When Uncle Wang came back from outside, he took a large pack of "Old Peacock" cigarettes produced in the United States, which were the first cigarettes to enter the country.
Li Yu stopped him: "Leave a packet for me."
Uncle Wang gave it to Li Yu and said, "Sir, there are 10 small packages in total, costing 5 silver dollars. Please deduct all this money from my bank account."
Li Yu originally wanted to say something, but after looking at his eyes, he thought about it and replied: "I know."
After Uncle Wang walked out, Li Yu added: "Don't forget to go to the kitchen and get two boxes of matches."
Uncle Wang stopped his legs and said awkwardly: "Sir, why don't you teach me how to use cigarettes? I don't understand foreign things."
Li Yu showed even more embarrassment: "I've never smoked cigarettes. Basically... I just lit them up and took a puff."
Tang Shaoyi in the room said: "Let me tell you, you have to smoke at the same time when ordering."
Wang Bocheng was frightened: "Thank you for your advice, sir."
After Uncle Wang left, Tang Shaoyi said to Li Yu: "Won't you have some? I've seen many upper-class foreigners either smoking cigars or cigarettes."
Speaking of which, the cigarette market has been developing rapidly. During the Republic of China, many women in aristocratic circles smoked, and it even became a fashion to show off their beauty. I guess everyone has seen it in some Republican-style movies.
But Li Yu waved his hand and said, "I'm not blessed to accept it."
Then he added: "In the future, when we set up our own cigarette factory with funding from the imperial court, we'd better not forget to publicize that smoking is harmful to health."
Tang Shaoyi said: "Didn't you say that cigarettes are not very harmful and will not make people addicted and cause smokers to look haggard?"
Li Yu said: "Of course it is not as violent as drugs, but it is still not good for the lungs and is an important cause of lung cancer."
Tang Shaoyi was surprised and said: "Lung cancer? Never heard of it! Brother Shucai, are you trying to scare me? I only know about tuberculosis."
Li Yu said: "Lung cancer is much more serious than tuberculosis."
When Tang Shaoyi heard this, he quickly took a sip of cigar to calm down his shock and said, "Everyone knows it's bad, but why do you think you can't stop it?"
Li Yu smiled and said: "I think Tang Daotai must know."
Tang Shaoyi also smiled and said: "I don't know!"
He took out a box of fine Cuban cigars with exquisite packaging from his arms: "Brother Shucai, if you want it, just say so."
"How could I mean that?" Li Yu quickly refused.
Tang Shaoyi had no choice but to put away his cigar and then stood up: "It's getting late. I'll go back first. I still need to study it carefully with the commander."
Li Yu cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your help in Tang Daotai."
This kind of thing can only rely on their promotion.
After Tang Shaoyi left, Li Yu fiddled with the pack of American-made cigarettes that Uncle Wang bought. They were not cheap. One silver dollar could only buy two packs. If converted to the price in later generations, it would be more than 100 RMB per pack.
In Li Yu's era, cigarettes already had a maximum price limit, and a pack of cigarettes could not exceed 100 yuan. In other words, after all calculations, the cigarettes in Li Yu's hands were more expensive than the most expensive cigarettes in later generations (ordinary commercial models).
Of course, this is because cigarettes have just entered the market, and the logistics level in the early 20th century was quite low, so imported items must be very expensive.
According to historical trends, China will have its own cigarette brand next year.
During the Republic of China, although the price gap between the north and the south was huge, one silver dollar could generally buy about twenty or thirty packs of cigarettes. However, if it was during the war, it would still be more expensive.
In many anti-war dramas, when the Eighth Route Army seized supplies, canned beef and cigarettes were good things. I remember in "Bright Sword" after Li Yunlong attacked Ping'an County, the brigade commander lectured him, and finally took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and gave it to him.
Such a great contribution was wasted with a pack of cigarettes... It would be better to reward him with a few more Italian cannon shells.
In addition, the current cigarettes definitely don’t have filters, so there’s no other way, so let’s do this for now.
Let's kill the damn opium.
Puccini actually hired a few Italian explorers to climb the Great Wall. When he came back and found Li Yu, he excitedly said: "It's so spectacular! It's a miracle that the Chinese can build such a magnificent project thousands of miles away."
A miracle!"
It seems that every foreigner who sees the Great Wall for the first time is so shocked.
Li Yu must have climbed the Great Wall. He asked: "How far have you walked?"
