Nominal: Starting with an entrance exam for a PhD in Economics at Peking University

Liao Qingyuan helped carry the luggage inside and then helped Qi Tongwei settle his family in. As soon as Qi Huaiyin entered, she rushed upstairs to see her room, shouting as she ran, "Which one is mine?" Qi Huaiyuan, on the other hand, quietly sorted and put away the luggage, then stood in the living room, waiting for the next steps.

Qi Tongwei looked at him, and a wave of emotion suddenly welled up in his heart.

Tie Dan, this boy, is sixteen years old, and much more mature than his peers. Sometimes he feels that he doesn't quite understand this son—what is he thinking? What does he like? What does he want? He Xian roughly knows these things, but he, as the father, doesn't quite understand.

“Huaiyuan,” he said, “we’re going to Grandpa Gao’s house for dinner tonight. Your Grandpa Gao said he hasn’t seen you in a long time and wants to see you.”

Qi Huaiyuan nodded: "Okay."

At six o'clock in the evening, Qi Tongwei took his family out.

Liao Qingyuan followed along. He had originally come to help out, but his status was different now, and Wu Huifen had specifically instructed him to go with her that evening as well.

Gao Yuliang's home wasn't far, just a few minutes' walk away. The group of five—Qi Tongwei and his wife, their two children, and Liao Qingyuan—walked slowly along the tree-lined path in the provincial party committee compound.

Qi Huaiyin walked at the front, her steps light and quick, occasionally turning back to whisper a few words to her younger brother. He Xian and Qi Tongwei walked side by side in the middle, talking quietly about family matters. Liao Qingyuan followed behind, his pace neither hurried nor slow.

As they approached Gao Yuliang's house, Qi Huaiyin slowed her pace and glanced back at Qi Tongwei.

"Dad, how is Grandpa Gao doing?"

"It's all good," Qi Tongwei said. "I've been thinking about you all."

Qi Huaiyin nodded, her earlier liveliness fading as she became more proper.

The door to Gao Yuliang's house was open.

A light was on by the door, casting a warm yellow glow that illuminated a potted plant under the porch. Qi Tongwei knocked on the door, and Gao Yuliang's voice came from inside: "Come in."

The group filed in.

In the living room, Gao Yuliang sat on the sofa with a book in his hand. Seeing them come in, he put down the book, stood up, and smiled.

"You're here. Come in and have a seat."

Wu Huifen poked her head out of the kitchen, still holding a spatula in her hand: "Tongwei and Xiaoxian are here? Come on, sit down, the food will be ready soon."

Gao Fangfang also came out of the kitchen, wearing an apron and carrying a plate of fruit. Seeing Liao Qingyuan, she paused slightly, then smiled and said, "You've arrived."

Liao Qingyuan nodded: "Hello, Secretary Gao, hello, Miss Gao."

Gao Fangfang placed the fruit on the coffee table, her gaze lingering on Liao Qingyuan's face for a fleeting moment before shifting away. That moment was brief, but Qi Tongwei saw it, and He Xuan saw it too.

Qi Huaiyin had already walked up to Gao Yuliang and greeted him respectfully, "Hello, Grandpa Gao."

Gao Yuliang looked at her with loving eyes: "Huaiyin, you've grown into a beautiful young lady. The last time I saw you, you were still in elementary school."

Qi Huaiyin smiled and said, "Grandpa Gao, I'm in my first year of high school now."

"You're in your first year of high school?" Gao Yuliang nodded. "Is the studying intense?"

"It's alright, just a lot of homework," Qi Huaiyin said, glancing at her younger brother. "It's a bit easier than Huaiyuan's; he has to participate in competitions."

Gao Yuliang then looked at Qi Huaiyuan. The young man stepped forward and bowed slightly: "Hello, Grandpa Gao."

Gao Yuliang looked him over, his gaze both scrutinizing and admiring.

"Huaiyuan, you've grown taller again. The last time I saw you, you weren't even up to my shoulder."

Qi Huaiyuan smiled and said, "Grandpa Gao, I've grown a lot in the last two years."

Where do you study?

"Renmin University High School".

"I heard you won first prize in the physics competition?"

Qi Huaiyuan nodded, his expression indifferent: "It's just something from the district."

Gao Yuliang laughed: "Winning the first prize in the district isn't easy either. Your father didn't have this ability when he was a kid."

Qi Huaiyuan glanced at Qi Tongwei, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

At this moment, Gao Fangfang walked over, holding a glass of water, and handed it to Qi Huaiyuan: "Huaiyuan, have some water."

Qi Huaiyuan accepted it with both hands: "Thank you, Aunt Gao."

Gao Fangfang looked at him and suddenly asked, "Which area is the physics competition in?"

"Mainly mechanics and electromagnetism," Qi Huaiyuan said. "Aunt Gao also knows physics?"

Qi Tongwei quickly interjected, "Your Aunt Gao is a PhD from an Ivy League university."

Gao Fangfang laughed: "I studied biology, and I only know the basics of physics. But when I was doing my doctoral studies, I took a course in biophysics, which used a lot of knowledge from mechanics."

Qi Huaiyuan's eyes lit up: "Biophysics? Is it the kind that studies protein folding?"

Gao Fangfang was taken aback, not expecting a first-year high school student to be interested in this question.

Do you know about protein folding?

"I've read some popular science articles," Qi Huaiyuan said. "The process of protein folding is actually an energy minimization problem, which can be simulated using molecular dynamics. However, the computational load is too large, and current computers cannot perform accurate simulations."

Gao Fangfang looked at him, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

"You're a high school freshman, what are you looking at?"

