Training the Heavens

Chapter 293 Got it
After returning to his home in Shaoxing, Zhang Fuqing was naturally happy to see his children whom he had not seen for a long time. He quickly ordered a table for dinner and the whole family reunited. Zhang Xingjiu then stayed at home, accompanying his parents while waiting for Ma Xiangbo's notification.

The next day after returning home, Zhang Xingjiu went to visit Mr. Shou Jingwu. The old man is still in good health and continues to teach students at Sanwei Bookstore. He was very happy to see Zhang Xingjiu back and took the opportunity to ask him many questions about European and American countries.

Hearing that countries like Britain, France, Germany and the United States have become so developed, Shou Jingwu was also sighing. The great powers are becoming more and more powerful, and the court is so foolish. What will happen in the future?

Then he asked about Zhang Xingjiu's plans. Zhang Xingjiu answered truthfully, "A few days ago, my father-in-law planned to sell all 3,000 acres of land at home. He would use the money to build a school to teach new knowledge. I also want to follow him and teach students Western scientific knowledge."

"The foreigners have strong ships and powerful guns. We really must learn from them, but..." Shou Jingwu stopped mid-sentence. He was conflicted. On the one hand, he felt that he should learn from the foreigners' scientific achievements, but if he did that, how much of what he had learned would he actually be able to use? Would the young people of the future still learn these things from him?
The tide of the times is mighty and powerful. If you can't keep up, you will be left behind. Zhang Xingjiu is unable to solve Shou Jingwu's problem and can only wish his teacher good health. In this way, perhaps he can still see the time when China gradually gets better.

Shou Pengfei is now increasingly unwilling to stay in Sanwei Book House. However, every time the imperial examination comes, Shou Jingwu keeps a close eye on him and does not allow him to take the exam. Shou Pengfei can't think of a solution for a while.

After leaving Sanwei Bookstore, Zhang Xingjiu went to visit A ​​Zhang's mother again. From her, he learned about A Zhang's recent situation. In April last year, he entered the Jiangnan Naval Academy to study under Zhou Shuren.

At the end of the year, he was urged by his uncle to take the county examination. After passing the exam, he did not take the provincial examination on the grounds that his fourth brother was ill, and continued to study in Jiangning. This year, he transferred to the Mining and Railway School attached to the Jiangnan Army Academy to study mining.

This reminded Zhang Xingjiu of something interesting. A Zhang's first work was not actually a literary work, but an academic monograph - "China Mineral Resources". The foundation for him to write this book was probably laid at this time.

Coincidentally, the person who wrote the preface to this book was none other than Zhang Xingjiu's father-in-law Ma Xiangbo.

The circumstances of Xu Xilin and Wang Ziyu did not change much. They were still studying in Shaoxing. However, their ideas had changed a lot. Xu Xilin became more and more radical, while Wang Ziyu became more and more interested in running a newspaper.

After a while, A Zhang finally returned home from Jiangning for the winter vacation. Not only did he come alone, he also brought an acquaintance of Zhang Xingjiu, Qian Junfu, who had asked him questions at Qiushi Academy. Qian Junfu also brought his junior fellow student at Qiushi Academy, Li Suizhi. The three of them would go to Japan to study together in the future, and the two of them were also A Zhang's lifelong friends.

The friends met again after a long time and naturally had a lot to talk about. They were all young people and didn't care about anything, so they just found a place at the Xianheng Restaurant near A Zhang's house, ordered a few bowls of rice wine, and had some snacks such as fennel beans, and started chatting happily.

Ah Zhang talked about the reason for changing schools. "At first, I thought that the reason why foreigners could bully China so impunity was because they relied on their powerful ships and cannons. So I thought about going to the Naval Academy to learn how to sail warships and fight against foreigners!"

"After studying for a while, I realized that building warships is not an easy task. To build advanced warships, you must first smelt high-quality steel. Plus, the Naval Academy was a bit chaotic, so I transferred to the Mining and Railway School attached to the Jiangnan Army Academy to learn mining."

Zhang's thinking had undergone several significant shifts. First, he switched from studying the navy to studying mining, and later from studying medicine to studying literature, hoping to awaken the Chinese people with his pen. Each time, he did so solely for the benefit of China, without any personal gain. Qian Junfu had met Zhang when Zhang Xingjiu gave a speech at Qiushi Academy. Their shared interests had led to a close friendship, and they had exchanged letters ever since. This time, Zhang was passing through Hangzhou on his way back from winter break and had stayed at Qian Junfu's house. When Qian Junfu heard that Zhang Xingjiu had returned, he and Zhang came over.

Li Shouzhi happened to be a guest at the Qian family at that time. The Qian family in Jiangnan had a deep connection with the famous Li family in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. Not only had the two families been friends for generations, but they were also relatives. Li Shouzhi also followed Qian Junfu's example and entered the Qiushi Academy to study. He had heard of Zhang Xingjiu's name a long time ago, so naturally he wanted to come along.

In the future, the three of them will go to Japan to study together. Li Shouzhi also applied to medical school like A Zhang. A Zhang later changed his mind and turned to literature, but Li Shouzhi persisted and became a famous doctor in the Republic of China.

Whenever the children of the Qian family fell ill, they would seek treatment from Li Shouzhi. Xuesen was a frail child and had two serious illnesses that nearly killed him: meningitis and typhoid fever. Both times, he recovered under Li Suizhi's care.

Xue Sen’s acquaintance with Jiang Baili’s daughter Jiang Ying and the creation of a beautiful story were also inseparable from Li Shouzhi’s matchmaking.

His younger brother Li Linsi was also a remarkable person. He went to Germany to study and obtained a master's degree in law from the University of Jena and a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Heidelberg. He later became a famous diplomat.

Several young people gathered together and had a very enjoyable chat. They all cursed the corruption of the Qing court and felt very sorry for the fate of the six gentlemen including Tan Sitong.

In the following days, they got together whenever they were free, until the Spring Festival was approaching, when Qian Junfu and Li Shouzhi reluctantly left and returned to Hangzhou to celebrate the New Year. Before leaving, they repeatedly reminded Zhang Xingjiu that if he was free, he must come to Hangzhou.

After seeing them off, Zhang Xingjiu returned home. Ma Zongwen hurriedly prepared some sobering soup for him. This amount of wine was more than Zhang Xingjiu could handle, but the thought was truly precious. Zhang Xingjiu took the soup and was about to say something when he saw Ma Zongwen covering his chest and retching.

Zhang Xingjiu had been married several times and had several children, so he was extremely experienced. Seeing her like this, how could he not know what had happened? He quickly asked the shop assistant to call a doctor.

The waiter didn't dare to neglect it and directly invited He Lianchen, the most famous doctor in Shaoxing City. After He Lianchen took Ma Zongwen's pulse, he immediately smiled and clasped his fists in congratulations, "Congratulations, Mr. Zhang, your wife is pregnant!"

"Thank you, sir." Zhang Xingjiu quickly ordered someone to pay the medical fee and the wedding money.

After seeing He Lianchen off, he immediately hugged Ma Zongwen. His career finally had an heir, but he didn't know what talents this child had and how much he could inherit.
(End of this chapter)