Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 306 Closed Disciple
This relationship did not originate from scientific research, nor can it be described as a traditional master-disciple relationship; its beginning and reasons are quite unique.

As a senior scientist with faith, this action was not carried out in a grand manner, announced to the world, or involved a large banquet for guests, tea ceremony, or formal apprenticeship ceremony.

In that hospital room, bathed only in moonlight and starlight, the two shook hands, and the message only reached Grandma Jiang.

This teacher-student relationship exists only in this small room, and not in any school registration or work relationship.

At least for now.

The next morning, Zhai Da arrived at Qian's old home again.

At the entrance to the courtyard, the parking barrier automatically raised, which surprised Zhai Da, who seemed to be deep in thought.

This time, the sentry outside the yard didn't stop him to ask why, but his gaze followed the car for a while.

Zhai Da knocked on the door again. Grandma Jiang opened the door and said with a smile, "Little Zhai, come in quickly."

Good morning, Madam.

Hearing this address, Grandma Jiang smiled even more broadly: "Have you had breakfast?"

"I've eaten, you can go about your business."

Just as Zhai Da was about to enter Mr. Qian's room, Grandma Jiang stopped him and whispered:
"Xiao Zhai, I know you two are having a good time discussing things, but you need to be mindful of the time. Two hours each in the morning and afternoon is the limit, after all, your teacher is getting old."

Zhai Da nodded: "Don't worry, there's no need to be on time. We'll stop when the teacher gets tired."

Grandma Jiang said, "I found you a table; you'll see it when you go in."

Upon entering the bedroom, Mr. Qian was already sitting up straight, seemingly having been waiting for a long time.

The old man returned to his previous state of exhaustion; his aged body was like a funnel, and the strength he had regained yesterday vanished once again.

This person wasn't tired or sick, but simply old.
The effect of just one "Victory Water Bottle" is far from enough to bring about a fundamental change, and drinking too much of it is also not good.

Perhaps only the miraculous ability of "execution of Old Yu" could completely change Mr. Qian.

The vitality boost is 16.5%, which is effective, but the extent of the effect is unknown.

However, the "Souvenir Photo" cannot affect blue equipment, and it is extremely troublesome to hang the big tree upside down. We can't just apply to the city to build a special device under Qian Lao's building and then pull the tree over, can we?
This is too abstract and doesn't make logical sense! Besides, Lao Yu has many secrets to study, and it's impossible to leave them out in broad daylight thousands of miles away.

We need to think about whether there's any way to invite Mr. Qian to Harbin. But we also have to consider his health.

Not far from the small room, a desk has appeared, leaning against the bookshelf; it's unclear where it was found overnight.

That seemed to become Zhai Da's work area for the next few days.

Zhai Da rolled up his sleeves and said, "So what shall we do today, teacher?"

Mr. Qian held up his copy of "The Timeless Cohabitation Handbook": "Let's talk about something lighthearted today."

Zhai Da smiled wryly and said, "Don't take it too seriously, it's just a novel."

"Inspiration comes from life, and literature is an important part of life."

"What we need to do is not to blindly rely on inspiration, but to seize inspiration as much as possible."

Yesterday, Zhai Da learned that what Qian Lao referred to as the "last study" was not a rigorous and systematic scientific study, but rather a compilation of some ideas into suggestions.

Two or three suggestions for the future development of the industry.

The inspirations in the novel are only a small part, or rather, a starting point. The majority of the work involves immersing oneself in a vast amount of material to sort out the plot.

Zhai Da smiled and said, "Sure, would you like me to get you a glass of water?"

Just then, a noise came from outside the window. A golden oriole landed on the windowsill and tilted its head to look inside.

They seemed to be wondering how a new guest could have arrived in this dilapidated room.

How could that aging giant have regained his youth?

------

I originally came here just to have one meal, but by chance, I ended up having many meals.

In the following days, Zhai Da came to this courtyard every day, just like clocking in for work. He sat at his small table in Qian Lao's room, helping Qian Lao organize a large amount of data. At the same time, the two discussed many imaginative ideas together.

