Wang Lisheng was an impatient man. When he wanted to do something, he wanted to get it settled quickly.
So, when Xie Changning suggested going to see Director Zhao, Wang Lisheng agreed without a second thought.
He even suggested they leave right away.
The two of them left the screw factory and headed straight for the Industrial Bureau.
In the car, Wang Lisheng was a little nervous. "Sister, if Director Zhao says anything harsh, just try to bear with it. He can be a bit blunt."
Xie Changning nodded.
'In this era,' she thought, 'no one would be particularly pleased to see someone like me.'
'It was already good luck that I haven't been arrested and sent down to the countryside.'
The Industrial Bureau was a half-hour drive from the screw factory. It wasn't long before they arrived.
"KNOCK KNOCK—"
A knock sounded on Director Zhao's office door. From inside, his voice called out, "Come in."
The two of them entered Director Zhao's office, one after the other.
"Director." The moment Wang Lisheng walked in, he put on a broad smile and made the introductions. "Comrade Xiao Xie, come, this is Director Zhao. Director Zhao, this is Comrade Xie Changning."
"Hello, Director Zhao."
Xie Changning greeted him obediently.
Director Zhao sized up Xie Changning. After Wang Lisheng had left last time, he had asked someone to look into Xie Changning's academic record. The information he received was more comprehensive than what Wang Lisheng had brought.
Xie Changning's performance in Beijing had always been outstanding. When she graduated, she had even enabled a major breakthrough for the project team she was on.
If it weren't for the sudden change in her family's circumstances, her advisor wouldn't have wanted to let her go.
But now that the turmoil was over, the people from above had investigated. They only saw the house, not any valuables. Instead, they saw the Xie Family's poverty and destitution, and so had let them be for the time being.
However, they weren't completely off the hook. Because they were all high-level intellectuals, they had all been taken away and sent down to the countryside.
It was this piece of information that finally put Director Zhao's mind at ease.
'As long as Xie Changning's background is currently clean, he could pretend not to know about the rest. When the time comes, he could exploit loopholes in the narrative!'
"Changning, if there's anything you need, just tell the Director." While Director Zhao was lost in thought, Wang Lisheng shot Xie Changning a look, signaling her not to be shy and to speak up quickly.
Xie Changning nodded. "Director Zhao, I need a few things. Could you please take a look?"
Xie Changning took two sheets of paper out of her cloth bag and handed them to Director Zhao.
One page listed the materials needed to make the screws. The other listed the materials she needed for her experiments. She could build a miniature model, but she had no materials.
For all of it, she had to ask the Director of the Industrial Bureau for help.
The report Xie Changning had written was concise and clear, allowing one to understand her needs at a glance. Director Zhao praised her silently.
'Her parents really dragged this child down!'
"These... are these also needed for making the screws?" Director Zhao asked, pointing to the materials list for the miniature boiler.
"Yes. The factory's boiler needs to be used for existing orders, and the experiment doesn't require such a large one, so I took the liberty of requesting this from you. These are all things I need for my initial experiments. I hope you can help."
Director Zhao had only been asking casually; he didn't expect Xie Changning to answer so thoroughly.
"How confident are you that you can do it?"
"Ninety-nine percent."
As she answered, her voice was firm and her expression confident.
Director Zhao thought this young woman, Xie Changning, was a bit audacious, but he liked it. Young people should have this kind of drive!
"Done! I'll get you everything you need within three days..."
"One day."
"What?"
"I hope you can get it for me within one day. That way I can start the experiments sooner. In three days, I could already be forging screws."
!
'This I have to support!'
"Wait here. I'll make the calls to get them for you right now!" Director Zhao's attitude immediately became proactive. He had the two of them sit down and started calling his colleagues.
The steel mill, the machine tool plant, the Metals Research Institute, and other specialized factories and industrial departments—none escaped a call from Director Zhao.
These plants were all local. Since Xie Changning's request was small, each of them could spare a little for her.
At noon, Director Zhao treated them to lunch at the state-run restaurant. By one o'clock in the afternoon, the heads of various industrial departments and factories started arriving with the materials.
They all wanted to see for themselves who this expert capable of developing screws for jet fighters was.
In their minds, someone so capable had to be a more mature, older individual. They never expected... it would be such a young girl.
They exchanged glances in Director Zhao's office, communicating with their eyes.
'Did Old Zhao get swindled by some capitalist? Can a girl this young really develop the screws needed for a jet fighter?'
"Everyone, take a look at Comrade Xie Changning's résumé." Director Zhao knew what they were thinking. He unfolded Xie Changning's academic records for them to see, his fingertip landing on her major: Power Engineering Department.
Seeing Xie Changning's major, a flicker of understanding passed through their eyes.
'Even so... she's just too young. Won't this be a waste of resources?'
"I believe that when young people show initiative, we should support them. Besides, the materials I requested from you all don't even add up to an hour's worth of consumption for a research and development department, do they?"
Director Zhao's insistent, supportive stance made the people gathered there frown.
After a moment, they all nodded. "Fine, but you have to pay us for them." Business was business. Even blood brothers settle accounts clearly, let alone sister departments.
"Of course!"
'If she succeeds, what does this little bit of money matter!?'
Seeing Director Zhao being so generous, the others hesitated again. 'Could it be this girl really has some skills?'
Xie Changning stood to the side the entire time, her gaze lowered, betraying no emotion.
In the end, everyone left the materials there. They bid farewell to Director Zhao, telling him to be sure to invite them over for a look on the day the research succeeded.
"No problem! Just you wait!" Director Zhao said, chuckling as he saw them off.
After they left, Director Zhao wiped his face and turned to Xie Changning. "Comrade Changning, take a look. Is this everything you need?"
Xie Changning had already checked.
"Yes."
"Great! I won't keep you any longer, then. You two head back. I have to handle the follow-up."
'Once word of this gets out, I'll have to give an explanation to my superiors.'
Xie Changning and Wang Lisheng left the Industrial Bureau and hurried back to the screw factory. Wang Lisheng had prepared a dedicated "laboratory" for her experiments.
He also assigned several demobilized soldiers to stand guard, not allowing anyone to approach.
From the day she got the materials, Xie Changning threw herself into her experiments, leaving early and returning late. This continued until half a month later—
Her long black hair now cut to ear-length, wearing a white lab coat and glasses, Xie Changning walked out of the laboratory. "Go, get Director Wang. Tell him we need to go out."
When Wang Lisheng was called over, he knew immediately: the screws were a success!
He couldn't be bothered with the factory's affairs that still needed handling. He tossed everything to Li Guodong, who hadn't managed to resign successfully yet. "I'm going to the Industrial Bureau! You handle it!"