I'm A Math Idiot, So What? - Chapter 2

However, when the college entrance exam results came out, I discovered that the difficult math section turned out to be advantageous for me. After all, many students were suddenly forced to guess alongside me, and when it came to guessing answers, I was exceptionally experienced and gifted. This meant that even though my math score was unchanged from previous mock exams, I achieved my best ranking in math ever. Coupled with my decent liberal arts scores, my overall college entrance exam results were remarkably impressive. Our class teacher even awarded me a small trophy for commemoration, saying my achievement prompted the kind of inspirational feeling one might get watching a Paralympic athlete outrun able-bodied runners, making it a perfect example to motivate other students struggling at the brink of mathematics poverty.

Later, I was admitted to the Department of History at Changning University—a renowned polytechnic institution. Changning University had been my father’s unfulfilled dream, and when I selected schools, he persistently hinted at its reform efforts, mentioning that its current goal was to achieve both liberal arts and sciences excellence. Therefore, going to a science and engineering university for liberal arts would see preferential policies, such as lower entry requirements. At that time, I was unaware of Changning University’s peculiar rule that all departments had to earn at least eight credits in mathematics, fearing that liberal arts students would embarrass the school without knowing the Lagrange Mean Value Theorem. Believing my father’s persuasion, I chose the seemingly safe path of the History Department and fell into this trap of Changning.

Of course, back then, I didn’t grasp the profound nuances of language. “Attempt” at change could also mean “attempt” at failure; a “goal” of fruition could remain unfurfilled. Anyway, after muddling through three years in this uninspired, tiny department where all members could easily attend a casual dinner gathering, a professor from a specialized course asked if I wanted to pursue a master’s or doctorate. This would allow me to join the “reform efforts, achieving excellence in both liberal arts and sciences,” though I couldn’t help but think of it as joining the ranks of deceiving, no, nurturing newcomers.

Shortly after submitting my application for guaranteed graduate studies, the university sent a kind email, informing me that I was still two math credits short and needed to complete them this academic year.

To me, this was like a bolt from the blue. I’ve always believed in enduring hardship first to enjoy sweetness later, and by my first and second years, I had already accumulated the eight credits. It was as if Sisyphus, after arduously rolling a boulder to the mountaintop, watched it roll back down; as if Prometheus, after painstakingly regenerating his liver, was preyed upon again by the vulture—how could math resurface to torment me?

I meticulously checked the university’s credit calculation and finally found where the problem lay.

Outrageous! The course I took, “History of Mathematics,” was categorized under the history section! Isn’t such a course title created out of empathy for those liberal arts students who are clueless about math yet have to navigate its world?

Filled with gratitude, I had caressed the ancient faces of Zu Chongzhi, Zhang Heng, and Liu Hui in the books, wiped my professor’s desk countless times, and poured him numerous cups of hot water to thank him for saving my life! I remembered at the end of the last class, the elderly professor, trembling, said he’d never seen such a respectful student since the course started.

I sincerely replied that since I started school, I’d never met a teacher so noble in aiding those in dire straits. Thanks to genuine efforts, I earned a 90 in this course.In the end, it turned out to be a history course! I thought “History of Mathematics” was a blessing bestowed upon liberal arts students by this polytechnic school, but who would have thought it was actually a boon for science and engineering students!