"Brother Zhang, please arrange for a teacher to come over. We'll learn Y language at school, and Aunt Wang will teach us at home. I should be able to learn it quickly."
"You brat, what am I going to do if you go abroad? I can't go out of the country anyway!"
"Grandpa, I'm contributing to the country."
"Stop spouting those high-sounding platitudes." Gu Chuanming was extremely annoyed.
"Hehe, Grandpa, I just think we're lagging behind because of our technology, so I'm thinking about going out to see the world. Don't worry, if I can go, I won't be back for more than three years."
"Three years? It's questionable whether I can even live for three more years."
"Then you'd better take good care of yourself, Grandpa. Wait for me to come back, to see me get married and have children, and I'll take care of you in the future."
"Hmph, all talk and no action, you're just trying to fool me."
"How could that be? I mean it."
"Alright, you two don't need to rush. This matter is still being handled by the leaders." Kong Mingde quickly smoothed things over, as the old man was not easy to persuade.
"Grandpa, don't worry, I will definitely study hard. Even if I can't go abroad now, I will still learn languages. It's always good to have more skills. You should believe me."
Zhang Shouyi remained silent. In truth, sending Zhang Hongmei would have been in his best interest. However, he was deeply unwilling to let his beloved girl leave his side.
Gu Chuanming didn't say anything more, and the atmosphere became extremely awkward.
Zhao Changlong hated this kind of atmosphere the most. "Alright, it's not even close to being settled yet, what's the rush? You've lived for so long without this girl, three years will pass in the blink of an eye. Honestly, the older you get, the less likable you become."
Gu Chuanming wasn't in the mood to argue with him anymore. Rationally, the girl was right, but emotionally, he felt he shouldn't let her go. He was torn between his feelings and his mind was a mess.
It was almost nine o'clock when Kong Mingde stood up. "Old Chief, Leader, it's getting late. We'll be leaving now. Take it easy, the kids will have to go out and make their way in the world eventually."
Zhang Hongmei got up and saw the three off, leaving only the three of them in the living room.
"Old Gu, let her go. She is the most suitable candidate."
Gu Chuanming looked at Zhang Hongmei with a complicated expression. "Go ahead, I'll wait for you at home." He then stood up and left.
Zhang Hongmei disliked this kind of atmosphere the most; it was somewhat melancholic.
Actually, I've been thinking about this idea for a long time. If we had computers and the internet, the country would experience a qualitative leap, and I might be able to learn it. But I'm all alone, so I thought of taking a few people with me. I would never admit that it was because I was afraid of being alone.
Zhang Shouyi looked at Zhang Hongmei, who was sitting there in a daze, walked over, and picked her up in his arms.
Zhang Hongmei realized what was happening, struggled for a moment, and then sat down again.
Zhang Shouyi sat down next to her and said, “Actually, I started working on this a year ago, and it’s already showing promise. Under normal circumstances, it should be ready by the end of this year or the beginning of next year. I’m also training a few people. If you’re determined to go, then I will send those people over to participate in the training camp with you.”
"Brother Zhang, how many people did you arrange?"
"Five men and three women."
"Brother Zhang, what's the maximum number of people that can go at once?"
"There's no fixed number; if I request it, it will be around fifteen people."
"Actually, I wanted Cheng Guangxu from our school's mathematics department to go there. He is very meticulous in his work. I guess since it is called computer science, it should be closely related to mathematics."
Also, I think you could arrange for two or three people to study foreign economics.
"Sure, eight out of the fifteen have already been assigned. You can choose the rest."
Hongmei, to be honest, I don't want you to go. But we trust each other, and I feel most at ease if you go. I'm really conflicted right now.
"Hehe. What's the contradiction?"
"Hehe, I'm just afraid you'll be tempted by the outside world and won't come back."
"How could that be? This is my home. I used to have no time to play, I only focused on studying. I hope I can learn all the advanced things from others."
"That's great, don't worry. I'll be waiting for you at home."
"I will arrange for everyone to go to the school by noon tomorrow. The school will make special arrangements for them."
"But I originally planned to study during my spare time, and this arrangement will affect our studies."
"It's okay, they'll adapt to your schedule. I have faith in you. But can your classmates learn Y language in such a short time?"
"Actually, I think even if I study for a year, it won't be the same. There's no atmosphere. I'm thinking of learning some simple things so that I can adapt quickly when I go abroad."
“Okay, those eight people won’t go to school. They can continue with the same steps as before. You can use your lunch break and evenings to study.”
"I think this is the best way. Wait for me to let you know. I haven't decided which people to send yet."
"Alright, go back and rest." Zhang Shouyi also had to leave. He had a lot of work piled up, and he hadn't arranged for anyone to stay outside today.
Zhang Hongmei lay in bed, her mind at peace. This was actually the best decision, though perhaps it was a bit too obvious that all fifteen of them were going to the same country.
Then he laughed. This wasn't something he should be worried about. With Zhang Shouyi's meticulousness, he wouldn't make a mistake. He was just worrying unnecessarily.
The next morning, he dragged Gu Chuanming to practice Tai Chi before eating breakfast and going to school.
Zhang Hongmei hadn't decided on the rest of the candidates until now, when the number of people was clear, she could make the decision. Besides herself, there were six spots left; she wanted to choose two from the Mathematics Department and the rest from the Economics Department.
Personally, I should still consider my own class first; so be it.
We'll have to ask Liu Jingze. It's unlikely; political science majors generally don't go abroad. I'm worried this might have an impact on their future.
Zhang Hongmei no longer dwells on her past life. Things that should have happened long ago haven't, so she'll just follow her own path from now on. Looking back and worrying about the future is not a good thing.
Upon entering the classroom, Liang Yongmin called over and said, "There's something I want to tell you two beforehand. There might be an opportunity to study abroad. What do you think? There are six spots in total. Don't tell anyone yet. I'll go ask the principal right away. If the school doesn't have any arrangements, we'll choose two from the Mathematics Department, and the rest from our Economics Department. You two should think about it."
After finishing her sentence, Zhang Hongmei went to the principal's office. She knocked, received a reply, went in, and asked directly, "Principal, there are seven spots available for studying abroad. I'm one of them. Will the remaining six spots be allocated by the school or will I decide for myself?"
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