OBS Chapter 1273 Qin Hao's Version of Encouraging Learning
Chapter 1273 Qin Hao's Version of Encouraging Learning
Chapter 1273 Qin Hao's Version of Encouraging Learning
"I'm the one who sent him."
Lu Zhaohai was startled by his mother's arrival, but he was even more surprised that she agreed to let him go to Xi'an.
"mother."
Zao Hua hugged Lu Zhaohai, her eyes filled with tears, but she quickly wiped them away and straightened his clothes.
"When you go to Xi'an, you must listen to your brother Hao and not cause him any trouble, understand?"
"Ah."
Zao Hua turned around and bowed deeply to Qin Hao: "Brother Hao, I'm going to trouble you again..."
"Auntie, you're shortening my lifespan! You can rest assured leaving Zhaohai to me."
"Oh, don't worry, don't worry at all."
Lu Zhaohai waved goodbye to his mother with reluctance. As the carriage drove away from Bailu Village, the dust raised gradually blurred Zaohua's vision. She ran after the carriage all the way, but eventually lost sight of her son at a corner.
The wheels rolled and clattered on the dirt road riddled with ruts. As the carriage moved further and further away, the familiar old locust tree at the entrance of Bailu Village slowly shrank into a dark dot on the horizon.
Bai Ling kept asking Qin Hao questions about Xi'an with great interest: How high are the city walls? Are there many people? Are there any grand theaters for foreigners? Lu Zhaohai also joined the discussion, and the two of them competed to express their imagination of Xi'an. They even asked strange questions like, "Is the moon in Xi'an rounder and bigger?" The carriage was filled with the unique anticipation of young people for the future and their unrestrained laughter.
As the sun rose higher, a massive, dragon-like, bluish-gray shadow suddenly appeared on the distant horizon, and the carriage fell silent instantly. Bai Ling grabbed the front edge of the carriage, almost leaning half her body out, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly agape, too shocked to speak.
"That...that's the Xi'an City Wall?" Lu Zhaohai squeezed in, his voice filled with disbelief and amazement.
"Yes, it's the West Gate, Anding Gate." Qin Hao steadily steered the horse, a hint of emotion flashing in his eyes. These thick, weathered city walls have witnessed countless battles throughout history, and now they are about to welcome a new generation.
The carriage, following the flow of people and vehicles, slowly approached the huge, deep city gate. A smell mingled with dust, the odor of livestock, and the aroma of cooking fires wafted towards them.
The city gate was bustling with activity, with people, carts, and livestock all crammed together as the guards inspected the pedestrians with expressionless faces.
The shouts of rickshaw drivers, the cries of vendors, the crying of children, the clatter of cart wheels... all these sounds instantly merged into a noisy symphony.
"Wow—!" Bai Ling could no longer contain her excitement and curiosity. Before the carriage even entered the city gate, she screamed excitedly and nimbly lifted the curtain to jump down.
"Ling'er! Slow down!" Leng Qiuyue was startled and quickly reached out to stop her.
"Let her go." Qin Hao stopped her, understanding the surging desire to face a new world: "Zhao Hai, you go down too, stay with Bai Ling, and keep an eye on her so she doesn't get lost."
"Hey! Alright!" Lu Zhaohai couldn't sit still any longer. Hearing this, he immediately responded, nimbly flipping off the carriage and catching up with Bai Ling, who was already weaving through the crowd like a bird released from its cage.
The two boys, who had never left the countryside of Bailuyuan, were now like fish swimming in a vast ocean, completely overwhelmed and intoxicated by the magnificent urban landscape.
The streets paved with bluestone slabs were wide enough for horses to run through, and the shops on both sides of the road were lined with signs: cloth shops, grain shops, pharmacies, restaurants, blacksmith shops, paper horse shops... one after another, with bright storefronts, some even with bright glass windows!
The pedestrians on the street were dressed in all sorts of ways. Some wore long robes and mandarin jackets, others wore short cloth shirts, and still others were young people who had shaved their braids and had new-style short hair. You could even see a few figures dressed in inappropriate suits and ties. Among the women were women with bound feet and modern students wearing blue indigo cheongsams...
"Zhaohai! Look, look! That little windmill is so pretty, all colorful!"
Bai Ling pointed to the colorful paper windmills stuck on the peddler's carrying pole by the roadside, her eyes shining.
"What's that? The one that makes a jingling sound?"
"That's a sugar figurine seller. How about I draw you a Sun Wukong?"
Qin Hao drove the carriage slowly behind the two excited boys who were gesturing and pointing excitedly. He didn't urge them, but just watched with a smile as they greedily absorbed all the novelty before them, like two sponges that had fallen into a honey pot.
