After Shen Fuxuan passed the civil service exam, he worked at the grassroots level for a while and was transferred back to the provincial capital. Since he returned to the provincial capital, he has not had much contact with Lin Zhixia and others. Duan Qiyan asked him out for dinner, but he declined several times, and Duan Qiyan never invited him again.
The more Lin Zhixia thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong.
She sent a WeChat message to Shen Fuxuan: "Good evening, classmate Shen."
Lin Zhixia rarely chatted with Shen Fuxuan in private, and her words seemed very unfamiliar. However, Shen Fuxuan replied to her immediately: "Good evening."
Lin Zhixia seized the opportunity and asked him, "How is Mr. Shen doing recently?"
He and his father said the same thing: "It's fine."
Lin Zhixia knew that Shen Fuxuan was not someone who could be easily persuaded. She and Shen Fuxuan had been classmates for four years, and she had witnessed Shen Fuxuan's daily entertainment was to make Duan Qiyan run around in circles.
Shen Fuxuan was always eager to stir up trouble, and his words were half true and half false. Even after he became an adult, this habit did not change. Deng Shasha once commented that she had only been with Shen Fuxuan for two days, and she was almost bewitched by this junior. It was obvious that he was not a simple man, but a capable one.
Lin Zhixia agreed with Deng Shasha's opinion.
She put down her phone and fell headfirst onto the bed.
Jiang Yubai pushed the door open and saw Lin Zhixia lying on the bed. He walked over, sat down beside the bed, and lifted her waist skillfully. She leaned in his arms, still holding her phone. After a while, she received a WeChat message from He Yuanqian - it was a long message. He Yuanqian truthfully relayed that Shen Zhaohua had undergone surgery in mid-April this year. Shen Zhaohua's family was optimistic about the surgery, but reality slapped them in the face.
Before the operation, Shen Zhaohua never mentioned the matter to the outside world because she thought she would recover soon and return to work.
After the operation, Shen Zhaohua's condition worsened, cancer cells spread and metastasized, and the effect of targeted drugs was not obvious. She planned to make her condition public in the near future and reassign tutors for her students. She occasionally talked about Lin Zhixia with her family and even dreamed of what Lin Zhixia looked like when she was ten years old.
Next Thursday, she wants to meet Lin Zhixia. Now, she lives in the intensive care unit of the People's Hospital in the provincial capital.
Lin Zhixia had mixed feelings. She didn't know how bad Shen Zhaohua's condition had deteriorated, and she just hoped that a medical miracle would happen soon.
She lay flat on the bed, resting her head on Jiang Yubai's legs, and handed him her cell phone.
After reading the WeChat message, Jiang Yubai comforted Lin Zhixia in a gentle voice: "Next Thursday, I will accompany you to the hospital." He looked at the calendar and found that next Thursday was April 27th.
This year's graduate interviews are scheduled for late April.
Before April 27th, Lin Zhixia will interview more than 20 students.
She screened the resumes and glanced over the students' published papers. Among this group of students, Chen Shihan was undoubtedly the most outstanding. In addition, Chen Shihan was a girl and only applied for one tutor, Lin Zhixia, and Lin Zhixia liked to recruit female students. So she simply decided on Chen Shihan in advance and added her name to the subject group.
On the day of the graduate interview meeting, the evaluation team for quantum computing at the Interdisciplinary College consisted of seven teachers, including Lin Zhixia, the vice dean, Qu Zongyi, Tan Qianche, and others. The teachers sat on one side of the long table, and the students stood on the other side. The atmosphere was very tense. Some students blushed, their foreheads were sweating, and their lips were pale. Tan Qianche said to Lin Zhixia: "The psychological quality of these students is too poor. No matter how well they study, you should not recruit them."
"My enrollment quota for this year has been filled," Lin Zhixia revealed.
Tan Qianche opened his work diary and asked while writing: "Is your new student obedient?"
"Being obedient is secondary," Lin Zhixia insisted. "Having your own ideas is the main thing."
Tan Qianche fastened the cap on his pen and commented calmly, "The best students come from Peking University and Tsinghua University. You are only suitable to guide good students."
