Chapter 137

Chapter 137

Feng Xia ultimately couldn't leave; she was roped in by Old Zhang to grade exam papers alongside Senior Brother Zhang. As expected, students had all sorts of oddballs—the long-answer questions were answered in all sorts of bizarre ways, leaving Feng Xia frowning deeply. Still, most of the students had studied diligently; out of every ten or so papers, roughly one failed. The three of them finished grading in just over an hour, but then the scores had to be entered into the system!

That's right—Peking University had already adopted semi-digital office work, with computers installed in many professors' offices. Over the past year, computer models had been updated again. The one in Old Zhang's office was the latest model, called the Huaxing-1, abbreviated as HX-1.

Senior Brother Zhang's familiarity with electronic computers was on par with Old Zhang's. Wearing glasses, he clumsily opened the crude icon on the desktop while explaining to Feng Xia, "Junior sister, this is a software developed by our superiors. Just look—it's really handy for creating tables and recording lab data. Hmm, which symbol is for making a table again? Let me think..."

As Senior Brother Zhang fumbled around, Feng Xia was already feeling a bit hungry. Watching his slow pace, she politely begged off. She coughed lightly and said, "Senior Brother Zhang, why don't I take over?"

Senior Brother Zhang trusted her completely. He got up and gave her the seat, praising, "So even junior sister knows how to use this? That's amazing!"

Then he witnessed something incredible. In a flash, Feng Xia set up the table. Zhang Ying called out names and scores while Feng Xia entered them without pause. Zhang Ying's recitation was nonstop, yet Feng Xia handled it with ease, leaving Old Zhang and Senior Brother Zhang utterly stunned. Good heavens—so that's how you use this table?!

Old Zhang was the first to catch on. After Feng Xia finished, he asked, "Did you create this chart software?"

Feng Xia shook her head, then nodded. Pointing to the silver-white printer beside her, she said, "And this is another little creation of mine, your student." As she spoke, a printed score report slid out. The warm paper felt crisp in hand. She sorted the scores in descending order: the top score was 89, which was decent. The exam had indeed been difficult; otherwise, Old Zhang wouldn't have made those remarks.

Old Zhang and Senior Brother Zhang were stunned by this revelation. What kind of heaven-sent student/junior sister was this? Old Zhang had heard about this printer—the factory was already up and running, which is why it could be outfitted in their university. There was reportedly a pricier portable version, but the school hadn't splurged on it. Never did he expect that this little girl had invented it, along with the chart software. Feng Xia wasn't just a genius—she was a polymath!

Senior Brother Zhang was so shocked he could barely speak. Stammering, he said, "J-Junior Sister, you're t-too amazing! You're doing cross-disciplinary research! That's incredible!"

But he stepped on a sore spot. Old Zhang glared at him and scolded, "Look at your junior sister, then look at yourself. You've been at this for so long and can't even type properly. You don't put in the effort to practice—you're just hopeless!"

Senior Brother Zhang had been managing a lab and only had a breather recently when people left. Besides, the computer had just been delivered. Being able to use it correctly was already commendable. The lab next door still had theirs gathering dust. Senior Brother Zhang felt wronged but dared not say a word.

The scores were out, bringing joy to some and sorrow to others. But Feng Xia's legendary status spread like wildfire across the campus. In Dorm 502 of the male dormitory, Zhao Guangming packed his luggage. He was a local of the capital, but his father had recently been transferred to another province—ostensibly a lateral move, but actually a veiled promotion. When he returned, he'd be a top provincial official, marking a flourishing political career.

Zhao Guangming had already bought a ticket to celebrate the New Year in that other province. Hearing his roommate marvel at how brilliant Feng Xia was and whether she was as beautiful as the rumors said, a flicker of emotion stirred in his heart. He remembered her slender, cool figure—it lingered at the corners of his mind, settled deep in his heart. He resigned himself to a faint smile. No matter what, now was not the right time.

Time flew by in the blink of an eye. Before they knew it, it was New Year's Eve. Every household in the capital hung red lanterns. The sound of firecrackers rose and fell, mingling with the cheerful shouts of children, warming the cold air and making it uniquely comforting.

Old Zhang and Senior Brother Zhang arrived early in the morning in Jiang Long's car. They brought two chickens, a duck, and a bundle of mushrooms—where they bought them was anyone's guess. Jiang Long took charge of cooking, while Old Zhang and Senior Brother Zhang sat on the sofa making dumplings. Feng Xia's culinary skills were so poor that they kicked her out to prep the veggies instead.

Jiang Long's cooking was top-notch. For this New Year's Eve, he went all out and made a full "Eight Big Bowls" spread, making Senior Brother Zhang's eyes light up. Although the cafeteria at Peking University served good food, eating it every day got tiresome—plus the dishes there were relatively bland compared to Jiang Long's flavorful creations.

By around five in the afternoon, it was dark outside. The family's New Year's Eve dinner was laid out. Everyone held a glass of Arctic Ocean soda and clinked their glasses, toasting to the arrival of the new year.

Old Zhang and Senior Brother Zhang didn't stand on ceremony. They tucked into big pig trotters with gusto. Senior Brother Zhang, in particular, praised Jiang Long with every bite, making the burly man's ears burn red. Feng Xia picked up roast duck and wrapped it in pancakes, eating with gusto. The roast duck had been sent from the South Sea—a personal delivery from the top leader for Feng Xia. It was still warm when it arrived, showing that the top leader always had Comrade Feng Xia in mind.

Everyone ate until they were stuffed. The dumplings were truly impossible to finish, so they were frozen solid. Jiang Long packed a big bag for Old Zhang and Senior Brother Zhang, along with plenty of braised pork and ham, before sending them off.

Just as Feng Xia lay down on the sofa to digest, the door was banged on urgently. Then, realizing it wasn't latched, someone burst in. It was Professor Zhu Guangya, accompanied by what seemed to be his son. Professor Zhu's expression was grim. In an urgent tone, he said, "Feng Xia, fighting has broken out in Dongshan. The Vietnamese army has launched an attack on us. Word is the situation's not good. The top leader is currently in a meeting in the South Sea. We need to go there together. Let's go now."

Feng Xia's expression instantly darkened. With a commanding presence, stilling everyone into silence, she nodded. She wrote a note for Jiang Long and left directly with Professor Zhu Guangya for the South Sea.

Feng Xia had been to the South Sea many times, but never with such a tense atmosphere. Many experts and professors from the Academy of Sciences and the 101 Institute were present. Seeing Feng Xia, they nodded to her one after another. Some even pulled candies from their pockets and handed them to her, afraid she might be scared.

After the top leader finished a meeting with several senior officials, the main topic was the treatment device. With war imminent, the importance of the treatment device became evident. Although it was already in production, the top leader still wanted to consult the professors' opinions.

Almost everyone present was an academician—the backbone of the nation. The top leader trusted their words without reservation.

Once the assessment was done, things looked fairly optimistic. Even the top leader's furrowed brow eased a bit. After seeing the others off, the top leader felt weary. Just then, the shining new star of Hua Kingdom's scientific research scene stepped forward and said with resolute clarity:

"Leader, I request a deployment to Dongshan. I want to go to the front!"