After delivering the prize money to Tu Youyou, Huang He went to the Second Heavy Machinery Group of China to deliver money.
To Huang He’s surprise, he received a very warm welcome. The company’s general manager, along with the entire team, met Huang He at the factory gate. They then gave him a tour of the entire group, had a meal in the company’s canteen, and held a unique symposium. Holding Huang He’s hand, the manager, beaming, allowed a large group of reporters to take photos. Finally, a special awards ceremony was held in the company’s auditorium, with Huang He receiving more attention than any other award recipient. One might have thought Huang He was a shareholder of the Second Heavy Machinery Group.
Of course, the reason for this was simple: it was a tremendous honor, and it was spontaneously bestowed by the public, akin to ancient imperial banners signifying public support. The entire Second Heavy Machinery Group felt immensely proud, and more importantly, these were tangible achievements, which naturally called for grand celebrations.
There was nothing wrong with this, as the Second Heavy Machinery Group had indeed developed this set of equipment, which was undeniable. The only thing that worried Huang He was whether this sum of money would actually reach the project team members in its entirety.
Although the general manager patted his chest and guaranteed that the money would be distributed, Huang He felt it was rather uncertain, though he expected the project members would at least receive some of it.
The last person Huang He went to see was Mr. Yuan Longping.
Logically, he should have gone there first. Huang He had indeed contacted Hunan immediately, but to his surprise, Mr. Yuan flatly refused, stating that he was not worthy of such an award, nor the prize money, and hoped Huang He would give the award to someone more deserving, as an old man like himself did not need it.
This put Huang He in a very awkward position. If the first Huang He Award was rejected, and by Mr. Yuan himself, Huang He feared he would become a laughingstock.
Unexpectedly, after Huang He left the Second Heavy Machinery Group, Mr. Yuan called him, expressing his willingness to accept the award and even his intention to personally come to Beijing to receive it.
This immediately made Huang He feel incredibly honored. He rushed back to Beijing and went to the airport to personally greet the weary Mr. Yuan, assisting the old gentleman as he disembarked from the plane.
The subsequent proceedings were very smooth, and the scale of the event was unexpectedly grand. Not only were reporters furiously taking pictures, but two police cars were even arranged to lead the motorcade to the hotel, a treatment Huang He had never experienced before.
Clearly, this treatment was not for Huang He, but for Mr. Yuan.
Then, a small press conference was held in the hotel’s conference room. Mr. Yuan accepted the medal from Huang He with both hands and immediately wore it around his neck. Mr. Yuan’s secretary received the 10 million yuan prize check, concluding a brief yet exceptionally grand ceremony under countless flashes.
“Mr. Yuan, why did you suddenly change your mind?” Huang He finally had the opportunity to ask the question that had been bothering him when they were sitting backstage to rest.
“I refused you at first because I thought you were like those other people, wanting to use my name for your own publicity. I detest people like you, so I didn’t want to meet you or help you gain fame,” Mr. Yuan stated frankly, hinting at some of his past experiences.
When Mr. Yuan first developed hybrid rice and became famous in China, many entrepreneurs, or rather speculators, visited him under the guise of donating to the hybrid rice cause.
It was a poor time, so despite his reservations, Mr. Yuan warmly received these people and cooperated with their publicity efforts, thanking them for their donations.
However, these individuals often brought something when they came, but when it came to fulfilling their promises of donations, they would either beat around the bush or simply disappear. Mr. Yuan was not the type of person to relentlessly pursue them, so he was deceived many times, which was very disheartening.
Consequently, Mr. Yuan decided not to rely on these people. If there was no money, he tightened his belt and carried on by himself. Throughout this journey, he was naturally suspicious of someone like Huang He, who suddenly appeared claiming to offer him a 10 million yuan award.
“But later, Mr. Tu called me and told me about you. She said you genuinely gave 10 million yuan, and then when she heard I had refused you, she called to persuade me,” Mr. Yuan said.
“So, Mr. Yuan, were you convinced?” Huang He asked curiously.
“Not at first. Because the country is better now and has money, a lot of funds have been allocated to our experimental bases, and our research funding is sufficient. And I am so old, more money is of no use to me, so I didn’t want your 10 million yuan!” Mr. Yuan waved his hand. “But Mr. Tu also told me the story you told her.”
“She told me that if I didn’t accept it, it would be difficult for my students, and even future generations in the hybrid rice industry, to accept it. And it might even displease you, so your awards and prizes would not be given to my students, or even the entire hybrid rice industry in the future. In this way, I would be harming their future!” Mr. Yuan chuckled.
“No, there will definitely be no such thing!” Huang He quickly replied.
