The Grandmother in the Siheyuan

Chapter 542 Bridge Cables
Since the students had agreed, Liu Hua first took them to the Air Force to have them improve the Twin-tailed Scorpion, at least to find out what the Twin-tailed Scorpion looked like.

Ma Shan had already received orders and specially placed a Twin-Tailed Scorpion in a separate hangar for the five students to operate and learn about.

The appearance of the two-tailed scorpion was similar to that of modern airplanes, especially bombers, which amazed the students.

"Teacher, how did you come up with the idea to design such a shape?"

Liu Hua shook his head: "It must conform to scientific principles. First of all, it is different from manned bombers. It saves on the cockpit, allowing for a larger payload. The high aspect ratio can increase the lift, and the high-wing configuration can greatly improve stability."

Liu Hua went on and on, and the pens in the five students' hands were practically flying, sparks flying from the friction on the paper.

Five students spent a whole month in the hangar. Although it was a work from a few years ago, it was still very advanced for them. They had to understand it thoroughly before they could make improvements based on it.

During this month, Dijun Group also set up the laboratory for them.

"I'm handing over all the work to you. If you encounter any problems you can't solve, feel free to ask me," Liu Hua said with a smile. "Of course, I hope you won't need to ask me at all; that would mean you've truly mastered the craft."

Of course, Liu Hua wouldn't completely wash his hands of the matter; their daily work logs would be uploaded to his email, and Liu Hua would check them all.

In addition to checking their work logs, he also writes insightful suggestions, which helps these five children avoid many detours.

The Navy sent a representative to find Liu Hua.

"Academician Liu, you mentioned the aircraft carrier arresting gear to us before." The naval representative said with difficulty, "So we have been inquiring internationally and finally found out the US military's aircraft carrier arresting gear data, but now several state-owned lock factories in China are unable to produce it. I wonder if you can think of a solution."

"Although I own a steel company, I've never produced locks before," Liu Hua shook his head. "I have no experience in this area, nor have I researched it. Since state-owned enterprises aren't working, why not try private enterprises?"

The naval representative said with skepticism, "If even state-owned enterprises don't have the technical capabilities, how can private enterprises?"

“What kind of ancient history are you talking about? Actually, many private enterprises have outstanding technology.” Liu Hua shook his head and said, “Think about it, if their technology is not up to par, how can they survive in the market? They are not state-owned enterprises. State-owned enterprises have all kinds of subsidies. They rely entirely on themselves and can only win by technology.”

Liu Hua thought for a moment and said, "I remember there's a Juling Group in Baoding, right? They produce steel wire ropes. The market prospects are good, and their technology should be pretty good too."

The naval representative said with difficulty, "The key is that this matter must be kept secret. Our modification of the aircraft carrier is also a highly confidential matter."

Liu Hua smiled and said, "You underestimate the patriotism of our people. Don't think that just because it's not a state-owned enterprise, it doesn't know how to keep secrets. Besides, if you really have doubts, leave this matter to me. I will investigate in my own name."

"That couldn't be better."

The next day, the naval representative changed into civilian clothes and disguised himself as Liu Hua's bodyguard. He then followed Liu Hua to Juli Rigging in Baoding.

They met their boss, Yang Jianguo, without any trouble. Yang Jianguo naturally knew Liu Hua's name. They were somewhat involved in the steel industry.

As soon as the receptionist announced Academician Liu's visit, Yang Jianguo immediately came out in person. "Academician Liu, welcome, welcome!" Yang Jianguo said flatteringly, "It's an honor for our company to have you here. Welcome to our company to guide our work."

Yang Jianguo was accompanied by another person who looked young and inexperienced. Liu Hua vaguely remembered him; this guy seemed to be called Yang Zi, but he wasn't famous yet.

"I'm not here to give instructions; I'm here to seek your help," Liu Hua said with a smile. "We need a batch of rigging right now, and the technical standards are very high. I wonder if your company can handle it."

“If Academician Liu comes to inspect in person, the technical standards must be high.” Yang Jianguo said with a smile, “Last time when we went to my office, we chatted over tea and invited our technical engineer over as well. You can talk to him personally if you have anything to say.”

Upon arriving at Yang Jianguo's office, Yang Zi busied himself making tea and preparing fruit.

Yang Jianguo made a phone call and had a technical engineer come to his office. After exchanging pleasantries for a few minutes, Liu Hua handed the technical specifications to the engineer.

"Look, I've already contacted several state-owned enterprises, but none of them can produce it." Liu Hua pretended to be troubled and said, "This batch of locks is very important, and the technical specifications cannot be compromised in the slightest."

The engineer glanced at the technical specifications, scratched his head, looked at them again, and then looked at Yang Jianguo.

"Old Zhu, just say what you have to say, don't beat around the bush," Yang Jianguo said anxiously. "Academician Liu's matter is very important, we can't delay him. If you can do it, you can do it; if you can't, you can't. Even if the deal falls through, we can still be on good terms."

“It’s not a question of whether we can or not,” Chief Engineer Zhu said with difficulty. “The technical specifications that Academician Liu gave me are almost exactly the same as the technology we are currently working on.”

Liu Hua and the naval representative were both taken aback. After exchanging a glance, Liu Hua quickly pressed for an answer: "What technology are you working on? Why are you working on this technology?"

Yang Jianguo thought for a moment and then spoke frankly: "A big American company ordered this kind of rigging from us. They said they were going to build a bridge in China, but we had never actually worked with bridge cables with such high specifications before, so we are currently working on the technology."

Liu Hua looked at Chief Engineer Zhu and asked calmly, "So, how well have you mastered this technology?"

"It's still a little bit missing, but we can definitely take it down in six months."

Yang Jianguo looked at Liu Hua with delight: "Six months, I don't know if Academician Liu can wait. I dare not say anything else, but in terms of cables, our Juling Group has quite a lot of technical reserves. As long as you are willing, give us six months, and I guarantee you will not be disappointed."

"That's natural, but it's unexpected that the Americans would use such high-quality steel cables to build a bridge."

Yang Jianguo nodded: "Yes, I was surprised too. I've also worked on bridge cables in our country, and they don't meet this standard at all. So the next step is to see if we can make this technology cheaper so that our country can also use it."

Liu Hua laughed heartily: "I didn't expect Boss Yang to be so concerned about the country and its people."

“That’s only right,” Yang Jianguo said firmly. “We’re Chinese, isn’t it our duty to love our country?”

(End of this chapter)