1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 355: Spending Three Million Taels! I'm Not Interested in Money!

The huge success of "Bugs" was within Li Qiwei's expectations.

After all, it is a classic work produced a hundred years later, and its creative style and thinking are completely beyond the imagination of people of this era.

Coupled with Li Qiwei's own influence as a leading scientist, it is hard for him not to be famous.

And now a large-scale war has broken out in Europe, which gives the novel a more special meaning.

Even in Asia today, the novel still causes a huge sensation.

It's not because of its implicit anti-war ideology, but because it's simply beautiful.

It is popular because it looks good.

The brilliance of "Bugs" is not limited by ethnicity, region or belief.

Whether it is India, the Land of Cherry Blossoms, or China, everyone can experience the excitement of science fiction.

China, Peking.

After entering the Republic of China, the atmosphere of the entire China was completely different from that of the Qing Dynasty.

The biggest characteristic is openness, and the willingness to integrate with the West and absorb Western culture.

Therefore, many Western thoughts and literary works were also introduced.

Coupled with Li Qiwei's more than ten years of education and training, especially the advancement of science and technology.

It can be said that the number of people paying attention to Western science and technology is many times more than before.

May 1915, Ministry of Education.

Zhou Yucai, 34 years old this year, is a clerk in the Ministry of Education.

The so-called assistant is in charge of some affairs of each department or bureau, and his status is slightly higher than that of the section chief.

He was a middle-to-lower-level official in the central system of the Nationalist government.

Therefore, Zhou Yucai can only be considered to be doing averagely.

He went to study in the country of Sakura more than ten years ago, first studying mining and then switching to medicine.

Later, due to the stimulation of war, he felt that studying medicine was useless, so he resolutely gave up medicine and turned to literature.

While studying in the Country of Sakura, like all the aspiring people in China, he believed that if China wanted to be revived, it must seek true knowledge from the West.

Many of them have turned their attention to the fields of popular science and science fiction.

Thanks to the science and technology newspaper founded by Li Qiwei, scientific and technological articles now have a fertile ground for dissemination in China.

However, Ridgway's newspapers targeted the most cutting-edge science in Europe.

Because it is too high-end, it is very far away from ordinary people.

Therefore, large-scale popularization of science becomes very important.

Science fiction is a very popular means of popularizing science.

Many progressive intellectuals have worked hard to translate Western science fiction classics and introduce them to China.

They even created their own works, but the content was not very good.

Zhou Yucai is one of them. He has a good knowledge of science and is a senior science fiction fan.

As early as when he was studying abroad in Sakura Country, he read Jules Verne's "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea".

It can be said that Verne opened the door to science fiction for him.

Zhou Yucai read with great interest, and later he read all the translated versions available on the market.

Unable to wait any longer, he decided to translate it himself.

Zhou Yucai translated Jules Verne's From the Earth to the Moon and Journey to the Center of the Earth and published them in 1903.

Although he was just an unknown international student at that time, he pioneered new territories for the science fiction industry in China.

Soon, he translated several classic science fiction works.

He even wrote a short story himself, introducing Madame Curie's discovery of radium.

This morning, Zhou Yucai had nothing to do, so he prepared to watch "Bugs" for the third time.

He is not very happy with his job.

If Zhou Ziyu hadn't strongly invited him, he would never have come here to work.

Moreover, here, with his personality, he was suppressed and had no hope for his future.

Zhou Yucai has already decided that he will resign after a while.

With the current turmoil in the country, the field of literature is also facing changes.

Zhou Yucai, who claims to be a scholar, would naturally not miss this wonderful world.

The core of this change is the reform of literary texts.

Calling on everyone to abandon writing in classical Chinese and use vernacular Chinese instead.

Because only in this way can cultural knowledge be popularized in China more quickly.

Classical Chinese is obscure and difficult to understand. It can be used for academic research, but it is completely unsuitable for daily writing and communication.

Thinking of this, Zhou Yucai was once again impressed by "Bugs".

