Chapter 177: Crawford Award Ceremony

As the news was broadcast, although it was only a brief interlude of more than ten seconds, the popularity of Xu Chuan winning the Crafford Award continued to rise rapidly, no longer limited to the Internet, and directly broke through the circle, known by many citizens who did not go online much.

Xingcheng, No. 1 Middle School.

Several little girls walked together, looking at the new banner hanging in front of the teaching building, and one of the girls poked her best friend next to her.

"Xiaoxiao, I remember your brother's name seems to be Xu Chuan, right? Your brother seems to have won another award, the last time it was the Morning Star Mathematics Award, this time it is the Crafford Award?"

"But what award is this? Xiaoxiao, do you know?"

Xu Xiao tied her ponytail, stared at the banner hanging on the teaching building, nodded proudly, and shook her head, the ponytail behind her head swaying gently.

She didn't know what the Crafford Award was, but it must be very famous to let the school hang a banner!

With such an extremely outstanding brother as her life goal, she still needs to work harder to catch up with him and then surpass him!

Xiangnan, Y County, Xujia Village Middle School

A group of villagers were sitting on the ground in front of Xu Chuan's house, chatting and talking about family matters.

Ever since Xu Chuan paid for the village to repair the pond, dam, canal and other hydraulic facilities, the villagers began to like to come to his house to sit and chat.

Although the villagers in the village are simple, there is society where there are people.

It is normal for people to come and go. If you are poor in the downtown area, no one will care about you. If you are rich in the mountains, you will have distant relatives.

"Jianguo, your new house will be repaired soon. When will you hold the housewarming banquet?"

On the new cement ground, several villagers were chatting in the shade.

Father Xu smiled and threw a cigarette over, and gave one to several other people around him, saying: "Not yet, the wall and yard are not ready yet. It will take another month. Let's talk about it after it's done."

"Will Chuanzi come back by then?" The middle-aged man took the cigarette, lit it and took a puff and asked happily.

"I don't know. I haven't called him yet. But he's studying abroad and probably won't be able to come back." Father Xu lit a cigarette, exhaled the smoke and said with some nostalgia.

The two children are now studying abroad, far away from home, and rarely come back a few times a year. Although this is a good thing, the children are successful, but after all, there are only two people in the family. It would be a lie to say that they are not lonely and don't miss them.

"He is the first one in the village to study abroad. It's a pity that Chuanzi didn't choose Shuimu and Peking University."

Another middle-aged man next to him interrupted, with a somewhat regretful tone.

But in the countryside, this is quite normal.

After all, Tsinghua and Peking University are too famous. If a descendant is admitted to these two universities, not only will the ancestral tombs have to be renovated, but the family tree will also have to be rewritten.

"Qiuliang, you are wrong. Nanjing University is not bad. Moreover, Chuanzi was accepted as a student by a national academician when he was in college. Academicians, you know, academicians are the top scientists in the country, the kind that receive national subsidies."

"He knows nothing. He didn't even finish elementary school. He can't read a few words. He doesn't even know which direction the university gate opens."

Another villager laughed and retorted. These are the things that people talk about in the countryside.

A few people were chatting and gossiping. Suddenly, shouts came from the cement road not far away.

"Jianguo, Jianguo, good news!"

Hearing the shouts, Xu Jianguo hurriedly stood up. It was Xu Hongtu, the village chief of Xujia Village, who quickly walked over.

"Hongtu, what's wrong?" Xu's father handed over a cigarette and asked.

"Tomorrow, tomorrow there will be leaders from the city coming to your house. I heard there will be interviews!" Xu Hongtu said with a smile as he took the cigarette.

Father Xu was stunned for a moment and asked, "Why are the city leaders coming here?"

"I can see you haven't watched the news, so you don't know! Your son won a prize, it seems to be a Nobel Prize, anyway, a big prize, famous all over the world, and the TV reported it!"

Xu Hongtu lit up the cigarette, took a puff and said comfortably.

"TV reported it? When did it report it? Which channel?" Father Xu asked hurriedly after hearing the news about Xu Chuan.

