Returning wealthy individuals develop their hometowns and become rich in the 1980s

Unlike the north, where the city is still covered in snow after the Spring Festival, workers in Tuocheng have already started going out in light summer clothes.

The sign for "Nanshan Precision Machinery Research Institute" hangs at the entrance of an abandoned agricultural machinery repair shop in Linshan, Nanshan County. The white sign with black lettering appears to have not yet fully dried paint, and the morning dew on the sign is fading under the warm spring sunshine.

The rows of red brick houses in the courtyard have been simply repaired by the people from the Nanshan County Agricultural Machinery Institute. There are still some rusted agricultural machinery parts in the corners that have not been cleaned up in time, and the rust slag on the ground is being shoveled away by a wheelbarrow.

Several domestically made ordinary lathes and milling machines, as well as an old Soviet-style vertical drilling machine, were temporarily placed in a corner of the courtyard. The oil stains and metal wear marks on the equipment told the story of their long service life.

Inside the room, several long tables covered with thick green velvet were pushed together to serve as workbenches, on which were scattered some drawing tools, slide rules, and a few enamel mugs.

At the other end of the room, several small rooms were temporarily partitioned off with wooden boards. Small strips of paper with black writing on them were pasted on the doors: "Chief Engineer's Office," "Document Room," and "Confidential Room."

Although small, it has all the essential parts. The conditions are a bit rudimentary, but the task is urgent and the national finances are somewhat strained. We can only ask the engineers who have come to make do for now.

Experts and technical personnel urgently recruited from all over the country arrived one after another with their letters of introduction and settled down in this environment.

Most of them wore dark blue or gray Zhongshan suits, some with worn-out cotton-padded jackets over them, carrying simple artificial leather bags or neatly rolled-up bedding rolls. Their faces showed the fatigue of a long journey, as well as a hint of bewilderment and solemnity after being urgently conscripted, unsure of what their mission was.

When they meet, they mostly nod to each other, exchange a few words in hushed tones, and dare not ask each other which unit they are from or what they used to work in. More often than not, they silently look at the "new home" in front of them, where they will be staying for an unknown period of time.

His gaze swept over the old equipment, past the greasy grime in the corner, and finally settled on his companion's equally tense face.

"Comrades, welcome to the Nanshan Institute. Let me introduce myself first," Wang Huaimin, dressed in a white shirt, scanned each face with sharp eyes. "My name is Wang Huaimin, and I am the acting director of the Nanshan Institute!"

"This is Zhou Bingguo, the Vice Minister of the State Planning Commission," Wang Huaimin introduced Zhou Bingguo to the group. Zhou Bingguo simply nodded to everyone and said, "Comrades, you've worked hard."

"We've urgently summoned everyone from different jobs across the country here for one mission," Wang Huaimin paused, his gaze slowly sweeping over each face, "The country needs you to digest, absorb, and master a new technology that may be a milestone for our defense industry, especially in the field of aero-engines."

After Wang Huaimin finished speaking, there was no applause, no whispering, only silence, a profound stillness, and the distinct sound of rapid breathing.

Aviation power!

milestone!

New technology!

These words, when put together, carried immense weight, causing the key research personnel before them to hold their breath and concentrate on the tasks to be assigned.

"I cannot reveal more about the specific tasks until the technology handover is completed with absolute security and confidentiality," Wang Huaimin said firmly. "You only need to know that this is an opportunity that the Central Committee has made the greatest determination and paid a huge price to secure."

"This opportunity may only come once, and the window of opportunity won't be long. The tasks ahead are urgent and challenging!"

Wang Huaimin softened his tone, "As you can see, the conditions here are a bit tough right now, not as good as your previous work environments. But the fact that the country has entrusted you with this arduous task is enough to show that you are all top-notch backbone personnel in this field!"

Sitting in the front row was an elderly man with gray hair, wearing black-rimmed glasses, but his eyes behind the lenses were exceptionally clear. He was one of the veterans of aero-engines, transferred from a top-secret base in the Northwest. His surname was Lu, and everyone respectfully called him "Engineer Lu".

To his left was Professor Qiu from a university in Harbin, who had specialized in the field of aero-engines for decades. His students were active in various aerospace research institutes across China, and each of them was a leading expert.

The country clearly made a big decision this time, which is why they were both transferred here. Elder Lu and Elder Qiu are the only two people who know about this emergency mission.

When the two of them were invited into an office in a ministry in Beijing and interviewed, they learned that the country had a secret channel to obtain an F100 turbofan engine from overseas. They were shocked and excited at the time.

When the comrade who had been interviewing them also informed the two men about the two large five-axis CNC machine tools that were about to arrive, their hands holding cigarettes trembled slightly.

The two kept saying how hard their comrades overseas had worked! What a price and sacrifice they had to pay to get this precious equipment back!

Wang Huaimin spoke firmly to the crowd, "For a long time to come, you will be cut off from all contact with the outside world and focus on the task at hand."

"Discipline is the lifeline!"

"Keep this secret, it's a high-voltage line!"

"Any difficulties can be raised with the organization, but what needs to be overcome must be overcome!"

Wang Huaimin's words were firm and resolute. This mission was of an extremely high level of secrecy, and no mistakes were allowed. The military region had already deployed forces around Nanshan Institute, and anyone who wanted to approach and explore would be strictly controlled and questioned.

The meeting ended, and the crowd dispersed in silence, settling into their assigned rooms and organizing the books and materials they had brought. Old Lu and Old Qiu walked around the courtyard with their hands behind their backs, inspecting the old equipment that had just been delivered and was yet to be placed in its proper positions.

A young man accompanying me looked at the old equipment filling the yard and spoke softly, but with a hint of bitterness and helplessness: "The country entrusted us with such an important task, but with all this equipment, not even a single decent piece, how are we supposed to digest and absorb it!"

The young man's name was Jia Fu, and he was Professor Lu's last disciple at Harbin University. Upon hearing his words, Professor Lu simply smiled, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Little Fu, having these is already very good. Back in the day, when we didn't even have these, we still managed to build the aero-engines that the country desperately needed!"

"Everything will be alright, have faith in the country!"

"I understand, teacher," Jia Fu said, pursing his lips. He wasn't complaining, but rather feeling anxious and powerless in the face of the gap between reality and his expectations.

He had no complaints about the important task entrusted to him by the country, and he was willing to live in anonymity!