1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 157: See Yu Shimei, still a familiar taste
On March 1903, 3, Li Qiwei was invited to go to Guangdong Education Commissioner Yu Shimei.

As soon as he went out, he saw Song Daquan waiting at the door. The rickshaw behind him had been wiped clean by him and looked as shiny as new.

After Li Qiwei knew that Song Daquan was Xiang Lan's elder brother, he decided to help him and asked him if he was willing to be his full-time driver.

From now on, I will only pick up and drop off one person, and the price will be settled on a monthly basis, which is 20% higher than the market price.

Song Daquan was immediately overjoyed. With so many people vying for such a good thing, how could he not be willing?

Money is secondary. The key is to drive a car for Li Qiwei. Maybe I can get some cultural experience in the future.

Song Daquan was secretly delighted. He thought that in the future, he would be a cultured person, different from an ordinary rickshaw puller.

But don't think of this as an insult or something unfair to Xiang Lan.

Being a full-time driver for ordinary people might seem a bit repulsive, but it’s different for Li Qiwei.

Is it possible that anyone would find it embarrassing to lead the emperor's horse?

Sitting in Song Daquan's rickshaw, Li Qiwei felt very comfortable. The other party was indeed an experienced driver and was very familiar with all kinds of roads.

After Li Qiwei gave him Yu Shimei's address, he immediately thought of three shortcuts.

The two chatted as they walked.

"Brother Song, in a few years, you won't have to pull this rickshaw anymore. I'll bring a car back from abroad for you to drive."

"That thing is comfortable, and you can drive it while sitting down."

Song Daquan said with a smile: "Third Young Master, are you talking about the kind of car that the Empress Dowager rode in? It is said that it caused quite a stir."

"Wow, it can move on its own without being driven or fed grass. It's really a rare thing."

Li Qiwei smiled and said, "Hey, cars are not a rare thing in Western countries. They will become more and more popular in the future."

"By then, you will be one of the first drivers to learn how to drive a car."

Song Daquan smiled innocently. In fact, he had no idea about cars at all. All he knew was from what he heard from his peers bragging.

Therefore, when Li Qiwei asked him to be a car driver, he only felt that the third young master trusted him very much, but he did not think about the car itself.

Can he learn to drive?

Well, in this day and age, if you don’t have a driver’s license, no one will care about parallel parking, so Song Daquan shouldn’t have any problem.

Hu Xizhong had previously advised Li Qiwei not to drive a car too early, because at present in the Qing Dynasty only Cixi could drive a car, and if others dared to drive it, it would be an act of usurpation.

Li Qiwei doesn't bother with the old woman, he just drives himself and asks Sheng Jingran to buy one from Mercedes-Benz next year.

The two chatted and laughed, and before they knew it, they arrived at Yu Shimei's house.

After letting Song Daquan go around on his own, Li Qiwei knocked on Yu's door alone.

Soon, a servant came to open the door. When he learned that it was Li Qiwei who came, he led him in directly without even notifying anyone.

Li Qiwei understood. It seemed that Yu Shimei thought highly of him.

He looked at Yu Shimei's house carefully. It was called a house, but in fact it was just a small courtyard.

There are only three or four rooms in total, but the layout of the courtyard is unique, with rockery, flowing water, flowers, plants and trees complementing each other.

It seems that Yu Shimei is also a man of elegance and refinement, probably because he is relatively poor.

The poorer your material life is, the richer your spiritual life should appear.

In fact, it has been like this for officials throughout the ages. If you are unwilling to engage in corruption and only rely on your salary, your life will be just so-so.

Although it is much better than ordinary people, it is far inferior to wealthy families.

Most officials must feel unbalanced. What level are you in? You have been worthy of better people than me, the master.

Just as he was daydreaming, a short old man with glasses and a beard came towards him.

Next to him was the servant who had just picked him up.

Li Qiwei knew that the other party should be the Guangdong Provincial Education Commissioner, Yu Shimei.

So he took a step forward and said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: "Junior Li Qiwei, thank you for the invitation from the academician."

Yu Shimei looked carefully at this legendary young man, trying to see what was so different about him that he could be personally recruited by Emperor Guangxu.

The other person was wearing a suit and had his braids cut off. He had a pair of bright eyes and there was no trace of flattery towards him on his face.

He did not use the Qing Dynasty's unique etiquette for meeting officials, but simply bowed slightly to show his respect, which was similar to the foreigners.

He is tall and mighty, with an upright temperament, and he exudes an aggressive aura.

With just one glance, Yu Shimei judged Li Qiwei's personality. He was influenced by Western culture and was independent and unique, just like the reformists in the early years.

Although cutting one's braids was no longer a capital crime these days, many Qing Dynasty students who returned from studying abroad cut their braids when they returned, and there were also many people in the community who cut their braids.

