This competitive exam lasted from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
After Lin Zhixia handed in her paper, she quickly met up with her teammates.
Teammate Du Cunkang asked hurriedly: "Have you finished the last question, Lin Zhixia?"
"I've written it down." Lin Zhixia answered honestly.
Du Cunkang took a deep breath and said, "I have written half of the sixth question. The fifth question is more difficult, so I used a new method to solve it..." He picked up a pen and wrote on his palm. He listed the formula and defined the parameter range, not caring at all that the ink stained his hands.
The other three teammates were listening carefully to his ideas. Lin Zhixia took the lead in applauding him: "Very good, you should be able to get full marks on question 5."
While Lin Zhixia was speaking, the Russian player happened to pass by her.
Lin Zhixia changed her tone and praised her teammates in English: "great! I am proud of you for finding your elegant solution."
What this means is, great, I'm proud of you, you found a clever way.
Du Cunkang was stunned for a second, and then he boasted to Lin Zhixia: "You solve all problems efficiently. You are highly intelligent."
Du Cunkang praised Lin Zhixia for being able to solve all the questions and praised her for being smart. Lin Zhixia sensed the exaggeration in Du Cunkang's tone. In front of the Russian players, they praised each other in this way. Was it to encourage each other or to overwhelm their opponents?
In the noisy corridor, Alexander from the Russian team paused.
Alexander looked at Du Cunkang.
Du Cunkang admired Alexander from the bottom of his heart.
Du Cunkang's parents specially found a friend in Northeast China to help him buy a book by Alexander from Russia. Du Cunkang opened the book and saw the original Russian language. He couldn't understand even a single letter and could only repeatedly ponder the formulas and illustrations in the book.
He thought that Alexander would have a word with him.
He stood there and nodded slightly to Alexandrov.
Alexander smiled at him. He saw the smile in Alexander's eyes, like ripples on the blue sea.
The glass windows nearby were bright and clean, and the golden sunlight filled the corridor, shining on the golden hair of the Russian athlete. Outside the window was a Romanian-style building, and white clouds were floating in the vast blue sky. Du Cunkang's mentality suddenly eased a lot. It was as if he had an epiphany on the court, and the heaviest pressure in his heart was eliminated.
Previously, because he did not finish the third question while his teammates all finished it, he was tormented by guilt and felt that he had dragged down all his teammates.
Now, all his irritability, worry, shame, and panic have disappeared. He said to himself, "My fellow students, no matter what the result of this game is, we have tried our best and done our best. I am very happy to be your teammate. In the days to come, let us continue to do better and reach a higher level."
Lin Zhixia agreed: "Okay."
Then, the next second, Lin Zhixia flashed in front of Alexander.
Du Cunkang didn't react. When he came to his senses, he saw Lin Zhixia blocking Alexander's way and chatting with the Russian math genius in English.
Lin Zhixia directly raised a graph theory question, and Du Cunkang faintly heard Lin Zhixia say something like "erdos colboration graph". Du Cunkang and the other two teammates were very surprised. In their impression, Lin Zhixia never took the initiative to provoke others, so why did she act out of character today?
In fact, Lin Zhixia misunderstood Du Cunkang.
From Lin Zhixia's perspective, she only saw Du Cunkang and Alexander looked at each other. Then Du Cunkang frowned, sighed, and thought. She thought that Alexander had provoked her teammates, and she decided to get back at him.
Alexandrov is over 1.9 meters tall.
Lin Zhixia looked up at him, her neck feeling so sore.
Alexander started talking to her. She was soon deeply shocked - Alexander's Russian accent was so strong that every English word he spoke was full of Russian flavor. He spoke very fast, and his brain was spinning faster than the language could express. Lin Zhixia was confused and could only dig out his mathematical thinking from his few words.
She weighed his choice of words and acknowledged his extraordinary talent. She had also met very smart and hardworking students in winter camps in China. Everyone's talent may be displayed in different aspects, so there is no need to compare them to see who is better or worse.
The truth is this...
Lin Zhixia still couldn't help but compete with Alexander.
She imitated Alexander's speaking speed, pouring out the mathematical inferences in her head like a machine gun, reading English words so quickly that the words in her mouth seemed to stick together. Alexander showed a surprised expression.
Although they both speak English, they now seem unable to communicate.
Du Cunkang smiled awkwardly. He interrupted Lin Zhixia's long speech and led Lin Zhixia out of the examination room. The other two teammates were laughing. One of them asked, "Lin Zhixia, why do you want to discuss graph theory with Alexander? The book he published in junior high school is about graph theory."
