On the other side, Chen Peng and the others' problems seemed to be temporarily solved. Li Wei turned her head and saw the conversation between Lu Qingyang and Yan Qiang.
She came over curiously and asked, "Hey, brother, what did you do before? Looking at your work clothes, you must be a technician, right?"
Yan Qiang smiled, with a bit of pride and a bit of emotion:
“I worked as a fitter at the Hudong Shipyard for more than a decade. The country wanted to achieve the Four Modernizations, and we needed people who understood technology and theory.
The factory encouraged us to take the exam, and we studied very hard, but we never expected that we would actually take the exam.”
Having said that, Yan Qiang had some basic skills before, having attended high school.
It took a lot of experience to pick up the book again this time.
He patted the table and read "Advanced Mathematics".
"This thing is much harder to chew than a wrench or hammer, but no matter how hard it is, I have to chew it!"
"Wow! The shipyard is so amazing!" Li Wei exclaimed sincerely.
"What's so great about it?" Zhao Rui was still leaning back in his chair, his fingers unconsciously twirling a pencil, without even lifting his eyelids.
"Do you think you're impressive for getting here? Naive! Getting in is just a ticket to admission. It proves you've studied well before, or maybe just luck. Real learning starts here. Compared to the world's cutting-edge technology, we're not even a bit behind. We only have experience as a shipyard fitter."
He scoffed softly and shook his head.
The atmosphere in the classroom suddenly became tense.
The smile on Li Wei's face froze. She didn't expect Zhao Rui to be so direct, even mean.
Chen Peng frowned, obviously thinking that Zhao Rui's words were too much.
Zhou Zhe pushed up his glasses, his eyes behind the lenses shifting between Zhao Rui and Yan Qiang. He didn't say anything, but his lips were tightly pursed.
The one who felt this contempt most directly was Yan Qiang.
He opened and closed his mouth, his Adam's apple rolling violently a few times, wanting to refute, but in the end no words came out.
He was not very good at speaking and did not fit in with the young people in the classroom.
Li Wei wanted to speak up to smooth things over, but she didn't know what to say, nor did she know how to refute.
"Comrade Zhao Rui, you're right. It starts with getting in here."
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Lu Qingyang.
He didn't know when he had stood up.
Zhao Rui raised his eyebrows somewhat knowingly, as if he didn't expect anyone to respond.
He still maintained that lazy posture, but stopped spinning the pen, waiting for the next step.
"Looking up at the stars and pursuing the forefront of the world are the mission and pursuit of physicists. This is correct. We must also strive to climb on the shoulders of giants such as Newton, Maxwell, and Einstein."
"But, Comrade Zhao Rui, I'll be frank. To disregard the ground beneath your feet, to deny the practice of turning 'lines on the blueprint into iron lumps on the slipway,' and to deny the experience and wisdom accumulated by solving practical problems in specific positions, is not only short-sighted but also ignorant."
Zhao Rui's nonchalant expression froze instantly.
"You." He sat up straight abruptly, his face showing obvious anger for the first time.
He was used to looking down on others with his intellectual superiority, and was used to others' silence or confusion about his unorthodox remarks. He never thought that he would be publicly denounced as "ignorant".
Lu Qingyang did not retreat and continued to speak calmly:
"Without countless practitioners like Brother Yan Qiang, who use their hands and sweat to solve specific problems in factories, fields, and mines, no matter how profound the theory is, it will not be a castle in the air. The 'world frontier' you speak of is based on countless seemingly 'insignificant' specific applications and technological breakthroughs."
"Brother Yan's experience as a fitter in the shipyard for more than a decade is more than just how to tighten screws.
That means the most intuitive grasp of material properties, the simplest understanding of structural requirements, and the most profound understanding of process flow!
These experiences are living knowledge that cannot be learned from books!
They may not be perfectly expressed using the mathematical formulas you are familiar with, but the problem-solving ideas and simple application of physical laws they contain are precisely the valuable bridges connecting the theoretical world with the real world!
Lu Qingyang's words instantly opened the floodgates in Yan Qiang's heart.
He suddenly raised his head and looked at Lu Qingyang, his eyes actually a little red.
"What do you know?!" Zhao Rui was completely enraged. He stood up suddenly, and the chair legs made a harsh friction sound on the ground.
"You're a freshman, what are you talking about here? Practice? Experience? In the face of absolute theoretical heights, those are primitive, crude things that need to be refined and surpassed.
The essence of physics and the ultimate laws of the universe are not about how to weld a piece of steel plate or how to improve the pitiful thermal efficiency.
Your pragmatic approach will only lower the level of our exploration! You don't understand real physics at all! "
Zhao Rui's words were full of aggression, even a little careless.
Li Wei covered her mouth in fear.
Chen Peng and Zhou Zhe both stood up. Chen Peng tried to smooth things over: "Zhao Rui! Calm down! Student Lu didn't mean that..."
"That's what I mean." Lu Qingyang's voice was still calm, even steadier than before.
He looked at Zhao Rui, who was blushing and even a little embarrassed, and said calmly:
"Exploring the ultimate laws of the universe and solving specific problems in the real world have never been an either-or conflict.
Without practical verification and feedback, how can theory advance? Without theoretical guidance, how can practice break through bottlenecks?
Comrade Zhao Rui, didn't one of the inspirations for Einstein's theory of relativity, which you admire, come from his contemplation of what one would see if one were to follow light? "
He took a step forward, his eyes piercing, as if he could see through Zhao Rui's arrogant shell:
“True ignorance is not about not understanding a certain field of knowledge, but about refusing to acknowledge the diversity of knowledge forms and the value of practical wisdom. It is about confining oneself in an ivory tower of pure theory and feeling complacent about it.
Brother Yan Qiang's experience may be 'rough,' but the wisdom imbued with the fragrance of earth and sweat is a treasure you could never imagine sitting in a classroom. You despise it, not because it's truly worthless, but because your vision and heart can't yet accommodate this earthly power.
Every word of Lu Qingyang's words was like a heavy hammer, hitting everyone's heart, and also hitting Zhao Rui's sensitive and conceited nerves.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
