Lionel ultimately did not have a heart-to-heart with Gu Hongming, who was still called Tomson Ku at the time, in the "Chabanais," as he simply could not trust the disinfection measures and health checks in the brothels of that era.
It is well known how rampant syphilis was in 18th and 19th-century Europe, to the extent that the entire cultural system had to accept it as part of daily life and even creative inspiration.
Nietzsche, Van Gogh, Beethoven, Schubert, Mahler, Maupassant… the list could go on and on.
Flaubert once defined it in his Dictionary of Received Ideas as a disease almost as common as a cold: "Everyone, more or less, has been infected by it… half of syphilis patients transmit the disease to people between fourteen and twenty; in the middle class, one in ten contracts syphilis at school… University students start frequenting brothels from the moment they enter school. On holidays and Thursday afternoons, brothels are packed with students."
Flaubert contracted syphilis while visiting brothels in Egypt when he was young, and it tormented him for 30 years until his death.
Lionel would never treat syphilis like a cold; no matter how high-class the brothel, he would not patronize it—he did not want his skull to be riddled with holes like a honeycomb when he died, or to live daily applying mercuric iodide to suppurating sores on his lower body, staining his buttocks and thighs bluish-grey.
So, to Albert's disappointed gaze, the two agreed to have dinner at the "Café Anglais" restaurant, located at 13 Boulevard des Italiens, around the corner from Rue de Marivaux.
This restaurant, which opened in 1802, gradually became one of the most sought-after high-end restaurants in France and even all of Europe after French celebrity chef Adolphe Dugléré took over in 1866.
The most famous banquet in the history of the "Café Anglais" took place in 1867, when Paris was hosting the Sixth World's Fair. On the evening of June 7th, it simultaneously hosted Russian Tsar Alexander II and his Crown Prince, King William I of Prussia, and Prussian Chancellor Bismarck.
Because three reigning or future emperors attended, this banquet was later called the "Dinner of the Three Emperors."
Gu Hongming displayed a generous style, directly ordering the same menu as the "Dinner of the Three Emperors"—but with some simplifications since there were only two people.
Even so, this meal included more than a dozen dishes such as fresh pea puree and sorrel beef appetizer soup, truffle chicken pastry, sole fillet with Venetian sauce, roasted lamb chops with broad bean puree and Brittany sauce, Portuguese stuffed chicken, Parisian lobster cold platter, Rouen pressed duck, roasted ortolan, and creamed asparagus and potatoes.
In addition, there were desserts like dome ice cream and fruit.
The accompanying wines were different vintages, including champagne, sherry, and various red wines; waiters would come to change the wine almost every two courses.
The cost per person exceeded 150 francs, meaning one meal consumed a month's income for a middle-class Parisian family.
This was the first time Lionel had eaten such a lavish meal; the dazzling array of dishes on the table, the exquisite porcelain bowls and plates, and the sterling silver or gold-plated knives and forks were truly eye-opening.
The waiters in the restaurant showed no discriminatory expressions because of Gu Hongming's Chinese appearance, but provided the same service as all other customers.
"Look, Parisian restaurants are more polite than the professors and students of Sorbonne—I'm not talking about you, Lionel, of course," Gu Hongming said indignantly after taking a big gulp of wine.
At this point, their dinner was drawing to a close, and the gas streetlights outside the window of the "Café Anglais" had lit up. From time to time, poor children begging nearby would press their faces against the windowpane, looking enviously at the palace-like splendor of the decorations inside.
Usually, waiters would quickly shoo them away, but they would gather again shortly. They would stretch out their dirty little hands to every rich person leaving the restaurant, hoping to get a few sous, or even a franc if they were lucky.
Lionel had only eaten half of the food in front of him and was already stuffed. He picked up his napkin and wiped his mouth: "That's because you spent 300 francs here! This kind of respect is cheap and not worth getting emotional over."