Lin Zhixia didn't know why she was so obsessed with the dispute just now.
Maybe it was because all the Russian players looked very confident. Lin Zhixia wanted to find out whether they were really sure of winning.
The final results of the competition will be announced on the last day of the Romania Masters.
Before the results were revealed, Du Cunkang suggested that everyone go for a walk in the city center.
Lin Zhixia wanted to go shopping with her teammates, but she also remembered the horror story her brother had told her. She was full of contradictions.
Senior Luo Ying comforted her softly and tactfully: "The team leader is with us. You don't have to be afraid with the teacher here. We will all pay attention to safety. I'm holding your hand, there's no way I'll let you get lost."
Lin Zhixia discussed with her: "Can you hold me by your side forever?"
Luo Ying said, "Okay."
Luo Ying reached out her hand to Lin Zhixia, and Lin Zhixia held her tightly.
When Lin Zhixia was a child, she crossed the road with her brother, and her brother would take care of her like a senior. All her worries were dispelled, and she felt a strong sense of security in her heart.
All the students in the team marched towards the city center in a mighty manner.
Bucharest is the capital of Romania and the host city of this year's Romania Masters. Du Cunkang held a Bucharest Travel Guide in his hand and volunteered to be everyone's guide.
Many ancient buildings are preserved on the streets of Bucharest, giving people a sense of tranquility and peace. The hotels and cafes on the street have an outdoor dining area, and the curved awnings block the bright sunlight. Tourists sit under the awnings, holding bottles of wine and acting leisurely.
The teacher in charge suggested that everyone take a short break in the hotel.
Lin Zhixia asked softly, "Can we have some Romanian home cooking?"
Luo Ying looked around and chose a store with a lively atmosphere. She walked over with Lin Zhixia and said to the waiter, "Table front, please."
There were eight people in their team - four regular members, two substitutes, and two team leaders. So Luo Ying followed the waiter and found a large table that was just big enough for the eight of them to sit in a circle.
Lin Zhixia picked up the menu reverently and browsed through the hotel dishes in Romania. She memorized all the names and pictures of the dishes. Jiang Yubai had never been to Romania. Lin Zhixia wanted to write down all her experiences and share them with Jiang Yubai in detail.
Lin Zhixia ordered a dish called "sarmale cu mamaliga si ati". Du Cunkang said that this dish contained a strong Romanian style, and Lin Zhixia believed his recommendation.
When the dish was served, Lin Zhixia couldn't hold back her knife and fork and chopped the sausage on the plate. She was not used to using a knife and fork, and her movements when cutting the sausage were very brutal and fierce, which was in stark contrast to her innocent and cute appearance.
She seemed not to be dining in a downtown restaurant, but rather to be in the wild, collecting a prey she had caught. She chopped the sausage into chunks, dipped it in the sauce, put it in a cornmeal tortilla, and took a firm bite—she was very satisfied, it tasted good.
"Is it delicious?" Luo Ying asked her.
"Delicious, delicious!" Lin Zhixia answered repeatedly.
Luo Ying smiled and asked her, "Compared to the food at your house?"
Lin Zhixia spoke her mind: "My mom's cooking is the best. I want to go home as soon as possible to see my mom, dad and brother."
Lin Zhixia's short words triggered homesickness among his teammates.
After dinner, they took the time to go to the market to choose gifts for their relatives and friends.
Romania joined the European Union in January 2007. However, the currency of Romania is not the Euro, but the "leu romnesc" issued by their own country, which is translated into Romanian Leu in Chinese.
Before Lin Zhixia left, she exchanged 400 yuan of lei at the Bank of China. 400 yuan was a huge sum of money for Lin Zhixia. She wanted to bring gifts to her parents, brother, Jiang Yubai, teachers and classmates. She was dazzled by the variety of goods in the market, and Senior Luo Ying became her advisor.
She bought some affordable and attractive things and filled her schoolbag bulging out.
Returning to the hotel in the evening, Lin Zhixia took a shower and sat by the window to watch the sunset in a foreign country.
The sunset glowed red like a raging fire, the church spire rose high into the sky, a clear bell rang in the distance, and the birds in the sky all flew back to their nests. Lin Zhixia couldn't help but wonder, at this time, are her parents and brother asleep? Are they still worried about her?
She was eager to return home.
The day before I returned home, the final results of the Romanian Mathematics Masters Competition were announced.
Lin Zhixia was both happy and worried.
