Restarting life in Siheyuan

Zhu Xuefeng came to the director's office on campus to ask for leave. To be on the safe side, he directly asked for a week's leave.

"Xiao Feng, I've approved your leave, but you have to arrange your time well. I told you that you want to graduate early, so you still have to take the exams for all subjects. You can't graduate early if you fail."

"Director Jiang, I have arranged everything. I am currently studying the fourth-year courses. I am confident that I can complete all the fourth-year courses next semester."

Director Jiang, who is engaged in freshwater research, came back to teach for half a year as required. During this period, he had a lot to do. Not only did he have to complete his teaching tasks, but he also had to take on some work related to freshwater research.

"Your schedule is very tight. After the National Day holiday, you have to accompany us to the Middle East to visit and select sites. They specifically asked you to go there. It will probably take another half a month to go there and back. We really can't afford to waste any time."

Zhu Xuefeng has considered all of these. According to the current progress, the time is acceptable and there won't be too many problems. Thanks to the accumulation of his previous life and the intelligence of this life, although there is a little pressure, it can definitely be completed.

"Don't worry, Director. I have a plan. I can take all the fourth-year course exams next semester. I am confident that I will pass them."

Director Jiang looked at the student in front of him through the glass. He was very satisfied with this student, and the professors were also very satisfied with this student's proactive learning.

"That's good. I've heard from many professors that you usually work very hard and often ask for advice. The professors have a good impression of you. But there is a new situation that you may not know. I just found out about it. It may have a big impact on your future study plans. Let me tell you about it."

It turned out that the superiors, in view of the urgent need for talents for national development, had changed the academic period for key subjects in colleges and universities to six years in line with the Russian Empire. The leaders above instructed that the period must be shortened, first to five years, and then gradually transitioned to four years, in order to meet the needs of national construction.

Zhu Xuefeng actually knew a little about it and had revealed it to Fang Jiaming, but he didn't know whether that silly boy would take it seriously.

"The great man said: What the country is in urgent need of now is undergraduate graduates. After six years of study, even if everyone is at the level of a graduate student, it is still far from quenching thirst. You can study while working."

"It is said that this is being planned. If it succeeds, the school system will be changed to five years, and you will have to start one year in advance. I heard that the internship will still be one year. The pressure on you will be much greater, so I remind you to hurry up." (The school system reform is indeed true)

Zhu Xuefeng received accurate news. He was not sure about the exact time of the school system reform. According to Director Jiang, he might graduate in the summer of 64.

The time is of course a bit tight. According to current requirements, the last year will be mainly spent on factory internship. That is to say, if the one-year internship time really remains unchanged, he will have to complete all the courses for grades three, four, and five before next summer. This is a little beyond Zhu Xuefeng's plan. The pressure is really great. Zhu Xuefeng was a little surprised. It seems that he has to change his plans again.

Looking at the students who were obviously stunned by the news, Director Jiang asked with a smile, "Do you still have the confidence to finish your studies ahead of schedule? You will not only have to take exams for the third and fourth grade courses next summer, but you also have to complete the fifth grade courses. This is not easy."

Zhu Xuefeng thought about it and answered honestly, "The pressure is indeed not small, and it is a bit beyond my expectations, but I am confident that I can pass it. I will try to complete as many fourth-grade courses as possible this semester, and focus on fifth-grade courses next semester."

Seeing Zhu Xuefeng regain his confidence, Director Jiang was very satisfied. "It's good that you have confidence. I will basically stay in school for at least ten days a month this semester. If you have any difficulties, just come to me. Of course, it would be great if you can ask the professors for help yourself. I have to go back to the institute next semester. You can ask Professor Huang, Professor Luo, and Professor Deng for help. I have already informed them and they will help you. I look forward to your successful graduation."

Zhu Xuefeng has a foundation in most physics majors, except for the specialized major of materials science, which gives him a lot of advantages. This is also the basis of his confidence, but he is still very grateful for Professor Jiang's meticulous care.

"Don't worry, Director. I will complete my studies as planned and live up to your expectations."

