Siheyuan (traditional courtyard house): Starting with the Korean War, returning home to take charge

Chapter 163 Promotion of High-Speed Steel Rolls

The thank-you letters arrived gradually over the course of two weeks.

When Ma Yuejin brought in the stack of letters, he couldn't hide his smile. He placed the letters on He Yuzhu's desk, muttering to himself:

"Dean, look, the people from Ansteel, Wuhan Iron and Steel, and even Baotou all say that our high-speed steel rolls are good and have a lifespan more than twice as long as those from the Soviet Union."

He Yuzhu picked up a letter and opened it. The handwriting was neat and the wording polite, but the joy was palpable even through the paper. The letter from Ansteel read: "The originally planned maintenance schedule can still be continued."

Li Zhiming stood to the side, craning his neck to watch.

"Dean, we're famous now!"

He Yuzhu put the letter down.

What's the use of being famous? What matters is that the product works.

Ma Yuejin nodded.

"That's true. But Dean, do you think this thing could be installed on tanks in the future?"

He Yuzhu glanced at him.

"You're thinking ahead."

Ma Yuejin scratched his head and chuckled twice.

He walked to the door, then looked back at the stack of letters.

"Dean, these letters...should I take them and read them aloud to everyone?"

He Yuzhu nodded.

"Read it aloud. Let all those guys in the workshop who swing sledgehammers hear it; what they hammer out is really useful."

Ma Yuejin picked up the letter, pushed open the door, and went out.

The phone call came in the afternoon.

He Yuzhu answered the call, and there was a two-second silence on the other end before that familiar voice came through.

"Comrade He Yuzhu, you've done a good job on the high-speed steel project."

He Yuzhu held the microphone.

"You flatter me, boss. It was a team effort."

The other end responded with a "hmm".

"We've received letters from all over praising you. Ansteel said that their production increased by 20% after using your rolling mill rolls."

He Yuzhu didn't say anything.

There was a pause on the other end.

There's something I want to tell you.

He Yuzhu waited for him to continue.

"There's a defense project that needs a high-performance engine. I can't say the specifics right now. But your internal combustion engine is on the right track."

He Yuzhu's hand tightened slightly.

"Boss, is..."

That person interrupted him.

"Don't ask. Just get started. If you do a good job, it will naturally be useful."

The phone hangs up.

He Yuzhu stood there, holding the microphone, listening to the busy tone.

High-performance engine. Defense project.

He closed his eyes.

The snow of Changjin Lake suddenly rushed into view—the soldiers lying in the snow, never to rise again, their frozen fingers still on the triggers. They died without ever receiving a shell capable of penetrating an enemy tank. One of them was a soldier he had trained, surnamed Zhou, only nineteen years old. His last glance was directed in his direction.

He Yuzhu slowly opened his eyes.

The sunlight outside the window was dazzling, shining on his clenched fist.

He put the microphone back, his hand not trembling.

That evening, He Yuzhu called Ma Yuejin to his office.

When Ma Yue came in, he was still clutching the stack of thank-you letters in his hand—he had just finished reading them to the people in the workshop, and his eyes were still red.

"Dean, you wanted to see me?"

He Yuzhu looked at him.

"The internal combustion engine project needs to be accelerated. Not just accelerated, but accelerated to the point of exhaustion."

Ma Yuejin was stunned for a moment.

"Rushing it to the brink? The second version was just installed, and we haven't even tried it yet."

He Yuzhu nodded.

"I know. But time waits for no one."

Ma Yuejin looked at him, trying to glean something from his face.

He Yuzhu did not explain.

"Keep a close eye on the materials. Li Zhiming will be in charge of the process. Report any problems immediately."

Ma Yuejin nodded.

"OK."

He walked to the door, then turned back.

"Dean, is something important about to happen?"

He Yuzhu did not answer.

Ma Yuejin pushed open the door and went out.

He Yuzhu sat alone in his office, took the gloves out of his drawer, and put them on.

The fabric is like a woven cloth, and it's quite warm to wear.

He remembered her standing on the overpass, her blushing as she said, "Be careful on the road." He remembered her saying that day, "You have chilblains on your hands, don't let them flare up again."

Once I'm done with this, I need to go back and visit.

There was a knock on the door.

Old Lu came in, his expression not good.

"Commander, there's some activity from Zheng Huaiyuan's side."

He Yuzhu raised his head.

"What's that noise?"

Old Lu walked over and lowered his voice.

"He went to the factory today to complete the formalities, saying he's going back to China to handle family matters. His plane ticket is already booked for the day after tomorrow."

He Yuzhu stood up.

"Go back to China?"

Old Lu nodded.

"They said their mother was sick and they were in a hurry to go back. But Yang Xiaobing felt something was wrong and asked me to come and ask you."

He Yuzhu walked to the window and looked at the dark night outside.

Zheng Huaiyuan is leaving.

Did they realize it, or do they have other plans?

He turned around.

"Have Yang Xiaobing keep a close eye on him. If he loses track of the person, he shouldn't come back to see me."

Old Lu nodded and turned to leave.

"etc."

Old Lu stopped.