Riding the wind of rebirth

"For example, Sony formed a DVD alliance with us, and later we also invested in Sony Pictures, which laid the foundation for our cooperation. Samsung, on the other hand, we cooperated to establish a chip base in Hudong and jointly develop storage products. Our cooperation foundation has since become stronger than Sony's."

"The Clover Group and Jinan Group are even closer. They previously jointly developed an in-vehicle control system, which won the favor of overseas car companies with its excellent performance and won a large number of production orders. Now they are working closely together on the related R&D tasks of five-axis CNC machine tools."

"Of course, these are just the technical foundations of our cooperation, just the surface. The deeper layer is our relationship," Zhou Zhi said with a smile. "As the saying goes, 'family members don't speak like strangers,' so our foundation is only deeper than ours with Sony and Samsung."

"So, based on this architecture, things are very simple. It's just a matter of moving the current car door lock system to the security door. Nothing else has been changed. Even the signature comparison process can be skipped, because the wireless locks that Anran's cousin developed for several car companies are controlled by special digital recognition technology."

"The entire biometric system is actually just an addition of a biometric data collection and feature code generation module. The data collection module was already very mature when Clover was working on oracle bone script joining. The generation of the feature code is actually a combination of mature text feature analysis technology and biometric features. In fact, the part of Jinan Company's entire system that really involves technological research and development is here. The rest are all mature technological reserves."

"Of course, I didn't expect my cousin Anran and his team to be able to act so quickly. This is an excellent quality they have honed in the market."

Seeing that his aunt was still somewhat skeptical, Zhou Zhi smiled and said, "Your aunt, who works in the Labor Bureau, should know very well about the transformation of many military enterprises in recent years. For example, did those enterprises, such as radar workshops, face any technical difficulties in manufacturing VCDs and DVDs? Absolutely not. So, developing a DVD production line and even producing finished products only took a month or two. This is what is called a dimensional reduction attack when high-tech reserves produce low-tech products."

"Now that you mention it, I understand a bit." Uncle suddenly realized: "You mean, biometric technology, fingerprint locks, and facial recognition locks sound very high-tech, but actually, the technical content isn't that high. Clover and Jinan Group's current technical reserves are far higher than the technical reserves required to make biometric locks, which is why they were able to develop them so quickly, right?"

“Yes! Uncle understands perfectly.” Zhou Zhi laughed. “It’s like making this meat pie. If it were me making it, I would have to learn for a long time just how to make the oil-based dough and the water-based dough. But if you want to develop a new one, like a black pepper beef filling, it’s just a change of filling. It’s not difficult for you at all. Why? It’s because your technical reserves are already top-notch. I have to learn on my own.”

"Now that you say that, I feel relieved." My uncle contentedly put the baked pancakes into the newly purchased electric oven. "The main thing is that when the city leaders came to visit, they talked about the contributions Jinan Group would make to the country. I was worried that this private enterprise, which has only been around for a little over five years, really has the guts to take on such a difficult task. How could they dare to try using equipment that the country has never even had before?"

Zhou Zhi smiled: "Uncle, are you at ease with our Clover Group?"

"Of course we're relieved. Two years of undergraduate studies, one year of master's degree, and now they're starting their doctoral studies. They're geniuses. But Anxin and Anran weren't good at studying when they were little, otherwise they wouldn't have ended up in auto repair shops and lathe workshops, right?"

Zhou Zhi thought to himself, "Isn't this all because you and Third Aunt were so focused on your work when you were young that you neglected your children's studies? Otherwise, with Anran and Anxin's intelligence, how could studying be a problem?"
However, he dared not say this, and only smiled and said, "My studies are all in the humanities, which actually have little to do with the development path of the Clover Group. My cousin Anxin and cousin Anran are both extremely intelligent people, and much of their experience and knowledge cannot be learned from books."

"I just want to say that the key core technology of five-axis CNC machine tools lies in the research and development of control systems and programming software. In other words, the part of a five-axis machine tool that is responsible for control is the most difficult, while the part that is controlled is actually much simpler."

"Now Clover is in charge of the controlling part, and Jinan Group is in charge of the controlled part. You can trust me and Xiaomiao, so why don't you trust your cousins?"

"I heard it's some kind of national project... and breaking the international blockade..." My uncle said, a little embarrassed. "The Xu family's ancestral graves don't seem to be buried that neatly, so why are they emitting smoke?" "Also, if it doesn't succeed in the end, ruining one's own career and reputation is a small matter. If it delays the national plan, then... wouldn't that make one a sinner against the country and the nation?"

“Huh? Hahahaha…” Zhou Zhi laughed: “The country won’t just assign tasks to these kinds of projects and then wash its hands of them. They keep a close eye on them. If there’s a problem with keeping up with the progress, they will allocate resources and organize efforts to overcome it. It’s not so easy to become a traitor to the nation.”

“Don’t joke around,” my uncle said. “Dongdian is such a big factory, but it hasn’t undertaken many national projects in recent years. I’m still very worried that Anran and his team were able to do this in just five years.”

“Uncle, you’re overthinking it. Our R&D project is very different from Tokyo Electric Power’s big project,” Elbow said. “Even if we succeed, the machine tool we develop won’t be able to process very large parts. It’s mainly about exploring the design process and ideas for five-axis machining. The purpose of the design is to process some parts used in civilian automobiles, and it won’t meet the national requirements.”

"The final battle will definitely be fought by the national team. We, as the vanguard, are just a side piece. Even if we die, it doesn't matter; it won't affect the overall situation." Zhou Zhi comforted his aunt, "But if we succeed... hehehe..."

My uncle finally felt relieved: "After hearing the city leaders' explanation, I thought the country had pinned all its hopes on you. I thought that was unlikely. Now that you've explained it to me, I'm finally at ease!"

“A mother worries when her son travels a thousand miles. No matter how capable a child is, he is still a child in his parents’ eyes. That’s normal.” Zhou Zhi laughed. “The closer the relatives are to their children’s growth, the less they will believe that their children can do anything. My parents are the same way. Anyway, if you have the chance, please help me persuade them, so that they don’t always think that I’m not doing my job properly.”

"It seems you're right," my aunt said with a smile. "So your parents were like that too?!"

Dinner was flaky pastries. With the help of an electric oven, the finished product was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, juicy and flavorful with scallions, which received unanimous praise.

Zhou Zhi ate three meat pies and one sugar cake in a row, until he was so full he couldn't eat anymore.

Mai Xiaomiao reached out and tugged at Zhou Zhi's sleeve, then quietly gestured towards the remaining meat pies on the table.

Zhou Zhi laughed and said, "It tastes just like when I was a kid again, that's great! I'll take the rest with me tomorrow."

"I'll have your aunt and uncle make it for you tomorrow," the third aunt said. "It's rare for Xiao Miao to come all this way, so let her stay a couple more days. Tomorrow we can go to the Stone Carving Park and the Confucian Temple. And haven't you always wanted to go to Luofeng Slope? You could also visit Baima Pass." (End of Chapter)