"That's good. There are still some things to do, but now is not the time. Wait until you can pass the exams in all subjects."

Zhu Xuefeng didn't ask if there was anything else. Since Director Jiang didn't say anything, he must have some concerns. The two chatted for a while about the progress of the freshwater project.

The project research is progressing faster than expected and the results are better. Otherwise, Director Jiang would not have been able to return to school to teach in half the time.

"The other party is quite trustworthy. They provided the research expenses for last year and this year on time. The higher-ups are very satisfied. If everything goes well, the final research results can be completed in April or May next year. The rest is to help them build the factory."

"I think this is the purpose of our visit and site selection. Have you chosen which factories will help with production?"

Director Jiang smiled. "You, do you want to find some work for your steel mill? You don't have to worry about it. These equipments use a lot of steel, so the steel mill will have to do its part. It depends on whether the steel mill can complete it on time. This is a key foreign exchange earning project. If you do well, there will definitely be more orders later."

Zhu Xuefeng nodded awkwardly. "The steel mill's technical strength is second to none in Beijing. This task... Hey, Director Jiang, this project is done. Would you consider the freshwater research direction that we eliminated last time?"

"You mean, the one that's more energy-efficient, but less efficient?"

"Yes, the kind that uses the reverse osmosis method!"

"I haven't thought about it yet. The most important task right now is to complete this research ahead of schedule. Didn't we give up on the method you mentioned when we discussed it? Why did you think of it again?"

Director Jiang has not yet figured out why Zhu Xuefeng brought up the rejected plan.

"Director, we just rejected the idea of ​​developing this technology with them. After all, not all countries and regions have energy like they do, and they don't have vast coastal areas to build factories. Take our country for example, this technology cannot be promoted."

"That's right. We don't have that much oil, and we can't afford the energy consumption."

"So a small seawater treatment plant with lower energy consumption is more suitable for us. Now that we have started this project research, we cannot ignore our own needs. Now that the institute is well-equipped and well-staffed, you should consider several more seawater desalination methods to adapt to different environmental needs."

Director Jiang looked at his student with approval and nodded, "You are right. We can't just focus on the 30 million foreign exchange and lose the original intention of scientific research. I will think about this issue carefully. This research team really can't be dispersed. There are still many directions to study."

The researchers of this project were urgently transferred from various units. According to the plan at that time, once the technical research was successful, the team would definitely be disbanded, leaving only the most basic staff to continue to follow up on the project. In Zhu Xuefeng's opinion, it was a pity to break up the team just after they had been well-coordinated. We should strike while the iron is hot to establish the country's global leadership in seawater desalination research, and also carry out research in other directions.

With a mature team, complete equipment, and successful experience, research in other directions should be faster.

Zhu Xuefeng knows that these scholars are relatively simple-minded. Once given a project, they will immerse themselves in it and rarely consider things other than the project. But he knows that except for the Middle East, other regions in the world need a model with low energy consumption, which can be more economical, environmentally friendly and sustainable. This is the development direction that will continue to make money.

Hong Kong experienced a water shortage in the first half of the year. Thanks to Wu Qianqian's stockpiling of a lot of fresh water in advance, Dongsheng Company was not greatly affected. At that time, the whole of Hong Kong was waiting for fire trucks to deliver water in a fixed amount, which lasted for quite a while. It was not until Yangcheng organized a fleet to deliver water that helped to overcome this trouble.

The Hong Kong government is also actively looking for ways to solve this problem. Unfortunately, it can only increase the demand for fresh water from the mainland, which is troublesome, uneconomical, and cannot be expanded on a large scale. Faced with the rapid development of Hong Kong, water consumption is also increasing, and this contradiction will further deteriorate.

If the research institute can develop small-scale seawater desalination technology, Zhu Xuefeng does not mind opening a seawater treatment plant in Hong Kong. This can not only effectively win over cooperation with the Hong Kong government, but also impose certain constraints on the Hong Kong government. Water and electricity are both important basic industries in cities. Gaining control of fresh water will be extremely beneficial to Zhu Xuefeng's voice in Hong Kong.

