Busy

Shen Qi arrived at the Mathematics Department building, at Sun Erxiong's office.

Nobody's here.

Today is Sunday, a day off.

Shen Qi called Sun Erxiong: "Good morning, Professor Sun. I'm at your office door. What, you're jogging?"

"Can you even run? Is it running or walking...? No, no, no, what I mean is, life is about movement. I especially love running too. Let's have a run sometime."

"By the way, let's get down to business. I've finished answering question 36. Please review it, Professor Sun."

"Okay, I'll put it on your desk."

Sun Erxiong said he was doing his morning exercise and asked Shen Qi to leave question 36 in his office, saying he would return to the math building later to review it.

Just to be on the safe side in case of loss, Shen Qi made a copy of the original manuscript of Question 36 and its appendices. Sun Erxiong's office had a photocopier.

The original manuscript plus appendices totaled 208 pages, not much thinner than a textbook for Advanced Algebra.

"Completing this feat in 48 hours is truly meaningful."

Looking back, Shen Qi found the near-limit challenge quite exciting.

Shen Qi took the photocopy with him; it was a copy of his manuscript, a keepsake. Even if he had another 48 hours, he might not be able to accomplish the same feat.

Such things depend on both one's mood and fate.

After breakfast, Shen Qi went back to his dorm to catch up on sleep.

Around 10 a. m., Sun Erxiong strolled into the Department of Mathematics office, accompanied by his colleague Lu Guozhen.

Sun Erxiong and Lu Guozhen, both professors in the School of Mathematical Sciences, have their own research projects. They also teach basic courses for undergraduate students in the school; Sun Erxiong teaches Advanced Algebra, and Lu Guozhen teaches mathematical analysis.

Advanced Algebra and Mathematical Analysis are the most fundamental professional courses for students in the School of Mathematical Sciences, with 10 and 15 credits respectively. Analytic Geometry is slightly less, with 5 credits.

Sun Erxiong and Lu Guozhen both enjoyed interacting with first-year students. Experienced professors could discern whether a math student had talent in the first year.

Sun Erxiong was about to grade Shen Qi's 36 Advanced Algebra questions when he called Lu Guozhen over, and the two of them graded the papers together.

Whether Shen Qi passes or fails, Sun Erxiong and the college will have an explanation. This is not a decision made by me alone. Two professors will score the papers simultaneously, which is in line with the college entrance examination grading model.

Lu Guozhen gladly accepted Sun Erxiong's invitation, as he was very impressed with Shen Qi. Not long ago, Shen Qi used 2.5 blackboards to prove a highly difficult mathematical problem posed by Professor Lu in class.

Sun Erxiong quickly skimmed through all 36 questions. "Not bad, kid. He actually finished them all and handed in his paper early. Here's what we'll do, Lao Lu, you review questions 1 to 18 first, and I'll review the last 18. We'll switch after we're done."

"No problem."

Lu Guozhen handed Sun Erxiong a Zhongnanhai cigarette, lit one for himself, and the marking work began.

The only sound in the office was the rustling of pages turning; neither professor spoke.

Every now and then, Sun Erxiong and Lu Guozhen would take out their pens to do some calculations and deductions, because they couldn't accurately judge whether Shen Qi's solution process was correct or rigorous by visual inspection.

The marking work continued until 4 p. m., and the two professors ordered takeout and had lunch in their office.

Finally, Lu Guozhen spoke up, "Shen Qi worked way too hard to get those 10 credits, Lao Sun, are you trying to kill him or something? Is it really necessary? By the way, is it supposed to be done this way to complete the credits ahead of schedule?"

"New rules, new procedures," Sun Erxiong said. "If we give Shen Qi final exam papers for both volumes of Advanced Algebra in advance, then awarding him those 10 credits would be too easy, posing no challenge whatsoever to him."

"I see, a new rule? So, if Shen Qi takes my 15 math calculus credits ahead of time, will it be done the same way?" Lu Guozhen asked.

"You decide," Sun Erxiong said, then asked, "So, Lao Lu, what's your opinion? How many questions did Shen Qi get right?"

