148: Chapter 148: The curtain has been fully raised!

Hearing his grandfather's words, Lin Yuan felt a wave of warmth from the bottom of his heart.

Being able to receive such unreserved recognition from the old man was, for him, more real and reassuring than the gold-stamped academician certificate from just a moment ago.

He nodded heavily, his smile carrying a softness that would never be revealed in front of outsiders.

After patting his shoulder, Lin Wen didn't rush to pull his hand away; his rough palm pressed heavily on Lin Yuan's shoulder twice more before slowly releasing.

The old man stepped back half a pace, looking his eldest grandson up and down, his eyes full of gratification and pride.

"Grandfather, don't keep standing; sit down and talk."

Lin Yuan quickly reached out to support him, wanting to guide the old man back to the chair by the window.

Lin Wen, however, waved his hand, avoiding Lin Yuan's support, and sat down steadily on his own, his back still held straight and rigid.

"Little Yuan."

The old man raised his hand, rubbed the stubble on his chin, and spoke slowly.

"Grandfather doesn't understand those high-tech things you tinker with, like the Photolithography Machine or those chips; to be honest, it's like reading a heavenly book to me."

Lin Yuan smiled and stood obediently to the side without interrupting.

Lin Wen paused, then continued, his voice filled with a touch of emotion.

"But during this time, Grandfather hasn't heard fewer people talking about you in the courtyard."

The old man spoke slowly, word by word, as if reminiscing about the days that had passed.

"The people living in the courtyard, when we meet or occasionally sit together to chat, all we talk about over and over again are the things related to you."

"Things like breaking the blockade, technological breakthroughs, and the rollout of Fifth-generation Communication."

"There's an old comrade who even keeps your name on his lips all day long, constantly saying that this young man is remarkable and that the country is blessed."

Lin Wen looked up at Lin Yuan, the corners of his mouth slowly curling up.

"And today, you even became an academician."

"It seems my eldest grandson has truly achieved great things for the country."

As he said this, Lin Wen suddenly turned his head and glanced at Lin Jianguo, who was standing to the side.

"Much better than your father."

This sentence landed cleanly and decisively, without any beating around the bush.

Beside them, Lin Jianguo instinctively shivered, his lips moving as if he wanted to retort, but meeting the old man's gaze, the words that were about to come out were forcibly swallowed back into his stomach.

The expression on his face was quite complex; he was both unconvinced and speechless.

After all, although the old man's words were stinging, they weren't wrong.

Lin Yuan glanced at his father's aggrieved look, not daring to talk back, and really couldn't help but let out a laugh.

"Grandfather, please don't say that."

He tilted his head toward Lin Jianguo, his tone carrying a bit of intentional teasing, mixed with some sincerity.

"Without parents, where would the son come from?"

"The reason I can have today is rooted in my parents."

"Even though my dad didn't become an academician, he raised one; that is also a great achievement!"

Once these words came out, Lin Jianguo's face, which had been tense for a long time, finally relaxed.

He scratched the back of his head and chuckled, the sense of restraint mostly dissipating.

Beside him, Zhou Xiulan also smiled, her eyebrows curving, and she reached out with eyes full of maternal love to gently pat Lin Yuan on the arm.

"This child, he just has a sweet mouth."

Lin Wen watched this heartwarming scene; although he didn't laugh out loud, the expression on his face visibly softened a bit.

Afterward, the old man leaned back against the chair, his two rough hands resting on his knees, and was silent for a few seconds.

"Little Yuan."

"Hmm?"

"Just now on stage, when you mentioned that 'half-year' timeline in front of so many people..."

Lin Wen's speaking speed was very slow, chewing over every word carefully.

"Although Grandfather doesn't understand those technical matters, I could see the reactions of the many white-haired experts sitting in the audience."

"As soon as you said that, everyone in the audience was stunned, as if they had heard something extraordinary."

"Looking at it this way, that 'Controlled Nuclear Fusion' you mentioned probably isn't something easy to achieve, right?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuan was slightly taken aback.

Although the old man didn't have much formal education, he naturally understood at a glance what the reactions of those hundreds of top academicians in the audience represented.

"If things are urgent, or if the pressure from above is very high..."

Lin Wen's voice was very level, without any sense of urging, instead revealing the understanding of someone who had been through it all.

"Then you should go and attend to your work."

"Don't let us being here delay the country's important business."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and waved it toward the direction of the window.

"We are doing just fine here; the country is taking good care of us, and we lack nothing in terms of food or accommodation."

"You don't need to worry too much."

After listening to these words, Lin Yuan didn't rush to answer.

