British writer

Chapter 205 Nianzi’s self-cultivation

the next day.

On the train to Cambridge, Riku Toki and Natsume Soseki sat opposite each other.

I didn't come with you, so I left it to Phyllis to take care of.

The closer we get to Cambridge, the more natural the scenery outside the window becomes.

The woods on both sides of the railway track are sparse, and the leaves are dyed fiery red, forming a sharp contrast with the blue sky and white clouds.

The leaves fell, covering the ground with a sparse carpet.

"Huh~"

Lu Shi let out a long breath,

"It's good to come to Cambridge once in a while for business. It's better than staying in London. I'm tired of the vague smell of the Thames."

After hearing this, Natsume Soseki scratched his head in confusion.

"Have it?"

Lu Shi was speechless, thinking that this old man's olfactory system had been assimilated by London.

Only when I went to France and the United States did I feel the difference.

He changed the subject,

"After the serialization of "I Am Cat" ends, are you still planning to write a novel?"

Natsume Soseki nodded,

"I plan to write a realistic work. This is what I want to do. I want to portray an upright protagonist who works as a teacher in a junior high school after graduating from Tokyo. However, he is ostracized and finally becomes unbearable and rises up to resist."

Lu Shi knew as soon as he heard it that it should be another masterpiece of Natsume Soseki——

"brothers".

Lu Xun commented on this novel, saying that it is "bright, free and easy, full of wit" and "the mainstream of New Edo art in the Meiji literary world, unparalleled in the world".

Lu Shi commented: "Realistic works... must be based on personal experience. So, you have been engaged in education work at Songshan Middle School and other places before? You should be comfortable writing about this subject."

Natsume Soseki was stunned,

"I told you about that experience?"

Lu Shi said "Ah" and quickly changed the topic.

"But I'm afraid it will be difficult for the book to sell well in London."

Realism has been written too much by European and Russian writers. No matter how humorous and satirical "Brother" is, it can't compare.

And this subject matter itself lacks the basis for a bestseller.

Natsume Soseki pondered,

"'I Am Cat' is enough."

Lu Shi can understand,

Writers of this era generally have a sense of mission;

Take Natsume Soseki for example. In 1906, his good friend Kano Yukichi invited him to be a professor at the Faculty of Liberal Arts of Kyoto University, but he immediately declined in a letter.

The letter said:

"Life is a big Shura field, full of endless battles, so he is determined to defeat his enemies and even sacrifices heroically. Standing in this harsh world, he wants to test how much influence people can accept. .”

There are people with lofty ideals in every country.

Lu Shi patted the other party's shoulder,

"I support you."

Natsume Soseki:? ? ?

"Lu, you...actually, I was really inspired by you to write this book."

Lu Shi was a little confused.

"What? Did I say something?"

Natsume Soseki said: "You didn't say anything, but you wrote it! "The Nature of Japanese Civilization", is there any more profound book than that? After reading it, I deeply realized that you can't get away from seeing rotten and dirty things. Instead, we must face the difficulties and use the weapons of literature and thought to eliminate evil.”

Lu Shi: "..."

Unexpectedly, it was my own influence again.

Natsume Soseki slowly recited:

'They are polite, yet arrogant; they are extremely stubborn, yet very fickle; they are loyal and generous, yet rebellious and full of resentment...'

He solemnly said: "Lu, I am determined to change the people."

Lu Shi: "..."

If only it were that easy.

He waved his hand,

"Don't talk about this."

Natsume Soseki also felt that the topic was a bit heavy, so he changed his tone to a lighter tone and asked: "When I go to Cambridge this time, do you know the two protagonists of the incident?"

As he spoke, he took out a book,

"This book is hard to buy."

Lu Shi looked over,

The title of the book is "The Interpretation of Dreams".

He couldn't help but be a little surprised,

In my mind, Freud's "The Interpretation of Dreams" was published in November 1899 by the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society.

For books published in Austria, the first language is naturally German.

Die Traumdeutung.

Because this book was not recognized in the academic community and sold very poorly, and the writing was clumsy, there was no reason for it to be translated into English.

This is also the reason why Freud wants to be a bastard.

Earn traffic first and then sell books.

Scholarship is a matter of fact, not cold.

Lu Shi said, "Have you read this book?"

Natsume Soseki nodded,

"I'm just curious. Speaking of which, I think this book...how should I put it...is a bit...well...it feels a bit like a theological work."

Lu Shi was stunned for a moment, then laughed loudly,

"What a 'theological work'. Is it just a dance?"

Natsume Soseki scratched his head in embarrassment.

"Um."

Lu Shi said: "It's normal. Don't I often dance with great gods? Predict this, predict that..."

Natsume Soseki curled his lips and complained: "Then how can it be the same? The master of dancing is the one who has the insight to see the fire and the foresight."

Lu Shi couldn't help but smile even more heartily,

"Okay, okay."

He stretched out his hand,

"Show me that book."

