Love in the Courtyard: Starting with Engineers

The area outside the steelmaking workshop had already been prepared.

The furnace body was polished to a shine, and various pipes and instruments were arranged in an orderly manner, with indicator lights flashing regularly.

All the factory's leaders and technical backbones, dressed in brand-new work clothes and wearing safety helmets, stood in the designated area with high spirits.

Li Yu and several technicians from the research workshop are now conducting a final inspection of the steelmaking furnace.

Li Yu stood beside the control panel, wearing dark blue overalls, his expression calm as he slowly and methodically adjusted various data.

He would occasionally glance at his watch or whisper a few words to the technician in charge of the operation.

All eyes in the room are now on Li Yu.

Zheng Qiushi and Li Huaide were pacing back and forth at the factory gate, waiting for Minister Liu and his entourage to arrive.

With the roar of engines, several vehicles slowly drove up to the entrance of the steelmaking workshop.

As soon as the car came to a stop, Minister Liu got out first, followed by a middle-aged man from the Discipline Inspection Commission with a refined demeanor, and several accompanying personnel from the ministry.

Zheng Qiushi and Li Huaide hurriedly went to greet them.

"Minister Liu's workshop is all ready, and we can start at any time," Zheng Qiushi said.

"Okay! Now that we're all ready, let's go in quickly."

After saying that, Minister Liu led a group of people into the steelmaking workshop.

As soon as they entered the workshop, a wave of heat hit them.

The group of people who entered the workshop were deeply impressed by the furnace that was being preheated.

Li Huaide called Li Yu over from the control panel.

"Engineer Li, when can we start? These technicians behind me have been eagerly awaiting your converter!"

Seeing the several refined middle-aged men behind Minister Liu staring intently at the converter, Li Yu knew they were the technicians Minister Liu had mentioned.

"It will take a few more minutes to warm up before it reaches the starting temperature," Li Yu said.

Minister Liu said, "In that case, could you first give us technicians a brief introduction to the advantages of this converter over the open-hearth furnace?"

"This converter is at least ten to fifteen times more efficient than open-hearth steelmaking."

The technicians who heard Li Yu say this gasped in shock.

One of the younger technicians questioned Li Yu's data, asking, "Can your converter really produce a batch in half an hour?"

Li Yu looked at the technician and said, "Yes, it can produce a batch in half an hour. Moreover, the quality of the molten steel will be higher than that of open-hearth furnaces."

"You're lying! You're exaggerating. How dare you, a technician, disregard the facts like this!" the technician said angrily.

Li Yu approached the technician, looked at him, and said, "How did I disregard the facts? How did I exaggerate?"

After saying that, Li Yu went to the control panel, looked at the technician and said, "Since the technician needs factual evidence, then I'll show you what facts are."

After saying that, Li Yu pressed the start button.

As Li Yu pressed the button, a burst of intense heat emanated from the converter inside the workshop, accompanied by the rumbling of the machine and the blowing of oxygen.

Now all the machines in the steelmaking workshop are running smoothly.

As time passed, the first batch of molten steel was poured out of the steelmaking furnace by machine.

Li Yu asked the technician, "Have you clearly seen the facts before you?"

The technician stammered and kept his head down, not daring to look at Li Yu.

Minister Liu then spoke up: "Haha, great! I didn't expect your converter to be even more efficient than you said."

"Next, all steelmaking furnaces across the country will be upgraded according to this standard."

"Li Yu! You've done a great job!"

At that moment, a middle-aged technician looked at his watch and exclaimed, "32 minutes! Only 32 minutes! My God! How did they do that?"

Li Yu was then surrounded by a group of technicians eager for answers, who asked him all sorts of questions until Minister Liu told him to stop.

As another batch of molten steel was poured out of the furnace, the technicians looked at Li Yu with even greater fervor.

They were completely impressed by Li Yu's design for a top-and-bottom combined blowing steelmaking furnace.

Upon arriving at the conference room, Li Yu was seated in the main seat, while two security guards with guns stood watch at the entrance.

Minister Liu said to Li Yu, "Today, in addition to visiting the start-up of the steelmaking furnace, we also have another purpose in coming to learn about the machine tools you mentioned."

Li Yu actually knew all along, since he was the one who asked Li Huaide to inform him.

Bai Ling, who rushed over from the office, took out the briefcase that Li Yu had given her earlier.

Li Yu distributed a copy of the design sketches from his briefcase to everyone.

"What you all have in your hands now is the next project I'm going to produce. Please take a look."

The technician who had previously questioned Li Yu also received a set of blueprints, and he looked at the few pages of simplified diagrams in his hand.

He was so surprised he couldn't close his mouth. Although he didn't have a complete design drawing, he already felt that Li Yu could definitely make what was on the drawing.

He couldn't imagine the huge waves such a thing would cause around the world once it appeared.

At this moment, a technician with graying hair asked Li Yu, "Comrade Li Yu, are you planning to produce four-axis and five-axis machines simultaneously? Why not just produce five-axis machines directly?"

Li Yu said, "I plan to use the quadcopter for export and to prepare it for some domestic factories with low processing requirements."

"The five-axis is exclusively for the domestic market and will not be exported."

Upon hearing Li Yu's words, the young technician stood up and said to Li Yu:

"How could you do this? Technology should be shared by everyone."

"Didn't our older brother help us without expecting anything in return before?"

"How can you be so selfish as a scientist researching technology?"

Li Yu looked at the young man in front of him. At first, he thought he was just a technician who was obsessed with trivial matters, but he didn't expect him to be a brainless person.

Liu Jie and the engineers in the department all frowned when they heard what the young technician said.

There was even a middle-aged man staring intently at the young man; if it were anywhere else, he would have slapped the young technician without hesitation.

"What are you talking about? Sharing?"

"Look at Japan, the US, and Germany—have they shared any technology with us?"

"And the elder brother's selfless help?"

"That was won at the cost of the blood and lives of countless soldiers on the northern battlefield!"

"They never helped without expecting anything in return! You really have no idea how many soldiers remained in the North?"

"Did you know that India deployed Soviet-made fighter jets this October?!"

The technician was stunned when he heard what Li Yu said; he had never known any of this before.

He has always believed that technology has no borders.

Li Yu looked at the stunned young technician and said, "We all know that science has no borders, but remember this: scientists have countries."

"Good!" Minister Liu shouted, slamming his hand on the table after hearing Li Yu's words.

Minister Liu then added, "Li Yu is absolutely right! We have received technical assistance over the years, but it is not free; it was all earned by the frontline soldiers with their lives."

"Friends, we must not only hone our technical skills, but also understand that we got to where we are today not because of anyone else's help, but because of our own efforts!"