He rolled up his sleeves an inch, revealing his wrists, with distinct wrist bones, slightly exposed veins, and well-proportioned muscle lines. The new girl kept staring at his hands, and he couldn't help but laugh and stared at her. The girl's face immediately turned red and she tightened the hem of her coat with both hands.
"Look," Tan Qianche said in a very low voice, "We can't accept this student either."
Tan Qianche sat at the very side, and Lin Zhixia was his neighbor, and only Lin Zhixia could hear him talking. He had just given some advice when Lin Zhixia replied coldly, "Our admission standards are different, Mr. Tan."
Then, Lin Zhixia raised her voice and said, "Student Chen Shihan, don't be nervous. Introduce yourself."
Chen Shihan flew from Hong Kong to the provincial capital yesterday. She doesn't speak Mandarin well, and she has been worried since she got off the plane. Her boyfriend doesn't want her to study for a master's degree in the mainland, and always tells her that mainland classmates exclude Hong Kong girls and will definitely isolate her. This scared her so much that she told everyone that her hometown is in Guangdong and that she is a real Cantonese.
When introducing herself, Chen Shihan accidentally said, "I'm from Guangdong."
Tan Qianche interrupted her: "Your information shows that your domicile is in Hong Kong, Mr. Chen."
Chen Shihan quickly added, "Hong Kong."
Tan Qianche smiled again.
Chen Shihan's tongue seemed to be tied. Her hesitant manner really resembled another student of Lin Zhixia, Zhan Rui. Fortunately, the teachers present were very patient. The vice dean threw out a few simple questions, and Chen Shihan picked up a marker and quickly answered them on the blackboard. Gradually, she entered the state, no longer had any anxiety, and was able to chat and laugh with the teachers.
Chen Shihan majored in physics and minored in computer science. She participated in physics and chemistry competitions in high school and published papers during her undergraduate studies. Such an academic background made her stand out among the students.
Qu Zongyi was particularly satisfied and asked her on the spot: "Student Chen Shihan, have you decided on a supervisor?" Before he finished speaking, he pushed the nameplate on the table, on which was clearly written "Leader of the discipline of the School of Interdisciplinary Studies, Professor Qu Zongyi".
Chen Shihan looked at Lin Zhixia eagerly, wanting to say something but stopping herself - anyone could understand her longing look.
Qu Zongyi laughed awkwardly and found a way for himself: "The master leads you to the door, but the practice is up to you."
Chen Shihan bowed to the teachers: "Thank you, teachers."
Lin Zhixia nodded at her.
Chen Shihan knew that this meant Lin Zhixia's approval. She felt sweeter than eating honey and smiled back at Lin Zhixia.
After Chen Shihan left, Qu Zongyi opened the glass bottle, drank a sip of tea with Sterculia lychnophora, and complimented: "The students in Teacher Lin's group are all excellent."
Lin Zhixia politely said, "No match for Mr. Qu's students."
While recording her interview scores, she was writing a "graduate student training plan." Halfway through, Qu Zongyi said, "Hey, you are Professor Shen's granddaughter, right? Teacher Lin, I heard about Professor Shen this morning."
Lin Zhixia paused.
Many teachers in the school believed that Lin Zhixia was Shen Zhaohua's granddaughter because she had been loved by Shen Zhaohua since she was a child. She did not refute Qu Zongyi, but only said: "Professor Shen will recover."
Qu Zongyi did not respond, so Lin Zhixia repeated, "She will definitely get better."
Qu Zongyi studied chemistry and had some experience in medicine and biology. He believed that Shen Zhaohua's situation was not optimistic - this was not just alarmist talk, the professors in the medical school all agreed with his opinion.
He pushed up his glasses and lied, "Professor Shen is in good health and will make it through this." He consoled her, "Don't worry too much, Teacher Lin."
After several seconds, Lin Zhixia replied, "Thank you."
This year's graduate student recruitment work is still proceeding in an intensive and orderly manner.
Lin Zhixia's three new students, including Chen Shihan, are all powerful characters with rich resumes. According to reliable sources, Chen Shihan not only has excellent academic performance, but also speaks English very well, with an IELTS score of 8, making her a typical "other people's child".
When Xu Lingbo heard about this, he felt something was wrong.
Anxiety filled his heart.