At the Guo family, Team Leader Guo was listening to the report with a gloomy face.

"We have already found out that the two girls who went to Mr. Zhang's house to investigate are students from Jingcheng University. They are very close to a student named Zhu Xuefeng, who is in the Department of Physics..."

Team leader Guo interrupted impatiently, "I know him, but I didn't expect that he was behind this Junjie incident. Does he have a grudge against me?"

Team Leader Guo became more and more angry as he thought about it. He stood up and walked a few steps with his hands behind his back. A little student, relying on the name Kong behind him, always pestered his only son. This time, he had no choice but to send his wife and children to prison. In front of his subordinates, Team Leader Guo tried his best to maintain his dignity and continued to ask.

"Also, didn't the girls from those two families wake up? How did they wake up? Didn't the doctor say that the chances of them waking up were extremely small? Now both of them are awake. What's the trick here?"

"It's hard to tell. We only found two families who were taken home from the hospital. They didn't go out for medical treatment, and no doctors came to visit them. They were only visited by relatives and friends, but no special people."

Team leader Guo was very puzzled as to how she woke up out of the blue. If he identified his son in court, there would be no way for him to escape. So he had no choice but to send his wife and children to jail. It could be considered as turning himself in, which would reduce the sentence. He might also escape the disaster by sacrificing his own family for the sake of justice. It seemed like a good move, but Team leader Guo was heartbroken as he was too passive. The key point was that the girl who was supposed to be dead but not dead actually woke up and was able to go to the police station to record her statement.

"No one special? All relatives and friends?"

"Yes, but there were a few days when those students came to visit every night. According to the neighbors, they stayed quite late every time."

"Which students? Could someone be pretending to be a student? Or is he actually a doctor? After asking this, Team Leader Guo became depressed. How could a doctor pretend to be a student and come to treat patients for no reason?

"We are investigating Zhang Shulin's two female students and a male student. We analyzed that he should be Zhu Xuefeng."

"How are you sure?"

"The two girls are very pretty. One of them is a neighbor of the Song family, so it's easy to match them up. The neighbor doesn't know the boy who followed them, but we think he is the one."

"The three students don't have the ability to do this. You still have to think of a way to see if you can find this person. The one who can be awakened by the doctors must be a capable person. I have a use for this kind of person. Be polite when you find him."

"Yes."

"By the way, what's Dayong like now? Are you still unwilling to come to work?"

Team leader Guo had a headache. Ever since the news of Zheng Xiaojun's arrest came out from the police station, Zheng Dayong had been acting a little strange. After accompanying his wife to visit the two girls' homes, he did not return. It was said that he went directly to the police station. Although he did not see Zheng Xiaojun, he knew what his brother had done. He never came back to report, and when asked, it turned out that he was sick.

"He hasn't come yet. We went to see him last night, but he didn't even open the door. He said the doctor said his disease could be "transmitted" and he needed to be isolated for treatment, so we came back."

Team leader Guo waved his hand, asked everyone to leave, and then he closed the door and thought by himself.

We don't need to think about Zheng Dayong's matter. He must be dissatisfied with what his son and Zheng Xiaojun did. It doesn't matter. Just wait until Zheng Xiaojun is sentenced and help him get out as soon as possible. Then this silly boy will feel better.

By the way, the ones who took the lead in arresting Zheng Xiaojun were actually two interns who had just been promoted to full-time employees after making contributions. These two people were actually accomplices of that Zhu Xuefeng, and they graduated from the Shichahai Sports School.

"These two people have no sense of organization and discipline, and they repeatedly act on their own. They must be properly educated, otherwise they will become a nuisance."

Team leader Guo looked around a few times and found out that this sports school was a den of bad things, and several of the guys behind this were related to this school.

"If we don't focus on ideological education and only focus on martial arts training, good students will go astray. I really don't know what those people in the Sports Committee are thinking. They are so hot-headed that they come up with something like this. What's the difference between this and the martial arts halls and escort agencies in the old society? This school should not exist and must be banned!"

