Chapter 97: Eastern Mountain

For now, regardless of whether Wu Tong truly proved the Polignac conjecture, given her status as the solver of the Zhou Conjecture and the Twin Prime Conjecture, every top expert disturbed by Bowers treated her with utmost caution, launching into relentless rounds of verification day and night.

No one could dismiss the findings of a mathematician who had already solved two world-class conjectures without thorough validation!

After seeing her parents and uncle off to work, Wu Tong called Teacher Li. Just as Li had fleetingly guessed before, Wu Tong completed her project faster than the funding was distributed. Since she had officially applied for the topic through the university, she needed to discuss with Teacher Li how to wrap it up.

“I was just about to call you to wish you a happy birthday… What did you say?” Li Yisheng thought he must have misheard. The smile on Wu Tong’s face froze, becoming momentarily comical.

“Teacher Li, you heard me right. I solved the Polignac Conjecture. Since I applied for the project before, do I need to go through the completion process?” Wu Tong couldn’t help but chuckle. Was it truly so shocking?

Even she, the one who solved it, didn’t feel much—after all, it wasn’t one of the Millennium Problems.

“My…” Li Yisheng forced himself to swallow, patting his forehead to clear his thoughts. “I need to process this, Wu Tong. Thank goodness your teacher’s heart is strong. Weren’t you on vacation at home?”

How had she suddenly solved the Polignac Conjecture? Wu Tong had only been home for about ten days. Was there something wrong with his memory? Had ten months or ten years passed instead?

Didn’t Professor Zhou say Wu Tong had received an invitation to speak at the International Congress of Mathematicians, where she would deliver a forty-five-minute lecture?

When the news arrived, the university was elated. Across the country, the number of invitees was few, and Wu Tong’s inclusion demonstrated the brilliance of her achievements this year. The university was proud of her!

Shouldn’t she have been preparing her report on the Twin Prime Conjecture these past days?

“I received an international invitation out of the blue. I figured I didn’t have anything else impressive to present, so I squeezed some time into my new project and solved the Polignac Conjecture. The organizing committee’s deadline was tight; I barely finished by today, the tenth day, and just uploaded my paper!”

Listen to that—when did the proofs for the Zhou Conjecture and the Twin Prime Conjecture stop being impressive? Li Yisheng suddenly felt he needed to keep a bottle of heart medication handy, just in case his student pulled off another shocking feat.

But this was the International Congress of Mathematicians—was the proof really solid?

As a teacher, Li Yisheng’s initial shock soon turned to concern for Wu Tong’s academic reputation. He didn’t doubt her abilities, but two major conjectures in one month—each more significant than the last—left no room for error.

“Is your paper finished? Do you have a backup? Send me a copy, and I’ll help you consult the university’s top experts. Wu Tong, I’m not doubting you; we just don’t want to go into battle unprepared!”

“I understand, Teacher Li. I’ll send both the paper and the report to your email. Please help me with the project wrap-up. Since the funding hasn’t been transferred yet, there’s no need to worry about reimbursement!”

Li Yisheng chuckled wryly, imagining the expressions of the university’s bigwigs. Wu Tong’s project proposal had just been submitted, and the funds probably wouldn’t be issued until August. But Wu Tong’s speed defied all norms. The application was in, the funding hadn’t arrived, and she had already produced the proof. This would go down as a historic exception in the university’s project records!

The finance office would miss out on this scoop!

“Leave the rest to me; don’t worry!” Li Yisheng wiped his face, all fatigue gone. He felt energized, ready to report Wu Tong’s astonishing achievement to Dean Pan, Professor Zhou, and the others.

Before the international community reached a verdict, their university needed to verify it first.

Given Wu Tong’s consistent style, it was very likely genuine. Solving two world-class problems in a month, three conjectures in half a year—her name could be written into the history of mathematics.

Their university was truly about to produce a world-class scholar!

If only there had been more time for her achievements to mature, even the Fields Medal this year wouldn’t have been out of reach. Of course, given her age and current peak productivity, four or eight years from now, she would still be the youngest Fields Medalist.

While everyone else was still reeling from the news, Wu Tong finally had some leisure, happily celebrating her seventeenth birthday with her family. The family settled on their travel plans—not too far afield, just Mount Tai in the neighboring province.

She remembered learning as a child: after seeing the Eastern Mountain, all others pale; after climbing Mount Huang, no other peaks compare. To stand atop the summit and gaze down upon the world’s mountains—a passage that still echoed in her mind.

Though Mount Tai was less than six hundred kilometers away, none of them had ever been. After some discussion, they decided: Mount Tai it would be, leaving no one behind.

They spent two days preparing. On Friday afternoon, after picking up Wu Tongzhi and Teacher Jin from work, the seven-member family set off in high spirits. Jin Yuan borrowed a nine-seat van from a friend; he and Wu Jingzhong would take turns driving, occupying the front seats.

Jin Xin, having just received his driver’s license during the summer break, could only watch for now—he wasn’t qualified for highway travel yet, though he was itching to try.

The Jin elders sat in the second row, Teacher Jin and Xu Meifeng in the third, while the back row belonged to Wu Tong and Jin Xin.

With a press on the accelerator, they left the county and entered the highway. The vehicle, a Mercedes Vito, though only an entry-level MPV, still impressed Jin Yuan with its performance.

“It’s so much smoother than my old Volkswagen. The engine’s decent, but the best part is the layout—perfect for a family trip. Plenty of space and comfortable seats; everyone can stretch out!”

You really do get what you pay for! His own car only seated five—fine for casual trips, but useless for a family outing.

“How about we buy another car?” Wu Tong suggested again. She had brought it up before when she received her scholarship for her proofs, but no one in the family agreed.

“Don’t rush, Tong Tong. We’re still able-bodied—let this be our motivation to work hard. When we’re old, you can be filial, and we won’t refuse!” Jin Yuan quickly dismissed the idea. They were still young and strong—how could they use their child’s money?

Tong Tong’s prize money should be saved; there would be many expenses ahead.

Living in the capital was never easy. Wu Tong would likely stay and work there. The university was offering her housing rewards, but she needed to pay some of the costs herself. They were eager to help her prepare, to do whatever they could, so her money mustn’t be squandered!

(End of chapter)