After so much ti, Li Zheng had stayed in quite a few hotels, but this was his first ti receiving the treatnt of a single room.
Although the group training center wasn’t as luxurious as a hotel, it was more exquisite and tidy, and at least he didn’t need to first check the sheets for any strange leftover hairs.
According to the schedule, Li Zheng’s first class would be at three in the afternoon, and at the mont he could either casually swim in the pool or play on the basketball court, or stay in his room to study.
There was no need to think about it, of course, he would stay in his room to study.
To be precise, this ti it should be called "preparing for class."
Who would have thought, who would have thought that Li Zheng would have such a day.
Eight lesson hours, he must fill their brains to the brim.
The main content of the course he was responsible for, "The New Generation of Aerospace Engineering," was actually about liquid fuel rockets, hydrogen-oxygen or thane, to be more specific, it was about Yellow 2.
Although he couldn’t yet say "no one understands Yellow 2 better than ," at least for now, in this training center, he was the one who understood it the most.
But this didn’t an he could explain it clearly.
Condensing the knowledge he had absorbed into an easy-to-understand expression was a very important ability, and it was also Feynman’s favorite learning thod.
In addition, he also needed to consider the students’ backgrounds, keeping the depth of the class at an appropriate level, ensuring it neither seed too simple for them nor went over their heads.
In short, the rhythm had to feel pretty aweso to the average master’s degree graduates in science and engineering.
That was still a bit difficult to grasp.
Fortunately, Li Zheng didn’t have the sa worries as Hu Chuni.
No matter how much one relied on connections, the threshold of a master’s degree was still there, and it was unlikely that there would be freaks of the level of Liu Xin among the students.
As Li Zheng organized his courseware, he inevitably drifted into reveries.
In fact, most contemporary scientific research magnates were also committed to teaching, and perhaps one day he too would stand in a university classroom, nourishing the thirst of the young like Teacher Yang Zhenhua.
He’d better practice in advance to build a good reputation.
Therefore, Li Zheng opened up textbooks on education, public speaking, and even stand-up cody, studied for about an hour, spent quite so ti reorganizing his courseware and lesson plan, and didn’t stop until he felt he had reached a university teaching level.
Seeing that it was nearly ti for lunch, in order to avoid the students’ lunch rush, he took his laptop and left his room.
Almost at the sa ti he left, a similarly handso guy from next door also ca out with his laptop in the sa manner.
When a handso guy ets another handso guy, they always have to appreciate each other for a mont.
Considering this was the accommodation area for the training teachers, Li Zheng subconsciously nodded and said, "Hello, teacher."
The handso guy paused for a mont, lifted his glasses and asked, "You... are also a teacher, right?"
"Oh, right, I am a teacher too," Li Zheng reacted, "So how should I greet you?"
The man adjusted his glasses again and scrutinized him from head to toe: "I’m Du Songtao, from The Fourth Institute."
"Hello, Teacher Du," Li Zheng stepped forward to shake hands, "Li Zheng, from The First Institute."
"Oh, I know you," the man nodded vigorously while shaking hands, "the Li Zheng who developed a new simulation system with Institute No. 11."
"A minor work, really minor."
"Not minor, it’s very important, very important to our Fourth Institute, too. I’ve seen that system, it’s quite sophisticated," Du Songtao pursed his lips, "You’re heading to the cafeteria, right? Shall we talk while walking?"
"Talk while walking."
Chatting along the way, Li Zheng gradually realized that Du Songtao was also a big shot.
Despite appearing quite young, he was already the deputy chief designer of the "Qiuzhi-1 planetary probe," though he hadn’t gone through much heartache and setbacks; after graduating with his PhD from Stanford, The Fourth Institute imdiately placed him in an ultra-high-level post, essentially poaching him from under NASA’s nose.
Of course, it could also be said that it was a return to his roots.
In the conversation, Li Zheng learned that this probe had already been designed and produced, ready to embark on its Mars survey mission at any mont.
