78: Bringing his wife and children to Harbin Institute of Technology

Zhao Jianguo was in the shadows, while Ye Bingwen was in the open. But being in the open had its advantages; with everyone watching, he dared not act openly.

Ye Bingwen turned off the lights and locked the door.

When he got home, Zheng Shuyun was already asleep, and An'an was nestled next to her. On the table was a bowl of porridge and half a plate of pickled vegetables; the porridge was cold. He picked up the bowl, drank it in a few gulps, washed it, put it back in the cupboard, and then lay down.

An'an rolled over in his dream, placing his little hand on his face. He didn't move it, staring at the ceiling with his eyes open. There was a crack in the ceiling, stretching from the corner of the wall to the light fixture. He stared at that crack for a long time.

After the new semester started, there were many more people on campus. Ye Bingwen walked through the crowd to class, and some people recognized him and whispered among themselves.

"That's him, Ye Bingwen. The one who deals with electric motors, he clashed with the motor factory at the exhibition, and I heard even the provincial military region came looking for him."

He didn't turn around, walking into the teaching building at a leisurely pace. In class, the teacher wrote formulas on the blackboard, and he stared at the blackboard, but his mind was preoccupied with whether the investigation team from the motor factory had arrived, and when the provincial military region's order would be signed.

The teacher called his name. "Ye Bingwen, you answer this question."

He stood up and glanced at the blackboard; it was a problem about mechanical vibration. He walked to the blackboard, wrote a few lines of formulas, put down the chalk, and returned to his seat. The teacher nodded.

After class, Ma Kui intercepted him in the hallway and took him into his office.

"A letter from the prefectural committee, written in Wang Deming's own handwriting."

Ye Bingwen opened the package; inside were a red certificate of merit and a remittance slip. The certificate read "Advanced Individual in Rural Reform," and the remittance slip showed two hundred yuan. On the letter, Wang Deming's handwriting was neat and strong: "I hope you continue your efforts and make even greater contributions to the country."

A year ago, he was on the edge of a field in Daxing Village when he was reported by Li Sanguang and detained in the police station for advocating for the household responsibility system. Now, the same incident has landed him in the provincial newspaper and earned him an award.

"Teacher Ma, I'd like to donate this two hundred yuan to the school."

Ma Kui paused for a moment. "Donate it to the school?"

"The school helped so much with setting up the factory."

Ma Kui looked at him for a moment, then smiled. "Okay, I'll pass it on for you. There's one more thing; Principal Liu wants to praise you at the school assembly. Just get ready and stand on the stage."

The school-wide assembly was held in the square in front of the main building. Thousands of students stood there. Liu Deben stood on the stage, read a few sentences from his prepared speech, and then put it down.

"Today I'll talk about someone. Ye Bingwen, a first-year student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering."

The audience fell silent.

"This student comes from a rural area in Shenyang. A year ago, he was still farming in the fields, and now he has developed a domestically leading brushless motor." Liu Deben's voice echoed in the square. "But he did more than just that. In 1978, he took the lead in implementing the household responsibility system in the village, which doubled the grain output of Daxing Village. Local official Wang Deming personally wrote him a letter, praising him as an advanced individual in rural reform."

Some people in the audience whispered among themselves. Ye Bingwen's face flushed slightly.

"A person who can both carry out reforms in rural areas and conduct scientific research at universities. What is this? This is a student from Harbin Institute of Technology!" Liu Deben paused, "Ye Bingwen, come up here."

Ye Bingwen walked out of the crowd and onto the stage. Thousands of eyes were on him, and his palms were sweaty. Liu Deben handed him the certificate, which he accepted and bowed.

Thunderous applause erupted from the audience. Ye Bingwen stood on the stage, looking at the young faces below; some clapped, some laughed, and some had tears in their eyes. He bowed again and then stepped off the stage.

The applause continued. He weaved through the crowd back to his original spot. Chen Zhiyuan chuckled twice. "Your ears are red."

Ye Bingwen touched his ear; it was indeed a little hot. He rolled up the certificate and held it in his hand.

After the conference ended, Cai Xun and Ma Kui got into an argument backstage.