Puccini said: "Unfortunately, I was not well prepared. I did not bring enough dry food and a tent for the night. It was only a dozen miles away."
The Great Wall in the late Qing Dynasty was in a state of neglect, and some people even stole bricks. It cannot be compared with the 5a scenic spots of later generations. It is not easy to walk more than ten miles.
Li Yu asked again: "You left, where are those explorers? Are they still going on?"
Puccini said: "Yes, they said they would complete the journey. After all, the world has never seen such a majestic building."
Good guy, the whole process was just terrible.
From the mouth of an Italian with many cultural relics and historic sites saying this, it can be seen that Puccini's soul was really shaken.
Li Yu said: "It's time to eat. I'm here to treat you."
Puccini asked: "Can you call that outstanding Peking Opera artist?"
"You mean Yang Xiaolou? Of course." Li Yu said.
Puccini added: "Also, the catering must be authentic Beijing taste."
"The authentic flavor...is here!" Li Yu said, "Come with me."
Then Li Yu called Zhao Qian: "Drive to Huguosi Street in the north of the city."
Zhao Qian asked: "Sir, are you going to attend the temple fair?"
Li Yu said: "Take this Italian composer to eat snacks."
Zhao Qian said: "That's too much to put on the table."
Li Yu said: "You don't understand this, and it doesn't mean that you are really not on the stage."
Puccini was also shocked when he saw Li Yu's car: "I didn't expect to see this thing in Sijiu City."
After pulling up Yang Xiaolou, they drove straight to Huguosi Street.
Although today's Huguosi Street does not have the famous "Huguosi Snacks" of later generations, but in the tradition of the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, there were often temple fairs around temples. The characteristic of temple fairs around Huguosi Temple is that there are many snacks.
Li Yu saw what he was looking for at a glance and pulled Puccini up: "Boss, I want four bowls, oh no, three bowls of bean juice!"
The vendor brought out the rice noodles, and Li Yu served them to Puccini, Yang Xiaolou and Zhao Qian.
Zhao Qian said embarrassedly: "Sir, it's you who come."
Li Yu couldn't drink it, so he said to him: "I am very full today."
Zhao Qian swallowed his saliva, picked up the bowl, brushed it and drank it.
Yang Xiaolou was born in a serious theater troupe and had experienced hardships. When he arrived in the capital, he would definitely learn to do as the locals do. He didn't particularly resist. As long as it was edible, he would definitely eat it.
Not to mention soybean juice, you can also eat Sichuan peppercorns directly.
Puccini, on the other hand, would vomit after just one sip.
Li Yu laughed loudly: "Hold it!"
Puccini took a few more sips and slowly got used to it.
Li Yu was stunned, "Just, just drink it?!"
Puccini even praised it so much that he asked for another bowl.
When Li Yu was studying in the capital, he tried several times but never succeeded in drinking even two small spoonfuls.
After all, when mentioning old Beijing snacks, the first thing that comes to mind is bean juice, and even Da Mi Mi has strongly recommended it.
But after Li Yu tried it, he realized that Zhang Wuji's mother was right, beautiful women can all lie!
I really don’t know why the bannermen during the Qing Dynasty were so inseparable from bean juice and even said that “Beijing bean juice is the lifeblood of the banner people”.
It is said that even Cixi liked it very much...
Anyway, Li Yu always felt that out of 100 bowls of this thing sold, at least 90 bowls were sold to curious tourists.
Puccini said: "When I traveled to France, I ate blue cheese. It was a little similar and a little different. It was so amazing. It was a pity that I couldn't taste the two things together."
Li Yu's jaw almost dropped. Do artists like to use exciting things for inspiration?
Blue cheese with bean sauce?
I dare to think about it. I’m afraid not many people in mukbang would dare to do it.
But it seems that there are people who really like to eat stinky food. Those who don't like it can't swallow it in one bite, and those who like it can't live without it all day long.
Puccini was very happy: "When you go to Europe again, I will definitely take you to try the same authentic blue cheese!"
Li Yu had a black line on his head and said helplessly: "Thank you so much!"
Puccini asked: "I also heard that there is something called hot pot?"
This is much more normal. Li Yu said: "Of course, let's come together."
A few people sat down in a hot pot restaurant and ordered several kilograms of mutton, meatballs, and vegetarian dishes.
Foreigners also love to eat this stuff.
Puccini grinned and ate happily: "Good food, good food!"
