184: Family banquet

On the day Du Zhaoyu left home, Lin You didn't dare go see her off since her parents were present, so the two continued their reluctant farewells on WeChat.

The first day Xiao Yu'er was gone, he missed her.

Before noon, Lin You accepted the invitation from Teacher Zhang and the Teachers Wife and arrived at Old Zhangs home for the family dinner.

Lin You had put off this meal for a long time. After all, he was just a high school student, not yet a social adult, and this kind of family dinner made him slightly uncomfortable.

However, after the Teachers Wife personally called to invite him, Lin You finally found it hard to refuse the warm invitation and set the date for today.

Since Teacher Zhang and the Teachers Wife had repeatedly warned Lin You not to bring gifts, Lin You ultimately bought a bouquet from a nearby flower shop—champagne-colored carnations accented with a few sunflowers.

At eleven o'clock sharp, Lin You arrived at Old Zhangs home and knocked on the door.

After a short wait, the door opened from the inside, and Lin You saw a girl with delicate features who looked somewhat like Teacher Zhang.

"Hello, Senior Sister!"

Lin You greeted her sweetly. This girl must be Teacher Zhang's daughter. She was in the Science Experimental Class at Ancheng No. 7 Middle School a few years ago, four grades ahead of Lin You. Although Lin You hadn't met her, her appearance clearly showed she was Teacher Zhang's biological daughter.

"You must be Lin You? Please come in quickly." The girl smiled, retrieved clean slippers that had been prepared from the shoe cabinet, and warmly handed them over.

After Lin You took the slippers, the girl turned and shouted toward the kitchen inside, "Old Zhang! Your precious disciple brought you flowers!"

While Lin You was taking off his shoes and putting on the slippers, the Teachers Wife came over to welcome him.

The Teachers Wife is named Xu Chunyun. She is younger than Teacher Zhang, slightly overweight, and has a somewhat round face, unlike Teacher Zhang, who is a skinny middle-aged man.

"Hello, Teachers Wife!"

Xu Chunyun's face was wreathed in smiles. "Lin You, you're finally here. For the past six months, eight out of every ten things Old Zhang says to me are about you. He absolutely dotes on you! Come on, hurry inside, it must be cold outside."

Lin You put on the slippers and walked into the living room. "The weather is quite nice today, it's fine outside, not too cold. Where is Teacher Zhang?"

Teacher Zhang's daughter pouted. "Old Zhang went to the market at six this morning to buy groceries and started messing around in the kitchen at eight or nine. He's still in there now. I'm his biological daughter, and I've never seen him put so much effort into cooking for me."

Xu Chunyun patted the girl's shoulder. "What nonsense are you talking about, child? By the way, Lin You, this is Zhang Leyun, the daughter of Teacher Zhang and me. She is currently a senior in college."

"A senior who has already secured postgraduate admission!"

Zhang Leyun quickly added. In her view, she would likely lose to this Junior Brother Lin You when comparing scores or schools, but temporarily comparing academic degrees gave her a significant advantage~

Lin You sat on the living room sofa. After a short while, when Teacher Zhang could finally leave the kitchen, he walked out with a broad smile on his face.

"Lin You, didn't I tell you not to buy anything? Why did you still bring flowers? Sit down for a bit, treat this like your own home. If you need anything, just ask the Teachers Wife or your Senior Sister."

Eventually, Xu Chunyun occasionally moved back and forth between the living room and the kitchen, and Zhang Leyun temporarily became Lin You's host.

The two started chatting casually, using the variety show on TV as background noise. First, they talked about some things at Ancheng No. 7 Middle School. Then Lin You asked, "Senior Sister, which school did you secure postgraduate admission to?"

"I secured postgraduate admission to my own school. I did my undergraduate studies at Nandu University."

"Nandu University?!"

Lin You's voice was a bit loud. Zhang Leyun was curious about his reaction. "What's wrong?"

Lin You immediately took out his phone and navigated to Tang Zhenyi's WeChat page. "Senior Sister, do you know Senior Sister Tang Zhenyi?"

