nycdaug Chapter 334 Era: XCMG's Simple-minded Wife 38
Chapter 334 Era: XCMG's Simple-minded Wife 38
The next morning, Xu Weidong changed into his work clothes and stepped into the gate of Hongxing Steel Plant.
The factory area was still bustling with activity, with machines humming and blast furnaces spewing out thick plumes of smoke. Workers came and went as if everything was normal.
But as he walked through the workshop, the previously noisy conversations suddenly quieted down.
Several young workers glanced at him furtively, their eyes filled with complex emotions that seemed to want to say something but couldn't.
"XCMG!" Lin Xiaomei poked her head out of the warehouse, clutching a wrench in her hand. "Good morning!"
Her voice was deliberately raised, as if to break a subtle atmosphere.
Xu Weidong nodded, his gaze sweeping over his surroundings.
Several older workers pretended to be working with their heads down, but their movements slowed down noticeably, while their ears perked up.
"How's the equipment setup going?" he asked calmly, as if it were just a casual greeting.
"It's all calibrated according to the parameters you set before you left!"
Lin Xiaomei immediately chimed in, her voice light and cheerful, "It's just that the temperature control system for furnace number three still has a minor problem. Old Li said he'll adjust it when you get back."
Xu Weidong grunted in agreement and strode toward the technical department.
Behind him, he heard someone mutter quietly, "I heard it's the people from the US..."
Before he could finish speaking, he was nudged by the elbow of the person next to him.
No one said it outright, but everyone knew.
They were humiliated.
Their work was stolen.
They were even looked down upon by others.
They didn't even have a chance to get justice.
*
Pushing open the door to the technical department, you'll find Lao Wang and Lao Zhao engrossed in organizing documents.
Upon seeing him enter, the two looked up simultaneously, a hint of unease flashing in their eyes.
"You're back?" Old Wang asked casually, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the corner of the table.
"Hmm." Xu Weidong walked to his workstation and found that the table was spotless, and even the water in his teacup was freshly added.
Old Zhao hesitated for a moment, then finally couldn't hold back any longer: "Mr. Xu, we..."
"Get to work first." Xu Weidong interrupted him, taking out his lab notebook from the drawer. "Isn't there a problem with the temperature control system of furnace number three? Go take a look."
Old Zhao opened his mouth, but in the end he just mumbled an "oh".
Old Wang bit his lip, then suddenly pulled a stack of newspapers from the drawer and slammed them on the table: "Take a look at this!"
They were photocopies of several foreign newspapers, with headlines that read: "MIT Professor Lin Zhiyuan Under Investigation by the FBI, Suspected of Academic Espionage."
Xu Weidong's fingers tightened suddenly, and the paper crumpled into a ball in his palm.
"I had a classmate send it back from abroad," Old Wang said in a low voice. "Professor Lin... will something have happened to him?"
Xu Weidong took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down: "Let's get to work."
During the lunch break, workers gathered in twos and threes to eat in the canteen.
As soon as Xu Weidong sat down with his lunchbox, the surrounding conversations immediately quieted down.
"Have you heard? The Americans don't acknowledge anything at all!"
"Nonsense, what's their status compared to ours?"
"But that's clearly our data..."
"Data? They say you stole it, do you have any proof?"
Xu Weidong kept his head down and ate his rice, as if he hadn't heard.
Suddenly, a rough, large hand patted his shoulder.
"Xu Gong," Old Li said, sitting down next to him with his lunchbox in a hoarse voice, "Don't take it to heart."
This veteran fitter, who had worked at the steel mill for thirty years, was a man of few words.
At that moment, he simply picked out a piece of braised pork from his lunchbox and put it in Xu Weidong's bowl: "Eat, only when you're full can you have the strength to carry out the revolution."
Xu Weidong choked up and nodded.
*
After get off work, Xu Weidong did not go straight home, but instead took a detour to the post office.
He dialed a number he rarely contacted; on the other end was his college classmate, Wang Jianguo, who now works at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"Old Xu?" The voice on the other end of the phone was surprised. "How come you..."
"Lin Zhiyuan," Xu Weidong interrupted him directly, "Could you inquire about his situation?"
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds.
"Wait a minute," Wang Jianguo suddenly lowered his voice, "I'll get back to you in three days."
After hanging up the phone, Xu Weidong stood at the entrance of the post office and lit a cigarette.
Even in the darkness of night, the lights of the Hongxing Steel Plant still shone brightly, like an inextinguishable flame.
*
Three days later, in the evening, Wang Jianguo finally called back.
"Lin Zhiyuan is fine."
His voice came through the phone line, sounding tired: "The FBI couldn't find anything, and the MIT legal team also put pressure on us. In the end, the case was closed due to 'insufficient evidence'."
Xu Weidong closed his eyes, and his tense shoulders finally relaxed.
“However…” Wang Jianguo hesitated for a moment, “He was transferred away from the core project team and can only supervise graduate students now.”
"It's good that you're alive," Xu Weidong said softly.
After hanging up the phone, he stood at the entrance of the post office, gazing at the smoke billowing from the steel plant in the distance, and suddenly felt that the pent-up anger in his chest finally dissipate a bit.
If the person is alright, there is still hope.
As long as people are still alive, they can keep moving forward.
*
When Xu Weidong returned home that evening, his three children were already asleep.
Ji Xiaosong was sitting under the lamp mending clothes. When she saw him enter, she looked up and smiled: "You found out?"
"Hmm." Xu Weidong took off his work jacket and sat down next to her. "Professor Lin is alright."
Ji Xiaosong nodded, her fingers deftly threading the needle: "That's good."
The two were silent for a while.
"At the factory..." she asked softly, "how is everyone?"
Xu Weidong gazed at the night outside the window and said slowly, "Work when you need to work, eat when you need to eat."
Ji Xiaosong smiled: "That's good."
Yes, that's good.
As long as the people are still here and the furnace fires continue, the steel mill's whistle will keep ringing.
As long as people are alive, there is hope.
"Professor Lin has been implicated by us. Although he is currently safe, his future career will likely be affected."
Xu Weidong sighed. In that situation, only those two people spoke up for them.
If it weren't for Lin Zhiyuan, they might not even have been able to leave alive.
Ji Xiaosong saw his helplessness and despair. "Do you think it's possible that Professor Lin also wanted to return to China? In that situation, he was willing to risk his life to help you, so he probably also wanted to serve the country in his own way."
"I don't know, and I didn't have time to ask."
Xu Weidong tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his gaze fixed on the night outside the window.
“If he really wants to come back…” his voice lowered a few decibels, “it’s being watched closely over there now, so it probably won’t be easy.”
Ji Xiaosong put down her needlework and held her husband's hand: "Do you remember the notes left by that expert in our factory? The last page says, 'Science has no borders, but scientists have a homeland.'"
“But the current conditions in China…” Xu Weidong gave a bitter smile, “we don’t even have a decent electron microscope.”
“Conditions are created by people.” Ji Xiaosong’s eyes gleamed. “If three children can make models with wire, Professor Lin might be able to lead us to build even better equipment if he comes back.”
Xu Weidong turned to look at her, and the determination in his wife's eyes warmed his heart.
He suddenly remembered something: "Oh right, Zhigang today..."
"I solved the problem you left behind," Ji Xiaosong replied with a smile. "I even said I'd write to Professor Lin for help."
The two smiled at each other, and the moonlight from outside the window quietly crept onto the desk.
After Xu Weidong and the children had all fallen asleep, Ji Xiaosong suddenly opened her eyes.