Jiang Hongshao's voice came, "It doesn't matter. You don't have to watch the movie. You can go to other places. I know there are many famous attractions in HKUST, such as the Memorial Hall, the Sculpture Art Museum, the Art Museum... You can go there and admire the stars."
In turn, Lao Jiang comforted him. What the hell is this about paying respect to a star
Cheng Ran laughed, "Have you done any homework?"
Although it was cloudy in Nanzhou at this time, the girl in front of him had long and fine eyebrows and her lips seemed to be coated with light. She turned her head and smiled, "Know your enemy and know your own."
Cheng Ran's mood wavered. But what did it mean to know oneself and the enemy? Did she regard herself as the target of class struggle? Or maybe it was also a disguised revelation that Lao Jiang actually knew a lot about HKUST before meeting her. What was this? Love the house and love the dog? Or maybe she attached more importance to meeting her at HKUST and made a lot of preparations for it in advance, just like she usually read books seriously. When Cheng Ran thought of such a scene, he felt warm in his heart.
Seeing that Jiang Hongshao was still calm, Cheng Ran was very impressed. He thought that Jiang Hongshao came to HKUST alone, appeared in front of Cheng Ran's friends, and played the whole away game, but Jiang Hongshao was still calm and composed. However, the faint red clouds on his cheeks clearly showed that he was very panicked inside, but he was trying to remain calm with such a first-class skill that outsiders could not see it at all.
If Cheng Ran had not been with her for such a long time, even if they were two different lives, Cheng Ran would not have been able to tell at a glance that she could be calm even when she was in a state of panic. This was a girl with both national beauty and intelligence, which complemented each other perfectly. She had already begun to show her beauty in junior high school, and she became outstanding in college. If she had more time, I don't know how graceful and independent she would have grown up to be.
The two of them traveled together like this, perhaps knowing that some things should not be taken too far. After watching the movie, Cheng Ran's classmates and friends dispersed collectively, meeting the standard of hospitality. Next, they still had to give the two of them space, regardless of whether they needed to explain the previous Qin Qian incident.
The two of them walked like this, feeling the cool breeze blowing towards them, and came to the Sculpture Mountain behind the administrative building of USTC. It is called the Sculpture Mountain, but in fact it is a slope of only a hundred meters. Along the way, there are many people who have made outstanding contributions, not only those who graduated from USTC. This is also the spirit of USTC, respect for all practitioners and explorers of science.
Jiang Hongshao and the other person climbed up the stairs, got close to each other and lowered their heads to read the inscriptions.
"Xie Xide, the first female university president in the People's Republic of China, a pioneer in Chinese physics... Following her father's words 'China needs science', she went into exile during the Anti-Japanese War and studied abroad. At the age of 30, she returned to China with her husband from MIT despite the obstruction of the US government. With the aim of 'rapidly introducing the most advanced achievements of world science and quickly filling the gaps in the fields', she opened six courses including solid state physics and quantum mechanics..."
"Lin Lanying became the first Chinese doctor to be awarded a doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania in 1955, and also the first female doctorate in the university's history... She returned to China in 1957 despite numerous obstacles. Her savings were seized by the US authorities, and she returned penniless. However, she still donated the 500 grams of germanium single crystals and 100 grams of silicon single crystals worth more than 200,000 yuan that she brought back to the Chinese Academy of Sciences free of charge. They became priceless treasures that Chinese scientists at the time were eager to obtain..."
"Huang Kun, a graduate of Southwest Associated University, was a student funded by the Boxer Indemnity to study in England. He collaborated with physics master and Nobel Laureate Born to write the Lattice Dynamics Theory... In 1951, he returned to Peking University to teach at the Department of Physics. At the age of 30, he was elegant in the classroom, spoke beautiful and authentic Beijing dialect, had a solid foundation, and taught attentively, which made him very popular among students..."
Then Jiang Hongshao stopped on an inscription. Cheng Ran accompanied her and looked at it side by side. On the monument was engraved a letter written by a scholar in that war-torn era, who was stationed abroad and looked at the ruins of his country on the other side of the ocean.