Passing by a stall selling candied fruit, he bought Bai Ling a bag of dried apricots; seeing newly published magazines on a bookstall, Lu Zhaohai curiously flipped through them and bought two copies as well; Bai Ling was fascinated by the handmade cloth tigers at a roadside stall, and Qin Hao paid for them without hesitation.
"Brother Hao, this...this is too much of a waste."
Lu Zhaohai hugged the newly acquired magazine with a bit of embarrassment.
"It's nothing, it's my first time in the city, I'm just buying some new things." Qin Hao waved his hand with a smile, "Come on, let me show you around my house."
Under Qin Hao's skillful driving, the carriage wound its way through streets and alleys, finally turning into a relatively quiet lane paved with blue bricks, and stopping in front of a courtyard gate. The gate was lacquered black, with blue stone door piers on both sides, exuding an air of understated wealth. This was Qin Hao's residence in Xi'an—it had been rented initially, but later, when Leng Qiuyue returned to her hometown to recuperate after giving birth, she simply bought it, thus settling down in the city.
Upon entering, you find a small but tidy courtyard house.
The yard was dusty, and a few tenacious weeds had even sprouted in the corner, clearly indicating that no one had lived there for a long time, giving it a desolate and lonely feel.
"We need to clean up quickly." Leng Qiuyue handed the child to Qin Hao and quickly rolled up her sleeves.
Just as the three were busy unloading their luggage, a slightly scholarly voice came from outside the courtyard gate: "Big Brother!"
Before the words were finished, two young men walked in one after the other. The one in front, dressed in a well-fitting modern student uniform, had a fair complexion, neatly combed hair, and a perfectly measured smile of joy on his face; this was Bai Xiaowen. Behind him followed a much more honest-looking young man, dressed in a coarse cloth short jacket, with thick eyebrows and large eyes; this was Bai Xiaowu.
"Xiaowen? Xiaowu? What brings you here?" Leng Qiuyue asked, somewhat surprised.
"I heard that my elder brother and sister-in-law are coming to the city today, so Xiaowu and I took half a day off to come and help them out!"
Bai Xiaowen spoke first, his eyes quickly scanning the courtyard.
“Oh dear, this courtyard may not be big, but it’s clean and tidy, and the location is good too, not far from Shuyuan Street. Brother, you’ve made a great choice! Sister-in-law, don’t do it, let us do these chores.” As he spoke, he eagerly took the broom from Leng Qiuyue’s hand.
Bai Xiaowu smiled憨厚ly and called out "Big Brother and Sister-in-law".
Then he glanced at the large vat in the yard: "I'll go fetch water! This vat is empty."
The courtyard was instantly filled with a cheerful atmosphere. The previous desolation was swept away, and the brothers worked together to sweep, dust, fetch water, wash, and tidy up the items.
Amidst laughter and cheerful conversation, as the setting sun painted the western clouds red, this small courtyard in Xi'an finally came alive with the vibrant atmosphere of everyday life.
Dinner consisted of noodles cooked by Leng Qiuyue, paired with a hamburger with cured beef that Qin Hao had specially bought at the street corner—simple yet heartwarming.
After the family settled down, Qin Hao first found a modern school that admitted girls for Bai Ling. Although Lu Zhaohai wanted to attend a military academy, he was not old enough, so he could only be arranged to study with Bai Ling for two years before enrolling in a military academy. After arranging things for them, Qin Hao also went to Guanzhong University to report for duty.
Just as Yue Weishan promised, his inauguration went very smoothly, even "grandly".
The principal, surnamed Zhang, had studied in Japan. He treated Qin Hao with exceptional courtesy, personally showing him around the campus and arranging a bright and clean new office for him, complete with a desk and cabinets.
Before leaving, he added in a tone of great admiration and anticipation: "Zihan, the freshman commencement ceremony is the day after tomorrow. We've all discussed it and unanimously agreed that the important task of delivering the freshman representative speech is none other than yours! Your speech at Peking University was truly inspiring and is still being recited by aspiring students! We are eagerly awaiting your speech!"
Upon hearing this, Qin Hao instinctively wanted to decline, but Principal Zhang interrupted him with a smile: "Zihan, this is the common expectation of all the teachers and students in the school! Please don't decline anymore, we are eagerly awaiting your masterpiece!"
Goodness, they've brought out the entire faculty and student body; there's no way to refuse now.
"Thanks to the principal's trust, Zihan has done his best."
On the day of the opening ceremony, the auditorium of Guanzhong University was packed with people, with every seat filled. When the host announced loudly, "Next, please welcome our newly appointed Vice President, Mr. Bai Zihan, to deliver a speech to the students!"
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience. Countless gazes focused on Qin Hao, some filled with curiosity, some with admiration, some with scrutiny, and some with a hint of secret speculation.
