Chapter 338 Finale

When it was late at night and everyone was asleep, the light in the study of the Jiang family's small building would often stay on until late at night, and Lu Liangchen would silently bring her a cup of hot milk or a bowl of midnight snack.

On the day of the college entrance examination, the whole family was mobilized and ready.

The winter wind in the capital was bitingly cold, but Mr. Jiang was so nervous that he was sweating.

Mr. Lu couldn't help but jokingly said, "Old Jiang, I see you're even more nervous today than when we were charging!"

Old Master Jiang glared and retorted, "Humph, you talk as if you're so calm. If you're not nervous, why are your hands shaking?"

The two men were arguing with each other, but their eyes were fixed on the door at the same time.

Lu Liangchen even took a special leave and carefully checked the pen, ink and admission ticket early in the morning. He braved the cold wind and insisted on picking up Jiang Haitang and dropping her off at the examination room. He stayed outside the examination center and provided her with the most solid support.

Little Taozi was also very sensible. She held her brother's hand like a little adult and earnestly instructed him, "Mom is going to complete an important task. We must behave well today and not make noise for her."

The ignorant little Chengzi didn’t know what important thing his mother had to tell him, but he knew that he had to listen to his sister.

In the examination room, Jiang Haitang took a deep breath and responded calmly.

After the test paper was handed out, she glanced through it and felt relieved.

Years of practical experience in technology and the tempering of solving difficult problems have made her understanding of mathematics, physics and chemistry far superior to that of ordinary candidates, and her problem-solving ideas are clear and agile.

The knowledge of literature and history that I had memorized by reading late into the night and reciting repeatedly also emerged clearly in my mind at this moment.

The tip of the pen rustled on the test paper, and what she wrote down were not only the standard answers, but also her love for systematic knowledge and her infinite desire for the future.

After the exam, Jiang Haitang had no time to relax and immediately plunged into the intense project work.

During this period, she received a letter from Kang Xiaoxia.

In the letter, Kang Xiaoxia also excitedly informed the media that she was taking the college entrance examination, and estimated that her results would be good and she had a good chance of being admitted to university.

She specifically mentioned that her goal was to go to university in the capital, and she longed to come to the capital to start a new life and completely get away from her original family that made her feel depressed and painful.

Jiang Haitang deeply understands and supports Kang Xiaoxia's decision.

For the original family that cannot be chosen, staying away from it is sometimes not indifference, but the courage and determination necessary to gain a new life.

After a busy and fulfilling wait, the day of the results announcement finally arrived.

When the admission letter with the bright red seal of "Capital University of Technology" and the words "Mechanical Design and Manufacturing Major" was solemnly delivered to Jiang Haitang by the postman, all the hard work instantly turned into great joy and excitement!

She succeeded! She was admitted to her first choice with excellent grades!

"That's great! Haitang! I knew you could do it!" Lu Liangchen was extremely excited. He picked her up and spun her around several times, his eyes flashing with immense pride.

Old Master Jiang held the thin yet weighty notice in his slightly trembling hands. He read it over and over again, his eyes moist, and he choked with sobs as he said, "Great! Great! Great! My Jiang family's granddaughter is so promising! A cultured person has emerged in our family! Grandpa... Grandpa has finally lived up to our ancestors in this life!"

Although Little Peach and Little Orange could not fully understand the significance of college, they were infected by the extreme joy in the family and excitedly jumped and danced around their mother, giggling non-stop.

Doctor Qi stroked his snow-white beard, a pleased smile on his face, and said in a loud voice: "Comrade Haitang is going to be both civil and military, and reach a higher level!"

At the same time, Jiang Haitang also received good news from Kang Xiaoxia - she was successfully admitted to Capital Normal University!

Jiang Haitang was happy for her, but then a trace of worry came to her. Kang Xiaoxia came to Beijing, what would Zhao Kai do? Would they have to live apart after just getting married?

However, her worries were quickly dispelled.

It turned out that Zhao Kai had outstanding abilities and with the support of Lu Liangchen, he had already had the opportunity to be transferred to Beijing for work. He just kept holding back because he was waiting for the results of Kang Xiaoxia's college entrance examination.