"Ye Bingwen is from the Mechanical Engineering Department, and his grades are those of the Mechanical Engineering Department!" Cai Xun said loudly.

"I taught him math too! Without a math foundation, how could he make such precise calculations?"

"You taught him? He already knew that when he enrolled. What does it have to do with you?"

"How can it not matter? Without my help in contacting the motor factory, could his technology have been implemented?"

The two argued more and more fiercely, attracting a crowd of students.

"Alright!" Liu Deben's voice came from outside the crowd. He walked over, looked at Cai Xun, and then at Ma Kui. "Ye Bingwen is a student at Harbin Institute of Technology, not your private matter. He can make his own decisions. What kind of behavior is it for you two to argue in front of the students?"

Neither of them spoke. Liu Deben turned and took two steps, then stopped. "If you argue again, I'll deduct your bonuses."

Cai Xun and Ma Kui exchanged a glance and smiled. Cai Xun said, "Old Ma, I'll treat you to lunch." Ma Kui said, "Okay, you treat." The two walked away arm in arm.

When they got home that evening, Ye Bingwen handed the certificate to Zheng Shuyun. Zheng Shuyun took it, looked at it for a while, and then pasted it on the wall, next to the certificate for "Advanced Individual in Rural Reform." An'an stood on the bed, reaching out to reach it, and jumped up and down in frustration when she couldn't. Zheng Shuyun picked her up and let her touch it; An'an's finger poked a small hole in it. Zheng Shuyun wasn't angry; she simply pasted the certificate back up.

"When An'an grows up, will she think her dad is really amazing?"

"Yes."

An'an broke free from Zheng Shuyun's embrace, climbed to the other side of the bed, grabbed a cloth tiger, and stuffed it into her mouth to chew on. Ye Bingwen watched her and smiled.

Spring is approaching outside the window. The snow is still there, but it's no longer that blinding white. The buds on the trees are bigger than they were a few days ago, and some have already cracked open, revealing tender green new leaves inside.

Ye Bingwen stood by the window, looking at the gray sky outside. Zhao Jianguo had been silent for several days. Regarding the investigation team, Liu Deben said that provincial officials had approved a "thorough investigation," but the investigation team hadn't arrived. Was they investigating, or were they just stalling? He didn't know. But this silence made him uneasy.

A black sedan slowly drove past downstairs without stopping, moving at a very slow speed. Ye Bingwen stared at the car until it disappeared around the street corner. He remembered the note—"Your skills are in danger; if you know what's good for you, quit now."

He drew the curtains, turned, and walked back to the table. On the table lay the provincial military region's technical documents, including the technical parameters of twenty motors, some of which exceeded his current design. He picked up a pen and sketched a draft on the paper, modified a few structural elements, crossed them out, and redrawn it.

Zheng Shuyun walked over and placed a glass of water beside him. "Still busy?"

"It'll be ready soon."

"You always say that."

Ye Bingwen looked up at her. Zheng Shuyun was wearing an old sweater, her hair casually tied back. Standing under the lamp, her shadow was long and thin on the wall.

"Once things at the factory are settled, I'll take you and An'an out for a walk."

"Where to?"

"Sun Island, by the Songhua River. An'an has never been to the riverbank before."

Zheng Shuyun smiled. "You should finish up your work at the factory first."

An'an climbed off the bed, wobbled over, hugged his leg, and called out "Daddy." He bent down and picked An'an up, and An'an wrapped her arms around his neck.

The three sat under the lamp, none of them speaking. The wind outside the window had stopped, and the snow had ceased. Ye Bingwen held An'an in his arms, Zheng Shuyun leaned on his shoulder, and their shadows overlapped and were projected onto the opposite wall.

The table lamp flickered and then went out. The room was plunged into darkness.

Zheng Shuyun said softly, "The power's out again."

Ye Bingwen stood up in the dark, handed An'an to Zheng Shuyun, and walked to the window to draw back the curtains. Moonlight peeked through the clouds, shining brightly on the ground. The apartment building across the street was also dark; the entire campus was shrouded in darkness. Only a single light shone from the distant school gate, its dim yellow glow swaying in the wind.

Under that lamp stood a figure. Ye Bingwen squinted, trying to make out the face. The figure turned and walked away, disappearing into the night.