Chapter 42

Hua Xiongmao shouted and chased people out, with the help of the dormitory residents, finally managing to send everyone away. Chen Keneng could imagine that the students, seeing his attitude, would naturally be very angry. But Chen Ke was not angry; if anyone left in a fit of rage, it could only mean that these people had poor self-cultivation. The People's Party could not afford to serve such impetuous figures like Zhang Fei.

Hearing the commotion outside, Chen Ke quickly got up to join the cleanup. When the door opened, the others were fine, but Yan Fu was sitting at the table, which surprised Chen Ke. No wonder Hua Xiongmao didn't come to knock on his door.

Once out, it was hard to go back in. Chen Ke started to help with the cleanup. There were six people living in the permanent quarters: Chen Ke, Hua Xiongmao, Chen Tianhua, Xie Mingxian, He Zudao, and Qin Wuan. Zhou Yuanxiao had already moved out. There were also twenty temporary residents who had returned with Chen Tianhua. Since it wasn't cold, Chen Ke had set up temporary dormitories, which, combined with the existing ones, were sufficient. Chen Ke was supervising the construction of the dormitory building at the new school, which was about to be topped off. Once the dormitory building was initially completed, Chen Ke would immediately transfer the personnel to the school.

With more people, the cleanup work was completed quickly. Chen Ke only cleaned the kitchen, washing the pots, bowls, and utensils, and tidying up the tables and chairs. After all the commotion, it was unlikely that everyone had eaten enough. The leftover food was piled on four tables, and everyone sat down again. "Here, I'll toast to all of you. Happy Mid-Autumn Festival," Chen Ke said with a smile.

This time, it wasn't as lively as before. Everyone truly savored the wine and admired the moon.

"Mr. Chen, can you play the piano?" Wang Qianian, who was at the same table as Chen Ke, asked.

"A little."

"Could we listen to a piece?"

"I was just feeling a bit itchy to play." Chen Ke finished a bite of the pastries Yan Fu had brought and drained the huangjiu in his glass. With renewed enthusiasm, he walked back to the piano.

On an early autumn night, under a deep blue sky with a bright moon and sparse stars, the courtyard had been fumigated with mugwort, mixing with the scent of wine and osmanthus. Chen Ke felt quite content. His fingers glided smoothly over the keys, evoking memories of the past.

Thanks to his father's love for music, Chen Ke often went to the music room at the railway bureau as a child, where there was an upright piano. Learning to play the piano in the spacious music room with his father was one of Chen Ke's fondest childhood memories. At that time, Chen Ke didn't really like playing the piano; he preferred listening to his father play. But his father understood Chen Ke's interests well. For every twenty minutes of practice, his father would play a piece for him. Back then, Chen Ke admired his father greatly.

Later, the family bought a piano, and Chen Ke fell into his mother's hands. Her requirements were much stricter, demanding two hours of practice every day, with 90% of the time spent on exercises and only 10% on pieces Chen Ke liked. Chen Ke never understood why he had a strict mother and a kind father, rather than the traditional strict father and kind mother.

In recent days, Chen Ke often thought of his parents. The longer he stayed in this era, the less hope he had of returning to his own time. His thoughts of his parents became less frequent.

As his fingers touched the cool keys of the piano again, Chen Ke couldn't help but think of the two people closest to him. It had been several months in this era, and if time was progressing similarly in both worlds, his parents must have noticed their son's disappearance by now. He wondered how worried they must be. Although Chen Ke had moved out, his parents would eventually realize he was missing. They always hoped Chen Ke would take control of his life and become someone who could live freely on his own. But they still cared deeply for him.

Thinking of this, Chen Ke felt a wave of sadness. But this weakness also reminded him of his mother's teachings, "No one knows what will happen in the future. You might not even be alive tomorrow. So, don't be tempted by fame and fortune. It's not that these things are bad. The problem is that if you pursue them, you won't get them. Fame and fortune are given by others. Only when others need you will they give you these things. So, if you don't seek others, you won't be controlled by them. Instead of pursuing things you can't control, it's better to do what you can control."

Today, Chen Ke truly understood the concept of "the impermanence of life." Who knew how he ended up in this era?

In this completely unfamiliar world, the only principle Chen Ke could follow was "to do what he could control." In 1905, his historical knowledge told him about the revolutionary process. As for other means of making a living, Chen Ke's knowledge was useless in this era. Whether in chemistry or computers, he would have to create these modern industries himself before he could engage in them.

If his parents knew their foolish son had returned to the past and chosen the path of revolution, what would they say? Chen Ke's mind was filled with the vivid faces of his parents, which he would never forget. His father would likely ask with concern, "Can you do it? Don't do what you can't." His mother, with her beautiful and resolute smile, would say, "Whatever you choose to do, remember that you should pursue the thing itself, not the fame and fortune it might bring. Be an expert in your field, be steadfast, and never betray or desert it."

