Training the Heavens

Chapter 317 Zhu Kezhen

This name was unanimously approved by all the school directors, and the matter of opening a MSG factory was decided. Zhang Xingjiu took on the task of purchasing equipment. He sent several telegrams to his familiar friends in Germany, the United States, Britain, France and other countries, asking them to inquire for quotes first, and then select the most suitable equipment for the Lotus MSG Factory from these quotation lists, pay a deposit in advance and have them deliver it to Shanghai, and pay the balance after the debugging is completed.

The school directors and teachers took advantage of the upcoming Chinese New Year to request a batch of laboratory-produced samples, and asked their family chefs to learn how to use MSG from Zhang Xingjiu's chef.

During the Chinese New Year, it is inevitable to welcome and send off guests and entertain them. When you host a banquet at home to entertain guests, you can add MSG to it to leave a deep impression on your relatives and friends.

Give them some more before they leave, and the reputation of MSG will be spread through this opportunity. They are all well-known figures, and most of the relatives and friends invited to the banquet are not ordinary people. As long as these people can accept MSG, MSG can be quickly spread in the local area.

This was also the proposal put forward by Zhang Xingjiu. Zhang Jian was very impressed after hearing it. "It seems that Zhou Ping is not only quite accomplished in academia, but also a master in business. This way, when MSG is released, we won't have to worry about no one buying it."

Zhu Zhiyao drew inferences from this experience, "I remember that several of you, the school directors, own restaurants and teahouses. We might as well take this opportunity to introduce a few new dishes so that our guests can also taste the flavor of MSG. This way, more customers will buy MSG in the future."

"That's true." Everyone nodded and came up with a number of feasible promotion plans, waiting for the MSG factory to be completed and put into production next year.

Time quickly came to the end of the semester. After several months of busy teaching, the teachers and students of Aurora University could finally relax a little. As usual, Zhang Xingjiu took his wife and children back to Shaoxing to celebrate the New Year.

After a few days of reuniting with old friends, wishing New Year's greetings to familiar elders, and promoting MSG, Zhang Xingjiu finally had some peace and quiet. However, now that he had the status of a Jinshi and a fifth-rank official position, it was not easy for him to have complete peace and quiet. Strange guests came to visit him from time to time.

This made Zhang Xingjiu a little annoyed, so he prepared to go back to his hometown in Jiangpu Village with his family. Before leaving, some guests came to visit. When Zhang Xingjiu saw the names on the visiting cards, he immediately changed his mind and invited them in to chat.

Soon, a middle-aged man who looked like a small businessman came in with a child of about twelve or thirteen. He politely bowed to Zhang Xingjiu and said, "Zhu Jiaxiang greets Mr. Zhou Ping. This is my son Kezhen."

"Kezhen meets Mr. Zhang." The child was also very polite, and his speech was much calmer than his father's.

"Mr. Zhu, there's no need to be so polite. To be honest, the rice we eat at home is bought from your rice shop. We are all fellow villagers, so there's no need to be so restrained." After Zhang Xingjiu returned the greetings, he asked them to sit down and ordered someone to serve tea and snacks.

After a few pleasantries, Zhu Jiaxiang explained his purpose. He now ran a two-room rice shop. Although his family was not wealthy, he attached great importance to his children's education. When Zhu Kezhen was very young, he spent one-third of the income from the rice shop to invite Zhang Jingchen, a famous private school teacher in Shaoxing City, to teach at his home.

Zhu Kezhen did not disappoint his expectations and soon showed his talent in studying. He was also diligent and hardworking. At the age of nine, he was admitted to the Yujing Primary School, which advocated "Chinese learning as the basis and Western learning for practical use."

Now Zhu Kezhen was about to graduate from elementary school, and had not yet made plans for his future. Zhu Jiaxiang knew that Zhang Xingjiu was a famous scholar in Shaoxing City, so he took the liberty to come to his house to ask for advice.

"What subject is Kezhen good at? Or what subject is he most interested in?" asked Zhang Xingjiu.

"The student's academic performance is quite good, with full marks in several subjects. Perhaps because his family owns a rice shop, he's most interested in agriculture," Zhu Kezhen replied in a thick Shaoxing accent. "Haha, I'm so proud to see my Shaoxing student excelling academically!" Zhang Xingjiu laughed happily. He was glad he hadn't returned to Jiangpu earlier, otherwise he would have missed out on this future great scientist.

"I am also from Shaoxing, and it is my duty to support younger fellow townsmen, so there is no need for us to be too restrained." Zhang Xingjiu immediately began to test Zhu Kezhen's studies. Zhu Kezhen answered questions fluently, which made him very satisfied.

Zhu Jiaxiang was a little worried at first, but gradually his face was filled with smiles and he was very proud of his child.

After the questioning, Zhang Xingjiu commented, "Not bad, not bad. Whether it's Chinese or Western studies, Kezhen has a very solid foundation. There are just two issues that need attention."

"Please speak, sir!" Zhu Kezhen immediately sat up straight, and Zhu Jiaxiang also listened attentively.

"First, you don't look well. Perhaps it's because you study too hard every day? You have to know that your health is the foundation of learning. Without a healthy body, you won't be able to succeed! So from now on, you must not only study hard, but also exercise regularly. Only when you are healthy can you study more smoothly. Your family should provide you with regular meals, and your nutrition should also be up to par. It's best to see a doctor and cook for Kezhen according to their instructions."

Zhu Jiaxiang agreed without hesitation, "I'll take Kezhen to see Mr. He Lianchen later."

Although his family was not well-off, he was particularly willing to spend money on his children. Even when taking them to see a doctor, he would find the most famous doctor in Shaoxing City.

"Secondly, you speak with a strong accent now. It wasn't so bad in Shaoxing, as the teachers were all locals and they could understand you. If you want to study abroad in the future, it would be best if you could learn Mandarin. That way, it would be much easier to attend classes and ask questions."

When Zhu Kezhen returned to China after completing his studies, he encountered a lot of trouble because of his accent. Zhang Xingjiu is now giving him a heads up, hoping that things will get better.

Zhang Xingjiu also offered some advice on his future prospects. "Nowadays, people are focusing on learning both Chinese and Western cultures. Shaoxing doesn't have any good schools right now. You should go to Shanghai to study in the future."

Zhu Jiaxiang immediately looked embarrassed. It was already difficult to support his son's studies in Shaoxing, and his family might not be able to afford him to go to Shanghai. But no matter how difficult it was, he did not stop Zhu Kezhen.

Fortunately, Zhang Xingjiu immediately solved this problem. "Don't worry about the expenses of going to Shanghai. Kezhen can first study in the preparatory class of Aurora College. With his grades, he should be able to get a scholarship, and he won't have to spend money on studying or eating."

The father and son were immediately grateful. When Zhang Xingjiu returned to Shanghai after the New Year, they came to see him off. Zhang Xingjiu saw that Zhu Kezhen's health had improved a lot and his accent had also improved.

The two parties agreed at the dock that after Zhu Kezhen graduated from elementary school at the end of July, he would go to Shanghai to apply for the preparatory class of Aurora University.

When Zhang Xingjiu returned to Aurora College, he found that there was another talented young man in the college.

(End of this chapter)