Chapter 21: Temporary Pass to the Research Institute

Qin Hengzhi briskly hung up the phone and then called in his secretary, Xiao Su: "Is there any new information from the Meteorological Bureau?"

Xiao Su replied, "No, they are monitoring closely. However, Engineer Meng said that since our terrain is high and the embankments are well-built, even if there is torrential rain, it won't affect the production and daily life of the military factory."

Qin Hengzhi knew Engineer Meng was right, but he didn't know the inside story.

If the mechanism couldn't be found, anything could happen.

When Old Jia reported to him, he said it was Master Lu who told him.

And Master Lu had heard it from his mother's analysis.

Qin Hengzhi gazed out the window; the sky was pitch black, punctuated only by the hazy yellow glow of streetlights spreading through the encroaching night.

He stood up and strode purposefully out of the office.

By this time, Lu Zhiguo was no longer just with the original three people.

There were already over a dozen.

Almost all of them were Lu Zhiguo's companions.

Although the children in the large compound were all families of military industry workers, there were actually several different social strata.

The group Lu Zhiguo always hung out with represented the layer of ordinary workers.

Liu Feng, on the other hand, was a driver whose family had many officials; he didn't usually play with Lu Zhiguo and the others.

Lu Zhiguo mocked him, "You ignore me all day, but when it comes to taking the fall for something, you suddenly remember your big brother Lu. What's the matter? Do you want me to thank your whole family and your eight generations of ancestors or something..."

Standing to the side, Zhang Xiaogang gave Liu Feng a casual shove. "Weren't you quite the talker when you were letting Brother Zhiguo and Sister Qiaoge take the blame? Why are you silent now?"

Liu Feng had been called out by Lu Zhiguo.

Below the dormitory building, a crowd of onlookers had gathered to watch the commotion.

Liu Feng had grievances he couldn't express.

He truly regretted it in his heart. He hadn't expected Lu Qiaoge to dare to kick him—his chest still hurt from it—and he certainly hadn't expected Representative Qin to be on a blind date with that brat. Regardless of whether it was true or not, Representative Qin was clearly on Lu Qiaoge's side.

Today, he had truly lost both the lady and the soldier.

Facing over a dozen people, he didn't dare to act tough; he could only obediently apologize repeatedly and say kind words.

When Lu Qiaoge kicked him, he didn't dare say anything, but he didn't want to be beaten by Lu Zhiguo again.

Meanwhile, Lu Qiaoge had already arrived at the research institute, where she coincidentally ran into Director He, who seemed lost in thought.

Carrying a bucket and clutching books, Lu Qiaoge ran forward and said happily, "Director He, what a coincidence! I was just worrying about how I'd see you. I'm here to return these books. Also, these are wheat-ear fish from our Hongxing Lake; they're still alive. They can be made into fish paste, and they're delicious with steamed buns!"

Director He cast aside her recent oppressive emotions. She was quite surprised; she didn't look at the iron bucket but took the books, flipped through them, and asked, "You've finished reading them all?"

Setting aside everything else, this "Fun Mathematics" book was quite thick; it wasn't a storybook, and it required mental effort to understand and memorize.

Moreover, this was the junior high school version.

Lu Qiaoge nodded. "Mhm, I've finished them all."

Director He thought to herself: *Could it be that she just skimmed through them?*

"Do you remember them?"

"I remember them all," Lu Qiaoge said with certainty.

Director He opened *The Beautiful Ocean*, found a simple section, and asked casually, "Then, do you remember 'A Whale Falls, Ten Thousand Things Rise'?"

Lu Qiaoge hadn't expected Director He to test her.

She replied immediately, "I remember. It refers to how after a whale dies in the ocean, it sinks to the seabed... the places where whales fall are often called desert oases, places where life begins anew..."

Lu Qiaoge had indeed memorized everything. It was very simple content, and she felt Director He was treating her like a child.

Looking at Director He's contemplative expression, Lu Qiaoge didn't know what she was thinking.

In truth, Director He had only asked casually, but somehow, it had triggered a train of thought.

Although these scientific researchers were obscure—some might only have their names and achievements known after death—their research results benefited humanity and continued to thrive endlessly.

Did that not align with "A Whale Falls, Ten Thousand Things Rise"?

Thinking a step further, were they not the most precious wealth?

The data... if it couldn't be recovered, then so be it. Constant self-reproach was useless; at worst, they would simply start over.

Director He was not a sentimental person; once she had reached this realization, those complex emotions vanished in an instant.

She looked at Lu Qiaoge with interest and asked two more questions.

To her surprise, Lu Qiaoge answered them all.

Thus, Director He led Lu Qiaoge into the courtyard. Lu Qiaoge handed the iron bucket to a smiling Sun Qin, while she was led into the house by Director He.

This was a row of staff dormitories, though Director He's quarters were larger.

Director He asked, "Do you still want to read?"

She hadn't expected Lu Qiaoge's memory to be so good that she could recite things almost verbatim; it was quite shocking.

Lu Qiaoge said obediently, "Director He, I want to start working, and then study while I work."

Director He nodded. She didn't find more books for her but gave all three books to Lu Qiaoge. "I'll give these three to you. If you want to study, you'll need to review textbooks, which I don't have. You'll have to find a way yourself. I have a study that is open; if you want to read, you can go there now. Just remember to register."

Having said that, she prepared to walk toward the back.

The back led to the research institute's experimental zone.

Lu Qiaoge blinked. Just as she was about to say thank you, Director He paused and looked at her gently. "I'll have your fourth uncle get you a temporary pass so you won't have to wait at the main gate."

Lu Qiaoge was a bit surprised, but her eyes immediately curved into crescents as she gave a sweet thanks.

Regardless of the reason, she happily accepted this kindness.

Director He smiled as well.

She had always liked polite, motivated, and non-pretentious young girls.

Especially ones as bright and clever as Lu Qiaoge; if she didn't study well, Director He would be very distressed.

Director He stopped worrying about Lu Qiaoge; anyway, Sun Qin would see her out in a moment.

Director He walked straight toward the experimental zone.

Lu Qiaoge didn't have a watch, but Director He had a wall clock; it was 8:15.

Her fourth uncle had long since finished work and gone home.

Her fourth uncle used to be Director He's guard, but he was removed due to certain matters and worked on a farm for a few years. He was only transferred back after Director He returned, which happened this spring.

Her fourth uncle was now a logistics administrator. She didn't know how the vegetable supply was at the research institute, so she asked Sun Qin, who was hovering around her: "Is it difficult to get leafy greens on a regular basis?"

Sun Qin nodded. "It is. Your fourth uncle has to go to the supply office every day to scramble for vegetables. Leafy greens don't store as well as large radishes, and you can't buy too many at once."

The research institute had its own separate supply office, while the grocery store was responsible for the residential compound.

Lu Qiaoge said, "I can get a batch of leafy greens tomorrow, around noon, at the sub-district office. But Sister Sun, you don't need to pick them up; I'll deliver them to you. By the way, what kind of vegetables does Director He like to eat?"

Sun Qin's eyes lit up. "She likes spinach and lettuce."