Just as the two were talking, Staff Officer Lu arrived at the laboratory and walked straight toward them.
"Professor Wu, I'm sorry to bother you, but could you please come with me to see someone?"
"Who are you seeing?"
Professor Wu didn't react for a moment.
"You'll see when you get there; anyway, it's a good thing."
Staff Officer Lu didn't say it directly, but kept it a secret.
After all, life needs a bit of ritual. If he had just mentioned Son Jung-gook directly, there wouldn't have been any surprises later.
"Alright, alright! Honestly, Staff Officer Lu, you're not being honest anymore! Hahaha!"
Professor Wu chuckled, put down his work, and followed Staff Officer Lu out of the laboratory.
The two quickly arrived at the accommodation area. Staff Officer Lu led Professor Wu to a spot not far from the door and then stopped.
"Professor Wu, the person is inside. Please go in. I won't disturb your gathering any longer."
"You! You're just making things complicated."
Professor Wu didn't appreciate it and walked into the house on his own after he finished speaking.
Meanwhile, Sun Zhengguo, who was waiting for someone inside, seemed to sense something and stood up to go outside.
At the doorway, the two met face to face, as expected.
When Sun Zhengguo saw Professor Wu with his full head of white hair, he was deeply moved. Recalling the past, a mist of tears welled up in his eyes.
"Mr. Wu, how are you? This is Zhengguo."
"Jung-guk, am I seeing things? Is it really you?"
Professor Wu hurriedly took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes, and instantly his eyes reddened.
In recent years, apart from his children on Hong Kong Island, the person he has missed the most is his renowned apprentice.
He once thought that the two of them would never see each other again in this life, but he never expected that they would meet in this way today.
He really is blessed by God.
"Mr. Wu, it's me, it's me. If you don't believe me, take a closer look."
As he spoke, Sun Zhengguo took a few steps forward so that the teacher could see him clearly.
Professor Wu quickly grabbed his hand and nodded repeatedly.
"I see you clearly now, Zhengguo! I didn't expect you to still be so young after more than ten years. You don't look like your teacher at all!"
"It's not as exaggerated as you say. I have four children now, how could I not be old? Mr. Wu, come, let's sit down and talk slowly."
"Okay, okay."
Professor Wu also had a lot to say, so the two sat down at the table and began to recount their experiences over the years.
Of course, Professor Wu didn't have much to say about this process; his main experience was eating sand in Northwest China, and he couldn't even talk about it.
Now he wants to hear his apprentice's story.
Sun Zhengguo did not disappoint him, and he recounted some key events that occurred after Sun Zhengguo left.
Gradually, as Sun Zhengguo recounted his story, Professor Wu learned more and more, and in doing so, he unraveled many mysteries.
For example, Sun Zhengguo was doing well in the Ministry of Metallurgy, so why did he go to the Ministry of Machinery?
Professor Wu was furious after hearing this, but there was nothing he could do.
Fortunately, his apprentice was quite capable and made a name for himself wherever he went.
Of course, it wasn't all bad. For example, Professor Wu was very happy to hear that Sun Zhengguo had helped Chen Lianshan.
This at least proves one thing: Sun Zhengguo is a sentimental person, and I didn't misjudge him back then.
Later, Sun Zhengguo talked about his father and what happened after Chen Wanchun returned.
Professor Wu was genuinely happy to hear that his old friends were all doing well.
Finally, Sun Zhengguo recounted the story of Professor Zhang and others, which left Professor Wu deeply moved.
Fortunately, the danger was averted in the end, and everyone was happy.
All of this is thanks to Sun Zhengguo, and Professor Wu couldn't help but praise him as he thought about his achievements over the years.
"Zhengguo, you've done a great job all these years. Your teacher has always been proud of you, and I also want to thank you."
"I don't deserve Mr. Wu's praise. To be honest, there's something I've been holding onto for so many years, and I hope you can grant my request today."
Upon hearing this, Professor Wu was also bewildered. What did he want me to do?
But the answer was obvious the next second. Sun Zhengguo poured a cup of tea and knelt down with a thud.
“Master Wu, you wanted to take me as your apprentice back then, but I didn’t appreciate it. But you never gave up on me. So many years have passed. I wonder if you would be willing to drink this belated cup of tea to formally become my apprentice.”
"Zhengguo, you...you get up." Professor Wu choked up again, his heart filled with immense emotion.
Although he has always referred to himself as Sun Zhengguo's teacher, the two have never publicly acknowledged this relationship!
Now, all he needs to do is drink this cup of tea, and he can have a legitimate reason to do so.
However, Professor Wu didn't like this approach, so he quickly stepped forward and tried to pull Sun Zhengguo up.
But Sun Zhengguo had practiced martial arts and was in his prime; he certainly couldn't be lifted up by just an old man.
Left with no other choice, and in order to prevent his apprentice from kneeling indefinitely, Professor Wu had to take the teacup and symbolically take a sip.
Sun Zhengguo then kowtowed three more times, thus completing the formal apprenticeship ceremony.
"Teacher, I came in a hurry today and didn't bring anything good. Please keep these two bottles of wine for now. I'll have Staff Officer Lu come to my house to get them later. I'll take care of your wine from now on."
"Okay, okay."
Professor Wu didn't think much of it when the student took out two small black bottles from his bag.
This is, after all, a small token of the student's appreciation; how could he possibly complain about it?
After the two finished catching up, Professor Wu checked his watch and realized that an hour had passed.
“Zhengguo, you’ve also come with a mission. Let’s talk again tonight. Come with me to the lab first, and I’ll introduce you to some new friends.”
"Okay, teacher."
Since formally becoming Wu Lao's disciple, Sun Zhengguo has changed his form of address, no longer calling him "Old Wu" but directly "Teacher".
After all, we are all cultured people, so calling someone "master" would seem a bit petty; the word "teacher" is just right.
Soon, the two arrived at the laboratory. Engineer Wan and the others saw that Professor Wu had only just returned, and seeing that there was an unfamiliar young man beside him, they all curiously gathered around.
"Old Wu! Who's this?"
"Hahaha!"
Professor Wu laughed heartily, feeling more comfortable than ever before.
"My old friends, let me introduce you to my apprentice, Sun Zhengguo. I'm sure you're all familiar with him, right?"
After listening to Professor Wu's presentation, the laboratory erupted in excitement.
"What?! He's Sun Zhengguo? He's so young!"
"Old Wu! You're not lying to us, are you? I know your apprentice is young, but he can't be this young, can he?"
...
At this moment, Engineer Wan stepped forward, looked Sun Zhengguo up and down, and then shook his head.
"Young comrade, I must say, you have a good appearance. How many years have you been in the army? Have you gotten married yet? What benefits did Old Wu give you to impersonate his apprentice?"
Upon hearing Engineer Wan's question, Sun Zhengguo was both amused and exasperated, and bowed to everyone in response.
"Seniors, I am indeed Sun Zhengguo, without a doubt. If you don't believe me, you can ask Director Ma."
"real?"
Engineer Wan was starting to believe it, because if the other party were really a soldier from the institute, he certainly wouldn't address Director Ma like that; he would call him "Commander."
"Um... um... Hello, Director Sun, we can't accept the title of 'senior'! If you don't mind, you can just call me Lao Wan from now on."
As he spoke, Engineer Wan disregarded what others thought and was the first to step forward to shake hands and welcome them.
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