A Letter from Home

While Sir Lockyer was tearing his hair out over the paper, Li Qiwei himself suddenly found himself with nothing to do.

After sending off his paper, he returned to his routine of attending classes, studying, and conducting experiments.

By the standards of the time, the process of publishing a paper was bound to be long and complicated.

It was nothing like the future, when papers could be published electronically and spread around the world in an instant.

Li Qiwei reckoned it might not be published until mid-June.

By then, final exams would be over, and he would be on holiday.

Cambridge University's summer break ran from June to September.

During that time, he would also be visiting Berlin University in Germany at Professor Planck's invitation.

That meant he had nothing to do for the stretch before the holidays.

More strangely, Cecil had not come looking for trouble again, nor had he sent any lackeys to make life miserable for him.

Li Qiwei guessed Professor Thomson's words had done the trick.

So he stopped paying attention to the matter and put Cecil out of his mind.

Time flew by, and before long it was June 1900.

One day, just after Li Qiwei returned home from school, Hong'er came running over, beaming, with something in her hand.

"Young master, come look! The master's written to us from home."

Li Qiwei did not even bother to change his clothes. He hurriedly called Li San and Hong'er inside with him.

Carefully, he opened the letter, eager to find out how things were back home.

For some reason, ever since Li Qiwei had crossed over, the original owner's memories of home had been few and far between.

Yet his body's instincts filled him with a deep longing for his family.

Li Qiwei sighed inwardly. So be it. I'll bear this bond myself.

After all, in his previous life he had been an orphan, raised in a welfare home. Having parents in this life was rather nice.

He slowly unfolded the letter and read it carefully, while Hong'er and Li San stood beside him, their faces alight with excitement.

"My son Zhengge, though we are far apart, it is as if I see you before me."

"..."

Zhengge was Li Qiwei's courtesy name, meaning "to use what is upright to govern the extraordinary, and to reform the old and uphold the new."

His name carried his father's great hopes for him, the wish that he might achieve great things.

The heartfelt words in the letter and the deep longing they carried moved Li Qiwei.

It was the aching yearning of parents for a child far from home. How pitifully dear a parent's heart was.

Even though Li Qiwei had crossed over, the letter still touched him so deeply that he nearly shed tears.

His father then described the family's situation and the changes in the country, before leaving Li Qiwei with a few final instructions.

In all, the letter contained several important points:

1. The family had concluded that the Qing Dynasty's fall was inevitable. Han Chinese elites were watching and quietly building up their strength.

2. The Qing Dynasty would likely go to war with a foreign country soon, so Li Qiwei was to stay in Britain for the time being and not return home.

3. Huaxia was now in the midst of a transformation unlike any in five thousand years. His father hoped he would study his field diligently and make great strides in the future.

4. Finally, enclosed with the letter was a bank draft to cover the living expenses of Li Qiwei and his two servants.

The letter showed just how exceptional Li Qiwei's family was, and especially his father.

The letter must have been written over a month earlier, yet his father had already sensed that war was about to break out. His foresight was truly uncanny.

Ordinary people in Huaxia at the time might have been numb and indifferent.

But the true elites had been lying low all along, waiting for an opportunity.

The moment they saw the Qing Dynasty falter, they would seize their chance and bury the last feudal dynasty in Huaxia's history once and for all.

And a war with a foreign country would undoubtedly speed up that process.

Li Qiwei did not regret being unable to take part in that turbulent, glorious era.

If the coming decades would see countless outstanding people transform Huaxia and help its people stand tall at last,

then he, Li Qiwei, would use his knowledge and influence to help Huaxia stand at the very top!

He had no military, political, or diplomatic talent. Even if he went home, he would be no more than an ordinary man with nothing to contribute.

But if he stayed in Britain and made use of his strengths, he could have a far greater impact.

But what about Li San and Hong'er? Would they have to stay here with him all along?

The question came to Li Qiwei again, but there was no need to dwell on it for now.

So he carefully explained the letter's contents to Hong'er and Li San.

Their initial excitement gradually gave way to reddened eyes, tears glistening in them.

The letter had clearly stirred their longing for the family and friends they had left behind.

Li Qiwei turned to comfort them, telling them not to worry.

He explained the situation back home and said that staying away for now was actually the better choice.

He also promised to visit home once he graduated.

Only then did he manage to soothe them, more or less.

Then Li Qiwei suddenly thought of something to be happy about and said:

"All right, you two. Don't be sad anymore."

"When my holiday starts in mid-June, I'll take you to Germany for a trip."

"We've been in Britain for three years, and I've never taken you anywhere. This will be a good chance to broaden your horizons."

Hong'er, who was never one to dwell on things, stopped sniffling at once and asked with a grin:

"Wow, young master, do you really mean it?"

"We're going to visit another country?"

"How long will we get to stay?"

"..."

Li San, standing nearby, was getting a headache from Hong'er's endless questions. He had stopped feeling sad, too, and started picking on her again.

The two bickered back and forth, finally pulling themselves out of their sadness.

Li Qiwei smiled as he watched them playfully quarrel, his gaze passing through the open doorway and settling on the distance.

After a while, he asked Hong'er to prepare some paper and began writing a reply.

Besides assuring his parents that the three of them were doing well, he planned to ask his father to keep an eye out for young talent back home to prepare for the Spark Plan.

Those with a passion for studying physics could come to Britain for further study, and he would guide them himself.

Li Qiwei had already thought it through.

The coming chaos in Huaxia would not be conducive to the development of science, and talent would not be treated with the respect it deserved.

So he needed to build his own team and keep the core talent firmly under his wing.

Once his achievements and reputation were great enough, he would naturally attract countless young people from across Huaxia.

Then, with the family's help, he could bring them to Britain.

He would write popular science textbooks on physics, chemistry, and other subjects, and teach the material to these core talents first.

He had already worked out what the textbooks would contain: he would simply bring the curriculum used in future Huaxia forward in time.

Then he would send them back home to teach at universities, spreading their knowledge to even more people.

Li Qiwei even considered founding a university himself, so that science might take deeper root in Huaxia.

He would build Huaxia's scientific system around physics and train students in science and engineering with a clear purpose.

With Huaxia's population of hundreds of millions, the pace of industrialization would far surpass Britain's.

And from then on, Huaxia would stand at the pinnacle of the world!

At last, the Spark Plan had taken shape in Li Qiwei's mind.

Such an immense and complex undertaking would require the effort and dedication of countless people.

Li Qiwei would be the captain, steering the great ship in the right direction.

Once he had thought the whole process through, Li Qiwei felt refreshed and clear-headed. A satisfied, hopeful smile spread across his face.

Hong'er watched Li Qiwei writing and smiling to himself, and found herself a little entranced.

A strange feeling suddenly stirred within her, though she could not explain it.

But that night, when she went to bed with the young master, she felt a little uncomfortable.

How to put it? She felt a little hot.

Thanks to [Immortal Caresses the Crown of Your Head] and [Latitude 31° North 11111] for your support. Readers, please keep reading, recommending, and adding this to your collections. Thank you!