A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

Seeing that he was engrossed in reading, Jiang Xia stopped disturbing him, turned around and walked to a slightly smaller drawing table next to him, spread out a blank drawing sheet, and picked up a T-square and a drawing pencil.

The idea of ​​a cannery was still lingering in his mind, but it was a complex undertaking involving many aspects and couldn't be accomplished overnight. However, the regret Old Wang had just described about "a truckload of Red Kui fruit turning into puree," along with the fruit's high vitamin C content, gave him an idea that might be more effective.

That's a drying production line!

The idea is straightforward: since fresh fruit doesn't keep well during storage and transportation, turn it into dried fruit. After the water evaporates, its volume and weight decrease significantly, while its shelf life is considerably extended. The principle behind the wide variety of dried fruit snacks found in modern supermarkets is not complicated.

More importantly, Jiang Xia thought of Ku Xixi's navy.

He is now at the base, witnessing and hearing it firsthand. Naval officers and soldiers of this era live in harsh conditions, especially when on long-term duty at sea, where fresh vegetables and fruits are extremely scarce.

Although the People's Navy mainly operates in coastal waters, even for relatively short voyages, the monotonous diet and vitamin deficiency are major problems.

Historically, sepsis was a nightmare for ocean-going sailors, and vitamin C supplementation was crucial.

These Red Queen apples have a very tart flavor, which, based on experience, often means they contain a significant amount of ascorbic acid, or vitamin C. Even though some will be lost when they are dried, it's still far better than nothing.

He hoped that his comrades could take some sweet and sour dried apples with them when they set sail, which would not only change their taste but also supplement their nutrition. This was a small token of his appreciation at the moment.

The pen tip touched the paper, making a soft rustling sound. Jiang Xia first sketched a relatively simple prototype of a tunnel-style hot air drying room.

The structure should not be too complex, and should be easy to construct in logistics units or suitable food factories. The core components are the heating system, the blower system, and the trolleys or conveyor belts that carry the materials.

For heating, steam coils can be considered. If resources are limited, a coal-fired hot air furnace can be used directly, but a well-designed heat exchange structure and air filtration system are necessary to prevent smoke contamination of the food. A temperature-resistant blower should be selected to ensure that hot air can evenly penetrate the layers of fruit slices.

The key to the taste and shelf life of dried fruit lies in uniform dehydration. The pre-processing steps are nothing more than washing, pitting, and slicing.

The key is to ensure the slices are of uniform thickness; too thick and they won't dry easily, too thin and they'll crumble. Therefore, a simple foot-operated slicer could be designed, similar to a modern, multi-functional vegetable slicer with adjustable thickness, to improve efficiency. This way, everyone in the commune could perform this process at home.

The key is to control the temperature and time of drying. However, I designed a drying tunnel with different temperature zones when I was working in a Chinese medicine factory, so it is perfectly appropriate to use it here!

As I pondered, the drawings gradually revealed the divisions: pretreatment area, loading area, preheating section, main drying section, cooling section, and packaging area.

After finishing this setup, Jiang Xia even had time to roughly calculate the hypothetical production capacity, the required land area, and approximate energy consumption.

A sea breeze drifted in through the window, carrying the warmth of the sun and the slight saltiness of the sea. The room was quiet, save for the occasional rustling of Old Wang turning pages and the soft scratching of Jiang Xia's pen.

One is immersed in the distant battlefields of diplomacy and technological competition described in words, while the other focuses on the blueprints in front of them.

Two different “battles” were quietly unfolding in parallel in Dalian in early July.

……

"Bang! That blond devil, he's gone too far!"

Old Wang really took this semi-classical Chinese article to heart.

"At that time, the world was in turmoil. We were not going there to admire the scenery, but to embark on a technological battlefield without the smoke of gunpowder..."

Aside from the first paragraph I just read, the following content also mixes classical and vernacular Chinese, and it has a very strong momentum.

The article then describes the travel experiences: changing trains in Zurich, settling in after arriving in Geneva, language barriers, and differences in food.

They especially complained about the "pungent smell of cheese and the hard bread that could be used as a weapon," as well as the novelty brought by the grandeur of the venue and the different costumes of the representatives from various countries.

The writing is vivid, even somewhat humorous, and it vividly portrays the unfamiliarity, curiosity, and subtle tension one feels upon first arriving in a foreign land.

Next, the author described the hotel arranged by the organizers as "quite grand," with "warm water in the rooms and soft beds" in a cheerful tone. But then, a line of text immediately caught the eye:

"...However, a slight problem arose upon check-in. Our group had brought a national flag, intending to hang it outside our room window to display our national character. Upon seeing this, the hotel manager initially declined, saying there was no precedent and it might disturb other guests. After repeated negotiations by our deputy head of delegation, who presented us with the official invitation letter from the IEC, he reluctantly agreed, but his eyes flickered with skepticism..."

Old Wang frowned. He could almost see through the paper the hotel manager's polite but distant smile, and the way the delegation members suppressed their resentment and humiliation, carefully but with unwavering determination to hang up that red flag.

This is just the beginning.

The real "meeting" took place the following day.

The incident occurred during the delegation registration and venue confirmation process the day before the opening of the conference.

According to the IEC charter, after the delegations of each member country arrive, they must submit the final list of participants to the secretariat and confirm the venue setup, including the hanging of the national flag in front of each delegation's seats.

"...On that day, we went to the secretariat to complete all the formalities, and everything went smoothly. However, when it came to the flag-hanging ceremony, the foreign official in charge of this matter was rather dismissive. He held up a list and checked it against us. When he came to the flag of our delegation, he suddenly looked surprised and said, 'Your country's flag seems to be incorrect?' We were startled and asked him for details. He showed us a drawing, which was not our five-star red flag, but an old and worn-out blue sky and white sun flag!"

Old Wang's gaze was fixed on the words "Blue Sky and White Sun," and he felt a chill mixed with anger suddenly rush from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

Although he was mentally prepared that the trip would not go smoothly, seeing the other party attempt to tamper with national symbols such as the flag in such a formal and serious international technical standards setting still made his blood boil with the naked humiliation and provocation.

The writer continued, his tone now clearly tinged with indignation:

"...The delegation leader's expression immediately changed, but he suppressed his anger and solemnly told them: 'This is not our national flag. Our delegation only uses the Five-Starred Red Flag.'"

The foreign official feigned confusion, spreading his hands and saying, "This is your country's flag that we have registered. It has been the same every year. Why is it different this year?" He looked quite innocent, but his eyes darted around, suggesting that he was not unaware of the situation, but rather doing it intentionally!

Two or three representatives from other countries stood by, whispering amongst themselves, their expressions ranging from curiosity and mockery to indifference. The scene was truly awkward. The air seemed to freeze; we felt a lump in our throats, and it was difficult to breathe.

Bang!

Old Wang raised his fist, circled the table twice, and finally crushed the Red Delicious apple on the table to pieces.

"Shameless scoundrel! If your great-father were here, he would have made sure you were beheaded!"