However, based on its high weight of five tons, and the length of the Earth-Mars transfer orbit, only Yellow River-2 possibly had the capability to accomplish this mission.
In fact, "Qiuzhi-1" had been designed in tandem with the dinsions of Yellow River-2, like a piece of clothing that fits just right.
Hearing this, Li Zheng felt sowhat ashad.
"Sorry, Teacher Du..." Li Zheng lowered his head, even eating beca less appetizing.
"What’s that got to do with you, you haven’t been here long," Du Songtao said with a laugh, shaking his chopsticks, "Besides, an apology from you isn’t necessary, there are three more major projects lined up behind us - moon landing, astronomical telescope, and space station. It’s only after we go forward that they can be scheduled."
The more they talked about it, the guiltier Li Zheng felt.
"Teacher Du, if Yellow 2 succeeds in August, around when do you think ’Qiuzhi-1’ will launch?"
"If it’s the ideal situation..." Du Songtao rubbed his chin, "it should have been yesterday. The distance to Mars is a bit closer, but if we’re afraid of failure, considering politics, face, and all that, it’ll probably be pushed back to after the National Day holiday."
"Hmm..." Li Zheng was at a loss for words.
"I’ve already said it’s not your fault," Du Songtao pushed Li Zheng with a smile, "Look at Space, they blow up more tis than they succeed; they’re almost at a dozen exploded rockets. What’s there to worry about? I’d say we’re just too concerned about losing face, can’t let loose. If The Fourth Institute didn’t have a super project like Yellow River 2 to show when they found , I might have gone to Space myself."
"Space approached you?" Li Zheng exclaid.
"They approach everyone," Du Songtao waved his hand with a laugh, "When I was leaving, both ’SpaceI’ and ’Netflex’ were like desperate old won, they would contact anyone who’s a person."
Hearing this, Li Zheng’s eyes widened, revealing the Wheel of Learning Eye.
[Du Songtao]
[Academic Power Value: 2768]
Indeed a big shot… he wasn’t bragging.
To have such a high level of Academic Power in his early thirties, close to Shen Tinglan’s, could only be described as extraordinary.
"My apologies..." Li Zheng asked dryly, "So... has NASA ever approached you?"
"NASA... after all, they have a reputation to maintain and don’t bother to personally recruit, plus it’s not easy for Chinese to get in," Du Songtao said, chewing his al and gesturing, "Even when I was leaving the country, I encountered trouble. I’m afraid I won’t be able to visit the United States in this lifeti. To be honest, I do miss my four... no, wait, five girlfriends there..."
Li Zheng exclaid, "Are there many female students at Stanford?"
"No, no, no... forget the girls here," Du Songtao said, pointing to the phone on the table, "There’s Tinder, no need for introductions."
"What’s that?"
"Hmm... it’s like an Arican version of Momo."
"And what is Momo?"
"Ah, this..." Du Songtao beca a bit conflicted looking at Li Zheng, "I’m sorry... judging by your appearance, I thought we were the sa kind of person..."
Li Zheng nodded repeatedly, "We are the sa kind of person."
"No, that’s not what I an... we’re not talking about the sa thing," Du Songtao said with a grin as he put away his phone, "Besides, I don’t really use Momo much anymore. Occasionally, I find that being nerdy works quite well. Knowledge is indeed the best aphrodisiac."
Li Zheng’s eyes widened, "Great analogy! Though it’s a bit rough, I do get very excited when I’m studying."
"Hmm... let’s talk about sothing else," Du Songtao said casually, digging into his al, "How is Yellow-2 progressing?"
"We’re about to test the new engine number 5."
"What do you think are the chances of success?"
"95% in standard environntal paraters, but if we use that extre parater set we calculated, about 70%."
"That’s not very optimistic..." Du Songtao frowned, "If nothing is adjusted and we launch as is, what’s the success rate?"
"90%."
"Indeed, improvents are needed. Qiuzhi-1 cannot accept this success rate," Du Songtao patted Li Zheng, "Are you aware of the God of Fire engine? The European Space Agency’s one, not the one from the United States."