"When I tell people that I will be back in China in a year or two, they often look suspicious, as if wondering why I don't want to settle down in this orderly and safe place and jump into the fire pit. Although I can hardly imagine how much influence we, a mere Confucian scholar, can have on the fate of the country... But if we delay abroad only to escape, it seems to go against our conscience. We still feel that China makes a difference with or without us."
The words are gone, but the conversation seems to be just yesterday.
The surrounding sculptures are dead and silent, and have even lost their original copper color due to wind, sun and rain, and are covered with rust from oxidation. However, these shining names are still sparkling.
There are always people saying that after the Republic of China, there are no more masters. Then, when you turn around in class and see the physicist Qian Xuesen, a world-renowned expert on the fist of truth, with the formula for the second cosmic velocity written on the blackboard behind him, is he considered a master
Is Wang Xuan, who single-handedly turned the tide and changed China's modern laser phototypesetting printing, causing major multinational giants in the world to withdraw from the Chinese market, a master
Is Yang Zhenning, who used Yang-Mills theory and parity violation to open up breakthroughs in strong and weak forces, considered a master
In addition to the ones mentioned above, are Bei Shizhang, Yan Jici, Zhao Zhongyao, Guo Yonghuai, Qian Linzhao, Tang Dingyuan, Hong Chaosheng, Wu Xijiu... considered masters
After graduating from school and returning to their homeland when everything was in ruins, these prodigals had actually never thought that they would change the historical destiny of their country and nation.
Many people returned, just because of a sentence as ordinary as that letter.
“China needs science.”
“There is a difference between China with us and without us.”
Jiang Hongshao's eyes were red, and Cheng Ran held her hand in silence.
It turns out that what this girl calls "stars" are these silent people in front of her. Even the young people passing by this university will not stop to read the inscriptions on the bronze statues.
There is no need for extra words. It is already lucky enough for two people to hold hands and experience this vast and lonely scene in time and space with their hearts.
It is said that a confidante is a blessing in three lives.
…
Leaving the statue mountain, we returned to the twelfth lunar month on earth.
The two people who were once known as "The Return of the Condor Heroes" but are now just an ordinary couple passed by an auditorium where a performance was being held. Jiang Hongshao was so excited that she pulled Cheng Ran's hand and went in. It turned out that the club department was holding a joint activity. The director of the club department recognized Cheng Ran and hurried forward to greet him warmly. When he saw Jiang Hongshao next to Cheng Ran, he was slightly startled, but did everything he should do. He immediately asked the clerk to take the two to the VIP seats in the front row, which were prepared for the leaders.
Even the department head who was two years older than Cheng Ran called him "Brother Cheng" all the time, showing his utmost respect.
Jiang Hongshao smiled and looked at Cheng Ran meaningfully. It must be said that he was quite proud of it. Isn't HKUST the kingdom I fought for
After the crosstalk performance by the Psychology Association, the Magic Association held a magic show in the front, and they needed to find someone to cooperate with them. I don’t know if it was because Old Jiang was too eye-catching, but that guy glanced at Jiang Hongshao in the front row and his eyes lit up. How could he miss such a performance that could increase popularity and favorability? He made an invitation, and amid the commotion of the crowd, Jiang Hongshao was a little overwhelmed, but was invited to the stage in full view of everyone.
Sitting on chairs, the show is one in which the performer uses various magic tricks to please the girls, starting with pulling out playing cards, scattering colored paper, throwing red hearts, and finally pulling out a bouquet of flowers from a hat and handing them over.
The crowd cheered, whistles blew, and Jiang Hongshao came down with flowers. There was still constant cheering from the back.
In fact, Cheng Ran felt unhappy when he took the big bunch of flowers from the boy's hand. Who is this little bastard
Well, Mercury retrograde isn’t over yet.
Watch a ghost show.
Cheng Ran took Jiang Hongshao away and walked outside. Old Jiang looked at him playfully, "Why don't you watch it anymore?"
Cheng Ran shook his head, "That's childish. Everyone knows that you can grab a peach blossom playing card from mid-air. It's just a rubber band mechanism hidden in the sleeve. The thing is under the armpit. The top hat is made of a special material. It's hollow inside and can hide flowers. It's also made of fireworks paper. A little spark from the flint in your hand can burn it clean. Don't be too surprised..."
Lao Jiang glanced at him and said, "You understand now." She smiled and said, "Although his technique is still a little awkward, he still has to pretend that he doesn't know. This is the basic respect for the performer."
