I started with a ship full of max-level veterans, and I'm just a complete noob.

When Wu Hanzhang heard Jiang Ming's arrogant conditions, he was stunned for a moment, and then burst into laughter.

"Good lad! You've got guts!"

Wu Hanzhang slammed his hand on the desk, making the enamel teacup on it clang loudly.

"If you can get this batch of military-grade vacuum tubes out of me, I'll give you everything, not just Workshop One, but even my old bones for firewood!"

"Starting tomorrow, Workshop No. 1 will be completely sealed off and designated as a top-secret trial production area!"

"Wherever you point, we old bones will fight!"

Jiang Ming nodded in satisfaction. (✧◡✧)

The two quickly finalized the list of personnel to be stationed in the top-secret workshop the next day and the details of equipment allocation.

As evening approached, the announcement for the end of the workday rang out on time over the factory area.

Jiang Ming changed out of his baggy blue canvas work clothes, washed his face, and walked out of the red brick office building with light steps.

As soon as I stepped outside the dilapidated iron gate of the Third Electronics Factory, the biting cold wind of early winter in Beijing hit me.

Jiang Ming tightened his faded old suit jacket as he prepared to return to his single dormitory.

Suddenly, he saw a familiar young figure standing under the streetlight.

The man, dressed in a crisp gray Zhongshan suit, was pushing a slightly worn Flying Pigeon bicycle and standing in the wind, vigorously rubbing his frozen hands.

Chen Zhiyuan!

Jiang Ming's eyes lit up, and he quickly went to meet him.

"Old Jiang!"

When Chen Zhiyuan saw Jiang Ming come out, he waved excitedly and quickly walked over, pushing his bicycle.

"What are you doing here?"

Jiang Ming laughed and punched him on the shoulder.

"Enough talk, get in the car!"

Chen Zhiyuan patted the back seat of the bicycle with a hearty gesture.

"Dude, I got a little stipend today, I'll treat you to something nice!"

Jiang Ming didn't stand on ceremony and nimbly climbed onto the back seat.

A dozen minutes later, the two arrived at a state-run restaurant not far from the factory.

As soon as you enter, you are greeted by a warm feeling from the room.

"Comrade, give me two jin of hand-cut mutton, a plate of frozen tofu, half a jin of Chinese cabbage, and two bottles of Red Star Erguotou!"

Chen Zhiyuan skillfully slapped the grain coupons and meat coupons onto the counter.

The two found a corner to sit in.

The waiter quickly brought over an old-fashioned copper pot, with crackling charcoal burning inside.

Boiling water bubbled with white foam, and fresh, hand-cut mutton emitted an enticing aroma.

Chen Zhiyuan boldly unscrewed the cap of the Erguotou bottle and poured a full glass for each of them.

"Old Jiang, you're quite the celebrity in our circle of returned overseas scholars now!"

Chen Zhiyuan picked up a large chopstick of mutton and stuffed it into his mouth, panting as it burned, and mumbled incoherently.

"You absolutely refuse to go to the Advanced Mechanical Engineering Institute; you insist on going to the grassroots level."

"They managed to clean up the mess left by the Soviet experts in just a few days!"

"Now, who doesn't give a thumbs up when they mention you, Jiang Ming?"

Jiang Ming skillfully picked up a slice of bright red mutton with his chopsticks and quickly dipped it a few times in the boiling broth.

The mutton instantly changed color and curled up.

He precisely dipped his finger in sesame sauce and chive blossom sauce, then stuffed it into his mouth in one bite.

"They were all forced into it."

Jiang Ming picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and casually waved his hand.

"If I don't do it, the factory's production quota will be canceled." (￣ー￣)

Chen Zhiyuan looked at Jiang Ming intently.

There was not a trace of superiority in his eyes as a senior researcher at the academy; there was only pure admiration.

"I could tell on the ship that you're much better at what you've got than us bookworms."

Chen Zhiyuan sighed with emotion.

"You've chosen the right path to save the nation through industry."

Jiang Ming felt a warmth in his heart.

In an era that values ​​education and background, Chen Zhiyuan's unadulterated recognition is all the more precious.

"I heard that Xu Chongwen spends all his time writing reports at the aerodynamics center, but he can't even get his hands on the core equipment. He's so angry he's practically spitting out his nose."

Chen Zhiyuan laughed gleefully.

Jiang Ming also burst into laughter.

After laughing, Jiang Ming picked up a peanut and put it in his mouth, looking at Chen Zhiyuan with a puzzled expression.

"By the way, Lao Chen, your key research institute offers such good benefits, what brings you to this desolate place like here today?"

Chen Zhiyuan put down his wine glass, and the smile on his face quickly faded.

"I'm being transferred."

Chen Zhiyuan said calmly.