Looking up at the full moon of the 15th of August, Chen Ke sat on the stool and said silently, "Mom and Dad, I won't pursue fame and fortune anymore. I will follow my own path and accomplish my own cause."

Chen Ke smiled slightly and pressed the keys. It was "Lullaby." The composer, Schubert, once exchanged the manuscript of this piece for a plate of beef and potatoes when he was starving. Later, the manuscript sold for a record-breaking 4 million francs at auction. Chen Ke loved this piece, and its warm melody was fitting for the moonlit Mid-Autumn Festival night.

Most of the audience had never heard a piano performance, and many had never even seen a piano or knew such an instrument existed. But music has its own charm, especially the "king of instruments," the piano. The beautiful piano music flowed through the courtyard, making the moonlight seem even more serene.

When Chen Ke finished the piece, the audience was silent, appreciating the music but unsure how to comment. The foreign style, different from Chinese music, didn't fully resonate with the audience.

Chen Ke didn't mind and played a jazz piece. Then he switched to Chinese music, "A Beautiful Jasmine," "Celebrating the Harvest," "Sesame Flowers Bloom," and "Xintianyou." These authentic Chinese pieces were well-received by the audience, and many young people who had heard them before hummed along softly.

But Chen Ke's purpose in playing the piano was not just for entertainment. He began to sing "My Motherland."

"A great river flows wide, the wind carries the scent of rice flowers on both banks. My home is on the shore, where I've grown accustomed to the boatmen's calls and the white sails on the river.

The girls are like flowers, the boys have broad hearts. To open up new lands, they awaken the sleeping mountains and change the rivers' appearance.

Beautiful mountains, beautiful waters, beautiful places, broad roads everywhere. Friends are welcomed with good wine, but if wolves come, they will be met with guns.

This is the heroic motherland, where I was born and raised. On this ancient land, there are beautiful scenes everywhere."

Chen Ke knew he couldn't sing as well as artists like Guo Lanying, and the song was originally for a female voice, which he couldn't replicate. He sang it according to his own understanding. The melody was beautiful, and the lyrics were straightforward. Each time he sang it, Chen Ke felt as if the scenes described were right before his eyes: the great river, the rice fields, the boatmen, and the sails. Chen Ke's main activities were always north of the Yangtze River, where he didn't have a deep connection to these scenes. But since coming to Shaoxing and then Shanghai, the scenes he saw along the way matched the lyrics perfectly. The song was healthy and uplifting, and he could sing it straightforwardly without the need for the coquettishness of love songs.

After the song, the audience was silent. Chen Ke closed the piano lid and stood up. He saw Hua Xiongmao, with tears in his eyes, clap first. In those days, although poetry and prose were still popular, the ability to sing was already declining. Singing was mainly the business of courtesans, and men, if they sang, mostly sang local operas. Suddenly hearing such heavenly music, everyone was entranced. Hua Xiongmao led the applause, and the others followed, as if waking from a dream.

Walking back to the table, just as he sat down, Yan Fu asked, "Wenqing, who wrote this song?"

"I did." Chen Ke claimed the credit for the future work without hesitation.

"Direct and sincere, with a great atmosphere. A good song," Yan Fu praised. This wasn't just flattery; Yan Fu, though not a drinker or a gambler, was a government official who often accompanied colleagues to listen to plays and music. He had no interest in soft, sentimental music. Listening to Chen Ke's song, Yan Fu felt a surge of spirit. The song was not only simple but also had excellent lyrics. Compared to the grand and heroic or gentle and缠绵的古辞，陈克的歌词虽然用的是市井白话，但在立意和情怀上毫不逊色。

“文青，教我唱这首歌。”华雄茂热切地说。

“这么好的歌不能让文青先生独享，一定要教给我唱。”毛平也跟着说。

“今晚咱们赏月，明天教唱歌行不？”陈克笑道。

“一言为定。”同志们纷纷说道。

陈克听了心想，大家想唱歌，我还有好多歌曲没有教授呢。同志们，学会了《我的祖国》，下一首就是《国际歌》。

又饮了几杯酒，天色更晚，已经有人不胜酒力，起身告辞去睡了。陈克看严复不走，知道他有话要说，便请严复去实验室旁边的教室坐会儿。严复自然是欣然从命。

陈克正在收拾的时候，王启年靠过来。“文青，我有一事相商。我想往南洋卖咱们的药，不知文青可否愿意。”

这可是个好消息，陈克听了心中一喜。“明日我去医院，咱们详细商量此事，如何？”

“那明日我在医院恭候文青大驾。”

该送的送走，该收拾的收拾完，陈克洗了手，端了茶壶和点心到了教室。一进教室，就见烛光下，严复面容惨淡地坐在那里发呆，整个人仿佛都定在那里。烛光幽幽，映得这位老帅哥的身影说不出的诡异。

