This competitive exam lasted from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
After Lin Zhixia handed in the paper, she quickly reunited 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 wrote half of the sixth question. The fifth question was 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 minding the ink staining his hands.
The other three teammates were listening carefully to his ideas. Lin Zhixia took the lead in applauding him: "Great! You should be able to get full marks on the fifth question."
While Lin Zhixia was speaking, the Russian player happened to pass by her.
Lin Zhixia changed her words and praised her teammates in English: "great! I'm proud of you for finding such an elegant solution."
What this means is, great, I'm proud of you, you found a clever way to do it.
Du Cunkang was stunned for a second, and boasted to Lin Zhixia: "You can solve all problems and 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. Were they encouraging each other or trying 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 written by Alexander from Russia. Du Cunkang opened the book and saw the original Russian language. He could not 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 towards Alexandrov.
Alexander smiled at him. He saw the smile in Alexander's eyes, like ripples in 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 broad blue sky. Du Cunkang's mentality suddenly eased a lot. It was as if he had an epiphany on the field, and the heaviest pressure in his heart was eliminated.
Previously, because he did not finish the third question while his teammates had 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: "Classmates, 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 keep up the good work and reach a higher level."
Lin Zhixia agreed: "Okay."
Then, the next second, Lin Zhixia rushed 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 collaboration 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 Alexandrov exchange a glance. Then Du Cunkang frowned, sighed, and looked like he was thinking. She thought Alexandrov 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 began to speak to her. She was soon deeply shocked—Alexandrov's Russian accent was so strong that every English word he spoke was full of Russian flavor. He spoke very fast, and his brain's speed exceeded the speed of language expression. Lin Zhixia was confused and could only dig out his mathematical thinking from his few words.
She weighed his words and admitted that he was extremely talented. She had also seen very smart and hardworking classmates in winter camps in China. Everyone's talents may be displayed in different places, so there is no need to compare them and tell which one is better.
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 brain like a machine gun, and 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 of pride 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 Romanian Masters.
Before the results were announced, Du Cunkang suggested that everyone go for a walk in the city center together.
On the one hand, Lin Zhixia wanted to go shopping with her teammates, but on the other hand, she 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 all the way. You don't have to be afraid with the teacher here. We will all pay attention to safety. I will hold your hand and there is no way you will get lost."
Lin Zhixia discussed with her: "Senior, can you hold my hand all the time?"
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 Romanian Masters. Du Cunkang held a Bucharest Travel Guide in his hand and volunteered to be everyone's guide.
Many old buildings are preserved on the streets of Bucharest, giving people a sense of tranquility and peace. The restaurants and cafes on the street have an outdoor dining area, and the curved pergola blocks the bright sunshine. Tourists sit under the pergola, holding bottles of wine, and behave leisurely.
The teacher in charge suggested that everyone take a short rest 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 for eight, 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 held up the menu reverently and looked through the Romanian restaurant dishes. She memorized all the names and patterns 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 "sarmalemamaligacarnati". 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 she chopped the sausage on the plate. She was not used to using a knife and fork, and her movements of cutting the sausage were very brutal and fierce, which was in stark contrast to her innocent and lovely 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 pieces, dipped it in the sauce, put it in a cornmeal tortilla, and took a firm bite - she was satisfied, it tasted good.
"Is it delicious?" Luo Ying asked her.
"Delicious, delicious!" Lin Zhixia replied repeatedly.
Luo Ying smiled and asked her: "Compared to the food at your home?"
Lin Zhixia spoke her mind: "My mom's cooking is the best. I want to go home soon and see my mom, dad and brother."
Lin Zhixia's short words triggered homesickness among his teammates.
After dinner, they hurried to the market to pick out 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 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 nice things and filled her schoolbag with them.
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 soared into the sky, a clear bell rang in the distance, and the birds in the sky flew back to their nests. Lin Zhixia couldn't help but wonder, at this time, are my parents and brother asleep? Are they still worried about her
She was eager to go home.
The day before I returned home, the final results of the Romanian Mathematics Masters were announced.
Lin Zhixia had both joy and sorrow.
Fortunately, 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 is 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. And 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 mentality in competitions. She didn't care about winning or losing, or the answers to the questions. However, in the 2007 Romanian 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 Alexandrov had said to her in her mind, 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 capable.
But, his teammates lost to Lin Zhixia's teammates.
The team finals is not a one-man 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. 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 contestant is not careful or distracted, he 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 contestants who lost should not be blamed, as they had done their best to solve the problems. Their seriousness in completing the competition was 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 a relaxed atmosphere filled the air.
