RPAGF Chapter 336 Era: XCMG's Simple-minded Wife 40
Chapter 336 Era: XCMG's Simple-minded Wife 40
Ji Xiaosong and Lin Zhiyuan swept away all the documents they could carry. By the time the interrogators rushed over, Lin Zhiyuan and his family were nowhere to be seen.
"Ah Song, have you thought about how to settle Lin Zhiyuan and his family?"
"Put them directly on a plane that is about to land and return home, and then change their memories so that they think they were lucky to escape."
"This is a good idea. Even if they are discovered, people will only think that they are good at disguising themselves. We cannot change history. According to the records that future generations will see, Lin Zhiyuan originally returned secretly. We just let him return safely without being harmed."
Rongrong had come up with a reason for Ji Xiaosong, but Ji Xiaosong was not completely reassured.
She had never interfered with the course of history before because she could not bear the consequences.
With the changing times, will saving several lives lead to any consequences?
But what's done is done, and there's no turning back.
Ji Xiaosong and Rongrong placed Lin Zhiyuan's family on a plane that wasn't full, watched them meet with the relevant officials who rushed over, and then left.
*
The news of Professor Lin's return to China quickly reached the people at the steel plant.
"Old Xu! Old Xu!" Shen Hongying rushed into the laboratory, panting, waving a telegram in her hand. "Professor Lin is back! He just landed at the Capital Airport!"
The test tube in Xu Weidong's hand fell to the ground with a "clatter," scattering glass shards everywhere: "What?"
"This is a message just arrived from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs." Zhao Bo pushed open the door, his face still covered in coal dust. "They say that Professor Lin and his entire family disguised themselves as overseas Chinese businessmen and boarded a civilian airliner."
Upon hearing the news, the former factory director rushed over and grabbed Xu Weidong's shoulder: "Quick! The ministry has sent a special car for you to pick them up right away!"
Xu Weidong rushed out of the factory area in three quick steps and jumped into the brand-new jeep.
Driver Lao Zhang stepped on the gas, kicking up a cloud of dust, and headed straight for the Capital Airport.
"Faster!" Xu Weidong kept checking his watch, his fingers tapping out a rhythm on his knees.
"XCMG, this is already the fastest!" Old Zhang said with a wry smile, "Any faster and we'd have to call in the militia."
As the jeep entered the airport's special access road, Xu Weidong saw a group of people gathered there from afar.
Foreign Ministry staff were escorting Lin Zhiyuan and his family toward the parking lot, while several airport police officers were maintaining order.
"Old Lin!" Xu Weidong called out as he opened the car door.
Lin Zhiyuan turned his head at the sound, his glasses still showing the fatigue of a long journey, but his eyes lit up the moment he saw Xu Weidong: "Weidong!"
The two embraced tightly in full view of everyone, and Xu Weidong could feel his thin body trembling slightly.
"Let's go home!" Xu Weidong picked up Lin Zhiyuan's luggage. "The factory has arranged everything for you."
On the way back, Lin Zhiyuan looked at the street scenes rushing past the window, his voice choked with emotion: "I haven't been able to come back and see it for so many years, everything has changed."
Xu Weidong patted him on the shoulder: "I'll show you something even more different later."
When the jeep drove into the gate of Hongxing Steel Plant, the scene before Lin Zhiyuan stunned him:
Workers lined both sides of the main road in the factory area, some holding banners that read "Welcome Professor Lin home," and others clapping enthusiastically.
Old Gao in the blast furnace workshop even took off his safety helmet and waved it around.
“This…this is…” Lin Zhiyuan stammered, unable to speak.
"It was organized spontaneously by the entire factory," Xu Weidong explained with a smile. "The workers started making preparations as soon as they heard you were coming back."
Lin Zhiyuan's wife held their daughter, tears streaming down her face: "Old Lin, this is home..."
In front of the factory office building, the former factory director and his leadership team lined up to greet them.
All the technical staff were present. Shen Hongying and Zhao Bo held up a bunch of wildflowers, which were clearly freshly picked from the roadside in the factory area.
"Professor Lin!" The old factory director grasped Lin Zhiyuan's hand tightly. "Your dormitory is all ready; it's in the building next to Xu Gong's house. Your wife's job has also been arranged; the university in our city is short of teachers!"
Lin Zhiyuan looked around at the enthusiastic faces and finally couldn't help but take off his glasses to wipe away tears: "I...I..."
"Don't say anything more!" Old Gao squeezed forward and put his arm around Lin Zhiyuan's shoulder. "Come on! The cafeteria made braised pork for you, all you can eat!"
The workers, laughing and joking, escorted Lin Zhiyuan's family toward the canteen.
Xu Weidong lagged behind, watching the lively scene, when he suddenly felt someone tugging at his sleeve.
“XCMG,” Shen Hongying said in a low voice, “the ministry just called and said that the US embassy is protesting and demanding that we hand over Professor Lin.”
"Let them protest." Xu Weidong waved his hand, his gaze following the tall, thin figure in the crowd. "Now, our Professor Lin is going home."
*
Lin Zhiyuan's arrival was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples in the Red Star Steel Plant.
That evening, the factory held a lively welcome banquet in the canteen.
The dining table was laden with delicacies rarely seen on ordinary days, and the aroma of braised pork filled the entire canteen. The workers were laughing and talking, raising their glasses in celebration, expressing the warmest welcome and respect to Lin Zhiyuan, the returning scholar.
Standing on the makeshift stage, Lin Zhiyuan looked at the simple yet enthusiastic faces below the stage, and his eyes welled up with tears again.
He cleared his throat, his voice trembling slightly yet full of strength: "Comrades, friends! In the years I've been away from my motherland, I've missed this land every moment. Now that I'm back, I want to work with everyone to develop our steel industry, and show those who look down on us that the spine of the Chinese people will always stand straight!"
Thunderous applause erupted from the audience, and cheers rose and fell. The enthusiasm of the crowd was like a blazing fire, illuminating the entire night.
The next morning, Lin Zhiyuan plunged into the laboratory of the technical department.
*
At the first meeting at the steel plant, Lin Zhiyuan stood in front of the blackboard, his chalk filled with complex formulas.
Sitting in the audience were Xu Weidong, Shen Hongying, Zhao Bo, and other key technical personnel. Even the old factory director was wearing reading glasses and taking notes diligently.
“According to the latest special steel data released by Country M,” Lin Zhiyuan pushed up his glasses, “our current data can only reach half of theirs.”
There was silence in the conference room.
“The gap is huge.” Lin Zhiyuan looked around at everyone and suddenly smiled, “but it’s not insurmountable.”
He turned and drew an upward curve on the blackboard: "This is the development trajectory of Country M over the past twenty years."
He then drew an even steeper line next to it: "This is our plan: to catch up with two-thirds of their level within five years."
"Five years?" The finance director nearly jumped out of his chair. "Professor Lin, our factory's equipment..."
"If you don't have enough equipment, make up for it with your brain."
Lin Zhiyuan tapped his temple. "I've been in the US for ten years, and I know their weaknesses best."