Scientists who revitalized the country (14): Extra 2

The young man stopped walking after hearing the question and replied, “They are booking a taxi.”

The old man was stunned: “Booking a taxi?”

Shouldn’t they just walk down the street and give your thumbs up to hail an empty taxi?

Mark even suspected that the young man was deliberately deceiving him, but the young man said: “Yes, because it’s too hot outside, everyone uses the software to call a car inside and then go out after the car arrives…”

The old man looked at the young man with a blank look, totally unable to understand what he was saying.

Why could the people sitting inside know when a car was coming? Why did the car know that someone wanted to take a car? Why was the software in the computer related to taking a taxi? He didn’t see a computer here… This was beyond his understanding.

Seeing that the old man looked confused, the young man said bluntly, “Do you need a taxi? Why don’t I reserve a car for you and take you to the car? Otherwise, no car will come here. Everyone comes here only after receiving an order.”

Mark hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, “Thank you…”

The young man smiled and said, “No, this is what I should do.”

Mark asked tentatively: “Because I am a foreigner? I remember that your attitude towards foreigners has always been…” Mark couldn’t continue.

The young man was surprised and said, “It doesn’t matter what country you are from. If you see someone in trouble, isn’t it natural to help them? This is common sense.”

Markel: “…………”

His wife whispered to Markel: “Chinese people have always been like this. They don’t have the habit of racial discrimination and have always been very friendly.”

Markel felt mixed emotions and muttered quietly, “So that’s how it is. I actually thought… this feeling isn’t bad.”

There was a warm feeling of being in a group, and feeling safe no matter where he went. Because he knew that as long as he shouted for help, people around him would not run away in fear, but would swarm over to help.

It was totally different from his country.

The young man asked, “Where are you going?”

The old man replied: “Any hotel near the Olympic Stadium will do.”

“So you’re here to watch the Olympics.” The young man said with a smile, “There are still a few days before the Olympics start. You can go for a walk around. We in China have many scenic spots with a long history…”

The young man opened the taxi-hailing app, entered the address, and completed the operation.

Markle smiled and said, “Even if I don’t go to see the attractions, the things you have in China are enough to keep me interested for a long time… This place is like a magical country!”

The young man thought about it and grinned: “You are right.”

It was magical.

Three or four years ago, who could have imagined that their country would become what it was today.

To use the words that foreigners always say, China today seemed to be living in the future.

No one knew what China would be like in the future, but everyone was full of confidence and hope for the future.

The young man looked at the countdown on his wrist, which showed “3:45 until the car arrives,” and said to the old man, “The car will come three minutes.”

“Okay, thank you, little brother, you are such a good person.” The old man was surprised and no longer asked why one by one.

The young man said, “Many hotels near the Olympic Games venues may be fully booked. Do you need me to check in advance to see if there are any vacancies? Otherwise, it will be very troublesome to search everywhere.”

Markel’s wife smiled and said, “Thank you so much… But where can I buy this terminal? I really like it!”

The young man said: “All you need to do is register with your ID card, buy the nanochip and insert it into your body. But even if you buy it, you can’t use it when you return to your country, right? After all, you need the supporting network facilities and programs.”

Markel quickly explained: “We also have internet there.”

It was really unexpected that he would explain to the Chinese that although his country was backward, it was not backward to that extent.

The young man hesitated and said, “Well… I know, but a network that is not good enough cannot support the operation of the terminal. For example, we can download more than ten two-hour movies in less than a second, but it is not possible over there. There are also positioning systems, supporting programs and so on…”

Markel said disappointedly: “So that’s how it is…”

Markel’s wife was not discouraged: “But we can spend more time in China! We can always use it here!”

Markle thought about it and smiled happily: “Yes! That’s true!”

While talking, the young man helped the two elderly people find a hotel with available rooms, and showed them the three-dimensional image of the hotel and its specific location. When they moved their fingers, the house would expand and shrink, allowing them to directly see the display room inside.

