A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

As Lao Wang recounted the whole story in plain language that Liu Huaqing could understand, his tightly furrowed brows completely relaxed, his doubts vanished, and replaced by an irrepressible excitement.

He patted Old Wang heavily on the shoulder, everything was understood without words.

With most of his worries resolved, Liu Huaqing didn't linger and got up, leaning on his cane.

Before leaving, he seemed to suddenly remember something, and took out several triangular objects neatly wrapped in oil paper from his old satchel and stuffed them into Old Wang's hand.

"I almost forgot. It's almost Dragon Boat Festival, so I made some red date rice dumplings myself. You can try them. They're not as good as the ones at home, but they're just for the occasion."

Old Wang was taken aback, and only after taking it did he realize with a start that while the sea breeze remained the same, the season had quietly changed. In his hectic days, he had almost forgotten about the Dragon Boat Festival.

After seeing off the old platoon leader, Lao Wang carried the few still-warm rice dumplings back to his dormitory.

Pushing open the dormitory door, I saw Jiang Xia still lying in bed, fast asleep under the covers.

The kid had been working on the submarine cabin and blueprints for a while, pulling several all-nighters. Now he could finally get a good night's sleep. Old Wang couldn't bear to wake him up, so he put the zongzi on the bedside table, moved a small stool to the doorway, and sat smoking in the evening breeze in the yard.

As the sun began to set and the sky turned a vibrant orange-red, Jiang Xia stretched and sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes and letting out a long yawn, his ahoge sticking up in a messy updo.

He glanced at the oil paper package on the table, leaned over and opened it, and the aroma of soft and sticky rice dumplings instantly wafted out.

"Oh, zongzi?" Jiang Xia picked one up, gently shaking it while holding the bamboo leaf. "Is it already Dragon Boat Festival?"

"That's right!" Old Wang stubbed out his cigarette. "Dean Liu just left. He specially saved these for you. They're filled with red dates."

Jiang Xia peeled off the bamboo leaves, took a bite, and the sweet and sticky aroma of rice mixed with the sweetness of jujubes spread in her mouth, but the smile on her lips slowly faded.

He recalled that when he was a child, his grandmother would soak glutinous rice and pick reed leaves a few days in advance for the Dragon Boat Festival. She would sit under the old locust tree in the yard and wrap zongzi (sticky rice dumplings). Jiang Qiu and Jiang Dong would huddle together next to her, vying to help her hand over the string, and in the end, their hands would be covered in glutinous rice.

"Missing Grandma?" Old Wang asked casually, noticing his expression.

Jiang Xia nodded, took another big bite of the zongzi, and mumbled, "Hmm, I wonder if things are going well for her at IEC."

"Don't worry!" Old Wang laughed. "With Grandma's straightforward and decisive nature, she'll definitely get things done perfectly! Besides, they're your confidantes, your support team, they can't go wrong!"

These words truly resonated with Jiang Xia. The thought of his grandmother leading his two younger sisters, tirelessly working on his project in a foreign land, filled him with a sense of pride and relief, brightening his mood.

Uh……

Dumb kid, are you sure Jiang Dong can really get involved in your project?

……

Seeing that his mood had improved, Lao Wang quickly seized the opportunity to tell him about Liu Huaqing's request and that "Big Yellow Number Two" was about to arrive.

Finally, Old Wang rubbed his hands a little embarrassedly: "I agreed to this without discussing it with you, mainly because I saw how difficult things were for the old platoon leader and the others... What do you think, is it okay?"

After listening, Jiang Xia didn't even hesitate, took a bite of the zongzi and said, "Sure, of course! Aren't machines made for people to use? To treat them like precious objects would be a waste. Giving them to the navy will maximize their value."

He has always held Liu Huaqing, a senior who truly dedicated himself to his career, in high esteem.

"But then again, you have the authority to allocate 'Rhubarb', right? There's no need to ask me specifically."

Old Wang scratched the back of his head and chuckled: "I do have the authority, but it's just a temporary post... I need you to agree so I can submit the report and go through the procedures, and also to avoid any gossip. After all, that 'second-generation Big Yellow' prototype is nominally for your testing."

Old Wang would never say he forgot about it...

In order to better protect Jiangxia, his superiors gave him the title of branch chairman in that standardization association.

Therefore, from a procedural perspective, the coordinated use of this equipment can be fully incorporated into the framework of "internal technical resource collaboration and testing within the association," and is not without rules to follow.

"What testing? The best test is the one that solves the problem." Jiang Xia waved his hand dismissively. "Just follow the rules. If you need my signature or an explanation, just call me anytime."

The important matters were settled in a few words, and the dormitory fell silent for the time being.

The noisy voices from outside the window and the faint salty smell brought by the sea breeze became more and more obvious, which was completely different from the atmosphere of the factory area where there was only the roar of machines in the past.

"What's all this commotion outside?" Jiang Xia asked curiously, listening intently.

He slept for almost the entire day, and his sense of time was somewhat blurred.

"Oh right, I almost forgot about the important thing!" Old Wang slapped his forehead. "There's a 'sea lantern sending' event at the beach tonight, shall we go check it out?"

Old Wang walked to the window and pointed to the darkening sky and the lights that were beginning to twinkle in the distance: "See that? It's already started over at Tiger Beach!"

"Releasing sea lanterns?" Jiang Xia walked to the window and looked out alongside Lao Wang. They saw many figures moving and gathering on the distant beach, making it much more lively than usual.

"Isn't this... an activity that's usually only held during the first month of the lunar calendar?"

"According to the old custom, it should be the first month of the lunar calendar. But in the past two years, many places across the country have had bad harvests, and this place has also been affected. All kinds of festivals and celebrations have been suspended, for fear of extravagance and also for fear of triggering nostalgia."

Old Wang's voice lowered a bit, but then rose again, "Since the beginning of spring this year, the weather has been favorable, and the harvests in the fields and the sea are clearly better than in the previous two years."

After discussing it, the commune and the fisheries management office reported to their superiors and decided to take advantage of the traditional Dragon Boat Festival to make up for the 'Sea Lantern Festival' that had been delayed for two years!

Firstly, it's to commemorate relatives who didn't return from the storms of the past few years and to pray for safe voyages; secondly, it's to dispel the bad luck of the previous two years, a way to... make up for lost time, bring good fortune, and hope for smooth sailing in the future!

"Sending sea lanterns?" Jiang Xia stood up, stretched his stiff limbs, and looked out the window at the sea and sky gradually being bathed in the sunset.

Those lights, carrying prayers, will drift towards the distant ocean where Grandma is. This thought stirred something within him.

"Go and have a look."