60s: I have a store

Chapter 651 Demonstration
After eating and drinking their fill, everyone in the research lab put down their bowls and chopsticks, their faces showing satisfaction, but their eyes still held a trace of undiminished focus.

Xiao Zhang wiped his mouth and stood up first: "There are still a few details in my circuit diagram that are not fully marked. I can go back and complete them after I finish eating."

Xiao Li next to him nodded in agreement: "I also need to double-check the dimensions of my folding structure, just in case something goes wrong tomorrow."

In a short time, several people expressed their desire to return to the research lab to finish the remaining tasks.

"Hey, everyone sit down." Li Chongguang quickly waved his hand, pressing everyone back to their seats.

"Everyone's been exhausted for three days, their eyelids are practically glued together, what's the point of all this?"

He pointed to the completely dark sky outside the window, "There's no rush to finish this. We can do it tomorrow when we're well-rested and more efficient."

Zhou Yimin chimed in, "Section Chief Li is right. Look, Xiao Zhang's eyes are bloodshot, and Xiao Li's hands are trembling slightly. If they force themselves to work now and make a mistake, all their previous efforts will be wasted."

He picked up an empty bowl from the table and tapped it lightly. “In research and development, we value precision, not just physical exertion and waiting. One more night won’t make a difference. Everyone should go back and get a good night’s sleep so we can be in the best condition to finish the work tomorrow.”

The crowd looked at each other, all understanding that Li Chongguang and Zhou Yimin genuinely cared for them.

For the past three days, everyone had been on edge, their nerves constantly on edge. But after being persuaded like this, that tension eased, and a wave of fatigue washed over them. The thought of working that they had just had faded away.

"Well... okay then." Xiao Zhang yawned, his voice filled with weariness.

"I'm really struggling to stay awake. I almost fell asleep while eating just now."

"Me too, my arms and legs feel like they don't belong to me anymore," another researcher said with a wry smile, rubbing his shoulder.

Without arguing too much, everyone cleaned up their dishes and said goodbye to Zhou Yimin and Li Chongguang.

"Section Chief Zhou, Section Chief Li, we'll head back now and come back first thing tomorrow morning."

"Drive carefully and be safe on the road." Zhou Yimin and Li Chongguang waved with smiles.

Watching the crowd leave the cafeteria in twos and threes, heading home, Li Chongguang breathed a sigh of relief and said to Zhou Yimin, "You really have a way with things, otherwise these stubborn guys would have stayed up until the wee hours tonight."

Zhou Yimin smiled and said, "They want to do things well, but they also need to balance work and rest. Alright, let's go."

They knew that once everyone was well-rested and ready, the final work on the small dryer would be completed smoothly the next day.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Li Chongguang hurriedly rode his bicycle to the factory.

There were very few pedestrians on the road, only the steam rising from the breakfast stalls wafting in the cool air.

He was preoccupied with finishing up the small dryer, pedaling with more force than usual, thinking, "I need to get there early today to finalize those details."

But when he pushed open the door to the research lab, he froze in place. The lab was already bustling with activity, the glow of the desk lamps shining brightly in the morning light.

Xiao Zhang was lying on the table, carefully marking something with a red pen on a circuit diagram, the pen tip making a soft rustling sound as it glided across the paper.

Xiao Li and two colleagues stood around the prototype, holding rulers and measuring the gaps at the folds, occasionally exchanging a few words in hushed tones.

Old Wang squatted on the ground, putting insulation tubes on the wires, his movements quick and careful.

"You... arrived so early?" Li Chongguang asked in surprise. He had thought he would be the first to arrive, but he turned out to be the last.

Xiao Zhang looked up, his face showing a hint of fatigue but unable to hide his excitement: "Section Chief Li, you're here. We're thinking of finishing the rest of the work as soon as possible, and trying to get the prototype fully up to standard by this morning."

He pointed to the markings on the blueprints, "I've raised the safety threshold of the circuit a bit more to ensure it's foolproof."

A warm feeling washed over Li Chongguang. He quickly walked to the prototype and, seeing everyone busy at work, rolled up his sleeves and joined in.

He picked up a screwdriver, tightened the loose screws on the casing, and checked the sensitivity of the temperature control knob again to ensure that the temperature of each setting was accurate.

The research lab was quiet and orderly, with only the soft clatter of tools and occasional whispers.

Everyone was focused on their work, as if they were pouring all their energy into this small dryer.

Sunlight streamed through the window, gradually climbing onto the tabletop and illuminating the earnest expressions on everyone's faces.

