A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

"Minister, Senior Sister, Brother-in-law, I'll be going now."

Jiang Xia rubbed his arms; why was the office building of the Second Ministry of Machine Building so cold…

"Go ahead, go ahead. Keep an eye on the equipment manufacturing process. Your factory's badge warrior supervisor is with you, right? Tell him this is different. Later, ask the logistics department to get you a special production license. As for washing machines and such, we'll talk about that in a couple of years. By the way, where did your little tagalong go?"

The Minister of the Second Ministry of Machine Building watched as Jiang Xia and Teacher Ze Hui finished greeting each other, then curiously looked around. "Hey? Why isn't so-and-so's son with that little dummy?"

"Wang Kui? I told him to go to another department to ask about the equipment parameters."

Jiang Xia waved his hand, walked to the entrance of the office building, and stopped looking at the brightly lit annex buildings.

"Leader? Can my deputy factory director be taken away now? If he goes back, I'll have to take him to memorize the confidentiality regulations."

Looking at Li Huaide shivering in a single layer of clothing in the room in the annex building, Jiang Xia still couldn't bear to let him suffer in the cold.

Everyone in the room was wrapped in cotton-padded coats, except for Li Huaide, who was only wearing a sweater and was already shivering from the cold.

Hey, what's going on with the Second Ministry of Machine Building? Didn't they install a lot of individual "heating furnaces" in various government buildings recently? Why isn't there a single one in the Second Ministry of Machine Building?

I didn't see any decorations in my senior sister's small office just now.

After obtaining the leader's approval, he beckoned Li Huaide out and asked Secretary-General Lin in a low voice, "Uncle Lin, do you want to come along?"

Secretary-General Lin smiled and said gently, "If your Uncle Lin wanted to leave, he would have left long ago. If you're interested, let your deputy factory director explain the ins and outs to you."

"You, the deputy factory director, tsk, you're really shrewd. With him around, you'll suffer less. Alright, let's go!"

Ok?

Jiang Xia looked suspiciously at Li Huaide, who was making assurances to the leaders of the Second Ministry of Machine Building. What had this guy done now that made Secretary-General Lin change his opinion of him?

Forget it, why think so much?

He tossed his coat to Li Huaide, then pulled a warm blanket from his bag and hugged it to his chest: "Uncle Li, let's go!"

"Hey!" Li Huaide followed along, carrying the clothes. "Xiao Jiang, you should wear these clothes. You're not very strong, but your Uncle Li can handle the cold!"

Seeing Li Huaide with snot running down his face, Jiang Xia waved his hand and said, "Don't be shy, I have a heating pack, but you don't! Hey, where's the back door of the Second Ministry of Machine Building? Old Wang said he'll pick us up at the back door."

“Back door? Oh, it’s over in the family quarters, we have to go through here…” Li Huaide, as a local bigwig in Beijing, was practically a walking map.

The two walked along the winding path. Jiang Xia had indeed received a call from Lao Wang, who said that he had finished things at the Ministry of Chemical Industry and only the post office was left to be arranged.

Jiang Xia was still marveling at how kind the people in the Ministry of Chemical Industry were, letting Old Wang off so easily. He wondered how Old Wang had managed to appease them.

But when Xiao Daimao said that the Ministry of Chemical Industry were "good people", Lao Wang cursed.

However, the Ministry of Chemical Industry did indeed provide a concrete answer regarding the polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) that Jiang Xia had been longing for.

This thing really exists!

After they inexplicably produced dichlorodifluoromethane, a few young people found it quite interesting. After some calculations, they put it into a reactor and, through high-temperature pyrolysis, produced tetrafluoroethylene (TFE), the monomer of polytetrafluoroethylene.

Then, through some playful polymerization reactions, this thing was inexplicably created.

When Lao Wang went there, the properties of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) had not yet been determined.

Following the key points recorded by Jiang Xia, Lao Wang said that materials with corrosion resistance and high temperature resistance were needed. The Ministry of Chemical Industry originally said that they did not have them, but these young people happened to bring these things to apply for the project.

When the leaders of the Ministry of Chemical Industry saw this, they thought, "We have something new. Let's test it."

I didn't have much hope at first, but after taking the measurements...

Goodness, the chemical stability of this stuff is simply phenomenal. After conducting relevant data tests on this material, especially after discovering the chemical corrosion resistance of polytetrafluoroethylene.

Needless to say, this year, besides fertilizers, the preparation and production of this stuff is the Ministry of Chemical Industry's main focus!

Of course, the naive rabbit at this moment did not know that this thing had actually been trademarked and patented by DuPont, the bald eagle, 45 years ago.

However, their patents don't currently apply to our area. Even if they did, we've already been paying patent fees for nearly a century...

And so, Old Wang happened to receive the Ministry of Chemical Industry's forgiveness.

According to one of the directors, "If it weren't for Old Wang making the request, they wouldn't have bothered to test the performance of that thing. They were just trying to get by, but they didn't expect its performance to be so outstanding..."