It looked like she was just cooperating with the performance.
Jiang Hongshao smiled again, "Shall we go to class?"
"Um?"
"I want to see where you usually have classes."
Cheng Ran said, "What's so good about this?" But he couldn't refuse, so he just went and took Jiang Hongshao to Building 8. Professor Deng was giving a lecture. Cheng Ran and Jiang Hongshao entered the classroom from the back door. Some people looked back for a while, but not many. This was because Cheng Ran brought a girl with him today. Normally, it was common to see people coming in and out, and no one would pay attention to you.
The entrance of Cheng Ran and his friend still caused a small commotion. Deng Xihua even knocked on the table, maintaining order for a while. At the same time, he glanced in the direction of Cheng Ran and his friend. This bastard, you don't want to get a high GPA in my class, right? Or do you think you can be so arrogant just because you are the director of the management committee of the laboratory he co-built
But considering that you are a nice girl, I will not calculate this little trick for you for the time being.
Old Guo and the other two who were in class were so surprised that they secretly gave Cheng Ran a thumbs up, and when Jiang Hongshao looked over at them, they made faces and made funny faces, which made Old Jiang smile.
However, he really listened to the class. Old Jiang really listened to Deng Xihua's lecture seriously. Cheng Ran lowered his voice and asked, "Do you understand?"
Jiang Hongshao shook her head. "I don't understand a lot of the professional stuff, but the lectures are full of quotations and references, which is very fascinating."
Cheng Ran smiled and looked at Lao Jiang who was calm and composed beside her. She suddenly thought of the scene when Shanhai returned to No. 1 Middle School. After asking Cheng Ran where he was sitting, she went over and sat down at the desk next to him.
At that time, the setting sun outside the window was as red as blood, and the girl's figure was faintly burning the years.
It seems to be the same now.
…
But how could people say that Deng Xihua was narrow-minded? After finishing the lecture, he came straight to their table. Jiang Hongshao suddenly felt as if she had implicated Cheng Ran and felt a little embarrassed.
Deng Xihua just nodded at her. Are you kidding? Deng Xihua knew that this was a girl from outside. He knew almost all the pretty girls in his class over the years. It was not just because it was a fine tradition of HKUST that seats for girls were reserved in the front row, or because it was pleasing to the eye which gave him motivation to lecture, but also because the proportion of pretty girls was directly proportional to the attendance rate of the whole class.
Deng Xihua nodded to Jiang Hongshao, and then glanced at Cheng Ran meaningfully, thinking, "How could a little devil like you actually have someone who can be conquered?" He reminded her seriously, "You were busy before, so I didn't say anything. You've missed a lot of classes recently, and you're almost falling behind. I think you have good talent, but if you don't work harder, you'll probably go from being the top student in the class to being in the middle, or even falling further behind. It's the end of the semester, so hurry up and make an effort. My final assignment is very difficult this time, and you may not be able to get more than 75 points."
Forget it, this is really a Mercury retrograde for me. Even Old Deng reported me in front of Jiang Hongshao.
You are a protected animal at the level of a giant panda after all. Is it necessary for you to personally come out and give yourself a task to kill
Seeing Jiang Hongshao's mouth curled up slightly with a hint of reproach, what could Cheng Ran do? It was like a general returning victorious from a hundred battles in the battlefield, facing that woman with the majesty of having conquered an empire, but in the end... he failed on his homework.
After class, Lao Jiang reminded him, "You should know what your professor said. Don't be distracted at the end of the semester."
It turns out that this is Deng Xihua's disguised way of entrusting a supervisor.
Of course, at the last lunch in the afternoon, everyone in dormitory 409 was very considerate. Not only did they suggest that Cheng Ran and his friends go by themselves, they also declined some invitations to Cheng Ran. Time is short, so it's better to leave more space for others.
Cheng Ran finally gave up hope and asked, "Your dad has prepared dinner and is waiting for you at home this afternoon, right? So why don't we eat together?"
Jiang Hongshao smiled and said, "My dad is working overtime and can't come back. So I will take care of it myself."
Cheng Ran's heart suddenly tensed up. Could it be that even after Mercury went into retrograde mode, there would be a sudden turnaround
Jiang Hongshao said, "We can have dinner together... and then my aunt will come to pick me up."
