The Grandmother in the Siheyuan

Chapter 335 Oath-Taking Ceremony
Another week passed, and instead of going to make hot pot broth, Sha Zhu sneaked up to Liu Hua's house and said mysteriously to Liu Hua, "Have you heard?"

"What did you hear? Look at you sneaking around like that." Liu Hua asked curiously, "What's wrong? Did your hotpot burn someone? You should pay compensation and make improvements. It's no use coming to me."

“My family’s hot pot restaurant is doing very well, making a fortune every day,” Sha Zhu said proudly. “There’s been a big incident at the steel rolling mill. Director Yang has been arrested, and many other cadres have also stepped down.”

"It was expected," Liu Hua said nonchalantly. "I heard he's made a complete mess of the steel rolling mill. Someone has to be held responsible, and he's the one who messed it up."

"But I heard that the investigation this time was conducted against Li Huaide," Sha Zhu asked in a low voice. "Do you think it's Li Huaide retaliating?"

"Li Huaide is the victor, what is he going to retaliate against?" Liu Hua said with a smile. "Li Huaide's current rank is many ranks higher than that of the man surnamed Yang. Besides, if that man surnamed Yang has nothing to hide, why would Li Huaide try to smear something on him?"

Sha Zhu nodded, then asked worriedly, "Do you think the investigation will trace it back to me?"

"You've been unemployed for years already," Liu Hua said irritably. "Besides, you were the cafeteria manager back then, what could you do?"

"I took care of all of Director Yang's meals and drinks."

"Unless you embezzled the steel mill's food allowance."

Sha Zhu shook his head: "If you're talking about me taking a little something, that's possible, but I don't have the guts to embezzle. If I dared to embezzle, I wouldn't have ended up selling wontons at a stall."

"Isn't that settled then? Li Huaide was the one who used you first. You helped that guy surnamed Yang with the food and drink arrangements. Didn't you also help Li Huaide with the food and drink arrangements? He can't possibly implicate himself, can he?"

"I was a little worried when I heard the news this morning, but I'm glad everything is alright."

Liu Hua smiled and said, "People are afraid of half of their own fears. You, Sha Zhu, may not be the most upright person, but at least you haven't gone too far astray. Just run your hot pot restaurant steadily, do business as usual, pay your taxes as usual. As long as you don't make anyone sick, you'll be fine."

Sha Zhu felt much more at ease, so he arranged to treat Liu Hua to hot pot. It just so happened that Liu Hua had been using his brain too much these past few days and didn't have much of an appetite, so he wanted to eat something spicy to whet his appetite.

Two days later, the Ministry of Industry notified Liu Hua to attend a mobilization meeting. The LNG carrier project had been officially approved, and a meeting was needed to boost morale.

Upon arriving at the scene, just by looking at the signs on the table, you could tell it was a huge event. Not to mention the two major oil companies, there were also Danian Shipyard, Jiangnan Shipyard, Shanghai Shipyard, as well as Shougang Group, Baosteel, and Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, among many other companies.

Liu Hua never expected that he would be seated on the rostrum. Although this was not the first time he had sat on the rostrum, it was the first time he had participated in a mobilization meeting for a major battle, so his status on the rostrum was self-evident.

Before the conference, as Liu Hua entered, the leader chatted with him for a few minutes. The leader smiled and said, "This is a project you started, so we can't let it become a failed project. The organization has arranged for you to be the deputy chief engineer. I know you're a jack-of-all-trades. Besides the materials and power units you're in charge of, you'll have to lend a hand if there are any problems in other areas." In order to successfully conquer this jewel of the shipbuilding industry, the Ministry of Industry invited a master, Yang You.

This is absolutely a genius. Born in Beijing in 2017, his ancestral home is Jurong, Jiangsu Province. He graduated from the Department of Shipbuilding at the University of Glasgow in 1940 with a first-class honors bachelor's degree. He devoted his life to the fields of ship design, ship technology and economics, and ship history research. He was a pioneer of ship design discipline in my country, the founder of shipbuilding engineering economic theory, and the foundation of Chinese ship history research.

He witnessed the entire process of my country's shipbuilding industry from scratch. The most impressive thing was that in the 1970s, he came into contact with computers and, at the age of 60, began to study computer-aided design for shipbuilding.

The father of our country's nuclear submarines, the father of the Jiaolong submersible, and the chief designer of our country's first aircraft carrier were all disciples of this old gentleman.

Mr. Yang served as the chief engineer for the LNG carrier project, but in reality, he only needed to be responsible for the planning. The overall coordination and practical work were handled by the deputy chief engineers, after all, he was already 72 years old this year.

Today, he is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Liu Hua almost became an academician as well, because he was the pioneer of China's semiconductor industry.

However, because he was too young and Professor Li was already ahead of him, Liu Hua withdrew from the list of candidates, and Professor Li took over as the academic member in the semiconductor industry.

The rally was a great success, with hundreds of people rolling up their sleeves and vowing to win the LNG carrier project.

Liu Hua was assigned the task of researching materials and power systems. As the person in charge of this area, he managed seven research laboratories and related technical personnel from two major steel mills and three major shipyards to overcome these two challenges.

After the main conference, smaller meetings are held where the chief engineer, the deputy chief engineer in charge of specific tasks, and administrative staff exchange ideas and share their thoughts.

Mr. Yang said to Liu Hua, "I heard that it was you, young man, who first proposed to take on the LNG carrier project. You have a strategic vision. This ship has huge potential for future applications and will play an immeasurable role in promoting my country's economic development. Moreover, as the pioneer of my country's semiconductor industry, you took the initiative to undertake the task of tackling key problems in materials and power equipment. I can only say that the younger generation is truly formidable."

“Mr. Yang, you flatter me.” Liu Hua smiled and said, “I was forced into this situation. Our Ministry of Industry leader asked me to make amends to him, and after thinking it over, I felt that this project was the most suitable.”

“Then I’ll have to ask our leaders to talk to you more often in the future.” Mr. Yang said with a smile, “Okay, let’s get back to the main topic and talk about your thoughts.”

Liu Hua took out two sketches and projected them onto the slides. Pointing to the drawings, he said, "Currently, the power plants of LNG carriers around the world use a dual-fuel boiler plus steam turbine propulsion system. Although this type of propulsion system is relatively stable, it also has its weaknesses. The heat utilization efficiency is too low, and the economic efficiency is also relatively poor."

Liu Hua paused for a moment and said, "Therefore, I believe that if our LNG carriers want to gain a foothold in the international market, they must have their own core technologies and have a clear advantage over dual-fuel boiler systems. Only in this way can we increase our competitiveness."

(End of this chapter)