Chapter 62 This is a reward

Upon returning from the desert, an unprecedented drowsiness swept over the whole family. Even Zhou Yue, who was usually energetic and thought that taking a nap was a waste of time, was exhausted.

After lunch, the family of three fell into a deep sleep on the bed and didn't wake up until 3 p.m.

The afternoon sun streamed in through the window, and the family of three, refreshed and invigorated, sat down at the large desk in their home, their weariness gone.

Zhou Yue rarely had time at home, and with a free afternoon, he didn't teach his daughter advanced arithmetic. Instead, he drew a few dots on a piece of white paper and started playing an application-based version of the "Seven Bridges of Königsberg Problem" with her.

The Seven Bridges of Königsberg problem is a classic mathematical puzzle from the 18th century. In the city of Königsberg, there are seven bridges connecting four landmasses. The problem requires traversing all seven bridges and four landmasses without repetition or omission, and finally returning to the starting point.

"Xiaoxiao, imagine this dot is our home, this is the service center, this is the library, this little dot is the school, and these are the bridges."

As Zhou Yue spoke, he pointed out the directions on a piece of paper to his daughter. His voice was gentle yet guiding. “Let’s play a game. The rule is that you can find a route that allows you to visit all the places by crossing each bridge only once.”

Instead of directly giving Euler's conclusion, Zhou Yue guided his daughter to draw, try, and discover the impossibilities and possibilities within the subject. This was an introductory teaching method for topology and graph theory.

Xiao Lingxiao's attention was immediately drawn. She frowned, her little finger tracing patterns on the paper, trying out various paths, which were then eliminated one by one.

The little girl didn't give up. Her brows were furrowed, and all her attention was focused on the draft paper in front of her.

Undeterred, she immediately began trying the next approach when one was rejected, fully unleashing her innate desire to explore and her fearless spirit in the face of difficulties.

Little Lingxiao didn't even look up to ask her father for help. She was completely absorbed in her own thoughts. Her slightly tense little face was full of determination. She would never give up until she found the answer!

Zhou Yue sat quietly beside his daughter, observing all her attempts and subtle expressions.

He didn't disturb her until he noticed that his daughter's attempts were becoming repetitive, hitting walls everywhere, and her little mouth was slightly pouting, showing her confusion. Only then did he gently intervene.

"Xiaoxiao," he pointed to a key point on the map—the school connecting three bridges—"Let's not rush to complete the whole route. Count and observe how many bridges each point connects to."

Zhou Yue gave a final reminder: "Don't get stuck on Dad's questions."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lingxiao stared at the blueprints, carefully considering his father's words.

Beside her, Cheng Cheng opened the "Self-Study Series of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry" and flipped to the mechanics section of high school physics. Compared to physics, which was like a book written in heaven, mathematics became exceptionally clear and easy to understand.

While the girl was deep in thought, Cheng Cheng put down her pen and moved closer to the man.

Her arm was draped over the man's left shoulder, her chin gently resting on his right shoulder, and most of her weight was leaning on him.

His posture was languid, his gaze fixed on the draft paper, watching his daughter sometimes furrow her brows, sometimes trace characters on the draft paper with her little finger.

She turned her head to examine the man's handsome profile up close, and couldn't help but raise her hand and gently poke the man's head with her fingertips.

Her tone was a mix of coquettishness and defiance as she muttered softly, "Zhou Yue, I really want to know, how exactly is your head structured?"

Zhou Yue turned his head, looking at his wife with gentle eyes, revealing a perfectly appropriate hint of doubt.

Cheng Cheng paused, her gaze shifting between him and Xiao Xiao, half complaining and half resentful, "You both have the same head, so how come the contents inside are so different?"

We are all human beings, and we all have one brain. So why are some people who are smart not human?

Xiao Xiao must have taken after Zhou Yue. Not only is she smart, but she also always chooses the difficult path. She enjoys the challenges and becomes more courageous with each setback.

Zhou Yue was amused by his wife's sudden intimacy and childlike complaints. Instead of dodging, he gently pressed his cheek against her outstretched finger.

With a gentle smile in her eyes, she said softly, "Everyone has different areas of talent. Look at the Sun Wukong you drew, you brought the majestic Great Sage Equal to Heaven to life. And the various characters in Journey to the West, that's your talent."

His voice was deep and gentle, as soothing as the afternoon sun, and his expression was not perfunctory at all, but full of serious appreciation.

"And the food you cook, the arrangement of the house, these seemingly ordinary things become special in your hands."

Cheng Cheng was overjoyed, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn upwards. The slight imbalance in her heart was immediately replaced by a huge sense of satisfaction and sweetness.

Because they were so close, her cheek was pressed against his neck. While her daughter was engrossed in struggling with the problem, Cheng Cheng raised her head and lightly kissed his cheek like a dragonfly skimming the water.

