On the way home from work, the newspaper boy was full of newspapers about the Far East War. In July, the Far East War was about to break out. The Qing and Japanese were increasing troops to North Korea. The Beiyang Fleet, which had two Saxon-class ironclad ships, began to cruise on the sea. Japan, which had many British ironclad cruisers, also gathered its entire navy. Although Wang Heidi was very concerned about the war and a newspaper cost a few dollars, Heidi never stopped.

In July 1894, the Battle of Fengdao broke out, in September 1894, the Battle of Pyongyang and the Battle of Yellow Sea both failed. In February 1895, Weihaiwei staged the Qing Dynasty version of Operation Rainbow, and the Beiyang Fleet was wiped out. Although Wang Heidi was not sure about the specific process of the war, the tragic ending of the Beiyang Fleet and the fact that the motherland was getting deeper and deeper in the abyss of darkness were clear.

"My poor motherland is not because your descendants are unfilial, but I am really powerless..."

Walking from the pier, the prosperity of the city of Kiel and the poverty and dilapidated street scene of the lower district kept retreating. Thinking of the unfulfilled ambitions and starving to death before they could succeed, Wang Heidi was in a chaotic mood.

****

Behind every bustling city, there must be countless blood, tears and bitterness, and under its bright and beautiful appearance, there must be countless shadows that are hard to show. You must know that no matter how the Vatican cardinals and the peaceful politicians in Vienna advocate it, there will be no utopian paradise on earth.

After the French-Prussian War in 1870, hundreds of thousands of people moved from the eastern part of the empire to the western part, from the upper and lower Silesia and Poznan, West Prussia and East Prussia fields to the big cities such as Berlin and Kiel. The young German Empire experienced the largest and longest-lasting population migration boom in its history. Kiel was also a beneficiary of the migration. Many immigrants from Eastern Europe and East Prussians brought their families to this harbor favored by the sea gods.

Indeed, the sculpture of the Warrior's soul made by Ernst Balach in front of the Nicholas Cathedral and the church in the city center has stood for a hundred years after storms; under the century-old oak tree in the suburbs, many sweet legends and stories are still sprouting and continuing; the Gulf of Kiel, with blue water, is still quietly waiting for the annual sailing week, when sailing enthusiasts from all over the world gather in Kiel, cutting through the waves; Kiel Naval Base,

The Saxony and Brandenburg-class ironclad ships that carried the German naval dream were quietly anchored on the anchor. Kiel, the capital of the Schleswig-Helstein region of Germany, the starting point of the German King William Canal, and the important harbor cities along the Baltic Sea have never lacked a romantic atmosphere. But in the eyes of Wang Heidi, who has studied psychology, it is still not the ideal country written by Plato, nor the utopia in Moore's heart.

In Germany in 1894, the aftermath of the economic crisis in 1873 [1] was about to disappear, and the haze was gradually moving away from the German people. The unification of the empire broke the shackles of German economic development. This young country was full of vitality and full of vitality, but its rulers and people still lacked the experience of governing the country.

The closed and conservative rural system was broken, and countless Junker nobles, who were known for their old-fashioned, began to invest in factories and enterprises while jumping and cursing for new things. Factory erected with black chimneys was established, ancient city walls were pushed, the clear water, white sand, the Rhine River gradually became dirty, and the city was like a monster that devoured everything, expanding in geometric multiples; farmers were deprived of their land, driven by capitalists to a city full of opportunities and disasters, and because of the endless oppression of emerging industry and businessmen, the workers' strikes in Ruhr and Upper Silesian in 1889.

In the southeast corner of Kiel, large swaths of wooden sheds and the same gray bungalows were piled up in a mess. The smoke and dust floating from the industrial area never dissipated all day long. The industrial and domestic sewage poured from the sewage pipes flowed freely on the roads. Countless poor people struggling between hunger and warmth were dragging their tired bodies around. The consequences of excessive expansion of the city were undoubtedly a wild place that Kiel municipal officials deliberately ignored. It was a secret scar behind the beautiful Kiel. All that was here was violence, hunger, waiting and a mess.

The slums after the rain are far less graceful than people imagined, full of desperate gray tones. The dilapidated wooden house in Heidi Silaime, the insect-eaten wooden boards and the old-spotted waterproof skin cannot block the penetration of water. It is accompanied by the sound of creeping raindrops and the endless darkness, and the dampness and rotten atmosphere are thriving in the house.

The sound of matches slashing and clapping sounds alternately. At the instigation of Blunt, the newly cultivated addiction to smoking was instantly extinguished by Anne. A small piece of old newspapers and inferior tobacco leaves were scattered all over the ground. Wang Heidi's neighbor, Anne, the youngest daughter of the fruit vendor Shrekt's family, grinned at him, as if you dare to pick it up and I would fight you if I dare to pick it up.

"Do you still want to pretend to be deep and melancholy?" Although he was nostalgic about the smell of cigarettes, Wang Heidi did not dare to test the bottom line of Annie, so he had to withdraw the matchbox in disappointment and carefully fiddle with the painting tools he regarded as treasures.

