By linking my account to the check-in system, I became a leisurely traveler.

Chapter 71 The Romance of a Hardcore STEM Guy
Some kinds of romance can only be understood by men with science and engineering backgrounds.

One of them must be called a radio station.

Back in college, Li Younan's brain was basically filled with code.

One day, he happened to pass by the school's broadcasting station. The door was ajar. The lights inside were dim, and a teacher wearing large headphones was steadily turning a large metal knob.

In that instant, the static from the speaker disappeared with a "sizzle," and a clear, frightening voice burst out, speaking in a language that Li Younan couldn't understand at all, with faint music in the background.

Li Younan stopped.

It felt strange. It wasn't "Hello World" on the screen, but a sound that seemed to be ripped from the air, coming from some unknown corner of the earth.

Li Younan could even smell the faint odor emanating from the old equipment inside, a mixture of dust and electronic components.

But I only stood there for a few seconds. My mind immediately jumped to the algorithm assignment due next week and the program that hadn't been debugged.

Li Younan turned and left, but the texture of the metal knob and the suddenly clear voice lingered like a small hook in a corner of her heart.

Later, he found out that the thing the teacher was playing with was a radio.

The ultimate romance for STEM guys.

While learning about it, he also passed the qualification exam for a Class A operator's certificate.

However... that was the end of the story.

Because it's difficult.

They want more money.

After graduation, I plunged into work. Writing code, rushing projects, attending meetings... my life was filled with more efficient 0s and 1s.

Information flows like a high-pressure water jet, fast and powerful. But sometimes, after finishing overtime work late at night, looking at the dense lights of the city outside the window, I sometimes inexplicably think of that knob in the radio station.

Once at a flea market, he actually saw an old radio, with a green metal casing and a panel covered with dials and knobs. Li Younan couldn't help but reach out and touch the cool metal casing, imagining what it would feel like to turn them.

Seeing that Li Younan was interested, the stall owner asked, "Do you play radio?"

Li Younan shook her head. "No, I just... took a look."

I know in my heart that I won't have time to study it after buying it; it will just be an expensive decoration. It feels like looking at a tool you like through a shop window but know you won't use it—a bit disheartening.

Later, an older brother he knew, who liked to run wild, showed him his radio station.

The first time he connected the antenna and plugged it in, Li Younan put on the headphones with a sense of ceremony as he watched the indicator lights light up. As soon as he turned them on, a loud "whoosh" of white noise rushed into the headphones, frighteningly loud, like countless tiny pebbles hitting his eardrums.

Li Younan still remembers that, under his older brother's guidance, he took a deep breath and started turning the large knob.

Little by little, they carefully searched in that "rustling" ocean.

Like parting a thick curtain, an extremely clear male English voice with a heavy accent jumped out: "...wind force six, waves two meters high..." It was the weather station! Immediately afterwards, a series of fast-paced Japanese conversations appeared; a little further on, fragmented Spanish song snippets... Those voices, each with its own background noise and everyday life, crashed into my ears without warning, so clear that it was as if the speaker was right next door, separated only by a thin wall.

At that moment, Li Younan was truly shocked.

Li Younan studied computer science and knew how information travels through fiber optic cables and is processed and forwarded by servers. But radio is different. It's too physical. Sound is directly converted into electromagnetic waves that are invisible to the naked eye. These waves are emitted from the antenna and, relying on the air itself and the ionosphere in the sky, are reflected and refracted, like light bending in water, traveling around the Earth.

Imagine during wartime, how interesting it would be to achieve nationwide communication with just a few watts of power, without fiber optics or satellites.
Theoretically, you could even talk directly to astronauts on the space station by operating a radio.

However, what prevents ordinary people from entering this field is not only their hobbies and interests, but more importantly, their technical skills.

Top-tier Class C radio operator certificate holders can even consult global ionospheric TEC maps and solar wind speed data, selecting the optimal communication frequency band like a captain consulting a nautical chart. For example, when communicating with a Japanese station and suddenly hearing a howling sound, they can immediately determine whether it's intermediate frequency interference or intermodulation distortion… Behind this lies a comprehensive demonstration of their expertise in core physics disciplines such as electromagnetics and radio frequency engineering, radio wave propagation physics, and analog circuit design.

Because they understood the physical laws behind the noise.

Li Younan also wanted to learn, but he didn't have the time or energy. He had thought before that perhaps he could gradually learn while traveling.

But I never expected happiness to come so suddenly...

My mind was instantly overwhelmed by this knowledge.

[Radio Operation Skills Level 1: There are only about 800 Class C operators nationwide, and you are now one of them, plus you possess a genuine Class C operator's certificate!]

