Chapter 447: What Do You Think Of My Daughter?
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Won a prize?
Chen Baohua was stunned by Lu Zhou’s words, and he asked immediately, “What prize?”
Lu Zhou answered truthfully, “n.o.bel Prize…”
Everyone went silent for half a minute.
Lu Zhou didn’t look at his watch, but he estimated it was at least half a minute or so.
Chen Baohua looked at Lu Zhou with his eyes wide open. He then stuttered, “No… n.o.bel? That n.o.bel?”
Lu Zhou nodded. “Yeah.”
Honestly, Lu Zhou was very surprised to receive the call.
Although Professor Ertl promised him that he would nominate his name to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, he never thought this day would come so soon.
He wasn’t prepared for this at all.
Excited?
He obviously was.
The n.o.bel Prize was the highest honor in the academic world; any scholar that said they weren’t interested in the n.o.bel Prize was plain jealous.
However, Lu Zhou was more confused than excited.
When he remembered that he nearly hung up on the n.o.bel Prize phone call twice, he felt a mixture of emotions. It seemed that he couldn’t refuse unknown phone numbers in the future anymore. At the very least, he should answer the calls first…
Suddenly, Chen Yushan, who was just as confused, asked in a hushed tone, “Is there a n.o.bel Prize for mathematics?”
“Nope,” Lu Zhou shook his head and said, “it’s the n.o.bel Prize in Chemistry.”
“Oh, chemistry.”
Chen Yushan sighed in relief.
However, she instantly realized something.
Sh*t!
No matter what field it’s in, this is still the n.o.bel Prize!
She always knew Lu Zhou’s mathematics was strong, strong enough to be internationally famous. However, she didn’t expect his chemistry to be just as powerful.
Chen Yushan didn’t even realize that she had begun to subconsciously look at Lu Zhou in a different manner.
“Amazing… Little Brother…”
Lu Zhou wasn’t good at being complimented.
Embarra.s.sed, Lu Zhou smiled as he said, “It’s okay.”
Chen Baohua: “…”
…
In an inconspicuous factory complex at Jiangling, a town in China.
After transferring to the logistics department, Old Lu had been bored out of his mind every day. He’d either go fis.h.i.+ng with his friends all day or drink tea and read the newspaper in his office.
It was a national holiday and the weather was nice. Lu Bangguo caught two humongous fish and happily invited his fisherman friends to his house.
He asked Fang Mei to grill the fish and make some appetizers. Old Lu then took out his beloved baijiu and placed everything on the dining table.
Zhou Ping was sitting across from Old Lu. He took a sip of the baijiu before he said enviously, “You’re really living the good life; fis.h.i.+ng and drinking every day. I wouldn’t trade a life like this for the world.”
Old Lu said, “Good my a*s. All I’m doing is gaining weight. I’d be retiring in a few years; I’ll have even more free time then. I’d rather find some work at a factory.” Although it seemed that he was complaining, he had a smile on his face.
Zhou Ping picked up a piece of fish and smiled. He said, “Stop it. Don’t give Secretary Wu more trouble. The leaders.h.i.+p team sends their condolences to a guy like him every so often. Do you really think a factory would put you back in the workforce?”
Old Lu shook his head and smiled, not saying anything in return.
He hadn’t done anything earth-shattering in his life, but he knew how to manage relations.h.i.+ps. He had spent his life doing manual labor in the factory, and his biggest achievement was his factory promotion.
There was really no reason for anyone to commemorate him.
Even though no one told him this, but he knew in his heart that he was riding his son’s success.
Zhou Ping poured some more baijiu in his cup and said, “It’s the national day today, why hasn’t the big mathematician come back yet? What about your daughter at Jin Ling University?”
Old Lu smiled and said, “They’re all busy minding their own business. I’m not worried about them at all. I’d be happy if they come back for Chinese New Year and call home every so often.”
“How can you do this? They’re forgetting their roots.” Old Zhou couldn’t help but show off his daughter. He said, “Look at my daughter, she will never leave home. Regardless of the length of the holiday, she’ll always come home and visit.”
Old Lu looked at Old Zhou and said, “Your daughter is studying in Jiangcheng; traveling here by high-speed rail is faster than going to the city from here. Is this really a good comparison?”
Old Zhou smiled and said, “The location isn’t the focus; the heart is the important thing.”
Old Lu said, “Okay then, brag about this to me when she has a partner.”
Old Zhou’s eyes widened, and his demeanor instantly changed. “No boy will steal my daughter from me!”
While the two old men were bragging, a piece of news was being broadcasted. They could hear it coming from a television nearby.
The news anchor had just finished with the news segment when she received a piece of paper off-camera.
After the news anchor read the contents of the paper, she had a surprised expression on her face.
However, she quickly adjusted her expression.
“We will now present a piece of breaking news.
“Today, 4th of October, around fifteen minutes ago, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the list of winners for n.o.bel Prize in Chemistry …”
Suddenly, the news anchor paused for a second.
It was almost like she had to restrain the excitement in her heart.
It was almost like she had to try and maintain the demeanor of a news anchor.
She then spoke in a steady tone.
“Because of his outstanding ‘Theoretical Model of the Electrochemical Interface Structure’ contribution, Professor Lu, an alumnus of Jin Ling University, will become the sole prize winner and receive nine million kronor!
“At the same time, he will become the first scholar in the world to receive both the Fields Medal and the n.o.bel Prize!”
The news broadcast continued, but the living room was dead silent.
Old Lu hadn’t heard of the Hoffman prize or the Fields Medal, but he knew that the n.o.bel Prize was on another level. Even a guy like him, who had never left his hometown, had heard of it.
They remained silent for a minute or so.
Lu Bangguo’s fisherman friend was the first to break that silence.
Zhou Ping: “Old Zhou…”
Lu Bangguo: “… What?”
Zhou Ping: “I heard your son hasn’t married yet?”
Lu Bangguo: “Yeah.”
Zhou Ping: “Are you thinking of… finding him a partner?”
Lu Bangguo looked at him and asked, “What do you mean?”
While slightly embarra.s.sed, Zhou Ping smiled as he asked, “What do you think of my daughter?”