Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 307 Temporary Return
"puff!!!"

In a small restaurant in northern Beijing, Gong Changzhang spit out a mouthful of soy milk from his nostrils, making Zhai Da feel nauseous.

If it were him, he would definitely go to the hospital to have his nose cleaned.

If it can't be washed clean, then don't use it.

Today is the last day of the Qingming Festival holiday, and Zhai Da met up with an old friend.

Gong Changzhang wiped the paper haphazardly and said, "You've become Qian Lao's student?"

Zhai Da picked up a piece of tripe, dipped it in sesame sauce, and put it in his mouth. He wondered what other ingredients were mixed into the sesame sauce from northern Beijing; it had a peculiar, strange taste.

It’s very delicious.

"So surprised?"

Gong Changzhang was not an outsider; he was a master craftsman within the system, belonging to the Institute of Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and was one of the people who went with him to share the good news.

More importantly, he was the person who brought Zhai Da and Qian Lao together.

The two had always been very close, so it would be reasonable for them to say something and ask each other out for a meal.

Gong Changzhang's eyes widened: "That's Qian Xuesen! The figure in textbooks! The father of Chinese aerospace!"

Zhai Da corrected him: "Not only that, he is also the father of missiles, a master of mechanics, the pioneer of engineering control, and half the father of aviation. These are his academic achievements. If we're talking about command and guidance, there are many more. He also guided nuclear submarine instructors."

Gong Changzhang:
How can a person be so pretentious!
I'm so envious! They've already called someone a teacher!
Gong Changzhang hurriedly said, "That's why it's even more powerful!"

"Stay calm. Teachers have many students throughout their lives, both domestically and internationally."

Gong Changzhang shook his head: "They're not the same. How can they be the same!"

Throughout his life, Qian Xuesen had many students.

Because he is not one to keep secrets, he taught at universities when the country needed him, and he personally taught those budding technical talents when the job required it.

Going back even further, during his time teaching at Caltech, he had many students, many of whom went on to hold important positions at NASA, JPL, defense contractors, and prestigious universities around the world.

Of course, this was even more true in China. It wasn't that the teacher intentionally maintained this "network," but rather that for those decades, this person was indispensable to everything, big or small, in China.

Intellectual instruction and guidance permeated most of his life.

But the students in this job and teaching process carry a different weight than a personal invitation.

Gong Changzhang was breathing heavily through his nose, and even as an onlooker, he felt his blood boiling.

This is his last disciple!

"Xiao Zhai! You're awesome now! No, actually you're already pretty awesome."

Given Zhai Da's achievements in society, he was already a successful person.

To be precise, becoming Qian Xuesen's last disciple did not affect Zhai Da's "enjoyment" in life, but rather increased his "level".

Zhai Dayang raised his teacup: "I also want to thank Brother Gong for his sudden idea to hand over my book to the teacher. Otherwise, that 'good news' would have been the only chance I would have had to see Professor Qian."

Without Gong Changzhang, he wouldn't have had the face to send Qian Lao a copy of his "soft science fiction romance novel".

That's too abstract. In some ways, Gong Changzhang is also a talented person.
Gong Changzhang quickly waved his hand: "Hey~ hey! It's nothing."

The two then discussed the progress of the JF-12.

Although it was only a project he participated in briefly, Zhai Da still cared about it quite a bit.

According to Gong Changzhang, since the successful test, funding and personnel have increased significantly, and it has been listed as a key project.

For example, the project team originally only had one highly skilled technician, Gong Changzhang, who was injured, so they brought in Zhai Da from outside the system to perform debugging. Now, three such technicians have been brought in, and there are even more ordinary engineers.

Academician Yu originally planned to complete the acceptance test in three years, but it seems that it can be completed much earlier.

It's a pity that Academician Yu went abroad for a conference, or more accurately, to see the outdated achievements and flawed approaches of his peers; otherwise, he could have met with that person.

These days, there is a high degree of integration between Eastern and Western academia, and leading major projects does not prevent scholars from going abroad for exchanges.

Or to put it another way, besides world-leading projects like the JF-12, many aspects are inseparable from international exchanges.

Gong Changzhang was having a good time chatting, this was probably one of the few pieces of good news he had since his divorce: "We really should have a good drink today, it's all good news!"

Zhai Da waved his hand: "Goodbye, I have to take a flight back to Harbin early tomorrow morning, so I have to get up before dawn."

"What about Elder Qian?"

Zhai Da finished his tea and said calmly, "Teacher is going to Peking Union Medical College Hospital for a comprehensive and extensive medical check-up starting next week. It will last at least a week. I heard from Teacher's wife that this happens every year when the seasons change. So Teacher told me to go back to class first, and there are things to do there too."

"Depending on the teacher's health condition, I may come over every few days on weekends."

This teacher-student relationship did not affect Zhai Da's normal studies, and Professor Qian did not want to delay Zhai Da's growth.

