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

Liu Yongqiang smiled and said to An'an, "I'll have your mom stew cabbage and glass noodles for you later, it tastes so good."

An'an tilted her head and replied, "Okay then."

Ye Bingwen led Liu Yongqiang into the office, poured him a glass of water, and handed it to him.

Liu Yongqiang took the drink, glanced around the office, and said, "This room looks even better than the last one."

Ye Bingwen waved his hand and said, "We just finished the inspection, so I don't dare to mess it up."

Liu Yongqiang put down his water glass, sighed, and said, "I came here this time also for this matter. Many people in the village have heard that you won the military region's project, and they've been gossiping about it behind your backs. Some people think that you're so young and you're opening such a big factory, and something bad is bound to happen sooner or later. I felt uncomfortable listening to that, and I started arguing with them on the spot, and we almost got into a fight."

Ye Bingwen lit a cigarette, took a puff, and said softly, "There's no need to argue with them. It's just a casual remark."

"You may not care, but I can't let this bother me," Liu Yongqiang said earnestly. "You came from the village and led everyone to where you are now. It hasn't been easy for you. How can I let others gossip behind my back?"

Ye Bingwen exhaled a puff of smoke and casually asked, "How's that small factory in the village doing these days?"

"We're barely managing to stay afloat. Orders aren't plentiful, just enough to support the few people in the factory," Liu Yongqiang said after a moment's thought. "The only problem is that the equipment keeps breaking down. Last month, we had to replace the bearings on the milling machine's spindle, which cost a lot."

Ye Bingwen flicked away the cigarette ash and said, "If all else fails, we can move the equipment here. There's still some spare space in the new factory. It'll be easier to manage everything if we manage everything in one place."

Liu Yongqiang considered it for a moment, nodded, and replied, "I'll go back and discuss this with everyone."

Just then, An'an came running in, grabbed Ye Bingwen's arm, and said in a spoiled tone, "Daddy, I'm hungry."

Ye Bingwen glanced at his watch; it was almost five o'clock.

Turning to Zheng Shuyun, who had followed An'an inside, he said, "Why don't you take An'an home for dinner first?"

Zheng Shuyun held a notebook in her hand; she had spent the afternoon in the office organizing materials.

Ye Bingwen handed her the snakeskin bag beside him and said, "These are cabbages and green onions that Yongqiang brought. Take them back with you."

Zheng Shuyun took the bag, smiled and thanked Liu Yongqiang, then took An'an's hand and left together.

The office quieted down, and Ye Bingwen lit another cigarette.

Liu Yongqiang looked at him, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

Ye Bingwen sensed something was amiss and asked, "Is there anything else you want to say?"

Liu Yongqiang hesitated for a moment, then spoke in a low voice: "Do you still remember Zhang Demao?"

"I remember," Ye Bingwen replied calmly.

"His son got into trouble in the county town last month and was arrested by the police station." Liu Yongqiang lowered his voice and continued, "Zhang Demao tried to pull strings everywhere and spent a lot of money, but he still couldn't get him out. The villagers all say it's retribution; he couldn't escape the consequences of his secret tip-offs and tricks against you back then."

Ye Bingwen smoked silently without saying a word.

"It's entirely his own fault," Liu Yongqiang said resentfully.

Ye Bingwen stubbed out his cigarette and said calmly, "Let's not dwell on old matters. Have the people watching this area made any further moves?"

"They've long since disappeared," Liu Yongqiang shook his head and said. "After Ma Li fell from power, those people never came back. Zhang Demao is much more obedient now; he deliberately avoids me when he sees me."

Ye Bingwen nodded and said, "Go back and take inventory of all the equipment in the factory, make a list and send it to me. Bring over all the movable equipment, and sell the ones that are difficult to move. The money from selling the equipment can be used to buy new machines."

"Okay, I'll take care of it as soon as I get back," Liu Yongqiang readily agreed.

He stood up, dusted off his trousers, and said, "It's getting late, I have to go back."

"Stay for dinner before you leave," Ye Bingwen said, trying to persuade him to stay.

Liu Yongqiang waved his hand and said, "No, my family is waiting for me."

Ye Bingwen escorted him to the factory gate, then turned back to the workshop.

Chen An had already left for the day, leaving only Liu Xiaojun cleaning the press machine.

Ye Bingwen walked over and said, "Xiao Jun, you should go home early too."

Liu Xiaojun responded, turned off the machine, and tidied up his tools.

As he reached the door, he turned back and instructed, "Uncle Ye, we'll be starting small-batch trial production tomorrow. I'll come early to oversee things."

"it is good."

After locking the workshop door, Ye Bingwen rode his bicycle home.

An'an was already sitting at the table eating, enjoying the cabbage and vermicelli stewed by Zheng Shuyun.

Ye Bingwen sat down and picked up his bowl and chopsticks.

An'an looked up, blinked, and asked him, "Daddy, this is a cabbage Uncle gave us. Is it delicious?"

"I haven't tried it yet," Ye Bingwen said with a smile.

An'an immediately picked up a large mouthful of cabbage and put it into his bowl, saying proudly, "It's delicious! I tried it for you!"

Ye Bingwen smiled and ate the food.

Zheng Shuyun glanced at him and asked softly, "Yongqiang is gone?"

"Yeah, I just got back."

"What did he say when he came over today?"

"Some people in the village are talking about our factory behind our backs, saying that Zhang Demao's son got into trouble and was arrested."

Zheng Shuwen's expression tightened slightly: "Is this the person who plotted against you behind your back back then?"

"It's all ancient history, there's nothing to fuss about," Ye Bingwen replied calmly.

An'an couldn't understand the adults' conversation and just kept eating.

Ye Bingwen raised his hand and gently patted her head.

After dinner, Ye Bingwen helped An'an take a bath and coaxed her to bed. An'an tugged at his fingers and said sweetly, "Daddy, will you pick me up from school tomorrow?"

"OK."

Not long after, An'an fell into a deep sleep. Ye Bingwen gently withdrew his hand, turned off the light, and walked out of the bedroom. Zheng Shuyun was sitting under the lamp reading an English book. Ye Bingwen sat down next to her and opened his own textbook.

Zheng Shuyun looked up at him and asked, "Have you really thought about the equipment relocation? Think it over carefully."

Ye Bingwen's gaze fell on the pages of the book, and he said with a firm tone, "I've thought it through. Moving the equipment here and managing it all together is much more stable than letting it be scattered and individual efforts in the village."

"Would the families of those workers in the village be willing to come and settle down here to work?"

"I'll go back to the village in a couple of days and talk to everyone in person to clarify things."

Zheng Shuyun nodded gently.

On Thursday, just as dawn was breaking, Liu Xiaojun arrived at the factory early, lunchbox in his arms. He went straight into the workshop, reached out and touched the body of the press, turned on the power, and preheated it. Ye Bingwen had previously set the production parameters for 70 minutes and 185 degrees Celsius. Today, they were going to produce 20 samples, and he dared not be careless in the slightest.

Not long after, Master Li arrived. Seeing Liu Xiaojun busy at work, he smiled and joked, "Xiaojun, you've come quite early today."

Liu Xiaojun continued working, replying earnestly, "Uncle Ye said that there can't be any mistakes during trial production. Preheating the machine in advance will make the equipment parameters run more stably."