If we say that initially taking on the work of the Seventh Department was just about finding something to do,
then as her understanding of the work deepened and the responsibilities on her shoulders grew heavier,
Jiang Si began to truly comprehend and appreciate the perseverance and sacrifices of her mentor's generation.
Without realizing when it started, a weighty sense of mission had also settled upon her.
Just as her mentor often said: "Each generation has its own steadfast commitments, and each generation has its own mission!"
To be able to participate in building China and contribute her own strength towards the goal of "major national projects" within her lifetime, Jiang Si felt deeply honored.
Therefore, she thoroughly enjoyed this busy yet fulfilling life.
It was busy, certainly, but compared to the dedication of the predecessors who were stationed in the Gobi desert, Jiang Si spent most of her time in Beijing, where the living conditions were incomparably better.
Occasional business trips lasted at most ten days or half a month, and she hadn't missed her children's growth. She truly felt very fortunate.
Unconsciously, the children had reached the age for elementary school.
After several years of systematic training in mental abacus calculation, Zhaozhao had now become the youngest specially admitted student at the Military Economic College.
Despite her young age, she had almost swept first place in all abacus competitions in Beijing over the past few years.
Last month, she even went with a mental abacus team, invited by Sunset Country, to participate in a China-Japan Friendship International Mental Abacus Competition.
For this event, Zhaozhao entered two events: "Lightning Mental Abacus Calculation" and "Large Number Multiplication and Division Competition."
Before going abroad, while Jiang Si was helping her pack, she accidentally came across Zhaozhao's usual practice problem book.
The very first problem stumped her.
It was a 12-digit number divided by a 6-digit number, not even a clean division, requiring the answer plus the remainder.
After just one glance, Jiang Si quickly closed the book.
The only regret was that her and Huo Tingzhou's positions made it impossible for them to go abroad; otherwise, she would have loved to witness her daughter's dominating performance firsthand.
According to Zhuo Mingda's report after returning, Zhaozhao went absolutely wild at the competition that day!
They say friendship first, competition second, but with Sunset Country involved, friendship first was out of the question.
Zhaozhao, with her ability, demonstrated what it means to have "unfathomable strength that grows stronger when facing Japan"!
With the two gold medals won this time, Zhaozhao truly fulfilled the promise she made when she first participated in an abacus competition.
She had put a gold medal on every member of the family!
With such an outstanding younger sister, Suisui found it hard not to strive.
While Zhaozhao was away in Sunset Country for the competition, Suisui also achieved a crushing victory with nine straight wins in the Go rating tournament, successfully advancing to amateur 6-dan.
This already broke the record for the youngest age in history.
In fact, as early as two years ago when Suisui first won the Beijing Amateur Go Championship, he had already caught the attention of the coaches from the Chinese National Go Team.
But no one expected that when faced with the olive branch extended by the national team, Suisui actually declined.
His reason for refusing was just as he had told Jiang Si before: he practiced Go merely to temper his disposition.
Participating in competitions initially was just for the idea of earning some pocket money.
At the very least, the prizes included enamel mugs.
Now, the house had dozens of enamel mugs printed with the names of various major competitions!
But if he joined the national team, it would mean daily, repetitive training, leaving less time to spend with his family.
This was what he could not accept the most.
People have heard of precocious maturity, but upon first meeting him, Suisui's words still astonished everyone.
Yet, precisely because of this uniqueness, it further solidified their desire to recruit this promising talent.
However, Suisui was exceptionally firm on this matter, and Jiang Si and Huo Tingzhou fully respected their child's opinion.
Though privately, the couple was quite curious: when would their son's "tempering of his disposition" finally reach its end?
But soon, they didn't need to wonder anymore.
In the summer after finishing second grade, at the age of nine, Suisui formally withdrew from the Children's Palace Go club.
Firstly, the teachers at the Children's Palace frankly admitted they had nothing left to teach him.
Secondly, Suisui felt his disposition was sufficiently tempered, and he now wanted to challenge himself with things he was interested in.
Over the past few years, he had taken apart the family's television, radio, and various small appliances.
Jiang Si confidently made a bet with Huo Tingzhou, believing their son would definitely choose a mechanical engineering group.
Unexpectedly, he turned and threw himself into the embrace of the model airplane class.
On the way home, looking at her son, who had grown quite a bit taller walking ahead, she teased Huo Tingzhou with a smile, "It seems you have a successor."
Huo Tingzhou's lips curved slightly upward, "Not necessarily."
The road was quiet, and he naturally took Jiang Si's hand. "It's also possible that both of us have a successor."
Jiang Si was surprised for a moment but quickly understood the deeper meaning in his words. "You mean, he doesn't want to fly planes, but to build them?"
Huo Tingzhou nodded. "Those textbooks you studied on your own, Jingxing would flip through them in his spare time. When he encountered problems he didn't understand, he'd note them down and ask me."
He no longer liked people calling him Suisui.
Whenever he heard it, he would earnestly correct them.
Hearing this, Jiang Si wasn't jealous, just purely curious. "Then why has Jingxing never asked me?"
Huo Tingzhou looked at her with a smile, the teasing in his eyes all too obvious.
Jiang Si instantly fell silent.
Alright, she admitted it!
With the "Giant Wave II" project entering a critical phase, she had indeed been quite busy this year.
Leaving early and returning late was the norm, and she often worked overtime on weekends.
"It'll be better in a few more months," Jiang Si said.
It was already July 1977, and the pivotal moment that would truly change countless destinies was drawing nearer and nearer.
She knew that on the 8th of next month, an extremely important "Symposium on Science and Education" would be formally held at the Great Hall in Beijing.
The meeting lasted for several days.
This was the first time since 1973 that the state explicitly proposed, in a public setting, the restoration of the college entrance examination.
This time it wasn't "crying wolf"; it was really going to happen!
Just like in 1973, two months after the news was publicly announced, the college entrance examination would officially begin.
However, Jiang Si hesitated for a long time on whether to take the exam herself.
But she ultimately decided to go for it. With three overachievers in the family, it wouldn't do for her to remain stuck without advancing.
Moreover, given her current situation, she could apply for early graduation when the time came.
The ban on purchasing private cars would also be lifted in 1978. She could buy a car then, making commuting much more convenient.
Once decided, Jiang Si also began reviewing her studies in a planned manner during her spare time.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was October—
