Chapter 737: The Right Way to Be a Slacker

Time flew like a white horse passing through a crack; on February 10, Xu Qingzhou and Song Yao worked until the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month before flying back to Rongcheng for the New Year.

Unlike previous years, when they shuttled between Wutong Community and Zizhu Huayuan Community, this year the whole family spent the New Year in their new home by Jinjiang River.

Wang Xiaping and Zhang Junli even bought a mahjong table, which they stored in the unused maid’s room when not in use.

New Year’s Eve passed in lively festivity.

The first day of the New Year.

At around afternoon, Wang Xiaping and Zhang Junli returned to Wutong Community to fetch the copper pot, planning to cook hot pot at home that evening.

They would cook only as much as needed for visiting relatives in the coming days, to avoid waste.

After retrieving their items and entering the house, they found two middle-aged men returning from a stroll, playing chess before the floor-to-ceiling window, while Song Yao sat in the living room holding the tricolor cat and watching TV.

Wang Xiaping glanced around and asked, “Where’s Qingzhou?”

“In the study,” Song Yao replied, rising to take the groceries from both women.

“Still working so hard during the New Year,” Wang Xiaping sighed helplessly. She had once complained that the boy was lazy and aimless, but now that he sat at his desk all day, she worried he was overworking and wearing himself down.

Everyone put their things in the kitchen and returned to the living room to rest.

Zhang Junli asked in a low voice, “Is your fusion project pressing right now?”

“Yes, the machine installation is scheduled for April; we’ll be working overtime for the next few months.”

Song Yao nodded, foreseeing that before the device’s ignition, Xu Qingzhou would either be working overtime or on his way to it.

These past few days, Xu Qingzhou had been modeling for the computing center.

The quantum sensing magnetic field monitoring system was complete; Xu Qingzhou planned to use a DeepMind-style disruption prediction model, combined with femtotesla-level magnetic field monitoring, to achieve microsecond-level feedback suppression of ELMs.

Some models required his personal design.

“It’s a project worth over ten billion yuan, and Qingzhou is the direct lead—understandable,” Zhang Junli remarked with a sigh.

In her own district, even investments of a few hundred million yuan required countless meetings.

These two young people spent hundreds of millions without a second thought.

The great man was right—science and technology truly are the primary productive force; a single patent could bring hundreds of millions in licensing fees.

“Last time I read the report, the institute already had over a hundred people?”

“Yes, they’ve since established several research centers.”

After chatting a while, Wang Xiaping squinted and asked, “Enough about work—have you two decided when to get married?”

Previously, they had said they’d wait until Song Yao graduated.

“We want to wait until our careers are stable before getting married,” Song Yao said.

Xu Qingzhou is occupied with the controlled nuclear fusion device, and her side, Zero Point Tech, is still in its early stages—needing to manage hundreds of patents and oversee investments.

They would consider marriage once their current work reached a pause.

“We respect your young people’s judgment.”

Wang Xiaping smiled warmly, not surprised at all.

Though she often fantasized about retired life with grandchildren, she knew it wasn’t realistic yet—Xu Qingzhou and Song Yao were still in the ascent of their careers, the time to strive.

Xu Qingzhou and Song Yao were both under twenty-five.

They had already registered their marriage earlier than most young people; there was no need to rush now.

Zhang Junli added, “Still, a wedding must happen. Many young people today prefer destination weddings, but you two must not think that way—a wedding is an essential ceremony.”

“Your mother’s right. The wedding may be a hassle, but decades later, flipping through wedding photos still brings joy. If you cut corners now, you’ll have no memories left.”

“We’re not planning a destination wedding,” Song Yao said, exasperated.

She and Xu Qingzhou both appreciated the ritual of a wedding.

“Good.”