Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 184 First Day of University

9 month 15 day.

The reporting and military training times vary slightly across the country, but they are generally around these two days. Last night, the "Utopia" group chat was flooded with messages, with over a thousand posts. Lin Shuyao from outside Beijing, Xiang You from Fudan University, and Chu Xiang from Shanghai University have already started classes.

The military training for my college classmates was very short, only 7-10 days, and they had already been in class for almost a week. The only unlucky one was Ao Wen, who was studying in Guangxi Province. While everyone else was discussing their school courses, this guy was still nervous about the "infantry-tank coordinated advance" the next day.

At the time, Zhai Da repeatedly confirmed that he hadn't misread it, and even tagged Ao Wen: "Didn't I enroll you in a regular junior college back then? What the hell is 'tank-infantry coordinated attack'?"

Ao Wen: "I don't know. Damn, the military training is 21 days. On the 15th day, armored vehicles drove into the drill ground. I'm going to go fold tofu blocks now. I have to fold them at night and not cover them up so that they can pass the inspection in the morning."

Is military training in Guangxi Province really that hardcore?
Lu Siwen, who is studying at Peking University, has also completed her military training. She originally wanted to come to Harbin the day before yesterday, but was persuaded to leave. She then diligently revised her novel, claiming that she could send about 50,000 words to Zhai Da within ten days. Zhai Da suggested that she could also send it to Lu Zetao for review, as listening to both sides would lead to a clearer understanding.

Xiaolu said the suggestion was good, but she refused.

Today is the first day of formal classes for Zhai Da and Lu Wei.

This was also the first time I truly began my university life.

After half of September, the temperature in Harbin is dropping rapidly. When Zhai Da and his group first arrived, the highest temperature was around 25 degrees Celsius, but now it is only around 18 degrees Celsius. It is still comfortable weather, but long sleeves are already appropriate.

Zhai Da wore a white sweatshirt and black trousers, while Lu Wei wore a white shirt and simple jeans.

Although Zhai Da, a self-made millionaire who earned three million at the age of eighteen (leaving nearly one million to his mother), and Lu Wei, a hidden little rich woman, with Utopia's share of profits and various bonuses for top scorers, have not deliberately changed their lifestyles or actively embraced "high consumption."

For example, they buy designer clothes and bags, but currently both of them are wearing leftover stock from a wool textile factory.

Of course, whether it's a limited edition or not is my mom's own decision; she'll always manage to sell one of the styles she likes.

The nouveau riche's spending often stems from an underlying sense of inferiority and impatience. Similarly, a person with inner strength doesn't deliberately "consume little," they just don't care that much.

If he really wanted to buy a house, Zhai Da felt that buying a house in Shanghai or northern Beijing was more practical. He remembered that Shanghai started implementing purchase restrictions in 09, and northern Beijing in 11.

Hmm. Let's save up a bit more and then make a big one.

Today was a memorable first day of classes. Zhai Da rode his sturdy old bicycle, which had just been delivered to Harbin, and carried Lu Wei towards the teaching building.

When they were in Dongyang County, the two often traveled like this, going to Utopia, Hongqi Shopping Mall, or simply to buy groceries.

This historic bicycle has finally made something of itself, crossing provincial borders.

The gentle breeze was refreshing but not cool, representing the last vestiges of warmth in Harbin; in sunny areas, it would feel pleasantly warm.

When Lu Wei held Zhai Da, she could feel the warmth; it was Zhai Da's body temperature.

Her fair little hands unconsciously tried to grasp something, but grasped nothing, leaving her feeling somewhat disappointed.
I used to be able to grab her belly button.
The car stopped downstairs at Zhengxin Building, a square building that is the main teaching building for undergraduates, where most courses are held.

Although Zhai Da and Lu Wei were not in the same major or college, they had the freedom to choose their courses, and since they were all basic courses, they were naturally arranged to be together. The two went up to the fourth floor together.

Early in the morning, a "linear algebra" class is just the right time to perk you up.

The classrooms for basic courses were all very large, with four or five classes and more than a hundred students, all of them chaotic and full of students.

You can tell how good a university is just by looking at the seating arrangement in its classrooms. Bad universities take up seats at the back, while good universities take up seats at the front.

Zhai Da and Lu Wei arrived at a moderate pace, but there were no seats left in the front row, so they sat in a middle seat by the window.

Just as I took out my book, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around and saw a girl wearing a turtleneck and light makeup.

Although it has a high collar, there is a small heart-shaped cutout on the upper part of the neckline. It's not exactly pretty, but it will involuntarily activate the male's aiming system.

"Hello. Are you student Zhai?"

Zhai Da has now fully adapted to the situation and naturally accepted the copy of "The Long Road of Lü" from the other party, signing his name.

Bringing books with you means you came prepared. You probably knew about Zhai Da during military training and thought that since many freshmen classes were taught in combined classes, you might as well try your luck.

Even if you put on beautiful makeup, you might still be taking a chance.

"Thank you for your support. The teacher is here, let's start class."

He had considered setting a rule for himself, such as not giving autographs at school to keep a low profile, but later felt that refusing every time would make him seem pretentious.