Team leader Guo, who is concerned about the country and the people, is very indignant. His son has said that the guy who beat him last time was the son of the sports school teacher. It seems that his son has had a grudge with the sports school for a long time, but he didn't pay attention to it. This father is indeed incompetent.

The situation has now become so bad that it can't get any worse. Team Leader Guo has calmed down. He thinks this doctor might be a gain. If he is sent to a certain lady, then this little thing of his should not be a big deal.

Team leader Guo realized that his way to progress through normal channels was completely blocked, and he had to think of other ways. A certain lady was keen on health preservation and maintenance, and this doctor should be a good stepping stone.

As for those students, we have to wait until things calm down, then give them a proper lesson and send them all to labor camps. This anger must be vented. Isn't he just a Kong? If he can marry that lady, he won't be afraid of him.

These two families are so ungrateful that they need to be punished. Team leader Guo secretly ranked them in order in his mind. Years of struggle experience reminded him that the more difficult the situation is, the more trouble they must avoid. There are many people watching him now, so this is not the time to take action.

Director Liu breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the car escorting Guo Junjie, Guo's mother and Zheng Xiaojun leave.

"Old Chen, we finally sent him out this time. Let the municipal bureau deal with it. We can't afford to offend such a small police station. Look at this guy. Is he still a cadre? I'm really impressed. Let the leaders worry about it."

"Yeah, I'm troubled by this mother and son, and I haven't had a good rest for several days. Old Liu, it's your turn to be on duty today. I have to go back and rest."

"Go ahead, have a drink, get some sleep, and you'll be fine tomorrow."

Director Chen could only smile bitterly. Surely it would be okay? He had chosen the wrong team and embraced the wrong thigh this time. It was hard to predict what would happen next.

Zheng Dayong, who was being missed by Team Leader Guo, was lying on the bed with the door closed, in a daze. His eyes were dull, his face was flushed, and his hair was messy. He had lost all of his former charm.

His brother's growth experience from childhood to adulthood appeared in his mind one by one. He regretted it very much. He only cared about his brother's life and supervised his martial arts training, but neglected other aspects. He had served as Team Leader Guo's bodyguard for many years, which led to his brother and Guo Junjie becoming close. In the final analysis, the root cause lies with him.

Zheng Dayong firmly believes that his brother is not a bad person by nature. The two brothers depend on each other for survival, and Zheng Dayong really cannot give up. However, his brother is foolishly involved in this case, and he has no way to deal with it at all.

As for Team Leader Guo, forget it. He has some experience after many years of career as a security guard. Team Leader Guo is also powerless now, otherwise he would not have sent his wife and children in jail.

Having followed Team Leader Guo for many years, this was the first time that Zheng Dayong saw Team Leader Guo act so cleanly and efficiently, directly sending his wife and children to the police station. Zheng Dayong admired his decisiveness.

But with these two real examples, Team Leader Guo will definitely not interfere in his younger brother Zheng Xiaojun's affairs. His younger brother can be said to have brought this upon himself.

What's even more hateful is that he actually accompanied Guo Junjie and Guo's mother to threaten the victim, and became a lackey of the new society, the lackey he hated the most. Whenever he thought of this, Zheng Dayong's heart twitched. He definitely didn't want to do this. After killing the bully who destroyed his family before liberation, he took his brother on the road of escape until he met Team Leader Guo.

A few days of reflection made him realize that he should make some decisions. Zheng Dayong was a man of integrity and must not become an accomplice to evil.

It seemed as if someone had reminded him not to help the evil. Zheng Dayong struggled to get up and washed his face with some water. When he saw the person in the basin, he was a little dazed. Was that still himself?

Zheng Dayong was really sick. After learning about his brother's condition, he returned home in great worry. After a sleepless night, he developed a low-grade fever. This was very rare for him who had been exercising for many years. He almost forgot how many years had passed since he last fell ill.

Years of martial arts training made him realize that he had a mental illness, the root cause of which was his younger brother and Team Leader Guo's family.

(End of this chapter)