【Lou Cheng】 How easy is another day

"Teacher Lou."

Ming Lou had just locked the office door when a young girl's voice came from behind him.

At this time, the person who speaks his mother tongue will not be a second person for the time being.He turned his head and greeted with a smile: "Yinyin."

The young girl hurried forward a few steps, took out a thick textbook of German Federal Law from her schoolbag, and handed it to Minglou with both hands: "I finished reading the book I borrowed from you last time. Thank you, Teacher Lou."

After receiving the book, Minglou opened the newly locked office door and invited her to sit in: "How is it? Is it difficult to read?"

Athena Chu nodded embarrassedly: "German is too difficult. I used to think that I was doing well in school, but after I came out, I realized that it was far from enough."

Wen Yan Minglou just smiled and comforted her in a warm voice: "Just take your time. You still have time, as long as you are willing to talk and ask more questions, you will be proficient by the end of the course. German is a very important subject. Orderly language, it is difficult to accept its laws and logic at the beginning, once you master this point, the next step is to go with the flow."

He made a point of saying this in German.The speaking speed is not fast, which is a very standard High German, but the R sound has a wonderful soft feeling, which sounds very calm and gentle, which is different from what Athena Chu learned in the German Department of Peking University and the China Foreign Affairs University.

Feeling warm in her heart, Athena Chu also answered him in German: "Thank you, Mr. Lou. I will work hard."

Zhu Yinyin is the first batch of college students trained by the state after the founding of New China.After graduating from the German Department of Peking University in 54, she directly worked in the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and later transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 58, as a cadre trainee at the Foreign Affairs University, she was transferred to the Embassy in Switzerland to study and work.After reporting at the embassy, ​​the staff of the embassy told her that she was about to be sent to the University of Zurich in the German-speaking area to study. There was a professor named Lou Jingming in the law department. He was a patriotic overseas Chinese who lived in Europe for many years. New China's international students and staff going for training.If Zhu Yinyin encounters any difficulties in her studies, she can go to him for advice.

Zhu Yinyin is the only woman among the staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who went to Sweden, and also the only one who majored in German.This is a young southern girl with a lively personality, with the delicate and pungent vigor common to southern girls. On the second day after arriving in Zurich, she found the office building of the Faculty of Law after half-questioning and half-guessing. , knocked on Professor Lou's office door.

Although they have been dating for nearly a year, Zhu Yinyin still can't forget the impression she left on Professor Lou when she saw him for the first time - that is a very tall man, but you can only feel it when you stand up, thin; well-dressed He is meticulous, as if he can go to some kind of banquet at any time; he wears a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and has very neat sideburns; his eyes are naturally smiling, but maybe he has been immersed in the legal provisions for too long, and there is not much smile , not harsh, just focused, bright, and never tired.

At the beginning, she was so in awe of him, every time she knocked on the door of his office, she seemed to give herself a boost, but before she knew it, now she was able to sit calmly on the sofa in the corner of his office I calmly asked him about German and knowledge.

After hearing her German, Minglou smiled almost invisible—he heard the little girl unconsciously imitating his own accent, thought about it, and decided to tell her the secret: "Yinyin, I actually learned French first. , and then learn German, so the R sound is not good."

Zhu Yinyin was startled, got up from the sofa, and said with a hot face: "I think it really sounds good..."

Minglou waved his hand and asked her to sit down: "I'm a scholar, so it's okay to have an accent. But you are different. If you want to represent the country in translation, clerical work or other work, you should pay more attention."

Zhu Yinyin nodded her head, still feeling a little hot on her face: "Got it."

"However, if you have spare time, I suggest that you also learn French. In Switzerland, everyone can speak three or four languages, and everyone can be your teacher. You should not miss this rare opportunity. "

Hearing this, Zhu Yinyin suddenly remembered the rumors she heard from her classmates, so she boldly said, "Mr. Lou, I heard that your thesis was written in French? Is it in Geneva?"

"It's in French. In Leuven."

"where is that?"

"It's in Leuven, Belgium. The school speaks Dutch, but it also accepts papers in French and even German, and allows them to be defended. I did my doctorate in law there."

"Oh... so what was your doctoral thesis about?"

"I didn't really think about what to do before I started my Ph.D. in 45. Just in time for the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, I did research on the possibility of Japan's compensation to China under the international legal system at that time." Ming Lou said politely and gently to Zhu Yinyin. With a smile, "I was in Europe during the Anti-Japanese War. I didn't have the opportunity to go to the battlefield to fight for the country. I can only use this to show my heart."

Zhu Yinyin's eyes lit up: "If I learn French in the future, can you lend me my doctoral dissertation?"

"of course can."

"Then I'll go to the library later to see if there are any introductory French books I can borrow... I remember that there is a Chinese-French dictionary in the loan room of the embassy. Borrow and use.” When young people talk about new knowledge, they always have a different kind of enthusiasm.

Hearing what she said, Minglou got up and took down a dictionary from his bookshelf, and handed it to her: "You can take this German-French dictionary first. Let me know if it works, and tell me if it doesn't. , I’ll change you to a French-German one. Getting started like this is also good for your German, and you can get twice the result with half the effort.”

