“You look almost the same as you did in Zurich. Remember? You sat down next to me at the banquet and asked if the seat was taken. I said yes, it was taken by a mathematician who couldn‘t prove his own theorem. You laughed and sat down anyway.”
他握住她放在被子上的手，手背上的皮肤薄得近乎透明，留置针的胶布翘起一角。“And you proved yours.”
“Well, 2.316 is not exactly a proof. More like a stubborn conjecture that refused to die. I chased it for years. It always stayed one step ahead, like the horizon in the steppe.”
“The best ones always do. You know Riemann never proved his hypothesis. He just knew.”
她把手从他手心里轻轻抽出来，放在被子上。“I always thought I would have more time, you know. Time to finish the proof. Time to come to Göttingen.”她停了一下, “Time to wear that blue suit again. The one I wore in Zurich. I kept it all these years, hanging in the closet, waiting for another conference that never came.”
他看着她，沉默了一会儿。“I brought it. The Giftschrank. Not the blue suit.”
她笑了，笑得很轻，牵动了氧气管，气泡冒得快了一些。“That is even better. My proof will have a better home than my suit.” she said. “Today we seal it. Before I change my mind.”
苏布德转向老郑，“Professor Zheng, this is Professor Schmidt. An old friend from Germany, working on nonlinear systems.”
“Professor Schmidt,” 她转向教授, “this is Professor Zheng. He has been coordinating everything these past few days.”
老郑伸出手，“Professor Schmidt, it is an honor.”
教授握住他的手，“Thank you for all your help.”
教授在床边坐下来。“The notary will keep the manuscripts sealed. That is the safest way. But the 2.316 manuscript...” 他看着苏布德, “the Giftschrank at Göttingen has confirmed. They will accept it.”
老郑听到“Giftschrank”这个词，愣了一下。“Giftschrank? From Göttingen?”
“Yes. The Giftschrank. They collect unfinished manuscripts of exceptional mathematical value. The 2.316 qualifies.”