Even without delving into specific scientific principles, Qian Xuesen's remarkable foresight and analytical abilities have already astonished Zhai Da.

This man, who has lived for nearly a century, possesses a profound understanding of not only scientific research, but also international affairs, the situations of various countries, and industrial trends.

What Zhai Da learned behind that small table was not "knowledge," but "principles."

With continuous discussion and data support, Zhai Da gradually developed some ideas.

Regarding the technologies related to the [Mechanical Core], where should I begin?

Only then can we most conveniently ride the wave of the times, overcoming all obstacles.

However, he was actually quite leisurely every day. Because of Qian's poor physical strength and energy, his wife only allowed him to work for two hours each in the morning and afternoon. Considering Qian's age, Zhai Da never exceeded the time limit and sometimes even finished early.

However, each time, he would pour a glass of water for Mr. Qian, using a makeshift glass.

Just one cup; if you change it again, it's just a regular cup. All the cups in Qian Laojia's house are the same style.

Because restoring physical strength requires consuming extra calories, Mr. Qian's appetite has improved. In his wife's words, he ate almost half as much as usual.

During my spare time at noon, I help my teacher's wife and the nanny cook, and then I get off work at four o'clock in the afternoon.

Overall, it was quite relaxing.

However, there wasn't much to do in Jingbei, so Zhai Da wasn't in a hurry to leave. He decided to help prepare another meal so he could also get a free meal.

Zhai Da seemed to have completely integrated into this small courtyard in the northern suburbs of Beijing.

At dinner, Mr. Qian was once again brought out, and he said with a smile, "I'm getting lucky again, eating at the table again."

Grandma Jiang was used to her husband's humor: "You've benefited too much from this. If it weren't for Xiao Zhai coming, you wouldn't have four hours of good work a day. Are you trying to kill yourself?"

However, to be honest, my partner has definitely been more energetic these past two days. Maybe it's true that good things happen and people are in high spirits.

This is not superstition; mood and thoughts have a significant impact on physiology.

In short, she really likes her husband, this "new student." At this age, there's no need to think so much about some things.

However, my husband needs a medical check-up in a few days, so I need to let the doctor take a good look at him.

To put it bluntly, any "rise" in one's condition at this age easily evokes the image of a "last gasp before death." Zhai Da wiped his hands and together they served the dishes to the table. Finally, at Qian Lao's suggestion, they switched the TV to Channel 1 of Yangshi.

The nanny at Mr. Qian's house was very skilled, with an excellent cooking ability that rivaled that of a restaurant chef. She also had extensive medical and nursing knowledge. Zhai Da felt that she was not someone who could be found casually; she was likely appointed by higher authorities.

While enjoying his meal, Zhai Da suddenly caught three familiar words coming from the television.

Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT)

Even Zhai Da, Mr. Qian, and Grandma Jiang turned their heads curiously, and the nanny tactfully turned the volume up to the maximum.

"Recently, Lu Wei, a young scholar from the Department of Mathematics at Harbin Institute of Technology, independently solved an important mathematical conjecture—the Sensitivity Conjecture."

The video first showed the main gate of Harbin Institute of Technology, then a few seconds of close-up of the school emblem, and finally Zhai Da's very familiar pretty face appeared on the TV screen.

Voiceover: "The Sensitivity Conjecture is a core problem in Boolean function complexity theory and is listed as one of the ten major unsolved problems in theoretical computer science."

It's exactly the same as the pattern that Zhai Da first imagined!
Although the audio was from the host, the video showed Lu Wei writing the proof on the blackboard.

Zhai Da's lips curled up slightly.

Seeing my girlfriend on the evening news was a really novel experience.

He even watched Lu Wei put on her clothes, which were both elegant and beautiful.

As for the fact that there wasn't a single shot of him, that's not worth worrying about.

As the camera panned across the room, Lu Wei's aloof and academically gifted aura was unmistakably revealed.

Old Qian squinted and smiled, "Xiao Zhai, this is your classmate~ He's really outstanding. Do you two know each other?"

Zhai Da coughed lightly: "Teacher, this is my girlfriend."

Qian Lao: ?

