Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 40: Apricot Blossoms and Spring Rain in Jiangnan
On a higher rooftop of Xiangjiang University, the two policemen had not gone far. Thomas continued to stare at the door of the lecture hall where Lin Ran and Chen Jingrun were with a telescope, sweat continuously dripping from his fat face to his neck.

The Chinese man next to him was also sweating profusely:
"Boss, do we really need to be so polite to him? He's just an American professor, he can't affect us anyway."

Thomas, the fat white man, turned around and patted his head: "If you want to die, don't take me with you. Randolph Lin is a professor at Columbia University and Professor Horkheimer's last disciple.

Now Horkheimer can directly contact at least one-third of the members of the House of Lords, and at least two-thirds of the members of the House of Commons.

Maybe he can't do anything good for me, but he can definitely do something bad for me.

I want to go back to London as soon as possible and don't want to stay in this damn place any longer.

Besides, he is a world-renowned mathematician, and we can’t stand it if he just mentions him casually in the media.

As you Chinese would say, you will have to bear the consequences if you fail to eat it."

Thomas was quite proud and thought to himself, you still have a lot to learn from me.

At this point in time, Hong Kong's economy has not yet taken off, so all the white people who come here want to go back, especially those with positions like senior inspectors. In their opinion, London is much better than here.

Because of this, Thomas spared no effort in teaching the other party.

On the other hand, Chen Jingrun put the academic journal into his bag and left the classroom. Before leaving, he turned to Lin Ran and said, "Professor Lin, thank you."

Lin Ran waved his hand: "Go ahead."

After returning home

“This is a good thing”

"You have been cleared of suspicion."

"Professor Lin is indeed very cautious in his work."

"But now the rhythm is completely in his hands."

“This is not a good thing for us.”

"Can you find a chance to invite him to a coffee shop at our designated coffee shop?"

Section Chief Zhang was apparently talking to Chen Jingrun about his job application at the plastics factory today, but in fact he was chatting with Chen Jingrun about his experience today.

Section Chief Zhang has changed his name to Chen Ruhai and found a job at Li Chaoren's plastic factory. He will move out later and will come to Chen Jingrun in case of emergency.

On the weekend, at Hong Kong Radio, Lin Ran took the music cassette that Meng Xiaodong had specially recorded for him to be interviewed by Hong Kong Radio.

Good morning, everyone! Welcome to our special interview program on Hong Kong Radio 1. I'm announcer Deng Huixin, and now we'd like to welcome our special guest, Professor Randolph Lin.

Radio Hong Kong, also known as RTHK, is a public radio station established in the 30s. It is an old radio station. Currently, it is divided into two stations, one of which is mainly in Cantonese and the other is mainly in English.

Deng Huixin is a famous Cantonese announcer at Hong Kong Radio. She only switched to Mandarin because of the interview with Lin Ran.

Before the interview, Hong Kong Radio had already done some preheating through newspapers, and this interview will also be played repeatedly by Hong Kong Radio.

At that time, most families did not have radios, and people listened to the radio more in places like teahouses and restaurants, which were equipped with public broadcasting.

"Hello, Ms. Deng." Lin Ran and Deng Huixin sat opposite each other.

"I'm honored to be the first media outlet in Hong Kong to interview Professor Lin, and I thank Professor Lin for his strong support for Hong Kong Radio. Professor Lin, let's start our interview with Fermat's conjecture. I'm sure the people of Hong Kong are curious about how you came up with the idea to start with Fermat's conjecture."

Lin Ran said, "When we do mathematics, we usually prepare a lot of problems and work on them simultaneously. Fermat's conjecture is so famous that it has always been on my problem list."

"So it's actually a coincidence that you were able to solve this problem?" Deng Huixin asked.

Lin Ran said: "That's right. In fact, at the beginning I just thought that I could give it a try. I persisted for several years and finally did it. After that, I verified it several times and felt that there were no major problems, so I held an academic conference.

I think everything went pretty smoothly without any setbacks.”

"You are too modest. It is because of your extraordinary talent in mathematics that you were able to solve this difficult problem that has puzzled the mathematical community for hundreds of years.

How did you feel when you learned that your paper was recognized by the academic community?

Lin Ran smiled and said, "I know I am right. Mathematics is not physics. Whether you agree or not does not affect its correctness.

So I didn’t have too many thoughts, I just thought Columbia University should pay me a higher salary.”

Deng Huixin then asked, "So, Professor Lin, could you please tell me your current annual salary? Is it as high as the rumored million Hong Kong dollars?"

Lin Ran explained: "Not that much. I'm not sure about the exchange rate, but if it's calculated in US dollars, it's about $10."

Deng Huixin was stunned. "That's almost a million Hong Kong dollars. The Hong Kong newspapers say your annual salary is $3, but the rumors are that it's a million Hong Kong dollars. Why is there such a big discrepancy?"

Lin Ran didn't want to discuss this topic too much: "This is because I have some other part-time jobs, and some foundations will provide me with academic sponsorship."

Deng Huixin joked: "Hong Kong girls listening to our radio should hurry up, as the chances of finding a rich husband in Hong Kong are slim."

Then she said:

"Professor Lin, you are a giant in mathematics, and you have been teaching young people in Hong Kong for half a month. What are your thoughts and what do you want to say to the young people in Hong Kong?"

Lin Ran replied, “My cram school initially had 50 students, and now there are still 8 students. This has exceeded my expectations. It’s already a lot of people who can stick with it.

What I'm trying to say is that basic science is like the roots of a tree. A tree without roots, even if it has many flowers, fruits, and leaves, will eventually wither. And scientific research is by no means a romantic adventure; it requires daily confrontation with a dull blackboard.

But if you can appreciate the beauty in it, then the laws of mathematics may be even more beautiful than a young girl.”

Deng Huixin said, "I hope that talented young people in Hong Kong can devote themselves to mathematics with the same passion."

Then he continued, "Professor Lin, you just demonstrated a certain level of Chinese cultural heritage. Your Chinese is also very standard, even more standard than what I was about to say."

Lin Ran interrupted, "Of course, I'm American, but I'm also culturally Chinese."

"So do you have any plans to return to China to serve?"

Lin Ran was silent for a moment and then said, "When I was in America, Chinese people often asked me similar questions.

My answer was always that I am culturally Chinese, but I have no plans to return to China, and I am completely unfamiliar with that land.

The images of apricot blossoms, spring rain, and the south of the Yangtze River often linger in my mind. In traditional Chinese texts, the rain on the ancient land of China has fallen from legend to the present, from drizzling to surging, and from leaking eaves to rivers and seas.

But I'm not going back, I'm not emotionally ready at all."

(End of this chapter)