"Today, we gather here with heavy hearts to mourn the passing of the great Academician Ni. He dedicated his entire life to China's semiconductor industry, making outstanding contributions to the creation of the 5-state computer system."
"He is the undisputed leader and eternal pioneer of China's entire electronic computer industry. We will bid him eternal farewell here!" the solemn host said from the podium.
This was a small memorial service. As per Academician Ni's dying wish, he had refused the Jiangnan Group's offer to hold a grand ceremony, preferring a modest service in his hometown before returning to the earth that nurtured him.
Although Boss Huang had offered to continuously supply Taiyin spiritual energy to Ni Guangnan, he had unequivocally refused.
He stated that people should live their lives according to the natural course, not to prolong existence with such means. He felt his life had been perfect and needed no artificial additions.
Even so, Elder Ni lived to the age of 101 before his passing, a remarkable longevity.
"Mr. Huang is here!" Suddenly, an excited voice announced from the entrance, and Huang He walked in, dressed in a formal white Hanfu.
"Mr. Huang!" Academician Ni's three grandsons rushed over, greeting Huang He with great excitement.
It was the grandsons who came to greet him, not the sons, because Academician Ni had outlived his two sons. The family members in charge were now these three grandsons.
This was the first time these three grandsons had met Huang He. Academician Ni had rarely allowed his family to have contact with the Jiangnan Group. He had even refused his great-grandson's wish to apply to Jiangnan University.
In his words, regardless of their abilities, if they entered Jiangnan University, they would be questioned for getting in through his connections. It was better for them to apply to other universities to avoid suspicion.
If his great-grandson was treated this way, these three grandsons naturally wouldn't receive special favors. However, by the time Academician Ni joined the Jiangnan Group, these three grandsons had already begun their careers.
Later, when the Jiangnan Group became the world's largest conglomerate, they remained steadfastly in their respective positions. Ni Guangnan had always kept them in check, preventing them from joining the Jiangnan Group, as he was well aware that his descendants lacked the necessary qualifications.
Even when Boss Huang visited the Ni family, he would dismiss all relatives except his wife. Thus, this was indeed the first time these three grandsons were meeting Huang He, and they were not much younger than him.
Seeing these three elders who bore a striking resemblance to Ni Guangnan, Liu Xu was moved to tears. He embraced them, his newfound friends, for the first time and, accompanied by them, paid his last respects to Ni Guangnan.
"Do you have any difficulties that you need me to help you resolve!" Boss Huang asked earnestly, wiping a tear from his eye.
"There's no need for that!" The three grandsons exchanged glances. The eldest among them spoke hesitantly, "Grandpa, before he passed, he strictly instructed us not to make any requests to the company, especially to you. Otherwise, he would not forgive us even in the afterlife. So, we won't mention anything. Your visit is more than enough for us!"
"Alas, Teacher Ni is too stubborn about this. What's wrong with me helping you a bit? Must the family of this superhero of the Jiangnan Group suffer and live in hardship?" Huang He sighed. "While integrity is important, one must also live happily."
"As long as one has the ability, why not bring happiness to one's family and friends? As long as it's not illegal or criminal, what harm is there?"
"Very well, since these are the teacher's last words, I shouldn't disobey. How about this, tell me about your difficulties. I'll listen, but I won't necessarily grant them!" Huang He said, and the three grandsons' faces lit up with excitement.
Indeed, they weren't making demands; they were merely describing their life difficulties.
So, after a brief hesitation, the youngest grandson said, "We don't have many difficulties, but Grandpa donated all his life savings to the country before he passed. That's as it should be. However, my child is a disappointment. He's fallen into gambling and lost the family fortune. Even the old house that Grandpa left us has been put up for half sale by this unfilial son. We'll soon be homeless!"
"There are no other difficulties in the family..." Huang He couldn't help but roll his eyes at this, sighing that one truly couldn't control the younger generations. Even with Teacher Ni's strict upbringing, he had raised a great-grandson who gambled away the family fortune. That was truly something!
"Don't worry, I'll resolve this problem!" Liu Xu nodded, and the young grandson's expression immediately showed relief. The heaviest burden on his heart had been lifted.
"Mr. Huang, my family is doing fine, but my wife's health isn't good. My younger grandson participated in Jiangnan University's special recruitment examination this year, and his test results are a little below the admission line!" the second grandson said softly.
"How far off are the scores?" Huang He asked curiously.
"Not too much, just over a hundred and twenty points!" the second grandson replied, blushing.
Jiangnan University had adopted a self-recruitment model and no longer participated in the national unified examinations or batch admissions.
