11. Eton College
My father hurriedly left England in mid-1917 and did not return until early 1920, fortunately avoiding the flu known as the "Spanish Lady." This virus spread to countries around the world with the movement of demobilized troops. Later, I saw statistics showing that 40 million people worldwide died from this massive flu epidemic, far more than the death toll of the European War.
We returned to our home in Oxfordshire, west of London, before Christmas 1918, a place where the Draken family had lived for centuries. The powerful Duke of Marlborough was our neighbor, though our small Draken estate looked rather modest compared to the opulent Blenheim Palace. The Duke of Marlborough also produced a notable figure: Winston Churchill.
(Figure 1-11-1) Sir Draken's manor, where butlers and servants line up to welcome the master and young master home.
After returning to England, my father sent me to Eton College, his alma mater. Eton was exclusively for aristocratic children; top hats and tailcoats were required for classes and meals, and every student came from a distinguished family. Being the descendant of a baron was nothing special there. Especially in the closed and conservative environment of the time, my half-Eastern appearance was not accepted by my peers, so my adolescence was spent in complete isolation and extreme distress. Under these circumstances, I began to keep a diary, recording every little thing that happened each day. This habit remains unchanged to this day and forms the basis of this story.
I had a close classmate at Eton named Ian Fleming. Ian was born in 1908, only a year younger than me, and his family lived in Oxfordshire, where we were neighbors. His father, Major Valentine Fleming, was a Conservative Member of Parliament, just like my father, before he died in the European War, so our families were very close.
Ian is very imaginative but doesn't seem to do well in school. He often hangs out with me because he likes to hear me tell stories about the East and Russia. Ian envies my special childhood experiences and hopes to pursue an adventurous career when he grows up.
(Figure 1-11-2) Paul Draken and Ian Fleming were classmates at Eton College. Ian Fleming later attended military school but didn't graduate. He went to Eastern Europe to study languages and became a Reuters correspondent in the Soviet Union in 1929, where he was recruited as a British spy. During World War II, he became a high-ranking officer in the Naval Intelligence Department, so I worked with him in MI6. He knew my story well, which may have inspired his later motivation to write the James Bond novels. I only return to my home in Oxford on weekends, and my father is busy with his official duties in London during the week, so we don't see each other very often. Therefore, my father stipulated that we must spend half a day at home talking in Chinese to prevent our Chinese from becoming rusty, which made things much easier for me when I returned to China.
“Uncle Lin Changmin is a friend I’ve known since I was in Japan. He lives in London and is a council member of the League of Nations. This is his daughter, Miss Lin Huiyin, who is currently studying at St. Mary’s Collegiate School in London… This is my son, Paul, who is currently studying at Eton.”
(Figure 1-11-3) Lin Changmin and his daughter Lin Huiyin visited Sir John Draken's estate and took a photo with Paul Draken.
"Is that Paul? He's grown so much and become so handsome!" Uncle Lin Changmin's words made me very embarrassed, and with the girl giggling beside me, my whole face turned red.
"You young people go and chat among yourselves. Uncle Lin and I have something to discuss!" My father waved us out and then closed the door.
As we strolled along the veranda, Lin Huiyin asked me, "Did we meet when we were children?"
"How would I know how old you are?" I asked her in return.
"Does anyone ask that? What year were you born?"
"1907!" I answered proudly.
"Ha! Call me sister! I was born in 1904!" Lin Huiyin said proudly.
"Impossible! You look so petite..." I objected.
"Can't I? I already have a boyfriend!" Lin Huiyin said.
"Really? Who's the lucky one?"
"Sigh! It's so complicated and frustrating..." Lin Huiyin looked incredibly beautiful when she frowned. Noticing my gaze, she lowered her head shyly and changed the subject:
"Studying at Eton is good, isn't it?"
"Ugh! That place is so...annoying!" This time it was my turn to sigh!
"Turns out we both have things on our minds. Come on! Tell me yours, and I'll tell you mine, so neither of us will be bothered!" She turned around, took my hands, and her sunny smile returned to her face.
"Or would combining them make it even more troublesome than the original?"
"Why are you so gloomy? Come on! You need to bask in the April sunshine!" Lin Huiyin pulled me down the corridor to the grass.
(Figure 1-11-4) In 1921, Paul Draken already knew about Lin Huiyin's relationship with Xu Zhimo.
Lin Huiyin was already panting heavily after running only a few laps, so the two of them had to sit down on the chairs in the corridor to rest. "You're already like this after just a short run?" I asked her with concern, noticing her flushed cheeks and rapid breathing. "Are you alright?"
"It's been like this lately, it'll be fine after sitting down for a bit," Lin Huiyin said. "Paul! What do you want to be when you grow up?"
"I want to be a pilot, what about you?" I said.
"I want to study architecture!"
"Architecture? Are there any girls studying architecture?"
"Of course! There's a female architect living downstairs from us in London. She has such great taste, I admire her so much..." Lin Huiyin said, "Do you think I'd have great taste if I were an architect, Paul?"
I was so focused on her that I hadn't noticed what she was saying at all, so when she asked me that, I could only stammer, "What? Oh...you're absolutely right!"
I thought to myself, "What a beautiful girl. I must use her as the standard for my future girlfriend." From then on, I had many fantasies about Eastern girls.
|
