Chapter Ninety-Nine: Dazzling

Grandma Jin sighed with feeling. “Goodness, no wonder so many people want to run off and see the world. This old woman has finally had her fill of it, too! I’ve seen the greatest mountain under heaven. That’s what they call a trip worth taking, and this grandma’s life has been worth it!”

The two of them were already old bones, and now that they had grown old, it was time to enjoy the blessings of their grandchildren. The two children had been the real strength behind this whole journey.

On the rougher stretches of the road, Jin Xin took the lead, carrying Jin Yongqing on his back, while Wu Tong carried Grandma the whole way. Jin Yuan and Wu Jingzhong helped in support, but in the end they were barely needed at all. They were assigned to look after Teacher Jin and Ms. Xu, and even the burden of climbing the mountain fell to them.

The family did not find it strange at all. Jin Xin’s physical strength had improved greatly over the past year thanks to his training, and Wu Tong had also stuck to her morning exercise routine. She had never had the chance to show it before, and only now did they realize that Wu Tong had some real strength as well. The whole family was delighted to see that their Tongtong had a bit of power in her hands. A young girl out in the world should have some strength to protect herself. Nothing could be better.

Jin Yongqing’s unwilling protests were all silenced by Wu Tong. He could only obey the request of his precious eldest granddaughter, letting his grandson carry him while his son and son-in-law watched over him from the side.

“Grandma, this is only the beginning,” Wu Tong said with a smile, counting on her fingers. “After this, I’ll take you to climb the Great Wall, visit the Forbidden City, see the Great Hall of the People, the Monument, and then go wander the grasslands. We’ve only seen one of the Five Sacred Mountains; there are still four more, and Mount Huang as well. And that’s not even counting the beautiful places at home. There are so many of them, more than you could ever finish seeing. Grandma, you must take good care of yourself. We have a long life ahead of us!”

Smiling, Wu Tong counted them off for her grandmother one by one. Even if they went out only once or twice a year, that would be enough for the family to enjoy for decades.

“Oh my, then wouldn’t your grandma live to be a real old immortal?” Grandma Jin laughed until the wrinkles on her face smoothed out. Such a heavenly life was too much to ask for. So long as the children were all well, that would be better than anything.

“Isn’t that a good thing? We only hope you stay healthy,” Teacher Jin said with a laugh, joining in. Her daughter had finally grown sensible and understanding, and even her own temperament had softened considerably.

“Hahaha…”

The whole family laughed in unison, their happy voices spilling across Mount Tai.

Wu Jingzhong and Jin Yu still had to go to work on weekdays, so the family returned home under the light of the stars. They had gone out for a trip and truly had themselves a wonderful time. Once they got back, they tidied up a little and then one after another went to rest. Since Wu Tong rarely came home, and they wanted the elders to spend more time with the child, the couple had been staying here from time to time lately.

After several days of settling and verification, the earthshaking bombshell Wu Tong had dropped was now yielding equally earthshaking proof.

The Polignac conjecture had really been proved by that girl from the East, and she had also brought the mathematical world a new method and tool. It was a genuine leap forward for mathematics.

Princeton, Andrew Wiles’s office.

After repeated verification, he could not help but sigh deeply to the person across from him. “Deligne, tell me, are we getting old? This child is so young it is almost enviable. I feel as if I am looking at Gauss reborn.”

“Yes. More than the final proof of the Polignac conjecture, I am even more astonished by the infinite-group proof method she created. This new group-theoretic approach has even astonished my teacher, Alexander Grothendieck. Topology, sieve methods, group theory... It feels as if we are glimpsing the first dawn of a grand unification in mathematics. A new program is beginning to take shape. The people working on the Langlands program are probably going to be thrilled out of their minds.”

The proof of the Weil conjecture, Deligne, a Fields Medalist and Viscount, said with sincere emotion.

“It’s just a pity the time is too short. The International Mathematical Union needs time to digest and confirm her proof. Otherwise, with these contributions alone, she could already be among the names considered for this year’s Fields Medal!”

“Mr. Grothendieck has seen this child’s proof too?” Andrew Wiles, the mathematical emperor, could not help but sound surprised. He had not expected even that man to be stirred.

“Of course. The professor has always paid close attention to new developments in mathematics. In only half a year, this child has broken three conjectures. With results this dazzling, how could he ignore her? I’ve already booked a flight to Heidelberg for the mathematicians’ conference, so I can meet this child in person. I also want to carry some words from my teacher to her. Andrew, aren’t you going?”

“How could I miss it? She was the Eastern pearl I discovered first. How could I possibly miss her presentation at this mathematicians’ conference?” Andrew Wiles said with smug delight, spreading his hands. “I think Tao won’t miss it either. I saw his excitement on Facebook.”

Tao said that his heart had already flown to Heidelberg in August, to listen to the answer from a century-long dream.

“I heard she has only just turned seventeen this month, and hasn’t even officially started university. If possible, I would very much like to recruit her to Princeton!” At that moment, Andrew Wiles still remembered, at least somewhat, the responsibilities of being chairman of Princeton’s mathematics department.

“She is beyond a student already. With her learning, she is more than qualified to serve as a full professor in Princeton’s mathematics department.”

“Congratulations, Wu Tong. Once again, you have made the world marvel at you!” Li Yisheng’s voice was brimming with excitement. After repeated verification by the grand masters of the mathematics institute, there was only one result: Wu Tong really had proved the Polignac conjecture again.

A miracle of two conjectures in one month had been born in the hands of this child from Peking University. The mathematics institute practically wanted to broadcast it across the entire internet and hang banners all over Beijing to proclaim their joy.

Peking University now longed more than ever for September to arrive, so that Wu Tong could be officially and properly bound to the university, instead of lingering in this awkward in-between period.

No one had imagined that in the short span from the college entrance examination to the start of term, in just two or three months, indeed in only the month of July, Wu Tong would actually prove two of the world’s greatest problems in one stroke, successively conquering the twin prime conjecture and the Polignac conjecture. Peking University was so embarrassed that it had not even managed to release the funding for Wu Tong’s project proposal yet.

Of course, compared with what Wu Tong had achieved, these were all trivial matters.

“I’ll take care of the closing procedures for you. The funding has already been released by the university. Do you have anything you want arranged? If not, I’ll handle the office setup for your residence in Yanyuan, and the remainder will be your bonus for these two months.”

The lower-level processing had already slowed down, and the university truly had no face left to take this funding back. Otherwise, they would feel too ashamed to enjoy the honor it brought them.

“The house in Yanyuan—before you leave Beijing this time, go complete the registration手续 and have it registered directly under your name. There’s no need to pay any remaining balance. The bonus from the previous twin prime conjecture has already been arranged and transferred to your account. Remember to check it...”

Li Yisheng spoke one item after another. Peking University was adding reward after reward for Wu Tong’s astonishing performance. For a child like this, what was the point of making her pay extra for housing? They should simply convert it into a special talent award.

The university was even discussing whether to make her a specially appointed hire and invite Wu Tong to serve as a professor in Peking University’s mathematics department. If they did not hurry up and show some flexibility in attracting talent, other shameless institutions would poach her away.

The end.