Chapter 11

11

When Madam Shen heard that her son was bringing Zheng Sheng home for dinner today, she gave up going out to play mahjong. Instead, she took charge at home, ordered the servants to prepare a table of fine dishes, and even came to the entrance to welcome him in person.

“Sheng-sheng, long time no see! You’ve changed so much. You take after your mother, with such a delicate, straight nose. Has your family arranged a match for you yet?” Beaming with warmth, she took Zheng Sheng by the hand and chatted cordially.

The moment Zheng Sheng saw the plaque for the Shen Residence, he had already begun to regret coming back with Wen Yan. But since Madam Shen was an elder, he could not show any displeasure and had to answer her questions one by one.

“Aunt, I’m still a student, and I might go abroad in the future. There’s no rush to get engaged.”

Madam Shen disagreed. “You can study and still get engaged first. It won’t interfere with your studies.”

Zheng Sheng merely smiled, giving a noncommittal response.

Young people these days championed free love. Anyone who brought up parental orders and matchmaker arrangements was considered behind the times and would be mocked by their peers. Yet, there was also no shortage of men from well-matched families who, after marrying, got involved with female students under the guise of “pursuing freedom.” Some divorced and remarried, while others kept the red flag flying at home while colorful flags fluttered outside^[1].

In short, it was an era of breaking the old and establishing the new, as well as an era of chaos. It held the untamed freedom sought by literary youths, but also the grim reality of starving corpses scattered across the land and people struggling to survive. The two extremes were completely divided and opposed, yet somehow coexisted in the very same world.

Although the Zheng family and the Shen family were relatives, their relationship was quite distant.

The Zheng family came from a scholarly lineage and looked down on merchant families like the Shens, who had risen by clinging to power and wealth. Moreover, the Shanghai Municipal Government, where Shen Po’s eldest uncle worked, did not have the best reputation. In these turbulent times, anyone who could rise to the level of Shen Po’s eldest uncle inevitably had political affiliations behind them. Some were pro-Japanese, some pro-American, and some pro-British. Though all were foreign powers, their interests and demands differed, which was precisely the sort of entanglement the Zheng family wanted nothing to do with.

Influenced by his elders and disliking Shen Po’s usual behavior, Zheng Sheng had rarely visited in recent years, aside from a few visits during his childhood.

Looking around, the Shen family was just as he had expected: still as glittering, luxurious, and opulent as ever.

Yet, something felt slightly different.

At the dining table, Wen Yan never stopped talking.

He was not busy eating, but busy questioning Zheng Sheng.

“Does your family’s Oriental Library stay open at night?”

“How many books can someone borrow at one time from the library?”

“Can all the books be borrowed?”

Madam Shen chided him gently, “You child! No talking while eating, no speaking in bed. Let Sheng-sheng enjoy his meal. Where are your manners?”

Zheng Sheng had no choice but to say, “It’s fine, Aunt. It’s a good thing that Shen Po wants to read. The library stays open until nine-thirty, but at night it’s usually only semi-open for reading. Only those with special membership cards can enter.”

Wen Yan’s eyes lit up. “How do I get a special membership card?”

Zheng Sheng: …Is it really that urgent?

He could not help but ask, “Which book are you looking for?”

If this had been right after he crossed over, Wen Yan would not have been able to answer. Back then, he only knew the Oriental Library was famous, but he had no idea what its collection contained or what made it so precious. However, after realizing that day that he was standing at a historical turning point, he had combed through all the materials related to the January 28 Incident^[2], so he answered smoothly right away.

“Didn’t I just switch majors recently? I want to study hard. Great-uncle’s library has a complete collection of books, especially newspapers from various countries, as well as the Song edition and Yuan revision of 《Zizhi Tongjian^[3]》. Literature and history go hand in hand anyway. Reading more current affairs and history books is never a bad thing. In case I study abroad or pursue an extra history degree in the future, it might come in handy!”

Zheng Sheng opened his mouth, thinking to himself that this was only his first day after switching majors and he had barely attended college for a few days, yet he was already thinking about getting an extra degree. He was truly aiming too high!

However, in front of the young man’s mother, he could not mock or ridicule him. Besides, Zheng Sheng was not mean-spirited by nature.

After thinking for a moment, he said, “The library is actually hosting a private salon tonight. Many learned scholars will be there, and my grandfather is attending as well. If you’re interested, you might as well come along and see.”

Zheng Sheng’s idea was that once Shen Po met those distinguished figures and realized he could not join the conversation, he would recognize the difficulty and back off, and would no longer pester him.

Wen Yan’s eyes brightened, matching his desires perfectly. “That’s wonderful! I’ll come with you to broaden my horizons!”

Madam Shen was very pleased to see her son associating with Zheng Sheng. As soon as the meal ended, she urged them to set off, fearing Wen Yan would change his mind and go fool around with his friends again.

At that moment, Wen Yan glanced at the grandfather clock in the house.

Six in the evening. Night had just fallen.

