freenovelworld Chapter 709, "Far Ahead," needs to be read three times.
Chapter 709, "Far Ahead," needs to be read three times.
“Master Weng, your skills are absolutely top-notch. Would you like to work at our factory? As a permanent employee! You can do what you’re good at, solving the most challenging and precise machining problems!” Jiang Xia held the assembled gear set to his ear and gently flicked it. The gear set, which had no limit switch, made a slight rustling sound, which made Jiang Xia squint his eyes again.
Clear! Pure! No noise!
That sounds amazing! This sound itself is a perfect embodiment of precision.
Little Dai Mao was contentedly immersed in the mechanical rhythm, while Weng Dehai was completely stunned.
Weng Dehai, who had been hunched over and with his head hanging down, suddenly jolted! As if struck by an invisible electric current, his whole body stiffened instantly. His hands, covered in thick calluses and habitually clasped together on his knees, suddenly clenched into fists, his knuckles making a slight "crackling" sound from the force, and his veins bulging.
His cloudy eyes widened, as if long-extinguished embers had been suddenly ignited deep within his pupils, trembling violently as he stared intently at Jiang Xia. His lips quivered, moving several times before finally managing to squeeze out a few broken syllables from deep within his throat: "...Work...?...A formal...job?...To...your...factory?"
"Yes! Permanent employees! From our factory!"
Fearing that Master Weng might think it was a joke, Xiao Daimao immediately bent down and rummaged through his bag: "When the name was changed, the factory gave me a few permanent employee positions, which I haven't used yet. Where did I put the documents?"
Jiang Xia muttered to himself as he rummaged through his bag.
Well, there's nothing I can do. Jiang Xia's spatial storage can't compare to other protagonists'. While other protagonists' storage is crammed full of canned grains and meat, and big and small yellow croakers, his poor little guy's bag is filled with nothing but rolled-up blueprints, draft paper covered in formulas, and all sorts of oddly shaped steel samples sent by the steel mill.
The only piece of Tai Sui that could be considered a "rare treasure" had long been eaten up by him as a way to stay awake while staying up all night...
While Xiao Daimao was engrossed in searching for the crucial document among the pile of blueprints, he didn't notice the strange behavior of Master Weng behind him.
Jiang Xia's affirmative answer was like a key, instantly unlocking the floodgates in Weng Dehai's heart that had been sealed and suppressed for too long.
His facial muscles twitched violently, and large, turbid tears rolled down from his wide-open eyes without warning, splashing onto his faded coarse cloth trousers and leaving dark water stains.
He could no longer suppress the urge in his throat, and a whimper like that of a wounded lone wolf burst forth, his body trembling uncontrollably. He abruptly lowered his head, covered his face with his hands, his shoulders heaving violently as he let out a muffled and suppressed wail.
Just then, Old Wang appeared out of nowhere.
He deftly shoved a heavy black leather suitcase into Jiang Xia's arms, who was still rummaging through her bag, and then, with practiced ease, pulled out the official employee acceptance letter stamped with a red seal from the pile of papers Jiang Xia had just pulled out. He then strode over to Master Weng's side.
"Master Weng! Master Weng! Great news! Incredible good news! Why are you crying! You should be laughing! You should be laughing, brother!"
Old Wang unfolded the document, almost shoving it in front of Weng Dehai's eyes. "It's all in black and white with a big red seal! A confirmed permanent position! You've finally made it!"
"The factory has dormitories, a cradle for children, and a primary school! Your grandson will never..."
Hmm? So Old Wang's learned Secretary Liu's Ghost Steps too? He seems to know quite a bit about Master Weng's family situation! But, isn't that a bit of a mistake in addressing him? Oh well, whatever, it's all the author's fault anyway…
Jiang Xia rubbed his chin and lit a cigarette for himself.
That's obvious! If Old Wang and his family hadn't thoroughly investigated Master Weng's family history, they definitely wouldn't have allowed their "silly kid" to be alone with him in a room.
Even though Master Weng is over sixty and looks honest and unassuming, that's still not acceptable! Safety is paramount! (Actually, not really, the silly kid doesn't know there's someone above him...)
But, for some reason, looking at Master Wen's expression, Jiang Xia felt a little awkward...
Hmm, let's shift our focus. While Lao Wang was comforting Master Weng, Jiang Xia casually took out a roll of blueprints from his bag, unfolded it, and listened curiously to their conversation...
…………
Perhaps it was the slightly faded but still crisp old military uniform that Lao Wang was wearing that naturally carried a reassuring power. Under Lao Wang's patting and coaxing, Master Weng's emotions actually calmed down a bit, and he even responded with a few words intermittently.
The two men, one in an old military uniform and the other in coarse work clothes, held hands (mainly Old Wang holding Master Weng's hand), and with nasal tones and choked voices, recounted the past...
“I saw you when you first entered Beijing, but I stayed at home and didn’t dare to go out. Later I dared to peek through the crack in the door… It was freezing cold… The soldiers would rather huddle against the wall and shiver from the cold than disturb the people by coming into their homes… Discipline…!”
“That’s right! Brother, do you know so-and-so’s wife?” Old Wang chimed in.
"Yes, I know! Hey, I heard she gave birth not long after you moved to the city..."
"Hehe, you don't know, his car broke down, and our leader had to give up his own little Jeep..."
"Oh! No wonder he named his child Yongjun (meaning 'support the army')..."
Seeing Master Weng's increasingly fluent tongue and relaxed expression, Jiang Xia smiled slightly.
Well, Jiang Xia knew he couldn't envy or even get a word in edgewise about this kind of ingrained blood ties and shared memories. He could only silently hold the suitcase that Old Wang had handed him and gently unfasten the clasp.
Inside the box, several small, independent cubes, smelling of plastic, were carefully arranged on a black velvet cloth.
At the center of each small square is a rectangular window, inside which is embedded a piece of dark red, unidentified material. Through the dark red window, one can clearly see that seven independent, luminous strips are arranged in a classic figure-eight shape.
Only at the very back, next to the lower right vertical section of the luminous area, is there a separate small square luminous point.
At the bottom of the plastic casing, a row of 10 slender metal pins protrude.
Oh ho ho!
LED digital tube display screen is here!
Looking at the meticulously arranged figure-eight structure under the deep red semi-transparent window, Jiang Xia smiled smugly, revealing a set of small white teeth.
That's what you call being far ahead!
Important things should be said three times. Come on, let's shout it again: Far ahead!
Hmm, not right... Jiang Xia's gaze swept over the LED digital tube on the table and the integrated circuit board he designed, finally landing on Master Weng, who was being supported by Old Wang and wiping away tears with his sleeve.
Having this (referring to the LED) and this (referring to the IC board) isn't enough! We also need Master Weng's 'magical hands'! Only when all three are combined can it truly be one of a kind in the world! Only then can this 'far ahead' technology be transformed from blueprints into a real product!
Jiang Xia pulled out four circuit boards and looked at Master Weng, who was signing documents under the guidance of Old Wang, and laughed arrogantly.
A portable scientific calculator—isn't that cutting-edge? Imagine stuffing this thing into a radar, into an artillery command vehicle, into a laser rangefinder that hasn't even appeared yet, and then stuffing the laser rangefinder into five pairs of wheels…
Wahahahaha...
Far ahead!
Far ahead!
Far ahead!