"One set, which one can it be? I only watch one set. I was still eating at noon when I saw the news."

"At first I thought it was the same name, but it turned out that there were photos. I saw that it was your kid. Then before I finished eating, the county called."

"It said that your son won a prize yesterday, and then the city leaders came to express their condolences. I hurried over to inform you!"

Hearing this, Father Xu ran to the room and wanted to turn on the TV to see, but then he stopped again. It was too late to watch it now. It must not be replayed after it was reported.

After thinking for a while, Xu's father took out his cell phone and called Xu Chuan.

The phone rang a few times before it was connected, and a familiar voice sounded from the other end.

"Hello, Dad."

"Son, I heard from your uncle Hongtu that you won a Nobel Prize?" Xu's father asked on the phone.

On the other end, Xu Chuan was stunned when he heard the Nobel Prize, then reacted and smiled and said, "Dad, how did you know?"

"You kid, you're on TV news, why didn't you tell us a word?"

Xu's father complained that such a big thing didn't call them, and they all missed the news report, it would be good to be able to watch it on TV.

"Haha, it's nothing." Xu Chuan laughed and roughly explained the matter.

On the other end of the phone, Xu's father listened to Xu Chuan's voice and nodded while responding.

In fact, he could no longer understand what his son was saying, but as long as he heard the voice on the other end of the phone, he felt at ease.

After chatting with his father for a while, Xu Chuan hung up the phone, smiled and shook his head, and turned to study.

It was indeed very happy to receive the Crafoord Prize in Mathematics and the Astronomy Prize unexpectedly.

This not only made up for the regrets of his previous life, but also showed that his mathematical ability had reached a higher level.

However, the joy was hidden in his heart, like a pot of good wine, which made people savor it and also spurred people forward.

In the blink of an eye, time came to mid-December.

The invitation letter for the Crafoord Prize Award Ceremony of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences had already been mailed. After asking for leave from his tutor again, Xu Chuan took a plane to Europe.

The huge Airbus A380 crossed the blue sky and flew towards Sweden. After several hours of flight, the white plane slowly landed in Stockholm.

Dragging his luggage and passing through the crowd, Xu Chuan walked out of the airport and stopped a taxi to the Stockholm Grand Hotel.

The Grand Hotel Stockholm is a hotel used by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for award ceremonies. The hotel is located in an excellent location on the Stockholm waterfront, overlooking the Swedish Royal Palace and the old town.

Although it is two kilometers away from the City Hall where the awards are presented, it is less than 500 meters away from the Nobel Museum.

Due to its unique location and unique culture, it has become a venue for major events since the 19th century, and all previous Nobel Prize winners have stayed here before the awards.

Xu Chuan handed the invitation letter to the hotel front desk, and the service was provided by a young and beautiful lady with a Western style.

She took the invitation letter and took a look at it, and then scanned it again with an instrument to confirm it. After confirming that it was correct, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, but her professionalism made her smile in a standard way.

"Hello, Mr. Xu Chuan. Welcome to the Stockholm Grand Hotel to attend this year's Crafoord Award Ceremony. Your room is 1001. Here is the room card. Please keep it."

"If you need anything, please let us know. We will do our best to satisfy you."

Xu Chuan smiled and nodded, saying, "Thank you."

After taking the room card, Xu Chuan just turned around and found two people standing not far behind him.

"Welcome, Mr. Xu Chuan!"

Seeing Xu Chuan turn around, the man on the left wearing a gray suit and glasses, full of aristocratic atmosphere, quickly came up and gave Xu Chuan a warm hug.

"Secretary-General Staffan, I'm glad to see you."

Xu Chuan naturally knew this old man.

Staffan Normark, permanent secretary-general of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Sweden, all the Nobel Prize award calls and the welcome at the award ceremony were handled by this old man.

"Congratulations, the youngest winner of the Crafoord Prize in history. You look even younger than in the photo."

Secretary-General Staffan looked at Xu Chuan with a smile, and took a look at the young scholar who won the Crafoord Prize at the age of less than 19.

