UGB Chapter 209 The Strange Uncle
Chapter 209 The Strange Uncle
The dawn light stung his eyes.
Despite having huge dark circles under his eyes, Allen was genuinely grateful that he was a lonely old man.
There were no constant, incessant phone calls to check up on me, and no fake social occasions that I had to attend.
My parents passed away years ago, and as for my siblings who were so eager to fight each other for the inheritance, we had long since severed all ties.
He's all alone now, with plenty of time to grapple with these mathematical symbols to the bitter end.
Just as he washed his face with cold water, preparing to continue his relentless work, his gaze suddenly froze on a concept called "self-referenced phase variable" on page twelve of the paper.
What the hell is this?!
This logical intricacy, like a book written in the heavens, is so complex and obscure that it inspires despair.
Allen had intended to revert to the same relentless dedication he had shown when writing his graduation thesis, but he sadly discovered that his time away from the front lines of academia had ultimately been far too long.
With his current mental processing ability, he simply can't get past this hurdle!
Allen frantically grabbed his hair!
Just when he was at his wit's end, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the corresponding author's contact number at the bottom of the paper!
At that moment, Allen unhesitatingly abandoned the reserve of an elder and the pretense of a scholar, took out his phone, and typed out a short message with flying fingers.
"Is this Su Hao? I'm Allen from the Boston Transportation Authority."
I have a few questions about the derivation steps in my paper and would like to ask you some questions. Could I take a little of your time?
After sending the message, he rubbed his throbbing temples.
He figured the other person must be fast asleep right now, since they were so tired yesterday, so he planned to take a nap on the table after sending the message.
Unexpectedly, the phone vibrated as soon as the screen went black, and the other party replied instantly.
Have you had lunch yet?
"???"
Allen stared at the words on the screen, stunned.
"What the heck? Why are you suddenly concerned about food?"
Is this some kind of sophisticated academic code? Does "lunch" refer to a hidden function name?
He muttered something in surprise, but still obediently pressed reply.
I stayed up all night working on this paper last night and haven't had time to eat yet. I was just thinking of going downstairs to grab a sandwich to tide me over.
A few seconds later, the phone vibrated again.
My parents said that if you haven't had lunch yet, why don't you come over and have a simple meal with us?
This also makes it convenient to discuss academic issues directly at home. (Attached: Address location.)
"......"
Allen stared at the text message, blinking a dozen times in astonishment like a fool, his brain completely shutting down.
Wait... isn't this plot going wrong?
According to the deeply ingrained social norms of American society, absolutely, absolutely, absolutely no normal person...
They would invite a middle-aged stranger, whom they had only exchanged pleasantries via text message and had never even met in person, to their home without any hesitation!
Out of concern for the safety of a psychopathic killer, and out of a strong sense of personal space...
The reasons for rejection are countless.
Ultimately, this doesn't fit the hypocritical and guarded social logic of Westerners at all!
At this moment, Allen, who was suffering from severe culture shock, was obviously unaware that Su Zhe and Lin Wan, who grew up in an Eastern country, had never considered these convoluted and ridiculous rules of the Americans.
The couple were simply reminiscing about their time back in China:
From childhood to adulthood, because Su Hao was such a prodigy, many authorities, experts, and professors came to his home seeking his help.
Whenever it's mealtime, the inherent hospitality of the Xia people awakens, and they habitually greet each other with:
"Well, since you're here, why don't you stay for a simple meal before you leave!"
It's just a matter of adding an extra pair of chopsticks; how can we let guests come to our house hungry to talk to our children?
Allen looked at the screen, hesitated for a very brief moment, and then nodded heavily.
Thank you so much for the invitation! I'll be off right away.
Looking at the words on the screen, his heart softened for no apparent reason.
Behind this seemingly casual invitation lies an unguarded and fervent warmth and kindness unique to Easterners.
Allen looked up at the ceiling.
He couldn't even recall how many years it had been since he had been invited to lunch in such a simple and unpretentious way.
Like a naive young man receiving a call from his first love, he rummaged through the spare wardrobe in his office as fast as he could and changed into what he considered to be his cleanest and most presentable suit.
After starting his car, he made a special detour to a high-end wine shop a few blocks away, where he spent a fortune to carefully select two bottles of exceptional vintage red wine to take with him.
The address coordinates sent by Su Hao were not far from the campus itself; it was in a quiet community.
Ding-dong-
Before the doorbell's echo had even faded, the front door creaked open.
"Hello, Mr. Allen, please come in!"
The handsome young man who was fast asleep in the corner of the campus cafeteria yesterday afternoon is now greeting him with a bright and friendly smile, warmly welcoming him inside.
As Allen stood at the door, his mind was pounding with anxiety, wondering if he had been too reckless.
Did they mistake the Americans' casual "let's have coffee sometime" greeting for something more?
But when he saw the boy's sincere smile, his worries vanished instantly.
As soon as he entered, Allen noticed a little girl hiding timidly behind Su Hao.
"Hello, little princess?" Allen bent down, trying to make his voice sound as gentle as possible.
A giant beaver plush toy poked its head out from behind Su Hao's thigh first.
Then, the little girl shyly peeked out half of her small, glutinous rice ball-like body.
This was a beautiful child, as cute as a little angel who had stepped out of a Disney fairy tale, with his dark eyes blinking as he looked at him.
"Hello," the little girl said in her childish voice.
Allen strained with all his might, trying to force what he considered to be the most amiable and non-aggressive smile onto his weathered old face.
However... perhaps it was because of spending so much time in the city hall looking at reports and arguing with politicians that his facial muscles went on strike for so long.
The smile he forced at that moment inevitably looked somewhat stiff, making him look like a creepy old man trying to kidnap a child.