Instantly separate.

Her bright eyes seemed to be filled with tiny starlight as she stared into the man's eyes without blinking, making no attempt to hide her joy. The corners of her lips turned up: "This is a reward."

Zhou Yue was taken aback for a moment, then realized what was happening and chuckled to himself.

The man was clearly pleased with his wife's straightforward reward, his eyes gleaming with delight.

Just as he was about to speak, Xiao Lingxiao, who had been deep in thought, suddenly looked up.

His little face was filled with excitement as he loudly announced, "Dad! I understand!"

"This rule is flawed! Because this task is impossible to complete!"

Pointing to the draft paper, she explained logically and clearly, her tone full of confidence and certainty: "I counted how many bridges each point connects to. There are three points here that connect to three bridges. It's impossible to walk the whole thing in one line without repeating any points!"

If there were only one or two points connected to an odd number of bridges, it might be possible to draw it in one stroke, but now there are three, and she has tried many routes, but none of them can avoid repetition.

It was like having three doors but only two keys; she couldn't tell which one to use. Besides, her father had told her not to get stuck on his questions. Thinking of this, Xiao Lingxiao blinked her big eyes a few times, and a sudden flash of inspiration struck her.

My father once said that in pursuing knowledge, one must dare to question the truth and not be trapped by what others say, otherwise one will be led by the nose.

Once she understood the key to the problem and broke free from the rules her father had set for her, she looked at the four points and seven bridges again and instantly found a solution.

After hearing his daughter's words, a hint of surprise flashed across Zhou Yue's face, but that surprise quickly turned into admiration. Meeting his daughter's bright eyes, he gave her his approval without hesitation.

"Absolutely right! Xiaoxiao, you not only found the real answer to the problem, but you also learned the most important way of thinking. Dad is so proud of you!"

"Our Xiaoxiao is amazing! Mom is so proud of you!"

Although the little girl tried hard to keep a straight face and appear calm and collected, her big, bright black eyes and the uncontrollable upturn of her lips completely betrayed her true feelings.

Her small chest unconsciously puffed out even higher; if she had a fluffy tail behind her, it would surely be proudly held high in the sky right now.

Looking at his daughter's adorable appearance, Zhou Yue's smile deepened. He patted his daughter's head and said, "The impossible conclusion you just drew on your own was proven more than two hundred years ago by a great mathematician named Euler."

"In mathematics, it has a formal name called Euler's path theorem. The game we're playing has developed into a very important branch of mathematics called graph theory..."

Zhou Yue pointed to the dots and lines on the paper and explained the questions to his daughter in a simple and progressive manner.

He didn't go into great depth, but simply opened a window for her, allowing his daughter to glimpse a broader and more rigorous world of mathematics.

Listening to Zhou Yue's deep and clear explanation, and his daughter's crisp responses that were sometimes puzzled and sometimes enlightened, Cheng Cheng listened quietly to the conversation between the father and daughter, even unconsciously softening her breathing.

In this tranquil and blissful atmosphere, a clear child's voice came from afar and clearly reached my ears.

"Xiaoxiao! Xiaoxiao! Are you home?"

"I've come to play with you!"

The voice was filled with eager joy and excitement at the prospect of seeing a good friend, brimming with enthusiasm.

Almost the instant the voice reached his ears, Xiao Lingxiao immediately guessed who it was. A bright smile bloomed on his face, and he said confidently to his parents, "It's Xingxing! Xingxing came to play with me!"

Zhou Yue stopped at the right moment, looked at the expectation on his daughter's face, and gently placed his large hand on the top of her head. "That's enough for today. Go on, play with your good friends for a while, and relax."

"good!"

The little girl immediately jumped off the chair and ran outside.

As she went outside, she called out to her best friend, "Xingxing! I'm home!"

As soon as Xingxing saw Xiaoxiao, she ran over with a slightly aggrieved look on her face. "Xiaoxiao, I came to play with you this morning, but you weren't home! Where did you go?"

"I went to play in the sand with my mom, dad, and me!" Little Lingxiao's face lit up as he talked about it, gesturing with his little hands as he enthusiastically shared with his best friend: "These sand dunes are so high, we slid down them in a flash!"

"It feels like flying! It's so much fun!"

Wow! I want to play too!

As they were talking, Xingxing suddenly noticed the small patch of sand against the wall.

"Huh? What's this?" Xingxing asked curiously, craning her neck as she ran over.

She crouched down, staring intently at the three little figures drawn in the sand, climbing a wavy line, while next to them was another scene: a long plank carrying the little figures speeding down.

Xingxing stared wide-eyed at the drawing in the sand, then turned to her best friend, pointing at the little figures in the drawing, "Are these your dad and mom? Did you draw this?"

