Chapter 113

Chapter 113

Feng Xia entered slowly, wearing a dark green sweater today, her hair cascading over her shoulders. Just in the bloom of youth at fifteen, she had a jade-like complexion, and every gesture exuded a natural grace.

As charming as the spring peach blossoms, as delicate as the autumn chrysanthemums.

An exceptionally dazzling young girl. But she was too young! Feng Xia was not short; at fifteen, she stood about 1.6 meters, yet her cheeks still bore a soft, babyish roundness, making her age unmistakable.

The people below stared in astonishment. Was this young girl to be their teacher? They were all cautious by nature, and no one voiced any doubt immediately. Feng Xia, seeing their compliance, said, "Come, take this magazine. Starting from this article, each of you will read one. You begin."

Feng Xia pointed to the full-figured woman who had just been speaking with Huang Xinci, named Zhao Lan. Zhao Lan stood up promptly, took the magazine from Feng Xia, and began reading. She did well at first, but after a couple of sentences, she stumbled. The reason was simple: there were too many unfamiliar terms. She guessed her way through, stumbling over every other word, and it took her almost half an hour to finish one article. She sat down with a red face, bowing her head in embarrassment.

Next was the male comrade beside her. The same story. He read in agony, not recognizing nine out of ten words. He had prided himself on his knowledge of foreign languages, but this experience shattered his pride entirely.

When it was finally Huang Xinci's turn, she sat ramrod straight and read an article. She performed better than the others, but only slightly. Feng Xia was not disappointed. Given the many years of political campaigns in the Flower Kingdom, it was already good that they could read any foreign language at all. She didn't expect too much.

But Huang Xinci, after finishing the article, did not immediately return the book to Feng Xia. Instead, she asked, almost as if questioning her authority, "Since the higher-ups arranged for you to teach us, you must have some exceptional skill. I'd like to ask the teacher to read one, if possible."

Feng Xia smiled with radiant grace. "Why not?" Without even taking the book, she recited the very next article in the magazine. Her voice was clear, her flow immaculate, and her pronunciation was crystal clear. Huang Xinci's eyes behind her glasses widened in surprise. This person truly had genuine knowledge.

After finishing the recitation, no one dared to question her after that. Feng Xia announced unhurriedly, "What you are about to learn is the most advanced programming technology in the world right now. You must understand it. This book is your stepping stone. What you will learn in the future will be a hundred times more difficult. If anyone wants to quit, you may leave now. This is entirely voluntary. I guarantee that your superiors will not punish you for it."

As soon as she finished speaking, many faces showed signs of struggle. Indeed, this was too difficult! In this era—unlike the apocalypse days—people advocate for celibacy and childlessness. Many of Feng Xia's students had elderly parents and young children. Giving up a stable job for an uncertain future was not something everyone could do.

Two people stepped forward, bowed to Feng Xia, and walked out. Then another struggled to leave. In the end, only seven remained: five men and two women, including Huang Xinci and Zhao Lan.

Feng Xia clapped once. "Excellent. It seems you all have the resolve to climb this steep mountain. Your task is to thoroughly read and understand the article you each read. I will explain them to you tonight. Work hard." With that, she swept out, paying no attention to the bewildered looks from her students.

What? That's it? What exactly did she teach them?

These people were like headless flies, darting about aimlessly. It was Huang Xinci who first stood up and went to the neighboring library to borrow several large dictionaries. She sat down, took out her notebook, and began looking up every new word and noting it down. The article was full of terms that made one's head spin, but she persisted. Seeing her determination, the others gritted their teeth and followed suit. At least it was a start, right?

Meanwhile, Feng Xia was in a laboratory at Peking University, watching Old Zhang lead his students in an experiment.

Old Zhang specialized in fluid mechanics. This time, he and his students were working on improving fishing boats. The students had some good ideas and were patient enough to work through the details step by step, achieving some results.

A male student pointed to a small fishing boat floating in a glass tank and said to Old Zhang, "Teacher, look, this is our improved Fish Boat No. 2. Its fuel consumption has been reduced by one-fifth compared to before. We improved the engine, so the rotational speed is now one-third faster. It also has a larger displacement, meaning fishermen can bring back more catch in one trip, reducing costs and increasing income. What do you think, Teacher? Not bad, right?"

The male student waited proudly for praise. Old Zhang cut straight to the point: "What about the manufacturing cost? How much more is it?" The student's pride deflated instantly. He slumped and reported a number. Old Zhang calculated it to be about three times the original cost. Three times! It would be too difficult for fishermen to gamble on a new boat at three times the price.

Old Zhang patted the student on the shoulder and encouraged him. "Good work. Keep it up." Then he turned to Feng Xia, winking and whispering, "Little girl, how come every big treasure you come up with is so practical? Find some time to guide your senior brothers and sisters." To the students, he put on a stern face and said, "I've brought you a golden ticket. This is your junior sister. She's your junior sister in name, but you call her 'teacher,' got it? If I'm not around and you're stuck, come ask your junior sister. She's in Room 302 recently. Learn from her more."

Feng Xia was speechless. Was he trying to find her more work?

The students exchanged glances. Was this young girl reliable? Before they could ask, a student who had witnessed Feng Xia's incredible exam performance pulled them aside and began recounting tales of her academic brilliance.

This person whispered mysteriously to the newcomers, "And that's not all. I heard our junior sister has already created something important. The higher-ups value her greatly. That's why she has an entire floor of classrooms to herself. Word has it that soldiers patrol the building from time to time. It's terrifying."

The others exchanged looks, realizing she truly was a golden ticket. Their hearts swelled with gratitude. As expected, their teacher was always thinking of them.

When they looked again, Feng Xia had vanished. Old Zhang had dragged her to the library. As they walked, the old man said, "I have a fluid model I can't figure out. Come take a look. You have a sharp mind; I'm sure you'll understand it at a glance. By the way, Feng Xia, with such talent, why not consider specializing in fluid mechanics?"

Feng Xia gave him a dead-fish stare. "Go talk to Old Mr. Wan Fulin about it. If he agrees, I'll agree."

Old Zhang rubbed his forehead. Hmph, if he went to talk to that old man, he'd probably get beaten to death. No way, no way. Not on your life!

Forget it. Having two specialties was fine too. Just fine.