Chapter 1508: 1508
One day.
Two days.
Three days.
It was getting closer and closer to the Lunar New Year. Red lanterns were being hung up all over the place at the research institute. The decorations brought a jubilant mood as the researchers waited for the arrival of the new year.
"Put up the couplets!"
"Old Li, the couplet you wrote is too ugly."
"Hahaha, I can't help it. That's just how skilled I am."
"True, we're all academics doing research day in and day out, so it's not like there are many of us who have good calligraphy."
"Hey, you better not say something like that. Have you all forgotten? The best calligrapher in the country is attached to our research institute."
"Oh yes, we should be asking Professor Zhang to write some couplets for us instead."
"Forget about that. Professor Zhang's words are worth 10,000 taels of gold each. Who would dare to hang them up even if he wrote them? Would you bear to stick it up on the walls? Wouldn't that be such a waste?"
"By the way, where is Professor Zhang anyway?"
"You're right, I haven't seen him in several days already."
"If it weren't for someone singing 'Tears Behind Prison Bars' every morning, I would have thought that Professor Zhang had already left."
"It seems like he's taken up some research project or something?"
"There's nothing to argue about regarding Professor Zhang's talents, but it's just that he gets a crazy idea every now and then."
In the dorm.
Zhang Ye had not left his room for several days. The interior was filled with all sorts of notes. A series of formulae filled a blackboard, and the walls were pasted with all kinds of incomprehensible drawings. On the table and on the floor were drafts and scratch paper lying all over the place. There were even several scale models lying in the corner of the room that Zhang Ye had borrowed from who knows where.
He did research.
He made measurements.
He designed a model.
No one knew what Zhang Ye was doing, because no one at the research institute could understand the research that he was conducting. Besides, no one believed that Zhang Ye was doing anything feasible either. That was because the project that he was attempting was too frightening. There were tens of thousands of difficult projects in China, but even so, Zhang Ye still went ahead and chose the most difficult one of all! How many researchers had fallen in the face of this adversity? How many researchers had been troubled by it? Yet Zhang Ye as a mathematician was actually attempting to overcome this research void? Who could believe that?
Only Zhang Ye believed that he could get it done. It was just that he needed time, a lot of time, so for the past few days, he worked around the clock on it and did not get much rest at all.
Until some news arrived.
The news was brought to him by Chi Xue.
Chi Xue congratulated, "Professor Zhang, my early congratulations to you."
Zhang Ye asked, "What are you congratulating me for?"
"Your wife is almost due." Chi Xue continued, "We've just received news. Chief Wu has been admitted to the hospital while awaiting delivery. Her due date is estimated to be within the next few days."
Zhang Ye froze.
She was about to give birth?
She was going to deliver their child soon?
But of course!
Wasn't the expected due date supposed to be in these few days?
Zhang Ye immediately threw out all thoughts of his work and research. He was not in the mood for those anymore. All he could think of now was Old Wu and his child!
He sat down.
And stood up again.
Then he paced around several times and sat back down.
Zhang Ye paced around aimlessly. Finally, he stepped out of the room.
Zhou Xiaohe came up to him and said, "Professor Zhang, congratulations."
Several researchers also came over with congratulations.
"You're going to be a father soon."
"Congratulations in advance, Professor Zhang."
"This is joyous news."
"It's happening just in time for the New Year. We must celebrate this!"
"Hahaha, Professor Zhang, you'll have to treat everyone!"
Everyone had already found out about the news and were all feeling overjoyed for Zhang Ye.
But no one could understand how Zhang Ye was feeling at this moment. He was going through such complicated emotions. In his excitement, he was a little worried as well. He had no other thought right now than to head straight for the hospital. He wanted to be there to accompany Old Wu and witness the birth of his child with his own eyes. This thought was very intense. It was so intense that the moment Zhang Ye thought of it, he went to look for Fellow Chi and Fellow Zhou.
The moment he spoke, it exasperated the two elderly research fellows!
Zhang Ye said, "This bro here wants to go outside to seek medical treatment!"
Chi Xue was speechless.
Fellow Chi rolled his eyes. "And how are you sick?"
Zhang Ye said, "I'm feeling sick all over."
Fellow Zhou said, "But you look like you're in really good health."
Zhang Ye pointed to the ground and said, "Do you believe that I could faint right here in front of you?"
Fellow Zhou said in a speechless manner, "Then which hospital do you wish to go to?"
Zhang Ye declared loudly without hesitation, "To the maternity hospital my wife is admitted to. I'm fine with staying there."
"You're a man, so how could there be any doctors for you at a maternity hospital?" Chi Xue was amused.
Zhang Ye harrumphed, "As long as you guys allow me to go out, this bro will even be willing to stay at a mental institution!"
Whoa!
You're really going all out, huh!
Fellow Chi said, "Professor Zhang, we understand how you're feeling. But you're still in the midst of serving your sentence. Our Chinese Academy of Sciences put in a lot of effort to get you here. We were required to give a guarantee and also sign on the dotted line to ensure that we kept our word. Do you really think that you can just go out as you wish? Dutifully wait here for the news. How about this? We're not unreasonable people, so I'll allow you a special privilege. As long as there's any news from the hospital that your wife is admitted to, be it a laboratory test, or ECG, we will get someone to inform you about it. I guarantee that you can rest assured of everything that is happening, and we will also let you know about the latest news immediately."
Zhang Ye smacked his lips. "Why would I want the laboratory tests!"
Fellow Zhou said, "Old Chi has given you a privilege. If it were anyone else, there wouldn't be such treatment at all."
"That won't do." Zhang Ye did not agree to it. "If anything, let me call my wife."
Fellow Chi said firmly, "That is not possible."
Fellow Zhou also said, "Yes, definitely not possible."
But Chi Xue said, "Dad, can't you just let Professor Zhang make one call?"
"No." Fellow Chi shook his head. "Little Zhang's transfer out of the prison has a confidentiality clause. He is not allowed to have any communications with the outside world; that's the rule."
Chi Xue said, "Rules should be reasonable and special circumstances should call for special treatment. Professor Zhang has given so much effort to our research project already. Now that his wife is about to give birth, you won't allow him to visit her, or even call her. Surely that's too cruel, right? Uncle Zhou, don't you agree with me?"
Fellow Zhou became a little hesitant after hearing the logic. "Well, that makes sense."
Fellow Chi stared and said, "Old Zhou, what realization dawned on you?"
Fellow Zhou laughed and said, "It's just a call. As long as Professor Zhang doesn't reveal any information about our research institute or the research project, it will be fine."
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