He took a step forward, walked to the side of the old man's chair, and crouched down halfway, bringing his line of sight level with the old man's.

"Grandfather."

"Hmm?"

"Things that others find difficult are, to me, really not that difficult."

Lin Yuan smiled gently, his tone revealing a composed and confident ease, as if handling something heavy with feather-light effort.

"You've seen it yourself, whether it's the Photolithography Machine or the Fifth-generation Communication, before they were created, weren't they all touted by the outside world as being impossibly difficult?"

"But in the end?"

"Weren't they all easily accomplished by your grandson?"

Lin Wen stared at him for two seconds, a very faint smile flashing in his eyes.

"You brat, your tail is up in the sky; you're even bragging in front of your grandfather."

"That's not bragging."

Lin Yuan said seriously, "That's called seeking truth from facts; when I say half a year, I will absolutely not drag it to the seventh month!"

Lin Wen snorted and didn't continue the conversation, but the corners of his mouth, which had been tightly pursed, finally relaxed completely.

Seeing this, Lin Yuan stood up and patted his knees casually.

"So, since we finally have a chance to meet today, things aren't urgent for this moment."

"After all, it's been a long time since I've gathered with you and Mom and Dad, so let's spend more time together today."

Lin Wen opened his mouth, as if he still wanted to say something, but meeting Lin Yuan's calm eyes, the words on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back.

After a while, the old man gave a soft "Hmm" and didn't say anything more.

Only the hand resting on his knee subconsciously clenched the seam of his trousers, then slowly relaxed.

Seeing this, Zhou Xiulan hurriedly rummaged through her bag and pulled out a large stainless steel insulated lunch box, pushing it toward Lin Yuan.

"Come, come, you must be starving, right?"

"Mom brought you the braised pork ribs you loved eating when you were a child; I got up at four in the morning to stew them. Taste it and see if it's still the same flavor."

Lin Yuan didn't refuse at all and took it immediately.

As soon as he twisted off the lid, the hot steam wrapped in a rich savory aroma instantly drilled straight into his nose, and his cravings were immediately hooked.

He was too lazy to even take chopsticks, impatiently sticking out two fingers to pinch a piece of bright red, glossy rib and tossing it into his mouth, mumbling vaguely while chewing.

"Mmm... delicious! So fragrant!"

"Oh, you child, how old are you, still eating with your hands? You're just like you were when you were little!"

While nagging, she nimbly pulled a pair of chopsticks from the side pocket of the lunch box and forcibly stuffed them into Lin Yuan's hand.

Lin Yuan obediently took them and honestly used the chopsticks to pick up the second piece of rib, eating until his mouth was covered in oil.

Beside him, Lin Jianguo swallowed his saliva, glanced at the tempting ribs, and subconsciously wanted to reach out and take a piece to satisfy his craving.

Just as his hand reached halfway, Zhou Xiulan, with quick eyes and fast hands, lifted the lunch box, pot and all, and protected it firmly toward Lin Yuan's side.

"It's left for your son; what are you joining in for?"

Lin Jianguo's hand froze in mid-air, and he sheepishly retracted it.

Lin Yuan kept his head down eating ribs, not looking up, but the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

And in this warm moment full of the flavor of life.

Deep in his consciousness, on that pale blue light screen, the number on the confidence progress bar was still climbing at a steady and continuous rate.

...

At the same time.

Outside the Great Hall, broadcasting vans printed with the logos of major media outlets were urgently sending out reports.

In the editorial department of the Xia Country Daily, the duty editor-in-chief immediately finalized the front-page headline for the day's electronic edition—

"Twenty-year-old Academician Lin Yuan: Conquering Controlled Nuclear Fusion in Half a Year, Xia Country Sounds the Charge for Ultimate Energy!"

And it was just a matter of moments.

The top-of-the-hour news on the Xia Country Broadcasting and Television General Station used a full four-minute segment to scroll through clips of the academician awarding ceremony.

The homepages of all major portal websites were uniformly updated with high-definition screenshots of Lin Yuan wearing a Zhongshan suit, standing on the podium of the Great Hall.

The accompanying headlines were more explosive than the last.

"The youngest academician in history is born; Lin Yuan vows to ignite Controlled Nuclear Fusion in half a year!"

"The pillar of the nation sets out again! From the Photolithography Machine to the artificial sun, his journey is the stars and the sea!"

"Elder Zhang personally declares: The entire Xia Country is Lin Yuan's most solid backing!"

Overwhelming news reports swept toward every corner of the entire internet.

The curtain of a new era has been completely raised!