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

"So, does that mean we won't be afraid of being held hostage by others anymore?"

Ye Bingwen glanced at him.

"Don't be afraid. But the prerequisite is that our own technology must be excellent."

Liu Xiaojun nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

The two walked out of the factory and locked the door.

The wind outside made the tin door rattle loudly.

"Xiaojun, your cousin called today."

Ye Bingwen spoke as he walked.

"Uncle Yongqiang? What did he say?"

He asked me how my work was going. I said I was doing a good job, and he was quite happy.

Liu Xiaojun scratched the back of his head.

"Uncle Yongqiang has taken care of me since I was a child. If he hadn't introduced me to you, I would still be farming in the village now."

"If you work hard, you'll be no worse off than your uncle."

Liu Xiaojun nodded vigorously.

The two broke up at the factory gate.

Ye Bingwen rode his bike home; An'an was already asleep.

Zheng Shuyun is reading a book under the lamp.

Have you eaten?

"I ate in the cafeteria."

"Tomorrow's the weekend, are you going to the factory again?"

"Go. The equipment needs to be moved; I need to oversee it."

Zheng Shuyun didn't say anything more and lowered her head to continue reading.

Ye Bingwen washed his face and sat by An'an's bedside for a while.

My daughter was sleeping soundly, with a slight upturn at the corners of her mouth, as if she were having a sweet dream.

He gently tucked the blanket around her and returned to the living room.

Open your textbook and continue reviewing.

The results of the third round of trials were better than anyone had expected.

Chen An's hands were trembling when he handed the data sheet to Ye Bingwen.

Professor Cai personally conducted the test in the laboratory.

"What did Professor Cai say?"

Ye Bingwen flipped through the data tables and already had a clear idea in mind.

"Professor Cai said that this data has reached the leading level in China and is worthy of being used to write a paper."

Chen An took off his glasses and wiped them clean.

"He said that if your factory is willing, he would like to report this collaborative project to the university and try to secure formal research funding."

What are the benefits of reporting it?

"They have funding, equipment, and they can even give our factory the plaque of 'Harbin Military Industry-University-Research Cooperation Base'."

Ye Bingwen remained silent for a few seconds.

The advantage of using the "Harbin Military Engineering Institute" nameplate is that it has a good reputation, but the disadvantage is that it attracts more attention.

Ma Li's side was already eyeing them covetously, and adding the label of "industry-academia-research base" only made them an even bigger target.

But Professor Cai brought it up himself, which shows that he is serious about this collaboration.

"Report. Tell Professor Cai that I will fully cooperate."

Chen An nodded happily and rode his bike back to school.

Ye Bingwen locked the data sheets in a drawer and went to check out the new factory.

It's been eight days since the ground maintenance started.

Director Sun sprinkles water every day.

Ye Bingwen touched the ground; it was hard enough, but not yet at the standard where equipment could be installed.

"Xiao Ye, wait two more days. The equipment will be ready in two days."

Director Sun walked over from the side.

"Have you finished dismantling the equipment?"

"It's all dismantled. The press and two milling machines, all taken down, are lined up at the entrance."

"Okay. I'll arrange for someone to help you move in first thing the day after tomorrow."

Ye Bingwen nodded.

He was about to return to his office when his pager went off.

It was Liu Yongqiang calling.

"Bingwen, some people have come from the countryside again. It's the same three people as last time. This time they brought a camera and took a lot of photos in the village."

Ye Bingwen frowned.

"What are you filming?"

"I took pictures of the old factory buildings, the roads in the village, and the old house you used to live in."

When the villagers asked them what they were doing, they said they were conducting a survey in the province.

Liu Yongqiang's voice was very low.

"Bingwen, I feel something's not right. Who takes photos secretly during an investigation?"

"Have they left?"

"They've left. I had someone follow them to the county town. This time they didn't stay at a guesthouse; they drove straight away, heading towards Harbin."

Ye Bingwen held the receiver.

