Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 303 It’s all here
On April 4th, the first day of the Qingming Festival holiday, Zhai Da set off for northern Beijing.

After Qingming Festival, the new semester will be halfway over. Considering that he will be especially busy around exam week, this will probably be the last time he travels far before summer vacation.

He has handed over the maintenance of the old elm tree to the factory. Someone will go to replenish the nutrient solution every day. Since the factory added a "green art" installation, the workers generally say that their work mood has become more pleasant.

With more energy and a better mood, production has started to increase.

Xu Xuejun clicked his tongue in amazement, thinking to himself that improving the factory environment really does help increase efficiency.

Of course, this is just the most basic usage of "execute Old Yu," and there will be many more variations in the future.

At Beijing Capital International Airport, Zhai Da walked out of the arrival exit, looking tall and imposing in his spring attire.

If you're not wearing a mask, there's a high probability you'll be recognized.

His usual attire is quite simple, but his aesthetic sense is quite advanced, both capable and stylish. Even his simple "Chinese-style spiky" hairstyle is quite different from the currently popular pompadour style, giving it a unique flavor.

His good looks are a major factor in his large fanbase, and his fashion sense accounts for at least 7% of that.

The remaining 93 points represent true strength.

Lu Siwen couldn't come to pick her up this time; she was going back to Dongyang to pay respects to her ancestors. It's said that this year's ceremony was quite grand, with all three kinds of sacrificial animals and livestock prepared, and some distant relatives invited.

It's clear that the handsome Lu Zetao genuinely believes that the Lu family's "three generations pursuing literature" is a significant event.
It is said that a special eulogy was prepared for recitation.

In contrast, the Zhai/Yu families are less particular. Ms. Yu Xiaoli is now free and often goes to clean and tidy up, so she doesn't need to join the festivities on holidays. She even called to remind Zhai Da not to wander around, since they had just been back.

The taxi had been driving for almost an hour, which made the driver extremely happy. Waiting in line for two hours was definitely worth it. He was so pleased with himself.
This avoids taking detours; it's called doing a good deed every day!
Zhai Da stayed at Lu Siwen's place again, as Xiao Lu had repeatedly begged him over the phone.

I already feel guilty that I'm not in Beijing and can't host Zhai Da. If Zhai Da doesn't go to stay there, she'll probably sit up in the middle of the night and be angry with me.

Considering that Lu Han herself had stayed there before, there's no need to be dramatic now that she's not here.

Not only is it more comfortable, but you can also hitch a ride to Mr. Qian's place for dinner. A Land Rover is always more understated than a Panamera.

Hmm. Although it's not much.

Zhai Da arrived at "Ziyan Garden" at 3 p.m., took a shower, and tidied up his luggage.

After properly arranging the inverted hoist, Lao Yu freed up a valuable equipment slot.

Currently, the three equipment slots contain the [Pure Gold Secret Staff], [Mechanical Core], and [Retro Workbench]. This combination is unlikely to change anytime soon.

The first two are nothing special, just common items. The latter has already completed the unsealing task by helping Yue Da Catering Repair Equipment, but there has not yet been time to try to modify the equipment.

It's worth mentioning that because the Retro Workbench has the characteristic of being able to hold new tools (not equipment) and is considered as a single unit, it also has a lot of storage capacity. In a broad sense, it can be considered a general item that is a "tool", and Zhai Da filled it with a lot.

With three pieces of equipment in his inventory, plus the [Spellbook] he carried with him, even though his gear was simple, it was as if he had all the equipment he needed, so he could use any equipment effect he required at any time.

At 5 p.m., Zhai Da anticipated the evening rush hour, dressed neatly, picked up a box of "Six Walnuts" from the convenience store downstairs, and set off.

He even opened the packaging to take a look, and it wasn't "Six Iron".

Thankfully, otherwise it would have been impolite to visit like this.
An hour later, Zhai Da finally arrived at the courtyard that resembled an old residential area.

The place is more colorful than when I came in winter; the leaves are sprouting new branches, and the old cat is howling in heat in the yard.

The sentry post, which had previously seemed to have a strong military feel, stopped Zhai Da.

"Hello, what can I do for you?"

Last time the barrier opened automatically, which meant the license plate number had been registered. This time it was a private invitation, but they only asked for the building number before letting him in.