Natsume Soseki handed over "The Interpretation of Dreams" and said: "The contents are mysterious and mysterious. In short, I don't think it is very reliable."

Lu Shi opened it and found that it was indeed in English.

He turned directly to the last page,

There is no publishing information or author information, so it is obviously a pirated book.

Lu Shixin said that today was like a knife in the butt - it opened my eyes.

After traveling for so long, it was the first time I saw pirated books.

However, the fact that "The Interpretation of Dreams" was pirated in London shows that it still has a foundation among the masses.

The corner of Lu Shi's mouth curled up,

"Too."

Natsume Soseki asked in confusion: "What is it?"

Lu Shi said: "Ordinary people like predictions, fortune-telling and the like the most, just like the gender section of the Mirror, which highlights one piece of gossip~"

horoscopes, tarot cards,

These are very popular in modern times.

But "The Interpretation of Dreams" is mainly an academic work, and there is no reason why it should be popular.

Lu Shi was a little surprised and opened the first chapter of the book.

——

People's physical conditions are related to dreams,

If you have weak kidneys, you may dream of standing on the edge of an abyss or immersed in water;

If you have a weak stomach, you will dream about food;

If your large intestine is weak, you will dream about fields;

If the small intestine is weak, you will dream of many people gathering in a square or fortress;

If you are timid and weak, you may dream about fighting with others, lawsuits or suicide;

…

——

Lu Shi:? ? ?

What is this all about?

"The Interpretation of Dreams" When did you start treating people again?

Just as he was puzzled, Lu Shi suddenly slapped his forehead and said: "See a doctor... Let me just say, this is clearly the "Huangdi Neijing"! It should be the 43rd volume, "Lingshu: Erotic Dreams" .”

The original text of this paragraph:

"When it comes to the kidneys, it dreams of being near the abyss, not living in the water; when it comes to the stomach, it dreams of eating and drinking; when it comes to the large intestine, it dreams of fields; when it comes to the small intestine, it dreams of gathering towns and rivers; when it comes to the gallbladder, it dreams of fighting and litigation. rip……"

Natsume Soseki also read a lot of Sinological works, but the "Huangdi Neijing" is still a bit too biased.

He asked: "I know about China's Yellow Emperor, but what is the Huangdi Neijing?"

Lu Shi explained: "The Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic is China's earliest medical classic. You must have read Chinese herbal medicine. You should know the terms 'pulse' and 'meridians', right? They all come from the Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic."

Natsume Soseki was a little confused.

"So, this book is not The Interpretation of Dreams?"

Lu Shi said "hmm" and continued to look back.

Unexpectedly, this book turned out to be a hodgepodge. In addition to the "Huangdi Neijing", there is also "The Rites of Zhou", which divides dreams into six types:

Dreams, nightmares, dreams, sleeping dreams, joyful dreams, and fearful dreams.

On this basis, a large amount of content from "The Interpretation of Dreams by Duke Zhou" was introduced.

But that's not the most outrageous thing.

What's even more outrageous is that this book actually contains the content of "The Interpretation of Dreams", but the theoretical argument part is eliminated and only the conclusion is stated, turning an academic work into a pure dance.

Lu Shi could only remain silent,

In his mind, he could already picture the author of this pirated book.

First of all, he must be Chinese, otherwise he would not be so familiar with the "Huangdi Neijing", "Zhou Rites", "Zhuangzi", and "Zhou Gong's Interpretation of Dreams".

Secondly, he also needs to know German and English.

With such a scope, it seems that there are only a few candidates.

Gu Hongming?

Probably not.

That guy is quite popular in Europe, so there is no need to make money like this.

Lu Shisi thought about it, and a name popped into his mind -

Kang Youwei.

He advocated "learning from Germany as far away as Japan, and adopting Japan as close as possible", especially in his 1898 "Please abolish the eight-legged essay and regular script and replace it with the standard essay". He urged the imperial examination to focus on eight-part essay, standard script and regular script. He asked Emperor Guangxu to "retry the Jinxiang Association, please change the test strategy".

Before and after this, he went to Germany many times to investigate education, so he must be familiar with German.

In addition, the time is right, so it is normal to come into contact with "The Interpretation of Dreams".

The most important thing is that this person loves money, so it is not too surprising to make a book called "Stitch Monster" to make money.

On a business trip with public funds, I also piracy...

Awesome!

Lu Shi could only give a thumbs up in his mind.

No wonder Gu Hongming shook his head when he mentioned the Kang Party.

It's really outrageous.

"Tsk..."

Lu Shi couldn't help but be speechless.

Natsume Soseki asked: "What's wrong?"

Of course, Lu Shi would not reveal his guess. He shook his head and said, "In short, this book is definitely not the original text of "The Interpretation of Dreams". I highly doubt that it has an English version yet."

Natsume Soseki was very depressed.

Unexpectedly, I bought a pirated book in London.