Logically, after staying here all day, he should have returned at night, but he had not.

He felt no drowsiness, nor was there any sign of a space-time transition. Wen Yan remained safely inside Shen Po’s body, continuing to play the role of the prodigal young master of the Shen family turning over a new leaf.

He was not worried about embarrassing himself at the salon later. After all, it would only be Shen Po losing face. What Wen Yan feared was failing to prevent the library’s losses when the time came, and then being unable to go back.

Although his life as a volunteer teacher was not smooth sailing, compared to staying here, he still preferred being a modern person.

The salons at the Oriental Library were not held every evening, but once a week, mostly on weekends, though extra sessions were sometimes added.

Tonight happened to be an extra session. When Zheng Sheng and Wen Yan arrived, there were already quite a few people in the garden. Some were gathered in small groups, while others were whispering quietly in corners in pairs. The atmosphere was relaxed and free. The hosts simply provided a venue and announced the topic, after which everyone could discuss the theme or branch off into private conversations.

Wen Yan did not know what Zhang Yuanji looked like, but seeing Zheng Sheng walk straight toward several elderly gentlemen, he knew Zhang Yuanji had to be among them and quickly followed behind.

“Grandfather! Hello, Mr. Fu! Hello, Mr. Zhou!”

Zheng Sheng was very familiar with several of Zhang Yuanji’s old friends and greeted them one by one.

Among his descendants, Zhang Yuanji was proudest of this young grandson. Seeing him arrive, he chuckled happily and gestured for him to come over and talk. Then, catching sight of Wen Yan behind Zheng Sheng, he felt the young man looked a bit familiar.

“This young fellow is…”

“Grand-uncle, it’s me, Shen Po!” Wen Yan quickly called out to him.

The elder and the youth had not seen each other for many years. Though related by blood, they were practically strangers, so it was only natural that Zhang Yuanji failed to recognize him.

Only when he heard Zheng Sheng’s introduction did it finally dawn on him.

“Shen Po, look how much you’ve grown!”

Zhang Yuanji chuckled, asked him a couple of questions, and then turned back to chat with his old friends.

Standing to the side, Wen Yan listened to them debate the authenticity of a rare Song dynasty edition, completely lost.

Zheng Sheng found their topic rather dry as well, so he drifted away to chat with his own friends. Wen Yan, however, refused to leave. He trailed Zhang Yuanji like a little tail, following wherever the elder went. He never interrupted, quietly serving as nothing more than background decor.

After a while, Zhang Yuanji naturally found it odd.

“Do you need something from me?” he asked Wen Yan.

Wen Yan shook his head. “There are a lot of things I don’t understand after changing majors. You’re a great scholar, granduncle, so I can learn a lot just by following you around.”

In truth, he wanted to build a good relationship with Zhang Yuanji to find a chance to move a batch of books out, salvaging whatever he could. But words like that were impossible to say aloud.

Zhang Yuanji was amused when he heard that. “Swallowing things whole by trailing after me, how much can you really understand? You’d be better off reading on your own or hanging out with Zheng Sheng. You young people have more in common!”

Wen Yan said, “I just wanted to soak in a bit of your scholarly aura, sir. Please let me stick around. I won’t disturb you!”

The other old gentlemen nearby all laughed.

“Brother Jusheng^[4], this youngster of yours is quite interesting. He seems to be flattering you, yet I can’t fathom what he’s after!”

Zhang Yuanji laughed as well. “The only decent thing I have to show for my life is the Commercial Press. It’s neither a fair maiden nor fine wine, so a young lad like him wouldn’t be interested!”

Wen Yan said, “To be honest, I don’t understand most of what you gentlemen are talking about. But I figured being close to the water, listening more can’t hurt. Once I’ve heard enough, going back to check the books will make everything clear.”

Zhang Yuanji teased, “Then should we talk about something the lad can understand?”

One of the old gentlemen said, “I heard that outside the library today, some students got into an altercation with the Japanese?”

Wen Yan had been bored out of his mind, his thoughts naturally wandering, but the word “Japanese” jolted him like an electric shock, snapping him instantly to full alert!

*

Shen Po never could have imagined that less than two full days and nights after arriving a hundred years into the future, he would experience a thrill he had never even encountered a hundred years in the past.

An earthquake!

This place was located in the southwest, an area naturally prone to earthquakes. The villagers were long accustomed to tremors every few days. But this time was different. The shaking was intense, triggering a torrent of damp mud from the mountain that had yet to dry after days of rain. In an instant, a deafening rumble echoed all around, impossible to pinpoint where it was coming from.

Having never experienced an earthquake in his entire life, Shen Po froze in place, utterly failing to react. It was only when a nearby student yanked him and shoved him under a desk that he managed to cram most of his body underneath. But with him taking up the entire space, there was no room left for the student. In the blink of an eye, a massive cascade of roof tiles and bricks crashed down, burying them both under the rubble with a tremendous clatter!