"Aunt..." Cheng Ran paused, "Aunt?"
Jiang Hongshao nodded obediently.
Damn you, aunt!
It is better to recite Cheng Ran's respectful words silently first.
But he still asked, "So how about in the future? How many days will you stay in Nanzhou?"
Jiang Hongshao said, "Spring semester starts on January 3rd. I will have to visit some relatives, do some things, buy some things, and visit my mom for a few days. I probably won't be in Nanzhou for more than a week..."
This means that today is the most comfortable day they have ever had.
"In the next few days, if I have time, I will try to come and see you."
Cheng Ran nodded.
Neither of them spoke for a moment.
There was an inexplicable melancholy and loss in the atmosphere.
Cold air is still gathering over Nanzhou, and the wind is very cold. This season of falling leaves will last for some time before it passes.
At that time, the treetops will bloom again, the glaciers will continue to flow, and people will continue to travel far.
Jiang Hongshao raised her head and smiled again, "So... you really like Qin Qian?"
Cheng Ran smiled, "If you like her, will you really help me pursue her?"
Jiang Hongshao lowered her head.
"oh."
…
Finally, Old Jiang was sent out of the campus of USTC. A tall woman came out of a car waiting outside the gate. She was not Jiang Hongshao's aunt Li Yun as expected, but Jiang Hongshao's mother's cousin, named Jiang Haizhu.
Her husband is the director of a local authority department in Nanzhou, and she herself holds a two-bar and one-star position in the Science and Technology Commission. She is a member of a large family. When she arrived, she said to Jiang Hongshao, "I've already told Li Yun that I'm here to pick you up. How can you not come to visit your aunt when you are in Nanzhou? Your father is busy with work and can't take care of you. Tell your father that if you want to see your daughter or have a meal, come to my house. I will take care of you for your parents. During this time, stay with your aunt, and I will help you with your affairs."
The woman named Jiang Haizhu looked at the boy at the door. She didn't care what his background was. She was the tigress in the family. She was straightforward and not afraid of offending people. So what if she offended people? She could snatch Jiang Hongshao from Li Yun directly, and she also got some information. When Jiang Hongshao got in the car, she closed the door and said, "Auntie has something to say to your classmate."
Then she walked up to Cheng Ran without saying anything and looked him in the face. She was considered tall among women, with her hands in her trouser pockets and her back straight, but she was also half a head shorter than Cheng Ran. However, she was indeed looking down on him at this moment. After all, she was a number one woman who had done well at the foot of the imperial city before, and she had always been the first to fight in group fights in several courtyards. Although times have changed and she is married, she should be more restrained, but some of her violent temper is still there, and when she needs to show some majesty, she is no less capable. "I also know about your family's situation, but how should I put it? I tell you this, I wish you all the best if your family makes a fortune, but no one can predict what will happen tomorrow when it comes to making a fortune, so you have to be more careful. We don't want our family to be dragged into this one day, okay? I've put it this way, and you're a smart child, you can understand what I mean. Don't deliberately twist the two families into one family. If you feel awkward, we will feel awkward too."
Jiang Hongshao had already gotten out of the car. After saying that, Jiang Haizhu smiled and turned to greet Jiang Hongshao. A voice came from the other side, "I really didn't say anything. What do you think? Can I, your aunt, scare him? He's not a child anymore... Come on, I promised your mom. I'll watch over you. I'm leaving now..."
Jiang Hongshao finally looked at Cheng Ran, who waved his hand, signaling her to leave safely and wait for the car to leave. Cheng Ran laughed it off. What did Jiang Hongshao's mother say? There was a motive. After all, the two sides had a hole because of the Rongcheng incident. This hole would exist for a long time. If he didn't want his daughter to suffer from anger and guilt after getting married, the best way was to completely cut off the relationship.
But Jiang Mu and they didn't get along well, so why bother with this
So it is more inclined to be the view of some relatives of the Jiang family. It is very likely that Liu Gao is creating momentum. Jiang Haizhu is certainly one of those who is affected by this. She also revealed a few details, that is, she doesn't know what will happen to Fu Long tomorrow. This pessimistic view is even more obvious. After all, Fu Long is now standing on the opposite side of Liu Gao's group. In the eyes of Liu Gao and his power, he is of course a thorn in the flesh that he wishes to kill. It is a matter of vested interests.