Lu Shi smiled and said,

"But it's not that you can't read this book, just enjoy it."

The two continued to read.

In this way, the train arrived in Cambridge.

This time it was not Cavendish who came to pick him up, but Montagu Rhodes James, the dean of King's College.

As soon as he saw Lu Shi, he immediately came to greet him.

"Professor Lu, long time no see!"

After saying that, he shook hands with Riku Toki and Natsume Soseki in turn.

Lu Shi was a little curious,

"Mr. James, Principal, what's going on? Why did you invite two foreign scholars to debate in Cambridge?"

Cambridge has its own traffic, allowing Freud and Harold Gale to gain admission to Cambridge, which is equivalent to a disguised recognition of the value of their theories.

Even if it's wrong, it's worth discussing.

Unexpectedly, James glanced at Lu Shi with resentment,

"Of course it's because of you~"

Lu Shi:? ? ?

"because I?"

James whispered: "Columbia University is busy preparing to establish a journalism school, and Harvard seems to be making changes. If we don't keep up, we may fall behind. Advertising is an important branch of journalism, so the president attaches great importance to it."

Lu Shi said: "Advertising should be divided into two branches, one focusing on design; the other focusing on communication. But no matter which branch it is, if Cambridge wants to catch up, it will only take a matter of minutes."

James couldn't help but laugh,

"I don't deny that."

As one of the two best universities in the UK, Cambridge is indeed so confident.

The three of them got into the carriage.

Lu Shi continued the previous topic: "However, I think this discussion may focus more on psychology than advertising."

At the end of the 19th century, psychology became an independent discipline.

But it was not until the mid-20th century that it had a relatively unified definition.

Now, it has a more direct name——

Psychiatric Research.

James was familiar with various languages and asked: "Psychology...the word origin comes from ancient Greek, right?"

Lu Shi quickly explained: "Actually, it was Professor Wundt in Germany who first proposed this term, not me. Professor Wundt established the first psychological laboratory at the University of Leipzig, marking the birth of scientific psychology."

James glanced at him,

"Professor Lu, you are really knowledgeable and knowledgeable."

Lu Shi said haha,

"There is a saying in China that 'Know yourself and the enemy, and you will never be in danger in a hundred battles.' I was invited to be the referee, so I must be prepared."

James's expression was a little complicated,

"Speaking of this, Professor Gale hasn't arrived from Edinburgh yet, but Professor Freud has already arrived. He...well...he is very good at socializing."

This was said very implicitly,

Lu Shi understood instantly and couldn't help but think of the pirated book.

Kang Youwei cares,

Freud did the same,

That’s how academic circles are.

The carriage moved forward slowly, its wheels making regular soft sounds.

The autumn scenery in Cambridge is very beautiful.

The weather is getting cooler, but the sun is still shining brightly. As long as there is no drizzle, it is very suitable for travel.

Soon, the carriage arrived at its destination.

Three people jumped down,

From a distance, you can see the golden leaves in the river on campus, floating slowly with the water.

"Huh~"

Lu Shi took a deep breath and sighed again: "The air here is better than that in London."

James took the opportunity and said: "Professor Lu, you can come to Cambridge to teach."

This is poaching.

Lu Shi was preparing to decline the other party politely.

At this time, a burly white man with plump cheeks walked over quickly.

He looked to be in his forties, with a thick brown-gray beard on his chin, but his expression was not majestic. Instead, he was smiling and very approachable.

"Professor Lu!"

He shouted from a distance: "Are you Professor Lu?"

While saying hello, he quickened his pace and turned into a trot.

Lu Shi didn't react at all.

"you……"

Just said this word,

Snapped--

The other party grabbed his hand, held it tightly and would not let go, and said: "Professor Lu, I have heard of your name for a long time. My admiration for you is like the endless stream of a surging river, and like the Thames River." The flooding is out of control.”

"hiss……"

Lu Shi gasped,

I knew the other party was a slut, but I didn't expect that he would go as far as this.

For a moment, he didn't know what to say.

If you are polite and say something like "I have heard of your name and have been friends with you for a long time," the other party will definitely climb up the ladder.

It's just a handshake now, but after the climb, it might turn into a candlelit night talk.

How could Lu Shi dare to express his stance in this situation?

He used to be eloquent, but now he seems very innocent.

"Um...ah...yes...thank you."

Floyd's offensive showed no signs of stopping, and came like a sudden storm.

He took out a book from his arms,

"Professor Lu, this is my work "The Interpretation of Dreams". You don't know German, right? I can translate it for you."

Do you really want to talk by candlelight at night? !

Lu Shi quickly interrupted the other party's spellcasting and said: "No! No, no, no! I understand German! "Die Traumdeutung"."

Freud was obviously stunned;

Lu Shide spoke fluently and fluently, and his respect was no less than that of a native speaker.

But soon, Freud adjusted his expression and continued: "Professor Lu, I hope you can give me more advice and corrections on my work."