He had heard about it through the news that a young man had solved a mathematical conjecture, but the online buzz had nothing to do with Qian Xuesen, so he didn't know about the relationship between Lu Wei and Zhai Da.

Old Qian smiled and gave a thumbs up: "Amazing!"

Grandma Jiang became puzzled and asked curiously, "Isn't your girlfriend another female writer?"

Zhai Da's face stiffened. "Where did you hear this gossip?"
The murderer confessed, and the case was solved in a second. The nanny chuckled dryly, "Well, my daughter also read your book. Later, Mr. Qian also read this book. I chatted with Teacher Jiang about it. It was my daughter who told me. That girl probably remembered it wrong."

"Uh, it's okay. There's all sorts of news online, it's all gossip."

Mr. Qian raised an eyebrow, gave a thumbs up, and repeated, "Even more impressive."

Zhai Da: .?

In a state of mental and physical well-being, Mr. Qian also became humorous.
Grandma Jiang complained, "Teachers don't teach anything good!"

Zhai Da didn't stop the clock, but the news broadcast did indeed dedicate a considerable amount of time to this matter.

He tried very hard to explain to the audience across the country in the simplest way possible what the significance of this mathematical conjecture was, how amazing the six-page proof was, and how much it proved that a brilliant mathematical genius had emerged in my country.

What's most commendable is that Lu Wei has no overseas background.

In the past, similar honors were always accompanied by terms like "Chinese scientist" or "Chinese-American scientist," but this time they were completely omitted.

Our country!

After Lu Wei's news segment ended, Zhai Daxi happily sent a message to Xiaomutou. Their joint "Face to Face" segment was over, but the news broadcast was still a joyous occasion.

Afterwards, Grandma Jiang asked how the two met. Zhai Da gave a brief account, but Lu Wei's story was very long and could not be finished even if told all night.

Halfway through the meal, it became clear that too much food had been prepared today. Perhaps the nanny overestimated Zhai Da's appetite, or perhaps she thought that since someone was coming, the meal should be more lavish.

While the dishes were still hot, Grandma Jiang got up and picked out some to put on a clean plate: "I'll take them to Xiao Liu and the others; it's not good to waste them."

Zhai Da was completely confused, but he still got up to help.

Grandma Jiang picked out some braised pork, half a fish, and spare ribs—all hearty dishes—and carried the whole platter out without sealing it.

Zhai Da thought to himself, "Where are we going? Could it be that Xiao Liu is some stray cat or dog downstairs?"

But instead, they saw Grandma Jiang knocking on the door across the hall.

The door that Zhai Da had always overlooked, and who was curious about who lived across from Qian Lao's house, was soon opened.

The unique scene inside was revealed.
An office.

Zhai Da: ?
Several men with unusual demeanors were eating their boxed lunches inside.

"Xiao Liu, let me add another dish for you."

The man named Xiao Liu, who was actually over forty, immediately said, "Thank you, Grandma Jiang. Then we won't stand on ceremony."

His face was beaming with joy, clearly indicating that he was quite familiar with Grandma Jiang.

However, his keen gaze seemed to be looking at Zhai Da with a deeper meaning.

After a brief conversation, the door closed again. Zhai Da couldn't help but ask, "Teacher's wife, who's on the other side?"

"The guard platoon, that's what they used to be called, what are they called now?"

Zhai Da thought to himself, "Wow! There's this kind of development?"

I only found out after coming here several times!

This is a case of being lax on the outside but strict on the inside! No wonder this compound isn't well-managed; it turns out the guard post is right across the street.
That's quite impressive. To ensure Mr. Qian's quality of life, he practically remained invisible. Even if Zhai Dalai came many times, he might not have known until he knocked on the door.
Will there be someone peering through the peephole every time I come up here?

Has my background already been investigated several times?

However, he was upright and honest, and he could easily consult any source, whether in business or writing.

I doubt we'll be able to find out anything about my grandfather.
never mind.

Even if it is upright but insufficient, it can still soar into the clouds when the wind blows.

Slanted yet abundant, opportunities are fleeting and illusory.

He has a clear conscience and a clear conscience about this relationship.

(End of this chapter)