Siheyuan: I eat melons while doing scientific research

Chapter 1357 The Equipment for Returning Home (5k)

Gao Zhendong had no idea how Lou Shouxing would actually acquire the optoelectronic communication research institution he mentioned; Lou Shouxing was far more knowledgeable about this than he was.

Gao Zhendong has been extremely busy lately. Although a group of colleagues are busy with the two most important things—the implementation of the steel materials handbook and the network operating system—Gao Zhendong's main job is to write and speak. Moreover, the former has become a routine. Apart from providing the most core things—the formula and process, Gao Zhendong doesn't have to do anything else, but he can't keep up with the many other things.

Many of the research topics he had proposed or participated in have begun to yield results over the past few years.

Gao Zhendong, whether as the initiator, the technology provider, or a direct participant, had to repeatedly attend the completion, acceptance, and finalization of these projects.

Time passed in this busyness, and a month went by, ushering in the golden autumn.

"Zhendong, come over here." The leader of the National Defense Commission spoke on the phone, his tone relaxed and tinged with joy.

Without saying a word, Gao Zhendong rushed towards the Defense Committee. It was rare for the Defense Committee to call him, so something good must have happened.

Upon seeing Gao Zhendong enter, the leader of the National Defense Commission, who was sitting at his desk, waved to him, saying, "Come here quickly, this is good stuff."

Gao Zhendong walked over, and the leader took something from his hand, looked at it, and laughed.

This is an agreement between us and Romania regarding the exchange and cooperation of certain advanced technologies. It is an agreement, not a memorandum of understanding.

It seems everyone is in a hurry; we're anxious, and so is the other side.

At that moment, a sentence flashed through Gao Zhendong's mind: "I'm anxious because I know what's about to happen to you. What are you in such a hurry for?"

"Take a look through these; you should have a comprehensive understanding of them, which will help you in your future work. But you can't take them with you, hehehe," the leader chuckled.

It was clear that he had summoned Gao Zhendong today not just to deliver this good news, but because there were other things to do.

He didn't tell Gao Zhendong what Luo Guo had agreed to. Gao Zhendong, with a bit of a lottery-like feeling, opened the photocopy of the agreement.

Stimulate!

No shipbuilding equipment... Gao Zhendong was somewhat disappointed. Sure enough, unless Luo Guo was in dire straits like in the 90s, he wouldn't give us the green light. And he guessed that they would keep shipbuilding equipment tightly under their belt forever.

"Forget it, forget it. They can't possibly refuse everything," Gao Zhendong thought.

He wasn't wrong; the space cooperation was approved! Although the agreement clearly showed that we were subject to strict restrictions, Gao Zhendong didn't care. We weren't so easily restricted.

For someone who knows nothing, much knowledge is something you can't learn even if it's placed in front of you. It's like an open-book exam in a math department; you can just flip through the pages and find the answer, and the teacher will lose.

But for others, it might just be that final step or a tiny bit of the key, and then things might be hard to say.

Not all trade secrets can be obtained this way, but at least some of them are legitimate.

As for what project they were collaborating on, the very first project made Gao Zhendong's eyes light up.

The N-1 rocket, some of whose subsystems we were responsible for.

"This is good," Gao Zhendong laughed.

Interestingly, the engine architecture of the N-1 was ill-timed; decades later, the holes in the rear of the hollow-forked rocket were not much less than those in this thing.

However, contrary to the N-1's infamous safety record, the air fork's engine architecture is known for its reliability; it can indeed partially shut off without affecting the overall performance.

To be fair, the reliability of the air fork engine architecture is indeed very good. Regardless of where the technology came from, this is an objective fact that must be acknowledged. Once you acknowledge it, just keep chasing after it; it's not a big deal.

To put it simply, it's about trading quantity redundancy for reliability and security, but N-1 doesn't have the conditions to achieve the effect of an empty fork, for a very simple reason.

—The control system of Luo Guo is so poor in function and performance that it is really too demanding for this kind of work.

In reality, N-1 can't even take off normally; as for anything else, that's just wishful thinking.

Thinking about this, Gao Zhendong felt a little itchy to do it.

He pointed to a spot on the agreement: "Give this to me, I'll do it."

The leader glanced at that spot and looked somewhat puzzled.

Thrust control system? That's very simple. You don't need to think about it much on your own rocket. Just keep blasting it out.

"This is something the comrades can do; why are you getting involved?" In the leader's view, this thing really didn't require any technical skill; it was just a matter of having a lot of people.

Gao Zhendong smiled and shook his head: "No, no, no, this thing is quite interesting. And... this thing is not as simple as it looks. I just want to lay a good foundation for them. After the foundation is laid, the final debugging and modification work will still have to be done by the comrades."

Gao Zhendong wasn't exaggerating; there really are pitfalls involved. On a large scale, it could cause consequences like the N-1 bombings, and on a smaller scale, it could bring a lot of trouble, both big and small.

Moreover, the foundation he is preparing to lay is not only for the rocket's thrust control system, but can be used in many other areas.