It would be better to just sign him; they're all readers who have supported him with real money.

Ultimately, the number of book lovers at Harbin Institute of Technology is limited, and demand will gradually saturate. Once the novelty wears off, things should calm down.

The tall, collared girl looked delighted and gave him her best smile: "Can I add you on QQ? I'm also from the School of Materials Science and Engineering."

Zhai Da smiled and shook his head: "Sorry, it's not convenient."

That's another price.

My royalties are three yuan per book, young lady, please have some self-respect.

The girl paused, glanced at Lu Wei beside Zhai Da, and instantly lost her spirit.
It's definitely incomparable. If makeup is a stepping stone to beauty, then she could probably stand on that stepping stone and pound Lu Wei's knees.

There's not much to say about the subsequent courses. Although linear algebra is a nightmare for many college students, it couldn't stump a top scorer in the national college entrance examination.

Zhai Da stated that while he may have used cheat codes, he genuinely learned them himself, rather than relying on memorization or brainwashing.

Even considering the different teaching syllabi in different provinces, the early content of linear algebra in the first year of university feels like a step backward, as many things have already been covered in the third year of high school.

Of course, these are all smokescreens to mislead new students. If you take things lightly just because you've already learned them in the previous lessons, you'll be waiting to have to repeat the course.

After that, Zhai Da and Lu Wei took four courses in 90-minute intervals: "Linear Algebra", "Advanced Mathematics", "University Physics" and "University English". After dinner, they also had a course on "Modern History".

If Zhai Da hadn't chosen his own courses, he would only have three today, but he chose them himself—idol! Five long classes, no less intense than senior year, left Zhai Da feeling a bit tired.

I hopped on the old-fashioned bicycle and drove Lu Wei home.

Having missed the sunset, the two rode their bicycles slowly under the campus streetlights.

The evening breeze was a bit chilly, and the interplay of cold and warmth diffused into a light mist, transforming the spherical streetlights into luminous pearls.

The figures of Zhai Da and Lu Wei also had a dreamlike quality.

Zhai Da asked softly, "How does it feel? First day of university?"

Lu Wei: "It's quite simple."

"And what about the first day of university life?"

"I'm quite happy."

Zhai Da asked doubtfully, "Really?"

You're the same every day...
"We're spending more time together now."

Zhai Da smiled slightly and suddenly felt that the streetlights here were just as beautiful as those in Dongyang.

I looked up at the bright moon, basking in its light, and bent down to pick up the gold bars.

"Then at least give me a smile like a manual transmission car driver."

As they were talking, Lu Wei let go of Zhai Da's hand, and the change in center of gravity caused the bicycle to start to wobble. Zhai Da quickly grabbed the handlebars.

A few seconds later, Lu Wei hugged it back.

"What do you mean?"

"I've had a laugh."

Zhai Da:
"Next time, please do this face-to-face. There's no point in resorting to sneak attacks."

"Um"

After a long silence, Lu Wei suddenly said, "Then is it pointless to try and kiss you secretly?"

The car started shaking again.

"Cough cough. What is that?"

Lu Wei said earnestly, "I've been thinking about it for the past two days, but I haven't found an opportunity yet."

Zhai Da tried to turn around to look at Lu Wei's expression, but he couldn't see anything except her slender, long legs swaying slightly.

Turning to the other side, there was only a super long ponytail swaying slightly in the wind.

"Do you think this is the right thing to do, or do you want to do this?"

"do not know"

Zhai Dayi said sternly, "I personally don't object, but you shouldn't say such things openly. Just attack me directly. It's no fun saying it out loud."

Lu Wei lowered her head, pressing her cheek against Zhai Da's broad back.

This is so difficult. (﹏)

------

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, in Shunyi District, northern Beijing.

Inside a laboratory, a group of people are busy at work.

The parts that Zhai Da hand-polished two days ago have somehow ended up here.

A man wearing a safety helmet and gloves took a part out of a protective box and said, holding it up to the light, "You know what, the people from Harbin Institute of Technology are pretty good at craftsmanship. I would have a hard time making this thing."

A colleague standing nearby laughed and said, "Then why don't you do it?"

“I also need to have time. It’s such a big project team, how can I manage it all by myself? Besides, the tail end deceleration and emission are completely handled by Harbin Institute of Technology, so I need to conserve my energy for the work section.”

"Alright, let's hurry up and install it. I don't know if we can finish by 1 PM today."

The gloved man observed for a while longer and couldn't help but nod repeatedly: "He's really impressive. I'll tell my superiors that he has real skills."

Then he turned around and went to prepare for the installation.

As the view gradually zooms out, several large plastic signs are posted high up in this factory-like laboratory.

"Qian Xuesen Engineering Science Experimental Base"

There is only one thing here: an extremely long, thick metal pipe with a diameter of half a meter, which is more than two hundred meters long.

Although Zhai Da made the part and guessed that it was related to an electric fan, he guessed the wrong direction.

That thing isn't for accelerating, it's for decelerating.

It's a relatively unimportant part of an important project.
　Silence speaks louder than words.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)