Du Cunkang repeated: "I am very happy to be your teammate..."
Lin Zhixia helped him complete the 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 feelings 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: "Mom-clinging spirit."
My mother immediately criticized me: "Lin Zeqiu, your sister just came home, you should talk to her nicely."
Dad temporarily closed the supermarket. He hadn't seen his daughter for a long time. His daughter had just returned from abroad, so he suddenly lost interest in doing business. During the week that Lin Zhixia was abroad, her parents barely 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, and an Easter egg for my brother... I also bought two bags of candy. The day after tomorrow I'll go to school and share the candy with my teachers and classmates."
Mom liked the bracelet Lin Zhixia gave her very much. Mom looked at the simple bracelet over and over again. She even asked Lin Zhixia, "How much is this? Is it expensive? How did you eat and sleep in Romania? Did you not lose out?"
Lin Zhixia said honestly: "This is not expensive. My classmates and I went to the market and bought several 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."
Her mother felt sorry for her: "Xia Xia, you are so young, and you must be very tired running around. I have 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 bath later and go to bed early. Tell me what you want to eat, and I 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—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 responded 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 followed you and stayed in the hotel for a week. How could you still hold it? Your sheets, quilt covers, and pillowcases are all clean, and you have 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 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 rustling sound coming from the balcony. At this moment, she realized that her brother was very afraid of penguins and had many nightmares. He might have been a fish in the Antarctic Ocean in his previous life. Why did he suddenly take away Lin Zhixia's little penguin plush toy? Was he going to throw the little penguin away
As soon as this thought came to her mind, Lin Zhixia suddenly came to her senses. 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 washing the little penguin with a washboard.
On weekdays, my mother 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 egg that Lin Zhixia gave him.
Lin Zhixia told him that Romanian 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 what Lin Zhixia said. 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 cold water splashed on his ankles. He heard Lin Zhixia's voice: "Brother, are you not afraid of penguins?"
Lin Zeqiu looked up suddenly: "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 directly rinsed the little penguin.
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 in early March was low, and the cold wind blew through the cracks 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 agreed.
The brother was so afraid of penguins, but tonight he changed his temperament and helped the little penguin take a bath. Why was that? 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 of them 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 yellow letters on a red background, it read, "Warm congratulations to our student Lin Zhixia for winning the individual championship and the first prize in the group at the 2007 Romanian Mathematics Masters Competition!"
Lin Zhixia, carrying her schoolbag, calmly walked past the banner.
She heard classmates from all grades talking about her. Some called her "the god of math in the second grade," 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 second grade (17) class.
At 7:30 in the morning, Jiang Yubai had already arrived at school. The seat next to him was vacant. 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 responded nonchalantly, "Lin Lin Lin Lin Zhixia."
Lin Zhixia took out a Romanian Easter egg from her pocket. She pushed the eggshell with her fingers and let the egg roll in front of Jiang Yubai.
She looked at him and said, "Jiang Yubai, this is a gift I brought back for you from Romania. This kind of egg represents good luck. You must have heard about the origin of the egg. It is a symbol of Easter and also symbolizes the spring when all things wake up. I hope Jiang Yubai will always have good luck and live in the sunshine of spring forever. The sunshine will clear 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 egg in his pencil case and took it out to play with it from time to time. He also poked the egg with his fingertips, making it spin gently on his desk.
The students nearby saw it and wanted to borrow it to play with, 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 life record book during this period. Lin Zhixia also put her own book 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 Romania travel notes and concluded cooperatively: "Captain Lin Zhixia ended his Romanian expedition and gained a gold medal and Easter eggs."
"Can I come to your house this Saturday?" Lin Zhixia asked.
"Yes." Jiang Yubai gave a very affirmative answer.
Jiang Yubai originally thought that Lin Zhixia would be too busy to be seen after winning the Romanian Masters. Unexpectedly, Lin Zhixia still remembered the agreement between them. 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 didn't say anything, but his uncle said, "The little girl came to our house alone, so 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 words and deeds, 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, who 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, and 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 subject and talked to Lin Zhixia about the Romanian Masters. Lin Zhixia described the details of the problem with great interest, and Jiang Yubai followed her thoughts and thought about mathematics together. Before they knew it, they arrived at Jiang Yubai's manor.
Jiang Yubai got out of the car first. He opened the door and walked out of the parking lot with Lin Zhixia.
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 spectacular beauty 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 with two holes on the left and right sides of the rock, spraying clear water downwards - this was the fountain of a rich 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 collection, 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."