"I’ve read about it before, an early hydrogen-oxygen engine with quite a few accidents in the beginning."
"Right, that’s the God of Fire-2," Du Songtao said earnestly, "We’ve finished our work here, and I’ve been looking through the materials again in my spare ti. I always feel that the Yellow-2 accident is related to God of Fire, and I’ve suggested this, but I don’t know if The Sixth Institute has seriously considered it."
"There was a eting once... I seem to rember them ntioning it..." Li Zheng frowned, "But they were evasive and didn’t go into detail."
"Maybe it wasn’t convenient," Du Songtao said with a mysterious smile, "Spies, technology theft, and such—you’re not cleared for that level of information."
"Uh..." Li Zheng was at a loss for words again.
"Hahaha, I’m just joking," Du Songtao laughed again, "Don’t worry too much about it. The Sixth Institute has probably already looked into it. The testing of engine number 5 will be a success. Hurry up and assemble the new Yellow-2 and send that test satellite into orbit. We’re counting on this launch window to send Qiuzhi up there."
"Understood!" Li Zheng dug into his al with gusto.
Du Songtao shook his head helplessly again.
He thought he’d have a lot to talk about with a young person, but this handso guy was truly wasting his good looks.
"I’m off, ti for a nap, then classes," Du Songtao said as he stood up with his tray, "We’ll see if the latest issue of ’Young Eagles’ has anyone craving the knowledge aphrodisiac."
"There is, Teacher Du," Li Zheng nodded repeatedly, "Yin Hang, extrely eager for knowledge, even said he wanted to make a strong impression on the trainers."
"I was just saying that..." Du Songtao beca embarrassed, "Inside the system, I still wish to maintain a good reputation."
"But he really is extrely eager for knowledge."
"Got it... I’ll pay special attention..."
Du Songtao shook his head and quickly walked away, thinking about how to avoid Li Zheng in the future.
Yet Li Zheng watched him leave with an admiring gaze, the words "God of Fire" echoing in his mind.
...
At three in the afternoon, it was Li Zheng’s turn to teach.
He just happened to run into Du Songtao on his way out.
"Yin Hang..." Du Songtao looked at Li Zheng in despair, "Are you sure that’s the na?"
"Yeah, Hang as in ’voyage’."
"But he... is a guy."
"What’s the problem? They’re all guys here, isn’t that great?"
"Forget it..." rubbing his forehead, Du Songtao walked away, "I’m going to swim. They all seem drowsy; you go ahead and give them the knowledge aphrodisiac."
Li Zheng patted his notebook confidently, "I’m fully prepared, it’s solid."
"..."
When Li Zheng entered the lecture hall, the trainees inevitably whispered among themselves.
So felt that Li Zheng was too young, while others filled them in on his past accomplishnts.
As the bell rang and Li Zheng had his presentation ready, he controlled the nervousness under the scrutiny of the audience and tried to speak as smoothly as possible.
"’New Generation Space Engineering’ — as required by the school, I will teach the basics, in a condensed form. Those who believe they are well-versed in liquid rocket engines may take this ti to rest and sleep."
After saying this, he felt great; it was sothing he’d been waiting for a teacher to say for years, and now he’d said it himself.
However, the statent didn’t have the effect he anticipated; in fact, many who were leaning back, ready to sleep, suddenly sat up.
To help them rest better, Li Zheng felt obliged to add,
"We will have a short test at the end, but don’t worry, I will point out the key points when we get to them, just jot them down in your notes. Those who want to rest can do so with peace of mind, a quick glance at soone else’s notes before the test will definitely get you through."
Li Zheng had hoped this would allow those who wanted to rest to sleep soundly.
However, he was greeted by a round of applause and cheers.
"Why didn’t I have such a teacher in university!"
"Teacher Li, we promise we’ll listen attentively."
anwhile, many people had opened their blank notebooks, looking extrely excited.
Seeing that they weren’t intending to rest, Li Zheng could only shake his head and begin to talk about the course schedule.
"I will cover the basic knowledge and test content in the first two class sessions in the most condensed way."
