Scholars in the courtyard

"Go to sleep, there's still time to watch!"

In the room, the old man was leaning on the bedside, holding documents in his hand and rubbing his eyes from time to time.

Although he yawned, he had no intention of letting go.

The old woman next to me said this several times, but the old man no longer listened.

"Look a little longer!"

The old man said, and the old woman sat up.

"How many times have you read this little thing?"

The old man smiled after hearing this and said, "It makes me happy to see such a good thing several times."

As he spoke, the old man pointed to the data on the document, "You don't know how important these changes will be to the country."

"Steel!"

"Last time I went to North Korea, with the support of the alliance, they built infrastructure very quickly, and the overall domestic economy developed rapidly."

Having said this, the old man put the documents aside, "The elderly there are well-supported, the medical care is very advanced, and the children can go to school."

"They have a lot of food to eat. There are a lot of cars on their streets."

"They have a lot of planes and tanks."

The old man said softly, thinking about the situation in the country, those who are struggling for food and clothing, and those who are still fighting for revolutionary construction, they feel a heavy weight on their shoulders and a pressure in their hearts.

"The gap between us is widening."

The old woman saw what her husband was thinking, gently held her arm, and then smiled, "Why do you envy them? They all got it for themselves, after all, they are not theirs!"

"This was achieved with the help of others. Can it lay a good foundation? If the foundation is not solid, it will have no stamina!"

"No matter how good the things here are, they are like castles in the air."

The old woman is also aware of the gap between them, but she also understands that this gap is only temporary. Given the size difference between the two sides, as long as the country catches up, the other side will never be a match.

"If you look at us again, even though we don't have the help of the alliance, haven't we still accomplished a lot of things now?"

"I made this myself, so it's easy to use."

The old man nodded slightly, "How could I not know?"

"Industrial construction has always been about moving forward step by step, and we must avoid taking the wrong path."

"How can the gap between this be narrowed so easily!"

"Besides, this process is so tedious!"

The old woman also sighed, "There's nothing we can do about it. Who made our foundation too weak?"

"But as long as you keep moving forward steadily, that's all."

"Just like the comrades in the machinery factory, you can tell they are doing well by just looking at them."

The old man smiled and nodded, "Yes, this machine factory has taken the lead and done a good job through these things."

The old woman shook her head, "That's not what I'm talking about."

"You see, they are not familiar with steelmaking, but they can firmly support the use of new technologies. For this reason, they even heard that they went to Jinling to study. This attitude and courage are rare."

The old man listened in silence for a long time before nodding seriously, "You are right, everyone is crossing the river by feeling the stones. Whoever can bravely take the first step represents victory."

The two said no more and prepared to sleep.

snap

The room was dark.

"By the way, you went back to Yanzhou last time. How was it there?"

The old man asked.

"The life of the villagers is getting better, and the corn harvest now is much better than before! However, you also know the local agricultural conditions, and it is not easy to irrigate."

"Also, the largest factory nearby is actually a cement factory. Young people have no way to work. The cultivated land cannot support so many people, and there are not that many factories. We have no choice but to leave..."

"Only the elderly and children are left in the village..."

"well!"

There was melancholy in the old woman's words.

Especially before leaving, the villagers insisted on asking her to bring back a bag of millet, saying that it was produced at home and would taste familiar.

Those simple faces always appeared in her dreams.

The old man was silent.

It was the same the last time I went.

He also wants to change the local economy, but it's the same across the country, and there's nothing he and I can do about it!

The two didn't continue talking, but neither of them fell asleep.

After a long time, the old man seemed to have made up his mind and asked softly, "What do you think about building a factory there?"

"I remember that there are abundant resources there. It should be no problem to build a small steel plant."

"What do you think?"

The old man became more energetic as he talked, but after waiting for a while, there was no response.

Only then did I realize that my wife beside me was already asleep!

The old man tucked the quilt in, then slowly lay down and closed his eyes.

But the persistence in my heart is even stronger.

The next day, the old man got up and came to the office.

First, a systematic written record of the visit was made, and some important matters were handed over to other comrades.

Then I asked someone to archive it, which freed up time to deal with other things.

Secretary Tang organized the things that needed to be dealt with, and the old man finished them step by step. It was already noon.

"Xiao Tang, what else do you have to do this morning?"

"Chief, the Secretariat called just now. Several people want to report to you and asked when you would be free."

The old man nodded, "Who is there?"

"Chief Li from the logistics department, as well as Chief Chen, and Chief Wang who has returned to Xinjiang are also waiting."

"Wang Beard? Is he here?"

"Yes, Chief Wang came here in the morning. He should have been notified by Director Li."

The old man nodded and looked at the time, "Go and ask someone to add two more dishes. By the way, I need to buy some meat. Beard loves meat, so I want something fatter!"

As he spoke, the old man took out two paper tickets from his pocket and handed them to Secretary Tang, "This is my private treat!"

Secretary Tang knew the old man's temperament and did not refuse, "Then call Chief Wang here."

"Well, there's no rush. We'll talk about it after lunch. Call Comrade Chen over first."

The old man thought about his decision last night and spoke immediately.

"OK!"

…

Not long after, Mr. Chen walked in from outside.

"Chief, did you come back last night?"

Mr. Chen walked in and sat on a chair nearby.

The old man smiled and nodded, "Yes, I've been out for a while and everything has been taken care of. Thank you for your hard work."

Mr. Chen shook his head, "It's nothing. It's just a matter of these few days."

"There are a lot of things, good and bad, but overall, there are a lot of good things."

