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

Investigate his background, his history, and whether he has any "unexplainable" matters.

Ye Bingwen put out his cigarette and rode his bicycle home.

An'an is already asleep.

Zheng Shuyun was sitting in the living room reading a book.

"You don't look well. What happened?"

"fine."

Ye Bingwen sat down.

"Yongqiang called and said that someone had come to the village to inquire about us."

Zheng Shuyun put down her book, her expression changing.

"What do you want to know?"

"They asked about the past, about your affairs in Daxing Village."

Zheng Shuyun remained silent for a few seconds.

"Is he a member of the Ma Li family?"

"I don't know. But it's pretty close."

Ye Bingwen took her hand.

"Don't be afraid. There's nothing shameful about it."

"I'm not afraid."

Zheng Shuyun pulled her hand back and picked up the book again.

"But An'an is still young, and I don't want her to be affected."

Ye Bingwen looked at his daughter's sleeping face and his heart sank.

The night wind outside the window grew stronger, making the window frame rattle.

In the distance, at the construction site of the new factory, the last light went out—Director Sun had finally finished work.

In a few days, the steel beams will be delivered and the main structure will be erected.

The next morning, Ye Bingwen did not go to the factory.

Professor Zhao already called his name last time, so it wouldn't be right for him to miss class again.

Professor Zhao spoke rapidly on the podium, the chalk screeching on the blackboard.

As Ye Bingwen listened and took notes, his mind kept drifting to things at the factory—would Chen An come today?

Have the test data for the composite materials been released yet?

Will the steel beams for the new factory arrive on time tomorrow?

He shook his head vigorously, banishing his distracting thoughts and concentrating on listening to the lecture.

When the school bell rang, Ye Bingwen returned to the factory.

The factory was quiet; Chen An's bicycle was nowhere to be seen.

Ye Bingwen walked around the workshop. The press was cold, the molds were still on the table, and Liu Xiaojun was squatting next to him wiping the tools.

"Xiao Jun, Engineer Chen didn't come today?"

"He didn't come."

Liu Xiaojun stood up.

"Maybe the data isn't out yet. Uncle Ye, do you think that sample will be up to standard?"

"We'll know when the data comes out."

Ye Bingwen went to the office and opened his textbook to prepare for review.

I had just read two pages when I heard the sound of a bicycle outside the door.

Chen An arrived, and there was still that canvas bag on the back seat of the car.

He propped up his bicycle, picked up his bag, and strode in with a smile on his face.

"Director Ye, the data is in!"

Ye Bingwen put down his textbook and stood up.

"How is it?"

Chen An took out a piece of paper from the bag; it was a handwritten data sheet.

He handed over the paper, his voice brimming with barely concealed excitement.

"Professor Cai personally conducted the tests. Tensile strength, flexural strength, and impact toughness—all three indicators passed!"

"The tensile strength was 8 percent higher than Professor Cai had expected."

Ye Bingwen took the data sheet and looked at it carefully.

The quality of this data is good. Although it is not top-notch, it has far exceeded expectations as a small sample for the first round of trial production.

"What did Professor Cai say?"

"Professor Cai said that the process parameters need to be further optimized. Reducing the heat preservation time from forty minutes to thirty minutes is the right thing to do."

"But the heating rate still needs to be adjusted. He said that in the next batch of trial production, slowing down the heating rate will improve the resin's fluidity."

"The strength can be increased further."

Chen paused for a moment.

"Professor Tsai also said that your factory should prepare another batch of materials and conduct three more rounds of trial production this week."

"no problem."

Ye Bingwen placed the data sheet on the table.

"Xiao Chen, thank you for your hard work. Tell Professor Cai that I'll take care of the materials."

Chen An nodded and took the sample out of the bag.

The board was still the same dark brown as the one from that day, but the edges had been trimmed, making it look much neater than last time.

"Director Ye, you can keep this sample. Professor Cai said you can show it to the client to prove that we can make it."

Ye Bingwen took the board and examined it from all angles.

The board is not heavy, has a smooth surface, and makes a crisp sound when tapped.

"Xiao Chen, don't leave at noon today. Eat at the factory. Master Li said he stewed some meat yesterday."

Chen An smiled.

"Alright. Then I won't stand on ceremony."

At lunchtime, Chen An and Liu Xiaojun sat together, chatting about composite materials.

Liu Xiaojun asked a bunch of questions.

What are the differences between glass fiber and carbon fiber? Why does resin shrink when it cures?

Chen An answered them one by one. He could answer some of them, but he couldn't answer others, so he said he would ask Professor Cai when he got back.

Ye Bingwen watched from the side, thinking to himself, "If these two work together for a few years, they might actually make a name for themselves."

After finishing his meal, Chen An rode his bicycle back to school.

Ye Bingwen went to the construction site of the new factory.

Director Sun is leading the workers to erect a steel frame.

The steel beams arrived this morning. The large trucks from the Northeast Light Alloy Plant drove in early this morning and unloaded them all morning.

The construction site was bustling with activity as workers carried steel beams, chanting as they erected them one by one onto the scaffolding.

Director Sun climbed down from the shelf, his face flushed.

"Xiao Ye, look, the main structure will be erected in just three days!"

Ye Bingwen looked up at the steel beams and recalled that just six months ago this place was an empty plot of land, but now the factory buildings were taking shape.

"Director Sun, when will the roof be sealed off?"

"Next Monday. After the roof is sealed, we can install the doors and windows and do the flooring."

Director Sun took out a cigarette and offered one to Ye Bingwen.

When will your equipment arrive?

"Once the ground work is finished, move the equipment from the old factory here first, and then bring in the new equipment later."

"Okay. Let me know in advance and I'll arrange for someone to cooperate."

Ye Bingwen stood on the construction site and watched for a while.

The wind was strong, making the steel frame whistle and rattle.

He stubbed out his cigarette and turned back to his office.

I have classes this afternoon.

Professor Zhao's "Mechanics of Materials" discusses the bending stress of beams.

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

Professor Zhao was in a good mood today. After finishing his lecture, he spoke for an extra five minutes, giving some engineering examples.

The bell rang, and Ye Bingwen packed his things to leave. Professor Zhao called him back.

"Ye Bingwen, wait a moment."

Ye Bingwen walked to the edge of the podium.

Professor Zhao was wiping the blackboard and didn't even turn his head.

"I heard that the prototype of the composite material has been made?"

"Yes. The data just came out today, and all three indicators are up to standard."

Professor Zhao turned around and patted the chalk dust off his hands.

"Professor Cai told me. He said that you, this student, are resilient and have potential."

Ye Bingwen was taken aback.

Professor Cai actually praised him in front of Professor Zhao.

"Professor Zhao, I still have a long way to go."

"It's good to know that there's a big difference."

Professor Zhao picked up the enamel mug.

"Alright, go ahead and get busy. Don't forget your final exams."

Ye Bingwen left the teaching building and rode his bicycle to the factory.

On the office desk, the small sample left by Chen An is still placed next to the textbook.

He picked it up, looked at it again, and then carefully put it into the drawer.