A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

Chapter 897 What? A grudge? What to do?

“It’s not just him!” Chief Engineer Zheng said, pointing towards the middle of the hull, his tone almost overflowing with resentment. “Look over there, squatting next to the pressure hull, that’s Brother Shi Lu!”

Jiang Xia looked in the direction he pointed and saw a sturdy middle-aged man lying on a specially made low stool, holding a magnifying glass in his hand, his nose almost touching the weld seam of the boat. In his other hand, he was carefully touching the oxide layer on the edge of the weld seam with tweezers. Two young men next to him were holding notebooks and didn't dare to breathe.

"He's practically a walking encyclopedia of submarine structures. Normally, you have to give him two weeks' notice if you want to see him. But today, when I ran into him at the shipyard gate, he acted like he didn't even see me and went straight to the pressure hull of the Zaochao. He didn't even call out 'Old Zheng'!"

"The person next to him is Comrade Sheng Mao. If you want to do welding or anything, let Comrade Sheng Mao watch. Why are you, Shi Lu, who works with power equipment, getting involved in this?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than, perhaps because he hadn't stopped himself, Mr. Lu, the taxi driver, suddenly raised his head, still holding the tweezers in his hand, and gestured to Chief Engineer Zheng from a distance:

"You know nothing! This welding method is incredibly strange, the stress distribution is uniform, it might be used for the piping connections in the engine room, or even for small spheres... I have to take a closer look!"

"Okay, okay... You're busy, you're busy!"

Chief Engineer Zheng led Jiang Xia a few quick steps to avoid the mud thrown at them.

"Young man, don't be stubborn like him!"

Chief Engineer Zheng turned to Jiang Xia and instructed him, his tone filled with even more dissatisfaction. He raised his hand and gestured around, pointing to the figures that were faintly visible in the dimly lit dock, "Look at these people, they're all obsessed!"

"That guy clinging to the edge of the control tower's enclosure, sketching in his notebook, is Comrade Shi'e! He specializes in underwater acoustics and is usually very polite. But today, he's clinging to the enclosure railing like a monkey, his pencil never stopping. I called him three times and he didn't hear me!"

“And there’s Comrade Xu Hua!” Chief Engineer Zheng gestured towards the midship section of the submarine. “Look, he’s over there, the one gesturing and working on the overall structural design with a few young men around the hull protrusion.”

He was a really nice guy; he even brought me a bottle of Yantai baijiu when he came, but the bottle is still in my office, and he's still hanging on the hull of the boat!

……

Jiang Xia squinted and looked in the direction he was pointing.

Comrade Shi'e lay on the safety helmet, the flashlight beam illuminating his focused profile as his pen slid rapidly across the paper.

Comrade Xu Hua was squatting on the ground, sketching a rough outline of the boat's structure with chalk, while several young people surrounded him, watching intently.

These people, whose names I had only seen in technical documents, now appeared vividly before my eyes, their eyes filled with their dedication to technology.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from behind, accompanied by the crisp sound of wrenches clashing together.

Jiang Xia turned around and saw, good heavens! Teacher Shi Lu was actually carrying two large wrenches, striding towards them, his work pants legs splattered with mud, and his face still had a fierce look on his face, as if he was looking for someone to "settle accounts".

"Hey... what are you doing!" Chief Engineer Zheng jumped back half a step in fright, covering his chest with his hands, his face full of vigilance. "I just said a few words to you, and you want to hit me? You have such a temper, let's talk this out, don't just grab a weapon at the drop of a hat!"

Teacher Shi Lu rushed up to him, stopped abruptly, threw two wrenches aside with a thud on the ground, and panted, "Pah, what are you thinking! You want me to fight you? You're delaying my equipment inspection!"

He wiped the sweat from his face, his eyes sparkling. "You just reminded me, I haven't checked the propulsion system yet! I need to go take a look at its tail rotor and drive shaft!"

"Hey, what's the rush!" Chief Engineer Zheng quickly grabbed him. "The tide's coming in now, and the stern is still underwater! It's pitch black, and the mud's deep; if you step in, you won't be able to pull yourself out!"

"So what if it's underwater? What's the mud?" Teacher Shi Lu shook off his hand: "Every minute earlier you look, the more you'll understand! We can't afford to waste time!"

"Come on! Young comrade, you and this guy who's long horizontally, help me hold the rope. If I dive down and don't resurface, pull hard! Don't dawdle!"

Zhao Gang, who was long and thin, was speechless, but he didn't hesitate and quickly took one end of the rope: "Don't worry! Even if you get swallowed by a whale, I'll pull you up!"

Jiang Xia quickly joined Zhao Gang in tightening the rope. He watched as Teacher Shi Lu deftly wrapped the other end of the rope around his waist twice, tying a sturdy sailor's knot. He didn't even have time to trim the excess rope before casually stuffing it into his pocket.

“Remember this! When I yell ‘Pull,’ pull upwards. If there’s no movement for more than half a minute, pull directly! Dying young or anything like that isn’t for me!”

Teacher Shi Lu patted the rope around his waist, tugged on it to make sure it was secure, and swung the beam of the flashlight he was holding in his mouth toward the deep water area at the stern of the boat.

"Huh? Wait..."

The flashlight beam that had just passed over Jiang Xia's face was pulled back by Teacher Shi Lu.

Under the light, Jiangxia squinted.

"Wow...it looks so similar!"

"Hey kid, is your surname Jiang?"

"Hey! You know me? Hello, Teacher Shi Lu! My name is Jiang Xia!" The little guy with the ahoge on his head almost shook when he heard Teacher Shi Lu ask him this.

I!

Jiang? Daimao? Xia, now everyone knows him!

Oh ho ho ho, I'm so happy!

Just as the little guy was immersed in great joy, he was greeted by Teacher Shi Lu's rough hands.

My shoulders were grabbed, and then... pinched...

"hiss……"

Just as the silly boy bared his teeth and was about to make his move, Zhao Gang was about to take action.

Teacher Shi Lu released Jiang Xia, jumped back, and even bounced around happily a few times.

"Hahaha! Jiang Chuntian, your son is in my hands!"

"Kid! Don't leave after we're done. The son has to pay for the father's debts..."

Then, this unreliable middle-aged man muttered something like "Heaven's justice is clear, and retribution is swift," and turned around to slide down the anti-slip ladder at the edge of the dock.

"Hey! You should at least wear a diving suit! The seawater is freezing cold!" Chief Engineer Zheng shouted as he watched him plunge into the water.

Teacher Shi Lu didn't even turn his head, just waved his hand and said, "You talk as if you actually have such a thing!"

"I have rain boots!"

"What good is it!"

With the flashlight in his mouth, Teacher Shi Lu aimed at the stern propeller, quickened his pace, and walked to a deeper part of the water. The seawater was above his thighs, and the icy touch sent shivers down his trouser legs. But he just gritted his teeth, gripped the hull with both hands, took a deep breath, and plunged into the water.

With a "plop," a splash of water rose, and Teacher Shi Lu's figure vanished into the darkness. Only the light from the flashlight he held in his mouth flickered faintly underwater, like a star sunk to the bottom.

"No way, does Teacher Shilu have a grudge against my dad?"

Jiang Xia watched the ripples on the water, his eyes starting to dart around...

What to do? Urgent!

Waiting online!