A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

Chapter 701 Righteousness Comes Half From the Lower Classes...

"Half of the righteous men come from humble backgrounds..." Secretary Liu sighed softly, looking at the stubborn figure in front of him.

He turned his head and explained to Jiang Xia, "After we took over Beijing, we implemented a 'take-over' policy for the last 40 or so special individuals, assigning them work based on their physical strength and education level. In 1951, we relocated the remaining people to the Hongen Temple Nursing Home..."

Oh, they really are special people!

Jiang Xia tugged at his chin, which was sprouting a bit of stubble, and suddenly a document he had read before flashed through his mind. It seemed to mention an old man surnamed Sun who recalled in an interview how he had been rescued by someone who gave him a meal after he escaped from the Forbidden City.

Hey, I'm starting to feel a bit involved in history here. Wait a minute, how come it's been so long and I'm only getting this little bit of stubble? Am I just too shameless?

A confused, silly smile flashed across Jiang Xia's face before she quickly composed herself. She swiftly pulled out her notebook and sketched a simplified diagram of the pipette's micro-gear assembly on her lap, clearly marking the key dimensions and precision requirements.

The module should be specified, the number of teeth should not be omitted, and the tolerance range should not be taken too lightly...

After finishing the drawing, he paused, pen in hand: Could the old craftsmen of that time have understood this modern engineering drawing? Oh well, let's just consider it a small test!

Despite this thought, Little Dumb Hair thoughtfully changed some commonly used symbols into text labels.

He got out of the car, grabbed a towel, and handed it to the gatekeeper. Secretary Liu remained vigilant, standing to the side of the gatekeeper, while Tie Jun unreasonably formed a human wall, separating the gatekeeper from Xiao Dai Mao.

"Sir, you've been making a fuss for so long, the floor is cold, please wipe it up. May I ask your surname?"

The gatekeeper respectfully accepted the towel with both hands, instinctively wanting to bow slightly, but the sharp pain in his lower back made his movements stiff. He tried to straighten his back, but his head remained habitually lowered, his voice carrying an ingrained humility: "Thank you for asking... My family name is Lu, and we are originally from Guangzhou..."

“Okay, Comrade Lu,” Jiang Xia emphasized the word “comrade” and addressed him as naturally as if he were addressing any of the factory’s veteran craftsmen, “I appreciate your strong recommendation of Master Weng’s skills. But this is a serious matter, and it is not appropriate to just make empty promises.”

He handed the sheet of paper with the gear drawing to Grandpa Lu, "Could you please make a trip to the south of the city and give this drawing to Master Weng Dehai? Please take a look and see if he can... try to make a sample based on it?"

Huh? This guy in front of me is surnamed Lu? Looks like he's not the one who lived a long life.

Jiang Xia tugged at Tie Jun's arm, peeking a smile at the person opposite him over his shoulder: "Do you dare to hand this 'test question' to him?"

Immediately afterwards, he rummaged through his bag and pulled out a small, cold, heavy steel rod, about four centimeters in diameter.

This little steel pillar is really quite attractive; the unique luster of the metal is something you can never get enough of. Jiang Xia weighed the little steel pillar in his hand and gestured to Tie Jun, who understood and carefully handed the steel pillar to Grandpa Lu.

Grandpa Lu held the two items, his withered fingers trembling slightly.

When he heard Jiang Xia's perfectly natural "Comrade Lu," and saw the unwavering, solemn gazes of the three men, filled only with equality and the mission itself, an indescribable surge of emotion welled up within him, instantly blurring his cloudy old eyes.

For so many years, even his old comrades in Hongen Temple, who shared the same plight, had never called him that!

That word "comrade" was like a warm current, melting away something that had been frozen for a long time.

His throat bobbed violently a few times as he forcefully suppressed his surging emotions. He abruptly raised his head, his eyes flashing with an unprecedented light, and hissed:

"I dare! Even if I have to crawl, I'll crawl all the way to the south of the city and personally deliver these words and these things to Master Weng! Engineer Jiang, you... you just wait for news!"

Before he could finish speaking, he instinctively tried to kneel down to express his gratitude.

However, just as he bent halfway down, the excruciating pain returned, causing him to groan and freeze instantly, with large beads of cold sweat immediately seeping from his forehead.

Tie Jun's thick, muscular arms, big enough to run a horse, held the skinny old man's upper body still. "Comrade Lu, don't move, it'll be over in a second!"

Li Tiejun gently guided Grandpa Lu to lean forward slightly, firmly supporting his shoulder with his left hand to maintain his posture. Then, taking a deep breath, he brought his right hand together, his thumb hooking tightly against the outside of the second knuckle of his index finger, instantly forming a hard, phoenix-eye-shaped protrusion. He then struck a spot on Grandpa Lu's back.

