The Grandmother in the Siheyuan

Chapter 494: Waist
The cutter suction dredger project has been officially approved. The application was jointly drafted by Liu Hua and Jiangnan Shipyard, which carries significant weight.

Because this project is not only for dredging waterways, but also for land reclamation, it has attracted considerable attention and involved discussions from all sides.

Liu Hua has been at the Jiangnan Shipyard for a week, and his application has been submitted for four days without any response, which is very unusual.

In the past, whenever Liu Hua signed an application, the response was very quick, usually within one or two days. However, this time, four days have passed without a single response, which indicates that this matter is indeed very serious.

Liu Hua roughly guessed the reason: there was no clear international announcement regarding land reclamation, and most importantly, the whole world was full of hostility towards us.

If our country were to continue land reclamation in the South China Sea, it would inevitably provoke attacks from the Western bloc led by the United States. Therefore, we need to consider this carefully.

When Liu Hua returned to Beijing, relevant leaders specifically asked to speak with him.

"Engineer Liu, we feel that the application you and Factory Director Jiang Nan jointly submitted this time is very useful, but..."

“But we are in a dilemma,” Liu Hua said with a smile. “Because there are some disputes over our maritime borders, if we were to reclaim land from the sea under the current circumstances, it would inevitably cause some disharmony.”

"Ah, that's more accurate."

Liu Hua smiled mysteriously: "Leaders, you only need to consider one thing."

"what's up?"

“Having a sword but not using it is a different matter from having no sword at all.” Liu Hua nodded. “Think about it carefully. The problem of the sea frontier must be solved. Most importantly, if we want to control such a large sea frontier, we definitely need to establish bases on some relatively large islands. We can’t rely solely on aircraft carriers.”

"understood."

The project application was approved quickly, and the country invested a large sum of money. Now our economic situation has greatly improved, and we are no longer poor. The country is willing to invest in key projects, let alone strategic projects such as land reclamation, which are related to future maritime issues.

Liu Hua led a team from Taiyi New Energy, Taiyi Heavy Industry, and Dijun Company to jointly develop a new all-electric propulsion system, including a miniature thorium-based molten salt reactor.

After assigning tasks, Liu Hua sat in his office drinking tea and thinking. Before he knew it, he was thinking about Kuang Kuang's confrontation with the building. It had only been almost a year, and he felt excited just thinking about it.

Liu Hua muttered to himself without realizing it, "There's only one year left, I'm really looking forward to it."

"Boss, what? There's only one year left?"

Liu Hua then realized that it was his secretary who had come in. He knocked on the door, but Liu Hua didn't hear him.

"Nothing, just talking to myself. There's a technology that might be close to a breakthrough."

The secretary said "oh" and took out an application form from her folder.

"Boss, a group of researchers at his new house have submitted an application to study carbon nanotubes and nanocomposite materials."

Liu Hua took the application with great interest: "Very interesting. Researching carbon nanotubes and composite nanomaterials—these are cutting-edge technologies, and our factory has no precedent for them." "Should I send the application back?"

Liu Hua waved his hand: "Why send it back? We are a high-tech company. Of course we should encourage research groups that take the initiative to apply for high-tech research. We should not only agree, but also give special approval to their future applications and try our best to meet all their needs. You should go there in person and tell them that I am very concerned about this project. If there are any difficulties, ask them to come directly to my office and I will discuss them with them."

The secretary secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Since he became Liu Hua's secretary, he had never seen any researcher have the honor of entering Liu Hua's office to discuss the project. This showed that Liu Hua actually valued this project very much and could not afford to offend him.

Seeing his secretary's unpredictable expression, Liu Hua knew the guy was overthinking things. There was nothing he could do; those in administration were more prone to overthinking than those in research.

What are you thinking about?

The secretary quickly composed herself: "No, I feel like you're particularly focused on this project. You've never said before that researchers could come to your office to discuss issues."

"They are studying basic materials, which are the foundation of all science and technology. Every small step forward in basic materials is a giant leap forward in applied science, you know?"

"I didn't know before, but now that you've pointed it out, I do."

The funding approved by Liu Hua was 30 million yuan in the first phase. The research team was stunned when they applied for it. The boss really had high hopes for them.

The secretary smiled and said, "The boss attaches great importance to your project, which is why he approved so much funding for you. He also said that if you have any questions or encounter any difficulties, you can go to his office to discuss them with him. This is the first time such a benefit has been offered in our company, so you must seize this opportunity."

The research team began to feel uneasy. Their boss had placed high hopes on them, and they all felt that if the research failed, it would be a tremendous sin.

"Don't feel pressured; basic materials research is inherently the most difficult."

The secretary went back and did some research, understanding the difficulties involved, so she offered words of comfort.

“Our boss used to research basic materials, so he naturally knows the difficulties involved. He is very pleased that you are able to target the most advanced materials research in the world. So there’s no rush. Take your time. It doesn’t matter if we are a little slower than foreign countries. We are already lagging behind, so we are not afraid of falling behind a little more. As long as we can catch up, that’s fine.”

When the factory manager of Taiyi New Materials saw Liu Hua's secretary, he walked over with some concern: "Secretary Zhang, I was just about to look for you."

"What's wrong, Director Zhou? You don't seem to be feeling well."

Factory Director Zhou shook his head: "I just received the news from the distributors at Toray Industries. Toray Chemicals is massively reducing the price of their carbon fiber materials. The price reduction is unprecedented, basically a 50% discount."

Secretary Zhang was taken aback: "That shouldn't be the case. Aren't they all about profit? Why are they suddenly lowering prices so much?"

"There's nothing we can do. We've gone too far in the last year or two," Director Zhou said with a wry smile. "We've taken almost a 10% share of Toyo's market, and Toray Chemical is getting anxious."

Factory Director Zhou smiled and said, "Actually, anyone would be anxious. If it were me, I would react even more strongly than Toray Chemical."

Secretary Zhang nodded: "Let's go back and discuss this with the boss. This is such a big matter, I can't make the decision on my own."

(End of this chapter)