But after all, you, Li Qiwei, still have to serve as an official in the court. Is it really okay to openly oppose the rules of this dynasty like this?

However, he would not say this to his face.

"I've heard that the third young master of the Li family is well-versed in both Chinese and Western culture and has great talent. Seeing him today, I find that his reputation is well-deserved."

"You are so handsome and vigorous, and you are indeed worthy of being someone that His Majesty values."

Li Qiwei said: "You can just call me Qiwei."

"Thank you for your compliment, Mr. Xue. Qiwei has been wandering overseas and has been influenced by foreigners for a long time. Today, he suddenly returns to China. If there are any impoliteness, I hope you will forgive me." Yu Shimei smiled and said, "Qiwei, you worry too much. You and I will serve in the same court in the future, and we will not talk about these empty formalities."

"please!"

After saying that, Yu Shimei took Li Qiwei towards the reception room.

After the tea was served, the two sat down as host and guest and started chatting.

"Qiwei, the reason I invited you this time is to meet you, my future colleague."

"You are too mysterious. England is far away overseas and the news is blocked. Even if you have made many achievements, it is difficult for us to know in time."

“I learned a lot about it through newspapers.”

"But newspapers are called the public's mouthpiece, but in reality they are a reflection of private bias. They are unfair and not good."

Yu Shimei is also very interesting. He obviously wants to cling to Li Qiwei, but he can't save his face because he is more than two years older than the other party and his official position is also higher than the other party.

But status is a complicated thing.

The eunuch beside the emperor holds a low position, but would a provincial governor dare to offend him?

You still have to pay the money, lower your posture, and let the other party say a few good words about you in front of the emperor.

Now Li Qiwei is a favored minister valued by Emperor Guangxu, and he is not comparable to a mere academician.

Although Guangxu did not have real power for the time being, he was still the emperor of the Qing Dynasty after all, and it was only a matter of a word for him to decide Yu Shimei's future.

Therefore, Yu Shimei must want to curry favor with Li Qiwei.

But he wanted to deliberately suppress the opponent, create psychological pressure on Li Qiwei, and then educate him as a senior.

This way, he could establish a relationship with Li Qiwei without appearing too deliberate and losing face.

This brings us to the question just now, I will start by criticizing you.

Yu Shimei's meaning is very clear. Are you, Li Qiwei, really as well-known and successful as advertised in the UK?

I'm afraid he is just a person who has gained fame for nothing.

Yu Xuezheng also put a lot of effort into it. It was all Qinggui's fault.

Li Qiwei thought to himself, good guy, he comes right up to test me.

It’s still that familiar taste, so strong.

Before in the UK, he had always been famous in the field of physics, and he basically dealt with physicists. He was straightforward and there was no small talk.

Now that I'm back in China, it's difficult to communicate with people.

You must first understand the true meaning of other people's words before you can respond calmly, otherwise you will make people laugh.

Li Qiwei was not going to pamper him, so he smiled and said, "I wonder what the academician wants to know?"

Yu Shimei said: "I heard that you, Qiwei, are well versed in physics and have won the Nobel Prize in the West."

"What is this Nobel Prize, and why is it so revered by foreigners?"

In fact, Yu Shimei herself had learned about it privately.

As the academician, although he was responsible for traditional imperial examination education, it did not mean that he knew nothing about Western science.

In real history, after 1903, Yu Shimei served as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Education.

He was in charge of railway construction and visited countries such as Britain, France, Germany and the United States, so he had a deep understanding of the West.

But at the time, his achievements seemed insignificant.

In the end, it was thanks to Li Hongzhang's influence that he was able to rise through the ranks, because he had served as Li Hongzhang's aide for many years.

Now, he was just using this question as a simple test.

Li Qiwei said: "The Tao of Physics is just a branch of the Tao of Western Science. There is also the Tao of Chemistry, the Tao of Biology, and so on."

“The essence of the Tao of physics is to explain the rules that govern the operation of all things in the world.”

"Why does the sun rise and set, why does the moon shine, why does the leaves fall to the ground, why does it rain, and so on."

“These are the questions that the way of physics studies.”

“Although Tao has no size, the results of research can be high or low.”

"I am a humble person, but I have made some achievements in the way of physics, and am temporarily ahead of the great sages of Western countries."

“And the Nobel Prize is awarded to the person with the greatest research achievements.”

"Just like the title of the top scholar is the first in the new class."

After the explanation, Yu Shimei was shocked and thought to himself, you kid are not humble at all.

If you compare yourself directly with the top student in high school, doesn't that mean your achievements are relative to the top student in high school?

It is said that Westerners are straightforward and do not understand the Chinese way of being reserved and introverted. Now it seems to be true.

The other party had only been away for a few years, and after coming back he had learned the foreigners' ways. How could he praise himself?

Yu Shimei's fatherly nature becomes stronger. He wants to use traditional Chinese culture to educate Li Qiwei.

(End of this chapter)