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Two days.

Three days.

It was getting closer and closer to the Lunar New Year. Red lanterns were being hung up all over the place at the research institute. The decorations brought a jubilant mood as the researchers waited for the arrival of the new year.

“Put up the couplets!”

“Old Li, the couplet you wrote is too ugly.”

“Hahaha, I can’t help it. That’s just how skilled I am.”

“True, we’re all academics doing research day in and day out, so it’s not like there are many of us who have good calligraphy.”

“Hey, you better not say something like that. Have you all forgotten? The best calligrapher in the country is attached to our research institute.”

“Oh yes, we should be asking Professor Zhang to write some couplets for us instead.”

“Forget about that. Professor Zhang’s words are worth 10,000 taels of gold each. Who would dare to hang them up even if he wrote them? Would you bear to stick it up on the walls? Wouldn’t that be such a waste?”

“By the way, where is Professor Zhang anyway?”

“You’re right, I haven’t seen him in several days already.”

“If it weren’t for someone singing ‘Tears Behind Prison Bars’ every morning, I would have thought that Professor Zhang had already left.”

“It seems like he’s taken up some research project or something?”

“There’s nothing to argue about regarding Professor Zhang’s talents, but it’s just that he gets a crazy idea every now and then.”

In the dorm.

Zhang Ye had not left his room for several days. The interior was filled with all sorts of notes. A series of formulae filled a blackboard, and the walls were pasted with all kinds of incomprehensible drawings. On the table and on the floor were drafts and scratch paper lying all over the place. There were even several scale models lying in the corner of the room that Zhang Ye had borrowed from who knows where.

He did research.

He made measurements.

He designed a model.

No one knew what Zhang Ye was doing, because no one at the research institute could understand the research that he was conducting. Besides, no one believed that Zhang Ye was doing anything feasible either. That was because the project that he was attempting was too frightening. There were tens of thousands of difficult projects in China, but even so, Zhang Ye still went ahead and chose the most difficult one of all! How many researchers had fallen in the face of this adversity? How many researchers had been troubled by it? Yet Zhang Ye as a mathematician was actually attempting to overcome this research void? Who could believe that?

Only Zhang Ye believed that he could get it done. It was just that he needed time, a lot of time, so for the past few days, he worked around the clock on it and did not get much rest at all.

Until some news arrived.

The news was brought to him by Chi Xue.

Chi Xue congratulated, “Professor Zhang, my early congratulations to you.”

Zhang Ye asked, “What are you congratulating me for?”

“Your wife is almost due.” Chi Xue continued, “We’ve just received news. Chief Wu has been admitted to the hospital while awaiting delivery. Her due date is estimated to be within the next few days.”

Zhang Ye froze.

She was about to give birth?

She was going to deliver their child soon?

But of course!

Wasn’t the expected due date supposed to be in these few days?

Zhang Ye immediately threw out all thoughts of his work and research. He was not in the mood for those anymore. All he could think of now was Old Wu and his child!

He sat down.

And stood up again.

Then he paced around several times and sat back down.

Zhang Ye paced around aimlessly. Finally, he stepped out of the room.

Zhou Xiaohe came up to him and said, “Professor Zhang, congratulations.”

Several researchers also came over with congratulations.

“You’re going to be a father soon.”

“Congratulations in advance, Professor Zhang.”

“This is joyous news.”

“It’s happening just in time for the New Year. We must celebrate this!”

“Hahaha, Professor Zhang, you’ll have to treat everyone!”

Everyone had already found out about the news and were all feeling overjoyed for Zhang Ye.

But no one could understand how Zhang Ye was feeling at this moment. He was going through such complicated emotions. In his excitement, he was a little worried as well. He had no other thought right now than to head straight for the hospital. He wanted to be there to accompany Old Wu and witness the birth of his child with his own eyes. This thought was very intense. It was so intense that the moment Zhang Ye thought of it, he went to look for Fellow Chi and Fellow Zhou.

The moment he spoke, it exasperated the two elderly research fellows!

Zhang Ye said, “This bro here wants to go outside to seek medical treatment!”

Chi Xue was speechless.

Fellow Chi rolled his eyes. “And how are you sick?”

Zhang Ye said, “I’m feeling sick all over.”

Fellow Zhou said, “But you look like you’re in really good health.”

Zhang Ye pointed to the ground and said, “Do you believe that I could faint right here in front of you?”

Fellow Zhou said in a speechless manner, “Then which hospital do you wish to go to?”

Zhang Ye declared loudly without hesitation, “To the maternity hospital my wife is admitted to. I’m fine with staying there.”

“You’re a man, so how could there be any doctors for you at a maternity hospital?” Chi Xue was amused.

Zhang Ye harrumphed, “As long as you guys allow me to go out, this bro will even be willing to stay at a mental institution!”

Whoa!

You’re really going all out, huh!

Fellow Chi said, “Professor Zhang, we understand how you’re feeling. But you’re still in the midst of serving your sentence. Our Chinese Academy of Sciences put in a lot of effort to get you here. We were required to give a guarantee and also sign on the dotted line to ensure that we kept our word. Do you really think that you can just go out as you wish? Dutifully wait here for the news. How about this? We’re not unreasonable people, so I’ll allow you a special privilege. As long as there’s any news from the hospital that your wife is admitted to, be it a laboratory test, or ECG, we will get someone to inform you about it. I guarantee that you can rest assured of everything that is happening, and we will also let you know about the latest news immediately.”

Zhang Ye smacked his lips. “Why would I want the laboratory tests!”

Fellow Zhou said, “Old Chi has given you a privilege. If it were anyone else, there wouldn’t be such treatment at all.”