"All correct, full marks! This kid's amazing! He finished all 36 questions in two days? Without any help?" Lu Guozhen was a little doubtful. Back when I was 18, I probably couldn't even solve 18 questions, let alone 36. In mathematics, logic and reasoning are everything. If you don't know it, you just don't know it. Even if you have two months, you still won't be able to solve it. Of course, I can't say this to Sun Erxiong.

"Given Shen Qi's personality, he wouldn't ask for help," Sun Erxiong said with certainty. "Old Lu, look at question 23. His problem-solving style is very much like Shen Qi's. This proof has a strong personal touch and a distinct logical approach."

"His writing reflects his personality. I was just about to mention question 23. Yes, this proof was invented by Shen Qi himself, wasn't it?" Professor Lu said, then laughed. "Shen Qi's problem-solving style is that he will never simplify a problem if he can make it more complex. If a math problem can be solved with 2.5 blackboards, he will never use 1.5."

"Old Lu, are you praising him or criticizing him?"

"Of course it's praise. Great mathematicians often possess this quality: it's perfectly fine if you can't understand what I'm writing."

"That makes sense. Hey, Lao Lu, have you proven question 23 yet?"

"I just gave a brief proof. Using the classical proof method, it should be done within 5 pages. But Shen Qi used a full 18 pages, 16 of which were dedicated to proving the logic of his new proof, and then 2 pages to proving the given equation. Hey, Lao Sun, Shen Qi's proof of problem 23, if formatted as a paper, could totally be submitted to a journal. The title could be something like 'A New Method for Proving Two Non-zero Quasi-quaternions,' or something like that, just to give you an example."

"Talented." Sun Erxiong nodded.

"Talent." Lu Guozhen carefully put away Shen Qi's 208-page handwritten manuscript, bound it into a book, and gently stroked it with affection—he never touched RMB with such tenderness.

"Old Lu, what are you doing?" Sun Erxiong asked warily.

"I've taken Shen Qi's manuscript; it can serve as a model for the next and the year after that freshmen to study and observe."

"Trying to cause trouble, Lao Lu? I created this Advanced Algebra exam paper! Leave Shen Qi's original handwritten manuscript here, take a copy with you, or you'll provoke me to lose my temper."

Fat Old Sun weighed over 200 pounds and was a powerful and imposing man. When he got angry, he was very intimidating. Skinny Old Lu backed down and made a copy to take with him.

Before leaving, Lu Guozhen said, "Old Sun, you don't have any major projects lately, but I do have a few. Shen Qi can work on some of them with me."

Sun Erxiong roared, "Get out!"

A little later, Shen Qi woke up and was told three things by Sun Erxiong.

First, Shen Qi, you have already earned 10 credits for the Advanced Algebra course, so you will no longer need to take my Advanced Algebra.

Second, for questions 7, 9, 20, 23, and 26 out of the 36 questions, organize them into a paper according to the standard format and submit it to a professional mathematics journal to accumulate some academic capital.

Third, you don't need to attend the Mathematical Analysis class anymore; I'll cover for you if anything happens. Don't bother talking to Professor Lu; he's a scoundrel, stay away from him.

Shen Qi thought about it and realized he had five papers to work on.

Of course, he also longed to publish papers, which could accumulate academic capital in the real world and also earn him academic points in the system. It was a win-win situation.

It's late October now, and the first semester of freshman year is almost over. Next January is Chinese New Year, and university students will gradually buy tickets to go home in December.

Shen Qi checked the academic affairs information and found that the final exams for all subjects would begin at the end of November, with the intensive exam period starting in mid-to-late December.

If you complete the 10 credits for Advanced Algebra, you don't need to take the final exam. The same applies to Mathematical Analytic Geometry.

The two general courses, Marxist Philosophy Military Theory, together only have 4 credits, less than half the credits of Advanced Algebra. Shen Qi has no interest in these two courses, so he just memorizes the key points a few days before the exam and takes the final exam as usual.

For College English and Computer Science, you still need to attend classes diligently and take the final exams as usual.

Physical education class is no problem; running and jumping makes it easy to get full marks.

The above is Shen Qi's plan for the first semester of his freshman year: to take the regular exams for general courses to earn credits, and to finish the three math major courses first.

Before going home for the Chinese New Year, Shen Qi still needs to complete five mathematical papers and submit them.

"I'm so busy." Shen Qi opened LaTeX on his computer and started drafting his first paper.