This complete decoupling was due to reforms in the college entrance examination over the past decade, which, under the influence of some, incorporated aspects like arts, social activities, and special talents into the scoring, allowing for bonus points for admission into prestigious universities.
Consequently, there was an influx of candidates with various social achievements who could gain admission to top universities with bonus points.
Jiangnan University, however, paid no heed to these changes, announcing its complete withdrawal from the national unified examination and exclusively relying on its own admissions tests. These tests were straightforward, consisting of four papers: Chinese, Mathematics, Chemistry, and Physics. Each paper was graded out of 100, but the difficulty was astronomically high. A score of 50 on any paper was equivalent to a score of 600 in the general college entrance examination.
The admission score for Jiangnan University that year was 328. The second grandson's grandson was more than 120 points short, meaning he scored around 200 points, averaging 50 points per subject, which would be equivalent to 600 points in the college entrance examination, enough to get into universities ranked among the top 985 and 211.
However, such scores were still far from enough to enter Jiangnan University.
"It's not that he can't get in, but I'm worried he won't be able to keep up with the studies!" Huang He mused. "How about this: have him continue with the college entrance examination and study normally. After four years, if he graduates from university, I'll offer him a special recruitment position at Jiangnan Group!"
"Thank you, Mr. Huang!" the second grandson was overjoyed. With Huang He's personal promise, his grandson had secured a stable future.
The third grandson, that fool, would ask Boss Huang for help with even minor debt issues. No matter how much debt one had, it could always be defaulted on. Why prioritize that over a descendant's future!
After resolving the second grandson's issue, Huang He turned his attention to the eldest grandson. This eldest grandson promptly shook his head, "Our family is doing well, we have no pressing issues. The only problem is..."
"Feel free to speak your mind!" Huang He urged.
"My youngest grandson wants some black gold!" the eldest grandson said with a wry smile.
"Black gold!" Huang He was taken aback. This substance was already an open secret, and the Jiangnan Group did sell black gold externally. However, only companies authorized by the Jiangnan Group could purchase it, and black gold circulated very rarely in the market. It was virtually impossible for ordinary people to obtain it.
He hadn't expected this eldest grandson to make such a request.
"What does your grandson want black gold for?" Huang He asked curiously.
"Well, my youngest grandson received a lot of notebooks from his great-grandfather. He discovered that one of them recorded various difficulties his grandfather encountered during his research."
"My youngest grandson wants to help his grandfather solve these problems, as a way to appease the spirit of his ancestor. Solving these problems requires a lot of laboratory equipment, which his grandfather had left behind. However, the most crucial material, black gold, is unavailable. That's why my grandson wants some black gold for his experiments!"
"How old is your grandson that he's already trying to solve problems his great-grandfather couldn't?" Boss Huang asked with a chuckle.
"He's not very old, just around 12 years old. However, he claims to have already solved several problems recorded in the notebooks. Currently, he's found some ideas regarding the fluidity and plasticity of liquid metal, but he lacks the materials to verify these ideas!"
"Hmm, the fluidity and plasticity of liquid metal!" Huang He was not very clear on this matter himself, as he had not been directly involved in research for a long time. It was like a primary school student trying to understand advanced calculus.
Fortunately, someone present understood, so Boss Huang called over Tong He, who had accompanied him and was currently kneeling before Ni Guangnan, weeping profusely.
Unlike Huang He's casual teacher-student relationship, Tong He was a genuine student of Ni Guangnan, having studied under him for over ten years. His feelings for Ni Guangnan were exceptionally deep.
If not for his work at the research center, which he absolutely could not leave, he would have joined the funeral committee himself.
"The fluidity and plasticity of liquid metal, have you resolved this issue?" Huang He asked directly.
"We're close!" Tong He was momentarily stunned, not understanding why Boss Huang, who hadn't inquired about research details in over 20 years, would suddenly ask such a question. Nevertheless, he answered truthfully.
"Then go and have a chat with your teacher's great-grandson!" Huang He dispatched the bewildered Tong He to converse with the 12-year-old boy. However, after waiting for a long time, Tong He did not return.
Boss Huang personally went to check and found Tong He engaged in a heated debate with the 12-year-old boy. They were even using their personal terminals to project a blackboard and were using their fingers to calculate various data on it.
"..." Boss Huang remained silent for a moment.
"This child will follow Tong He from now on!" Boss Huang said to Ni Guangnan's eldest grandson. "Tong He was Elder Ni's student, and your grandson becoming Tong He's student is also a form of continuation."