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

Ye Bingwen stared at the corner and slowly walked over. The corridor was empty, and the window at the end was ajar, letting in a cold draft. There was a row of footprints on the ground leading to the stairwell; the soles of the shoes had deep treads, men's leather shoes, and they were quite large. He squatted down to look at them; the snow hadn't dried completely yet, they had just been stepped on.

Someone was watching him. It wasn't the first time. The small footprints in the snow downstairs were a woman's, but today they were a man's. Not the same person.

He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes for a while. Zhou Mingyuan left, and Zhao Jianguo arrived. Zhou Mingyi's news spread too fast; the factory director was coming, and Director Wang opposed investing. Everything seemed preordained, one link leading to another.

When they got home, Zheng Shuyun was still reading. An'an was already asleep, her little fists clenched around the corner of the blanket.

"Why are you so late?"

"Revise the thesis." Ye Bingwen placed the slip of paper given to him by the township enterprise on the table.

"Want to cooperate with them?"

"It's always good to have more options. Zhao Jianguo is putting a lot of pressure on me, so I need to have backup plans."

Zheng Shuyun was silent for a moment. "What does he really want? Technology or money?"

"He wants it all. Once the technology is in his hands, the money will naturally follow." Ye Bingwen said with his eyes closed, "Publish the paper as soon as possible, apply for the patent as soon as possible. Once the technology is made public, he won't be able to monopolize it even if he wants to."

The next morning, Ye Bingwen went to the post office to send a telegram to the Journal of Mechanical Engineering: "Paper No. 78023, urgently needed for publication, please reply as soon as possible." It cost him several dollars.

As he left the post office, he saw the provincial industrial bureau building across the street. Zhao Jianguo had said he would reply by the end of the month, but he didn't want to wait any longer.

Back at school, Ye Bingwen found Ma Kui.

"Professor Ma, do you know anyone at the Patent Office?"

"I know someone, Lao Zhao, he's an examiner at the State Patent Office. Send your materials to him, and I'll put in a good word for you."

"Thank you, Teacher Ma."

"Don't thank me. If someone else steals your technology, it's a loss for the country." Ma Kui looked at him. "The factory manager is coming to the school to see Principal Liu, you know? Principal Liu is on your side."

At 2 p.m., the motor factory director's car stopped at the school gate. A burly man in his fifties, wearing a brown leather jacket, accompanied Director Wang, and was ushered into Liu Deben's office.

Ye Bingwen waited in the lab. An hour later, Ma Kui pushed open the door and came in.

"The factory manager acknowledged that Li Guoliang's signature was valid, but demanded that the profit share be reduced from 5% to 3%. Principal Liu disagreed. The factory manager said that if the change wasn't made, production would cease."

Ye Bingwen gripped the screwdriver tightly.

"President Liu said, if we don't want to produce, then we don't want to produce. Harbin Institute of Technology will set up its own factory. What kind of Harbin Institute of Technology is it if we, an engineering university, can't even build a motor?" Ma Kui looked at him. "The university can allocate land for a campus-run factory, buy equipment, recruit workers from graduates, and squeeze funds from research grants."

Ye Bingwen felt a surge of warmth in his heart. "Please thank Principal Liu for me."

"Go thank them yourself. But if you run your own factory, you have to take care of everything yourself."

"I've thought it through. Nobody can take my factory away."

Chen Zhiyuan leaned closer. "Bingwen, are you really planning to start your own factory?"

"Let's take a look first. We'll also inquire with the township enterprises."

Just then, there was a light knock on the door. Ye Bingwen opened the door, and there stood a woman in her early thirties, wearing a blue cotton-padded jacket, a ponytail, and carrying a canvas bag with "Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Light Industry" printed on it.

"My name is Su Min, from the Technology Department of the Provincial Light Industry Bureau. I heard you made a brushless motor and wanted to come and see it."

Ye Bingwen became suspicious. How did the Light Industry Bureau know?

"That's what the people from the Provincial Department of Science and Technology said," Su Min smiled. "We oversee the home appliance, textile, and food industries across the province, and they all need motors."

Ye Bingwen let her in and demonstrated the device. Su Min stared at the instrument for a few minutes, then stood up.

"We want to cooperate with you. We don't want your technology, we want your products." She took out a document. "Last year, the province's light industry system bought more than 5,000 motors, spending more than 10 million yuan. You can sign a letter of intent with us first, and once you can mass-produce them, you can supply us with priority. We don't need your technology, we just want your products."

Ye Bingwen was tempted. "Payment will be in advance; I won't offer credit."

"Okay. Thirty percent."

The two signed a letter of intent on the spot. After Su Min left, Chen Zhiyuan asked, "Aren't you afraid she's Zhao Jianguo's woman?"

"No, she isn't. Zhao Jianguo has no jurisdiction over the Light Industry Department."

"How did she know?"

"The Provincial Department of Science and Technology told her that. This shows that Zhao Jianguo wasn't the only one keeping an eye on this motor."

Ye Bingwen walked to the window. Dusk was falling, and in the distance, a black sedan slowly drove past the school gate, as if it were searching for something. He thought again of that gray figure from last night.

That person is still here.

The door was pushed open. Chen Zhiyuan was gone; only Ye Bingwen remained in the lab. He didn't turn around, staring at the car outside the window. The car stopped across the street and turned off its lights.

Ye Bingwen turned and walked out of the laboratory, downstairs, out of the school gate, and toward the car. The snow crunched under his feet, and the car windows were black, obscuring the interior. He walked up to the car and knocked on the window.

The car window was rolled down a crack, revealing an eye.

"Who are you?" Ye Bingwen asked.

The people in the car didn't speak, and the windows rolled up again. The car started, lurched forward, the tires skidded on the snow, and quickly disappeared around the street corner.

Ye Bingwen stood in the snow and memorized the license plate number.

The day after signing the agreement with the Light Industry Department, Ye Bingwen received a call from Li Guoliang.

"Ye, there's a meeting at the factory." Li Guoliang's voice was very low, as if he were talking to someone in secret. "The factory manager called in all the heads of the technical department, production department, and sales department. He slammed his fist on the table and said that the brushless motor project cannot be stopped, but it also cannot proceed according to the original contract."

"How does he want to change it?"

"The revenue share will be reduced to three percent, and an exclusivity agreement will be required. Your technology can only be used by motor manufacturers, not by other manufacturers."

Ye Bingwen held the microphone, remaining silent for a few seconds. "Chief Engineer Li, what's your opinion?"

"I think this is going to tie you down. A 3% cut isn't much to begin with, and with the exclusivity agreement on top of that, you'll become an appendage of the motor factory. From now on, your technology will be exclusively theirs, and if they stop production, you'll have no recourse."

"Principal Liu said that the school can set up its own factory."

"I know. But setting up a factory isn't something that happens overnight. Equipment, factory buildings, workers—all of these take time," Li Guoliang sighed. "Ye, to be honest with you, the factory manager didn't do it his own way. Someone was pushing him from behind."

"Zhao Jianguo".

"Who else could it be besides him?" Li Guoliang lowered his voice. "I heard that Zhao Jianguo said at the meeting that the province would focus on supporting the motor factory, and the brushless motor project must stay in the factory and not be allowed to go outside."

Ye Bingwen gripped the microphone tightly. "Chief Engineer Li, thank you for telling me all this."

"You're welcome. Make your own decision. If you need my help, just let me know."