“严先生，你怎么了？”陈克有点战战兢兢地问，严复的样子真把陈克吓住了。

“想起了些旧事。”严复声音颇为幽远，看来还没有从思绪中挣脱出来。

陈克放下东西刚坐下，却见严复脸对着自己，但是眼镜片和蜡烛构成了一个奇特的角度，在陈克看来，严复的眼镜片反射着一片亮光，根本看不到镜片后严复的眼睛。“关于甲午的事情，文青怎么知道的这么仔细？”

我怎么知道的这么仔细？我看过敌我双方，以及当时海外的很多资料，自然知道的这么仔细。陈克心道。但是这话绝对不能对严复这么说。“我当时在海外读书，一些外国同学家里面炒作日本公债，所以从他们那里知道的多了些。”陈克解释道。

严复的喘息声变得沉重了，他忍不住喃喃自语，“连海外的少年都知道此事，朝廷竟然毫不知情。”

“朝廷又不懂现代的情报系统，怎么能知道那么多？”陈克笑道。

“什么是现代的情报系统。”严复立刻问道。

陈克向严复讲述了现代工业国的特点，所谓盗取敌人最高机密，其实只是情报系统里面少数的人员从事的工作。对于工业化国家，特别是那些非常有组织的国家，观察很多细微的地方，结合外交，以及战略大布局的了解，其实就可以判断很多东西。各种人员的调动，物资的购买，运输系统的变化。甚至一些特殊商品的价格波动，都可以察觉很多东西。当然了，这些必须建立在对工业国有着深入了解的基础上。

这些话其实也未必正确，但是陈克相信，自己对工业国的认识程度远在严复之上。如果自己觉得这些话似是而非，那么糊弄严复绝对没问题。

果然，严复听了陈克的话，不断点头。

“文青，你如此年轻，却又博学多闻。做事谦逊，所谓见贤思齐，却不知文青的令尊如何称呼，或许我有幸见过也未尝不可。”

“严先生，我出门之前，家父要我立下誓言，绝对不允许提及我的家世。不能坦诚告知，望严先生恕罪。”每遇到有人提及陈克的家世，陈克总感觉一种很不适的感觉。虽然这个理由已经说了多次，但是说起来，陈克依然有些不自在的表情。

严复听完点了点头，又盯着陈克看了片刻，严复突然说道：“文青才华远胜于我，但是我毕竟痴长几岁。我想收文青为徒，不知文青意下如何？”

“啊？”陈克听了这意外的话，忍不住咽了口口水，“严先生您不是在开玩笑吧？”

“我当过北洋水师学堂的总办，虽然在水师学堂上学的学生很多，但是真说起来，他们是水师学堂的学生，而不是我的学生。我并不是开玩笑，我想让文青做我的学生。”

原来如此。陈克这才算是明白。与现代教育不同，在古代，收徒是件非常严肃的事情。所谓师父，这老师可是和父亲一个等级的人物。因为徒弟犯了事，祸及师门的事情并不罕见。严复这么说，就是表明要建立和陈克与严复之间的私人师徒关系。这个关系一旦建立，意味着严复就要为陈克在社会关系上背书担保。以严复的名气，陈克立刻就是身价倍增。严复弟子的身份，在严复的那些亲朋故旧中，光看着这个身份，就要对陈克客气很多。能帮忙的地方，他们也是要出手帮忙的。而且，这个提议对陈克还有一个非常有诱惑力的地方，成为了严复的弟子之后，可以极大地弥补自己来历不明的这件事。

但是，陈克并不想答应。权力意味着义务。成为严复的私人弟子，在这个很认师门的时代，意味着投奔陈克的人某种意义上都算是严复一系。严复对于新式学校与旧式师徒的评价极对。在建立私人师徒关系之后，陈克就必须承担一定的义务。这没有什么不公平的，大家都知道这种师徒关系的定义，而且这种师徒关系是陈克成年时候建立的，绝对不存在任何的被迫。这对陈克很不利。

“这个……”陈克正在措辞如何婉拒严复的建议。毕竟严复这等大人物，直言不讳地提出这个要求。被断然拒绝时非常没有面子的。若是应对不当，激怒了严复，对根基不深的陈克而言，绝非好事。

没等陈克完成措辞，严复说道：“文青的志向，我看过文青的书，听过文青的讲座，见过文青的练兵，今天的学生们都能说出文青的心思，文青若是觉得我浑然不知，未免小看了我。”

听了严复的话，陈克一惊，难道自己的革命想法竟然就这么轻易的被看破了。真的是失败啊。但是既然严复看透了自己的想法，依然想收自己为徒，以严复的身份，自然不会是诈自己。但是没听说过严复是革命党啊。

“当今天下乱相已