The forward-looking recommendations on industrial development will take some time to complete and won't be finished in just a few days just because Zhai Da is involved.

He can endure it, but Qian Lao can't; a steady, long-term approach is necessary.

In fact, he didn't know how long it would take, or even how Qian would publish it or to whom it would be given, but this "final project" completed with his teacher inevitably left Zhai Da's mark.

Therefore, he was also very careful not to lead others astray.

So he asked Mr. Qian for something.
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking and the streets were still bathed in a cool hue, Zhai Da met "Peng Hao," who had once again embarked on a long journey. To be precise, he had arrived in northern Beijing late the previous night.

"Da Ge!"

Zhai Da patted him on the shoulder. This time, because the distance was relatively short, they didn't hire a logistics company's vehicle. Instead, they directly asked Yueda Catering to send a van, along with Peng Hao and a driver.

The two men loaded an object wrapped in a lot of foam and placed on a wooden frame into the car. Zhai Da instructed, "Drive slowly on the road. I'm not in a hurry to use it. I need to rest tonight."

"Okay, Brother Da, you can rest assured that you have the things with me."

This wasn't the first time Zhai Da had Peng Hao escort special items; he was the person Zhai Da trusted most, as Peng Hao was loyal and dedicated.

They don't always ask "why" yet.

After parting ways, Zhai Da headed to the Capital International Airport. He was on the first flight of the day and would arrive in Harbin around 10 a.m.

Peng Hao confirmed that the straps were secure, then called his colleagues to set off back to Harbin.

"Ah Hao, Da Ge, what is this again?"

Peng Hao said in a deep voice, "They said it's a phonograph, the antique kind, so drive carefully on the road."

"Alright, I drive very steadily, I won't even cause any foam when transporting wine!"

"Green equipment [Memory Phonograph]: It has been out of service for many years, but its owner still likes to sit in front of it and organize his thoughts while his health permits."

Ownership: Owned, activated.

"Equipment effect: This equipment can never function properly, but it can idle for ten minutes after being manually cranked. During this time, memory is enhanced by 50% within range (effective range 10 meters)."

"Special effect 'Memory Echo': Within the effective time and range, if a piece of music can be played, the performer's thoughts will flow smoothly like the music, and even the smallest ripples in the depths of memory will be captured."

"Unsealing Mission: Perfectly play the music while it's idling (0/10)"

"Note: This person is also an excellent saxophonist with remarkable skills in orchestral instruments."

(Note: Someone's harmonica mouthpiece was swollen from playing so much, but the seal still didn't come off.)
------

Wednesday, April 9th.

A banner was hung at the entrance of Harbin Institute of Technology, with large yellow characters written on a bright red silk cloth:
"A warm welcome to scholars from home and abroad to the Harbin Institute of Technology Spring Academic Conference"

The art of language was fully displayed at this moment. Although it hadn't been held for a long time and we don't know if it will be held again in the future, it doesn't stop it from being called the "Spring Academic Conference".

It makes it seem like this will happen often in the future.

This also represents the Harbin Institute of Technology's Department of Mathematics' desire to rise again.

For this academic conference, the mathematics department even invited retired professors to sit and lend their support.

Even the news broadcasts of the past two days have made this report meeting even more noteworthy.

When the invitees from various schools arrived by bus, Lu Wei was calmly preparing in a small room on the side of the main auditorium.

Coincidentally, this room was the same one that served as the dressing room during the initial interview.

The door was pushed open, and Jiang Xiaobai said, "Xiao Lu, are you ready? You need to take a seat."

Lu Wei nodded, calmly walked out wearing the formal suit that Zhai Da had personally chosen for her, and sat down in the first row.

Behind us, the seats were packed with people, including not only mathematics scholars from all over the country, but also countless students from Harbin Institute of Technology.

Even under the teacher's guidance, the steps were already full, and the auditorium, which originally held 500 people, now accommodated nearly 700 people.

These students may not understand the mathematical conjectures, but they still want to witness the charm of "Fairy Sister".

The news broadcasts of the past two days have made Lu Wei, who was already well-known at school, one of the most dazzling people.

However, Lu Wei showed no reaction to this, and did not even offer a polite smile to the invitees.

This is not in the "Girlfriend Handbook".

After settling down, Lu Wei continued to look at the speech in her hand, showing no concern or fear for anything else.

Until there was another person by my side.

Lu Wei turned her head to look, and then smiled a second later.

"You're back? Actually, it wasn't necessary for you to come back."

Lu Wei's pretty face drew closer and closer, including her pink lips, until a violent cough came from beside her.

Wang Chunguo almost coughed up his tonsils.

Hey you two, tone it down! There are cameras set up behind us!

Zhai Da quickly stopped him, then pinched Xiao Mutou's cheek and smiled:

How could I miss your shining moment?

The intimate scene was the envy of countless Harbin Institute of Technology students behind them.

(End of this chapter)