Li Yu laughed and said: "Even the emperor in the Forbidden City loves hot pot."
Puccini was surprised: "The emperor eats so casually?"
Li Yu explained: "It's not about eating every meal. When Emperor Qianlong was in power, he held a banquet for thousands of old people. All the people present were elderly people in their 70s and 80s. They were worried that the food would be cold and the elderly people's stomachs would not be able to stand it, so they chose hot pot."
After a delicious meal, Puccini and Yang Xiaolou chatted about stage art again.
Puccini said: "I watched your performance. It was very exciting, with an indescribable stage tension. In the future, I plan to create an opera with a Chinese background, and I want to ask you for more advice on stage settings and costumes."
Li Yu acted as their translator. Fortunately, Puccini knew English, otherwise Li Yu would have really known nothing about Italian.
Yang Xiaolou said: "If you dare not take it seriously, you must tell me everything you know."
The two chatted for a long time, and when they talked about their happiness, Puccini even invited Yang Xiaolou to tour Europe in the future.
Peking opera is indeed quite good. Decades later, Mei Lanfang visited the United States during the Great Depression and set off a hurricane of Peking opera on Broadway in New York, which became extremely popular.
When he returned home, Li Yu did not forget to pack a few barrels of soybean juice, and he wanted to share the good stuff.
Not long after he entered the house, the Yuan brothers came looking for him after smelling the smell.
"What smells so good?" Yuan Keding asked.
Li Yu smiled and said: "Your nose is really good. Have you never drank bean juice?"
"I have only heard of its name, but have never drunk it," Yuan Keding said, "Now I have smelled it."
Li Yu gave him a small bucket and said, "Try it."
As soon as Yuan Keding opened the lid, he felt a little ecstatic, like a drunkard seeing fine wine, "Wonderful! Wonderful!"
Since he ate canned herring last time, he seems to have opened up the Ren and Du channels in this area.
Yuan Keding went to enjoy the bean juice while holding it in his arms.
His younger brother Yuan Kewen saw Yang Xiaolou behind Li Yu and asked, "Are you a famous actor in Peking Opera?"
Li Yu was surprised: "Do you know Yang Xiaolou?"
"Is it really you?" Yuan Kewen said happily, "I just saw at a glance that your walking posture and every move you make look like a famous Beijing opera actor."
Yang Xiaolou also wondered: "I heard from Brother Shucai that you should be the son of the Governor of Zhili. Do you also love Peking Opera?"
Yuan Kewen said: "Not only do I like it, I can also sing it!"
Then he sang Kun Opera with a bright voice.
Although it was not the same as Peking Opera, it had the same purpose. Yang Xiaolou immediately recognized that Yuan Kewen was a good opera talent, but after all, he was a young man from an aristocratic family, so how could he become an actor?
Yang Xiaolou could only praise and said: "Young master is really a master of the opera house!"
Yuan Kewen said: "It turns out that you and Master Li Yu are friends, so I just happen to learn opera from you!"
Yuan Keding suddenly stepped out and coughed twice: "Kewen, don't forget what father said."
Yuan Kewen pouted and said dissatisfied: "I know!"
Yang Xiaolou breathed a sigh of relief temporarily.
——
During dinner, Li Yu put out the bean juice he bought today and served it to everyone.
However, it didn’t seem to be very popular. Lu Bicheng pinched her nose and said, “Get away quickly!”
Konoe Akiyuki frowned and took a sip. After swallowing, she asked, "Is this really normal porridge?"
Li Yu said: "Normal... it should be normal. Anyway, they are made from fermented mung beans, and there are many people in Beijing who like to drink them."
Konoe Aki thought for a while, then plucked up the courage and drank it all in one breath.
My stomach was churning, but after a while I started to feel a little better, and my frown relaxed.
Li Yu secretly sighed in his heart. He was indeed a trained intelligence officer, and his endurance was really good.
——
The next day, Li Yuzai was practicing calligraphy, and Fengling brought him the latest telegram. This time it was from Count Zeppelin again.
Li Yu had previously asked Zeppelin to send some public technical information related to airships. Zeppelin called back to express his agreement and would send it as soon as possible.
There is also an invitation letter from Tokyo Imperial University, hoping that he can find time to give another lecture.
Li Yu did not refuse.
During this time, he could even improve the airship's data file, and then add some "good stuff", really "good stuff": a few slightly complicated aerodynamic formulas.
