Chapter 49: A Thousand Miles Away
Guangzhou Prefecture, Li’s Residence.
In the feudal era, the residence of kings and nobles was called a mansion, the residence of officials was called a house, and the residence of ordinary people was called a home.
Although the Li family was a wealthy family in Guangzhou, they were originally just "ordinary people."
But the head of the family, Mr. Li Tingzhao, directly spent money to donate an official position in order to make things easier and to make the house more magnificent.
In fact, given the old man's relationship with the current high-ranking official of the imperial court, Li Zhongtang, no one would dare to say anything even if he put the word "fu" on it.
But Li Tingzhao never acted arrogantly. Instead, he was low-key, abided by the rules, and never used their relationship as an excuse.
At this moment, he was entertaining guests in the main hall of the house, one old and one young.
"Brother Wang, how come you have time to come to my humble home today? I should take the initiative to visit you."
Wang Shiyuan said with a smile: "Brother Li, there is no need for us to be polite. I came here for no reason."
Li Tingzhao was puzzled. Although the Wang family was not as powerful as the Li family in Guangzhou, they were still doing their job and should not encounter any difficulties that could not be solved.
Therefore, he smiled and said, "Brother Wang, you are too polite. I am over 50 years old. I am neither a high-ranking official nor a wealthy man. How dare I be so arrogant in front of you? Please speak."
Wang Shiyuan sighed inwardly, everyone said that Li Tingzhao was a humble and low-key person, and his reputation was well-deserved.
His eldest son now serves as a middle-level manager in the "New Army". This army is Li Hongzhang's direct line, Yuan Shikai's troops, and the entire army is equipped with German equipment.
The second son served as an official in the Experience Department under the Guangdong Provincial Administration Commissioner's Office, responsible for assisting the governor in handling official documents and administrative affairs. He was considered to be in a lowly position but with great power.
The third son is said to be studying abroad in England, thousands of miles away, and is considered to be extremely talented. The Li family is full of talented people.
Although the family was so prominent, they never showed off, let alone boasted in front of outsiders. Therefore, Li Tingzhao was very popular and had many friends, and had close contacts with many foreigners.
The reason why Wang Shiyuan came here today was related to his third son, Li Qiwei. "Brother Li, to be honest, I came here today because of my daughter's matter."
After that, he said to a young girl behind him: "Yao'er, why don't you come and greet your Uncle Li quickly."
At this time, a girl about 160cm tall, wearing a moon-white skirt, said with a quirky smile, "Uncle Li, do you still remember me?"
Li Tingzhao looked at him carefully and said without any hesitation: "You are Lu Yao?"
Wang Luyao said sweetly, "Yes, Uncle Li."
Li Tingzhao suddenly realized and exclaimed: Girls really change a lot when they grow up, and they become more and more beautiful.
It turned out that the Li and Wang families were old acquaintances. They had lived together for several years, so the children of the two families knew each other.
Li Qiwei and Wang Luyao have been friends since they were young, so they can be considered childhood sweethearts, so Li Tingzhao naturally has an impression of her.
Later, the Li family moved away from their original location, and Li Qiwei separated from Wang Luyao when he was 15 years old.
From then on, the Li family and the Wang family had much less contact.
The little girl back then has grown into a beautiful young lady, but she is still a little naughty like before.
Li Tingzhao wondered in his heart what Wang Shiyuan's intention was in bringing his daughter here.
Wang Shiyuan was also having a headache, and he really had no other choice.
It turned out that Wang Luyao and Li Qiwei often played together in those days. The little girl was precocious, and Guangzhou had a civilized society since ancient times, so foreign ideas were widely spread here.
At this time, the women's liberation movement in the West was in full swing, calling for the rise of women, and naturally it also spread to the Qing Dynasty.
Wang Luyao had secretly developed feelings for Li Qiwei since she was a child. His appearance was deeply engraved in her mind. Now that she has grown up, she does not hide it and always begs her parents to be with Li Qiwei.
Wang Shiyuan was old and had a daughter, so he treated her like a treasure and held her in his hands for fear that she would melt. Therefore, he agreed to everything, big or small. Wang Shiyuan thought it was nothing, at most he could put aside his pride and take the initiative to test the Li family. Anyway, if she could marry into the Li family, it would be of great benefit to the Wang family.