"Moreover, Jiang Xia and his apprentice put a lot of effort into the equipment used for the experiments." (Remember when Jiang Xia sang the Big Sword March at the Ministry of Chemical Industry? The overall chemical equipment included the small-scale experimental devices used in the early stages.)

"Since it's all by chance, let's just let bygones be bygones!"

Of course, while saying this, the director was still measuring the corrosion resistance of polytetrafluoroethylene.

Well, perhaps to educate Old Wang, this director specially found a piece of pigskin and, while using various concentrated acids and alkalis to torture the pigskin, also helped Old Wang explain things.

This is also why Lao Wang swore...

"Fine, I'll introduce him! But every time he puts an eye drop, he glances at me. It's worse than being scratched by a cat! Next time I encounter a prisoner who won't talk, I'll just send him to the Ministry of Chemical Industry!"

"Dr. Lan Ying is absolutely right! Brother, let's not come to this place again unless it's absolutely necessary..."

……

So, don't mess with chemistry people, because one day they might develop molecular bonds and you won't even know why.

Good thing, good thing. No matter how it came about, as long as it's useful, that's fine.

Jiang Xia had originally planned to get some nickel-based alloys from the big brother in Northeast China and try another exhaustive search.

Hearing this news, the scanner that "would kill the little idiot dog" no longer needs to be turned on, how wonderful!

In this way, as long as we get the finished stepper motor from the post office, we can assemble the centrifuge tomorrow. Maybe this will allow my master to come back for the New Year!

Ah, I miss the dumplings my teacher's wife used to make.

Jiang Xia recalled the touching moment when she ate dumplings at her teacher's wife's house after her mother passed away, and her thoughts wandered.

When the teacher's wife heard that Jiang Xia had a grandmother and a younger sister at home, she immediately made two large pots of dumplings. In the middle of the night, she even asked the driver to pack the dumplings and Jiang Xia up and send them back to Jiangjia Village.

This was also the first time the teacher's wife had violated discipline by using a company vehicle for personal purposes...

Hehe, I'm so lucky! Little Dumb Hair missed his master and his family even more after thinking about it.

Okay, let's change the subject. If we keep thinking about it, I'll start thinking about my dad...

As for his two younger sisters and "Teacher Pei," Liu Ye had already sent them to Old Li's house, his old lair, so he didn't need to worry about them.

"Hey, Uncle Li, where are your clothes?"

"Hey, don't even mention it. As soon as I entered the Ministry of Machine Building, I took off my overcoat. I'd barely put my application up when a few burly men came and grabbed me..."

Li Huaide took the cigarette Jiang Xia offered, took a puff, and then began to complain bitterly.

"Uh, and you were brought here without even taking your coat?"

"Of course! Hey, to be honest, when I first entered that little room, I almost peed my pants in fright. It was freezing cold, like they were going to torture me!"

"Uncle Li, that's not right. Weren't all the government buildings equipped with heating boilers? Why is the Second Ministry of Machine Building left out?"

"Hey, to put it bluntly, they have no money and no connections, right?"

"Xisuo!"

"Well, let's not even talk about the lack of money. There aren't many government agencies with money these days. Even the First Ministry of Machine Building still owes us money for furnaces. And there's no one here. Look at this office building, this is considered a lot of people today. A while ago, when Yang Youning led a team here, there wasn't a single person on the first floor!"

Oh! Jiang Xia suddenly realized, that makes sense. The people here are all working on top-secret projects, and they're always traveling all over the country, so it's normal that there's no one in the office.

Well, what a coincidence! So many people finally came back, only to have Jiang Xia send them all to memorize the confidentiality regulations. It's really a bit difficult to manage.

"Alright, this is the family quarters. The back gate Wang Kui mentioned should be here, right?"

Jiang Xia looked around. Hmm? Rows of single-story houses, arranged rather neatly. One row even had a small courtyard wall in front of it. However, this residential area didn't even have a main gate; it was called a back gate.

These bungalows were quite crowded; even around 7 or 8 o'clock, many young women and wives were still lighting coal stoves. Several neighbors glanced at Jiang Xia and his companion with wary eyes.

It's like they're burning firewood, not coal.

No wonder there was so much smoke...

"Hey, a car's coming! Is that Wang Kui?"

Li Huaide was worried about Jiang Xia's health, so he ran to the roadside ahead and looked around.

"Hey! No, it's a car... That Wang Kui, he can't keep his mouth shut, he actually let you freeze? Xiao Jiang, should I run back and ride 'Little Donkey' over?"

Disappointed, Li Huaide walked back. He originally wanted to go back and drive, but then he remembered that his car had already been requisitioned, so he had to give up.

Jiang Xia waved his hand: "It's okay, let's wait a bit longer. Old Wang won't stand me up. Besides, it's quite far from the Ministry of Machine Building here..."

"Hey, don't look down on your Uncle Li. I was a militiaman back in the day, and I participated in the training! The year before last, during the National Games, the one that circled the entire city of Beijing, I ran half of it!"

