A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

The two of them were singing when it happened to be lunch break.

The workers were already thrilled to hear the good news about the National Day celebrations. Then, hearing someone singing patriotic songs gave their excitement an outlet.

A group of people surrounded Jiangxia and started singing along.

Next came slogans like "Without the Communist Party, there would be no new China" and "The East Is Red."

It wasn't until someone shouted that there was almost no food left that a large group of people rushed towards the cafeteria, thus sparing Jiang Xia, who was already foaming at the mouth while leading the singing.

"Hey, singing is hard work too! Shouting for too long can even make you dizzy!"

"Yeah, if you keep singing like that, it could be fatal!" A clear voice came from behind Jiang Xia.

Jiang Xia turned around and saw a woman with fair skin, wearing a loose white robe, walking towards him.

"Hey, Dr. Ding, how are you?"

Ding Qiunan nodded: "I'm fine, but as for you, well, that's hard to say!"

As he spoke, he pointed to the IV tube still inserted in Jiang Xia's hand.

Jiang Xia turned his head and saw a smear of blood leaking from the yellow IV tube, starting from the height of his hand and extending all the way to the height of Jiang Xia's neck.

Blood recovered!

Ding Qiunan took three steps at a time and grabbed the IV tubing to examine it carefully.

"Dr. Ding, could you please remove the needle first?" Jiang Xia asked, looking at the IV tubing with a pained expression.

So much blood was lost this time, it breaks my heart.

The IV tubing of today is not as thin as it is now.

Yes, it's the tourniquet that nurses use in later generations; it used to be used as an IV drip. Such a thick tube, no wonder Jiang Xia was dizzy.

"Don't rush, check first to see if there are any air bubbles mixed in."

"Don't even look, I'd be dead if there were bubbles. With so much blood, how much would I have to eat to replenish it?"

Ding Qiunan gave him a disgruntled look: "Still joking around? Looks like you're alright."

After removing the needle, Ding Qiunan put a thermometer into Jiang Xia's mouth.

"37.4, it seems you're alright now. Your teacher left you two packets of traditional Chinese medicine; take them home and brew them to drink later."

"Hey, Dr. Ding, I'm all alone now, I don't even have a dormitory anymore. Where am I going to find a place to brew medicine?"

"It's a minor issue, it'll be fine in a couple of days."

Jiang Xia shook his dizzy head and crawled back to the hospital bed to lie down obediently.

Thinking about what had just happened, I unconsciously started analyzing whether my actions were correct and the other party's motives. The more I analyzed, the more my head ached.

Touching the photos in my bag calmed me down.

"Why would I think of anything? With this, I don't care about anything else. I can just go for A."

I don't know how long I slept, but I vaguely felt someone calling me.

When I opened my eyes, I saw that the person who came in had a crew cut and was wearing a security guard uniform.

Seeing that Jiang Xia was awake, he said urgently, "Engineer Jiang, this is what the section chief asked me to bring to you."

As he spoke, he held up the package in his hand.

Then he pulled out a small bag from behind his back. "This was also sent by the section chief. He said it's to help you replenish your blood."

Jiang Xia looked at the few red dates in the small bag and wanted to curse.

"Wang Kui must have seen me recovering health!"

"That guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes is truly a black-hearted devil!"

…………

In the factory director's office, Yang Youning frowned.

"Old Li, let's leave the rewards for the other staff members as they are. What about Jiangxia?"

Li Changfu leisurely sipped his tea: "Easy, just give him an identity. The Ministry of Agriculture can give him an offer letter, why can't we?"

Yang Youning gets a headache whenever the Ministry of Agriculture is mentioned.

"Just tell me, I'm listening!"

"There's no one left in the R&D department, so you can put the little guy there and let him do whatever he wants."

"There's no need for a dedicated position; he can just do some research and development as he sees fit, and he can also take care of the maintenance of the machines in the workshop. What a great arrangement."

Yang Youning clicked his tongue: "Does our steel rolling mill even have a research and development department?"

Li Changfu rolled his eyes at Yang Youning. "You don't even know what departments are in the factory?"