He is about to enter his third year of graduate school, but he still has not had a single paper published. His younger classmates in the group are becoming more and more talented, even Zhan Rui has submitted a conference paper, but he still has nothing.
God can see that he has been studying hard for the past six months and has never slacked off. However, for him, writing a paper is like winning the lottery. It is not enough to rely on hard work, but also on luck.
It was another bright morning. Xu Lingbo got up early and rushed to the laboratory, bringing breakfast to his senior sister Fang Yiwen. It was 7:30 in the morning, and there were only the two of them in the laboratory.
He brought breakfast to Fang Yiwen, who was reading Zhan Rui's paper. Her hair was still messy and unruly, revealing a sense of unrestrainedness. Her left leg was on another chair, and there were a few pieces of yellow mud on the sole of her shoe. She didn't have the slightest bit of elegance in her sitting posture, but she showed great ambition and natural grace.
Xu Lingbo's mind moved, and he stammered like Zhan Rui: "Master, Senior Sister, I, I, I..."
The senior sister interrupted him and said, "I know what you are going to say."
Xu Lingbo took a deep breath of cool air. The senior sister asked again: "Do you want to hear my white lie or the truth?"
Xu Lingbo chose "a white lie."
Fang Yiwen whispered, "You have to focus on your studies."
"Our personalities complement each other," Xu Lingbo suddenly said with courage, "Give me a chance to narrow the gap between us, Senior Sister."
Fang Yiwen shook her head slightly and said calmly, "The gap between you and me is deeper than the Mariana Trench and greater than the energy released by nuclear fusion. Let me give you an analogy. If I am a first-magnitude star in the Orion constellation in the Milky Way, you are a small satellite of Jupiter. If I am highly oxidizing perchloric acid, you are a bowl of water with a neutral pH. I am DNA that is constantly being replicated, and you are ATP that will eventually be hydrolyzed. Our abilities are not in the same evaluation system at all."
She raised her head and said, "Tell the truth. Do you understand?"
Xu Lingbo felt as if thousands of arrows were piercing his heart. He stumbled out of the laboratory and ran into Teacher Tan Qianche from the School of Physics. Seeing that he was in a state of disarray, Teacher Tan straightened him up and asked him, "Is your teacher Lin in the laboratory?"
"No," Xu Lingbo muttered to himself, "Teacher Lin went to the hospital."
"Is she ill?"
"It's not her, it's her grandmother, Professor Shen Zhaohua, who is in the hospital."
Tan Qianche seemed to be thinking about something.
Xu Lingbo managed to calm down and asked on behalf of Lin Zhixia: "Teacher Tan, what do you want to talk to Teacher Lin about?"
Tan Qianche replied: "Your teacher Lin is the deputy leader of the joint research group of the four universities. She is likely to be selected as this year's Forbes Global Outstanding Talent Under 30. The professors of the research group of the four universities all want to recommend Teacher Lin to the International Academic Union so that she can win the award of 'Most Outstanding Scientist Under 30'."
Xu Lingbo had heard of this award. It has a generous purse, far-reaching influence, and a strict evaluation system. It is often called the "Little Nobel". The jury includes top scientists from China, Japan, Europe, and the United States. The annual award ceremony is held in an auditorium in the capital of a great country.
For the ten thousandth time in his life, Xu Lingbo sighed: "Teacher Lin is so strong. I am a drag in Teacher Lin's team..."
Tan Qianche comforted him with words: "Don't compare yourself with geniuses, don't make yourself suffer. The more you know, the less you know.[1]"
Xu Lingbo expressed his gratitude for the lesson.
Today the sun is shining brightly, the weather is clear and cloudless, which seems to be a good sign.
Lin Zhixia carried a fruit basket in her left hand and held Jiang Yubai's hand with her right hand, and walked into the inpatient department of the Provincial People's Hospital with him.
Shen Zhaohua's ward is on the seventh floor.
The corridors are clean and tidy, the sun shines brightly outside the windows, and family members are walking with the patients, creating a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere.
Lin Zhixia stood in front of a door in the ward. The door was ajar and she didn't dare to push it.
