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

When Ye Bingwen arrived at the propaganda department, a group of people had gathered in the corridor.

The door to Section Chief Sun's office was wide open, and an aged voice came from inside. "You're just a temporary worker, how dare you talk back to your superior?"

Zheng Shuyun's voice wasn't loud but it was clear. "Section Chief Sun, I'm not talking back. You said my draft wasn't good, so I revised it five times. You said I had no ideas, so I read the newspaper until midnight every day. What more do you want from me?"

Ye Bingwen pushed through the crowd and went inside. Zheng Shuyun stood in front of the desk, her face flushed, tears welling in her eyes, but she bit her lip and didn't cry. Sun Desheng sat in his chair, his face ashen, his pen clattering on the desk.

"Why are you here?" Zheng Shuyun asked, tears finally falling when she saw him.

"I've come to take you home." Ye Bingwen walked to her side, took her hand, and looked at Sun Desheng. "Section Chief Sun, we can talk this out."

Sun Desheng slammed his pen down. "Speak properly? Look at what she wrote!" He threw a stack of manuscript papers at him, scattering the pages all over the floor.

Ye Bingwen bent down and picked up a piece of paper. The essay contest was titled "A Year in a Rural Family," and it told the story of the Wang family in Daxing Village—before the household responsibility system was implemented, the six family members squeezed into an adobe house and couldn't afford white flour steamed buns; in the first year after the implementation of the household responsibility system, they harvested 8,000 jin of grain, bought a radio for the New Year, and the whole family listened to it all night.

"The article is very well written." Ye Bingwen looked up. "Section Chief Sun, what's wrong with this article?"

"The policy of household responsibility system has been set by the higher authorities, but not everything can be written in a positive light. If you write that Old Wang's family bought a radio for the New Year, what will people think? Will they think that people couldn't even afford a radio before?"

Ye Bingwen understood. Sun Desheng didn't think the article was poorly written; he thought it was too realistic.

"This article is stating the facts. The household responsibility system ensured that farmers had enough to eat; why can't we write about such a good thing?"

Sun Desheng's face darkened further. "What do you, a student, know about the rules of propaganda work?"

"I don't understand propaganda work, but I do understand one principle. If we don't even dare to write about things like having enough to eat, what's the point of propaganda work?"

A moment of silence fell over the corridor. Zheng Shuyun tugged at Ye Bingwen's sleeve. "Bingwen, stop talking."

Ye Bingwen pulled her out of the office.

When they got home, An'an was already asleep. Zheng Shuyun sat on the edge of the bed, lost in thought.

Ye Bingwen poured her a glass of water. "Drink some water."

Zheng Shuyun held it in her hands. "Bingwen, am I really not suited for publicity work?"

"It's not that you're unsuitable, it's that Sun Desheng is unsuitable to be a section chief. Your article is very well written."

"But he has a point. I wrote too bluntly and made a mess of things."

"What you wrote is all true. True stories aren't afraid of being told."

Zheng Shuyun remained silent for a long time. "Bingwen, I want to resign. I want to focus on studying and take the college entrance exam next year."

"Have you thought it through?"

"I've made up my mind."

"Then quit. I'll figure out what to do at home."

The next morning, Ye Bingwen helped Zheng Shuyun complete her resignation procedures. Deputy Section Chief Lin signed the papers and whispered, "Comrade Shuyun is very talented, but she's too straightforward. Go back and prepare well; try to get into a good university next year."

As he walked out of the office building, he ran into Cai Xun. Cai Xun glanced at his resignation certificate. "That's good. Staying in the publicity department for too long is boring. The provincial science and technology department experts' inspection of the motor factory is scheduled for next Wednesday. How are your preparations going?"

"The prototype should be finished by the end of next week."

"I'll go with you then."

Over the next few days, Ye Bingwen attended classes during the day and spent his evenings in the lab. Zheng Shuyun stayed home taking care of her child, using every spare moment to review her studies. The baby could already walk a few steps unsteadily; Zheng Shuyun would put her on the floor to play by herself, then sit at the table to read.

On Wednesday, the inspection by experts from the Provincial Department of Science and Technology proceeded as scheduled.

The team was led by Director Jiang of the Industrial Division of the Science and Technology Department, and the two experts were Professor Meng, a retired professor from the Department of Electrical Engineering of Harbin Institute of Technology, and Chairman Wu, the chairman of the Provincial Electrical Machinery Industry Association.

The inspection took place in the conference room of the motor factory. Professor Meng spoke first. "Comrade Ye Bingwen, we've calculated your efficiency data ourselves, and theoretically it's unattainable. Could you demonstrate it on the spot?"

Ye Bingwen connected the prototype to the power supply and pressed the switch. The motor rotated smoothly, and the data on the testing instrument fluctuated in real time, with each item within the range he had given.

Ten minutes later, Professor Meng took off his glasses and wiped them. "The control circuit uses a Hall effect sensor?"

"Yes, it was built using discrete components."

"Why not use a dedicated chip?"

"They're not available domestically, and discrete components are cheaper."

Professor Meng and Chairman Wu exchanged a glance. Professor Meng said, "There's no problem with the technology. The efficiency data is accurate; it's more than 30% higher than existing domestic motors."

Chairman Wu nodded. "If this technology can be mass-produced, it will make a significant contribution to energy conservation in the province's industries."

Director Jiang smiled. "The project application will proceed according to procedure. Congratulations, Comrade Ye Bingwen."

After the inspection, Li Guoliang pulled Ye Bingwen aside. "Before the project funding is approved, the factory will advance you five thousand yuan."

Ye Bingwen was taken aback.

"Chief Engineer Li means that we can't let you work for free. You have children to support, and there are many places where you need money."

Ye Bingwen felt a surge of warmth in his heart. "Please thank Chief Engineer Li for me."

"He's retiring next month, come to his farewell party."

After leaving the motor factory, Ye Bingwen went to the post office and sent three thousand yuan to his parents in Daxing Village, saving the remaining two thousand yuan.

When he got downstairs, he saw a black sedan parked in front of the door. In those days, only ordinary people could afford to ride in a car.

The car door opened, and a person got out. It was Deputy Director Wu from the Provincial Department of Education, the same person who had come to organize the special exam last time.

"Ye Bingwen, get in the car, someone wants to see you."

"Who?"

"You'll find out once you get in the car." Deputy Director Wu's smile remained unchanged, but there was something in his eyes that left no room for refusal.

Ye Bingwen hesitated for a moment, then opened the car door and got in.

The car started and drove into the night. One by one, the streetlights outside the car window flew past. Ye Bingwen leaned back in his seat and saw the light from his own window getting farther and farther away, smaller and smaller, in the rearview mirror, until it finally disappeared into the darkness.

The car traveled through the night, the streetlights casting intermittent light into the carriage.

Ye Bingwen sat in the back seat, looking at Deputy Director Wu in the front row through the iron bars. "Director Wu, who exactly wants to see me?"

"You'll see when you get there. It's not a bad thing."

The car turned into a quiet street lined with tall poplar trees, their leaves all fallen. Ye Bingwen recognized that this road led to the provincial party committee's residential area.

The car stopped in front of a small gray building. Deputy Director Wu got out and opened the car door. "We're here."

The sentry at the gate checked identification and let him through. The building was quiet; the corridor lights were old incandescent bulbs, casting a dim, yellowish glow. Deputy Director Wu walked to the door of the innermost room on the second floor and knocked.