“That won’t do.” Zhang Ye did not agree to it. “If anything, let me call my wife.”

Fellow Chi said firmly, “That is not possible.”

Fellow Zhou also said, “Yes, definitely not possible.”

But Chi Xue said, “Dad, can’t you just let Professor Zhang make one call?”

“No.” Fellow Chi shook his head. “Little Zhang’s transfer out of the prison has a confidentiality clause. He is not allowed to have any communications with the outside world; that’s the rule.”

Chi Xue said, “Rules should be reasonable and special circumstances should call for special treatment. Professor Zhang has given so much effort to our research project already. Now that his wife is about to give birth, you won’t allow him to visit her, or even call her. Surely that’s too cruel, right? Uncle Zhou, don’t you agree with me?”

Fellow Zhou became a little hesitant after hearing the logic. “Well, that makes sense.”

Fellow Chi stared and said, “Old Zhou, what realization dawned on you?”

Fellow Zhou laughed and said, “It’s just a call. As long as Professor Zhang doesn’t reveal any information about our research institute or the research project, it will be fine.”

Zhang Ye said, “Aiyo, you guys are overthinking things. I haven’t seen my wife in several months, so why would I be talking to her about some research project if I only had a few minutes to talk to her? Do you think I have nothing better to talk to her about?”

Chi Xue said, “Isn’t that right, Dad?”

Fellow Chi frowned. “This is against the rules!”

Zhang Ye looked at him. “Isn’t plucking me out of a prison also against the rules? Can you borrow anyone from a prison like so? Which rule would that fall under?”

Fellow Chi had no answer.

He really couldn’t refute this.

Fellow Zhou also helped to persuade him. “His wife is giving birth. It’s the event of a lifetime.”

Fellow Chi frowned.

Seeing this, Fellow Zhou said, “Alright, alright, I’ll approve it. If anything happens, I will take responsibility.”

Zhang Ye was thrilled. He patted Fellow Zhou on his shoulder and said, “Old Zhou, you’re still the righteous one!”

Who are you calling Old Zhou!

Fellow Zhou rolled his eyes.

Fellow Chi harrumphed. “You’ll take responsibility if something happens? It’s not like you’re the head here, so how will you be able to take any responsibility?” He then pulled open his drawer and took out something. Then he wrote some words and signed off on it. He even stamped a seal on it before throwing it onto the table. “Take this with you. I’ll only allow it this once. Three minutes is all you get, and there won’t be another time.”

Zhang Ye belly laughed. “Alright, thanks, Old Chi!”

…

In the telephone room.

Some security guards were standing guard at the entrance.

This was the only phone in the research institute that could make calls to the outside world. Zhang Ye brought the slip that Fellow Chi had signed off on and handed it to the security guard before entering. Chi Xue and Zhou Xiaohe also came along to supervise him.

Excitement.

Perturbation.

Zhang Ye picked up the old-fashioned telephone with a shaking hand.

Clack, clack, clack. He took a deep breath as he dialed the numbers.

Du du du…

Du du du…

Answer!

Quickly answer it!

Zhang Ye was very anxious!

Suddenly, the line went through.

On the other end, the familiar voice of a woman could be heard. “Hello? Who is it?”

When he heard this voice, Zhang Ye’s heart fluttered. “Old Wu!”

“Little Ye?”

“How are you doing?”

“I’m waiting to give birth at the hospital. I’m feeling quite well. How about you?”

“I’m doing good too.”

“That’s good to hear. Are they not allowing any visits where you are?”

“Yeah, it’d be a bit of a problem.”

“Where are you calling from?”

“I can’t say.”

“Alright, I won’t ask any further then.”

“I can only speak for three minutes. I know that you’ve already been admitted to the hospital while waiting to give birth. Actually, I have a lot of things that I want to say, but I don’t know how to say them. In any case, Old Wu, don’t worry about me. This bro will definitely do his best to get back home sooner. I will definitely go back as soon as I can!”

“Alright, I will wait for you.”

At this moment, Chi Xue reminded, “There’s still two minutes.”

Old Wu probably heard it on the other end as well.

The people on both ends of the line turned quiet.

There was so much to say.

But how could it be conveyed in only two minutes?

“Little Ye.”

“Yes?”

“Sing me a song.”

“You want to hear me sing again?”

“Yes, I wish to listen to your singing.”

“OK.”

If you wish for that, I’ll sing for you!

I’ll sing for you all my life!

Zhang Ye brought the receiver closer to his mouth. He gazed out the window and looked at that blue sky.

Then, with a hint of tenderness, he started singing ¹ .

“I wanna fly you everywhere.

“And enjoy the planet’s sights as a pair.

“There’s no worries and none of that woe.

“With our freedom, we’re happy to go.

“Forget your pain and forget that place.

“Let’s adventure at a roving pace.

“We may not have opulence or wealth.

“But we’ve got lots of hope in our hearts.

“We want to fly to that faraway place to see

“that this world really isn’t that dreary.

“We want to fly to that faraway place to gaze

“at this world that still shines brighter than sun rays.”

The three minutes were already up. At some point, the phone call had been cut off.

But Zhang Ye continued singing. He continued looking out the window and kept singing for a very long time.

“We want to fly to that faraway place to see

“that this world really isn’t that dreary.

“We want to fly to that faraway place to gaze.

“at this world that still shines brighter than sun rays.”

Chi Xue’s eyes reddened.

Zhou Xiaohe reached out twice but did not have the heart to interrupt Zhang Ye.

They just listened quietly. They could feel his voice drifting out the window to a faraway place, carrying Zhang Ye’s heart with it.