As supper time approached, Heidi Silem, a porter who had just returned from the dock, took advantage of the time of boiling water and stole a little leisure to add a drawing board outside the wooden shed. With the bleak light outside the house, Wang Heidi sat on a small bench, grabbed a sketch pen with only the tip of the pen, and tilted her head to try to copy his impression of the world on the barely smoothed waste paper. The fifteen-year-old little Anne was lying on Wang Heidi's back, forcing Wang Heidi to draw a cornflower for her.

The sketching, fine brushwork, shadowy background, the art skills he had studied hard to pursue his girlfriend in college were still there, and Anne kept asking in Wang Heidi's ears to take time to see the cornflower, but the tired Wang Heidi was a little absent-minded. After a distractedness, a kfc roast chicken with a bright color and attractive shape was printed on the paper. Wang Heidi then remembered that he hadn't eaten seriously for a long time.

"Is this the cornflower you gave me?" Annie's mouth was so pouting that she could almost hang a soy sauce bottle. Wang Heidi covered her empty stomach and spread her hands out, and fortunately someone diverted Annie's attention.

"Mr. Heidi Sileme, you have your letter." A robot bike passed through the streets and stopped on the muddy path in front of the wooden shed. The postman in dark green uniform covered in mud spots took out a express parcel from his shoulder bag, carefully compared the door signs, and shouted at Wang Heidi.

"My letter?" Wang Heidi put away her brush and said in surprise. Apart from Catherine in love, Wang Heidi couldn't think of anyone who would send him a letter to a poor boy who lived in the lower district of Kiel and had never had Kiel in his life.

"If you are Mr. Heidi Sileme," the postman stole his feet and teased with kindness.

Wang Heidi tightened the pair of torn shoes that were obviously not suitable for her feet, limped over and took the letter from the postman.

It was a letter with exquisite and beautiful packaging. The envelope of Bai Xue was printed with a portrait of the Humboldt brothers. Wang Heidi vaguely guessed the source of the letter, and was a little nervous. His dirty hands, covered with lead-printed dirt, wiped the old clothes again and again. Until the thick layer of calluses under the stain on his fingertips was clearly visible, Heidi then reached out to take the light letter.

"Congratulations, Mr. Silem Heidi, you can be considered a breath for the people in the lower district of Kiel." The Germans have always had a tradition of respecting knowledge. The postman patted Heidi Conwu's powerful arm with a sincere smile.

"Is it the University of Berlin?" Little Annie widened her eyes and covered her mouth tightly with a look of surprise. "It's the University of Berlin!"

The University of Berlin, formerly known as Fritrich William University in Berlin, is located in the center of Berlin. It is located in the original Prince Hanlich Palace. The University of Berlin is the oldest university in Berlin, the capital of Germany. It was founded by Mr. Humboldt, the most famous educator in German history. It is the cradle of German higher education and the starting point of the rise of Germany. German universities implement elite education. After graduation, most of them can become small civil servants in the government or employees of large enterprises. Wang Heidi's ability to get one out of tens of thousands means that he can escape from the desperate area of ​​Kiel's ghetto, and the sky will be his limit. In view of this, it is no wonder that the enthusiastic postman would applaud him.

The power is not as good as the second generation of official, and the wealth is not as good as the second generation of rich, so you can always pass the college entrance examination. With a tragic mentality, under the urging of the visionary Hathaway, Wang Heidi ignored the sarcasm of Tim Kleger Middle School and applied to the University of Berlin in a scattered manner. As the most cowardly time traveler in history, Wang Heidi finally made a great achievement that was barely worthy of the time traveler's identity.

Wang Heidi's excited mood did not last long. Thinking of Hathaway's illness, heavy debts and the ruthless Uncle Schneider, Wang Heidi's good mood was instantly wiped out.

The postman had already ridden his bike away, and there seemed to be a hymn of admiration in the wet air. Wang Heidi's hand that often carried heavy objects was pressed on the envelope, feeling complicated and entangled, and she tore open the letter with a wry smile.

The principal's private seal was covered with the letter paper, and the well-textured letter was floating out. The letter was not long, nor was it as colorful as the admission notices of Nanjing University of Technology in later generations. Just like the rigorous academic discipline of German universities, the letter only mentioned Wang Heidi's admission major, the start date and precautions, but just a few hundred words made Wang Heidi's heart turbulent.

Wang Heidi looked at the notice, looked at the portrait of Humboldt brothers on the envelope, and hesitated: "Is it Berlin or Kiel?"

Anne snatched the letter from Wang Heidi's hand. Although she didn't know much literacy, she still curiously looked over the thin letter paper, as if she was even more excited than Wang Heidi herself.

"Is this necessary to consider? Of course I'm going to Berlin!"

【Note】

1. The economic crisis of 1873: The longest-lasting economic crisis in the 19th century and the most severe hit, with its impact from 1873 to the end of the 19th century.;
Chapter completed!