"Li Qiwei is indeed a genius."

“He actually writes in vernacular Chinese.”

"Although the writing is a little bit poor, it reads smoothly and is of first-class standard."

Although Zhou Yucai was arrogant and looked down on everyone, he often belittled other people's articles.

But when it comes to Li Qiwei's novel, he can't find any fault with it.

This novel is definitely the best novel he has ever read.

No matter how you evaluate it, it crushes all other novels.

"China is indeed a land of outstanding people and beautiful scenery."

"To think that a person like Li Qiwei could emerge."

"Science crushes all Western countries, and even writing novels is the best in the world."

Suddenly, Zhou Yucai sighed again:
"What a pity! If he had written something critical of current affairs, it would have been much more interesting."

At this time, another person came into the office and said with a smile:

"Our great scholar Zhou is worrying about the country and the people again."

"Tell me, who do you want to write an article about today?"

"Hahaha."

The man's name is Xu Shoushang. He is only 32 years old, but he is already the director of a department in the Ministry of Education.

And it is said that he will be promoted soon.

Compared with Zhou Yucai, there is a world of difference.

However, he and Zhou Yucai had a very good personal relationship. They had been good friends since they worked in the Ministry of Education in Nanjing.

After moving to Peking, they continued to be colleagues.

Therefore, there was no politeness between the two of them, and their conversation was as casual as that of old friends.

Zhou Yucai smiled and said, "How can I be qualified to worry about the country and the people?"

"I'm now reduced to reading science fiction novels."

Xu Shoushang shook his head helplessly when he heard this.

He knew the temper of his good friend, who could be described as a thorn in the flesh and had very few friends in the Ministry of Education.

In this situation, how can we continue to climb up?

Xu Shoushang knew that his friend was not interested in this, so he stopped worrying about him.

He joked:

"Oh, so you were watching 'Bugs'."

"Why, do you even look down on the works of the famous Professor Li Qiwei?"

Zhou Yucai closed the book, looked at Xu Shoushang and said:
"How dare I slander Professor Li's work."

“They have far surpassed me in every aspect.”

"It's a pity to say that when Li Qiwei returned to China, I was studying in Sakura Country."

"When I came back, he went to England again."

"It's a pity that I haven't been able to meet him yet."

"This is a rare genius that only appears once in a century. I really want to communicate with him."

Xu Shoushang never expected that his friend who had always been so arrogant would actually admit that he was not as skilled as others.

He smiled and said:

"Now the country is almost promoting Li Qiwei as a literary leader."

“His influence was so huge.”

"Especially the Ministry of Education. Almost all of those old people from the Qing Dynasty have been indebted to him."

"If Li Qiwei were to become the Minister of Education, I guarantee that those old-timers would be able to obey him."

Zhou Yucai curled his lips and sneered.

"What kind of status and position does he have? He has already started building a science city in Borneo. Why would he care about an education minister?"

"I think the higher-ups are trying to extort money from them."

Everyone in the ministry knew that Director Fan of the Ministry of Education had visited Europe to attend the Second Bruce Conference.

Everyone guessed that the director went to Li Qiwei to beg for alms.

Because now every Chinese knows that Principal Li treats China's education as his own son.

Not only did they frequently send people to spread advanced educational concepts, but they also served as bridges between China and Europe.

Many well-known Western professors were brought in to China to give lectures.

It can be said that it is a completely innocent heart.

What’s worse, when Director Fan came back, he looked very happy and announced that Professor Li Qiwei would find a way to solve the Ministry of Education’s funding problem.

It is precisely because of this news and achievements that the former Director Fan has now become Deputy Minister Fan.

Seeing his old friend's bad temper, Xu Shoushang could only say helplessly:
"You, if you weren't so mean, you would have had a bright future."

Zhou Yucai didn't care at all. He only cared about feeling good while cursing.

"By the way, what are you doing here? I saw you looked anxious just now."