"Yongqiang, do me a favor. Remember all the people in the village who have had conflicts with me in the past."

"Is it possible that anyone has contact with outsiders?"

"You mean someone passed a message to them?"

"That possibility cannot be ruled out."

Liu Yongqiang remained silent for a few seconds.

"Okay. I'll check."

After hanging up the phone, Ye Bingwen stubbed out his cigarette and returned to his office.

At 4:30 p.m., Ye Bingwen was teaching a class.

After Professor Zhao finished the last lesson, he outlined the key points for the final exam review.

After class, Ye Bingwen was about to leave when a middle-aged man walked straight toward him.

"Are you Ye Bingwen?"

Ye Bingwen sized up the other party.

"I am."

"I'm from the Discipline Inspection Team of the Provincial Department of Industry, and my surname is Wu."

The man flashed his work ID.

"I have a few questions I'd like to ask you."

The students who hadn't left the classroom all looked over.

Ye Bingwen's heart sank.

"Comrade Wu, what is it?"

"Has your school-run factory ever signed a military supply contract with the provincial military region?"

"Yes. The contract is at the factory; you can go see it."

Have you ever collaborated with Harbin Military Engineering Institute on any technology projects?

Yes. We are currently collaborating.

"Were these contracts and projects approved by the school?"

"Yes. The school-run factory was established with the school's approval, and the contract was also registered with the school."

Comrade Wu made a few notes in his notebook.

"Alright, that's all for today. There might be other things we need your cooperation with later."

Ye Bingwen watched him walk out of the classroom, and he already understood.

Ma Li escalated the "investigation" to the level of disciplinary inspection.

Instead of investigating him directly, they used the pretext of "getting to know the situation" to get a feel for him first.

If problems are found, a formal case will be opened; if no problems are found, a warning will still be given.

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

Director Liu from the school office was a little surprised to see him come in.

"Xiao Ye, what brings you here?"

"Director Liu, I would like to check the registration documents for the school-run factory."

"The discipline inspection team from the Provincial Department of Industry came to see me today and asked about the factory."

Director Liu's expression changed.

"The disciplinary inspection team? What did they ask?"

"I inquired about military product contracts and cooperation with Harbin Military Engineering Institute."

Director Liu turned around and pulled a file folder out of the filing cabinet.

"All the materials are here. Approvals, land use permits, business registration, military product contract filings—everything is there."

He patted the file folder.

"Take it and look at it, but don't take it away."

Ye Bingwen opened the file folder and went through each document.

The approval document bears Principal Liu's signature, and the land use permit bears the seal of the Infrastructure Department.

The business registration is complete, and the military product contract is also filed with the school.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Director Liu, could you please make a copy of these materials? I'll keep one for future reference."

"Okay. I'll print it for you first thing tomorrow morning."

When Ye Bingwen came out of the school office, it was almost dark.

He stood downstairs at the office building and lit a cigarette.

Ma Li's team went to the countryside to take photos, while the discipline inspection team came to the school to investigate.

The simultaneous advancement of two lines indicates that Ma Li has begun to close the net.

He wanted to drag Ye Bingwen down with him.

Ye Bingwen stubbed out his cigarette and rode his bicycle back to the factory.

Inside the workshop, Liu Xiaojun was still organizing equipment parts.

"Xiaojun, Master Li, the equipment will be arriving the day after tomorrow. You two will have to work hard and keep an eye on things from start to finish."

"Understood, Uncle Ye."

Liu Xiaojun raised his head.

"Uncle Ye, you don't look well. What happened?"

"It's nothing. People from the provincial government came and asked a few questions."

Mr. Li put down the oil pipe he was holding.

"Xiao Ye, is Ma Li up to something again?"

"It would be abnormal if he didn't do something shady."

Ye Bingwen patted Master Li on the shoulder.

"You just need to get the equipment sorted out; I'll handle everything else."

Master Li didn't ask any more questions.