Qi Huaiyuan rarely showed a hint of embarrassment: "I'm just interested, taking a look casually. There are many parts I don't understand."

Gao Fangfang turned to look at Qi Tongwei: "Did you teach him?"

Qi Tongwei smiled and waved his hand: "I can't teach this. Shuntian has abundant educational resources. As long as he has this interest, we will do our best to support him within our capabilities."

Gao Fangfang looked at Qi Huaiyuan again, her gaze becoming more serious: "What field do you want to study in the future?"

Qi Huaiyuan thought for a moment: "I haven't decided yet. It might be physics, or it might be an intersection of biophysics and physics. But whatever I study, I need to lay a solid foundation in mathematics and physics first."

Gao Fangfang nodded, her eyes filled with approval.

Wu Huifen came out of the kitchen and announced that dinner was served.

A large round table was set up in the restaurant, laden with dishes. Wu Huifen's cooking skills were always excellent; braised fish, steamed pork ribs, garlic broccoli, cucumber salad... all home-style dishes, but they were delicious and visually appealing.

Gao Yuliang sat in the main seat, with He Xian and their two children to his left, and Qi Tongwei and Liao Qingyuan to his right. Wu Huifen and Gao Fangfang sat opposite him.

At the dinner table, everyone chatted about all sorts of things, and the atmosphere was harmonious.

Wu Huifen sat opposite, serving food to everyone while listening with a smile on her face.

Her gaze would occasionally drift towards Liao Qingyuan.

Liao Qingyuan sat next to Qi Tongwei, eating at a moderate pace and behaving very politely. He didn't say much, but when others asked him questions, he answered them very appropriately.

Wu Huifen put a piece of pork rib on his plate: "Xiao Liao, eat more. You're too thin."

Liao Qingyuan quickly thanked him, "Thank you, Teacher Wu."

Wu Huifen looked at him, her gaze carrying something indescribable.

Qi Tongwei noticed this and secretly found it amusing.

Wu Huifen had the eye of a "mother-in-law looking at her son-in-law"—although Gao Fangfang and Liao Qingyuan were not yet officially engaged, Wu Huifen was clearly already sizing up this young man.

"Xiao Liao, where is your home?" Wu Huifen asked.

"From Lincheng."

What do your parents do?

"They were all teachers. They're retired."

Wu Huifen nodded, then asked, "Has the divorce been settled?"

Liao Qingyuan's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure: "It's all settled. The child is mine, and there are no property disputes."

Wu Huifen nodded and did not ask any further questions.

Gao Fangfang sat opposite him, eating with her head down, her face expressionless. But Qi Tongwei noticed that she was picking up food with her chopsticks a little slower than usual.

After dinner, everyone moved to the living room to have tea.

Qi Huaiyin couldn't sit still; she paced back and forth in the living room, looking at the calligraphy and paintings on the walls and the books on the bookshelves. Gao Yuliang watched her, his smile never fading.

"Huaiyin, what are your hobbies at school?" he asked.

Qi Huaiyin thought for a moment and said, "I like history, and I also like debating."

"Debate?" Gao Yuliang's interest was piqued. "Have you ever participated in a debate?"

"We've played. Our team won second place in the inter-school competition last semester." Qi Huaiyin said frankly, without any intention of showing off, but with a hint of pride in her tone.

Gao Yuliang smiled and nodded: "Not bad, not bad. Your father wasn't much of a talker when he was young, but he ended up with a daughter who is very eloquent."

Qi Huaiyin glanced at Qi Tongwei smugly.

Qi Tongwei shook his head with a smile.

On the other side, Qi Huaiyuan sat quietly on the sofa, holding a book from Gao Yuliang's bookshelf and reading silently.

On the other side of the living room, Liao Qingyuan sat on the sofa, quietly drinking tea.

He neither initiated conversation with Gao Fangfang nor deliberately avoided her. Gao Yuliang asked him a few questions about work, which he answered logically and clearly. Qi Tongwei occasionally chimed in to smooth things over for him.

"Qingyuan is doing a good job in the General Office," Qi Tongwei said. "He led the drafting of the materials for last month's provincial economic work conference. Governor Liu praised them after reading them."

Gao Yuliang nodded: "Writing materials is a basic skill. But just being able to write materials is not enough. You need to get more involved in practical matters and not just talk the talk."

Liao Qingyuan nodded: "Professor Gao is right. I mentioned to Governor Qi that I would like to find an opportunity to conduct research in various departments and bureaus."

Gao Yuliang glanced at him, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

"It's good that you have this idea," he said. "Young people, it's not that we're afraid of being slow, it's that we're afraid of standing still."

Liao Qingyuan nodded again.

It was getting late, so Qi Tongwei got up to say goodbye.

Gao Yuliang saw Qi Tongwei to the door, shook his hand, and said, "Come often."

Qi Tongwei nodded: "Teacher Gao, get some rest."

He Xian also said goodbye to Gao Yuliang and Wu Huifen. Qi Huaiyin sweetly said, "Goodbye, Grandpa Gao" and "Goodbye, Grandma Wu." Qi Huaiyuan bowed respectfully and said, "Goodbye, Grandpa Gao, Grandma Wu, Aunt Gao."

The group walked out the door and headed back along the tree-lined path.

The moonlight was beautiful, spilling across the ground like a layer of silver frost. Qi Huaiyin walked at the front as always, her steps light and quick, casting a long shadow. Qi Huaiyuan followed behind, his steps still steady and firm.

He Xuan took Qi Tongwei's arm and said in a low voice, "Teacher Gao looks good."