Xu Shoushang slapped his forehead and said quickly:
"I was so busy chatting with you that I almost forgot about the important matter."

"The latest news I just got is that there's an uproar in the country right now."

"Just read the newspaper."

After that, Xu Shoushang handed the latest issue of "Shen Bao" to Zhou Yucai.

There was a big headline on the front page: Professor Li Qiwei spent a huge amount of money and donated it to Europeans!

Wow!
The country is in an uproar.

The situation abroad is even more exciting.

It turns out that Li Qiwei publicly announced yesterday that he would donate all the author's profits from the novel "Bugs" to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The funds will be used to help those displaced by the war.

Among them, Li Qiwei particularly emphasized that the donated funds must be used first for out-of-school children and their education.

Moreover, the ICRC must publish the details of all funds used and their purpose.

Otherwise, he reserves the right to recover.

In response, the International Committee of the Red Cross publicly stated that they would introduce a third-party regulatory agency.

Specifically supervise the use of this fund to ensure it is used for peaceful purposes.

According to conservative estimates, the donation this time will be as high as 5 pounds, which is definitely a huge fortune.

When the news came out, the whole of Europe was shocked.

Although 5 pounds is a huge sum of money, it is not particularly much for those century-old families in Europe.

Almost all the wealthy people and big companies can take it out.

But being able to take it out and being willing to donate it are two different things.

5 in assets and 5 in cash are not the same thing.

The most important thing is that the person who donated the money is Li Qiwei, a Chinese.

What a noble and selfless quality this is.

For a time, everyone praised Li Qiwei and admired him highly.

"God, Professor Bruce has such a broad mind."

"He not only wrote articles and novels to call for peace, but also actively donated money to save those harmed by the war."

"His morality is like the sun in the sky, dazzling and warm."

"He was a true internationalist, a scientist with a broad mind, and he deserves the respect of all of us."

"Professor Bruce's great personality has brought a glimmer of hope and light to this damn war."

"."

Soon after, European countries issued public statements to thank Li Qiwei for his kind gesture.

The British government even said directly: Professor Bruce will always be a good friend of the British people.

The leaders of Cambridge University and King's College London were drooling with envy.

"It would be great if Professor Bruce could donate this much to the school."

"Oh my god, that's £5."

Of course, they could only think about it. After all, Li Qiwei's donation stood at the highest moral point and won the respect of everyone.

Moreover, the power this donation brings to Europeans is endless.

It's completely different from donating to a school.

However, Europeans were of course happy, but the Chinese were collectively angry.

They really couldn't understand why Li Qiwei would donate so much to Europeans at one time.

5 pounds would be more than taels of silver.

What a huge amount of money this is.

Li Qiwei, a Chinese, actually donated so much to foreigners.

Even if it is donated to those poor people whose families have been broken up, many Chinese people still cannot bear it.

"Isn't it possible that Professor Li Qiwei has been bewitched by the Europeans?"

"Or has he developed feelings for them after so many years in Europe?"

"I am really sad. Professor Li Qiwei is my idol. He is the person I admire the most. I never thought he would do such a thing."

“Donating is of course a good thing, but is it really good to donate to foreigners?”

"."

For a time, the Chinese people were filled with doubts and even insults towards Li Qiwei.

Even Zhou Yucai was very confused when he read the contents of the newspaper.

However, he is an elite who has studied abroad after all, so his perspective and depth in looking at issues are naturally different from those of ordinary people.

He thought it was ridiculous to say that someone like Professor Li Qiwei was unpatriotic.

The other party's various behaviors are all open and aboveboard, with a pure heart, which is known to everyone.

He devoted all his energy to the country's education and science and technology.

No one can doubt the sincerity of such a person.

Zhou Yucai said to himself: "I believe Professor Li Qiwei must have his own reasons."
-
Kuching, Borneo.

Inside the president's office of Huangpu University of Technology.

Li Qiwei was sitting in the principal's seat, looking down at the school's teachers, students, and education situation in recent years.