The good news is that her teammates performed well. They successfully won the first prize in the group competition, and their total score exceeded that of the Russian team. Russia was not even the second place, the second place was the Serbian team.
What's worrying is that Lin Zhixia ranked first in the total score, tied with Russian player Alexander Rov.
Even so, Lin Zhixia was able to win the gold medal. But she was not the only champion in 2007. When she saw the result, she was stunned. Alexandrov might really be smarter than her. Because she had read a paper related to question 6, which meant that she already knew the answer in advance. Alexandrov might have come up with a rigorous theory on the spot. He maintained a stable state in a short period of time and gave full play to his advantages.
Lin Zhixia began to reflect on her competitive mentality. She didn't care about winning or losing, nor the answers to the questions. However, in the 2007 Romania Masters, she paid too much attention to the results and neglected the thinking itself and the beauty of mathematics.
Lin Zhixia was deeply analyzing herself. She recalled what Alexander had said to her, tried to slow down his speech, and suddenly understood what he wanted to say.
So that's how it is!
Du Cunkang is right, Alexander Rov is indeed very powerful.
But, his teammates lost to Lin Zhixia's teammates.
The team finals is not a one-person battle.
Lin Zhixia felt the gold medal around her neck was heavy.
Du Cunkang did not do well on the first day of the exam, but he would rather bear the huge pressure alone and show a happy face so as not to let his teammates be negatively affected. There are also two other teammates - they did not make any mistakes in this competition.
The competition in the international mathematics competition circle is very fierce. If a participant is not careful or distracted, he or she may lose a few points. The failure of one person may drag down the whole team, and the success of one person cannot save the whole team.
The unsuccessful contestants should not be blamed, as they have done their best to solve the problems. Their seriousness in completing the competition is a kind of "competitive style".
After much thought, Lin Zhixia came up with an idea and said to her teammates on the return flight: "We were able to win first place in the team competition thanks to everyone's concerted efforts. This team gold medal represents everyone's hard work, and I will cherish it."
The teammates laughed and the air was filled with a relaxed atmosphere.
Du Cunkang repeated: "I am very happy to be teammates with you..."
Lin Zhixia helped him complete this sentence: "In the days to come, let us continue to work hard and reach a higher level!"
On the plane, six young students high-fived each other to celebrate their brilliant victory in this international competition.
The trip to Romania brought back many emotions for Lin Zhixia.
When she finally returned home to her parents, she couldn't wait to open her suitcase and give them the gifts she had carefully selected. At the same time, she expressed her unique opinion: "Mom, I always thought about you when I was abroad, and you must have been thinking about me too. I dreamed about you two nights, and you thought about me for at least two days."
Lin Zeqiu coldly called her "a bitch."
The mother immediately criticized: "Lin Zeqiu, your sister just came home, you should have a good talk with her."
Dad temporarily closed the supermarket. He hadn't seen his daughter for a long time. His daughter had just returned from abroad, and he suddenly lost interest in doing business. During the week that Lin Zhixia was abroad, her parents hardly had a good night's sleep.
Lin Zhixia didn't know what her parents had been up to this week. She rummaged through the things in her suitcase and said excitedly, "I bought a bracelet for my mom, a hat for my dad, an Easter egg for my brother... I also bought two bags of candy. I'll share the candy with my teachers and classmates when I go to school the day after tomorrow."
Mom really liked the bracelet Lin Zhixia gave her. She looked at the simple bracelet over and over again. She even asked Lin Zhixia, "How much does it cost? Is it expensive? How did you eat and sleep in Romania? Did you not let yourself down?"
Lin Zhixia said honestly: "It's not expensive. My classmates and I went to the market and bought a lot of things. I ate well every day in Romania and slept well at night. But I don't like taking long-distance flights. I can't sleep on the plane."
Mom felt sorry for her: "Xia Xia, you are so young, and you must be very tired from running around. Mom has changed your bed sheets, quilt covers and pillowcases. I washed them last night, dried them this morning, and dried them in the sun all morning. You should take a shower later and go to bed early. Tell mom what you want to eat, and mom will make it for you, and you can eat it when you wake up."
Lin Zhixia opened her bedroom door. Her room was very clean and tidy, as if she had never left. The quilt and pillow were filled with the warmth left by the sun - it was not only the warmth of the sun, but also the warmth of home.
Lin Zhixia took a bath, washed away her fatigue and tiredness, and dismissed all distractions. She hugged the little penguin to bed and relaxed from head to toe. Just as she closed her eyes, her brother knocked on her door: "Lin Zhixia."
