A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

“Thump, thump, thump~~”

The small tractor, panting heavily, finally pulled the group of master craftsmen back to the factory.

In their haste, the group forgot to calculate the remaining fuel. Luckily, Wang Kui's truck was loaded with diesel fuel destined for Hongqi Commune, which prevented them from having to push the tractor back.

Li Huaide stood at the factory gate with a broad smile, welcoming everyone.

Upon seeing Yang Youning and Li Changfu, he muttered a few complaints in a low voice:

"My factory manager and chief engineer! You two went off to enjoy your newfound glory, leaving me with a complete mess."

"Look at all these companies and leaders calling to inquire. Someone's probably coming to pave the way soon!"

As he spoke, Li Huaide waved the notebook in his hand.

Yang Youning took the laptop and felt a headache coming on as he looked at the densely packed phone numbers on it.

Let's leave aside the ministerial-level units at the top; they definitely need to report honestly. But what about the units listed after that?

Supply and marketing cooperatives, subdistrict offices, and breeding farms?

The last unit was written in bold by Li Huaide: Transportation Bureau.

Li Huaide watched Yang Youning scratch his head in frustration, smiled slightly, and turned to look at the master chefs:

"Masters, you've worked hard. It's already one o'clock, and you haven't had lunch yet. Come on, come on! I've already asked the cafeteria to prepare something. We'll have a simple lunch, and then we'll have a get-together for dinner!"

"I'll buy you drinks!"

As he spoke, he gestured with one hand and supported Master Qin, who was at the front, with the other, and walked towards the cafeteria.

Halfway there, he turned back and said, "Hey, Xiao Jiang, what are you standing there for? Come on!"

"Yes! Engineer Jiang, we can't enjoy our meal if you don't come!" Master Qin also turned around and waved to Jiang Xia.

"Oh? Master Qin, what do you mean by that?"

"Hey, Deputy Factory Director Li, look at what you're saying. Engineer Jiang is the inventor of the engine. None of us will be happy without him!" Master Lin chimed in from the side.

Li Huaide listened intently, his eyes gleaming.

He said in a slightly complaining tone, "Oh dear, fellow workers, Director Yang instructed me to go prepare for the National Day celebrations, and you guys have launched a huge project that has startled me. But didn't we start with some drilling rigs?"

"How did it end up being a tractor? Can you explain it to me in detail?"

The master chefs, without any suspicion, explained the entire process to Li Huaide in detail.

The story was full of twists and turns, and it was so exciting that it wasn't even finished at the dinner table when Secretary Liu showed up.

He whispered a few words to Yang Youning, who then put down his half-eaten bowl, grabbed Li Changfu and Jiang Xia, and left.

Seeing this, Li Huaide wanted to follow, but Master Qin held him back tightly.

Master Qin was so excited today that he forgot to cook his favorite braised pork and instead pulled Li Huaide aside to talk about his experiences on the cart. He just kept talking.

Li Huaide wanted to leave, but there was no way he could escape. He could only sit there with a forced smile, occasionally offering a few words of agreement.

Sigh, I'm all alone!

Never mind, a bird in the hand is worth more than a thousand birds in the forest.

Master Qin is a master at making cylinders; if we continue to produce engines, we can't do without him.

Thinking of this, Li Huaide began to flatter Master Qin even more.

……

Several vehicles filled the open space in front of the steel rolling mill.

There were small jeeps, Liberation trucks, and several sidecar motorcycles parked on the far side.

Looking at the license plate, Yang Youning couldn't help but shrink back.

"Old Li, Jiang Xia, you'll have to hold on for me later!"

Li Changfu was still holding half a chicken leg in his hand. He slowly tore off a piece of meat and chewed it, then stuffed the rest of the chicken leg directly into Jiang Xia's mouth.

"What are you afraid of? Are you going to eat us? They'll just curse us and say we didn't report it."

Yang Youning scratched his head, not because he was afraid of being scolded, but because he was afraid of being beaten.

His uncle had warned him to report any new agricultural gadgets to him immediately. He got a severe scolding for the last water pump project; this time, the tractor might just fall off the roof beam and get whipped.

Upon seeing the three approaching, Secretary Lin from the First Ministry of Machine Building hurriedly stepped forward and said:

"You guys are making too much trouble! The transportation bureau has even called us, asking why we didn't give them advance notice!"

He kept blinking as he spoke.

Yang Youning wasn't stupid; he quickly realized what was happening and continued the conversation:

"Hey, Secretary Lin, the car's been built, we should at least give it a try!"

"As soon as we stepped out, we were greeted with enthusiastic cheers from the revolutionary masses. Since National Day was approaching, we decided to have some fun together."

"Hmm," Secretary Lin's voice rose a few decibels, "You all still need to consider safety! You can't afford the consequences if an accident happens!"

"Understood! Understood! We'll definitely pay attention next time and report in advance!"

After they finished speaking, the two stared at each other, glancing at the leaders' reactions out of the corner of their eyes.

Only when Minister Xia and Minister Yang both nodded slightly did the group breathe a sigh of relief.

The other leaders remained noncommittal, knowing that this was the Ministry of Machine Building protecting its own, so they made the matter clear in advance to cover it up and prevent anyone from using it against them later.

After all, setting off without prior notification and even participating in the parade rehearsals would be easy for those with ulterior motives to find fault with.

Seeing that the others did not voice their objections, Minister Yang and Minister Xia knew that they had tacitly approved of the matter.

That's the end of that.

Minister Xia stood beside the tractor and waved to the three men, asking them to explain the situation.

Li Changfu directly pushed Jiang Xia forward.

Jiang Xia wasn't intimidated at all. He looked around and began to speak.

It started with hand-operated water wells, but in practice, it was found that hand-operated water wells had too many limitations, which led to the idea of ​​making well drilling machines.

During the development of the well drilling machine, it was discovered that the auxiliary power unit of the well drilling machine was powerful. With the help of the Ministry of Agricultural Machinery, the tractor was naturally developed.

"Except for some disassembled parts, the rest of this tractor is manufactured in-house by the steel rolling mill!"

"In other words, this tractor is made entirely with a Chinese heart! A Chinese-made product without any impurities!"

A round of enthusiastic applause erupted from the crowd.

"Good good!"

"Come and see, we made our own tractor!"

A group of people were waiting for the minister to speak. As soon as he finished speaking, an old man with a thick beard jumped onto the tractor seat and started fiddling with the control lever.

"Old Xia! This machine doesn't look nearly as good as the Dongfanghong! The other one is bright red, and it even has gold lettering on the front!"

"Golden lettering! So what if it's golden? Those damn Americans dressed so smartly, and they still got taken down by me, dressed in a tattered jacket!"

An elderly man in a faded military uniform retorted without any politeness.

"I think this machine is great! It's simple and honest, just like me!" The old man in military uniform pointed to the rugged control lever and praised it enthusiastically.

"Hey, you old Li, stop bragging! Enough talk, let's get it going and see!"