I was married off to a disabled hero in lieu of marriage; my in-laws doted on me and I aspired to gr

Zhao Jintao saw through Chen Yan's pretense of illness but didn't expose him. He said gently, "Yang Zheng, Aunt Luo must have done an evaluation before letting Master Chen be discharged. The hospital is deserted during the New Year; home is much more comfortable."

Chen Yan chuckled awkwardly, "Yes, yes. Yang Zheng, and who is this?"

"Oh, Master, this is my childhood friend Zhao Jintao. He got into an agricultural university," Yang Zheng said, wiping away his tears.

"Oh, Zhao Jintao, I've often heard Yang Zheng mention him. Not bad, not bad, he's a good young man."

"Master Chen, you flatter me too much."

"Where is the praise? My apprentice's friends are all good kids."

Are you praising Zhao Jintao or your apprentice?

Don't forget, Yang Zheng has a friend named Liu Dabao.

"Come on, sit down, Yang Zheng, tell me about the interesting things happening in Shanghai."

Chen Yan was still feigning pitifulness, but his voice was much stronger than before.

"Master, what's new in Shanghai? It's nothing more than taking classes and getting prosthetics made."

Yang Zheng tenderly tucked Chen Yan in.

"Did your master make things difficult for you when you got the prosthetic leg?" Chen Yan asked with concern.

"It was strict, but not difficult."

"Strict? Isn't that just making things difficult for you? Shanghainese are petty. Yang Zheng, don't take it to heart. If anything is bothering you, tell your master."

Chen Yan, oh Chen Yan, Professor Dong is such a gentleman. Except when he's jealous, he never makes things difficult for Yang Zheng.

On the contrary, you can look down on Yang Zheng many times for getting in through connections; on his first day at work, he was passed around several times.

"Master, I'm fine, don't worry about me. But you, if you're not feeling well, you should say so, don't keep it to yourself," Yang Zheng said affectionately.

"Didn't I write to you to tell you not to worry? I'm already a useless piece of trash, just living day to day, waiting to die."

Chen Yan started playing the victim again, and Yang Zheng's eyes reddened: "Master, please don't say that, it makes me sad."

My master is an eighth-level fitter, a very important figure in his company. How did he become a cripple?

Seeing that Yang Zheng was genuinely heartbroken, Chen Yan felt a little guilty, but he couldn't overact.

"Actually, Master is still somewhat useful. Lu Han was working on explosion-proof devices, and I was involved in that too. So he's still of some use."

Chen Yan looked at Yang Zheng with a kind expression, finding him more and more outstanding. "My daughter is only 16 years old. Why doesn't she grow up faster?"

"Yes, Master, you can't go to the workshop, but you can participate in the design. By the way, I brought back a set of prosthesis manufacturing equipment from Shanghai. I was thinking of having you and me make a more refined prosthesis for Wenhui."

"The equipment for making prosthetics? Where is it? Let me see."

"Master, you're not feeling well, so let's talk about it later."

"What do you mean you're not feeling well? You just look a little pale, but your brain isn't affected at all?"

Chen Yan threw off the covers, his head and back not aching, and he was full of energy, leaving Yang Zheng dumbfounded.

There are quite a few instruments, so a large space is needed. Yang Zheng suggested moving the studio to his old dormitory.

Yang Zheng was a student at a machinery factory, and his dormitory was always kept.

Without saying a word, Chen Yan grabbed a scarf, wrapped his head up tightly, put on a cotton-padded coat, picked up the bag containing the instruments, and left.

Yang Zheng was filled with anxiety. Had his master's health improved at all?

When Chen Hong and her mother returned from grocery shopping, no one was home, so they had to start cooking.

In an era of limited technology, the so-called prosthetic manufacturing equipment was simply an old-fashioned scanner that could accurately determine the size of the socket.

With just this one scanner, the number of times you need to take a sample can be reduced. As long as the size is right and the data is saved, if it doesn't work the first time, you can do it again immediately.

