The Sweetness of the Seventies-Chapter 1199 - 1168: Skipping Levels for Reporting

The two old madams reminisced about the times when the sky was ablaze with war.

"Indeed, before the liberation, during those chaotic days of warfare, it was a luxury just to stay alive," Old Madam Huo said, "We are both fortunate, and you must also take good care of yourself and live a long life."

"I will cherish these days," Grandma Wang replied. "But I must admit, getting older does mean that some things are becoming difficult."

"Yes, it seems in a blink of an eye, we’re already in our eighties," Old Madam Huo sighed. "Even though our children are successful and we have many grandchildren, it’s still hard to let go. I don’t want to die."

"Yes, I really don’t want to die either," Grandma Wang said. "Our health is still good; we should live as long as possible and not worry excessively. Thinking constantly about death can also affect one’s mood."

Old Madam Huo laughed and nodded, "Yes, let’s not think about it. Each day we live is a bonus."

The two elderly ladies chatted and laughed in the room, and the younger generations also had a fun time celebrating Grandma Wang’s birthday.

He Tiantian did her best to make herself and those around her happy.

In fact, they were indeed very happy.

Speaking of Huo Yingjie, far away in a remote base, life was not so easy for him.

Facing a mess of a crater not far away, Huo Yingjie was somewhat speechless.

Even clad in protective gear, Huo Yingjie could still feel the wave of heat and smell of gunpowder before him.

It had already failed three times.

There shouldn’t be a fourth failure!

They should have identified the cause by now.

But the chief engineer was still being stubborn, unwilling to alter the plans.

After the first two failures, Huo Yingjie had already submitted a plan, but during the third experiment, he found it was almost identical to the second one, it did not address the main issue, and his report had been completely overlooked.

Perhaps those above simply never saw his report.

Huo Yingjie was daydreaming when suddenly someone nudged him, gesturing that he needed to get back to work—the chief engineer was coming for an inspection.

Being caught daydreaming would probably lead to a scolding.

Every failure made the chief engineer’s temper worse.

However, seeing his white hair, bloodshot eyes, and tired expression, it was hard to feel resentful towards the old man.

Understanding the hint, Huo Yingjie lowered his head and got to work.

This couldn’t go on; he had to speak with the chief engineer personally.

Was it the chief engineer’s stubbornness, or had his report been intercepted?

As everyone else gradually left, only Chief Engineer Liu remained, silently staring at the large crater alone looking frail.

Huo Yingjie didn’t leave; he stayed behind.

When Chief Engineer Liu turned to leave and got into the jeep, Huo Yingjie approached and said, "Chief Engineer Liu, I am Huo Yingjie, a member of Group Three. I had to deal with something just now and missed the car. May I ride with you?"

"Oh?" Chief Engineer Liu was surprised, "You are Huo Yingjie?"

Although Chief Engineer Liu hadn’t met Huo Yingjie one-on-one before, he remembered him from the national call for scientific researchers, having reviewed his information.

This was a researcher of materials, from a family with commendable achievements, who was exceptionally talented.

"Yes, I am Huo Yingjie," Huo Yingjie responded with a smile, hoping this time things would go smoothly.

"Since it’s on the way, hop in then," said Chief Engineer Liu with a tired yet resigned smile, making him look very worn.

"Thank you." Huo Yingjie got in and sat next to Chief Engineer Liu.

The driver and the security officer then drove off.

In the car, Huo Yingjie was straightforward, "Chief Engineer Liu, although I am just an ordinary researcher, after the first two failures, I surmised based on some information that the issue might be with our automation system, so I wrote a report and submitted it. I’m not sure if you had the chance to see it?"

Chief Engineer Liu frowned, taken aback, "I haven’t seen the report! Never mind the report for now, our automation system was modified from Western technology, how could it have issues? We only implemented it after extensive tests that showed no problems."

Huo Yingjie nodded, "If it’s just in isolated instances, there may be no issues. But at temperatures around 1500 degrees Celsius, the accuracy declines."

Hearing this, Chief Engineer Liu was stunned; how could he have forgotten the high-temperature environment?

"Why do you say that?" asked Chief Engineer Liu. "What makes you draw such a conclusion? You didn’t conduct any tests, did you?"

It was apparent that Chief Engineer Liu didn’t believe Huo Yingjie.

Seeing that Chief Engineer Liu was not totally dismissive, Huo Yingjie continued, "Actually, it’s no secret at the Institute I work for. The key materials in the automation system are produced by our institute. I know the various parameters, and the specification we received initially was that the temperature must not exceed 1500 degrees Celsius, which is the upper limit for those materials."

Chief Engineer Liu froze, realizing if it was an issue with the automation, then all his prior amendments were misguided.

"Are you sure?" Chief Engineer Liu asked earnestly.

Huo Yingjie nodded, "I am sure! Actually, the main theme of your current design isn’t the problem; the major issue lies with the automation."

"Oh?" Chief Engineer Liu was surprised. "Everything is fine overall, but tell me, aside from automation, what else could be the problem? Although I am strict, if your insights can help us complete our task sooner, I will seriously consider them."

Already having failed three times, the pressure would be tremendous if the fourth attempt also failed.

It wasn’t just about spending money but also wasting valuable time.

Given the complex international circumstances and the domestic embargoes from foreign countries, their project was essential for enhancing national strength.

Since he had been wrong before, it might be worth listening to this young man.

He was, after all, an expert in domestic materials and had even participated in the research on the automation system, albeit, just a small part involving material production.

"Yes, Chief Engineer Liu, there is a detailed discussion in that report. You might want to look for it when you go back," said Huo Yingjie. "I spent a lot of my rest time completing it, hoping it might be of some help to you."

If it weren’t for his eagerness to return home, Huo Yingjie wouldn’t have bypassed his superiors to submit a report and risk resentment.

Chief Engineer Liu nodded, "Who did you give the report to?"

"To our team leader, Wen Qiming," replied Huo Yingjie. "I saw him hand it over to your assistant, Wang Shengli."

Wang Shengli?

If there were worthwhile suggestions, Wang Shengli would have told him.

Chief Engineer Liu nodded again, "Alright, I’ll have someone search for it and read it thoroughly. If it turns out that automation is the issue, I will make sure you get recognized for it."

If it proved unhelpful, Chief Engineer Liu wouldn’t criticize Huo Yingjie, both because of Huo Yingjie’s youth and capabilities, and his notable family background.