novelonline Chapter 1247 Dignity lies only in the edge of the sword
Chapter 1247 Dignity lies only in the edge of the sword
The midsummer of 1918 was exceptionally hot. Cicadas were chirping noisily in the locust trees outside Xi'an, but Qin Hao did not bother to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
He was carefully checking the printing equipment parts that had just been shipped from the UK, and several workers were surrounding the huge machine, marveling at it.
"This iron thing rotates for one hour, which is equivalent to our previous machine printing for one day!" Master Yuan sighed as he touched the gears.
Qin Hao handed over the wrench and said seriously, "Master Yuan, you will have to work hard these days. Try to master the operating principle of this machine before these foreign technicians leave. We must not only know how to operate it, but also how to repair it. Otherwise, we will be helpless when the machine breaks down in the future."
Master Yuan scratched his head and said, "Everything else is easy to deal with, but I just can't understand what these foreigners are saying."
"It doesn't matter if you don't understand. I'll arrange a translator for you. If you don't understand something, just ask directly. If they don't teach you, just tell me and I'll return the machine to them and replace it with an American-made one."
After hearing what Qin Hao said, Master Yuan's eyes widened: "Can I return such a big machine after buying it?"
"Of course you can return it. I specifically added this clause when I signed the contract to prevent them from bullying customers because of their size."
"The boss is really thoughtful."
Qin Hao patted Master Yuan's arm and said, "Then I'll leave it to you."
"You are too polite, boss. If you offer me double wages, I will definitely not be unreasonable."
Qin Hao nodded with satisfaction. Three months ago, the new textbooks he compiled received a personal preface from Mr. Cai Yuanpei. Now, the education departments of six provinces across the country have sent official letters requesting that this set of textbooks be used uniformly when the autumn semester begins.
The printing workshop was bought in two months. The original owner lost his fortune because his son smoked opium, so he sold the printing workshop for only three hundred dollars. Qin Hao kept all the workers and increased their wages. He also ordered a set of British printing machines, which arrived a week ago and have just been installed and debugged.
"Mr. Bai!" The accountant came running over holding a telegram.
"Changsha Mingde Bookstore is going to print another 3,000 copies of the tutorial book!"
This is the fifth expedited order this week.
In addition to the new textbooks, Qin Hao also compiled a set of extracurricular tutoring materials. Thanks to his fame as a writer of new textbooks, the sales volume was also quite considerable.
Some bookstores from other provinces came to Qin Hao seeking cooperation. Qin Hao knew that if they could not reach an agreement, piracy would soon be everywhere.
Therefore, the printing was authorized to bookstores in other provinces at 50 copper yuan per copy. According to the prices in 1918, the exchange rate between the silver dollar and the copper yuan was 1:140, which was a profitable price for the bookstores.
Moreover, Qin Hao also made it clear that only one authorized company would be selected from each province, which set a threshold for them.
Initially, these bookstores were still cautious and only printed two to three thousand copies to test the waters. However, as these teaching materials were rolled out, many bookstores ran out of stock and quickly called Qin Hao's printing factory to request more copies.
At noon, Qin Hao was using an abacus in his study.
The authorization account book was filled with records: Hankou Guangyi Bookstore took 60 copper yuan per copy, Jinan Wenhua Bookstore took 55 copper yuan
Leng Qiuyue brought the lotus seed soup and said softly, "It's getting late, eat something first."
Qin Hao held the other person's soft palm: "What about you? Have you eaten?"
Seeing that Leng Qiuyue didn't say anything, Qin Hao took the opportunity to pull her into his arms.
Leng Qiuyue's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she said angrily, "You are being naughty again."
Qin Hao smiled and gently stroked the other person's belly with his right hand: "You are not alone now, you can't be hungry, and you don't have to wait for me to eat in the future."
Leng Qiuyue's originally shy face was replaced by a maternal glow, and she stroked her belly gently with her palm: "It's okay, he's still young."
After saying that, Leng Qiuyue suddenly thought of something.
"Oh, by the way, a few days ago, my father sent a message to us, saying that we should go back for the Mid-Autumn Festival."
Qin Hao asked doubtfully: "What does the letter say?"
Leng Qiuyue shook her head.
"Okay, after we're done with this, we'll go home."
"Ah."
Leng Qiuyue nodded her head happily several times. Although her life in Xi'an was very comfortable, home is still home after all.
……
On the official road on August 14, Qin Hao drove his carriage over the bleached loess. Leng Qiuyue leaned against the embroidered cushion and looked at her husband's profile. The days after marriage were as sweet as honey, so much so that she sometimes feared that she was living in a dream.
The carriage slowly drove into the village entrance, and the archway standing at the entrance seemed to welcome every returning wanderer.
"Brother Hao is back!"
"Brother Bai Hao is back."
Leng Qiuyue distributed a bag of candy to the children who gathered around her, and reminded them: "Slow down, don't fight."