“This was what Mr. Tu told me. Later, I thought of another reason myself!” Mr. Yuan smiled. “Later, I saw your news and saw that you mentioned your goal was to benchmark against the Nobel Prize, hoping to create China’s Nobel Prize. I thought your goal was very good, and I shouldn’t discourage you, nor should we Chinese appear disunited. So, I called you proactively.”
“Mr. Yuan, you worry too much. Actually, no matter what happens, it will not interfere with my original intention!” Huang He said sincerely.
“You can say that now, but what about in the future?” Mr. Yuan sighed with emotion. “I have seen too many people like this. They all start with the same enthusiasm, sincerity, and persistence as you. But later, things change!”
“As an entrepreneur, your support for China’s technological industry touches me greatly. Therefore, I want to support you, and I also hope you can persist. When I am on my deathbed, if I can see your name, Huang He, become even more renowned than Nobel’s name, I will be completely satisfied!” Mr. Yuan stood up and actually bowed to Huang He, who startled and quickly stood up, bowing twice to Mr. Yuan.
Mr. Yuan’s prize money was also successfully awarded, and Huang He’s work was finished.
Well, there was actually one more person, Li Yuanzhe.
He learned about this matter quite quickly. On the evening of the press conference, a friend from the journalism circle informed Li Yuanzhe and tentatively asked if he would go to the mainland to accept the award.
“No, I will never go to the mainland!” Li Yuanzhe stated righteously, then opened his computer and began searching online for “how to apply for a Taiwan Compatriot Permit.”
As a result, Li Yuanzhe didn’t sleep all night. Already quite old, he looked even more haggard when he woke up the next day.
“Dear, are you still worrying about that 10 million yuan matter?” his wife asked worriedly.
“It’s not about the 10 million yuan!” Li Yuanzhe shook his head. “But the problem is, our house is so dilapidated, and we’ve always wanted a new one, but we lack the funds.”
“And our two grandsons, I heard they skipped school again. I plan to send them to study in the United States. I’m more familiar with it there, and graduation is simpler. The recognition is higher than local universities in Taiwan, but for those two, it costs hundreds of thousands of US dollars a year, and they can’t be managed without it!” Li Yuanzhe said, rubbing his temples.
To outsiders, Li Yuanzhe was a distinguished Nobel laureate and now an official in Taiwan Province, adorned with countless honors, and surely not lacking in wealth.
However, as the saying goes, one knows their own hardships best. Li Yuanzhe was not a good money manager, and in his youth, he spent money freely. Consequently, in his old age, he had not saved any retirement funds and now relied entirely on his monthly salary, some tax-related work, and occasional speech invitations.
While it might be enough for him to live on, his son and two grandsons were not easygoing. Li Yuanzhe also had to subsidize them, making his financial situation understandable.
“Then you should go and accept the award. 10 million RMB, converted to US dollars, is over 1.2 million, which is much more than your Nobel Prize money. Why wouldn’t you go and receive such a large sum? It’s mainland money anyway!” his wife said.
“If only he wasn’t from the mainland!” Li Yuanzhe sighed. “My current position simply doesn’t allow it. If I go, our entire family will be unemployed!”
“If you ask me, your biggest mistake in life was coming back to be an official. It would have been better if our whole family was in the United States, and you continued to be a professor; life would surely be better than it is now!” his wife said resentfully.
“From a humble farmer, to the imperial court in one day.”
“In books lie beauty, in books lie golden houses.”
“Master your skills, and sell them to the Emperor.”
“It’s our Chinese tradition to study hard, then enter the court and serve as an official, thereby realizing one’s political ambitions. Naturally, I am no exception!” Li Yuanzhe sighed to the sky.
“That’s strange. You always say you are not Chinese, so why are you talking about our Chinese traditions now!” his wife mocked.
“A woman’s opinion!” Li Yuanzhe’s face turned red, then he flicked his sleeve and snorted.
“Fine, I have a woman’s opinion. Then please, you great man, think carefully about whether you should take this money!” his wife said, flicking her hand and leaving. Li Yuanzhe hesitated for a moment, then continued to search online for information on applying for a Taiwan Compatriot Permit.
Within a few hours, his doorstep was swarmed by reporters, all asking the same question: would Li Yuanzhe go to accept the award?
At the same time, all of Li Yuanzhe’s close friends, both academic and political, called to advise him not to forget his original intentions, lest he become infamous.
Therefore, Li Yuanzhe stated very firmly to the reporters that he would never accept such an insignificant award and returned to continue his search for Taiwan Compatriot Permit information.
As a result, it took a full year. The second Huang He Award was about to be presented, and Huang He still had not received a reply from Li Yuanzhe.