Xu Chuan said modestly: "Thank you, it is my honor to win the Crafoord Prize."

After chatting with Xu Chuan for a while, Staffan Normak smiled and said: "The award ceremony will start at 11 o'clock tomorrow morning at the Stockholm City Hall. A special car will come to pick you up at that time."

"If you need anything, please tell the hotel staff, they will try their best to meet you. If there are any special requirements, they will tell me."

"I won't bother you. I hope you have a good few days in Stockholm."

Secretary-General Staffan Normak did not stay long. He greeted Xu Chuan, told him some things to pay attention to, and then said goodbye.

After all, he still had to prepare a lot of other work.

Dragging his luggage, Xu Chuan took the elevator to Room 1001.

There are some ancient crafts in the room, which makes it full of historical and cultural atmosphere, antique and fragrant, as if stepping into the 19th century.

This is not a presidential suite, but it is not open to the public. This room has lived in at least dozens of Nobel Prize winners, Crafford Prize winners and other top university winners.

The next day, at nine o'clock in the morning, Xu Chuan took the special car arranged by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to Stockholm City Hall.

In the elegant auditorium, Xu Chuan sat in the first row, with Ms. Barbara Cannon, President of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, on the left, and King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden on the right.

After a simple opening speech, Ms. Barbara Cannon, President of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, walked onto the stage.

Without a speech script or too much seriousness, the president of the Royal Academy of Sciences cast his eyes on Xu Chuan who was sitting in the front row, with a bright smile on his face, and then slowly said:

"Today is a very special and memorable day. Here, we will welcome the awarding of this year's Crafford Prize in Mathematics and Crafford Prize in Astronomy."

After a pause, Barbara Cannon continued: "To be honest, the news I am going to announce next is very surprising and shocking."

"This year, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences made a bold decision. We will award this year's Crafford Prize in Mathematics and Crafford Prize in Astronomy to the same person in the same year."

"This is an event that has never happened in history and breaks the usual rules, but compared with the contributions made by the winners, I believe that everyone and every scholar will admire it."

"He has made great achievements in both mathematics and astronomy, and has promoted the development of both disciplines."

After another pause, Ms. Barbara Cannon took a deep breath and continued:

"For his great contribution to the Weyl-Berry conjecture, the actuarial calculation method of celestial parameters using the Xu-Weyl-Berry theorem, and the observation of celestial information in the hydrogen envelope of Betelgeuse."

"Xu Chuan from China will receive this year's Crafford Prize in Mathematics and Crafford Prize in Astronomy!"

"Please welcome this young and great scholar!"

After the words fell, deafening applause broke out in the auditorium.

Although the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences had officially announced the news as early as early November, it was still exciting when Barbara Cannon said the news in person at the award ceremony.

Amid the fierce applause, Xu Chuan stood up, walked onto the podium steadily and quickly, stood in the center of the stage, and looked at the audience with a smile.

At the same time, the applause that had not yet stopped surged again like a tide.

This is the blessing and applause of hundreds of scholars of different skin colors and nationalities, as well as hundreds of invited guests from various fields and different identities, for his contribution to the world.

The Chinese scholars who were specially invited to attend the award ceremony were so red-faced that their hands were swollen.

Since the establishment of the Crafoord Prize in 1980, as of this year 2016, it has been a full 36 years. This is the first Chinese scholar standing here.

And he got the record-breaking double Crafoord Prize.

"Congratulations, Mr. Xu Chuan!"

On the stage, the King of Sweden, Carl XVI Gustaf, who had been sitting next to Xu Chuan before, also came up, took two golden medals from two staff members, put them on him, and gave him two red certificates.

"Thank you~"

After Xu Chuan smiled and responded, he bowed slightly to facilitate the old man in front of him to put the medal on him, and then hugged King Gustaf warmly with the certificate. Then, the two stood side by side, facing the guests in the auditorium.

In the auditorium, applause rang out again.

Numerous media reporters kept pressing the shutter button to preserve this scene forever.

The photographer from CTV in China even wanted to shoot 18 times a second to keep the flash on.