"In the following six class sessions, I will recreate the six challenges encountered during the developnt of Yellow 2, giving everyone ten minutes to briefly discuss solutions."
"Afterwards, I will reveal the actual solutions and explain the key points."
"I will do my best, in the shortest amount of ti, to lead you all through a simulation of a complete project experience."
"What you will gain in this process is not only knowledge but also the work experience left by our predecessors."
"I personally also hope to explore and improve together with everyone."
"Of course, none of these will be on the exam, and if you’re too tired from military training, you can sleep on the desk at any ti."
"However, it’s better not to be absent, as I’m not in charge of attendance, and it will be difficult for the administration teachers if the class is too empty."
"So now..." Li Zheng looked around and nodded, "shall we start?"
At this mont, Li Zheng was astonished to find that every pair of eyes was echoing him from a distance.
I already told you to sleep, why are you so cheeky!
But then again, isn’t everyone here a hard-fighting top student?
Teacher Du was right, show the top students an aphrodisiac, and they get excited too.
Li Zheng seized the opportunity to press the projector remote, and a multiple-choice question flashed on the screen.
"Alright, the first thing, who invented the world’s first successfully launched rocket?"
"A: Zhuge Liang"
"B: Episode 34 of SpongeBob"
At this point, the laughter drowned out Li Zheng’s voice.
"C: Playing card gas"
"D: Stalin"
"Those who know, please tell the answer."
Many people answered with B and C, with a few serious Ds in the mix.
"Okay, just wanted to perk everyone up," Li Zheng said with a smile, flipping the page, "The earliest rockets date back to 969 in the Northern Song Dynasty, where military officer Yue Yifang and Feng Jisheng invented the first gunpowder-powered weapon—a rocket. This is on the exam, just rember 969, and with a little imagination, it’s quite easy to rember..."
In the midst of scattered laughter, most people indeed took notes.
In the back row by the door, an administration teacher quietly observed this scene, wiped their eyes, and then frantically took photos.
This little colleague from Institute No. 1 seems to have been born to teach.
Far more serious than that Du sothing from The Fourth Institute.
This needs to be well docunted in the summary report.
What she didn’t know was that behind this one-hour lesson...
...was an hour of multidisciplinary preparation by Li Zheng.
He even utilized "How to Get Babies to Concentrate."
Under Li Zheng’s densely-packed explanation, ti flew by swiftly.
With 10 minutes left to the end of class, he had finished the planned content.
This was awkward.
He hadn’t prepared for the second lesson yet.
"I’m sorry..." Li Zheng hung his head in dejection, "It’s my first ti teaching, and I didn’t control the pace well... How about we finish class early..."
"Keep talking for a while, Teacher Li," Yin Hang was the first to shout.
"One more segnt!"
"Sigh!"
"I got it, I got it," Li Zheng scratched his head and opened his notebook, "I also prepared a few Soviet jokes to save the day when it gets dull..."
"Stalin, Khrushchev, and Brezhnev were traveling on a train."
"As the journey went on, the train suddenly stopped. Stalin stuck his head out of the window and roared, ’Execute the train driver!’"
"But the train still did not move."
"Then Khrushchev said, ’Rehabilitate the train driver’s reputation!’"
"Still, the train remained stationary."
"Brezhnev said, ’Comrades, why not draw the curtains, sit in our seats, and shake our bodies to pretend like the train is still moving.’"
"Ha... ha..." Li Zheng looked up, hopeful.
The room fell silent.
Everything before was so passionate when it was about knowledge.
But as soon as he seriously started telling a joke, the place went cold.
"Ah... Teacher Li... this isn’t appropriate..."
"Let’s stick to aerospace topics."
"Anything is fine, just not this, Teacher Li, it’s too dangerous."
Li Zheng thought it over carefully and he realized the students had a point.
"Well... I’ve thought of one," Li Zheng said, raising his hand, "My friend has a subjective ranking of the top 5 super rockets, would you like to hear that?"
"Yes!"
