The Reincarnated Science Whiz

Chapter 20: The Second Training

Camp Of course, that was just a threat! Anyone can make threats—but who has ever actually been expelled for not doing their homework? No one! Not a single one! But would students dare to disobey? No way! Teachers—this position, imbued with such reverence—naturally exerts immense authority and intimidation over students. When students encounter a teacher, it’s like a mouse encountering a cat. Except for a very small number who are quick-witted and love to be clever, most students will dutifully complete their winter break homework. As for those few quick-witted and clever students, they’re actually misusing their intelligence—they’re usually at the bottom of the class in terms of grades. There’s a saying that holds some truth: “Follow instructions and you’ll surely reap the rewards! Qin Yuanqing returned to the dorm with his report card and winter break exam papers—his final exam paper had been borrowed by a classmate—then packed his bags, waiting for Dai Yuqing and the others to gather so they could head home together. “Qin Yuanqing, you’re getting more and more insane—you actually scored 739 on this final exam,” Dai Yuqing exclaimed in amazement as she sat down next to him. She thought back to how there hadn’t been much difference between them back then, but now they were worlds apart—the gap was enormous. “Yeah, I didn’t even get half your score,” said another girl, clearly dejected. She was the only one among the three girls majoring in science—quiet, very thin, and also sporting a short haircut. Girls generally love beauty and prefer to have long hair. But for girls in their senior year of high school, keeping long hair is a luxury. Their hectic academic schedules leave them no spare time to comb or wash their hair, so one by one, they’ve cut off their long hair with tears in their eyes. Qin Yuanqing quickly offered a couple of modest remarks. Time always flies when you’re chatting, and before he knew it, he had arrived home. Qin Yuanqing saw that not far from the old house, their new three-story villa had already been built. Each floor covered an area of 165 square meters, and the total floor area across all three stories was nearly 500 square meters. Just from the outside, it looked much better than before. Seeing that his parents hadn’t returned yet, Qin Yuanqing set down his luggage and went to take a look at the new house. Although it was still a shell—just the framework, with the bricks yet to be laid—he could already get a sense of the basic design, and he was quite satisfied with it. The framework would be left in place for a few months to allow the foundation to settle evenly before the bricks were laid. At that point, they could begin the interior renovations all at once. “Looks like I’ll have to go buy a laptop,” Qin Yuanqing muttered to himself. He knew he couldn’t approach the renovation as casually as others might; he was used to designing the layout before starting construction, which would save a lot of trouble and ensure a more aesthetically pleasing result. And for that, he’d need a computer equipped with software like AutoCAD and 3ds Max to create renderings. When it comes to renovations, renderings are crucial—they often determine the final look of the finished project. After touring the new house, Qin Yuanqing returned home to find his parents already back. “Dad, could you give me a ride to the bank later to withdraw some money? I have to catch a flight from Lushi Island tomorrow at noon to head to Beijing for training,” Qin Yuanqing said. His father took Qin Yuanqing on his motorcycle to the town bank to withdraw money. Following his father’s advice, Qin Yuanqing withdrew only 50,000—enough to cover labor and material costs, as well as the family’s expenses for the Lunar New Year. Every year, the holiday requires a significant outlay; several thousand is a must. While in town, he also bought some braised meats, salted duck, and some seafood like shrimp and crabs. After returning home for dinner, he had a few drinks with his dad. Qin Yuanqing couldn’t hold his liquor; just the sight of red wine made him dizzy, and he’d get dizzy after five or six bottles of beer. But now that he was in good health, he felt he could drink a whole case. While chatting with his parents about everyday life, Qin Yuanqing urged them to stop farming. His mother shot back, “You silly boy, what nonsense are you talking about? We have a little money now, but we can’t just sit around and let it run out. Your father and I are still in good health—if we don’t work and just sit around all day, we’ll get sick from idleness.” Qin Yuanqing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. His parents’ generation had lived through the Great Famine, the “Strict Crackdown” of the 1980s, and the wave of layoffs in the 1990s. They all harbored a deep sense of crisis, terrified that the good life they enjoyed now would never return. The Huaxia people are just that kind and down-to-earth—even when they make money, they try to save as much as possible in the bank to avoid squandering their assets and ending up with nothing when they need it most. They also can’t sit still; even if they don’t farm, they’ll take on odd jobs to earn money. One of his classmates comes from a fairly well-off family with assets worth several million, yet his mother is often paid to catch shrimp, clean clams, or sort them before taking them to other villages to sell. He was very close with this classmate and had complained about it countless times. Qin Yuanqing had no choice but to talk to his dad, asking him to rent less farmland—just two or three mu—so they’d have something to