The two of them exclaimed in amazement, admiring this magical scene. The young man said, “The car has arrived, let’s go out.”

Markel seemed to be dreaming the whole time. He followed the young man out the door, and just as he stood on the side of the road, the car stopped right in front of him.

Markel couldn’t help but sigh: “It’s amazing…”

The young man smiled, waved to the two elderly people in the car, and said goodbye.

Markle said to the driver who had already driven out, “Let’s go to…what’s that place called?” Markle seemed to have forgotten the name of the place for a moment, and said to his wife beside him.

The driver seemed to know what was going on: “XX District, XX Street, XX Building, XX Hotel, right?”

Markel was really convinced, “Yes, that’s it.”

The wife smiled and said, “You see, I told you that the videos on the Internet are real. I have long wanted to experience the feeling of being able to hail a taxi anytime and anywhere. It’s like summoning magic in a fantasy world!”

Seeing his wife so happy, Markle couldn’t help but smile happily: “Then let’s stay in China for a while. I think we won’t get bored even if we stay for a year or two. After all, this place is so nice.”

“That’s for sure!” said the wife with satisfaction.

They sat in the car, enjoying the cool air conditioning. They watched the stylish and cool cars speeding by in the distance, and the tall buildings rising into the sky. The three-dimensional screen displayed thoughtful notices or commercial advertisements, and Mark didn’t want to miss any of them, even if they were advertisements.

He stared at one of the ads and thought the stuff in the ad was really cool, but he didn’t understand what it meant specifically. He asked in confusion, “Hologram…what is this?”

The driver in front of me continued, “Holography is to directly instill our consciousness into the cyber world, or to interact with it anywhere in the real world through projection…”

Markel was stunned and said in astonishment: “What? Are you serious? Oh my God! This is the most incredible thing I have heard today!”

Seeing Markel so excited, the driver said with a bit of amusement, “This thing was launched several years ago, and my children use it in school. Not only academic subjects, but also equestrian classes, dance classes, and basketball classes can all be signed up for. You can study with children from all over the country without leaving home, and you don’t have to worry about the difference in teaching staff. Everyone can have the best teacher.”

Markle asked curiously, “Besides learning, what other functions does it have?”

“There are so many things that I can’t finish talking about them even if I talk about them for a whole day and night!” The driver laughed and said, “Anyway, you can do everything you can do in the real world on the Internet. For example, you can project your consciousness to another province or city to travel, go shopping, have interviews, study, and meet friends. Although you can’t eat, you can buy the things you like and have them shipped to your home. As long as you want, you can travel all over the country.”

Mark felt fascinated just by listening to it. It was even more incredible than the science fiction world he saw in movies!

“I must buy one of these holographic devices! It’s even more magical than a tablet!” Mark said excitedly.

“Honey, you have to buy a tablet as well, otherwise we won’t be able to use all these high-tech gadgets after we return home,” the wife reminded.

“Oh, that’s true…” Markle said helplessly, “I suddenly don’t want to go back at all… When will our country have these things? Are we really living in the same world? I think I might not be sitting on a plane, but a time-space shuttle.”

The driver sitting in the front was laughing uncontrollably.

He slowly stopped the car on the side of the road, and the smart device in front of the car said: “We have arrived at the destination. Passengers getting off the car, please pay attention to the belongings you bring with you. I wish you a happy life.

“Are we here already?” Markel looked toward the road and took out some change from his pocket.

The driver was stunned when he saw the coins, then he rummaged through a corner and found enough change to hand over.

“Hope you enjoy your time!”

“Of course!” Markel waved goodbye with a smile.

He watched the car drive away and said to his wife, “I wonder if I am overthinking it. I feel like they are being a little too cautious in hiding their money.”

The wife smiled and said, “It’s not that they’re hiding money, it’s just that they haven’t used the money for a long time, so they can only put it in a corner.”