In a trance, it seemed as if she had returned to her childhood. That year, Lin Zhixia was only nine years old. She participated in the autumn outing and met Shen Zhaohua in the aquarium. Shen Zhaohua handed his business card to Lin Zhixia, but Lin Zhixia hesitated and refused to accept it. After many years, she was still hesitant. Jiang Yubai put his arm around her shoulders, and she finally opened the door a crack.
She heard Shen Zhaohua's voice: "Come in."
Shen Fuxuan was also in the room. He smiled and said, "Teacher Shen woke up at five o'clock and waited for you all morning."
"No," Shen Zhaohua paused and asked, "Is it Lin Zhixia?"
Lin Zhixia walked slowly into the ward.
She finally met Shen Zhaohua.
Shen Zhaohua was in good condition. She was not lying on the bed weakly as Lin Zhixia had imagined. On the contrary, she looked energetic, but she had lost a lot of weight and her skin was slightly yellow. She was sitting on the bed, her back against the pillow, her left hand was inserted with a tube, and she was being fed intravenously.
Lin Zhixia said, "Hello, Teacher Shen."
Jiang Yubai was more polite. He also introduced himself, claiming to be Lin Zhixia's relative.
Shen Zhaohua was deeply impressed by Jiang Yubai - when Lin Zhixia was a child, she loved to visit the university laboratories and library, and Jiang Yubai often accompanied her. The two children were inseparable on campus.
Shen Zhaohua's attitude towards Jiang Yubai was quite friendly: "You all take a seat."
Lin Zhixia sat obediently on an empty seat beside the bed. She crossed her legs, hugged a fruit basket, and kept her eyes fixed on Shen Zhaohua, which made Shen Zhaohua smile.
Shen Zhaohua chatted with Lin Zhixia like an elder: "It's the end of April, the postgraduate reexamination should be over."
"It's over," Lin Zhixia said, "I recruited three students this year."
Shen Zhaohua said with relief: "Okay."
Lin Zhixia dragged her chair forward, getting closer to Shen Zhaohua: "How are you feeling lately?"
Shen Zhaohua has always had presbyopia. Recently, her eye problems have become more serious. She can't see clearly at close range or far distance, and can only make out vague outlines. She slightly opened her eyelids and said to Lin Zhixia, "Not bad."
Shen Fuxuan stood aside peeling apples without saying a word.
Jiang Yubai stood beside Shen Fuxuan. They were close friends. Jiang Yubai talked to Shen Fuxuan in a low voice. Shen Zhaohua didn't hear what they were talking about. There was a buzzing noise in her ears. She half-closed her eyes, leaned against the headboard, and rested her hands on the quilt. Her joints were protruding and the backs of her hands were covered with age spots.
The ward became quiet in that instant.
"Lin Zhixia." Shen Zhaohua only said her name.
Lin Zhixia hurriedly said, "I'm here."
Shen Zhaohua instructed: "Open the box on the cabinet..."
Before he finished speaking, Shen Fuxuan came over to lend a hand. His complexion was darker than before, probably from being exposed to the sun in the countryside, and he was also more mature and stable. He no longer smiled before speaking, and his words and actions were full of teasing.
He took out a wooden box from the cabinet, handed it to Lin Zhixia personally, and explained, "There are a lot of penguins in it."
"Penguin?" Lin Zhixia opened the lid.
It turned out to be a row of wooden carved penguin dolls.
Shen Fuxuan introduced their origins in detail: "Last year, my grandmother went to Antarctica for an investigation and happened to meet an Antarctic penguin researcher. My grandmother bought a batch of teaching aids from him..." He took a step back and moved further away from her: "A complete list of penguin species in the world."
How did Shen Zhaohua know that Lin Zhixia liked penguins?
When Lin Zhixia was ten years old, she often went to Shen Zhaohua's laboratory. Every time she came to the laboratory, her schoolbag was bulging - it was filled with her little penguin plush toy. Shen Zhaohua saw it a few times and took note of it.
Lin Zhixia held the box in her hands, as if she had suddenly returned to her student days. She could only say one thing: "Thank you, Teacher Shen."
Shen Zhaohua leaned on the bed, looked at Lin Zhixia, then turned to Shen Fuxuan and said, "You've been here all morning. Today is Thursday and work is urgent. You should go back first."
"Am I really leaving?" Shen Xuanxuan picked up his coat.
Shen Zhaohua waved his hands.