Xiao Lingxiao raised his chin slightly and nodded with feigned modesty, "Mmm."

"Wow!"

The star opened its mouth wide, its eyes sparkling, gazing at its little friend with adoration.

Her best friend is amazing!

"Xiaoxiao, can you teach me?" Xingxing looked up at him with her little face full of anticipation.

Okay~

Xiao Lingxiao readily agreed.

The two little girls immediately squatted down affectionately in front of the sandy area, and Xiao Lingxiao gave a small twig from her precious paintbrush tree branch to her good friend.

Wow! Is that me?

"This is Teacher Zhang!! Teacher Zhang has short hair!"

"That's right~"

The two children's chattering voices, as cheerful as two little sparrows, quickly attracted the attention of the Chasuna and Naren sisters, while Batu and Gao Xiaoyu also curiously gathered around.

Seeing that his friends also wanted to play, Xiao Lingxiao took the initiative to speak up and warmly invited them to join.

Gao Xiaoyu: "I'm going to find some tree branches!"

With six or seven children, the sandy area was almost not enough. Xiao Lingxiao looked at the small sandy area and, without hesitation, gently smoothed out the drawing he had made earlier with a small twig.

The space was cleared out so that everyone could draw to their heart's content.

Everyone drew their own picture; some drew a crooked, not-quite-round sun, some drew a crescent moon, and some drew a few scattered stars...

Little Lingxiao squatted on the ground, his eyes focused. The tree branch in his hand seemed to have become Ma Liang's magic brush. First, he outlined a crown with pheasant feathers, then a pair of bright and piercing eyes, and finally a very distinctive thunder god's mouth.

Before long, a lifelike Monkey King was carved out of the sand stroke by stroke with a wooden stick.

"It's the Monkey King!"

Gao Xiaoyu exclaimed, his mouth agape as he looked at his younger sister, "Xiaoxiao, you're amazing! I want to learn too!"

Xiao Xiao's drawing of the Monkey King in the sand with a twig is different from the Sun Wukong she saw in the comic book, but it is very imposing!

In his mind, the Monkey King should look like this: wearing two long feathers on his head, with a flowing cape, full of energy and majestic!

"I want to learn too! Teach me, teach me!"

Batu excitedly raised his hand; he loved Sun Wukong the most!

"Okay, I'll teach you! It's very simple! Let's start by drawing the crown of the Monkey King..."

A dozen minutes later, the children looked at their own artwork, then turned to look at Xiaoxiao's spirited depiction of the Monkey King, and were all somewhat frustrated and confused.

Why are they different?

Xiaoxiao's drawing of the Monkey King is majestic and imposing, as if he is about to ride the clouds and protect Tang Sanzang on his journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures and to subdue demons and monsters.

Seeing her friends looking dejected, Xiao Lingxiao comforted them in the same encouraging tone her mother usually used: "It's okay, I didn't draw well at first either. My mom said that you have to practice drawing a lot!"

"If you draw it a few more times, you'll definitely be able to draw it well!"

"Xiaoxiao is right! This is our first time drawing today. If we practice more, we will definitely be able to draw like Xiaoxiao in the future."

Chasuna is the oldest, and her words gave everyone confidence.

Naren nodded and suggested, "Let's do what Xiaoxiao does and make a sandy area in our own home so we can practice every day!"

Gao Xiaoyu's little brain was working at lightning speed. This idea is fantastic!

He also wanted his dad to go to the desert to help him dig sand. He practiced at home every day, and when he mastered it and could draw like Xiaoxiao, he would go to school and draw for the whole class!

Gao Xiaoyu felt increasingly smug, as if she could already see herself surrounded and adored by her classmates at school.

He immediately and excitedly announced, "Once I learn how to draw the Monkey King, I'll draw it for everyone at school!"

Batu's eyes lit up with astonishing light upon hearing this!

He wants it too!

Cheng Cheng's attention was drawn to the children's lively discussion outside the window, and the corners of her mouth involuntarily turned up, revealing a knowing smile.

Sigh, drawing is easy for her, but physics is a real headache!

Zhou Yue noticed his wife's absent-mindedness and followed her gaze to the window. A faint smile appeared almost imperceptibly on his usually stern face.

As a teacher, he was most likely a patient but strict one, and without hesitation, he pulled his wife's thoughts back to physics.

Outside the window, laughter and chatter filled the air, while Cheng Cheng was miserably listening to Zhou Yue explain those headache-inducing physics concepts, feeling utterly frustrated.

-----------------------

Author's note: Goodnight~~

See you tomorrow~~~

Thank you so much for your love and care, little angels! Love you all! [heart][heart][heart][kiss][kiss][kiss][kiss]