The Grandmother in the Siheyuan

Chapter 437 Fancy Skills
Yang Di laughed and said, "This is the state of the teacher right now. As long as you get a research project approved, you never have to worry about funding. Other laboratories in our school are so envious of us that they're green with envy."

Is it really that exaggerated?

“It’s even more outrageous than that,” Yang Di said smugly. “I have a classmate who took the entrance exam for another professor’s graduate program. He’s in a pitiful state now, barely getting to do an experiment once a month. Who knows when he’ll graduate.”

“Things will get better and better. Haven’t you noticed that the funding allocated to us has increased slightly in the last two years?” Liu Hua comforted him. “And these past few years, I’ve taken you with me when I meet with those entrepreneurs. Do you know why?”

Speaking of this, Yang Di felt a lot of grievances to express: "Teacher, I have to say something about this. In the future, if there are such social events, could you please not take me with you? I am not used to drinking and exchanging toasts with them."

"No way." Liu Hua chuckled and shook his head in refusal: "I've been training each of your fellow students, including you, to be academic leaders. To be a qualified academic leader, you need to be able to lead the way in tackling difficult problems, and you also need to be able to deal with people."

Liu Hua smiled and said, "Do you think that to become a qualified leader, you just need to focus on research? Whether you don't have money now or you will in the future, as a discipline leader, you have to learn to make the most of limited resources and get them into your own hands."

Yang Di frowned: "Teacher, isn't this a bit selfish?"

"Do you want your research to yield results? Theoretically speaking, the more abundant the resources, the easier it is to achieve results." Liu Hua countered, "When you are a leader in your field, do you think it's more important for you to produce results, or for others to produce results?"

"Of course, it's more important for me to produce results myself."

To be fair, Emperor Yang's ability to comprehend things was first-rate. After Liu Hua's guidance, he immediately became completely transformed.

Liu Hua never expected that his casual suggestion would pave the way for another academic giant in the semiconductor field. This guy might be attracting resources, making others furious with him.

Liu Hua saw Ma Shan again in the laboratory at Tsinghua University. He's been appearing in the news a lot lately, and Liu Hua is getting tired of it.

"Why are you showing up again?" Liu Hua asked curiously. "Don't you have a job? Are you just loafing around all day?"

"We're inviting you to witness something big!" Ma Shan said happily, "Your engine has already been installed on the plane?"

Liu Hua shook his head: "Impossible. It's only been tested for a short time. That plane is going to take off. An unstable engine could be fatal."

"Don't you know your own capabilities?" Ma Shan laughed heartily. "The engine you designed is just too stable. The person in charge of testing always feels like he's the one who's broken. Otherwise, an engine couldn't possibly be without any problems."

"That doesn't conform to dialectics. No matter how perfect my engine is, it will always have problems."

Ma Shan nodded: "That's true, but in the various simulated tests so far, there hasn't been a single problem. That's why our superiors decided to install it on the aircraft first and then test it in actual combat."

"I'm truly flattered. The leader trusts me so much tonight," Liu Hua said with a smile. "I really have to go and watch the ceremony. Where is it flying?"

"Where else could it be? Western Sichuan, of course. That's a third-tier region, and Sichuan Aircraft Industry Group is in charge of the aircraft there."

Liu Hua had never been to western Sichuan before. He flew there a few days in advance to take the opportunity to explore the area.

Qingcheng Mountain is known for its tranquility, while Emei Mountain is known for its beauty.

Liu Hua wandered through the streets and alleys of Chengdu. In his previous life, he had heard people say that the true flavors of western Sichuan were hidden in the small, unassuming restaurants tucked away in the back alleys. If Ma Shan hadn't called him, he would have wanted to eat more, and he would have completely forgotten about the test flight.

Inside the airport's control tower, Ma Shan, Liu Hua, and various other command personnel were present, along with four other top-level pilots who had also received training on the new aircraft and were observing the operation on-site. This served two purposes: to gain experience and to offer suggestions at crucial moments.

Watching the yellow-painted plane slowly taxi on the runway, Liu Hua smiled and nodded: "It's really beautiful, much more beautiful than the planes we've seen before."

“The previous planes were beautiful too,” Ma Shan said with dissatisfaction. “But the next plane will definitely be even more beautiful.”

Liu Hua chuckled: "You're quite arrogant. What I mean is, our aircraft have now abandoned the Russian aesthetic and said goodbye to that clumsy, big, and rough heavy industrial style."

“That’s absolutely true,” Ma Shan agreed. “Our air force should be flying the coolest fighter jets in the blue skies of our motherland.”

While the two of them chatted, the others were not idle. They were focused on all the data and communicated with the pilot from time to time.

One of the air traffic controllers laughed and said, "This plane doesn't look new at all."

Someone nearby asked, "Why doesn't it look new? It's clearly a new plane from Sichuan Aircraft Industry Group."

“I’ve been working for so many years,” the tower controller shook his head. “I’ve participated in the test flights of new aircraft several times, but none of them have been this stable, especially the engine parameters. It’s supposed to be a new engine, but it’s so stable it doesn’t seem real.”

Ma Shan nudged Liu Hua with his shoulder mischievously: "They praised you, aren't you going to say something modest?"

"My strength speaks for itself." Liu Hua shook his head. "I want to be humble, but my strength won't allow it."

"Virtue."

After the test pilots came down, they praised the engine highly, making everyone at Sichuan Aircraft Industry Group (Sichuan Aircraft Industry Group) jealous.

At the scene, the chief engineer of Sichuan Aircraft Industry Group (Sichuan Aircraft) held Liu Hua's hand and said, "Engineer Liu, we at Sichuan Aircraft have been working day and night for many years, and in the end, all the praise is given to you. I am so ashamed."

"You're too kind, your plane is also very beautiful."

The chief engineer of Sichuan Aircraft Industry Group said with a mix of laughter and tears, "We've worked so hard, expending countless manpower and resources, and all we got in return was the word 'beautiful.' How am I supposed to face the employees of Sichuan Aircraft Industry Group when I get back?"

The test flight project took a long time. At that time, the internet was not very developed, and very few people in China knew that our new aircraft had already been test-flown. If this had happened thirty years later, it would probably have been posted on the internet by now.

Before leaving, Liu Hua and Ma Shan took a walk and chatted at the base. Ma Shan sighed and said, "It means that our new aircraft is a done deal, but it is still a generation behind the new aircraft of the great Americans. This generation gap cannot be made up for by quantity. We are still lagging behind and will still be beaten."

Liu Hua shook his head: "You're just stubborn. Aircraft development isn't something that can be done overnight. If you can't beat the big Americans, why don't you try some tricks in other areas?"

(End of this chapter)