Chapter 254 The Grand Finale
One morning in April 1978, Gu Baobao was awakened by birdsong outside her window.
She opened her eyes and found that Lu Zhanming was already awake, lying on his side, staring at her intently.
The morning light filtered through the gaps in the curtains, casting a soft outline on his face.
"What are you looking at?"
Her voice carried the languidness of someone who had just woken up.
"Look at you."
He reached out and gently traced the outline of her eyebrows and eyes with his fingertips.
"I've watched it for twelve years, and I still can't get enough."
Gu Baobao's face flushed slightly as she buried her face in his chest.
A forty-year-old man can still be so straightforward and touching when he says sweet nothings.
I got up, cooked, and took the children to school—a school inside the research institute, which also had a very high level of security.
When she returned, the director of the research institute was already waiting for her in his office.
The elderly academician, with his gray hair, had a rare, excited glow on his face today.
“Professor Gu,” he handed over a document, “it’s been approved.”
Gu Baobao took it.
It is an official document jointly issued by the State Council and the Central Military Commission, with the title in large print:
Notice on the Establishment of the National Institute of Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
The document clarifies that the research institute is a vice-ministerial level unit, directly under the State Council's Science and Education Group, and comprises six research institutes:
The Institute of Chemical Drugs, the Institute of Biological Products, the Institute of Modernization of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Institute of Military Medicine, the Institute of Public Health, and the Institute of Basic Medicine.
In the section for the candidate for dean, her name was written: Gu Baobao.
A line of smaller print follows: Also serves as the chief scientist in the field of biotechnology under the 863 Program.
"The 863 Program,"
This was the first national-level high-tech development plan spurred by her report.
She never imagined that she would become one of the pioneers of this groundbreaking project.
"And this too."
The director handed over another envelope.
Gu Baobao opened it; it was a handwritten letter.
The handwriting was strong and powerful. She recognized it as the comrade Zhang Huasheng, whom she had saved from the brink of death on New Year's Eve. He was now the chief engineer of a major national defense project.
The letter is very short:
"Dr. Gu: I am very pleased to hear that you will be taking charge of the National Institute of Medical Research. If it weren't for your skillful treatment back then, I would have died long ago."
Today, we, the younger generation, are dedicated to forging swords, while you, the younger generation, are devoted to manufacturing medicine; both are of great importance to the nation. May you achieve even greater glory and protect the health and well-being of countless national heroes. Zhang Huasheng, April 1978.
Gu Baobao held the letter in her hand, her fingertips trembling slightly.
The director said softly:
"It's not just Chief Engineer Zhang. Chief Engineer Qian, Academician Wang, and those people you saved at the Northwest Base... Upon hearing this news, they all asked someone to pass on the message: We feel at ease with Dr. Gu as the dean."
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Twelve years.
From crawling up from the riverbank in Qinghetun to standing in this position that will soon lead the future of a nation's pharmaceutical industry.
This path offers inspiration, systematic approaches, and cutting-edge knowledge, but even more so, it involves countless hours of dedicated work on the operating table, sleepless nights in the laboratory, and difficult choices made amidst the challenges of the times.
And now, a new journey begins.
That evening, the family of four returned to the courtyard house.
Gu Baobao moved a chair and sat under the pomegranate tree. Lu Xiao and Lu Shu chased each other in the yard, their laughter ringing out.
Lu Zhanming came out of the house with a light jacket in his hand. In the capital in April, it was still a bit chilly in the evening.
He habitually draped his coat over her shoulders, then knelt down beside her and took her hand.
Are you nervous?
He asked.
A little.
Gu Baobao honestly said,
"This burden is too heavy."
"You can handle it."
Lu Zhanming pressed her hand against his face.
"For twelve years, I have watched you grow from a barefoot doctor apprentice in Qinghetun to where you are today."
The people you saved, the medicine you provided, the national treasures you protected—every single one of them proves that you can shoulder the responsibility.
He paused, his voice low and firm:
"Besides, I'm still here, aren't I? You charge forward, and I'll protect your back. I'll always protect you."
Gu Baobao looked at him, at the man who had protected her with his life for twelve years.
Time has etched fine lines around his eyes, but his gaze remains as bright as ever.
He was focused, passionate, and his heart and eyes were only for her.
She leaned down and kissed his forehead.
"husband."
"Um?"
"Thank you."
"Nonsense."
The sun had completely set, leaving only a last glimmer of crimson on the horizon.
The lights in the courtyard came on, casting a warm, dim glow.
In the distance, a radio was on in someone's house, the volume turned down low, but enough to drift into the yard.
"...The spring of science has arrived...We must emancipate our minds, seek truth from facts, and unite to look forward..."
The spring breeze rustles through the courtyard, making the tender leaves of the pomegranate tree whisper in the breeze.
Gu Baobao raised her head and looked up at the deep blue night sky.
There, the first few stars have already lit up.
She suddenly remembered many years ago, on the old kang (heated brick bed) in Qinghetun, her grandmother Wu Guixiang patted her head and said:
“My dear, life is like farming. You need to plant your roots deep, straighten your seedlings, water them when they need watering, fertilize them when they need fertilizing, and leave the rest to God. When the time comes, they will naturally blossom and bear fruit.”
Now, she finally understands.
Its roots are deeply embedded in this land.
In the black soil of Qinghetun, among the reefs of the island, beneath the red walls of the capital, and even more so in the hearts of those she has protected.
What she needs to do is continue to grow, continue to blossom, and continue to use her medical skills to protect more lives, families, ideals, and futures that need protection.
What will the future hold?
She didn't know the specific answer.
But she knew that she had deep roots, was accompanied by love, had a country to serve, and a dream to pursue:
Such a tomorrow is worth looking forward to, creating, and protecting with all our enthusiasm.
The night breeze was gentle, and the stars gradually brightened.
On this new and hopeful spring night, everything is just beginning.
(End of article)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com