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

Engineer Zhang said he would give me an answer in half a month.

Half a month is neither a long nor a short time.

He spent his whole life waiting—waiting for project approval, funding, and data.

In my past life at Peking University, I waited for much more than this, but the feeling of waiting was the same.

Professor Zhao once said that for people in the technical field, the first priority is to be given opportunities by others, and the second priority is to seize opportunities themselves.

He took the timetable out of his pocket and glanced at it again.

The lab class is held every Wednesday afternoon, without fail.

We can't miss this semester anymore. Professor Zhao may not say it, but he remembers everything.

He had a 60% attendance rate in lab classes last semester, and he figured Professor Zhao had gone easy on him; anyone else would have failed long ago.

The next morning, when Ye Bingwen arrived at the factory, Wang Guoqiang was squatting at the office door making a phone call.

"Yes, ten kilograms. Not in bulk, just a sample quantity... Can we discuss the price further?... Eighty-five?"

"No, Jilin reported 80 to me, what's with this 85?... "

Ye Bingwen walked over, and Wang Guoqiang covered the microphone and lowered his voice to speak.

"They're out of stock in Jilin, so I contacted the one in Shanghai. They're asking for 85."

"Eighty-five it is. It's fifty yuan less for ten kilograms, don't delay things."

Wang Guoqiang released the microphone and said.

"Okay, eighty-five it is. When can it be shipped?...A week? That's too slow."

"Think of a way, we need it urgently... Okay, okay, three days, it's settled."

After hanging up the phone, Wang Guoqiang wiped the sweat from his forehead and said...

"Director Ye, the carbon fiber order is complete. It will be shipped from Shanghai and arrive in three days."

"Hurry up. Don't open the package yet when it arrives; wait until Chen An comes."

"Know."

Ye Bingwen entered the workshop. Master Li was busy working alone in front of the press.

After Liu Xiaojun left, the workshop became much quieter, and the machines seemed unusually loud.

"Mr. Li, how many civilian products did you sell today?"

"Only eight items have been produced."

Master Li wiped his face and said.

"One person is doing what two people would do, so it's a bit slow. But the quality is perfect, every piece is up to standard."

"No rush, the order will arrive in time."

"Xiao Ye, when will that project from the provincial military region be approved?"

"Zhang said half a month. It's only the second day, what's the rush?"

Master Li chuckled and said.

"I'm not in a hurry, I'm just curious. I've been a machinist for twenty years and I've never even touched carbon fiber."

"It'll be soon. Once the carbon fiber arrives, you'll not only be able to touch it, but you'll also have to lay it out by hand."

Master Li rubbed his hands together and went back to the press.

In the afternoon, Ye Bingwen went to the school.

It wasn't a class; it was to pick up the textbooks.

He submitted his course selection form at the end of last semester, but he hasn't picked up his textbooks yet.

In the department office, the counselor was not there, and a stack of new books was piled on the table.

He found his name on the list, signed it, and carried the five books away.

I ran into Professor Zhao as I passed by the teaching building.

Professor Zhao was carrying a canvas bag, as if he had just come from the library.

"Ye Bingwen, you've come at the perfect time."

"Professor Zhao."

"You know about the lab class next semester, right?"

"I know. Wednesday afternoon."

"Just knowing is enough."

Professor Zhao looked at him and said.

"I've seen your lab report from last year. The data is correct, but the formatting is a mess."

"In some places, the unit of work wasn't even written down."

Ye Bingwen was taken aback.

He didn't really care about the format of the lab report, as long as the data was correct.

"This year's lab reports will follow a standardized format. I'll send you a template. Just use it as a guide."

"OK."

"Also, Professor Cai said your apprentice, Liu Xiaojun, went to a technical school?"

"I'm going. Graduation is in two weeks."

"After he graduates, I'll have him come to the school to see me, and I'll give him some extra lessons in theory. Vocational schools teach practical skills, but the theory is only superficial."

"If he wants to go deeper into the subject, his theoretical foundation cannot be weak."

Ye Bingwen felt a surge of warmth in his heart and said with a smile.

"Professor Zhao, thank you on behalf of Xiaojun."

"Don't thank me. I just saw that the child had potential and didn't want him to just be a skilled worker."

After Professor Zhao finished speaking, he picked up his canvas bag and left.

Ye Bingwen stood there, holding a stack of books in his hands.