In addition, the material of the socket has been changed to silicone rubber, which is similar to human skin, reducing friction and making it lightweight and comfortable for patients to wear.

Huailin didn't have any silicone rubber, so Yang Zheng brought back a large bag from Shanghai. It contained waste materials he had collected over the past year while making prosthetics.

Of course, Professor Dong also secretly offered some support.

Silicone rubber is supplied by designated national suppliers in fixed quantities. Collecting a bag of it is a way to save money while ensuring the quality of the prosthesis.

"Yang Zheng, your master sincerely admires you. Everyone says your sister married into a wealthy family, but I think the Zhou family did too. If it weren't for you, your brother-in-law wouldn't be able to walk independently for five years."

Looking at these seemingly trivial materials, Chen Yan was deeply moved.

"Master, I learned to make prostheses from Professor Dong so that Wenhui could wear the most comfortable, lightest, and most durable prostheses in the country."

"I understand, you're trying to steal the techniques and materials."

Chen Yan said firmly, and Yang Zheng hesitated. Actually, he went to learn how to make prostheses mainly to change his master's dressings.

Chen Yan felt a great weight lifted from his heart. "My apprentice is mine. As for the one in Shanghai, my apprentice was just using him."

"Yang Zheng, Master Chen, can such rudimentary equipment really make prosthetics?" Zhao Jintao asked doubtfully.

"Of course we could. We made them even before we had scanners. In the midst of heavy snow, Yang Zheng and I made molds again and again. Mold repair is a meticulous, hand-carved process; a slight miscalculation and it's off-center. And if the final curing isn't done properly, we have to recast it. Again and again. Do you think making a pair of prosthetics is that easy?"

Chen Yan glanced at Zhao Jintao with dissatisfaction. "You studied agriculture, what do you know about industry?"

Zhao Jintao blushed, and his respect for Yang Zheng's industrial technology grew.

"Master, I don't have much time to stay in Huailin. After the New Year, once I get the model, can you make it yourself?" Yang Zheng asked cautiously.

"No problem, as long as the master is determined, there is nothing that cannot be done. Wenhui's mother got me a lot of anti-itch pills. I heard that stuff is very expensive. I offered her money but she refused. It just so happens that I can make a pair of prosthetics as a way of repaying Dean Luo for saving my life."

"Master, thank you so much. I knew you could succeed."

"Hehe, now I'll have something to do, instead of staying home all day listening to the radio."

"Master, the calves need to be made of aluminum alloy, and the soles of the feet need to be made of polyurethane, but I can't get them, and neither does Professor Dong."

"Tang Ping can get aluminum alloy, but as for polyurethane, you'll have to find the chemical plant manager."

"Does our Huailin Chemical Plant produce this?"

"No, but they're from the Chemical Engineering department, they have connections. I'll ask Tang Ping after the New Year if there's any way," Chen Yan thought to himself.

"Why not ask Uncle Zhou?" Zhao Jintao asked, puzzled.

Chen Yan raised his eyes and said, "When Vice Governor Zhou asks, all sorts of prosthetics come knocking on his door. If he accepts them, he has to do favors for them. In the end, people have leverage over Vice Governor Zhou. If they don't do something, they can't refuse; if they do, they might get reported. It's different for us. We have a private relationship with Zhou Wenhui. So, the matter of making prosthetics can't involve Vice Governor Zhou."

"I...I'm sorry, Master Chen, I was too naive." Zhao Jintao blushed again.

"Vice Governor Zhou is a good leader, and as family members, we can't hold him back. Making the prosthesis is a matter of our friendship with Dean Zhou Wenhui and Dean Luo, and has nothing to do with Vice Governor Zhou. I'll ask Tang Ping for the missing materials."

"Master, thank you. I didn't mention the necessary materials to Uncle Zhou because I was afraid he would abuse his power out of love for his son, which would give others something to talk about."

"Yes, that's right. Alright, your teacher's wife should have finished cooking by now, let's go back and eat."