Gu Hongming looked deeply at Lionel. This young Frenchman was one year younger than him, but he possessed a maturity and calmness far beyond his years, especially his egalitarian thinking, which surpassed that of any young talent he had met from China, France, or England.
Lionel asked, "Tomson, what do you plan to do next?"
Gu Hongming paused, then replied, "I will study law at the Sorbonne Faculty of Law, then go to Italy, and then Germany…"
Lionel shook his head: "I'm not asking about that—are you planning to stay in Europe indefinitely, or return to Penang (now part of Malaysia, a British colony in the 19th century)… or perhaps go to, well, China?"
Gu Hongming fell silent upon hearing this, and after a long while, he slowly began, "Probably back to Penang; my home is there."
Lionel smiled: "That's good. With your education, whether in Europe or Penang, you can find a decent good job and live the life of an upper-class person."
Gu Hongming, a man of great intelligence, immediately sensed a certain meaning in Lionel's words and quickly pressed, "What about China, China? You left out China—what would happen if I went to China?"
Lionel's face still held a smile: "China… you can still find a decent good job and live the life of an upper-class person."
Gu Hongming thought for a long time before saying, "Since it's all a decent good job and living the life of an upper-class person, but it would be exceptionally different in China, right?"
Lionel's next words were profound: "If you consider yourself British or European, then whether in Europe, Penang, or China, a decent job and the life of an upper-class person are the same.
But this morning at Sorbonne, you said you were Chinese, and that complicates things a bit… A good job will naturally still be available, but as for being upper-class… hehe."
Gu Hongming was born in Penang. At the age of 10, he followed his adoptive father, the British merchant and rubber plantation owner Brown, to Scotland. Thereafter, he studied successively in Germany and England, and now he was in Paris studying law. In reality, he had never been to China.
His feelings for China at this time were more derived from a natural identification with his skin color and appearance, and the cultural imprint left by his biological father in his childhood. Therefore, he still could not understand what Lionel meant by "complicated," or where exactly the "complication" lay.
Lionel had no intention of explaining further. He waved for a waiter and, to Gu Hongming's surprised gaze, had his own untouched food packed into a paper bag.
At the restaurant entrance, Lionel politely declined Gu Hongming's invitation to take a carriage home and instead walked home leisurely, carrying his packed bag.
Watching Gu Hongming's beautiful, exquisite two-person carriage gradually disappear into the distance, everything that happened today was like an unexpected interlude, stirring a small ripple in his otherwise calm life, then quickly settling back to a mirror-like stillness.
From the perspective of later generations, one can certainly see the various limitations of the elites of this era, but once immersed in it, one finds that they each have their own helplessness.
—
"What? Louis-Alphonse really said Lionel was a 'commodity'?" Director Henri Patin could hardly believe what he heard about what happened at that Chinese man's lecture yesterday.
The "Poetry Society," as the Sorbonne Faculty of Arts' most important annual fundraising event, was directly related to his prestige as director.
Lionel Sorel's presence at the Poetry Society was not only a request from Madame Rothschild but also satisfied the curiosity of many noblewomen.
After all, "Poor Léonard" had become a legend in the salon world and had excellent works like the old guard to his name, making him truly "talented and handsome."
Even if Lionel "performed but did not sell himself," just a brief display of his talents at the Poetry Society would likely make the Faculty of Arts' research funds quite ample this year.
Now, suddenly hearing that Lionel refused to participate in the Poetry Society was like a dagger to Henri Patin's heart.
He stared at Dean Duun in front of him and said, word for word, "No matter what you do, make sure he appears by the bonfire this Saturday evening!"
The Sorbonne's Poetry Society emulated the legendary ancient Greek custom; when held, a bonfire would be lit in the Faculty of Arts' square, and students and guests would attend the event wearing ancient Greek robes and laurel wreaths.
Director Henri Patin dared not imagine how many complaints the Poetry Society would draw without Lionel.