The door of the courtyard house has been welded dead

"Ouyang, let's go for a walk together!"

After the meeting ended, Li Feng was the first to come out. He lit a cigarette, put one hand in his pocket, and walked with Ouyang under the shade of a tree.

At first, Ouyang was a little nervous and looked preoccupied. But when he saw Li Feng nod at him with the cigarette between his fingers, he finally smiled broadly.

"We got through the toughest times, didn't we? Now the environment is more relaxed, and we don't have to hide in the basement to do experiments like before. It's just a matter of time. One year, maybe two, maybe three. We didn't rush you back then with the rockets!"

He patted Ouyang on the back, and the two walked on the factory road, talking about what had happened in the past. Not only did Ouyang disappear from everyone's sight, but even Director Ran was out of sight. He was only able to escape under the umbrella that Li Feng had opened.

"Time flies so fast, it still feels like a dream. I'm so glad I met you. Coming to Beijing from Qingdao was the best thing I ever did in my life."

Ouyang Yi's timid scholarly air has changed over time. As he became a manager, he gradually regained the confidence he had lost.

He had felt lost due to changes in his environment, felt disappointed when he was called "Old Ou," and even cried uncontrollably in the basement when his rocket fuel research encountered obstacles.

But Li Feng's presence was like a ballast stone; no matter how much pressure he bore, he never gave up on himself, and Ouyang Yi knew all of this in his heart.

Li Feng shook his head, exhaling a long stream of smoke from his nostrils. He had taken in all the changes that had occurred to Ouyang.

"No, you should thank yourself for your choice. Look, without you, the factory would be missing an assembly workshop and a missile workshop. Without you, the long-range rocket artillery wouldn't have been successfully deployed!"

The two strolled to the transportation department and watched as several six-tube long-range rocket launchers slowly drove out of the parking lot, passing by them and heading towards the freight station. It all felt like a dream.

The chassis is still the same as the Hongyan off-road heavy truck chassis, which is different from the chassis of the vehicle-mounted artillery. The most expensive part of the vehicle is not the body, but the six round tubes and the 300mm long-range rocket launcher stored inside.

Cost and accuracy issues have resulted in relatively low production volumes, and the military's targets have not been met. However, it is still much better than when we started from scratch.

Although it's called a rocket launcher, its size is almost the same as a missile. After being enlarged and lengthened, and with smoother and more stable rocket fuel and mechanical gyroscopes, it's barely usable. It has solved the problem of long-range firepower delivery, going from nothing to something.

However, due to limitations in semiconductor technology, mechanical gyroscopes are indeed less accurate compared to the current mainstream international laser gyroscopes. Only with a breakthrough in this technology can the accuracy of long-range rocket artillery firing be further improved.

"This is the result of the team's joint efforts. Without you bringing this team together, I could only manage to get it flying by myself!"

Ouyang Yi remained humble and did not take all the credit for himself. Although he was proud that he had created this product, without the joint research and development of the guidance team, his fuel research would be stuck in the current bottleneck.

"I still remember that time at Li Xuewen's house, when your head was forced down. Eleven years, or twelve years?"

"My eldest child is eighteen years old now, which is twelve years and a half years, haha, so I say, time flies!"

Ouyang Yi gave an awkward smile, then became very bold. If he hadn't been forced to submit that time, he would probably have been trapped in Qing D forever. Whatever the future held, it certainly wouldn't be as good as being here.

"Director Ran is getting old and his energy is gradually failing. I know your talent. When he retires, it will be your turn to shoulder the responsibilities of the research institute!"

The two gradually walked to the wall near the research institute. Li Feng looked up, peering inside, and finally turned to scrutinize Ouyang Yi. Of the previous generation of talent, Director Ran was probably the last one. Li Feng had high hopes for Ouyang Yi; although it was a materials research institute, Ouyang Yi's expertise lay in the fuel field, and he also had research experience in materials.

"I?"

Ouyang Yi leaned back slightly. How did the conversation turn into an attempt to give him more responsibility? The new research direction, anti-aircraft missiles, required his attention and effort.

"There's no other way, there are only so many people. Feng Yueting and Ye Tao, although they've been learning from Director Ran for so many years, are only in their thirties. There aren't many projects available. You're more suitable, at least you won't lead them in the wrong direction!"

Ouyang Yi knew these two names. They could be considered as college students who entered the Red Star Factory, or rather, the steel rolling mill at that time. They were among the earliest batch. Before that, there was Li Xuewen, a classmate from Huaqing University.

"Just follow the general direction I've pointed out. By the time you step down, they'll be able to take on more responsibility. Materials science, fuel science, and physical chemistry are all interconnected. We can't limit ourselves to just one area and trap ourselves in a dead end!"

Nodding, Ouyang Yi was convinced.

Whether you're herding one sheep or a flock, it's all the same. The factory protected him in the past and gave him a chance to start over, so we should give Director Li face.

Besides, a promotion is a good thing. According to An Xin, her brother-in-law has also been promoted in the Navy. After all these years of hard work, he has earned the title of director, which is no less prestigious than Jiang Defu's.

As brothers-in-law, they still have to compete with each other in private.

"How's Jiang Defu doing? I haven't seen him in a long time. Has he sent any news back?"

After completing his mission as a naval representative stationed at the naval base, the simple-minded Jiang Defu returned to the navy he loved. Li Feng didn't blame him, but they hadn't seen each other for two or three years.

"A little, but not much. Luckily, the kids are all grown up. Anjie, on the other hand, has complained to me quite a bit. She said she should have stayed at the factory back then. Now that she's on the ship, she only sees him once every few years!"

After finishing their discussion about the research institute, the two turned their conversation to Jiang Defu. Ouyang Yi looked somewhat helpless and smiled with a troubled expression, but this was his brother-in-law's lifelong pursuit, and as a fellow man, he understood.

But in terms of family life, without him as a father, it's definitely not as stable as their family. At least they can still see each other after work. With Jiang Defu not at home, Ouyang Yi, who is also in the capital, has to shoulder the responsibility of disciplining his nephew and niece.

"No news yet!"

Li Feng looked up at the sky and sighed. The military representative sent by the navy had left, and there was still no news about the submarine steel, from research to mass production and then to rolling it into steel plates.

The seeds of a triad nuclear counterattack were sown more than a decade ago, but to this day, they have all vanished without a trace.

Director Li knew very well what would happen next year. He urgently needed a sharp sword to cut through the azure sea and provide the greatest guarantee for the subsequent shift to economic development.

That's right, Jiang Defu was recommended to the submarine force. Only Li Feng knew about this; Ouyang was unaware of it either. He could only judge whether his brother-in-law's situation was going well by receiving Jiang Defu's salary through An Jie.

"It's been almost a year and a half since he's come back. It seems like he's keeping things very secret over there. Next time he comes back, let's get together!" (End of Chapter)