Markel wondered, “No money? Are they still using food stamps now?”

The wife didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “I told you that it was a long time ago. They used virtual currency and could transfer money just by aligning the wristbands.”

Markel hesitated and said, “Well, I won’t be surprised anymore.”

Although he said so, in reality, his surprise continued until the day the Olympics started.

At the same Olympic Games, Si Qi, who was sitting in his seat watching the opening ceremony, noticed that Chu Lian, who was standing next to him, was not looking at him, but was leaning sideways and whispering with someone else.

Feeling a little curious, Si Qi turned his head and stared for a while, and found that Chu Lian was asking someone else a question.

Although he couldn’t hear clearly what he said, he felt that he had been asking for a long time and had no intention of stopping.

This was inconsistent with Chu Lian’s usual style.

He reached out and gently poked Chu Lian’s shoulder, as if he had something to say.

Chu Lian quickly leaned over and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Si Qi looked at him with one hand on his chin: “What are you asking? Why don’t you ask me? I know everything.”

Chu Lian was stunned for a moment, then chuckled a few times, “Didn’t you say that the Mont Blanc just delivered was delicious? I was asking him for the recipe, thinking of making it for you in the future.”

Si Qi suddenly realized: “So that’s it.”

“You said you know everything.” Chu Lian took a closer look at the boy and said jokingly, “Can you even cook?”

“…………” Si Qi touched his nose, a little embarrassed: “Okay, except for cooking.”

Chu Lian smiled and said, “Were you jealous just now?”

Si Qi raised his eyebrows: “What are you talking about?”

Chu Lian laughed a few times, “Nothing, just continue watching the opening ceremony.”

“Humph.” Si Qi ignored this guy.

Turning around, he discovered that the development history of China over thousands of years was being performed below, with its glory, disgrace, rise and fall, and hard-earned harvests.

The academicians and leaders beside him secretly wiped away their tears while watching the grand scene below. They were the ones who could empathize with these contents the most.

Si Qi thought about it and decided not to disturb them, watching the show attentively.

An hour later, the opening ceremony ended. Various high-tech products that were far beyond the imagination of foreigners appeared in many programs without paying any money, causing people around the world to exclaim in amazement. Even after the opening ceremony ended, people were still thinking about it and discussing it. Once again, people felt the strength of China.

Si Qi and the leaders left the place in a low profile, escorted by a group of security personnel.

When the director of the Satellite System Engineering Headquarters passed by Si Qi, he reached out and patted Si Qi on the shoulder.

Although he didn’t say anything, the look he gave Si Qi seemed to say it all.

Si Qi and he smiled at each other, then left in different cars.

Although the directions were different, the ultimate goal was the same.

At night, the minister lying in bed had a dream.

He dreamed that decades ago, when he was younger, he walked into a glamorous department store and stood in front of the counter of a watch store.

He fell in love with a watch on the counter at first sight and carefully asked the clerk if he could take the watch out and let him have a look.

The person standing nearby whom he would never forget said to him in amazement: “Oh my God, you are Chinese! You actually came here!”

The minister’s heart tightened and he instinctively felt humiliated, and he had a premonition of what would happen next.

But the other party burst out laughing and said to him: “Do you like our watches too? This is our honor! Do you know? You Chinese are great! It is the best country in the world!”

The minister looked at him blankly, his mind a little confused.

The man continued with a bright smile: “Do you like this watch? You have a good taste! I think this watch would really like you to be its owner! Try it on and see!”

The minister couldn’t help but smile after hearing this. He took the watch from the clerk, stroked the strap with caressing care, and whispered, “Yes, I like it very much.”

As he was laughing, tears suddenly welled up in the corners of his eyes.

“Strange, why am I crying all of a sudden?” The minister said to himself, wiped away his tears with his hands, raised his lips and said in a choked voice: “I must be too happy.”