Qin Hao walked steadily onto the podium. The audience gradually quieted down.
"Classmates," Qin Hao began, his voice carrying throughout the hall through a simple megaphone, calm and gentle: "Actually, I'm not very good at public speaking."
This slightly self-deprecating opening remark eased the tense atmosphere in the audience, and the students couldn't help but smile.
"That time at Peking University," he paused briefly, his gaze sweeping over the young faces below the stage, "was probably an exceptional performance."
The audience finally couldn't help but burst into understanding and relaxed laughter.
As the laughter subsided, Qin Hao's gentle expression gradually faded: "Back then, on the Peking University stage, I talked a lot about 'dreams.' Later, many people laughed at me, saying I was just daydreaming."
"Alright, today, let's not talk about dreams, let's talk about something practical. For example, how should we realize our dreams—those dreams about a strong, independent, and dignified country?"
He paused for a moment, his gaze sharpening as if it were tangible, sweeping across the entire room: "Here, I'd like to start by asking you a question. Why has our ancient nation been repeatedly bullied and its land shattered for over a hundred years?"
He raised his voice: "Does anyone still remember—"
The Opium War!
The First Sino-Japanese War!
More voices are joining in.
"That's right, these two wars, the humiliating treaties, the ceded lands, the silver indemnities... Can anyone tell me why we lost?!"
"Because the ships and cannons of the great powers are powerful! Our wooden ships and homemade cannons are no match for them!"
A student wearing thick glasses waved his fist and shouted excitedly.
"Because of those officials in the court!"
Another burly student stood up angrily, his voice booming: "Incompetent and foolish! Cowards who fear death! Colluding with foreigners to betray the country!"
"Because the imperial court closed itself off from the world and became arrogant and ignorant! It simply doesn't understand that the outside world has changed!"
"Excellent! Well said!" Qin Hao exclaimed enthusiastically, his voice brimming with emotion: "What you all say is absolutely right! In the end, we lost because of one thing: 'weapons,' one thing: 'manufacturing,' and one thing: 'knowledge'! What did the great powers rely on? Strong ships and powerful cannons! Just these four words were enough to bring hundreds of millions of Chinese people to utter defeat! Territory ceded, indemnities paid, and national humiliation suffered!"
"So, students, ask yourselves again—today, we want to avenge our past defeats! We want to stand tall! What will we rely on?"
"Build ships that are stronger than those of the great powers! And cannons that are more powerful!"
A roar of response erupted from the audience, almost in unison! Several students stood up excitedly, their faces flushed – this was the most direct and passionate answer.
Qin Hao led the applause: "Well said! Full of heroic spirit! This is the true spirit of men! This is the path to rejuvenation!"
As the applause subsided, his tone abruptly shifted, becoming unusually calm and realistic: "But building ships! Building cannons! These aren't things we can achieve by shouting a few slogans in the classroom!"
He surveyed the entire room, his voice lowering yet carrying immense power: "It is industry! It is a solid industrial foundation! It is the 10,000-ton hydraulic press that can shape steel! It is the steam engine and internal combustion engine that can turn machines! It is the generator that can turn on lights and run factories! It is the precision machine tool that can turn blueprints into machines! And it is the millions of engineers, technicians and scientists who can operate these huge machines, understand their principles, and continuously improve and innovate!"
"So here, I would like to ask everyone here, no matter what your major is, to find a science or engineering major that you don't dislike so much and study it. Don't be a useless scholar."
The speech left a lasting impression on the campus of Guanzhong University. As the audience dispersed, the auditorium was no longer filled with lighthearted conversation; the air was heavy, students clenched their fists, their eyes burning with intensity, and the focus of their discussions was entirely on one word—practicality.
"Shouting slogans won't save the country; we need to build ships and cannons, and we need to understand steam engines and generators!"
This trend quickly swept through the library, with science and engineering books being snapped up and borrowed, while humanities books were left untouched and ignored.
However, this has also created a problem: there are simply too few books on science and engineering, and many of them are in foreign languages, which many students simply cannot understand.
In response to this phenomenon, Qin Hao once again "worked behind closed doors" and "compiled" three supplementary books: "Basic Mechanical Engineering," "Basic Computational Mathematics," and "Basic Chemical Engineering." He had his own printing factory print 1,000 copies of each book and then donated them to Guanzhong University free of charge.
For a time, these three books became "classics" that students at Guanzhong University had to read, and at one point, students from other schools even came to "borrow" them. Of course, borrowed books are not returned.
As a result, the number of books dwindled, leaving Qin Hao with no choice but to publicly sell these three books, which gradually reduced the theft rate at the Guanzhong Library.