In the next few days, Cheng Ran and Jiang Hongshao did not meet again. The two kept in touch with each other through text messages. Old Jiang did meet many relatives in the south accompanied by her aunt. Some of them even rushed over to Nanzhou after learning that she had returned to China. So she was visiting relatives and friends and running around these days, so naturally she had no time to come to USTC again.
Sometimes I would receive a text message or a phone call from Lao Jiang. We would talk for a while, and then she would hang up because she had something to do and the tone would remain busy.
HKUST has also entered the end of the year and the courses have become busy. If nothing unexpected happens, after Jiang Hongshao's brief arrival, her departure from Nanzhou, and her final journey to the UK, Cheng Ran estimates that he will have to prepare for the end of the semester. At the same time, the company will also be entering the end of the year, and the plans on the table will have to move forward one more step.
December 29th was the night before Lao Jiang left Nanzhou.
Lying on the bed, Cheng Ran was thinking about the burdens that were about to come, feeling a little melancholy. Li Wei was still typing on the computer without a care in the world, and Wang Xinbo was reading English because he suspected that his girlfriend Gao Yue would go abroad in the future, and he wanted to go with her, so he was making preparations. Lao Guo was wearing slippers and practicing calligraphy over there. His elegant calligraphy looked like a hermit.
The phone rang, it was Jiang Hongshao.
Cheng Ran picked up the phone and suddenly stood up from the bed.
He got out of bed, grabbed his coat and went out, then went straight to the main entrance of USTC. He saw Jiang Hongshao, who had just gotten out of a car opposite him, with her jet-black hair a little messy in the wind.
She took a few steps forward and took Cheng Ran's hand.
"Leaving tomorrow?" Cheng Ran asked.
Jiang Hongshao nodded.
"So come and keep me company today." Cheng Ran continued to ask.
Jiang Hongshao held his arm and walked with him in the cold wind.
Tens of thousands of lights at night, a pair of lovers in a foreign land.
In this kind of cold weather, it is generally best to hide in a warm room, curl up in bed, read banned books or watch banned films. However, now that the two of us are together, even if we just tuck our necks into the collars of our coats, we feel that it is more satisfying than being in a warm room like spring.
They marched in the biting cold wind, then found a concrete block in the circular gymnasium and sat down without any preparation.
Looking at the buildings of USTC, there was a high and bright moon above his head, and the people around Cheng Ran were brighter than the moon.
Cheng Ran felt satisfied, satisfied enough. The day and night here, along with the girl beside him, were unforgettable.
"It's almost time to go back. Do you feel that you haven't been with me enough? It's enough. It's cold. Go back early."
Jiang Hongshao pulled his arm. In the past, "Brother Jiang", who could travel the world alone, spoke in a weak voice for the first time. "Today, I'm not going back."
Cheng Ran turned his head to look at her in shock. The girl in front of him raised her eyes, which were as crystal clear as water, and were red peony with leaves of glaze and coral flowers.
It is the flow of time and space from their meeting behind the isolation board to the large-arc sunken gymnasium of HKUST.
Cheng Ran hugged her close to him, and they could feel each other's body temperature even through their coats. He kissed her lips for a long time, then stood up, took her hand and walked out. Lao Jiang's hands were very weak at this time.
The two entered a room in a four-star hotel outside HKUST, and Cheng Ran couldn't wait to hold her in his arms and fall on the bed.
Only then did Cheng Ran smell the fragrance of her hair and the fresh scent coming from her clothes.
"Did you take a shower before coming here?"
Jiang Hongshao nodded slightly.
"Wait me a moment."
Cheng Ran took a shower and came back, only to see Lao Jiang hiding under the quilt with his clothes neatly folded in a corner.
Cheng Ran opened the quilt, and what he received was a warm and smooth surface like jade.
The two of them hugged each other tightly. Jiang Hongshao narrowed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck tightly, trembling like a little animal.
Then she bit his ear gently, "Don't let me help you chase Qin Qian, I don't want you to chase Qin Qian..."
Cheng Ran couldn't bear it any longer.
The whole night was filled with tears and complaints.