Lin Zhixia replied dazedly: "What?"
My brother said, "Lin Zhixia, give me your little penguin."
Lin Zhixia grabbed the quilt and covered her head: "I don't have a little penguin."
The brother walked into Lin Zhixia's bedroom and stood beside her bed: "Your penguin has been with you in a hotel for a week. How can you still hold it? Your sheets, quilt covers, and pillowcases are all clean. You have also taken a shower. Your penguin is dirty."
My brother's words were not pleasant to hear, but he was right.
Lin Zhixia reached out from under the quilt in a daze and handed the little penguin to her brother. Her brother took the penguin and went out. Lin Zhixia didn't realize what was wrong. She was too sleepy. She had been suffering for more than ten hours on the plane without closing her eyes, and now, she was lying in the most familiar place, and sleepiness swept through her mind.
She heard a "clack clack" sound coming from the balcony. At this moment, she realized that her brother was very afraid of penguins and had many nightmares. In his previous life, his brother might have been a fish in the Antarctic Ocean. Why did he suddenly take away Lin Zhixia's plush penguin toy? Did he want to throw the penguin away?
As soon as this thought came to her mind, Lin Zhixia suddenly woke up. She quickly put on her slippers and looked for her brother.
At this moment, Lin Zeqiu was sitting on a bench on the balcony. At his feet was a wooden basin filled with tap water. He was wearing a pair of rubber gloves and was scrubbing the little penguin with a washboard.
On weekdays, Mom often washes the little penguin by hand. But this time, Lin Zeqiu took the initiative to take on the task. He washed it very hard, and in his pocket was the Romanian Easter egg that Lin Zhixia gave him.
Lin Zhixia told him that the Romanian Easter eggs are a symbol of good luck. She gave the eggs to her brother, hoping that he would have good luck, pass every exam smoothly, and be happy every day.
He was willing to wash the penguin while thinking about Lin Zhixia's words. He was also going to help Lin Zhixia pack her luggage and put the things she brought back in order.
Lin Zeqiu pulled up his trouser legs and moved the basin, and the cool water splashed on his ankles. He heard Lin Zhixia's voice: "Brother, are you not afraid of penguins?"
Lin Zeqiu suddenly raised his head: "Aren't you sleeping?"
Lin Zhixia yawned: "I heard you using the washboard."
"Did I disturb you? It will be over soon." Lin Zeqiu turned on the faucet on the balcony and rinsed the little penguin directly.
Just as Lin Zhixia was about to step onto the balcony, Lin Zeqiu stopped her and said, "Go back and close your bedroom door. Don't come over here, the floor is very wet."
"Thank you, brother. You are the best brother." She said solemnly.
Lin Zeqiu was wearing rubber shoes, his hands soaked in a basin of water. The temperature was low in early March, and the cold wind blew through the gaps in the window, gently blowing on his neck. He half lowered his head, and his wrist slid another inch into the cold water. He did not respond, but said in a voice deeper than usual: "Okay, stop talking nonsense to me, go back to sleep."
"Okay, brother should also go to bed early." Lin Zhixia replied.
My brother was so afraid of penguins, but tonight his temperament changed drastically, and Xianhui was considerate enough to give the little penguin a bath. Why was this? After a little thought, Lin Zhixia came up with a reason - it might be because the gift Lin Zhixia gave to her brother deeply touched him.
In fact, Lin Zhixia bought two Easter eggs.
She gave one to her brother.
And she handed the other Easter egg to Jiang Yubai.
In early March, a giant banner was hung on the campus of the Provincial No. 1 Middle School. In red and yellow letters, it read, "Warm congratulations to our student Lin Zhixia for winning the individual championship and the first prize in the team at the 2007 Romanian Mathematics Masters Competition!"
Lin Zhixia, carrying her schoolbag, calmly walked past the banner.
She heard classmates from different grades talking about her. Some called her the "God of Math in Grade 8" and some called her the "Little Princess of Competition". She was amused by those exaggerated titles. She ran in the teaching building of the junior high school and happily ran into the Grade 2 (17) class.
At 7:30 in the morning, Jiang Yubai had already arrived at school. The seat next to him was empty. Lin Zhixia came to him without hesitation and called him with a smiling tone: "Jiang Jiang Jiang Jiang Yubai!"
Jiang Yubai was stunned for a moment. He took out his pencil case and textbooks, placed them on the table, and replied nonchalantly, "Linlinlinlinzhixia."
Lin Zhixia took out a Romanian Easter egg from her pocket. She pushed the eggshell with her fingers, and the egg rolled to Jiang Yubai's eyes.
