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

No matter how much work there is at the factory, the final exams cannot be neglected.

As I turned to page thirty-one, I heard hurried footsteps outside the door.

Liu Xiaojun pushed open the door and came in, his face full of excitement.

"Uncle Ye, the work is done! Brother Chen said the first one is finished!"

Ye Bingwen followed Liu Xiaojun to the workshop.

The press had stopped, the mold was open, and a palm-sized thin plate was placed on the table.

Chen Anzheng is using calipers to measure the dimensions.

"Director Ye, look."

Chen An handed over the board.

Ye Bingwen took it and examined it from all angles.

The plate is not heavy; it is much lighter than a steel plate of the same size.

The surface is smooth, without bubbles or cracks.

There were some burrs on the edges, but they came off easily when you pried them off with your hands.

"What about the size?"

Ye Bingwen asked.

"Thickness 3 mm, tolerance ±0.1. Within the allowable range."

Chen An made a note in his notebook.

"But the curing time needs to be adjusted. I followed Professor Cai's formula, and the heat preservation time is forty minutes."

"I think it might be too long. I'll try 30 minutes for the next one."

"What about performance? Is the strength sufficient?"

"We can't test it today. Professor Cai said that the sample needs to be taken back to the lab for mechanical testing, and we can only know whether it's up to standard after the data comes out." Chen An carefully put the board into the canvas bag.

"Director Ye, I'll take this back and test it first. I'll bring the data over to you tomorrow."

"OK."

Chen An squatted down again to tidy up the tools.

Liu Xiaojun helped clean the mold, and the two worked together seamlessly.

Ye Bingwen, who was watching from the side, suddenly asked a question.

"Xiao Chen, what did you study at Harbin Military Engineering Institute?"

"Composite materials".

Chen An didn't even look up.

"This is what I studied as an undergraduate, and I continued to work with Professor Cai in graduate school."

Where do you plan to go after graduation?

"I don't know yet."

Chen An patted the dust off his knees.

"Professor Cai said that there aren't many jobs directly related to our major. The best way out is to stay at the university, but you need connections to do that."

"The second option is to go to a research institute, but you have to wait for an assignment."

"How about you come work for me?"

Ye Bingwen said it with a smile, but there was a hint of seriousness in his tone.

Chen An was taken aback.

"Director Ye, can your factory afford to support researchers?"

"We can't afford to raise them now, but we can afford to raise them later."

Chen An didn't reply and packed up his toolbox.

"Director Ye, I'll head back now. I'll send the data over tomorrow morning."

"I send you."

Ye Bingwen escorted Chen An to the door.

Liu Xiaojun stood to the side, watching Chen An's back.

"Uncle Ye, do you really want to keep Brother Chen here?"

"think."

Ye Bingwen said.

"But not now. Under our current circumstances, we can't keep them here."

"When can we keep them?"

"Once the new factory is built, once the composite materials are made, once the orders double."

Ye Bingwen turned and walked into the workshop.

We'll see when the time comes.

In the afternoon, Ye Bingwen attended Professor Zhao's class.

Professor Zhao is talking about the selection of gear displacement coefficients today.

Ye Bingwen sat in the third row by the window, taking very detailed notes.

Professor Zhao suddenly called on him halfway through his speech.

"Ye Bingwen, tell me, what are the differences in tooth profile between positive and negative displacement gears?"

Ye Bingwen stood up.

"The tooth tip and tooth root of the positive displacement gear are thickened, the radius of curvature of the tooth profile is increased, and the load-bearing capacity is improved."

"In contrast, negative displacement gears have thinner tooth tips and tooth roots, resulting in a smaller tooth profile radius of curvature and reduced tooth root strength."

Yes. Sit down.

Professor Zhao continued his lecture.

The classmate next to me muttered something under his breath.

"How come you can do everything?"

Ye Bingwen ignored him and continued taking notes.

The school bell rang, and Ye Bingwen prepared to go to the factory.

Professor Zhao called him from the podium.

"Ye Bingwen, wait a moment."

"Did you take the day off again this morning?"

"Yes. The factory is trial-producing composite materials, and graduate students from Harbin Military Engineering Institute have come over. I need to keep an eye on them."

"Watching is fine, but you have to do it in moderation."

Professor Zhao put on his glasses.

"I've spoken with Professor Cai. His graduate student is quite capable and can work independently."

"You don't need to be present for everything. Attend class when it's time to attend class, and review when it's time to study."

"I see."

"besides."

Professor Zhao pulled a piece of paper out of his lecture notes folder.

"This is the schedule for the final exams. Write the times down and plan ahead."

Ye Bingwen took the paper, which listed the exam dates and times for five courses.

He put the paper in his pocket.

After leaving the teaching building, Ye Bingwen rode his bicycle to the factory.

At the construction site of the new factory, Director Sun was leading the workers to erect scaffolding.

The foundation has been curing for almost two weeks, and the steel structure can be installed in a few more days.

There were several bundles of steel bars and a stack of red bricks piled up on the construction site, all of which were delivered a few days ago.

Director Sun climbed down from the scaffolding.

"Xiao Ye, look at this progress. In another week, the main structure will be erected."

When will the steel beams arrive?

"The day after tomorrow. The Northeast Light Alloy Factory shipped the goods; I've asked someone to keep an eye on it."

"OK."

Ye Bingwen walked around the construction site and then went to take a look at the old factory building.

Inside the old factory, Mr. Li was leading two workers to rush an order.

The order for 150 military supplies has been mostly completed, and the rest will be delivered by the end of the month.

The steel inventory is less than a week's worth, just enough to complete the orders at hand.

Wang Guoqiang returned from outside, carrying an envelope in his hand.

"Director Ye, I've made an appointment with Section Chief Liu. Tomorrow night, at the state-run restaurant, he's agreed."

"Okay. I'll go with you tomorrow."

"you go?"

Wang Guoqiang was a little surprised.

"Go. There are some things you can't say, so I'll say them."

The next afternoon, after finishing his last class, Ye Bingwen rode his bicycle to the factory.

Wang Guoqiang was already waiting in his office.

"Director Ye, what time are we leaving?"

"5:30. The state-run restaurant isn't far; we can walk there."

Ye Bingwen took an envelope out of the drawer.

"Section Chief Wang, please take this."

Wang Guoqiang opened it and saw that it contained twenty yuan.

"Director Ye, this—"

"I'm treating you to a meal, so I can't let you pay."

Ye Bingwen sat down.

"You're familiar with Section Chief Liu, so you should do the talking. I'll just listen and express my opinion when necessary."

Wang Guoqiang put the money in his pocket and nodded.

Ye Bingwen flipped through the materials on the table.

Wang Guoqiang wrote a one-page summary of the key points for the conversation yesterday.

The handwriting is neat and the logic is clear.

"Section Chief Wang, this is well written. Please keep a close eye on important documents for the factory in the future."

Wang Guoqiang was a little embarrassed.

"I'm just used to writing. I used to be a clerk in the brigade, writing reports every day."

Ye Bingwen returned the paper to him.

At 5:20, the two of them set off from the factory.

The state-run restaurant is on Zhongshan Road, less than a ten-minute walk away.

On the way, Wang Guoqiang briefly explained Section Chief Liu's situation.

"He's the kind of person who won't confidently say 'I'll take care of it,' but he usually keeps his promises."

"Okay. I understand."