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

Monday morning.

When Ye Bingwen arrived at the factory, he pushed open the door and found the desk already covered with materials.

Zheng Shuyun sat in a chair, her head down, making revisions and markings on the report.

Ye Bingwen walked over and joked with his wife.

"You're here so early?"

"The publisher took half a day off. I read your manuscript last night. The technical content is fine, but the expression is too stiff. Experts listen to so many projects every day. They can't understand your dry and unnatural way of speaking."

Zheng Shuyun opened the manuscript and pointed to a section.

"Look at this sentence, 'using nano-rubber microparticles to toughen and modify phenolic resin system,' there are four technical terms in just eight characters."

"It should be changed to 'Add nano rubber particles to phenolic resin, and mix it evenly like kneading dough to improve its toughness'."

Zheng Shuyun looked up at Ye Bingwen.

"You have to make sure the experts understand, and you have to make sure they remember it."

Ye Bingwen looked at his wife and nodded.

"Could you help me revise it?"

"I'm not helping you revise, I'm teaching you how to speak."

She took a notebook out of her bag, which was filled with dense writing.

Zheng Shuyun pointed to the notebook.

"I've divided your presentation into three parts. The first part will cover market demand. The second part will cover the technological approach. The third part will cover the social benefits. Each part should be limited to five minutes, and no more than fifteen minutes."

Ye Bingwen listened attentively, then asked, puzzled.

"Is fifteen minutes enough for the technical aspects?"

"That's enough. The experts have the materials; you just need to focus on the core points."

She turned to another page, which contained a table that had been rewritten from the original technical parameter table. The data remained the same, but the arrangement had changed.

What used to be a long string of numbers is now clearly arranged by indicator name, national standard, your data, and improvement rate.

Ye Bingwen took the manuscript and looked at it.

"You've done an even more meticulous job than Chen An."

Zheng Shuyun closed the notebook and said.

"I work in publishing, and typesetting is a basic skill for me. This afternoon, call Chen An and Liu Xiaojun over and go through it with them."

At 2 p.m., Zheng Shuyun sat in the middle of the office.

Chen An and Liu Xiaojun sat in the back row, with notebooks in front of them.

Ye Bingwen stood in front and cleared his throat.

"Hello, experts. I am Ye Bingwen from Hongqi Machinery Factory."

Suddenly Zheng Shuyun interrupted.

"Stop, please change 'Hello, experts' to 'Hello, teachers'. 'Experts' sounds too stiff."

……

"Hello everyone, I am Ye Bingwen from Hongqi Machinery Factory..."

Zheng Shuyun interrupted again.

"Stop. After you introduce yourself, add a thank you to the Provincial Science and Technology Commission for giving us this opportunity to present. It's just politeness."

the third time.

"Good morning, teachers. I am Ye Bingwen from Hongqi Machinery Factory. Thank you to the Provincial Science and Technology Commission for giving us this opportunity to present. Today, on behalf of the project team, I would like to report to you all..."

Zheng Shuyun did not interrupt this time.

Ye Bingwen continued, explaining the project background, technical approach, experimental data, and social benefits one by one.

After finishing her speech, Zheng Shuyun pressed the stopwatch and looked at Ye Bingwen.

"Fourteen minutes and twenty seconds, the timing is acceptable, but there are two problems."

She stood up and walked up to Ye Bingwen.

"First, you spoke too fast when you talked about the technical data. This is the key part, so you need to slow down so the experts can hear you clearly. Second, you read the script six times throughout the presentation. You need to make eye contact with the experts during the presentation; you can't keep your head down the whole time."

Liu Xiaojun said quietly from the back row.

"Sister-in-law, your quality control is even stricter than our factory's."

Zheng Shuyun turned to look at Liu Xiaojun and said.

"You're also part of the presentation; the experts might ask about the mixer. Now, I have a question for you: what's the highest speed your mixer can reach?"

Liu Xiaojun stood up.

"1,500 revolutions."

"What about the speed range?"

"From zero to 1500, continuously adjustable."

"Which company's motor is used?"

Liu Xiaojun thought for a moment and then said.

"The motor was salvaged from a scrap yard; it was manufactured by the Shenyang Motor Factory and is about 70% new..."

"stop."

Zheng Shuyun interrupted him.

"You can't say that. When the experts ask you which company makes the motor, just say 'Shenyang Motor Factory.' Don't mention anything like 'found it at the scrap yard.'"

Liu Xiaojun scratched his head.

"But it was definitely found at a junkyard..."

Zheng Shuyun spoke very seriously.

"If the experts don't ask, you shouldn't answer. It's not about lying, but about making it sound better. Just say, 'We used high-quality domestically produced motors, and after independent modification, the performance met the design requirements.' Do you understand?"

Liu Xiaojun nodded.

Chen An flipped through his notebook and looked up to ask.

"Sister-in-law, should I prepare something too?"

"Yes. You'll be in charge of the testing data. If the experts ask about the data's authenticity, remember one thing: if the data exists, it exists; if it doesn't, it doesn't. Don't say anything you're unsure about."

Chen An lowered his head and quickly wrote it down in his notebook.

"Let's do it again. This time, Ye Bingwen is not allowed to look at the script. Liu Xiaojun, memorize the answer from the mixer."

Ye Bingwen returned to his original position, took a deep breath, and continued the drill.

The second time I explained it, it went much more smoothly than the first time.

After finishing speaking, Zheng Shuyun pressed the stopwatch and began to speak.

"14 minutes and 5 seconds. I only read the script twice this time, which is acceptable, but the ending is too rushed."

She walked up to Ye Bingwen.

"Your last sentence, 'Thank you, teachers,' was too dry. Add a sentence like, 'Although our Hongqi Machinery Factory is not large, we have the ability and confidence to do this project well.' That will make people remember you."

Liu Xiaojun stood up and said.

"Sister-in-law, let me repeat my answer about the mixer: 'It uses a high-quality domestic motor, and after independent modification, its performance meets the design requirements. The maximum speed is 1,500 rpm, the speed range is 0 to 1,500 rpm, and it operates stably and reliably.'"

Zheng Shuyun nodded.

"Okay, that's settled then."

Chen An also stood up and looked at Zheng Shuyun.

"Regarding the data, all data have been tested and confirmed by Professor Cai's laboratory at Harbin Institute of Technology, report number CH-2409-012, and the original records can be viewed at any time."

Zheng Shuyun nodded at Chen An.

"Okay. When you two answer, look at the expert who asked the question, speak louder, and don't look down."

The three of them practiced it twice more.

It was getting dark outside.

That's enough for today. We'll continue training tomorrow.

Ye Bingwen escorted her to the factory gate.

"Thanks for your hard work."

"Since you've passed your defense, I won't have to work so hard."

Zheng Shuyun got on her bicycle and prepared to go home.

"An'an is at the neighbor's house. I'm going to pick her up. Come back soon."

Ye Bingwen nodded.

Back in the office, Chen An and Liu Xiaojun were still practicing with their laptops.

Chen An looked at Ye Bingwen and asked.

"Director Ye, what if the experts ask questions that are beyond the scope of the subject during the defense?"

"If you know the answer, say so. If you don't, say, 'We haven't studied this issue in depth yet, but we'll consider it carefully when we get back.' Don't make things up."

Liu Xiaojun asked again.

"Uncle Ye, what if the experts don't believe our data?"

Ye Bingwen looked at Liu Xiaojun and said.

"If you don't believe me, show him the original records. Our test reports are genuine; we're not afraid of being checked."