Governing the country, enriching the people, an unparalleled imperial tutor

Lin Yanzhou looked at the contents of his ring and thought: The Academy of Sciences project has come to a temporary end, the major events are settled, and now it's time to prepare some tools for Xuan Shuo. I'll go check on the progress with Haozi later.

The factory was located in an old industrial area on the outskirts of the city. It had red brick walls, a tin roof, and a brand-new sign above the entrance: "Xinda Agricultural Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd." The freshly poured cement floor in front of the entrance wasn't completely dry, and several stacks of old steel were piled up next to it, stained with a dark red rust after the rain. Haozi came out of the workshop upon hearing the sound of a vehicle. He was wearing faded work clothes, clutching a pair of calipers, and his face was covered in grease. "You're here just in time. The first prototype has just been assembled. Come and take a look."

The workshop looked bigger inside than it did outside. Several newly arrived machine tools hadn't been unpacked yet. A row of iron frames was welded in the corner, and a newly assembled seeder stood in the open space in the middle. It was iron gray, with a simple frame, even welds at the axles, and thick materials. It looked more stable than those flimsy ones on the market.

Haozi squatted down, clamped the vernier caliper at the connection between the axle and the frame, then loosened it. He stood up and turned the handwheel; the sound it made when turning was even and continuous, without any jamming. "The transmission is fine, and the welding is done. Tomorrow, we'll take it to those trial plots in the back. If it comes back without any loosening or cracking, we can send it for inspection and registration."

Lin Yanzhou walked around the prototype machine, bent down to look at the angle between the wheel track and the plow teeth: "Has the cutting depth been adjusted?"

"Adjusted. It's based on the dimensions on the blueprint, with a bit of leeway. If the test plowing finds it's too deep, we can reduce it by another inch." Haozi put the calipers back in his toolbox, glanced up at him, and said, "What have you been busy with these past few days? I heard you've met quite a few people."

"Running around aimlessly. Never idle."

Haozi didn't ask any further questions. He bent down again and tightened a screw at the bottom of the frame by half a turn with a wrench. When he straightened up, he patted the dust off his hands: "Okay. I'll call you after I test it tomorrow."

As Lin Yanzhou emerged from the factory, sunlight streamed through the gaps in the corrugated iron roof, casting parallel golden streaks across the workshop floor. He got into his car, and his phone beeped. It was a message from Xiaoya: "I've been back from Beijing for a while now. A classmate has arranged a get-together this weekend. Are you free to come with me?"

He replied with a "okay".

The gathering was held at a newly opened restaurant in the city center. The decor was sophisticated, with dim and warm lighting, white tablecloths on the tables, and the glasses and saucers were polished to a shine.

When Lin Yanzhou followed Xiaoya into the room, there were already seven or eight people sitting there, men and women, all dressed more formally than usual. Several cold dishes were laid out on the table, and the wine had already been opened.

Xiaoya led Lin Yanzhou to sit down next to the head of the table, her movements natural, and casually draped his coat over the back of her chair.

A man sat in the main seat, wearing a dark gray turtleneck sweater and a large metal watch with a matte beveled edge on his wrist.

He smiled when he saw Xiaoya sit down, then his gaze went over her shoulder and landed on Lin Yanzhou. His eyes lingered on him for a moment—black jacket, dark trousers, slight wear on the cuffs—before looking away, as if that pause was enough for him to make all his initial judgments.

"Xiaoya, is this the person you were talking about?" he said, picking up his teacup as if confirming something he already knew. "I heard he's in construction? That construction site?"

Lin Yanzhou sat down opposite him: "I used to work on construction sites, now I do something else."

"That's good too. Running around construction sites is tiring, but it's liberating." He put his teacup back on the table. "I've got a project listed at the research institute, providing support for a major national scientific research project. I can't go into the details yet, it's confidential." He chuckled as he said this, "Just know that it's a national-level project."

A female classmate in a floral dress immediately chimed in, "Zhou Ming, you're amazing! You managed to get into a project of this caliber. If there are any new developments, you'd better let us know in advance so we can benefit from it too."