She looked at him and said to him, "Jiang Yubai, this is a gift I brought back from Romania. This kind of Easter egg represents good luck. You must have heard of the origin of Easter eggs. It is a symbol of Easter and also symbolizes the spring when all things awaken. I hope Jiang Yubai will always have good luck and live in the sunshine of spring forever. The sunshine will sweep away all the haze and make your future full of light."
"You too," Jiang Yubai held the Easter egg, "your future will be full of light."
Jiang Yubai seemed to appreciate the gift Lin Zhixia gave him. He put the Easter egg in his pencil case and took it out from time to time to play with it. He also poked the Easter egg with his fingertips, making it spin gently on his desk.
When the students nearby saw it, they wanted to borrow it to play with it, but Jiang Yubai refused. He found many reasons, but in short, no student could take the egg away from Jiang Yubai.
Jiang Yubai played with the Easter eggs, and Lin Zhixia gave him the gold medal of the Romanian Masters. He opened his schoolbag and handed Lin Zhixia the notebook that recorded his life during this period. Lin Zhixia also put her own notebook into his drawer.
"We really haven't separated," Lin Zhixia hugged the notebook, "No matter where Captain Lin Zhixia went, she would return to that spaceship."
Jiang Yubai flipped through Lin Zhixia's travel notes about Romania and concluded in a very cooperative manner: "Captain Lin Zhixia concluded the Romanian expedition and obtained the gold medal and Easter eggs."
"Can I come to your house this Saturday?" Lin Zhixia asked.
"Sure." Jiang Yubai gave a very affirmative answer.
Jiang Yubai originally thought that Lin Zhixia would be too busy to see anyone after winning the Romania Masters. Unexpectedly, Lin Zhixia still remembered their agreement. By the way, Lin Zhixia would not forget. She could remember everything.
Jiang Yubai had been preparing to entertain Lin Zhixia since last month. At the beginning of this month, he had already informed his parents in advance. His mother suggested that he should not invite Lin Zhixia alone, but should bring other classmates or friends. Jiang Yubai declined his mother's suggestion. His mother did not say anything, but his uncle said, "If a little girl comes to our house alone, she still needs someone to accompany her..."
Jiang Yubai relayed his uncle's words to Lin Zhixia.
Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai have known each other for three years. She has carefully observed Jiang Yubai's every word and action, and to be honest, she has great faith in his character and demeanor.
Therefore, on Saturday morning, when Jiang Yubai arrived at the gate of Ancheng Community in his family's car, he only saw Lin Zhixia. Lin Zhixia ran towards him with her schoolbag on her back.
She said, "I told my parents that I wanted to go to my classmate's house to play. They agreed, but I didn't tell my brother. If my brother guessed that I wanted to play with you, he would definitely not let me go out."
Jiang Yubai didn't expect Lin Zeqiu to be so hostile to him. Coincidentally, he didn't have a good impression of Lin Zeqiu either.
He changed the topic and talked to Lin Zhixia about the Romanian Masters. Lin Zhixia described the details of the questions with interest, and Jiang Yubai followed her thoughts to think about mathematics. Before they knew it, they arrived at Jiang Yubai's manor.
Jiang Yubai got out of the car first. He opened the door and led Lin Zhixia out of the parking lot.
It was a quiet Saturday morning. The manor was covered with green grass and colorful flowers. The last time Lin Zhixia came to Jiang Yubai's house, she didn't notice the magnificent view of the back garden. She walked and looked, and exclaimed: "Jiang Yubai, your garden is so beautiful!"
"The scenery is better in summer." Jiang Yubai commented objectively.
Lin Zhixia asked him: "What flowers will bloom in summer?"
Jiang Yubai said: "There are lotus flowers in the pond."
Lin Zhixia saw the pond in the distance. In the center of the pond was a statue of a galloping black horse, standing on a rock. There were two holes on the left and right sides of the rock, and clear water was gushing down - this was the fountain of a wealthy family.
The gardeners were working in the garden. They carefully trimmed the bushes into very ingenious shapes. Lin Zhixia looked around and was overwhelmed. Jiang Yubai was still leading the way for her. When she arrived at the door of the private museum, she held the "museum pass" and took a step forward with a sense of ceremony.
Lin Zhixia said cheerfully, "Thank you for your pass, Jiang Yubai."
Jiang Yubai opened the glass door and waited until Lin Zhixia stepped into the room before he let go and closed the door. He told Lin Zhixia again: "That is a permanent pass."
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