1991 Starting from the core

Zheng Zhenchuan returned home.

He has lived in this old-fashioned house with two bedrooms and one living room for more than ten years. It wasn't until his son entered high school that he had a formal study room. Nowadays, the policy is gradually canceling the allocation of housing in units. A "scientific old man" like him may have to live here for the rest of his life.

His wife and he work in the same company, so they would have been eligible for a larger house. But when housing was tight and his son rarely came home, he showed his style and did not grab a new three-bedroom house. In this way, the unit did not "treat" him badly, allowing him to take the lead in the design of the lithography machine, and he was also qualified as a researcher.

At this time, Su Yuanshan's words kept echoing in his ears.

——“Poverty and happiness do not mean seeking poverty and happiness. Scientists should not pursue pleasure, but they should not fall into poverty.”

While his wife was cooking in the kitchen, Zheng Zhenchuan lit a cigarette and turned on the color TV.

News is playing on TV.

"Here's some good news: my country's first step-type projection lithography machine was successfully developed at the Institute of Optical Instruments, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and successfully passed the acceptance by the expert group."

Along with the announcer's smiling face, the news screen showed him explaining to Zhou Boguang and other people. In the picture, everyone is in high spirits and smiling.

"It is reported that this lithography machine has reached the same international level and will make a huge contribution to my country's semiconductor industry in the near future!"

In the lens, the laser can be seen refracted several times and finally landed on the silicon wafer. It was programmed to start and photolithography exposure began.

“We look forward to the Institute of Optics and Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences achieving greater success.”

Following the announcer's standard closing remarks, the next news item begins.

At this time, my wife's voice came from behind: "Awesome, Lao Zheng, which number is it?"

"Item 2." Zheng Zhenchuan put out his cigarette butt, turned down the TV sound, and looked back at his wife holding noodles and leaning against the kitchen door frame. He smiled slightly: "It is said that it will also be included in this year's government work report."

"That's really awesome." My wife is engaged in polarizing instruments. She is half of the same industry and knows the technical content of this photolithography machine.

"Haha, what a great job, just filling a gap." Zheng Zhenchuan walked towards his wife and took the noodles.

The couple are both engaged in scientific research and usually eat in the cafeteria. Besides, my wife doesn’t have any cooking skills, so she only knows how to cook mixed noodles.

The couple was slurping noodles when the phone rang.

Zheng Zhenchuan took the cordless phone smoothly - it was Su Yuanshan's personal gift to him, a cordless phone brought from Xinghai.

On the phone, my son's excited voice came: "Dad, I saw you were on the news!"

"Haha, it's not like your dad has never been fucked before." Zheng Zhenchuan pressed the speakerphone, and the cordless phone's handset suddenly turned into a small speaker: "Have you eaten yet?"

"I've eaten it a long time ago. Uh... are you eating noodles again?"

"Yeah."

"You ask Mom to learn cooking skills. She is a high-level engineer, but what does it matter if she can only cook noodles?"

"Hey! Are you feeling itchy?" His wife, Wang Juan, knocked on the table with her chopsticks and shouted on the phone, "Are you coming back from the New Year's Day holiday?"

"If I don't come back, I will probably have to go out into the wild with the teacher. I called today just to say hello to my dad." On the phone, my son’s laughter was particularly hearty.

Zheng Zhenchuan smiled and shook his head. His son was good at everything, but he did not inherit the mantle of his parents at all. He actually went to the University of Geosciences. They say they want to revitalize domestic oil, but now they are just a senior in college and are traveling around the world day after day.

"Finally, congratulations to Dad. If nothing happens, I will die first."

"Wait." Zheng Zhenchuan put down his chopsticks, glanced at his wife, hesitated for two seconds and then asked in a deep voice: "Xiaochuan, if I resign, will you support it?"

"Resign? Dad, you didn't..." Zheng Xiaochuan was taken aback and almost blurted out, "You're not sick, right?" "No, Dad, you are a senior researcher! When you are in school, you are a full professor, and when you are in an enterprise, you are a senior engineer! Why do you want to resign? Resign. What are you doing? Going to Fujian to sell watches?"

Listening to his son's hasty reply, Zheng Zhenchuan looked at his wife again and saw that her wife also had a puzzled look on her face, even vaguely angry.

"You know Yuanxin, right? Yuanxin is determined to develop photolithography machines. If the institute does not support our cooperation with Yuanxin, I will simply resign and go over to build a team myself." Although Zheng Zhenchuan was telling his son, his eyes remained still. The wife's face explained: "The treatment there is very good, there are welfare houses, three bedrooms and two living rooms, and there is also a retirement system."

There was silence on the phone for a moment. After a while, the son said: "If it is purely based on treatment, it is certainly no problem to go to Yuanxin. But... you have always warned me that a scholar should have ethical ethics."

"That's one thing I overlooked before. In addition to ethics, a scholar should also have a mission. And I don't think that joining Yuanxin means betraying my ethics. You old man, I will not be corrupt, give or take bribes, or form gangs. Forming factions to suppress colleagues, apart from being a bit stubborn in temper, I think my conduct is very good."

After hearing what Zheng Zhenchuan said, his son stopped trying to persuade him and hung up the phone after saying, "You are the father, you have the final say."

Zheng Zhenchuan looked at his wife with a wry smile: "My son has grown up."

"His wings have grown and become stiff. And your waist is also a bit stiff." His wife Wang Juan glared at her: "You actually kept quiet about such a big thing?"

"I just thought about it... It's not that I really want to resign." Zheng Zhenchuan sighed: "Juan'er, you don't know, it's so difficult to do something!"

Wang Juan asked: "In terms of treatment, is Yuanxin really that committed?"

"Yes, and Yuanxin's attitude is not to recommend resignation. After all... the Chinese Academy of Sciences still needs face. Yuanxin still wants to have a good relationship with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, so I am the only one to discuss the table with the leaders."

Zheng Zhenchuan lowered his head and continued eating noodles.

The wife raised her eyebrows: "Did you take the photo?"

Zheng Zhenchuan sucked a mouthful of noodles into his mouth and nodded hesitantly: "Shooted."

Wang Juan looked at her husband, endured it, and finally sighed.

"Old Zheng, have you ever thought about it? If you do this, you will offend all the leaders! Even if the next cooperation project is still led by you, what will happen after it is over? Have you ever thought about...how you can gain a foothold in the hospital in the future? ?”

Facing his wife's rhetorical question, Zheng Zhenchuan swallowed the noodles in two mouthfuls, took out his handkerchief and wiped his mouth.

He looked unconcerned.

"As the person in charge of the first lithography machine, if I don't rise up, who will rise up?"

The wife looked at Zheng Zhenchuan intently. At this moment, she seemed to see the heroic spirit of a twenty-year-old boy suddenly rise in the "old man".

"Okay! No matter what, I support you!"

Wang Juan slapped the table, as if she had returned to the time when the two first met.

At that time, Zheng Zhenchuan was high-spirited and talented, and she was also full of knowledge and unyielding. Both of them were bent on dedicating themselves to the country and the people.

It's a pity that after half a lifetime, although he is a high-level intellectual in the eyes of others, he can still only gain some false fame in a small circle.

Now that her husband has regained his "second youth", of course she must support him.