For aircraft, this thing is critical and fatal, because the formulas in aerodynamics include various partial differential equations.
As I have said several times before, partial differential equations are extremely difficult to solve and can only be solved violently or by seeking empirical formulas.
The process of finding empirical formulas is quite troublesome and expensive.
The problem of differential equations alone can firmly trap a large number of elite intellectuals in Japan.
It happened that Li Yu knew a lot of empirical formulas, because when the Soviet Union was engaged in aviation in later years, they came up with a lot of them. In the early days, we were greatly influenced by the Soviet Union, so we copied a lot of them (the coefficients of some key empirical formulas can only be made by ourselves)
).
I also have to thank Li Yu for his undergraduate major back then. Although he was not good at applied physics, he learned a little bit about everything. Now, just coming up with a few empirical formulas is enough for Japan to drink.
There is another important reason why Li Yu dared to use this method:
It is necessary to emphasize the characteristics of partial differential equations again. To solve partial differential equations, you need to assume initial conditions first; then it is still super difficult to solve. At the same time, because it contains chaos, even if the initial conditions change just a little, the results will be very different. Donkey Head
That's not true.
Specific initial conditions can only correspond to specific solutions.
To put it in plain English: Even if Japan comes up with an empirical formula for airships, it will have no meaning for aircraft in the future.
Because the initial conditions changed too much.
Not to mention such a big change from an airship to an airplane, even if there is only a slight change in the shape of the airplane's wings, such as being longer, shorter, flatter, or taller, the empirical formula will be invalid.
Partial differential equations are so hopeless.
In fact, this is one of the reasons why although we have developed advanced fifth-generation aircraft, it is still very difficult to develop large aircraft, because the parameters really have nothing to do with it.
——
Not long after, Lu Bicheng brought the polished "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" to Li Yu. She was really not slow.
Li Yu saw her beautiful calligraphy and felt that he lost interest in practicing calligraphy. He put down the brush and said dejectedly: "I feel like I will never be able to practice calligraphy well in my life!"
Coincidentally, because there was a telegram today, Konoe Akiyuki came to Li Yu's study with a cup of coffee. After hearing Li Yu's complaints, she said: "I think, with your reputation, the quality of your writing is no longer important. Now the handwriting is
That’s good.”
Konoe Akiyuki obviously followed the words to make Li Yu comfortable.
Li Yu smiled: "Just put the coffee here. Besides, you really don't have to work so hard."
"I added milk foam to it today, it should taste a lot better," Akiyuki Konoe paused, then said, "I'm leaving first."
Lu Bicheng felt that the air seemed to be filled with the sour smell of the bean juice last night, so he said: "I'm going back too, enjoy your coffee."
Lu Bicheng turned to leave, but Li Yu stopped her: "Actually, I prefer drinking tea. And, I..."
Lu Bicheng walked around him and said with a smile: "Okay, great scientist! I still have a lot of things to do. And you, you still have to find that beautiful girl De Ling to translate, don't you?"
After Lu Bicheng finished speaking, she walked lightly and left.
Li Yu smiled bitterly a few times, thinking about it, he would explain it to her, but as soon as he opened his mouth to stop her, he was interrupted by Zhao Qian's loud voice: "Sir, Liu E is here to see you!"
Liu E came to pick up the three-piece set of magnifying glass, microscope and telescope that he had asked Li Yu to buy. It was not easy to get all these things in Beijing, so Li Yu could do it.
Anyway, Liu E was just playing for fun, so Li Yu had already bought it for him at a foreign store.
By the way, I also taught Liu E how to use it.
Liu E was so excited that he took out a stack of manuscripts and a box from his bag, "These are the manuscripts of "Lao Can's Travels" that you want. In addition, it is disrespectful to give this rat-whisker pen to you."
Li Yu opened it and took a look. The penholder was made of jade, and it looked like a valuable item. "It wouldn't be a waste to give such a good thing to me."
Liu E said: "Sir, please don't refuse, otherwise I won't want these mirrors."
Li Yu had no choice but to accept it, "It seems that I really need to practice my calligraphy in the future."
Liu E said: "So Mr. Emperor is still practicing calligraphy? It just so happens that this rat-whisker pen can come in handy. I heard that the great calligrapher Wang Xizhi used the rat-whisker pen when he wrote the "Preface to the Lanting Collection"."
Li Yu laughed and said: "It turns out that the rat whisker pen has such a legendary story, I'll just keep it as a collection!"