"The institute received a top-secret order to relocate the entire unit to the Northwest. The train leaves early tomorrow morning."

Jiang Ming was completely stunned. (°Д°)

The Great Northwest?

This is Northwest China in the 1950s!

Without the high-speed rail and flights of later generations, if you went to that vast, sandy Gobi Desert, you might not be able to return for several years.

No wonder this guy came all this way today; it turns out he came specifically to say goodbye.

"The conditions are so harsh, can you handle it?"

Jiang Ming stared intently into Chen Zhiyuan's eyes.

"What's so unbearable about it!"

Chen Zhiyuan slammed his hand on the table with a flourish, making the wine glasses on the table vibrate loudly.

"Wherever the country needs us to take root, that's where we will sprout!"

"Isn't this what we came back from across the ocean on the President Cleveland?"

Jiang Ming looked at Chen Zhiyuan's young face, which was full of idealism, and felt a surge of shock.

These are the purest intellectuals of our time.

There was no scheming, no retreat, only a burning patriotic fervor.

"To you!"

Jiang Ming picked up his wine glass and clinked it forcefully with Chen Zhiyuan's.

The wine sloshed violently, spilling a few drops onto the table.

The two drank it all in one gulp.

After a few rounds of drinks, both of them had flushed faces.

Chen Zhiyuan suddenly put down his chopsticks and looked around mysteriously.

He unbuttoned his Zhongshan suit and carefully took out a package wrapped tightly in oil paper from the innermost pocket.

"Old Jiang, here you go."

Chen Zhiyuan solemnly pushed the oil paper package in front of Jiang Ming.

"What is it?"

Jiang Ming opened the oil paper with a puzzled look.

Inside was a thick, hard copy.

The edges were frayed, and the paper was covered with neatly handwritten Russian and Chinese text in pen.

Even next to some obscure microwave frequency band parameters, there are carefully drawn simple diagrams to aid understanding.

The notebook still carried the lingering warmth of Chen Zhiyuan's body.

"This is a dictionary of the latest Soviet internal communication terminology and vacuum tube parameters that I asked an acquaintance at the Beijing Library to copy out by hand over three sleepless nights."

Chen Zhiyuan looked at Jiang Ming intently.

Jiang Ming was completely stunned.

Chen Zhiyuan scratched his head and smiled somewhat embarrassedly.

"I know your foundation is weak, and your Russian is even worse."

"You're now in a leading position at the electronics factory, and you'll definitely be dealing with a lot of Soviet technology files in the future."

"The Soviets were very tight-lipped about communication technology; these internal terms can't be found in any commercial dictionary."

"There's not much I can do to help you, but keep this dictionary with you. If you encounter any parameters you don't understand, just look them up. It'll definitely come in handy."

Jiang Ming held the thick notebook, his fingertips clearly feeling the roughness of the paper.

Three long nights.

Hundreds of thousands of words of dry technical jargon.

In an era when even photocopiers didn't exist, this was copied word by word!

And it also carries enormous political risks!

Jiang Ming felt a tightness in his throat and a warm current surged in his chest.

In this unfamiliar era, apart from Qian Xuesen's towering support, he felt the sincere bond from his peers for the first time.

"Thanks, Lao Chen."

Jiang Ming solemnly put the notebook into his pocket.

"I'll remember this favor."

"If you encounter any technical difficulties in the Northwest in the future, write to me."

Just as Jiang Ming carefully placed the notebook close to his body...

A clear buzzing sound suddenly came from the depths of his mind.

【Ding! 】

The system's cold, mechanical voice now sounded strangely rhythmic.

[System notification: The level of real-world trust with Chen Zhiyuan has been deepened.]

[Current Trust Level: Closest Friend!]

[Host, please note that genuine connections are also an indispensable foundation for the future.]

The trajectory of science lies not only in tracing back to the past, but also in moving forward side-by-side with others.

Jiang Ming's lips curled up in a smile.

This cheat is actually quite humane.

With this dictionary of terms, he would have a perfect cover for using his advanced psychic knowledge in the future.

If anyone dares to question it, he will say that it was derived from this internal dictionary.

The two drank until the restaurant closed.

In the biting cold wind, Chen Zhiyuan pushed his bicycle and waved casually to Jiang Ming.

"Old Jiang! He's gone!"

"Let's meet at the summit!"

Jiang Ming stood there, watching that slender yet determined figure disappear into the night, and clenched his fist tightly.

He turned around and looked at the tall red brick chimneys of the Third Electronics Factory in the distance.

With Wu Hanzhang's delegation of authority, Lao Sun's fitter skills, and now Chen Zhiyuan's hardcore terminology dictionary, things have taken a turn for the better.

It's time to take on that crucial military project.