78: Bringing his wife and children to Harbin Institute of Technology

The press runs from morning till night, with only a one-hour break for lunch.

Liu Xiaojun put his PLC knowledge, which he learned at technical school, to use to add an automatic timing alarm device to the press.

The alarm rings automatically when the heat preservation time is up, so Mr. Li no longer needs to keep an eye on the clock.

"Xiao Jun, this thing is useful."

Master Li patted the counter.

"Before, I had to squat down and watch the clock, but now I know it's ready as soon as the bell rings."

"There are even better ones."

Liu Xiaojun squatted in front of the control box.

"When I graduate and come back, I'll install an automatic mold-opening system on this press. It will open automatically when the time comes, without anyone needing to watch over it."

Master Li smiled.

"Then I'll be unemployed?"

Liu Xiaojun smiled too.

"You act as the mentor, directing others to do things."

Ye Bingwen stood at the workshop door and listened for a while.

He turned and went back to his office.

Engineer Zhang said he would pick up the plan in a week, and today is the fifth day, so there are still two days left.

He double-checked the key data in the plan.

The data is correct. The process is correct. The equipment is correct.

Now we are just waiting for approval.

On Saturday afternoon, Ye Bingwen left the factory early.

An'an told him yesterday that they would go to the river to fly kites this weekend.

Zheng Shuyun bought a butterfly kite, red with yellow spots painted on its wings.

It's been sitting at home for several days now, and An'an takes it out to look at it every day.

He rode his bike home, and An'an was already waiting at the door.

She had two small braids in her hair and was holding a kite spool in her hand.

Zheng Shuyun stood to the side, carrying a cloth bag containing a water bottle and apples.

"Dad! Hurry! The sun is about to set!"

Ye Bingwen lifted An'an onto the crossbar of the bicycle, Zheng Shuyun sat on the back seat, and the family of three rode towards the river.

An'an looked up at the sky the whole way.

"The kite must fly very, very high, higher than the clouds."

The wind was strong along the Songhua River, perfect for flying kites.

An'an ran ahead, pulling the kite spool, while Ye Bingwen held the kite behind her.

After running a few steps, I let go, and the kite rose up shakily.

An'an stopped, looked up, and saw the kite flying higher and higher in the sky, its red wings shining brightly in the sunlight.

"Dad! Look! It flew!"

Ye Bingwen squatted down and helped her adjust the tightness of the line.

An'an's little hands gripped the spool tightly, her face flushed red from the wind.

Zheng Shuyun stood beside her and handed her the kettle.

"Drink some water. Don't just keep playing."

An'an took the water bottle, took a sip, and handed it back, her eyes fixed on the kite in the sky.

Ye Bingwen sat down on the beach, watching his daughter run away.

A cool breeze blew across the river.

He was too busy in his past life.

Labs, papers, projects, academic conferences—my time is completely filled.

At that time, he felt that he was doing the right thing.

Looking back now, his family was also something he should have protected.

"Dad! The kite is going to fall!"

An'an's voice brought him back to reality.

The kite string came loose, and it wobbled and fell downwards.

Ye Bingwen quickly stood up, took the spool of line, and wound up the line a few times. The kite rose steadily again.

An'an clapped her hands and laughed.

"Dad is the best!"

Ye Bingwen returned the spool to her and squatted down.

"An'an, Dad owes you a lot in the past. I won't anymore."

An'an couldn't understand, so she tilted her head to look at him.

"Dad hasn't let me down. He bought me dolls, took me kite flying, and told me stories. I love Dad the most."

Ye Bingwen felt a lump in his throat and picked An'an up.

Zheng Shuyun looked at the father and daughter, and the corners of her mouth curved up.

As the sun began to set, An'an fell asleep on Ye Bingwen's back.

The little hand was still clutching the kite spool; the line had already been reeled in.

Zheng Shuyun took the spool and put it into the cloth bag.

The three of them walked back.

Ye Bingwen carried An'an on his back.

Zheng Shuyun walked beside him, and neither of them spoke.

As Ye Bingwen passed by the school gate, he stopped and looked around for a while.

The campus was quiet, and the shadows of the plane trees stretched long on the ground.

He hasn't finished reading the textbook for next semester yet; he's only previewed half of the chapter on mechanical vibration.

School starts next week.

He said.

"Yes. An'an is going back to school too."

Zheng Shuyun said.

"Kindergarten middle class".

Time flies.

"Yes. At this time last year, An'an was still in kindergarten and cried every day, refusing to go."

"Now she carries her own schoolbag every morning and urges me to take her to school."

Ye Bingwen smiled.

When he got home, he put An'an on the bed and covered her with a blanket.

An'an turned over, mumbled "kite" under her breath, and fell asleep again.

Zheng Shuyun went to the kitchen to cook.

Ye Bingwen sat in the living room and opened his textbook.

Chapter 1 of "Mechanical Vibration" discusses the free vibration of single-degree-of-freedom systems.

He wrote a few lines of summary in his notebook.

He was familiar with the content, but he still wanted to read it.

Professor Zhao is right; he is first and foremost a student.

This order cannot be reversed.

On Sunday, Ye Bingwen spent the entire day at the factory.

Liu Xiaojun and Master Li were rushing to fulfill orders for civilian products in the workshop.

The press ran from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., producing 22 pieces, all of which passed inspection.

Liu Xiaojun adjusted the counter to twenty-two.

"Master Li, you broke the record today."

Master Li wiped his hands.

"After you leave, I can't do all this by myself."

"It's okay. I'll graduate in two weeks, and I'll come back and work with you every day."

Ye Bingwen printed out the plan in his office and bound it into a booklet.

The cover reads "Preliminary Plan for the New Composite Material Shell Project of the Equipment Department of the Provincial Military Region," and is signed "Nangang Hongqi Machinery Factory."

He flipped through the pages to make sure no pages were missing.

Mr. Zhang will come to pick it up tomorrow.

In the evening, Professor Cai called.

"Xiao Ye, there's been progress on the formula. The lab sample of the modified phenolic resin has been produced."

"The thermogravimetric analysis results are very good; the temperature resistance can reach 195 degrees Celsius. Chen An will send the sample over tomorrow."

"Make a few small test pieces first to see the molding effect."

"Okay. Professor Cai, thank you."

"You're welcome. If the provincial military region's project is successful, my research results will also have an application and verification. It's a win-win situation."

Professor Cai paused for a moment.

"There's one more thing. I checked on that project with the Ministry of Ordnance Industry for you; the review process is still ongoing."

"It wasn't returned. This means there's still hope."

"Then I'll wait."

"While we wait, we should focus on completing the provincial military district's project. If that's successful, things will be much easier with the Ministry of Ordnance Industry."

The lights were on in the new factory building, and Master Li and Liu Xiaojun were still tidying up their tools in the workshop.

The two people were talking and laughing, and their voices came through the window.

When Ye Bingwen arrived at the factory on Monday morning, Engineer Zhang was already there.

The jeep was parked at the factory gate. Engineer Zhang stood next to the jeep smoking, while Xiao Wang and Xiao Sun squatted on the roadside, one looking at his watch and the other watching the road.

When Ye Bingwen rode his bicycle into the yard, the wheels made a rustling sound as they rolled over the gravel road.