Returning to 1949, I decided to hand it over to the state.

Commander Li walked to the front of the group and stopped.

His gaze slowly swept across everyone's faces, and he raised a gentle yet highly infectious smile.

When he opened his mouth, it was still that familiar Hunan accent that made people feel so warm and fuzzy yesterday:

"Comrades, you've worked hard!"

"I'm here today to see everyone and to witness the spirit and energy of Ansteel!"

He raised his hand and pointed to the huge but old machines behind him.

"Our steel rolling mill was rebuilt from ruins; it was built brick by brick, with everyone's shoulders and hands!"

"I heard that these pieces of equipment were retrieved piece by piece from the waste pile and the ground through everyone's joint efforts."

"You guys managed to fix this junk and get it working again, that's amazing!"

As he spoke, he gave the workers a thumbs-up.

There was no applause, but all the workers stood out even more proudly.

Looking at their enthusiastic faces, Commander Li's voice deepened slightly as he continued:

"Comrades, I'm going back to Yan'an today."

"Before I left, I made a special trip to see you. Ansteel is the foundation of our country's heavy industry!"

"By protecting this pillar today, you are protecting the backbone of our nation's future!"

"From now on, wherever I am, you must carry on this spirit of enthusiasm you have today. As long as this spirit remains, the industry of our new China will surely rise up!"

Standing at the edge of the crowd, Jiang Fan could clearly see that many workers' eyes were already red.

People of that era held an almost innate reverence for the words "leader" and "national construction," a reverence that is difficult for later generations to fully empathize with.

Especially when he saw such a person of such stature standing in front of him and speaking to him in such a sincere, enthusiastic and firm tone, the emotional impact was something that Jiang Fan had never experienced before in any film, television drama or historical materials.

That is a real, tangible weight that is making history.

After Commander Li finished speaking, he didn't make any further fuss. He smiled and waved his hand, indicating that everyone should relax.

"Alright, alright, everyone get back to work. We're just taking a look around, let's not delay the work."

The workers reluctantly dispersed and went back to their work, though their eyes still kept glancing at the leaders.

Just then, Chief Li turned around to walk into the workshop. His gaze swept across the crowd and landed on Jiang Fan and Zhou Chunsheng.

His eyes lit up slightly, he pointed at the two of them, and waved over with a smile:

"Xiao Zhou, and that Comrade Xiao Jiang, come here."

Zhou Chunsheng's face immediately lit up with obvious joy, and without saying a word, he quickly ran over.

Jiang Fan's heart tightened, and he quickly suppressed all his chaotic thoughts, forcing himself to follow.

When the two arrived, Zhou Chunsheng stood at attention with his feet together and gave a very standard salute:

"Greetings, sir!"

Jiang Fan originally intended to bow, but upon seeing the scene, he immediately followed suit and gave a proper salute as well.

Chief Li smiled and nodded, then turned his gaze to Jiang Fan, looking him up and down. His tone was noticeably more amiable than it had been in the conference room the day before.

"Comrade Jiang, how's it going? You took a tour of the factory today, are you settling in well?"

Jiang Fan was still largely stunned by his "great-grandfather's" appearance, but standing before this absolutely important figure, he could only force himself to suppress all distractions and answer earnestly:

"I'm adapting! I'm adapting, thank you for your concern, sir!"

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Seeing his serious, even somewhat nervous, demeanor, Chief Li couldn't help but burst into hearty laughter.

"Okay, okay, you'll adapt. Young people can settle down anywhere, which is a good thing."

As he spoke, he turned his head and gestured to a middle-aged man wearing a gray Zhongshan suit next to him.

"Director He, you didn't come back yesterday, so you don't know what happened. This is Comrade Xiao Jiang, whom I mentioned to you."

"He came back from abroad, he's technically skilled, and speaks English. He just arrived yesterday and even helped us fix a machine tool. He's a real talent."

The middle-aged man, referred to as Director He, immediately stepped forward.

The man was in his early forties, rather thin, wearing black-rimmed glasses, and had an extremely calm gaze.

Jiang Fan did not see him at the meeting yesterday.

But just by looking at this person's appearance and demeanor, you can tell that he is definitely a knowledgeable and capable person.

This should be the main person in charge of Ansteel at that time.

Before Jiang Fan could greet him, Factory Director He nodded first, his tone polite yet authoritative:

"Comrade Jiang Fan, hello, I am He Xiying, the factory director of Ansteel."

"I heard about your situation from Commander Li. Welcome to Ansteel. If you have any ideas or difficulties at the factory, feel free to come to me."

Jiang Fan, a modern working-class man, had never experienced such a level of concern from his direct superior, and could only nod repeatedly for a moment:

"Okay, okay, thank you, Director He..."

He looked rather clumsy.

However, these leaders felt that although the young man had studied abroad, he was not arrogant at all, which made Chief Li and several veteran comrades laugh heartily, leaving Jiang Fan somewhat confused by their laughter.

After Commander Li finished laughing, he looked at Jiang Fan and then added a sentence on purpose:

"Comrade Xiao Jiang, as I said at the meeting yesterday, if you have any ideas, especially those related to our factory's product planning and technological improvements, feel free to raise them with Director He."

"You people who have seen the world and learned advanced technologies abroad are exactly the talents that the country urgently needs. Don't be afraid of saying the wrong thing; just say what you think."

"We're not afraid that young people's ideas are immature; we're afraid that no one has any ideas at all!"

These words were spoken lightly, seemingly just a polite way of encouraging a younger person.

But to Jiang Fan, it was like a thunderclap.

Isn't this just asking me to give my opinion?

So, can I bring up that gas cylinder idea I was thinking about before?

But his gaze swept around.

So many people, and so many veterans from the technical department.

Say or don't say?

What if people think I'm just daydreaming, that I've only been here two days and haven't accomplished anything yet, and I'm already pointing fingers at the factory, or even causing them to dislike me because I can't explain certain technical details clearly?

But if I don't say it...

Once this excellent opportunity is missed, will I be able to find another time as suitable as this?