He wants to see which good seedlings are worth cultivating and incorporate them into his own plans when the time comes.

Given the huge scale of the Pangu Project, it can accommodate as many talents as possible.

He Yujie, the real president of Whampoa Polytechnic, was giving a report.

The tone of his report was very confident. Over the years, he has made great contributions to Huangpu University of Technology.

Li Qiwei nodded slightly from time to time with a smile on his face, and he was obviously very satisfied.

After the report was finished, He Yujie looked at Li Qiwei and finally couldn't help but say:

"Principal, um, there are a lot of bad rumors about you out there right now."

After hearing this, Li Qiwei slowly raised his head and said with a chuckle:

"Haha, that's within my expectations."

"Why, do you think I'll be angry?"

He Yujie certainly knew the purpose of Principal Li's donation.

The construction of Borneo Science City has just started, and the Pangaea Project is also being secretly advanced.

It happened that war broke out again in Europe.

This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is a great time for them to develop rapidly.

Donations can greatly enhance Principal Li's personal reputation.

He will be able to gain the friendship of all European countries, attract scientists to the City of Science, and help improve China's scientific and technological level.

Most importantly, it can also reduce Britain's vigilance.

It's simply the best deal.

With the wealth now controlled by Li Qiwei's company, a mere 5 pounds is just a wave in the ocean.

Although his wealth is still far from that of the richest man in the United States, he is definitely a wealthy man.

He Yujie felt a little sorry for the man in front of him.

"The principal's love is too deep."

"The pressure he carries would have crushed anyone else long ago."

"The key is that he is under pressure and cannot be disclosed or explained to anyone. Only a few of us know about it."

"He's a real man."

Before He Yujie could speak, Li Qiwei continued:

"Don't worry, I won't wait to be scolded."

"Yujie, let me ask you, what do you think is rich? What is poverty?"

He Yujie was slightly stunned, not knowing what the principal meant by this question.

But he still answered honestly: "I think we need to define a standard first."

“Only by comparing with this standard can one distinguish between rich and poor.”

Li Qiwei chuckled.

"Someone from the Ministry of Education in China approached me and wanted me to support domestic education."

"Although I will definitely invest money, I also want them to know where the money is worth."

“Without comparison, they lose their reverence and conscience.”

Wow.

He Yujie suddenly realized that the principal's donation had such a meaning.

"No wonder. I was wondering why you asked us to proactively disclose the European donation to the country."

"So that's it."

"This is just great."

"Once people in China know that you are going to donate money to support education, no one will doubt you anymore."

Suddenly, He Yujie asked curiously:
"Well, Principal, how much are you going to donate?"

Li Qiwei smiled slightly, seeming mysterious.

He held up five fingers of his right hand.

"Hiss!" He Yujie took a breath of cold air.
-
A week later, a sudden piece of news made China completely boiling.

Especially the Ministry of Education, all the staff fell into madness.

Li Qiwei publicly stated through major domestic newspapers that he had reached an agreement with the domestic side.

Its subsidiary Shanhe Industrial Group will donate 50 pounds to domestic education.

Including back paying teachers' salaries, building new schools, purchasing teaching materials, etc.

This money, like previous European donations, must be used for its intended purpose.

To this end, Li Qiwei specially hired a British company to supervise the entire process.

No one knows how he talks with the domestic government. This is a top-level secret.

As soon as the news came out, it immediately triggered domestic public opinion.

The previous doubts and insults against Li Qiwei disappeared in an instant.

What followed was an overwhelming wave of praise.

"Oh my God, 50 pounds, that's about 300 million taels of silver, it's simply a mountain of silver."

"Professor Li Qiwei is so rich. Oh my god, I want my children to be scientists in the future."

"I insulted Professor Li before. I am such a piece of shit."

"He donated 5 yuan to foreigners out of humanitarianism, which shows that China is a country of etiquette."

"After all, Professor Li completed all his life's learning in Europe, so he should donate some of it."