As she spoke, she leaned slightly towards the person in the main seat, as if pulling herself closer to the table. Another man wearing glasses beside her chimed in, "Exactly. These days, getting involved in national-level projects takes real skill. People like us in ordinary industries can't even dream of getting involved."

The man in the turtleneck sweater named Zhou Ming waved his hand and said, "Keep it low-key, keep it low-key," but he couldn't suppress the smile in his eyes.

He took another sip of tea, then, as if remembering something, put down the cup and casually remarked, "Speaking of which... the Academy of Sciences recently produced a batch of new materials, supposedly made from mineral samples obtained through special channels. Although I wasn't directly involved in the analysis, I heard from my team that their structure is exceptionally stable and their high-temperature resistance surpasses that of all known coating materials currently on the market."

He tapped the table lightly with his fingertips. "Just think about it, if this material were used in spacecraft, the entire country's aerospace capabilities would leap forward. But this is all inside information."

As he spoke, his gaze subtly swept across the faces of the people at the table, as if waiting for confirmation. The girl in the floral dress immediately chimed in, "You even know this kind of news? Your project team is incredibly influential." The bespectacled man next to him nodded, indicating he understood.

Xiaoya picked up her teacup and took a sip, but didn't say anything. Lin Yanzhou sat next to her, also silent, quietly picking up a piece of cold dish with his chopsticks and putting it into his bowl.

Zhou Ming seemed to suddenly remember something, and changed the subject: "But then again, you can't rely on projects alone to do scientific research; you also need connections and resources. For projects of our caliber, one person can't carry them alone; you need a team and accumulated experience. I told Xiaoya before that if she's interested in this, she can hang out with us more often." As he said this, his gaze fell on Xiaoya's face, and his tone softened a bit.

A female classmate with chestnut-colored hair glanced at Xiaoya and asked, "Xiaoya, what exactly does your friend do now? He didn't elaborate earlier." Her tone was friendly, but her gaze lingered on a slight tear on Lin Yanzhou's cuff before shifting away. Then she turned to Zhou Ming, "Zhou Ming, your project team is so core. If you open it up for collaboration in the future, could you introduce some acquaintances you know to work on it together?"

Zhou Ming didn't agree directly, but just smiled and said, "Well, that depends on the project's progress. But if we have connections, we'll definitely give priority to acquaintances." As he spoke, he glanced at Lin Yanzhou out of the corner of his eye, "Those resources that run around construction sites really don't have anything to do with our project."

A moment of silence fell over the table. Some people lowered their heads to drink tea, while others pretended to spin the table's spinning wheel. Xiaoya placed her teacup back on the table: "What my husband is doing now is also very important. It's just not in the area you're discussing."

The word "husband" immediately established Lin Yanzhou's dominance. Zhou Ming smiled awkwardly, saying nothing. The smile didn't reach his eyes; only the corner of his mouth twitched.

Lin Yanzhou remained silent. He picked up a second mouthful of cold dish, chewed it, and then put down his chopsticks. Haozi, sitting diagonally opposite him, hadn't said much since earlier and was now also looking down at his food, not looking up at anyone, as if he were using a unique way of observing to confirm the direction of every social line in the room.

The girl in the floral dress spoke again, her tone even warmer than before: "Xiaoya, you don't usually hang out with everyone here, we all miss you. If you want a change of scenery, Zhou Ming definitely has connections." She glanced at Zhou Ming, "Right?"

Zhou Ming's lips twitched slightly: "There are ways, but it depends on the people involved."

His gaze never fell on Lin Yanzhou as he spoke. Others on the table started talking again, their voices rising in volume. The conversation ranged from the project to cars, housing prices, and which family's child attended which school.

Lin Yanzhou ate a few bites of food before finally asking, "Regarding this new ore, does the Academy of Sciences have a rule against disclosing it? Do we need to sign a confidentiality agreement? How can you so casually use it as something to brag about?"