Zhu Youliang followed the attendant to the front carriage and finally stopped in front of the carriage specially serving foreign affairs personnel.
Minister Chen, whom he had met earlier, was delighted to see him coming and said, "Comrade Zhu Youliang, thank you very much for your support of our Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr. Smithson is very satisfied with you, so I thought of inviting you here. Thank you for your help."
Zhu Youliang said hurriedly: "It's no trouble. It's my honor to contribute to the country."
Minister Chen nodded and invited him over. Just now, he had called someone to check and found out that Zhu Youliang was indeed a new student at Northwestern Polytechnical University this year, and he was also the descendant of a farmer, so there was no problem with his identity.
Smithson was very happy to see Zhu Youliang and stood up and said, "Hello, Zhu."
Zhu Youliang hurried over to shake his hand. Smithson had come to inspect an automobile engine factory. Minister Chen had thought to find an interpreter on the train because his translator was ill. The new interpreters didn't know much about engines, so their translation wasn't very accurate. Smithson, a demanding individual, was naturally not very satisfied. While Zhu Youliang was getting water, he heard about this and approached the train attendant, explaining his interest in machinery, his previous experience at an agricultural machinery station, and his excellent English. He was then invited for a trial. Smithson didn't agree immediately, saying he wanted to see other candidates, so Zhu Youliang left shortly, only to be called back again.
Zhu Youliang's task was simple and involved no confidential information. It primarily involved helping Smithson and Minister Chen discuss the general procedures for the inspection. After a long back-and-forth, the two finally agreed. By then, it was already dark. Smithson gave Zhu Youliang a bottle of perfume as a thank-you gift, and Minister Chen gave him five dollars as payment for his work before seeing him off.
Zhu Youliang didn't hesitate and took all the food.
Liang Yuan was very happy to see him back. Without asking anything, she leaned her head over and closed her eyes.
Wang Zhizhi, who was sitting opposite, asked curiously, "Comrade Zhu, can I ask why the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants you here?"
"Their translator is sick, and they're looking for someone to translate," Zhu Youliang said without hiding anything. "So your spoken English is excellent? But aren't you from the countryside? I don't mean to look down on you. Most of my former classmates from the countryside had good grades, but they just couldn't speak," Wang Zhizhi explained.
Zhu Youliang didn't think much of it. "It's okay. I also learned it from Yuanyuan and one of my colleagues. They all speak English very well."
Lin Yingxiu suddenly said, "Comrade Zhu, you don't look like a country boy at all."
The old woman said unhappily, "Why don't you look like a country boy? We country people have talents too. Look at the young man's dark face. You can tell he works in the fields a lot. He's very hardworking."
Lin Yingxiu realized that she had said the wrong thing and quickly said, "I just wanted to say that Comrade Zhu is very outstanding. Sorry, I said the wrong thing."
Wang Zhizhi said nonchalantly, "It's okay, Yingxiu. Comrade Lin will understand. He's not a stingy person at first glance."
Zhu Youliang looked at Wang Zhizhi in surprise, but said nothing.
Lin Yingxiu had been paying attention to him, so she naturally saw what he had said. She wanted to explain, but when she saw Zhu Youliang turned his gaze to the window, she shut up.
As the night deepened, the carriage became quieter and quieter.
Zhu Youliang gazed at the twinkling candlelight in the distance, thinking about what Minister Chen had just said to Smithson, and a sense of sadness welled up inside him. Coming from the future, he knew a little about this period. In the interstellar age, the concept of nation-state had become utterly blurred. Humanity had become a community, and classes were redefined by military prowess. So, despite his long time here and his contributions, he still felt like an outsider. But today, seeing Minister Chen's careful and cautious approach to foreign guests, he suddenly felt a sense of reality here. It wasn't just Minister Chen who resonated with him, but also Teacher Sun and Chen Youguo, which was why he generously donated money to the elementary school. He saw a quality in these people, a quality that some interstellar people still hold onto. This quality was particularly precious, and it made him want to do something for this place. They showed him the beauty of this era. Despite its shortcomings and the scars it bears, everyone still strives to live, seeks change, and strives for a better future. It was just like when they had answered the call to explore Planet 233.
…
The train arrived in Chang'an the next day. The two carried their belongings along the way and searched the train station for a long time before they found the place where Xi'an Jiaotong University received new students.
Things went much more smoothly after that, and they arrived at Northwestern Polytechnical University not long after. Even though the registration deadline was still a day away, the campus was already bustling with activity. Because Liang Yuan had a lot of stuff to carry, and since he had a senior student to help him, he refused to let Zhu Youliang carry her. They went to their separate dormitories, agreeing to meet again once they were settled. Although they were in the same department, they weren't in the same major, and naturally, they were in different classes.
The senior who sent Liang Yuan away saw that she was beautiful and wanted to show his courtesy to her. However, the first thing Liang Yuan said was that the man who came with me was my husband.
The senior student immediately became dispirited, but he still carried the luggage along the way and politely escorted Liang Yuan to the dormitory entrance.
At that time, they were living in bunk beds. Liang Yuan had arrived late, so the only upper bunk left was by the door. She wasn't picky, quickly climbing onto the bed and starting to make it. She was only halfway done when everyone who had left the dormitory returned. Seeing someone, they all looked up at her.
The girl in the middle, wearing a floral jacket, was the first to ask, "Comrade, which department are you from?"
Liang Yuan quickly raised her head and smiled, "Hello, my name is Liang Yuan, and I'm a student in the second class of Mechanical Engineering, majoring in engines."
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