Oh, so it was just that you were itching to do something. The boss understands.

Garlic bird, garlic bird, Gao Zhendong has always been busy with this and that. It's rare that he finds a certain topic interesting, so let him be.

"Okay, I'll leave this to you. Find someone to handle the paperwork later."

Gao Zhendong continued looking down and saw the part he was most concerned about—the graphite-in-lime cold pile.

He wasn't wrong. Having already done it once before, the Northern comrade had no psychological barriers and readily agreed.

Steady!

Gao Zhendong put down the agreement and said to his superior, "Sir, I have a request."

"You said."

"After the data on graphite-in-lime cold reactors arrives, I want to take a systematic look at it."

He made this request not only because Luo Guo had previously bombed the site, but also for other reasons.

If it were anyone else, they probably wouldn't even dare to bring it up, but Gao Zhendong is no ordinary person.

The leader didn't hesitate at all; in fact, he was eager for Gao Zhendong to take a good look. This kid was peculiar; he might be able to see something—maybe a problem, maybe an improvement plan. In any case, there would be no harm, but rather great benefits.

After all, Gao Zhendong's job is in such a state, isn't he trustworthy? The most damage he can cause is to lie down and do nothing, which is more destructive than anything else he might do.

"Okay, we're also urging them to transfer the data as soon as possible to facilitate the subsequent construction work. For this reason, we even took the initiative to transfer some semiconductor production line and process data first." After the incident in the early years of this year, we've all learned our lesson. Whether the physical objects come or not is secondary; get the data over here first.

By first handing over some materials that the other party is interested in, we can demonstrate our sincerity.

Gao Zhendong nodded and said, "Yes, boss, we have to be quick, time waits for no one."

"Zhendong, I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush. Work is never-ending, so you should take care of your health and make sure to balance work and rest." The leader assumed that Gao Zhendong was eager to see something that interested him and get back to work as soon as possible, and said with great concern.

No, we're thinking about two different things. Gao Zhendong didn't know what to say, so he just laughed it off and agreed.

It's clear that the National Defense Commission is also taking this matter very seriously and is in a great hurry, so there shouldn't be any major problems with the transfer of data. Gao Zhendong and the leaders of the National Defense Commission were in a good mood, but the people in the Luo Guo electronic system were in a completely different mood.

Holding a portion of the semiconductor process data that we voluntarily handed over, the head of Luo Guo's electronics industry was so angry that he was furious.

As a production line with a high level of technology, the semiconductor process line is worth his personal involvement.

"Sukabul!!" he shouted, swearing as he held up a book of craft materials.

"What are you complaining about, my comrade-in-arms? Comrade Nanfang is very sincere and doesn't deserve your evaluation." Luo Guo, who was handing over our materials to him, was somewhat dissatisfied.

Comrade Nanfang has shown sufficient sincerity in this matter.

“You’ve misunderstood. I’m not cursing them, I’m cursing ourselves.”

"Why?" This is a good comrade, but this self-criticism is perhaps a bit too profound.

"Look, do you see this equipment on the production line?" the head of the electronics industry asked, pointing to the process materials.

"I see it. It looks like a very advanced piece of equipment. What's wrong with it?" It must be advanced, otherwise why would we go to such great lengths to import it?

The head of the electronics industry complained, "Although there isn't a single letter from ours on it, I'm sure it's a modification of the diffusion furnace we provided! I'm very familiar with that diffusion furnace!"

This diffusion furnace was improved and finalized by Fang Yinghong, who worked under Gao Zhendong, and his colleagues at Factory 1234, specifically for diffusion and doping processes in the PMOS process.

It's not surprising that this Romanian electronics industry worker recognized the transistor diffusion furnace from Factory 1234, one of the mining projects exported to us by Romania.

It's not surprising, but it's infuriating.

"you sure?"

"I'm sure. Our comrades in the South are already able to improve and develop the equipment we've provided, and then export it back to us. Meanwhile, we're still using these outdated pieces of equipment, without making any progress. That's why I'm criticizing ourselves."

This incident made Luo Guodu, who was present, somewhat embarrassed, and the atmosphere suddenly turned cold. Their feelings at this moment were more complicated than both fearing that their brother was suffering and fearing that he was driving a Land Rover. This brother had actually modified the Land Rover he had given him and then sold it back to them!

This was hard for the proud and arrogant people of Luo Kingdom to accept. The saying "too proud to admit defeat is an understatement" perfectly describes them.

Northwest wind, 23900, 075: That's right!

After a moment of silence, the Luo Guo official in charge of the handover, true to his administrative background, was much more flexible: "Comrade-in-Chief, this demonstrates our strong support for revolutionary actions and social development worldwide!"

What are you all standing there for? Give me a round of applause!
Applause erupted, but those present knew in their hearts that once something started, it was hard to stop.
-
When Gao Zhendong got home from get off work, he took a towel from Gao Changying, who was rushing over with her short legs, and wiped his face. Lou Xiao'e brushed the dust off his clothes from the car and said, "Brother called home today and asked Mom and Dad to tell you that the thing we talked about last time has been bought."