Li Younan was completely dumbfounded.

He hadn't expected the system to even prepare his certificate for him...

If you want to take the exam according to the normal procedure, you can only take the C-level exam two years after obtaining the B-level certificate, while you can only take the B-level exam six months after obtaining the A-level certificate.

He didn't need the system to tell him how capable he was; he knew all too well the value of a Class C operator's certificate in this field.

Putting aside the technical level itself, Class C players mean a thousand times higher power, the ability to communicate with radio enthusiasts all over the world, full-band access, call sign dominance... In a sense, ordinary enthusiasts are like rowing a boat in a pond, while Class C players are sailing an aircraft carrier across the waves.

Jing Chaoyi noticed that Li Younan's expression was a little strange, and asked curiously, "What's wrong, senior?"

Li Younan suppressed his inner joy and simply smiled calmly: "It's nothing, I just thought of something happy."

Jing Chaoyi lowered her head and chuckled softly, "I've had a lot of fun spending these past few days with my senior."

Li Younan paused for a moment, blinked, and said nothing.

After leaving Gulangyu Island, Li Younan and Jing Chaoyi returned to their rented apartment. The carnival was no longer worth seeing, but their rent in Xiamen hadn't expired yet, and since they had nothing else to do, they decided to stay longer.

The rest of the time became more leisurely.

As dawn broke, the lively atmosphere of the alleyway began to emerge. They weren't in a hurry; they leisurely finished washing up and strolled over to the nearby vegetable market.

The morning market was dripping wet, with the smell of the sea mixed with the fresh scent of vegetables and fruits.

Jing Chaoyi carefully selected the vegetables, while Li Younan went to a familiar seafood stall to see what fresh squid or oysters were available. The butcher recognized them and would always cut them a decent piece of pork belly.

Carrying the heavy bags back home, the plastic bags digging into my hands, I felt at ease.

Back in the cabin, a thin layer of sweat covered their bodies. The fan whirred as it turned on. Jing Chaoyi took out the vegetables one by one, washing and preparing what needed washing. Li Younan tied on an apron and began cleaning the still-wriggling fish. The cutting board clattered as ginger was sliced ​​and garlic cloves were crushed. Water boiled in a pot to blanch some greens. Jing Chaoyi sat at the small table nearby, shelling edamame and chatting idly about the movie she'd watched the night before or the cat she'd encountered on the street.

The afternoon sun was so strong that it turned the stone pavement white.

The two of them rarely went out. Each occupied a recliner; she would read, while Li Younan would flip through the magazines he had brought, or simply lean back and take a nap.

This is what a leisurely trip should be like.

The fan head swayed from side to side, blowing warm air. Sometimes I would wake up to find her asleep too, the book slid onto her lap.

As evening approached, the heat subsided slightly, and a breeze blew in from the sea.

They might stroll to the seaside boardwalk to watch people fish and boats return to port. Or they could buy half a chilled watermelon from a small shop at the alley entrance and take it home. They'd cut it in half, each taking a portion, and eat it with a spoon. Red juice would drip into the plate, and the black seeds they spat out would pile up on the side. With the fan blowing on the watermelon, the coolness seemed to increase.

She might prepare something simple for dinner, or maybe some mung bean soup. Under the lamp, she watched her show, while Li Younan scrolled through his phone.

This time, Brother Long's video took longer to produce, but the production quality was noticeably higher.

Li Younan sent the video to DJI for review, and they readily transferred 5000 yuan, confidently stating that the video was of high quality and, if it went well with streaming, they could transfer another 2 yuan! To express his gratitude, Li Younan transferred 2000 yuan to Brother Long. Brother Long accepted it but returned 1800 yuan, saying, "Didn't you say you'd just give me 200 yuan to buy cigarettes?"

Li Younan was a little embarrassed: "What kind of cigarettes do you like to smoke? I'll buy some and send them to you."

Brother Long coldly replied with a single "Heh," and then didn't respond.

The sounds of the city outside the window gradually subsided.

Days passed by like this. They became familiar with the streets of the market, and even the dog wagging its tail at the alley entrance recognized them. They cooked, ate, sat idly, watched the sea, or simply observed the people coming and going in the alley. There was no rush to any tourist attractions, and time seemed to slow down along with them. Until one day, the landlord came to collect the water bill, and they suddenly realized that two weeks had almost passed.

The two glanced at each other without saying anything, only noticing that the clouds outside the window seemed to be moving particularly slowly, and the fan inside the room was still creaking and turning at a leisurely pace.

However, it's time to go.

(End of this chapter)