klisemfg Chapter 338 Era: XCMG's Simple-minded Wife 42
Chapter 338 Era: XCMG's Simple-minded Wife 42
"I really don't remember."
Ji Xiaosong leaned against the hospital bed and gently shook her head as she faced the police officers who came to investigate: "That night... I think I had a dream. I dreamt that I was walking on a mountain, and then I don't remember anything."
Police officer Li closed his notebook, his brow furrowed: "Comrade Ji, your injuries are unusual. There are traces of high-voltage electric shock on the edges of the wound, but there was no power outage in the entire factory that night."
"It might be..." Xu Weidong handed over a cup of hot tea, his voice tense, "a special weapon used by enemy agents?"
A brief silence fell over the ward.
“We will strengthen security in the factory area.” Comrade Li finally stood up. “Comrade Ji, please rest well. Contact us anytime if you have any leads.”
After the door closed, Ji Xiaosong let out a long sigh, her gaze towards the window somewhat unfocused.
"Xiao Song," Xu Weidong sat down on the edge of the bed, hesitating to speak, "you really..."
"Weidong," she interrupted softly, taking her husband's hand, "I'm fine. But you, you've got dark circles under your eyes."
Xu Weidong wanted to say something, but in the end he just gripped her hand tightly in return.
Enemy agents are using increasingly sophisticated methods, and Xiao Song doesn't remember anything anymore, which is for the best.
Looking at the wounds all over his body, the injury must have been very serious.
It's alright, as long as my wife is alive.
He really couldn't imagine how lost he would feel if Ji Xiaosong wasn't by his side.
Over the years, his once simple and honest rural wife has completely transformed into an indispensable and important partner in his life.
"Wei Dong, we have been working hard for many years for special steel. Look at the skyscrapers outside. Since the beginning of the new millennium, our country seems to be getting richer and stronger."
Ji Xiaosong's voice was so soft it was almost floating.
Xu Weidong gently stroked his wife's thin hand, his gaze following her as she looked out the window.
In the distance, newly built high-rise buildings gleamed in the sunlight, and bicycles and cars crisscrossed the streets.
“Yes,” he said in a low voice, “the factory now uses new equipment, and we no longer need to use abacuses to calculate data like we used to.”
As he spoke, he suddenly laughed, "Do you remember that spectrometer we made ourselves? It's now an exhibit in the factory history museum."
Ji Xiaosong's lips curled up slightly, but a hint of worry flashed in her eyes: "But Weidong, I heard that the new type of special steel from Country M has broken through new data..."
"We are also making progress."
Xu Weidong squeezed her hand, "The 'Great Wall No. 8' developed by Zhigang and his team has achieved amazing results, and the cost is only one-third of that of imported ones."
The ward fell silent for a moment, with only the faint sound of car horns coming from outside the window.
Ji Xiaosong suddenly asked, "Do you remember what the factory was like when we first got married?"
Xu Weidong's gaze deepened: "I remember. The workshop leaked when it rained, the equipment was outdated, and there wasn't even a decent laboratory."
He paused, then continued, "Back then, you always said that one day we would have our own precision instruments, our own research and development center..."
“We have everything now,” Ji Xiaosong said softly, then shook her head. “But why do I still feel it’s not enough?”
Xu Weidong was silent for a moment, then suddenly stood up and took a document out of his briefcase: "Take a look at this."
Ji Xiaosong took the document; it was an English report.
She looked up in surprise: "This is...?"
"The latest technology blockade list from the United States."
Xu Weidong's voice was filled with suppressed anger, "They put our 'Great Wall series' on the embargo list, calling them 'strategic materials'."
Ji Xiaosong's fingers trembled slightly as she flipped through the densely packed entries in the report.
After a long while, she raised her head, her eyes sparkling with a light that Xu Weidong recognized—the same look that the defiant young wife had behind the counter at the supply and marketing cooperative back then.
"Wei Dong, we need to move faster."
She said, word by word, "It's not enough to just catch up; we have to surpass them."
Xu Weidong nodded and pulled a small notebook from his pocket: "I've memorized all the experimental data from the past three months. Take a look at this grain boundary strengthening scheme..."
As they were talking, the ward door was gently pushed open.
Zhigang poked his head in: "Dad, Mom, did I disturb you?"
"Come in," Ji Xiaosong said with a smile, "I have something to ask you."
Zhigang walked in, still wearing his lab coat: "Mom, are you feeling better? Our team just finished a set of tests..."
"Let's not talk about this yet."
Ji Xiaosong interrupted her son, pointing to a section of the report and asking, "Does your school's lab research this 'nanotwin technology'?"
Zhigang leaned closer to take a look, his eyes lighting up: "Yes! My advisor is working on this. Mom, how come you..."
"Find a way to get the information." Ji Xiaosong's voice suddenly became firm. "No, it would be best to invite this mentor to our factory for guidance."
Xu Weidong and his son exchanged a glance, both seeing the surprise in each other's eyes.
Lying in her hospital bed, Ji Xiaosong seemed to have returned to the "simple-minded wife" who used to strategize in the supply and marketing cooperative.
“Mom, you really are…” Zhigang shook his head with a smile, “You’re lying in a hospital bed and you’re still thinking about these things.”
Ji Xiaosong looked out the window, the sunlight gilding her white hair: "It's precisely because I'm lying here that I understand the preciousness of time even more."
Xu Weidong suddenly stood up: "I'll go find the old factory director right now and apply to set up a special task force."
He turned to his son, "Zhigang, you're in charge of contacting the school."
Watching her husband and son hurriedly leave, Ji Xiaosong gently leaned against the pillow.
She knew that their battle was far from over, just like this rising nation, and the road ahead was long and arduous.
Outside the window, a new leaf sways gently in the spring breeze, its tender green tip pointing towards the boundless blue sky.
*
Headquarters of Hongxing Steel Group, 2017.
Ji Xiaosong stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the brand-new experimental building in the factory area.
Years passed, and her hair turned even whiter, but her eyes remained as bright as ever.
Behind him, Xu Weidong was discussing the latest test data with several young engineers.
His back was slightly hunched, but his voice was still loud and clear: "This grain boundary stability data is 12% worse than what the US announced last year! If we work harder, we will catch up with them soon."
Their generation worked hard their whole lives. Many of them have passed away, but Ji Xiaosong and Xu Weidong have lived long enough to stay on the front lines.
There are three children in the family: one is developing chips, one is continuing to research special steels, and the other is researching computers.
Now that they are about to catch up with the United States, Xu Weidong almost burst into tears.
“XCMG, our country’s development speed in recent years has been like flying. The achievements we have made are already very good.”
A young engineer said softly that he was quite satisfied with his country's research results, after all, special steel is currently used in many places and has stable performance.
"not enough……"
Xu Weidong shook his head. "If we're going to do something, we'll only do the best!"
Just then, a news headline on the projection screen flashed like lightning, cleaving the air in the conference room.
"M country metallurgical experts admit: More than 240 types of premium steel material data were falsified."