This kind of thing can be said directly over the phone; there's no need to use a satellite terminal. Even if Lou Shouxing's hands are itching to act, he still understands this principle.

Gao Zhendong thought about it for a while before he realized what it was all about.

It seems he really did, just like he said at home last time, somehow manage to buy back control of the other party; otherwise, he would definitely have explained it differently.

Gao Zhendong nodded: "I understand. Tell your parents to contact the comrades at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Zhudaocheng office directly. He doesn't need to worry about anything else; the family will handle it."

After saying that, he moved a stool from the house, and sat down in front of the house with his two children on either side of him, watching the children coming and going in the yard after school with a sense of contentment.

The golden autumn sun shone on their faces, warm and comforting, making them even more reluctant to move.

Every child passing by would enthusiastically call out "Uncle Gao!" If they were a little bolder, they would even tease the two siblings, Yan Zhibu and his sister, who seemed to enjoy it very much, calling out "brother" and "sister" so sweetly.

This made Gao Zhendong feel as if he were robbing people here, with all the children coming and going having to leave a "toll," and he could even share some with his daughter and son.

This absurd association made Gao Zhendong laugh.

"Zhendong, are you sunbathing here to spend the winter?" Yan Bugui, the second uncle across from Gao Zhendong, stopped his bicycle, carefully unscrewed the bell bowl outside the bell and put it in his pocket, and greeted Gao Zhendong.

This bell bowl is easy to disassemble, and Yan Bugui was afraid that the children in the yard would take it apart and play with it, so as soon as he got home, he had to take it apart and bring it into the house.

Yan Bugui's words made Gao Zhendong feel an extra sense of warmth. When he was a child, his family often said this to him when he spent a lot of time in the sun.

"Yes, let the child get some sun and get some calcium. Teacher Yan, you're taking apart bicycle bells every day, aren't you afraid the screws will get stripped?" Gao Zhendong couldn't help but say, having watched the old man take apart bicycle bells for years.

"If the screw is stripped, just weld another one; it's better than the bell not working at all," Yan Bugui said with a smile.

To be fair, Yan Bugui is a meticulous person. If the car is well-maintained, there are no unusual noises. If the bell doesn't ring, he just keeps shouting "Hey, hey, hey, watch out, watch out!" as he drives by.

"Then you'd better take off the chain too, so that no one can ride it at all," Gao Zhendong joked.

"It's too much trouble to dismantle, so let's just leave it at that." This old comrade Yan Bugui always manages to come up with something new.

Yan Bugui locked his car but didn't rush inside. Instead, he walked over, and Gao Zhendong offered him a cigarette.

"Teacher Yan, is something the matter?" Gao Zhendong asked with a smile as he lit a fire for himself.

"Here's the thing, my second son is now of high school age, and I wanted to ask you about something."

Don't be fooled by Lao Yan's constant complaints about being poor; his income is actually quite high, something he didn't have before the founding of the People's Republic of China.

I reckon he could still have children if it weren't for his age.

Yan Jiefang is sixteen years old this year (by Chinese reckoning), but because he was born at the end of the year, he started school a year later and only graduated from junior high school then.

"What's the matter?" Gao Zhendong was quite talkative today, probably because of the phrase "harvesting sunlight to get through the winter."

"Do you think it's better to go to high school or a vocational school?" Yan Bugui asked.

On this timeline, intermediate vocational and technical education has been carried out much more extensively than Gao Zhendong knew in his previous life.

Gao Zhendong was somewhat surprised and carefully examined Yan Bugui a few times.

The sun must have risen in the west! According to Gao Zhendong's estimation, given Old Yan's style, if his second son gets into a technical school, he'll definitely send him there so he can pay the fees early!
Gao Zhendong thought for a moment and couldn't help but say, "Teacher Yan, haven't you always advocated that we should become sensible and start working as early as possible, so as not to cause trouble for society and to start working and building the motherland as soon as possible?"

The reasoning was sound, but coming from Yan Bugui's mouth, Gao Zhendong always felt that something was off.

“Hey, things have changed now. Building the country requires more knowledge and more work. The knowledge you get from vocational schools or regular high schools isn’t enough,” Yan Bugui said with a smile.

Then what else is there to ask? Why not just let the child go to high school and then go to university? Gao Zhendong was about to say something when he suddenly realized something.

He's after the high salaries for college graduates! Forget about jobs, these days college students get a monthly stipend. The amount isn't high, but it's still more than some temporary jobs, which is enough to make a good living for Old Yan.

If Yan Lao Er gets into university, Old Yan will probably have to get back 5 yuan a month from his university allowance. After all, back when Yan Jiecheng was doing odd jobs, he could earn several yuan a month.

However, considering that there are so many mouths to feed in his family, Gao Zhendong felt that it was alright. But his strange move of even having to pay his own son for a bicycle was a bit outrageous.

For Yan Bugui, although this seems like a good thing, he is probably worried that his child will not be able to get into university, which would mean losing out on vocational school and leaving him with nothing after graduating from a regular high school.

(End of this chapter)