"But donating 50 to China shows your patriotism."

"I declare that Professor Ridgway has become my idol again."

It turns out that no matter what era it is, having money makes things easier.

Previously, public opinion was one-sided, with countless people scolding Li Qiwei.

And now, when three million taels of silver came out, everyone was excited.

Among them, the officials from the Ministry of Education are the happiest group of people.

With money, they can do their work better.

Those who have ideals want to build more schools so that more out-of-school children can go to school.

Those who are ambitious want to achieve political achievements and continue to rise in career.

As for corruption?

No one dared to think about it.

The sensation this money caused in the country was so great that anyone with bad intentions would not dare to touch it.

This is the education money for countless children in the country. Anyone who dares to be greedy will be criticized.

Not to mention an official from the Ministry of Education, even the top bosses wouldn’t dare to do that.

After all, the British are not vegetarians.

If it really gets exposed, no one will look good.

This was also what Li Qiwei intended. He wanted to make a big splash so that the money could actually be used for domestic education.

In real history, education during the Republic of China period was indeed terrible.

If even professors at the top institutions of learning can't pay their salaries, one can imagine the situation at other schools.

Li Qiwei's donation further enhanced his reputation in the country.

Half a month later, the Ministry of Education specially sent Zhou Yucai to Borneo to express its gratitude in person.

This is not meant to insult Li Qiwei.

Although Zhou Yucai was just a clerk, the bigwigs inside knew that he and Zhou Ziyu had a close relationship.

Former Minister of Education Zhou Ziyu and Li Qiwei have been friends for more than ten years.

Therefore, sending Zhou Yucai is better than sending high-level officials, and can better demonstrate the country's sincerity.

When Zhou Yucai sat in front of Li Qiwei, he still felt like he was dreaming.

"Such a good opportunity actually fell on my head."

He came to Kuching yesterday and met Professor Li Qiwei, whom he had long admired, and expressed gratitude on behalf of the country.

Zhou Yucai benefited a lot from the conversation with the other party.

In Li Qiwei, he saw the power and vigor of vitality and the development of all things.

Zhou Yucai was even more impressed by the other party's knowledge.

He alone made Kuching a mecca for natural sciences in Asia.

Zhou Yucai felt that it was a huge mistake for him to study abroad in the country of cherry blossoms.

Because students from the Sakura Country will soon come to Borneo to study abroad.

Li Qiwei looked at the dazed man in front of him, with an inexplicable smile on his face.

The other person was not tall, had a signature mustache, and a simple flat head, giving people a very rough feeling.

Li Qiwei took the initiative to smile and said, "Mr. Zhou, don't you want to interview me?"

"It's time to start."

Zhou Yucai was awakened at this moment, "Oh, sorry, Professor Li, I was distracted just now."

Li Qiwei said: "Haha, it's okay."

Zhou Yucai sat upright, smiled, and then asked:
"Professor Li, I'm curious, why are you willing to donate so much money?"

Li Qiwei thought for a while and said with a smile:

"I think a qualified entrepreneur should shoulder certain social responsibilities."

“When the company grows to a certain size, my money no longer belongs to me, but to the whole society.”

Zhou Yucai was stunned. He had never heard of such profound business knowledge.

If a businessman doesn't make money for himself, then why should he make money?

So, he smiled and joked:
"Then Professor Li, if your money is no longer your own, will you still be happy?"

Li Qiwei forced the king to possess him, and replied without hesitation:
"From the time I founded the company in 1902 until now, I have never received a single salary."

"Of course the salary goes to my wife."

“I never touched the money.”

"I'm not interested in money."

"Because the happiest time for me was when I was doing my PhD at Cambridge University and earning £4 a month."

"At that time, I only wanted to study physics, and I was satisfied just reading papers every day."

“With more money, and with wealthier people, comes more responsibility.”

“This wealth is a responsible burden.”

Zhou Yucai: “.”

(End of this chapter)