"Crack!"

"Ugh—!" Caught off guard, Grandpa Lu let out a short scream of pain. His body instinctively tried to jump away, but Tie Jun held him firmly down.

But the excruciating pain lasted only a moment!

Immediately afterwards, an indescribable, warm, tingling sensation, like thawing spring water, suddenly spread from the place where the "phoenix eye" had penetrated.

He moved his waist in disbelief; although he was still a little uncomfortable, he could move around without much difficulty.

He looked at Li Tiejun's withdrawn hand, then at Jiang Xia and Xiao Liu, who were standing calmly before him, and then at the precious blueprints and the cold steel pillar in his hand...

Having experienced the turmoil of the Qing Dynasty palace and the upheavals of the Republic of China, and having tasted the bitterness of human nature, the old man could no longer hold back his scalding tears.

Tears mingled with the mud on his face, silently sliding down, dripping onto the back of his hands that held the blueprints and steel pillars, and also onto the ground beneath his feet.

There was no disdain, no curiosity, only a "comrade," an equal entrustment, and a real helping hand.

This respect and trust from the new society and his new comrades is more effective than any medicine in healing his old wounds.

"Let's go, Comrade Lu!" Jiang Xia waved cheerfully, and the jeep started up again.

Grandpa Lu was about to bend down again when he heard Jiang Xia's voice from inside the carriage: "Lu, Comrade!" Little Dumb Hair emphasized the word "Comrade," "Just wave! Someone will take you to find that 'Ghost Hand' later!"

"By the way, are you bringing the samples with you? There are a few things I'd like you to take a look at!"

Jiang Xia suddenly remembered that he hadn't carved his seal yet, so he added a sentence.

That casual remark made Grandpa Lu straighten his back and wave incessantly at the departing jeep until it was out of sight, at which point he wiped his face with a towel.

"Oh dear! I forgot to return the towel... But this towel is so warm!"

……

The small jeep bumped along the country dirt road again.

The sudden appearance of the "ghost hand" made Jiang Xia even happier. What's this called? Triple happiness?

The most basic wish of a mechanical designer is simply to turn their design into a usable reality without altering the original parameters. Reducing precision is merely a compromise with current technology.

Jiang Xia became happier and happier as he thought about it, and took advantage of the bumpy ride to twist and turn in his seat, playing on a trampoline. Don't call this kid childish; it was precisely these slightly childish actions that filled the huge emptiness that came with rationalization.

Finally, he simply grabbed Tie Jun's iron-like hand and pulled him forcefully towards himself:

"Brother Jun! You're so unrefined! We've known each other for so long, and you still have a hidden skill! That 'crunch' just now was so cool! Come on, give me one too! Just like that 'crunch deluxe set'!"

Tie Jun frowned as he was shaken, his angular black face filled with resistance: "Stop messing around! This thing can't be used carelessly!"

"Why can't I use it? Grandpa Lu can use it, but I can't? Do I look like the kind of delicate person? Hurry up, hurry up!" Jiang Xia persisted, almost lying flat on the seat.

Helpless, Tie Jun pressed down on Jiangxia's shoulder blade and began to exert force.

"Hey, do you know where I learned this trick?"

"Hmm? A family secret technique? Or some old traditional Chinese medicine doctor?"

"Tch, an old Chinese medicine doctor?" Tie Jun scoffed, pressing his finger firmly against a hard lump and rubbing it hard!

"Ouch—!" Jiang Xia screamed in agony, feeling as if his soul was about to be squeezed out.

"To tell you the truth," Tie Jun's subordinate continued, his tone as calm as if he were commenting on the weather, "I learned it from my younger sister. Do you remember where she worked?"

Jiang Xia tilted her head. "It's just a slaughterhouse! With my memory, once it's in my ears, I'll never forget it... Oh right, I haven't had your pig's head yet!"

"Um, wait, the slaughterhouse..."

Jiang Xia turned his head and was met with Tie Jun's malicious smile.

"Yes, this Phoenix Eye Fist is the perfect cure for any kind of defiance! No matter how fierce... cough, no matter how big a boar, once she sets her sights on it, one punch and she'll be paralyzed on the spot, no need for any grunts, it'll go straight into paralysis!"

"Brother Jun... I suddenly thought of a really good, really great little poem, and I'd like to discuss it with you. Could you please take your hand off my waist?"

Secretary Liu, sitting in the driver's seat, suspiciously twitched her shoulders a few times...

It’s great to be young!