Moreover, he had met Li Qiwei before. He was also handsome and completely worthy of Wang Luyao.
Then something happened that gave him a headache. "Brother Li, a few days ago, I heard that you were promoting the idea of finding young talents who are interested in Western learning and sending them to study in the UK at public expense. Is this true?"
Li Tingzhao said: "Yes, my third son is currently studying at Cambridge University in the UK, and he has made a name for himself in the foreign land."
"So he wanted to learn the Western art of studying things and bring it back to China to rebuild the world. But he was alone and weak, so he wanted to find some good seedlings to bring over and train."
"When you return from your studies, you can set up a new school, teach scientific knowledge, and learn from the foreigners to start the industrial revolution and strengthen China."
Wang Shiyuan was immediately filled with awe after hearing this. Regardless of whether the matter would succeed or not, this kind of awe-inspiring spirit was something that ordinary people could never possess.
He immediately looked up to Li Qiwei and asked, "I wonder how many talents from home and abroad Brother Li has recruited so far?"
Li Tingzhao said: "San'er told me that the first batch of people should not be too large. There are only three of them at the moment."
"Oh." Wang Shiyuan seemed to be thinking about something, then his expression suddenly became awkward, and his tone was awkward, "Um. Brother Li, can you recruit a girl?"
Li Tingzhao was slightly stunned and didn't understand.
Wang Luyao, who was standing by, couldn't wait and said immediately, "Oh, Uncle Li, I also want to go to England and study with Brother Qiwei. Do you think it's possible?"
"Ah?" Even though Li Tingzhao was mature and steady, he was shocked at this moment. He thought for a long time before saying, "Niece, Britain is far away overseas, not like China. Are you sure?"
Wang Luyao said smartly: "It's okay, Uncle Li, I won't be alone on the way anyway. And when I get there, I will definitely be with Brother Qiwei, so nothing will go wrong."
Li Tingzhao was also confused, thinking: Girl, is there anyone who would come to me like you? He looked at Wang Shiyuan helplessly, wanting to ask for his opinion.
Wang Shiyuan could only sigh: "Brother Li, if it is convenient, I hope you can agree to this request."
Seeing this, Li Tingzhao could only agree, so he said: "Don't worry, brother Wang, San'er has people to serve and protect him, and will never let his niece suffer."
"This time we went to the UK on the latest British-made ship, which is fast and comfortable. Even though the journey is thousands of miles, it will not be bumpy."
"Moreover, San'er told me in the letter that they would return in two years at the shortest and three years at the longest."
When Wang Shiyuan heard this, he felt much better, but he still felt a little reluctant.
In fact, he was also very conflicted. He hoped that Li Qiwei and his daughter could have a happy ending, but he also didn't want his daughter to go too far.
Through the inquiries over the past few days and the conversation just now, he guessed that Li Qiwei had lofty ambitions and was definitely not an ordinary person. What's more, the two families knew each other well.
Now that the other party is in need of people, it is much better to provide timely assistance than to add icing on the cake later.
Seeing that the Li family's preparations were so flawless and comprehensive, I finally felt relieved.
On December 1900, 12, a British ship carrying four young people set off from Guangzhou.
Wang Luyao and four others will travel along the South China Sea, cross the Strait of Malacca, enter the Indian Ocean, pass through Sri Lanka, then enter the Red Sea, then cross the Suez Canal, and finally enter the Mediterranean.
After resting in Port Said, we crossed the Mediterranean again, crossed the Strait of Gibraltar, and entered the English Channel from the Atlantic Ocean along Portugal and France.
Finally, we landed at the dock in London, and the whole journey took 29 days.
It is true that: A journey of thousands of miles is a journey of thousands of miles.
Thanks to [Millions of Readers] for the monthly ticket, and thanks to all the new and old book friends for the recommendation votes. The heroine finally appears. Some book friends think these two chapters are rather bland, because they are the key characters in the future, so I will describe them in a little more detail. Don't worry, the plot will start to be promoted immediately.
(End of this chapter)