They didn't even make him sign any forms, and there was no scene like in the movies where a big shot is surrounded by top-notch secret agents, elite bodyguards, and secret service members.

Zhai Da recalled Academician Yu saying that this was an expert dormitory built by the Chinese Academy of Sciences decades ago, and the property rights were not for sale. Its style and specifications are naturally outdated now, but those who lived there, if not all were highly decorated figures, must have been influential figures in the scientific community. Thinking about it this way, the management seems a bit lax. Is this reliable?

Was it because Grandma Jiang had already given instructions?
Zhai Da parked his car in front of the old building, walked up floor by floor, cleared his throat, and knocked on the door.

A few seconds later, the door opened, and the familiar old house appeared before Zhai Da.

The room is furnished with old furniture reminiscent of the last century, with a cabinet filled with antique items and a dining table covered with a plastic sheet.

Of course, the most important thing is the fold lines that fill the room as soon as you enter.

The blue manuscript of "Engineering Cybernetics," the "Memory Phonograph" that seems to go well with a harmonica, and "The Letters of Theodore von Kármán."
Perhaps due to a change in placement, a new member was also revealed today.

"Congratulations, host. A green special item has been discovered: [JPL First Member ID Card]: As the original founder and fifth member, his ID card was handwritten by Theodore von Kármán."

Ownership: Not owned, not activated.

"Equipment Effect 1: Carrying this certificate allows you to freely enter and exit all aerospace-related departments in the United States (valid only for people, cannot deceive equipment)."

"Equipment Effect 2: If the rocket's technology level does not exceed its own technological accumulation, it can instinctively predict whether there will be problems during the rocket launch."

"Special effect 'Choice': If you discard 'something', you can increase your thinking speed to a certain extent (slightly). The specific effect depends on the value of the discarded item to the owner."

"Note: During his youth before going abroad, he regarded interstellar travel as his lifelong dream, but he still made the choice to return to his motherland and put his feet on the technologically backward soil. If he had not made this choice, he might have become the head of JPL and participated in the Apollo program fifteen years later."

Zhai Da thought to himself, "No wonder this is the home of a tycoon. Having stood for nearly a century, this house contains so many things that are history itself."

"Hey Xiao Zhai, you're already here, why did you bring anything!"

The warm greeting brought Zhai Da back to his senses, and he held up a gift: "It's only right to bring something when you're visiting."

Grandma Jiang took the six walnuts, still as kind and amiable as ever, and handed him a pair of slippers, as if she were greeting her own nephew: "Come in and sit down, the food will be ready soon, eat first and then we'll talk."

Zhai Dagang had just changed his shoes when something even more surprising happened: Old Qian was being pushed out in a wheelchair.

The bald, beardless giant smiled weakly yet kindly, "Little Zhai, I really did call you. I already told you not to bother."

Zhai Da quickly greeted him.

Last time I came, I thought Mr. Qian was already bedridden.

Actually, he was wrong. Mr. Qian spent most of his time in his hospital bed, but he would still move around in a wheelchair once or twice a day. Sometimes he would go out to bask in the sun, and sometimes he would do some "rehabilitation exercises" to keep his muscles active.

This is also a requirement of the doctor.

However, her physical condition was indeed at its limit, and she had lost the ability to get out of bed on her own, requiring a caregiver to carry her to a different location.

Old Qian's wheelchair was pushed in front of the sofa, and Grandma Jiang pulled Zhai Da to sit next to her: "Watch TV, have some fruit! Don't be shy, make yourself at home."

As he spoke, he pulled out a nut platter, a must-have for elderly people's homes, and handed it to Zhai Da, stuffing a handful of peanuts into his hand.

Last time I came with a large group to share the good news, I didn't really have a chance to immerse myself in the atmosphere of this old house. This time, coming alone feels quite magical.

Old Qian turned his head slightly and raised his chin: "Eat peanuts, eat peanuts."

Zhai Da sat up straight and meticulously peeled peanuts. Actually, he didn't eat them much; he usually fed them to birds.

But his mind was no longer on the peanuts.

There was only one thing on my mind:

I am Zhai Da.

Having been given a second chance at life, I've come here to eat a home-cooked meal.
Awesome!
(End of this chapter)