As soon as he finished speaking, the children started to quarrel over the candy. Qin Hao just smiled and did not intervene. The children who grew up in the village were wild and whoever had the bigger fist had the final say.
Soon, the carriage stopped at the gate of the Bai family's backyard. Since Heiwa got married, Lu San also moved to the Bailu Clinic to live with them. At first, Lu San was unwilling to go, but Bai Jiaxuan packed his things and sent them over for him.
"Master, Madam, you are back?" The farmhand Xishun heard the knock on the door, opened it and took the carriage with surprise.
"Well, where's my Da?"
"In the front yard, Master. I'll take you there..."
Qin Hao was happy: "Just do your thing. You're so small, are you afraid that I'll get lost?"
Xishunhan smiled and scratched his head.
When they arrived at the front yard, Bai Jiaxuan was squatting and smoking a pipe. When he saw Qin Hao, he was delighted at first, but then he suppressed his emotions and just said casually, "Are you back?"
"Well, we're back."
"Brother, you are finally back."
"Did Big Brother bring us any new things?"
The two brothers Bai Xiaowen and Bai Xiaowu ran over one after the other, followed by a staggering little figure.
Xiancao followed behind nervously: "Hao Ge'er, Qiuyue, you are back."
Qin Hao picked up Bai Ling, who babbled and yelled. Xiancao helplessly explained, "This girl is very wild. She won't let anyone hold her since she learned to walk."
Bai Ling blinked her big, twinkling eyes and looked at Qin Hao. She didn't make a fuss anymore and let him carry her into the inner room. This scene surprised Bai Jiaxuan and Xiancao.
Soon, Xiancao prepared a sumptuous family dinner.
After dinner, Qin Hao held Leng Qiuyue's hand and announced the news of her pregnancy.
Bai Jiaxuan was overjoyed, clasped his hands together, and kept muttering: "Ancestors bless us, the Bai family will have a successor!"
A rare smile broke out on his usually serious face, and even the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were smoothed out.
Xiancao was extremely happy. She quickly helped Leng Qiuyue sit down and refused to let her do housework again.
"You are a bisexual now, how can you do rough work?" Xiancao said as she cleaned up the dishes neatly.
After lunch, Qin Hao and Leng Qiuyue went to Leng’s house with the gifts they bought in Xi’an.
When the carriage stopped in front of the Leng family's door, the setting sun was dyeing Bailuyuan orange.
Qin Hao knocked on the door gently, and Leng Qiuyue held a dragon beard pastry wrapped in red silk. This is a specialty of the time-honored Xi'an brand "De Maogong". His father loved this sweet but not greasy taste the most.
Leng Qiu Shui heard the noise and ran out from the side room. The silver butterfly pinned on her hair trembled with her steps. When she opened the door, she saw her sister's familiar face.
"Sister, you are finally back." Leng Qiu Shui took the gift box and rubbed his fingertips unconsciously on the silk cloth.
She was not as pretty as her sister to begin with, and her sister's lake blue satin cheongsam shone with a pearly luster in the twilight, making her face, which had become increasingly plump after her pregnancy, look like a peach soaked in milk. In comparison, she looked like a maid standing next to the young lady.
Mr. Leng stood at the threshold of the main hall, a corner of his blue cloth gown lifted by the wind. When he heard the news that his daughter was pregnant, he laughed and shouted "good" several times, startling the swallows under the eaves and flying away.
After a round of greetings, Mr. Leng suddenly said, "Qiuyue and Qiushui, go get some wine. My son-in-law and I will have a few drinks."
Leng Qiuyue glanced at her husband worriedly. She had noticed something was wrong since she entered the house. Although her father was smiling, the wrinkles between his eyebrows were much deeper than last year.
"Go ahead, Qiushui, take good care of your sister and don't let her get pregnant."
"Oh."
Leng Qiu Shui reluctantly helped Leng Qiuyue out of the door.
Inside the main room, Mr. Leng's pipe made a crisp sound as it struck the copper bowl.
"My dear son-in-law." Mr. Leng stared at the sparks flickering in his pipe and asked, "What is that kid from the Lu family doing in Xi'an?"
Qin Hao told him everything.
Mr. Leng frowned: "Since he doesn't have a lover in Xi'an, why does he keep postponing the wedding date?"
"This..." Qin Hao remained silent. He knew very well that his father-in-law was attracted by the power of the Lu family and Lu Zhaopeng's potential. If he really wanted to cancel the engagement, he would have done so long ago. The reason why he told him all this was just to get him to support Lu Zhaopeng.
After a while, Leng Qiuyue and her sister came back with some wine, and Qin Hao had to drink a few more glasses with his father-in-law. Perhaps it was because of the wine that made him sad, and soon Mr. Leng got drunk, and Qin Hao had to carry him back to the room.