As soon as Zhu Yinyin took the book, she knew that the dictionary was old, but it was kept very well, and it could be seen that the owner used it very carefully.She habitually opened the cover to read the catalog, and there were a few letters on the corner of the page, ch'eng.

Minglou was standing not far from her, so he naturally noticed where her gaze was coming from.He added: "This dictionary has been around for some years, and some new words may be confiscated. Come to my office again next week when you are not busy."

Zhu Yinyin's attention was suddenly diverted: "Oh, yes, thank you, Teacher Lou."

She also asked Minglou to recommend some introductory French textbooks to her.Minglou shook his head with a smile and said, "You were not even born when I was learning French. Now the books are refurbished every year, and I don't know what to use now. You can go to the community library to see what local children use. It’s time to ask other Chinese students and ask their opinions.”

As soon as he mentioned the "party", Zhu Yinyin remembered that she almost forgot an important event. She slapped her forehead and turned to Minglou and said, "Mr. Lou! I almost forgot! Well, today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the embassy has a moon-appreciating tea party." , Ambassador, let me convey it to you, please join us."

After she finished speaking, she looked at Minglou expectantly, but Minglou shook her head again, smiling gently: "I spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with my family. I have to go home for the holiday."

Zhu Yinyin had paid attention to Minglou's hands earlier, but after all, Chinese people don't have the habit of wearing rings, so she was not sure, but she knew that it was forbidden to ask, so she said: "Then please come with your family? We You can catch the train in half an hour, or an hour later, so you can reach Bern in this way, and it's just dark."

"Go ahead and thank me for me. I'll take you to the station."

Zhu Yinyin hastily declined: "I'll take the bus, it will be very fast. I can't trouble you."

Minglou had already put on his coat at this time: "Just on the way. It's not troublesome at all."

Zhu Yinyin hurriedly followed him out of the office, and in the blink of an eye, the two of them had already gone downstairs.

It was the first time she noticed that the teacher's footsteps were so fast. On second thought, it turned out that he had always walked fast, but it was not obvious because of his calm steps.As soon as this thought entered his mind, Minglou's pace had already slowed down, and he smiled at her: "I'm not used to it, walking too fast. I'm sorry."

Zhu Yinyin hurriedly said, "No, no...it's because I'm short and have short legs."

Speaking of which, she couldn't help laughing herself, and when she finished laughing, she saw that Ming Lou was also laughing, and she got the courage out of nowhere, and continued to ask him: "Teacher Lou, they say you are from Shanghai."

"I'm."

"It's not like that." She said sincerely.

"My country is like Haining? [1]"

She was taken aback by these words, and then Athena Chu raised her eyebrows and smiled after a while, and also spoke the dialect of her hometown: "Ningbo is in Alawo.[2]"

Minglou paused, but still smiled and answered her in Shanghai dialect: "Ningbo gossip can only be listened to, and Fa can speak. [3]"

Athena Chu's eyes lit up: "...It's the first time I've heard Shanghai dialect since I went abroad at the end of 58."

Minglou didn't say anything more.

It is not a long distance to cross the river from the university to the train station, but the old town is one-way, which takes a little time.Before parting at the station, Athena Chu thanked you again and again, and suddenly said emotionally: "...I met Mr. Cheng at the China Foreign Affairs University. It wasn't him. I never expected to come to Zurich. I met you again when I got here. It's really—" She suddenly I can't go on.

During the festive season, people always have some special feelings of parting.Seeing that she was agitated, Minglou understood that this was the homesickness of a child who had just left his hometown, so he calmed down for her and diverted the topic away: "I didn't do anything...Which Mr. Cheng is it?"

"Mr. Cheng Yongguang from China Foreign Affairs University." Seeing Minglou's eyes flicker when she heard the name, Zhu Yinyin couldn't help asking, "Mr. Lou, do you know him?"

"We met once." Minglou replied, "In Prague in 49, I met his father and him once."

"What a coincidence! The next time I write to him, I must tell him about it."

"That's not necessary. There are many people who know his father. I'm just a small admirer who was lucky enough to meet once. It's not worth mentioning. Well, don't delay, the train is about to arrive."

It was only then that Zhu Yinyin remembered that she was here to catch the train, she didn't know how many times she said thank you and then said goodbye, but what she didn't expect was that she had already opened the car door, but Minglou stopped her.

He also asked a nonsensical sentence: "Since last year, how is your family?"

But Zhu Yinyin understood, she lowered her eyes for a moment, and then looked at him gratefully: "My father is a worker, and my mother is a primary school teacher, everything is fine...Mr. Lou, do you have any family members in China?"

Minglou shook his head lightly, and didn't answer him: "It's fine. Go quickly. Remember to come to my office next week. I'll change the dictionary for you."

"Hey, good! Thank you, Teacher Lou."

The little girl got out of the car and rushed into the train station quickly.

Minglou watched her disappear into the crowd, started the car, and drove towards home.

[1] How am I not like a Shanghainese?

[2] I am from Ningbo.

[3] Ningbo dialect can only be heard, not spoken.

TBC