It was already past four in the afternoon when I got back to the factory.

Chen An hadn't arrived yet, but Wang Guoqiang poked his head out of the office and said something.

"Director Ye, Professor Cai called and asked you to return the call."

Ye Bingwen put down his book and dialed Professor Cai's number.

"Xiao Ye, the data is in."

Professor Cai said excitedly.

"The impact strength of the modified phenolic resin specimens is 40 percent higher than that of your original formula."

"Temperature resistance of 190 degrees Celsius, surface finish Ra0.3. This level of performance is achieved just by changing the resin, without even using carbon fiber."

"What if we add carbon fiber?"

"Double it again. Conservatively speaking, doubling the impact resistance shouldn't be a problem."

Ye Bingwen held the receiver but didn't speak.

"Feed? Little Leaf?"

"I'm listening. Professor Cai, if the data is correct, I'll start the trial production of carbon fiber next week."

"It's ready to go. I'll have Chen An draw up the layer diagram, and he'll go over and supervise it later."

"OK."

The day the carbon fiber arrived was a bright and sunny day.

Wang Guoqiang picked up the goods at the train station and brought them back in a tricycle, with three cardboard boxes in the back of the vehicle.

He couldn't move it by himself, so Mr. Li lent a hand, and the two of them carried the box into the workshop.

Ye Bingwen used a utility knife to cut the tape.

It looks similar to fiberglass.

"Is this carbon fiber?"

Master Li said as he stretched out his hand.

"Don't move."

Ye Bingwen closed the lid of the box and said.

"We'll demolish it when Chen An arrives."

Master Li pulled his hand back.

Chen An arrived in the afternoon on his bicycle, with a painting tube tucked between the back seat and the bicycle.

Once inside the workshop, open the drawing tube, take out a drawing, and lay it on the worktable.

The drawing on the blueprint is a plywood diagram drawn in pencil, with each layer clearly marked.

"It was drawn by Professor Cai; there are six floors in total."

Chen An pointed to the markings on the blueprint and said.

"The bottom and top layers are carbon fiber, the two middle layers are glass fiber, and a transition layer is added between the carbon fiber and glass fiber layers."

"The transition layer is made of a blended fabric, the kind that's woven with a mixture of carbon fiber and glass fiber."

"We don't have blended fabrics."

Ye Bingwen stroked his chin and said.

"Professor Cai said he has some in his lab and will bring it over tomorrow."

Chen An accepted the blueprints and said.

"Let's disassemble the carbon fiber today, cut it up, and lay it out directly tomorrow."

Chen An put on gloves, took out a roll of carbon fiber cloth from the cardboard box, unwrapped the plastic film, and laid it flat on the worktable.

He gently smoothed it with his hand, then picked up the scissors and began to cut.

Master Li watched from the side without blinking.

"Master Li, you should give it a try too."

Chen An handed over the scissors and said.

Mr. Li took it, his hands trembling slightly.

He followed Chen An's example, laid the cloth flat, and cut a piece along the paper pattern.

"This thing is even lighter than fiberglass."

"Much lighter. Stronger too, but expensive."

Chen An took the scissors and continued cutting, saying.

"But it's enough for making samples."

The carbon fiber has arrived, but the layup tooling hasn't been made yet.

Before leaving, Liu Xiaojun drew a sketch and took it to Master Wang. I don't know if it's finished yet.

He picked up the phone and dialed Mr. Wang's number.

"Master Wang, this is Xiao Ye from Hongqi Machinery Factory. Did you finish making the blueprint for the layering fixture I gave you last time?"

"It's finished. When are you coming to pick it up?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"Okay. I'll be at the factory tomorrow morning, you can come and pick it up."

After hanging up the phone, Ye Bingwen scribbled a few lines in his notebook.

We'll pick up the tooling tomorrow, and start trial production of carbon fiber samples the day after tomorrow.

The timing was perfect, without delaying anything.

In the evening, Zheng Shuyun called the reception office to say that An'an had a bit of a cough and went straight home after school.

Ye Bingwen hung up the phone, feeling a little uneasy.

An'an has always been in good health; I wonder how serious her cough is this time.

He told Mr. Li what he was doing and rode his bike home ahead of time.

An'an was covered with a blanket, holding a picture book in her hand.

Zheng Shuyun was simmering pear water in the kitchen, and the pot on the stove was bubbling away.