"We’ll go with that one then!"
"Okay," Li Zheng said as he rolled up his sleeves, "This friend of mine is a rocket enthusiast; her backpack is rocket-thed, her water bottle, her pencil case... all rocket-thed..."
For so reason, the atmosphere began to sour again.
Fortunately, the conversation quickly returned to rockets themselves, especially when the Saturn V was brought up, everyone got really excited.
With two minutes left before class ended, Li Zheng wrapped up appropriately.
"I know everyone here is from prestigious universities, and this content is too basic, so I’m giving you all a chance to sleep."
"To make up for those who want to learn sothing new, I will organize a study group here every night from 8 to 10."
"The real hardcore stuff, the entire process from the conception to liftoff of Yellow 2, we’ll discuss and tackle the tough challenges together."
"This will involve deeper aspects of engineering, aerodynamics, thermodynamics, chanics, ballistics, and other related fields."
"The lessons in the study group won’t be as entertaining as this one, it’s all about picking up the pencil and calculating, likely even more dry than university courses."
"If anyone still has the energy and interest by then, you are welco to co to this classroom."
"Thank you everyone, for giving a great teaching experience."
"Class dismissed."
Many students imdiately stood up, and so even applauded.
"God Zheng is aweso..."
"Just like what they say on the internet, scarily serious at everything."
"That’s probably what a genius is like..."
"The friend he ntioned, is it Quiet God?"
"It has to be... let find you a picture..."
"!!!! Dammit, this class is freaking aweso!"
On Li Zheng’s end, he had just stepped out of the classroom when he ran into an administrative teacher.
"Teacher Li, I was listening the whole ti too, it was amazing," the administrative teacher adjusted his hair and nodded emphatically, "From my point of view, it was even more exciting than those lectures by the Overseas Returned PhDs."
"Not at all, not at all, it was just so superficial content."
"No no, it was accessible and fascinating for everyone," the administrative teacher said, pulling out his phone, "Let’s add each other as friends, and you can send the ti and details of tonight’s lesson. I’ll post an announcent in the training group."
"That would be great." Li Zheng quickly scanned the QR code.
"Shall we go for a al?" the administrative teacher asked with a shy smile, "Before they all head to the restaurant."
"Please."
anwhile.
Lin Yujing and Shen Tinglan were also dining at the restaurant.
Chen Hongbing had just finished getting his al, and he took the opportunity to join them.
"I just got a call from soone over at the institute, they couldn’t stop praising Li Zheng," Chen Hongbing laughed, "The kid really pulled it off, he’s got sothing."
"That impressive?" Shen Tinglan was sowhat surprised by this outco.
Lin Yujing, on the other hand, was quite composed as she played with her food, "Given his personality, he probably went through cody shows and preschool books."
"Indeed." Chen Hongbing grumbled, "That training coordinator Little Yang, she also asked about Li Zheng’s age and family background... doesn’t seem quite innocent."
Zzzh.
It was the sound of a spoon scraping against stainless steel.
"Did you tell her the truth?" Shen Tinglan asked.
"The truth. I told her that Li Zheng is actually only 18 years old, hasn’t even graduated from high school yet," Chen Hongbing shook his head, "Could feel she was quite disappointed..."
"Haha..." Shen Tinglan covered her face, "I thought only those of us in tech would like soone like Li Zheng, never expected he’d be such a sensation outside our circle too."
"That’s what I an, I’m starting to regret it. What if other institutes or groups set their sights on him?" Chen Hongbing earnestly nodded at Lin Yujing, "You have to keep a close eye on him too!"
"..." Lin Yujing bowed her head, not bothering to respond.
"Perfect, everyone’s here," Chen Hongbing urged, "Jingjing, make a video call to see what that kid is doing."
"I’m not calling," Lin Yujing kept her head down, focusing on her food, "Let him do whatever he wants."
"Hmm... true..." Chen Hongbing took on the look of a wise elder, "Being too clingy isn’t good either... Our Jingjing is smart."
"I... I’m going to have lunch with Chen Wei."
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