do. It wouldn’t even matter if they just grew vegetables for their own consumption. “Ah, we don’t need to worry about your life—your mom and I are most concerned about your second older brother. He’s 28 and still not married; the kid next door, who’s the same age as him, is already five or six years old.” As they talked, his dad sighed and brought up his second older brother. His second older brother was a hard worker. He dropped out after eighth grade to find a job. After working at a cannery for two years, he went to Shenzhen to work in the seafood industry, where he stayed for over a decade. A couple of years ago, he went to Pakistan, and he just returned a few days ago—he doesn’t plan to go back to Shenzhen. He saved tens of thousands of yuan during his two years in Pakistan, but although he’s hardworking, he loves playing mahjong and tends to spend money freely. If Dad’s memory serves him right, it only took him about half a year to run out of money. “I heard there’s a girl in the neighboring village who’s five years younger than your second older brother. In a couple of days, I’ll buy some wedding candies and go propose to her. If it works out, they’ll get married this year,” Mom said. Qin Yuanqing’s heart skipped a beat. He remembered that his mother actually bore some responsibility for his second older brother’s failed marriage. As his second older brother had told him, he and that woman had originally just been friends who enjoyed eating and drinking together. But then his mother went to the girl’s family to propose marriage, and before long, everyone in both villages knew about it. As a result, his second older brother found himself in a bind and had no choice but to agree to marry her. Since his second older brother worked at a water treatment plant in Licheng—sleeping during the day and working at night, with his schedule completely reversed—the woman couldn’t stand it and returned to her hometown. On top of that, perhaps due to her true nature, she was lazy and indulgent, and rather unfilial toward her parents. Eventually, when his mom took a fall, it became the final straw. My second older brother divorced her right after the Mid-Autumn Festival that year. But since then, he has never remarried. “Mom, please don’t do that. My brother doesn’t even like that woman—don’t go matchmaking recklessly,” Qin Yuanqing said hurriedly. He certainly didn’t want the family to be thrown into chaos over this, nor did he want his second brother to suffer another tragedy: “Doesn’t my brother like Hai Dong’s daughter? We’d be better off going to their house to discuss a match.” “They look down on our family. Why bother? Why go out of our way to be rejected?” Mom wasn’t having it. His mother had, of course, gone to propose marriage before, but the other family was quite snobbish. After a barrage of sarcastic remarks, she’d cut off all contact with them. “Mom, for my older brother’s happiness, what’s a little humiliation?” Qin Yuanqing said with a cheeky grin. “Otherwise, when I get back from Beijing, I’ll go with you to propose to his family.” Dad was silent for a moment, then said, “This year, we’ll finish renovating and move into our new house. I’ll show them exactly why they look down on us.” Dad was a straightforward man. He believed that the other family looked down on them simply because they used to be poor. Once the house was built and renovated, he wanted to see who would still dare to look down on them. In the countryside, a house is a matter of pride. That’s why kids from the countryside who go to the city to work hard and make money don’t think about buying a house there—instead, they do everything they can to build a good house back home. And this is something women will never be able to understand, no matter what. “I may not measure up to that Hai Dong guy, but I’ve got what it takes to raise a great son!” Dad slapped the table, clearly having made up his mind. After dinner, Qin Yuanqing went to his uncle’s house to visit his grandmother, who lived with his fifth uncle’s family and usually helped out with cooking. As they chatted, the conversation turned to plans to finish building the house by the middle of this year. The location had already been chosen, and his grandmother asked Qin Yuanqing if he had time to help with the design. Only then did Qin Yuanqing recall that his uncle’s family had built a house this very year and moved right in without renovating it. Since his cousins were all in school—especially his cousin, who was an excellent student—his uncle hadn’t renovated the house for over a decade, and the family had relied heavily on his siblings’ support. Without a moment’s hesitation, Qin Yuanqing agreed. Early the next morning, he went to the bank, withdrew 100,000 yuan, and lent it to his uncle. His uncle refused to accept it, but Qin Yuanqing left the money behind and hurried off, dragging his suitcase onto the shuttle bus bound for Lushi Island, then took the ferry from there to Lushi Island. He took a taxi to the airport, waited an hour for the aircraft to take off, made a stop at a connecting airport, and finally arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport. Qin Yuanqing took a taxi from the airport to the Mathematics Building. After checking in with the security guard at the entrance, he returned to his dormitory. He was the last to arrive; the other five team members were already there. They greeted each other and chatted about what they’d been up to recently. This training camp would last until New Year’s Eve, so everyone had already booked their return flights. Speaking of which, Qin Yuanqing felt particularly envious of the two team members who were from Beijing.