The nurse slightly opened the curtains, and bright light shone in, falling on Jiang Yubai. Jiang Yubai handed the fruit basket that Lin Zhixia brought to the nurse, and then said, "Teacher Shen, please have a good rest first. Lin Zhixia and I will come to visit you the next day."
Shen Zhaohua picked up a pair of framed glasses from the bedside and put them on her nose. She moved slowly and refused to let anyone help her. The liquid in the drip dripped down drop by drop, and she accidentally touched Lin Zhixia, who felt that her hand was as cold as the liquid medicine.
Shen Zhaohua looked at Lin Zhixia carefully through the lens. His vision was still blurry. Shen Zhaohua couldn't help but cough and said, "Today, we've seen each other for the last time. You don't need to come again the next day. You all have... your own careers and lives... I'm almost 80 years old, I'm an old man..."
Lin Zhixia heard the implication of her words, and Shen Fuxuan's face was not very good. But he still managed to smile. He put on his coat, sat on the stool, and said in a convincing tone: "It's not that serious yet. After a few more days of observation, the targeted drug has a good effect in fighting cancer. My mother said that you were quickly evaluated as an academician last year. Now that you have recovered from your illness and received the academician medal, you can still go to school to teach..."
"Teacher Gu Likai is also being evaluated for academician," Lin Zhixia suddenly interrupted, "I organized a joint research group of four schools, and Teacher Gu is the leader. When he visited our school last week, we also talked about you, Teacher Shen."
Shen Zhaohua pressed the armrest of the bed and said jokingly, "When he is elected as an academician, burn some incense for me."
"What?" Lin Zhixia was a little shocked.
Shen Zhaohua thought she didn't understand, so he repeated it again: "Burn one stick of incense."
There was silence.
Shen Zhaohua closed his eyes and continued, "Your senior sister Zhu Chan has been able to do scientific research independently for a long time. You too have funding and achievements... My colleagues at school thought you were my granddaughter... I laughed a few times..."
Her words came in a disjointed manner, like an old person mumbling in her sleep.
Lin Zhixia's tears welled up in her eyes. She hadn't cried in many years, but whenever she thought of how good Shen Zhaohua was to her, she couldn't control her emotions.
Shen Zhaohua opened up the university's library resources and laboratory equipment to Lin Zhixia, and also contacted Gu Likei to be her undergraduate advisor. When she returned to China after graduating with her doctorate, he helped her to build connections and consolidate her network of relationships in the school. No wonder the vice-president mistakenly thought that Lin Zhixia was Shen Zhaohua's granddaughter.
Tears rolled down and dripped onto the back of Lin Zhixia's hand. She was afraid that Shen Zhaohua would find out, so she said in a normal tone: "Okay, I understand, Teacher Shen, you should take care of yourself. Jiang Yubai, Shen Fuxuan and I will leave first. We will come to see you another day when we are free. I can bring Senior Sister Zhu Chan over..."
Shen Zhaohua, however, coaxed her tenderly like her grandmother: "Don't cry, Xia Xia."
It would have been better if she didn't comfort her. After this, Lin Zhixia cried even harder. Tears were like pearls that had broken off the string, soaking her skirt. She stood up from her seat and tried to remain calm: "I'm sorry, Teacher Shen, I..."
"You kid... are just soft-hearted." Shen Zhaohua commented.
Jiang Yubai handed the tissue to Lin Zhixia, and Shen Rongxuan said self-deprecatingly: "Grandma, don't talk about her, I'm about to cry."
Shen Zhaohua smiled. Her fatigue seemed to have disappeared a little, and she was in a much better state than in the morning. She moved the quilt up an inch, rested her neck on the soft pillow, tilted her head back slightly, and continued: "If I really leave, don't shed tears... If you remember me, it means I haven't left, right?"
Her tone sounded like she was lecturing to students.
Jiang Yubai and Shen Fuxuan were both silent, and Shen Zhaohua looked at Lin Zhixia again. She knew that Lin Zhixia's memory was unmatched. Lin Zhixia was indeed very smart, and she quickly understood her look and replied, "Yes."
Shen Zhaohua calmly recited a line of poetry: "Life in the world will eventually end, and death in the underworld is no big deal[2]."
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