Just then, Li Chongguang glanced at the wall clock; the hour hand was pointing to eight o'clock.

He suddenly remembered something, stopped what he was doing, and said to everyone, "You all keep going, I'm going to Director Hu's office to tell him the good news."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and Xiao Zhang said with a smile, "Section Chief Li, go ahead, Director Hu is definitely waiting."

Li Chongguang wiped the oil off his hands, strode out of the research lab, and headed toward the office building.

His steps were light, his heart filled with joy and anticipation, as if he could already imagine the surprised expression on Director Hu's face when he heard the news.

Their hard work over the past few days has paid off; they have finally delivered a satisfactory result.

Li Chongguang jogged all the way and soon arrived at the door of Director Hu's office.

He straightened his slightly disheveled clothes, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.

"Please come in," came Director Hu's steady voice from inside the office.

Li Chongguang pushed open the door, his face beaming with an undisguised smile. He strode to Director Hu's desk, his voice urgent and excited: "Director Hu, great news! Our prototype small dryer is finished! All tests have passed!"

Factory Director Hu was reviewing documents when he heard this. His pen stopped abruptly, and he looked up at Li Chongguang in surprise: "What? It's done?"

His face was full of disbelief. You see, the previous two developments of solar water heaters and air fryers took a lot of time, but this time it was so fast.

"Yes, Director Hu, we basically finished it yesterday, and everyone completed the finishing touches this morning. Now the prototype's performance is very stable," Li Chongguang said excitedly, speaking much faster than usual.

Factory Director Hu put down his pen, stood up, and a delighted smile appeared on his face: "Good lads, you guys are really fast this time, much faster than the previous two times!"

He paced around the office, unable to contain his excitement, then looked at Li Chongguang and said urgently, "What are you waiting for? Take me to see him right now!"

Li Chongguang then realized that Director Hu was even more anxious than he was, and quickly replied, "Okay, Director Hu, please come with me."

With that, Li Chongguang turned around and led the way, with Director Hu following closely behind. The two of them walked quickly toward the research lab.

Along the way, Director Hu kept asking Li Chongguang about the details of the prototype: "How is the heating speed? Is it easy to fold?"

Li Chongguang answered each question quickly.

Soon, the two arrived at the research lab.

Everyone in the research lab was engrossed in their final checks when they heard footsteps. They looked up and saw Director Hu approaching. They all stopped what they were doing, stood up, and greeted him respectfully, "Hello, Director Hu!" Director Hu smiled and waved his hand, "You've all worked hard. Don't be so polite. Let me see your results."

His gaze was already fixed on the small dryer prototype in the center of the research lab.

The small, silver-gray dryer sat on the long table, its exterior smooth and shiny. The nylon connecting straps at the folds looked sturdy yet flexible, and the three knobs on the control panel were neatly arranged, exuding a sense of refinement.

Factory Director Hu stepped forward, reached out and touched the outer casing. The cool touch had a metallic feel. He turned to look at everyone, his eyes full of anticipation: "Quick, demonstrate it to me and see how it works."

The group exchanged glances, waiting for Li Chongguang to speak.

Just then, Xiao Zhang, who was in charge of the circuit, stepped forward. He was usually bold, and now he looked at Director Hu with shining eyes: "Director Hu, may I borrow your coat for a moment?"

Factory Director Hu paused for a moment, then looked down at his dark blue khaki coat, a new uniform he had just received a few days ago. It was made of thick material with fine stitching.

Although he found it a little strange, he didn't think much of it, assuming that he needed a piece of clothing as a prop for the demonstration. So he readily unbuttoned his coat, took it off, and handed it to Xiao Zhang: "Take this and use it."

Xiao Zhang took the coat, said "Thank you, Director Hu," and quickly walked out of the research lab.

This left Director Hu somewhat bewildered.

He watched Xiao Zhang's figure disappear through the door, then looked at the only old cotton coat he had left, and a sense of unease rose in his heart.

Although he still has a cotton coat to wear, the one he just took off is brand new. What is Xiao Zhang going to do with it?

It couldn't be... He was just about to ask Li Chongguang.

Li Chongguang noticed his confusion and quickly stepped forward to explain, "Director Hu, don't worry. Xiao Zhang did this to demonstrate the dryer's effect using your cotton-padded coat, which is more intuitive."

Upon hearing this, Director Hu swallowed back the words that were already on the tip of his tongue.

He frowned slightly, a bad feeling creeping into his heart, but since he had already said it, he couldn't go back on his word. He could only patiently watch the doorway and wait for Xiao Zhang to return.

