Chapter 2

Clang, clang…

On the green‑painted train, this rhythmic sound, hearing it makes one a bit annoyed, but if the sound disappeared, that would be even more annoying, meaning a long wait at the station!

Inside the carriage, various smells mixed; the person opposite was eating a scallion pancake, the neighbor cracked open a boiled egg…… but the strongest smell was still the body odor emanating from people……

On the ceiling of the carriage, there was a small fan every so often, but no matter how it turned, it couldn't blow away the sweat on passengers' foreheads, let alone the fan nearest Qin Miao's seat was broken!

"Comrades, pay attention, we're about to leave Shanhaiguan, wake up, all wake up! Watch your belongings!" the train attendant in a blue‑gray uniform shouted while walking through the crowded carriage.

"Comrade, can this overhead fan be repaired?" a peasant‑looking person sitting on the outer side of the seat asked.

"There are no spare parts on the train; it cannot be repaired while running, it needs to be done at the terminal station."

"Hmph, not putting in subjective effort, blaming objective conditions!" the old farmer muttered a few complaints.

Qin Miao gave the old farmer beside him a thumbs‑up: "Old sir, well said!"

In this era, even old farmers can engage in metaphysics!

The old farmer proudly lifted his head: "A few years ago, the village installed a small loudspeaker; every day we listened to Chairman Mao's words, I have long kept these teachings in mind. By the way, young man, where are you headed?"

"Me? I'm going to Ha Gong Da!"

On this bench‑style seat that can hold three people, the old farmer sat on the outside, Qin Miao in the middle, and inside sat a middle‑aged man wearing a four‑pocket jacket and carrying a synthetic‑leather briefcase.

He held the briefcase against his chest, head leaning against the window edge dozing; hearing Qin Miao say that, he opened his eyes and looked at him: "Is it Ha Cheng Industrial University, or Ha Cheng Engineering University?"

"Of course it's Ha Cheng Industrial University!" Qin Miao said proudly: "Nan Jiaotong, Bei Qinghua, the most advanced Ha Gong Da!"

"That's right! Our Ha Gong Da is the most advanced, young man, what year are you in?"

"Freshman…… but I haven't enrolled yet." Qin Miao scratched his head.

Freshman?

The middle‑aged man startled: "At this time, the admission notices haven't been mailed out yet, have they?"

"Hmm, I'll go there first to have a look."

"His grades were sufficient and he had applied; it's almost certain he'll get in! The mailing of the admission notice takes ten days to half a month, plus the time for enrollment—some people don't receive the acceptance letter until before the university term starts; those with good family conditions go ahead to scout it out…… but that's as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns!"

"Are you alone?"

"Yes, I am indeed alone, and you?"

"I'm from Ha Gong Da's Department Four, that is the Aerospace Department; my surname is Zhou, a single given name Ding. Which major are you applying for?"

"Aerospace, Mechanical…… you're a teacher from the Aerospace Department, Professor Zhou! Good to meet you, Professor Zhou! What a coincidence! I'm Qin Miao!" Qin Miao's face showed astonishment.

This was certainly an act; Qin Miao deliberately chose this train, remembering only the carriage, he even bought a dozen or so tickets from a tout, and after boarding, he spotted Professor Zhou, took out his most recent ticket, and lo and behold, it was the one right next to him!

As for why he remembered Professor Zhou, of course it was because……

"Well, young man, getting into Ha Gong Da means you're exceptional; you seem to have studied well so far!"

"Professor, you flatter me; since childhood I haven't liked going out to play, they called me a bookworm; after finishing the school's books, I'd go to the factory's reading room to borrow books…… not to mention high school, I've read a lot of university‑level material."

"Really? Have you studied fluid mechanics?"

"Yes, I have; what sticks in my memory most is the Navier‑Stokes equations, a set of partial differential equations, the formula is…… it's not much different from Newton's second law, only a change here and there, but because it adds the time rate of change of velocity, the formula becomes nonlinear; a tiny disturbance can thus lead to huge, hard‑to‑predict changes……"

Opposite, the person eating the scallion pancake had stopped chewing; here, the old farmer widened his eyes—what are these two talking about? I don't understand, but they sound impressive…… I'll tell the villagers when I go back, when I visit my son in the army, and on the return trip I might even hear cultured folk discussing professional knowledge……

"Exactly, aircraft design, climate simulation, ocean forecasting, even rocket propulsion all involve fluid mechanics. If you can't fully grasp the Navier‑Stokes equations, you won't be able to build these……" Professor Zhou grew excited: "Come, tell me your understanding!"

Soon, the carriage fell silent; countless people listened to Qin Miao and Professor Zhou's conversation, and a pair of eyes, intentionally or not, kept glancing at the synthetic‑leather briefcase Professor Zhou kept holding.

Day passed, night fell; the carriage lit with dim lights, most people had already dozed off.

After the early morning hours, the outside night grew darker; at the stations the train stopped at, only those getting off were present, hardly anyone boarding, and the carriage grew emptier, to the point that some seats could now be used to lie down and sleep.

The old farmer beside Qin Miao had already gotten off; he shifted outward, putting some distance between himself and Professor Zhou, making both more comfortable, and the thing at his waist was no longer poking him annoyingly.

Early morning, four o'clock.

A sharp‑cheeked, monkey‑faced youngster rose from his seat and tiptoed toward Qin Miao and Professor Zhou's seats, one step, two steps, three steps……

He stopped a few rows ahead, holding a blade; with a swish he slit the trousers of a lying passenger, then lightly pulled out a big stack of cash and swiftly shoved it into his pocket; he then walked forward, slit the front of a female passenger's clothing, and from there extracted a wallet……

All the way he came, walking and pausing, at this moment he was a bold hunter, and everyone in the carriage was his prey!

He finally reached Qin Miao's front; the blade easily sliced the handle of the handbag, then he pulled the whole bag out, weighed it in his hand, glanced at the sleeping Qin Miao, and stepped toward the exit.

Thud!

Qin Miao suddenly lifted his leg; this guy hadn't guarded against it and was tripped in one go!

"Catch the thief, catch the thief!" Qin Miao shouted at the top of his lungs.

Professor Zhou, who had been dozing, jerked awake, opened his eyes, and saw his handbag reduced to just a handle; instantly startled, his gaze then locked onto the thief.

The thief's heart jolted; he took long strides and ran toward the aisle, pulling out a switchblade with his right hand: "Nobody move, or I'll stab whoever dares to move!"

"Professor Zhou, don't chase, be careful not to get hurt!" Qin Miao shouted.

"I can't, the briefcase contains……"

He hadn't finished speaking when he saw Qin Miao pull something from his waist…… a gun?

"Don't move, or I'll shoot!"

Bang!