Siheyuan: I eat melons while doing scientific research

Chapter 1371 A Positive Example: Pang Shuixian (4k)

If Gao Zhendong calls it "super", then it must be super.

That's how the leaders of the National Defense Commission felt. After all, Kao Chen-tung rarely used this kind of adjective.

He's come up with a ton of outrageous stuff, but he's never used that word.

"How super?" the leader asked, pondering.

“Millions, or even hundreds of millions, of integer or floating-point operations per second,” Gao Zhendong replied.

The leader gasped.

This "hundreds of millions of times" does not refer to the number of instructions executed, as that is meaningless. Rather, it refers to the completion of a specific arithmetic operation of a specific word length, among which integers or floating-point numbers are undoubtedly the most common.

In fact, the current level of CPUs and semiconductors in China is no worse than, and may even be better than, the level when China achieved the 100 million-operation-times-per-second machine in Gao Zhendong's previous life. Therefore, Gao Zhendong is quite confident about this matter.

"Where will it be used?" the leader asked.

He knew Gao Zhendong's personality; he would never have proposed doing this if it weren't useful. However, he wanted to have a more comprehensive understanding of the situation.

Gao Zhendong laughed and said, "There are many, including aerodynamic calculations, fluid dynamics calculations, weather forecast analysis, materials research and analysis, and even... nuclear explosion simulation, reactor reaction simulation calculations... and that's not all."

He couldn't possibly cover everything. There are many industries and fields where supercomputers are used that even he himself didn't know about; these are things that only people in those industries would know.

This is a basic tool. Once you have the tool, people will naturally find all sorts of ways to use it. There is absolutely no need for Gao Zhendong to guide them.

The leader's eyes narrowed. This was no longer a problem that could be solved by simply taking a deep breath. If he really breathed like that, he would definitely develop hyperventilation syndrome.

He might not feel much about other things, but Gao Zhendong said that this thing could simulate nuclear explosions and nuclear reactors, so he was no longer sleepy.

He might not be an expert on this, but he at least knew what it was like. What level and requirements does simulating a nuclear explosion require? As the most powerful weapon ever created by mankind, this thing held an extremely high status in people's minds at that time.

"Really? They can even simulate a nuclear explosion?"

"I've calculated it, and it's possible. It can even simulate ordinary explosions, armor-piercing processes, and so on. Quantitative research might not be feasible, but qualitative research is no problem."

After receiving Gao Zhendong's resolute answer, the following points seemed perfectly logical. Since Gao Zhendong said he had calculated it, the certainty must be very high.

How long do you estimate it will take to get it done?

Gao Zhendong thought for a moment: "It depends on which path we take. It could be as short as one or two years, or as long as three or five years or even longer. Of course, the effects and uses of the short and long paths are also somewhat different."

He was truly confident about this.

You actually have several other routes? The leader was speechless for a moment.

Gao Zhendong sometimes speaks in such outrageous ways that others feel he's just bragging, but he always manages to deliver on his promises.

"Let's do it! By the way, does it cost money?"

The leader's words were interesting: he decided to do it first, and only then did he ask if it would cost money. Clearly, in this matter, money wasn't the biggest issue.

The reason for this is that the leader's ideas in some aspects are even more profound than Gao Zhendong's.

A computer capable of performing billions of calculations per second—what a huge and worthy achievement that is! With that, even if it were just used to calculate the weather forecast every day, it would still be worthwhile.

"...my country's supercomputer, capable of performing hundreds of millions of calculations per second, successfully completed its operation yesterday and successfully performed weather forecast calculations, providing strong support for industrial and agricultural production..."

The leadership knows that although satellite cloud images are now available and weather radars are being deployed, weather forecasts are not very accurate, especially regarding rainfall. After all, satellite cloud images can only determine whether there is water, but cannot determine whether that water will actually fall.

In fact, weather forecasting is far more complex than he thought, but his approach was correct.

Such reports, not to mention domestically, would be enough to scare any respectable country on the international stage. As for those countries that aren't scared, well, that's about it.

Hehe, even though you and Luo are vying for attention with your unique tricks, we're not completely silent either.

Gao Zhendong laughed: "It's alright, it doesn't actually cost much, especially if you take a shortcut."