Mr. Chen concluded, and then reported on the recent domestic situation, and implemented the things in the report one by one with the old man.

"How was the follow-up to the accident?"

When asked about the explosion at the Shishan Steel Plant, Chen Laodang was about to tell the old man the results.

"well!"

"They say new technology is good, but it involves risks. A little carelessness can lead to disaster!"

The old man sighed, and Mr. Chen nodded.

"So we need to be more disciplined and prepared. That's what I'm here for this time!"

As he spoke, Mr. Chen took out a pamphlet from his pocket and said, "This is the management manual produced by Red Star Steel Factory."

"We each had one copy that day and followed the instructions in the booklet..."

Old Chen told the story again. Although the old man had read the report last night, he still felt excited after listening carefully.

"These safety regulations are all based on accumulated experience. Some of them are lessons learned through blood and tears. They cannot be buried and everyone must learn from them."

Mr. Chen said with emotion. The old man touched the brochure and said, "With this, the steel technology transformation you mentioned will be more confident!"

Mr. Chen nodded, "Yes."

"I heard from the machinery factory that the steel plant will next transform the 100-ton open-hearth furnace. If it succeeds, and accumulate experience, the technology will become more and more proficient,"

"This is also the basis for my statement that domestic steel production will double within one year."

"If 100 percent of the country's steel plants were transformed, the output would be even higher!"

"Of course, this requires other supporting facilities to keep up!"

Chen Lao said with emotion.

The increase in steel production is important for various domestic construction projects.

The old man nodded, "You said that the railway plan can be advanced. What do you think of this?"

After hearing this, Mr. Chen expressed his thoughts.

"If there is sufficient steel, the addition of main railway lines will be conducive to transportation exchanges and can boost the local economy."

"At the same time, it also facilitates the deployment of troops."

As Mr. Chen said, the old man naturally knew the benefits of building a railway. "Do you have a specific plan?"

"It's still under planning, but by this time next year, steel production will have increased, and multiple stages can be started at the same time across the country, so allocating manpower will not be a problem."

"We still need to do a good job of investigation. It's no small matter to open roads and build bridges over mountains and rivers."

The old man said cautiously, "By the way, how is the progress of the Jinling Bridge?"

"Not slow, but not fast either."

Mr. Chen thought for a moment, "Anshan Iron and Steel's output is only that small, and it can't grow quickly."

"We can let other steel mills try to develop it, but we can't rely on one steel mill to dominate the world."

Mr. Chen shook his head helplessly after hearing this, "We have also expanded the manganese steel refining technology, but so far, none of the imitations have been successful."

"For various reasons, apart from technical issues, the same method is not applicable due to different equipment."

After the two of them discussed the matters in the report one by one and reached a consensus, Mr. Chen talked about the successful development of a new engine by the machinery factory.

"This time the machinery factory specially made a new diesel engine to meet the demand for northwest exports."

As Mr. Chen said, the smile on the old man's face continued.

"So, the machine factory has done something big again?"

"Yes."

After the work report, Mr. Chen was ready to leave.

Both of them have a lot of things on their hands, so it is rare to find time to meet.

"Wait a moment, there is one more thing, please help me advise!"

At this moment, the old man stood up and walked over.

"Chief, tell me."

"It's like this. You also know about the situation in Yanzhou. I remember that there are coal mines and iron mines around there. You see, if we can build a steel plant, we will use this new technology to build the plant."

There was some hope in the old man's words.

"I also know that this matter is not in the national plan, but the young people in Yanzhou have no way out, and what should we do if we are left with a group of lonely old people and children?"

“The land and people there have made important contributions to the revolution, and they are also meritorious to us.

"Don't forget the well digger when you drink water. We can't forget the yellow land that supports the red color!"

Chen Lao was very silent when he heard what the old man said.

Because he knew that it was not easy to build a factory there.

Not to mention the resources needed to build the factory, the problem is the manpower deployment.

Now there is a shortage of workers everywhere. Yesterday, Lao Huang from the First Machinery Department complained to him that the lack of workers would affect production, especially with the continuous breakthroughs in new technologies, the demand for workers is increasing.

No way, not all factories have as many machine tools as machinery factories.

Therefore, it would be too expensive to build a new steel plant.

Moreover, the terrain and roads in Yanzhou are impassable, so even if it is produced, it will...

What's more, workers' lives and family arrangements are all quite stressful!

As mentioned above, if the order is given, the factory will definitely be built, but for the sake of long-term development, it is better to do less to quench thirst with poison.

Seeing that Mr. Chen remained silent, the old man sighed inwardly.

It’s just wishful thinking!

"well!"

A sigh made Mr. Chen feel nervous.

"Actually, it's not impossible!"

As Mr. Chen said this, he thought of what Wang Huzi had mentioned to him, and suddenly had an idea.

"Chief, you know Wang Beard is back this time!"

The old man nodded, but he still didn't expect anything to happen to Wang Huzi.

"I guess the superiors will agree."

The old man nodded again.

"There is a real need to develop industry in Xinjiang, especially under the current situation, it is especially important for border areas."

"Since he has made a request this time, we cannot refuse."

Mr. Chen nodded. When Wang Huzi mentioned this to him, he knew that even if he did not fully support it, his superiors would not reject it.

After all, the construction of Huijiang is inseparable from the support of industry.

"You don't know, Wang Huzi came back this time, but he left a lot of connections. He went to the First Machinery Department a lot, eating and delivering cigarettes and alcohol."

"I estimate that with his ability, he will definitely get a lot of sponsorship this time."

The old man listened and suddenly thought of something.

"Are you thinking of robbing someone on the way?"