"Although the R&D department hasn't made any big moves, it's not like there's nothing going on. Jiang Xia is a talented and resourceful guy, and putting him in the R&D department would be perfect for him. Plus, he can also take care of the maintenance of the machines in the workshop, so it's a win-win situation."

Thinking of the level 9 engineer who had already been transferred, Li Changfu felt a pang of sadness.

The engineer's surname was Ning. He had studied materials science at Moscow State University. After returning to China, he was assigned to a steel rolling mill. Full of ambition, he submitted several research projects on materials.

Unfortunately, due to various reasons, the project funding has not been secured. Li Changfu has tried many things to help, but all his efforts have been in vain.

Unfortunately, China is poor right now. Everyone knows that high-end materials are good, but the investment required in this area is enormous. China is currently tied up in another major project, so it can only prioritize the larger undertaking and let go of the smaller ones.

Helpless, Engineer Ning could only sigh to the heavens; there was nothing else he could do. After all, materials aren't something you can just write down and calculate on paper.

Yang Youning pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, let's do it your way. But what title should we give this kid? Deputy Section Chief, perhaps?"

Yang Youning looked at Li Changfu with a flicker in his eyes.

“No need, Jiangxia will focus on the technical aspects. We won’t get involved in the administrative stuff.” Li Changfu put down his teacup. “This kid is promising. We need to give him enough space and support so he can do his job freely. Who knows, our steel rolling mill might even be able to achieve something new with his help in the future.”

"Hahaha, that makes sense! I definitely support it, I definitely support it!" Yang Youning laughed so hard his tongue almost came out again.

……

"Bang bang bang," the loudspeaker was blaring again.

Everyone paused their work for a moment, waiting to hear what good news it would be.

Unexpectedly, a gentle female voice came from the loudspeaker, unlike the dry and straightforward announcements of the past.

Instead, he sang "Ode to the Motherland" a cappella.

The song is over.

"Good afternoon, leaders and colleagues of the steel rolling mill. I am Yu Haitang, the newly appointed announcer. I will be broadcasting the news from the steel rolling mill from now on. I hope you will support me."

"Steel Rolling Mill Newsletter: According to the factory office, Ma Weihong, Ma Zhendong, Li Tiejun, and others from the Steel Rolling Mill's Technical Department have received a salary increase of one level for their contributions to the development of the water pressure well."

"Comrade Jiang Xia has been transferred from the Maintenance Section 1 of the Technical Department to the Research and Development Section. He will receive a special allowance of 10 yuan per month."

Let us congratulate these comrades!

"Here are some breaking news from China: People of all ethnic groups celebrate National Day~~~~~"

The technical staff, who were swinging sledgehammers in Workshop 3, exchanged glances, their joy barely concealed.

That's right, the 300 model is malfunctioning again.

As usual, the roller got stuck again. This time, however, it was because the steel billet was substandard and lacked structural strength, causing it to break directly on the roller.

The people who were preparing to put on a good show at the factory office had no choice but to rush over to deal with the situation.

"Hey, Master, you're really something now. A raise in salary, that's 115 now!" Li Tiejun wiped his hands and moved closer to Ma Zhendong.

Ma Zhendong laughed heartily. He used to be a level 9 engineer, earning 102 yuan a month. This promotion meant an extra 13 yuan.

Keep in mind that at that time, the family of three ate simply and only needed 5 yuan a month for living expenses.

"You guys aren't bad either, haven't you all been promoted one level?"

Li Tiejun pouted with some regret, "It's a pity that my professional title level isn't promoted. Level 13 just doesn't sound good!"

Ma Zhendong and others received a one-level salary increase, but their professional title level remained unchanged.

Ma Weihong smacked him on the head: "Are you stupid? Getting paid is the only thing that matters. Besides, doesn't the department have a powerful backer? If you follow him, your rank won't be a problem."

"Hehe, that's right, Jiang Xia and I are buddies! But why was he transferred to the research department? Isn't that just a shell?"

"Ha, an empty shell is the best."