He does have shortcuts that don't cost much money, but they are less useful and less effective.

Upon hearing this, the leader shook his head: "We'll take the shortcuts, but we'll also walk the solid path. We're not short of a few dollars!"

He understood Gao Zhendong's assessment of the time difference. Shortcuts usually come at a price, and in this case, the price is performance.

Since you said shortcuts don't cost much, then we should all take them, right? We were already planning to spend money anyway, so since shortcuts don't cost much, we should spend our money on the non-shortcut paths.

Children make choices; adults want it all. And the elders, especially the leaders, have mastered this tactic to an art.

Gao Zhendong nodded: "Okay, I'll start organizing this matter later, dividing it into several groups. I'll ask you for money and manpower then."

The leader waved his hand dismissively: "Don't worry, give me whatever I want!"

To be honest, the comrades in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are working very hard, and they are now relatively well-off. At least they are willing to spend money to support this kind of project that builds the foundation of a great nation.

He didn't even bother to ask Gao Zhendong which routes he planned to take, because he knew he wouldn't understand them at all. As for writing them down and having an expert take a look, there was no need for that; a meeting would be a waste of time and money, and the most important expert in this field was right in front of him.

All he had to do was decide whether or not to use it once he knew it existed. As for whether it was good or bad, he chose to trust Gao Zhendong completely; past experience showed that in the field of computers, this was the best choice.

Gao Zhendong happily bid farewell to his superior, checked the time, and got into his car to head home. Since his superior was being so generous, he couldn't be stingy and had to do it all!

As Gao Zhendong made comprehensive considerations, he walked into his home, only to be stunned upon entering.

There were guests sitting in his house, and they were the kind of guests he never expected.

—Pang Shuixian!

She was preparing dinner for Gao Zhendong's family with Lou Xiao'e, and she seemed quite efficient. Gao Zhendong greeted Pang Shuixian with a smile, glanced at the impregnable south gate, and then went into the bedroom to play with the child. It seemed he had come to see Lou Xiao'e, and Gao Zhendong had no intention of interfering with Lou Xiao'e's social interactions.

He knew that Pang Shuixian often consulted Lou Xiao'e, so he didn't think there was anything wrong with it. But if he were here, he figured she would be so nervous that she wouldn't be able to speak fluently.

When Pang Shuixian saw Gao Zhendong return, she felt a little apprehensive and embarrassed. She said to Lou Xiao'e, "Teacher Lou, Chief Engineer Gao is back, so I won't keep you any longer. Thank you."

Lou Xiao'e shook her head, exchanged a few polite words, and saw her to the door before calling Gao Zhendong to bring the child out.

"You've come to ask me for advice again? You're quite eager to learn," Gao Zhendong said with a smile.

"She's quite eager to learn. Guess what she's been asking me lately?"

"What?" Gao Zhendong expressed his curiosity at the right time.

"A Concise Handbook for Primary Care Physicians..."

"Holy crap, I really didn't expect this." Gao Zhendong was genuinely surprised. He had originally thought that if he asked this woman for help with literacy and basic arithmetic, that would be enough. Even with these things, only Lou Xiao'e in the courtyard was willing to teach her.

Unexpectedly, it went straight to professional books. "A Concise Handbook for Primary Care Physicians" is indeed a professional book for people with the current average level of education.

"You underestimate her, don't you?" Lou Xiao'e laughed happily, because she was the one who taught her, which made her feel very accomplished.

"Yes, yes, I made the mistake of dogmatism, looking at people with old eyes, not realizing that people can break through and develop on their own, and have subjective initiative." Gao Zhendong's self-criticism was incredibly shrewd.

Lou Xiao'e burst into laughter: "Hahaha, are you giving a report? I know you didn't mean it that way, but you have to admit, she studied quite thoroughly and wasn't greedy. She focused on the common diseases section, saying that trying to do too much at once is like biting off more than you can chew."

Gao Zhendong nodded thoughtfully: "Hmm, it seems she has quite a few ideas and plans. She may not be highly educated, but she has a strong sense of purpose."

That's nonsense. If you weren't so decisive, you wouldn't have been able to seize on Xu Damao's weakness back then and take advantage of the only opportunity to trick him.

