and said, "You still don't admit it, you'll know when you see your dad."

  Li Chong said with a smile to Huang Xiangsu and Xiao Zhen, "You two come along with me too. If there are outsiders present, my father might scold me less severely."

  Xiao Zhenyi said: "China, I'm willing to help with this."

  "Huang Xiangsu scolded: 'If I had known you would make such a mistake, why did I even bother?'"

  Changying nodded in agreement: "Xiangsu, you're right."

  Liáng Zhōngguó glanced at his mother Chéng Chángyīng and Huáng Xiāngsù, then walked uninterestedly ahead to the main hall, with the other three following closely behind him.

  Arriving at the hall, Liang Zhongguo saw his father Liang Liangfeng talking to someone. The two were seated and chatting, but when Liang Liangfeng saw his son Liang Zhongguo arrive, he immediately stopped speaking with the other person and gazed coldly at Liang Zhongguo.

  Liáng Zhōngguó felt a great sense of wonder, thinking to himself when he had pierced the sky and didn't even know it. The person saw Liáng Zhōngguó and stood up, asking: "Are you Liáng Zhōngguó?"

  Li Chong nodded and said: "Yes, who are you?"

  Liāng Liàngfēng shouted: "Zhōng ér, don't be so impudent! This is Wáng Lěngzhāi, the Inspector of the Third Administrative District of Hebei Province and the Magistrate of Wān Píng County. You should hurry up and greet him!"