Gu Hongming fainted, and while heatstroke was a contributing factor, the main reason was the fatigue from the long journey from Foshan to London—it was just too far.
For the next week, he stayed in a hotel in London to recuperate.
Since he had upset Gu, it was only natural for Lu Shi to visit him more often. Each time, he would bring along Natsume Soseki, and the three of them would play cards together, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
"Bomb!"
"Darn it!"
"You're playing those cards way too well!"
...
After another round, Gu Hongming was beaming with joy.
Natsume Soseki always felt that Gu Hongming's luck was unbelievably good, and this streak of good luck had lasted for days, defying any scientific explanation. He couldn't help but glance at Lu Shi, his eyes filled with questions.
Lu Shi winked mischievously, his eyes full of cunning.
Gu Hongming didn't notice the exchange of glances between the two, excitedly saying, "Shuffle! Shuffle quickly!"
Their rule was that the loser shuffled the cards.
Lu Shi hurriedly shuffled the cards, while casually saying, "Mr. Gu, I can see that your spirits have improved a lot. There are fewer wrinkles on your face, making you look younger. Hmm, ten years younger!"
Gu Hongming was supposed to go from London to Edinburgh, to visit his alma mater, the University of Edinburgh, and make an appearance while promoting the Confucian classics he had translated. This was in line with his long-standing belief that "Chinese traditional culture is not inferior to Western thought."
But for some reason, he never mentioned going to Edinburgh after waking up.
Lu Shi just wanted to get Gu out of there now.
Gu Hongming shook his head, "I'm getting old, my legs and feet aren't as nimble anymore. Look at me, after resting for so long, I still haven't recovered. I'm afraid I won't be able to travel far for the time being."
The two exchanged knowing smiles.
Lu Shi: Crafty old fox!
Gu Hongming: Little fox!
Natsume Soseki couldn't help but shiver, feeling as if the atmosphere in the room had suddenly cooled.
Gu Hongming stretched lazily, saying, "Lu Shi, this game of cards is indeed fun, much more interesting than the bridge games played by English gentlemen. But, obviously, this game is unfair. Why is it still so addictive?"
Lu Shi burst into laughter, "What you said, Mr. Gu, why are people addicted to gambling?"
Gu Hongming shrugged, "But we're not playing for money."
That was true.
They weren't gambling because Natsume Soseki's finances were too tight, and Lu Shi's goal was to cheer up Gu Hongming—the cost of gambling would be too high.
After some thought, Lu Shi said, "I think there are two reasons. Firstly, asymmetric games have a certain charm; being the landlord and fighting against two opponents brings a much greater sense of satisfaction than the strategic card games like bridge. Secondly, many things require years of effort before we can experience the joy of success, but in Landlord, you can quickly achieve that feeling, which is why many gambling games are designed to reveal wins or losses with the flipping of a card. The simpler the strategy, the more addictive it is."
Gu Hongming looked at Lu Shi strangely.
This young man, just to cheer him up, had invented such an interesting card game. What kind of genius was he?
Gu Hongming said, "Lu Shi, I've seen young talents before, like... um... Cai Yuanpei, have you heard of that name?"
Another heavyweight figure from the late Qing and early Republic periods.
Lu Shi didn't dare to comment casually and remained silent.
Gu Hongming laughed, "This Cai Yuanpei isn't all that remarkable, just a licentiate in the Hanlin Academy, ranked thirty-fourth in the palace examination."
Thirty-fourth wasn't anything special?
This guy really dared to say anything.
Lu Shi remained silent.
Gu Hongming continued, "With Cai Yuanpei's achievements, I couldn't possibly remember him. But this young man was different; after the Sino-Japanese War broke out, he began to study Western learning, sympathized with the Reform Movement, and wrote many articles advocating new learning. As a result, I remembered him instantly, thinking that this person wasn't worth much. You know, I despise the Kang (Youwei) faction the most—what's that Confucius reform examination of his? Opportunistic, ambitious, adventurous, and destructive! Just the creed of the Jacobins in France..."
This conversation could go on forever.
Lu Shi had known about history for a long time and knew that Guangxu had become a puppet emperor after the failure of the Hundred Days' Reform, so he didn't feel anything special.
He didn't know how to comfort Gu Hongming.
"Mr. Gu, you..."
Suddenly, Gu Hongming closed the newspaper, got out of bed, and said, "Let's go."
Lu Shi was pleased, "Are you finally leaving?"
Gu Hongming glared at him discontentedly and then said, "I stayed in London just to witness this."
Since he used the word "witness," it meant that Gu Hongming had no doubts about Lu Shi's prediction and was simply waiting for today's outcome.
Gu Hongming said, "Lu Shi, remember what you said last time? 'If you live with your mother, you can't even decide who to sleep with at night. Can you still claim to be the master of the house?' I think that's so true, it's simply common sense."
Lu Shi joked, "Does Mr. Gu have several mistresses?"
Gu Hongming burst into laughter, not taking the bait.
Although he advocated for the integration of Chinese and Western cultures, he was a staunch supporter of polygamy, showing disrespect for his elders.
After some thought, Lu Shi asked, "Mr. Gu, where are you going? Back to China?"