Pang Shuixian was only afraid of him, and due to her past experiences, she often kept a low profile, but she wasn't stupid.

"Yes, besides asking me questions, she also asked me to sign something."

"Signature?" Gao Zhendong's attention was immediately drawn to this; this matter could be big or small.

"Yes, that's right. She wants to join some kind of volunteer service team. I don't know why, but she needs to get signatures from her work unit and individuals to recommend her. The street office and the police station have both signed, and she also needs her neighbors to sign. Master Yi and Teacher Yan have already signed, but she's missing one more person, so she came to me. It's not a big deal, so I'll just get her to sign it. I think she's quite eager to learn."

Gao Zhendong was relieved. No matter what volunteer service team Pang Shuixian joined, it was almost inevitable that she would need someone's signature for recommendation, given her special circumstances.

Because of her special circumstances, this matter is not dangerous at all. After all, given her situation, any organization would welcome her if she were willing to actively participate in any volunteer work team.

This is a perfect example of someone who, through the education and transformation of the new society, has found new value and a new path in life.

This would be a story worth telling anywhere, and if she could achieve even a little bit, it wouldn't be impossible for her to make the news. Of course, that's assuming she's willing, since making the news isn't necessarily a pleasant experience for her.

Moreover, judging from her situation in the courtyard over the past few years, although they haven't had much contact, Gao Zhendong can tell that she hasn't caused any trouble.

Since that's the case, Lou Xiao'e signing this can be considered part of a good thing, so there's no problem. Gao Zhendong felt relieved.

Besides, as long as Lou Xiao'e is happy, this little thing is nothing, and Gao Zhendong can handle it.

"Yes, that's good. But there are some things I need to tell you, so you won't be unaware of the situation." Everything was fine, but Gao Zhendong still decided to tell Lou Xiao'e about Pang Shuixian's situation, leaving her to choose what to do next.

"Oh..." Lou Xiao'e responded in a daze.

After a while.

"Huh? Is that so?" After listening to Gao Zhendong's story, Lou Xiao'e's eyes widened in surprise and her mouth gaped open.

This was quite unexpected for her, mainly because Lou Xiao'e never imagined that she would have to deal with such a person in her life.

Gao Zhendong remained noncommittal: "Yes, that's the situation."

"Hmm, it seems she really wants to change herself now, which is good." To Gao Zhendong's surprise, Lou Xiao'e was only surprised for a moment before calming down, as if this matter had not affected her much.

In fact, Lou Xiao'e felt a certain closeness to Pang Shuixian.

—Because she caused Xu Damao's death there.

Lou Xiao'e harbored a natural aversion to this person who almost negatively impacted her relationship with Zhendong. The enemy of my enemy is my friend; it's that simple.

She knew nothing about Pang Shuixian's past; she simply treated her as someone who had been severely ill. As a doctor, what kind of patients hadn't she seen? Lou Xiao'e, on the contrary, had a strong capacity for acceptance in this regard.

"Well, as long as you know, it's fine." Gao Zhendong didn't have any further opinions. In essence, his wife's actions were doing a good deed, a very good thing.

The human body can get sick, and so can the mind and spirit. Treating any illness is still treating illness, but she is a doctor, isn't she?

As long as his wife understands the matter and makes her own judgment, Gao Zhendong has no intention of becoming a father in this regard.

The couple remained cheerful as they picked up their child and prepared to eat dinner.
-
"We've replaced the machines, we've replaced the machines." Deep in the desert, a comrade in charge of supplies led a group of soldiers, carrying a large pile of things, into a small building.

The comrades in the small building were stunned. What kind of machine are they changing it to?
"Comrade, what kind of machine are you replacing again?" a scientist asked, peeking out of his office.

The supply officer turned and pointed to the soldiers behind him: "The Commission just airlifted these new computers over. They say they're six or seven times faster than the ones you're using now."

"How much?" Not only the scientist who poked his head out, but all the comrades who heard this question gathered around, chattering excitedly.

Could it be that the 0. in 0.67 was omitted? 2/3 is a reasonable number.

"I don't know the specifics, but that's what the committee said. I don't know much about your specialized equipment, but I'll just deliver it to you."

(End of this chapter)