Now that Kang Xiaoxia has been admitted to a university in the capital, his transfer procedures have been immediately put on the agenda. Soon the couple will be reunited and start a new life together in the capital.

This news made Jiang Haitang sincerely happy for them.

Deputy Minister Zhou's health has greatly improved under Dr. Qi's careful care over the past year. He now has a rosy complexion and is full of energy.

After learning the good news that Jiang Haitang had passed the exam, he specially asked his secretary to send her a brand new, shiny Hero brand fountain pen as a school admission gift, and sent a message to encourage her to "study and work well, combine theory with practice, and make greater contributions to the country in the future."

Jiang Haitang understood that this was her leader's subtle reminder that she should not relax her project team work just because of school.

In fact, she had already made careful arrangements for the project team. Although she needed to focus her primary attention on her studies, the project team's framework and R&D direction were already solid, and the backbone personnel she had trained were fully capable of driving subsequent day-to-day R&D.

As the core person in charge, she will still use her spare time to participate in discussions and decision-making at key nodes to ensure that the project progress is not affected.

After the Spring Festival, university started.

Jiang Haitang walked into the campus of Capital University of Technology with firm steps.

Looking at the faces around her that were full of vitality and dreams, feeling the strong learning atmosphere in the library and the sparks of ideas in the classroom, her heart was surging, and she was filled with awe and desire for knowledge.

This is a different experience from doing technical research and development in a project team. It is a return to basics, a systematic theoretical reshaping and comprehensive improvement.

She is well aware that although she has mastered many practical skills and experience, she lacks this kind of systematic theoretical nourishment. She firmly believes that these four years of university training will surely give her future career more powerful wings.

University courses are by no means easy for Jiang Haitang, especially professional courses such as advanced mathematics and theoretical mechanics that require strong logical thinking and a solid foundation. She needs to devote more energy than her younger classmates to digest and understand them.

Fortunately, she has extremely rich practical experience to support her, and can often instantly connect abstract theories with technical difficulties encountered in reality, and her understanding is actually more profound and thorough than many of her classmates.

In hands-on and practical classes, she is undoubtedly the best.

She absorbed knowledge eagerly. As long as she had no work arrangements, the library and laboratory were the places she spent most of her time, often staying there for the entire day.

Her diligence, intelligence, humility, and calmness and competence that were different from those of ordinary students quickly won her the respect and love of teachers and students.

Although she is a little older and has a family, she integrated into the group without any barriers. Because of her strong organizational skills and sense of responsibility, she was elected as a class leader by her classmates.

Her life has become busier, but she enjoys it and is full of energy.

She kept Vice Minister Zhou's instructions in mind and lived up to expectations. She perfectly balanced her studies and work, and truly absorbed theoretical knowledge eagerly while continuing to effectively lead the project team forward.

Time flies, and four years of fulfilling college life are gone in a flash.

At graduation time, Jiang Haitang brought her studies to a successful conclusion with excellent grades.

Her graduation project topic did not involve any unrealistic imagination, but was directly derived from the most difficult technical problem encountered by the project team that year.

She applied the profound theories she learned in college to propose a highly innovative and feasible solution. The ingenious design ideas, rigorous argumentation and high practical value of her design won unanimous praise from the defense teachers and was rated as an outstanding graduation project.

She has also achieved remarkable results in her work.

In the past few years, the project team has successfully overcome many technical bottlenecks and achieved breakthrough progress in domestic substitution research. The project results have been commended by the ministry and have made substantial contributions to national and military construction.

After graduation, Jiang Haitang declined many offers to stay on campus to teach or to join higher-level research institutes.

She chose to return.

She returned home with honors. With the solid foundation and broader academic vision gained from four years of advanced studies in system theory, coupled with her practical experience, she was soon entrusted with more important responsibilities and began to independently preside over the research and development of a new generation of equipment. The burden on her shoulders became heavier and the stage under her feet became broader.

Lu Liangchen also performed exceptionally well in his work at the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense. His work ability was highly valued by his superiors, his career progressed steadily, and he also took on more important leadership positions, becoming one of the youngest technical backbones in the national defense science, technology and industry system.