……
The next morning, Qin Hao took Leng Qiuyue to his uncle Mr. Zhu's house to announce the good news.
When I passed by the village school, I heard a child's voice reciting: "Three times three is nine, three times four is twelve."
The children sat upright, with sparkling light in their childish eyes.
The teacher who was giving the lecture nodded slightly when he saw Qin Hao. This was the teacher Qin Hao invited from Xi'an. In fact, he was Qin Hao's classmate, but unfortunately he could not go to university. The reason why he was willing to come to the remote Bailu Village to teach was not because of any sentimental reasons.
It was entirely the result of Qin Hao spending a lot of money. A salary of fifty yuan a year was enough to tempt even many teachers in Xi'an's new-style schools.
Leng Qiuyue gently pulled Qin Hao's sleeve, her eyes full of admiration: "I didn't expect that kids from our village could also learn things from the new-style school."
"Is this considered a compliment?" Qin Hao took the opportunity to hold Leng Qiuyue's slightly cold hand.
Leng Qiuyue blushed and nodded slightly.
The two smiled at each other and continued walking forward. Soon they arrived at the door of their uncle Mr. Zhu's house.
Qin Hao knocked gently on the door, and soon, his aunt came out to greet them. When she saw them, her aunt's face was immediately filled with smiles: "Hey, Hao'er, Qiuyue, come in!"
Upon hearing the voice, Mr. Zhu walked out of the study, holding a new textbook written by Qin Hao. He nodded slightly when he saw Qin Hao coming.
"Uncle, Qiuyue is pregnant. I came here specially to tell you the good news." Qin Hao said with a smile.
Mr. Zhu stroked his beard and smiled, which was rare for him: "Okay, okay! The addition of a new member to the Bai family is a happy event."
He paused, lowered his head and flipped through the textbook in his hand, and said thoughtfully: "Hao'er, your book is well compiled. Even an 'old antique' like me can understand it."
During the chat, Qin Hao found out that this teaching material was specially sent to him by a good friend of his uncle.
"To establish a mind for the world, to establish a destiny for the people, to inherit the lost knowledge of the past sages, to bring peace to the world for all eternity. Hao'er, do you think that what our ancestors passed down is really useless?"
Mr. Zhu's tone was somewhat pessimistic.
Qin Hao said solemnly: "The things left by our ancestors are not useless, but the country is in a state of decline. If we want to develop and catch up with the great powers, we must vigorously develop Western learning. Dignity lies only on the edge of the sword. If we want to gain respect, we need to have the strength to match it."
"Take steel for example. Building railways, airplanes, ships, and cannons all require a lot of steel. Among the great powers today, Britain's annual steel output is 779 million tons, Germany's is 1894 million tons, and the United States' is 4900 million tons. We only have less than 4 tons."
Mr. Zhu fell into a brief trance upon hearing this. He knew that the country was weak and there was a big gap between it and the great powers, but how big the gap was? Even many of his friends who had studied abroad could not explain it clearly.
But the set of data listed by Qin Hao put the cold facts in front of him.
"When Zhang Zhidong built the Hanyang Iron Works, he originally wanted to narrow the gap with the great powers. But he did not expect that after 30 years, the steel production is not even a fraction of that of the great powers..."
Qin Hao sighed and said, "The Qing government was deeply corrupt. After Yuan Shikai's death, local warlords were fighting among themselves. They had no intention of developing industry."
The atmosphere in the inner room fell silent again until Zhu Bai came up with wine and food.
"Hey, the two of you should stop worrying about the country and the people. It's not our turn to worry about this kind of thing. Hurry up and prepare to eat. It's okay for you to be hungry, but you can't let Qiuyue starve."
Mr. Zhu and Qin Hao looked at each other and shook their heads, ending this heavy topic.
……
After celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival in Bailuyuan, Qin Hao took Leng Qiuyue back to Xi'an.
Time flies. A year later, Leng Qiuyue successfully gave birth to a boy in Xi'an Hospital and named him Bai Jichuan, which means an endless stream.
After receiving the letter, Bai Jiaxuan immediately rushed to Xi'an with his family. Even the old lady Bai Zhao, who had bound feet, came with them, saying that she wanted to see her great-grandson.
Also coming with them were Mr. Leng and Leng Qiu Shui.
Just when the whole family was having a great time, the arrival of an uninvited guest completely broke the atmosphere.
Lu Zhaopeng was still smiling when he met Bai Jiaxuan and the others, but his eyes turned and after seeing Leng Qiu Shui, he put down the gift and said something.
"Bai Hao, I haven't finished the homework that Professor Chen asked me to do. I'm leaving now. My sister-in-law will come to see you later."
"Stop!" Leng Qiu Shui yelled angrily.
As a result of her yell, Lu Zhaopeng ran even faster.
Qin Hao looked at Lu Zhaopeng's embarrassed escape and couldn't help laughing: You deserve this day, kid. (End of this chapter)