Major Heavy Industry: Starting with a Fake Marriage

"Because your solution is different from mine." She turned to look at him, her gaze devoid of scrutiny, only a calm statement. "You added an alumina transition layer. I didn't. I directly sprayed zirconium oxide, and the bond wasn't good. You added a transition layer, which theoretically would improve the bond strength. I hadn't considered this approach. Not that I couldn't think of it, but I didn't go in that direction at the time. We materials scientists are used to finding problems in the material itself—changing the composition, changing the process, changing the heat treatment. You're a mechanical engineer; your approach is to find problems in the structure—adding a layer, changing the shape, adjusting the fit. It's different."

"So, do you think it can work out?"

Chief Engineer Chen didn't answer. She threw the apple core into the trash can and clapped her hands. "We'll know after the experiment tomorrow. Saying it won't work now is just guesswork. Without the data, nobody's opinion matters. My opinion doesn't count, and neither does yours."

She stood up, picked up the cloth bag, took two steps, and then stopped. She didn't turn around; she just stood there, her back to him.

"Comrade Jiang Cheng, let me tell you the truth. I don't have a high opinion of your plan. It's not that your plan is bad, it's just that this direction is too difficult. GE has been working on it for three years and still hasn't succeeded. You, a... a fitter, what makes you think you can succeed? This is the truth, it may not sound good, but it's the fact." She paused, "But the reason I don't have a high opinion of it isn't a justification. The justification will depend on the experimental data. If the data says it works, I'll accept it. If the data says it doesn't work, no matter how much you argue, it won't make a difference."

She left. Her footsteps echoed on the concrete, steady and unhurried, each step perfectly timed. The light on the third floor was still on; after a while, it went out. Darkness descended behind the curtains, and nothing could be seen.

Jiang Cheng sat by the flower bed, still holding the apple core in his hand. He had crushed the core, leaving his hand covered in crumbs and a sticky mess. He threw the core into the trash can, stood up, dusted off his trousers, and walked back to the guesthouse.

As he went upstairs, his footsteps echoed in the hallway, each beat like a heartbeat. The motion-activated lights flickered on and off, as if struggling to breathe.

He gently pushed open the door to the room. Huang Deqing was already asleep, breathing heavily with soft snoring, like someone working a bellows. He lay down, facing the ceiling. The dim yellow light on the ceiling was still there, motionless, like an unblinking eye.

He closed his eyes, forcing himself not to think about anything, and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning at eight o'clock, Jiang Cheng appeared in the laboratory on time.

The laboratory was on the basement level, without windows. The fluorescent lights emitted a stark white light, reflecting a cold, metallic sheen onto the delicate instruments. The air was thick with the smell of chemical reagents mixed with welding fumes, making one's throat feel constricted, as if a hand were choking them.

Chief Engineer Chen was already there, wearing a white lab coat, his hair tucked into his cap, holding a notebook in his hand. The notebook was blue, the cover worn, the corners curled up, and it was filled with densely packed data.

"You're here? Change your clothes."

Jiang Cheng took the lab coat and put it on. The lab coat was too big; the sleeves were too long. He rolled them up twice, but they were still too long, so he rolled them up once more. Sun Deming followed behind and also put on the lab coat. He rolled up the sleeves three times, but they were still too long, so he simply rolled them up to his elbows, revealing the strong muscles on his forearms.

Huang Deqing didn't change. He stood at the door, wearing a faded blue work uniform, his hands in his pockets. "I'm not changing. I'll just watch from the side. You guys wear white, I'll wear blue, it's fine."

Chief Engineer Chen glanced at him but didn't say anything.

The first step of the experiment was to prepare the test pieces. Ten high-temperature alloy test pieces were ready, each two centimeters square, with a polished surface, like a small mirror that could reflect a person's image. Chief Engineer Chen picked one up, examined it against the light, and found no scratches or stains on the mirror surface. Then she handed it to Jiang Cheng.

"You go first."

Jiang Cheng took the sample and walked to the spraying equipment. The equipment was huge, taking up half a room. The control panel was covered with buttons and gauges, red and green, like the cockpit of a small airplane. The plasma spray gun was fixed to the robotic arm, its muzzle pointing towards the worktable, a dark hole, like a small cannon.

He took a deep breath, secured the sample to the worktable with two spring clips to ensure it wouldn't move. Then he adjusted the spraying distance and angle to 120 millimeters and 90 degrees. He turned on the control cabinet; the indicator light illuminated, and a buzzing sound emanated from inside the equipment, as if something was rotating within.

"Parameters?" he asked.

Chief Engineer Chen opened the notebook and slid his finger across the pages. "Powder feeding rate: 8 grams per minute. Spraying distance: 120 millimeters. Current: 600 amperes. Argon flow rate: 40 liters per minute. Hydrogen flow rate: 8 liters per minute."

Jiang Cheng entered these parameters into the control panel. He checked each number twice, pressing the button, pausing, and then pressing it again. His fingers trembled slightly; he pressed too hard, skipping numbers, and had to go back and press again. He glanced at Huang Deqing, who stood in the corner, his face expressionless, but his eyes fixed on the equipment like a cat watching a mouse hole. He looked at Sun Deming, who stood beside him, holding a notebook, pen tip resting on paper, waiting to record data, his palms sweaty, soaking the pen.

"Has it started?" Sun Deming asked.

"It's starting." Jiang Cheng pressed the start button.

The plasma torch hummed, then let out a sharp whistle—the arc had ignited. A bright, almost white flame shot from the nozzle, blindingly bright. The flame reached temperatures of tens of thousands of degrees Celsius, distorting the surrounding air as if a layer of transparent oil were floating on water. The powder feeder activated, sending ceramic powder into the flame, where it instantly melted into tiny droplets that impacted the sample surface at high speed. The crackling sound was like raindrops hitting sheet metal.

The spraying process lasted only a dozen seconds. Jiang Cheng turned off the equipment, waited for the spray gun to cool down, and took out the test piece. The surface of the test piece was covered with a layer of grayish-white coating, which looked very uniform, like a layer of porcelain enamel, reflecting a soft light under the lamp. He handed it to Chief Engineer Chen.

Chief Engineer Chen took it and examined it against the light. She frowned slightly, then touched the coating surface with her finger.

"The surface roughness is too high." She held up the sample to Jiang Cheng, pointing to the coating surface. "Look, there's a noticeable grainy texture. You can feel the bumps when you touch it with your finger. This kind of surface will affect aerodynamic performance. Airflow over a rough surface will create eddies, increasing drag and reducing efficiency."