Less than two minutes later, Xiao Zhang came in with the dark blue coat.

The coat was now completely different; the once crisp fabric was now wet and dripping water, clearly indicating that it had been soaked in water.

When Director Hu saw this scene, his lips twitched with heartache.

He stared at the soaking wet new coat, cursing Xiao Zhang a hundred times in his mind. "This kid, if you're going to demonstrate, why did you have to get your clothes so wet?"
This new clothing is probably going to lose its shape after being soaked like this!

He secretly regretted it; if he had known Xiao Zhang was going to make such a fuss, he would never have lent him this new outfit.

The research lab was quiet. Everyone could see the pain on Director Hu's face, and even his breathing became softer.

Xiao Zhang seemed oblivious, quickly walked to the dryer, opened the top cover, carefully put the wet clothes inside, closed the cover, and pressed the "medium temperature" button.

With a soft hum, the dryer started running, and warm air quickly flowed out of the vent.

Factory Director Hu looked at the buzzing machine, then at his new coat that was "suffering" inside, and could only sigh helplessly and give up.

As long as the dryer works well, one piece of clothing is nothing.

With a soft hum, the dryer started running, and warm air quickly flowed out of the vent.

Factory Director Hu looked at the buzzing machine, then at his new coat that was "suffering" inside, and could only sigh helplessly—oh well, as long as this dryer works, one piece of clothing is nothing.

Standing next to the dryer, Xiao Zhang stared intently at the temperature pointer on the control panel, explaining to Director Hu, "Director Hu, look, it's set to the medium temperature setting, at 55 degrees Celsius. This temperature will dry the clothes quickly without damaging the fabric."

He pointed to the air vent on the side of the machine: "There is a filter here that can filter out lint and dust from clothes, so the clothes will be cleaner after drying."

Director Hu's gaze fell on the observation window of the dryer, where he could vaguely see the cotton clothes inside swaying gently with the airflow.

He was still thinking about his new clothes and couldn't help but ask, "How long will it take to dry?"

“Your cotton coat is thick, it will probably take about 40 minutes,” Xiao Zhang said, picking up a stopwatch from the side and pressing the button.

"I'll time it for you and make sure it's ready on time."

Time passed by, and the research lab was so quiet that only the faint sound of the dryer running could be heard.

Li Chongguang stood next to Factory Director Hu, occasionally exchanging a few words in hushed tones about their ideas for subsequent production.

Director Hu would glance at the stopwatch and then at the dryer from time to time, his heartache gradually replaced by curiosity—could this little machine really dry a soaked cotton coat until it was fluffy and dry?

Twenty minutes later, Xiao Zhang opened the vent of the dryer, and a stream of hot, humid air rushed out.

He leaned closer to smell it, nodded, and said, "The humidity has dropped quite a bit, so the air circulation seems to be quite smooth."

He then closed the vent again, saying, "Let it dry for a while longer, so the inner layer is completely dry too."

Director Hu looked at the cotton-padded coat in the observation window. The fabric, which had been tightly pressed together, seemed to slowly unfold and was no longer as heavy as when it was first put in.

He quietly reached out and touched the outer casing of the dryer. It was only slightly warm, not hot to the touch. He nodded to himself, thinking that the safety features were quite good.

When the stopwatch showed 40 minutes, Xiao Zhang pressed the stop button.

The machine's humming stopped abruptly. He waited for about ten seconds to let the heat dissipate slightly before slowly pulling open the lid.

A warm, sun-like aura immediately filled the air. He carefully took the cotton coat out from inside and shook it.

The once damp and heavy cotton coat now appears light and fluffy, the dark blue fabric has regained its crispness, and even the wrinkles at the hem have smoothed out.

Xiao Zhang handed the cotton-padded coat to Factory Director Hu: "Factory Director Hu, please check if it's completely dry."

Factory Director Hu took the cotton coat. It was warm and dry to the touch. He touched it over and over and found that there was not a trace of dampness inside or out. Even the thickest cuffs and collar were perfectly dried.

He sniffed it again; there was no musty smell, but rather a faint, dry aroma. His earlier distress vanished instantly, replaced by delight: "Wow, it really is this dry! It hasn't deformed at all, it's even more comfortable than sun-dried ones!"

Xiao Zhang smiled smugly: "That's because we use constant temperature technology, which prevents localized overheating and thus protects the shape of the clothing. And you see,"

He pointed to the surface of the cotton coat: "There's not a single lint; the filter is working."

Everyone smiled with relief as they looked at the dry cotton-padded coat in Director Hu's hands, not expecting it to be so effective.

(End of this chapter)