Oh! The first National Games, right? The one held around National Day in 59. Tsk, Jiang Xia didn't participate then; he took advantage of the few days off to go back to the village to do farm work.

It's still a bit of a shame, though, because the big tea mugs given out at the sports meet were quite memorable.

The two started chatting as they stood by the roadside, while the car drew closer and closer.

Yes, it's confirmed. It wasn't the first car we took, and it wasn't Old Wang's either. That's strange. Apart from the time at the Ministry of Chemical Industry, this is the first time Old Wang has made me wait so long.

Wait a minute, a little child ran past Jiangxia.

Damn! Jiang Xia quickly hugged him, just as the car that had just passed by them grazed past.

"Silly boy! You don't even know to dodge when a car comes! You're still moving closer! You know what 'ghost peeking out' means? The driver has blind spots..."

The boy struggled for a moment, then looked at Jiang Xia warily: "Where are you from? I've never seen you in the yard before! Let me go, or I'll call for help!"

Hey!

Little brat! He's quite alert! But considering where he lives, I'm sure his family has given him a lot of education on this topic.

Jiang Xia pulled out his work ID: "Uncle isn't a bad person. Look, I'm from Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, and that's my deputy factory director over there!"

The teenager took Jiangxia's work ID and began to carefully examine it by the light from the house next door.

"Hey! Kid, can you even read? Where are your parents? Why are they running around barefoot in this cold weather?" Li Huaide chuckled and scolded the child, who was trying to act all mature.

Finally, he actually held the child in his arms, shook out Jiang Xia's coat, and wrapped the child up.

Jiang Xia gave Li Huaide a thumbs up, then took out a hand warmer, rubbed it a bit, and stuffed it into his coat.

"My home is right there!" The long-lost warmth brought a smile to the child's face as he pointed to a house not far away.

"I wanted to come out and see if my dad was in that car. My mom is heavily pregnant and she fell while starting the fire. She hasn't gotten up yet!"

"What!"

I couldn't be bothered to scold the kid. He's only four years old; it's already impressive that he can run out and call for people!

Jiang Xia led Li Huaide and ran towards the little boy's house. The place the little boy pointed to was a row of houses with a small courtyard wall.

"Kid, what's your last name?"

"At!"

"Huh? I'm not driving anymore! Is it just your mother at home?"

"Ok!"

Jiang Xia didn't care about anything else and frantically slammed his head against the gate of the courtyard.

"Gudong!"

Unexpectedly, the gate to the courtyard was locked. Caught off guard, Jiang Xia was bounced back by the gate, landing awkwardly at the feet of Li Huaide, who was panting as he rushed over.

"You little brat, the gate wasn't even open, how did you get out here?"

"Climb over... climb over the wall... the bolt is too high, I can't reach it..."

Look at the crooked tree in the yard, and then look at the little boy's cloth shoes that have already been torn open. Well, if the yard gate can't be opened, climbing the tree to get out of the yard is perfectly reasonable for a mischievous boy in this era!

Jiang Xia became ruthless.

Ignoring the soreness all over his body, he scrambled to his feet again.

"Open it for me!"

"Crack..." It was still rolling on the ground, but the courtyard gate clearly made a crisp cracking sound.

"Try again and it will open!"

"I'll do it!" Li Huaide put the little boy aside and directly bumped into him for Jiang Xia.

"Snap!" "Gurgle..."

Therefore, having more fat can be really useful in certain situations.

Ignoring Uncle Li who was still rolling on the ground, Jiang Xia carried the little boy into the house to look for his mother.

"Big sister! Big sister! How are you?"

A woman dressed in simple clothes, heavily pregnant, lay on her side on the ground, with a few streaks of bright red blood on her forehead.

"Uncle Li! It really is a pregnant woman! Quickly go out and find that car from earlier, and have him bring it over!"

Jiangxia dared not move the woman on the ground and paced anxiously in circles.

We had to take out the coat that was wrapped around the child first and cover the woman with it before we started to tighten the heating pack.

The commotion in the courtyard alerted the neighbors. After understanding the situation, everyone sprang into action.

After a while, Li Huaide came running back, pulling a coal cart: "Xiao Jiang, I don't know where that car went. I borrowed a cart, let's take my sister to the hospital first!"

"Okay, let's go!"

The neighbors brought out several quilts from their house, and under Jiang Xia's direction, carefully moved the woman onto the cart.

Several strong young men, without even wearing cotton-padded coats, pushed the cart and ran.

"Go to Peking Union Medical College Hospital, go to Peking Union Medical College Hospital. My old strategist is there; he'll definitely make sure mother and child are safe!"

An experienced old woman climbed onto the cart and reached into the bedding to feel for something.

Suddenly, his expression changed.

"Quick, quick! The water's flowing! Hey buddy, do you still have that hot thing of yours...?"

"Have!"

Jiang Xia then took out several heating packs from his bag, prepared them, and handed them to the old woman.

"Oh dear, Yuqin, you're so unlucky! You found a husband but you can't even see him. You have to be strong!"

"Think about the baby in your belly, you can't afford to have anything happen to you!"