He always fulfills his promise to his family and tries his best to balance work and family. He is Jiang Haitang's most steadfast supporter in her career and the warmest harbor in her life.

The children are also thriving.

Xiao Taozi has excellent academic performance and has served as a class leader for many years. She has a cheerful and lively personality and strong organizational skills, and she has the demeanor of a small leader.

Little Orange grew up day by day. He was smart, naughty and cute. He became the happy pill of the family. He loved to pester his sister and two kind great-grandfathers to tell stories and listen to the glorious years of the past.

Mr. Jiang and Mr. Lu are becoming healthier and more energetic.

They either set up the chessboard to play a few games, or take a walk together, play with their grandchildren, enjoy the happiness of having great-grandchildren around them, and live a happy and healthy life in their later years.

Although Mr. Lu would occasionally tease his grandson Lu Liangchen sourly that he "is almost a member of the Jiang family", he actually feels indescribably relieved and satisfied when he sees his old comrade Mr. Jiang full of energy and cheerfulness every day, and sees his children and grandchildren all having successful careers and harmonious families.

Doctor Qi’s quiet little courtyard has now become a “famous doctor’s clinic” that is passed down by word of mouth among the neighbors.

Not only do people nearby benefit from it, but even some patients from other places come from afar to see it.

He still maintains a calm and benevolent heart, and is occasionally invited to give lectures at medical schools to exchange medical skills with his peers. He shares his life's experience without reservation and contributes to the inheritance of traditional medicine.

After Zhao Kai was successfully transferred to the capital, he continued to work with Lu Liangchen, and the two cooperated well.

Kang Xiaoxia graduated from university and successfully stayed in Beijing with her excellent grades. She entered a middle school and became a foreign language teacher who was deeply loved by students.

The two of them now have their own house and have settled down in the capital. They are planning to have children, and their small family lives a simple and warm life.

At the beginning of the new semester, an unexpected surprise came. Gu Yundi and Shu Qihua were transferred from Jincheng to Beijing to teach at two well-known universities in Beijing!

Jiang Haitang was delighted but also a little surprised by the news, because it seemed different from the trajectory of her previous life in her vague memory.

But she quickly put this doubt behind her and busied herself helping her godfather and godmother settle into their new home, clean the house, and buy things.

From the two elders, Jiang Haitang also learned another good news. Dazhu is now developing very well in the machinery factory in Jincheng and has become a top-notch and highly respected engineer in the factory.

It turned out that before being transferred back to the capital to teach, Gu Yundi took advantage of policy opportunities and secured a place in the last batch of workers, peasants and soldiers college students for Dazhu, who was exceptionally outstanding, hardworking and studious.

Dazhu was also very competitive. He knew that opportunities were hard-won, so he worked harder than many of his classmates during his studies and achieved outstanding results. He did not in any way disgrace the careful cultivation and strong recommendation of his mentor Gu Yundi.

On a sunny and breezy weekend, the spacious courtyard of the Jiang family's small building was once again filled with laughter and joy.

Jiang Haitang and Lu Liangchen were busy inside and outside, preparing for Mr. Jiang's 80th birthday banquet.

Xiao Taozi and several good classmates from the same compound gathered in a corner, discussing their homework problems enthusiastically.

Little Chengzi excitedly pulled his most admired Dr. Qi and his two smiling great-grandfathers, and couldn't wait to show them his newly assembled model airplane, and talked about its "super high performance" in his little mouth.

Looking at the laughter in the room, seeing their children and grandchildren all having successful careers, and seeing their great-grandchildren being lively, lovely and growing up healthily, Mr. Jiang and Mr. Lu smiled at each other, their weathered eyes filled with relief and satisfaction.

Their generation has experienced wars and turmoil, and in their later years they can enjoy the stability and happiness of such a peaceful and prosperous era. They can see with their own eyes that the country is becoming increasingly strong and prosperous, their families are harmonious and prosperous, and their children and grandchildren are all useful talents for the country. What could be more comforting than this?

The photographer who had taken their first family portrait, amidst the hearty laughter of the elders and the crisp laughter of the children, once again captured this incredibly warm and happy moment of four generations living together, transforming this deep family affection and the beauty of the peaceful homeland and country, cultivated over the years, into an eternal memory...

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