Molina didn't come in. Instead, she stood at the door.
The grandfather and granddaughter seemed to have a big conflict. When Lu Zhou entered the house, he could clearly feel that the old man was a little embarrassed to face her.
Lu Zhou didn't know the conflict between the two, and he didn't want to get involved in other people's family affairs. After explaining his intentions, he quietly followed the old man's footsteps to the oil painting hanging on the wall at the top of the stairs.
The person in the painting had dark blonde curly hair and curly bangs that were still very popular today. His youthful facial features revealed a calmness and peace that did not match his age … and a little bit handsome.
Even though it was still a bit lacking compared to Lu Zhou, it was still pretty good.
However, other than that, there didn't seem to be any clues that Lu Zhou was looking forward to. It was just a simple portrait.
"This painting was created in 1835 … Apparently, it was created by a well-known painter in Norway according to his relatives," the old man said while standing behind Lu Zhou.
In fact, this relative was actually Professor Abel's fiancée, but after hesitating for a while, he chose to selectively hide this fact.
Lu Zhou looked at the old man and asked curiously, "So this painting is almost two hundred years old."
"Sort of, the most valuable thing in this house is probably this thing … Although it's not that expensive."
"You can say that. This is probably the most valuable thing in this room … although it's not that valuable."
But since he could afford it with his salary, it shouldn't be particularly expensive. After all, not everyone was interested in the portrait of a mathematician, not to mention a "short-lived" genius. If it wasn't for a special hobby, most people wouldn't buy this thing.
After all, not everyone was interested in the portrait of a mathematician, not to mention a "short-lived" genius. If one didn't have a special hobby and could afford it, they probably wouldn't buy it for their collection. After all, not everyone was interested in the portrait of a mathematician, not to mention a "short-lived" genius. If they didn't have a special hobby, they probably wouldn't buy this painting.
Time alone didn't mean much. Whether a painting was valuable or not depended on the artist's reputation, who he painted, and the era in which the work was made.
"Apart from this oil painting and those notes, are these all that Professor Abel left behind?"
The old man nodded.
"This is it."
Lu Zhou nodded thoughtfully. After thinking for a while, he suddenly spoke.
"Speaking of which, I always had a question."
"What problem?"
"It's said that Professor Abel never married. Are you his … blood relative?"
Hearing this question, an awkward look suddenly appeared on the old man's face, and he averted his gaze.
"… Maybe."
Perhaps?
Looking at the stuttering old man, Lu Zhou was slightly taken aback. He vaguely guessed something, so he changed the topic that might cause embarrassment.
"Where did you get these things?"
"I got it from a collector."
Lu Zhou immediately asked.
"Can you still contact him? I mean, can you introduce him to me? "
The old man shook his head.
"That guy passed away a few years ago. I'm afraid I can't help you. If you're interested in Professor Abel's belongings, those notes are all there is to it. Although I didn't expect my granddaughter to give them to you, but … in short, I hope you can take good care of them. "
When Lu Zhou saw a flash of shame in the old man's eyes, he confirmed the speculation in his heart.
As expected, the so-called descendant of Professor Abel was most likely the self-proclaimed title of the old man. In his impression, the genius who only lived in his twenties only had one fiancée. Ignoring the situation of illegitimate children, the possibility of him having any descendants was almost negligible.
The reason why Molina's mood was so unstable last night was probably because she knew about this.
When he was at the door, Molina's face showed resistance to the old man. Lu Zhou went silent for a while and suddenly spoke.
"Last night, your granddaughter was very emotional … Ah, I didn't mean that."
"I know, it seems that you already saw through it. It's a lame lie, right?"
The old man understood what Lu Zhou wanted to say. A trace of disappointment flashed in his eyes.
He shook his head, and his tone was full of remorse. He muttered, "I can't help it … I didn't expect her father to take it seriously. When I realized it, things had already become like this."
Lu Zhou looked at the regretful expression on the old man's face. He sighed and spoke softly.
"I think the reason why she was so angry and emotional is not because she is not a descendant of Professor Abel, but because the person closest to her actually lied to her … and lied to her for nearly 30 years."
Bloodline was meaningless to science. Just like how the ideas of most geniuses were born by chance, the birth of a great scholar in this world was a historical necessity, but when it came to the specific individuals in civilization, it was more of a kind of coincidence.
Perhaps the descendants of scholars had more educational advantages than their peers, and they were more easily influenced by their parents in the choice of majors. However, there was no guarantee that they would become scientists.
After a pause, Lu Zhou continued.
"Although I'm not in the position to say this as an outsider, I suggest you apologize to her."
The old man shook his head with a painful expression and said, "She won't forgive me, and I won't forgive myself …"
"Whether she forgives you or not is up to her to decide. As for the latter …" Lu Zhou paused and continued, "Actually, you don't have to blame yourself too much. I can see that her enthusiasm for mathematics is because she really likes it. Although talent is innate, I don't think she embarked on a 'wrong' path.
"As for the expectations she imposed on herself, it's good that they're gone."
The so-called self-blame was because he thought that his lies affected his granddaughter's life. However, in the eyes of an outsider like Lu Zhou, things were not what the old man thought.
It was impossible to persist on this path for more than 20 years just by relying on the sense of mission imposed on oneself.
For Molina, knowing the truth of the matter was not necessarily a bad thing.
At the very least, she could adjust her mentality.
Although it was difficult for her to reach the level of a first-line scholar, she was already considered one of the best among second-line scholars. If she calmed down and concentrated on research, she might have a chance to touch the edge of the Fields Medal before the age of 40.
Of course, whether or not she could touch it was another matter.
After all, the transformation from a second-line scholar to a first-line scholar wasn't just about hard work.
In addition to hard work, it also required a little bit of luck.
Those who could completely ignore the factor of luck and achieve this were rare existences, no matter which era it was.
After listening to Lu Zhou's words, the old man went silent for a while.
After a long time, he finally opened his mouth to speak.
"Thank you, maybe you're right."
Lu Zhou looked at the old man's expression and nodded. He was sincerely happy for him.
"Just a suggestion."
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