"Of course I know her. Senior Sister Tang Zhenyi is one year ahead of me in graduate school. She's in the School of Mathematics, and I'm in the School of Artificial Intelligence. When she was an Undergraduate Student, she organized the Ancheng Hometown Association at Nandu University. We have a good relationship. Lin You, how do you know Senior Sister Tang? Is she your relative?" Zhang Leyun was curious, as in her mind, the two seemed completely unrelated.

Lin You explained how he met Tang Zhenyi.

Zhang Leyun widened her eyes and exclaimed, "Professor Zheng Boyan?!"

Lin You was startled by Zhang Leyun's reaction. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? Professor Zheng invited you to Nandu University, so why would you bother taking the exam for Qingbei? Professor Zheng is an Academician! Nowadays, he rarely even takes Doctoral Students. Senior Sister Tang Zhenyi is the only Master's Student he has taken in the last few years. If you can become Teacher Zheng's student, I can't imagine how smooth your path in mathematics will be!"

Due to his confidence in the system, Lin You had only known that Professor Zheng was a professor in the Mathematics Department at Nandu University, but he hadn't searched for Professor Zheng's specific details.

It could only be said that Professor Zheng was truly low-key, appearing at an awards ceremony for a small Key High School like Ancheng No. 7 Middle School without even having his Academician title introduced.

However, it might also be because his status was too high, so they didn't introduce too much.

Although professors at top University/Colleges are also impressive, the Academician title is the highest academic honor in the domestic scientific and technological community, equivalent to a "lifetime achievement award in science," making him a bona fide big shot.

Lin You waited until Zhang Leyun calmed down before smiling and saying, "Even before I knew Professor Zheng was an Academician, I intended to apply to the Mathematics Department at Nandu University. After all, even if he were just a professor, not every Undergraduate Student gets favored before enrollment."

Zhang Leyun gave Lin You a thumbs up. "Not knowing Professor Zheng was an Academician, yet you could resist the fame of Qingbei and choose our school's Mathematics Department—you're a smart person! But for Professor Zheng to take interest in you while you're still an Undergraduate Student... if your ability isn't up to par, following Professor Zheng can be quite suffering. Senior Sister Tang has lamented many times that the pressure is huge, and she can barely keep up with Professor Zheng's pace to complete her study tasks."

Lin You smiled, completely unconcerned. Senior Sister Tang Zhenyi didn't have a system, but Lin You did.

Subsequently, Zhang Leyun clearly became much more enthusiastic, not only because Lin You might become Professor Zheng's student but also because Lin You was about to become her Junior Brother at the same university.

Zhang Leyun already knew through Teacher Zhang that Lin You was a 700-point caliber student, making acceptance into Nandu University a certainty.

With both high school and college being the same, and the connection through Teacher Zhang, Zhang Leyun and Lin You already had the foundation to become friends.

Just before noon, with the help of the Teachers Wife Xu Chunyun, Teacher Zhang finally prepared a table full of dishes.

There were eight dishes in total, filling the entire table: Steamed Pork with Rice Flour, Beer Duck, Glutinous Rice Spare Ribs, Braised Pork, Beef Brisket with Taro, Edamame Stir-fried with Green Peppers, Stir-fried Bok Choy, plus a pot of Mushroom Stewed Old Hen Soup.

The three members of Old Zhang's family plus Lin You, four people in total, sat down at the dining table. Teacher Zhang sat at the head of the table, while Lin You sat across from the two ladies.

Teacher Zhang opened a bottle of beer. Zhang Leyun picked up a glass, intending to pour some, but Teacher Zhang slapped her hand away. "Why would a young lady drink alcohol? Drink Coke or coconut milk with Lin You."

After a simple toast and welcoming ritual, Zhang Leyun brought up the topic they had discussed in the living room. When Teacher Zhang first heard that Lin You planned to apply to the Mathematics Department at Nandu University, his brow furrowed, but after hearing the reason, his frown immediately relaxed.

Although for Teacher Zhang, as a Class Teacher, the benefits in terms of reputation and material gain were significantly less for producing a Nandu University student compared to a Qingbei student.

But he valued Lin You's future, which was tied to Professor Zheng, much more.

"This is wonderful news! Being appreciated by a teacher like that means you'll avoid so many detours in life!" Teacher Zhang clapped his hands and laughed happily.