Chapter 119: Can't Go Three Sentences Without...

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"Uncle Yang, Aunt Wang, hello there. It's been so many years since we last met."

Yes, at this moment Yang Hui was meeting Yang Yue's parents under a new identity—he was what legend would call the prospective son-in-law. Even though Yang Hui had lived quite a long life in his previous incarnation, now that the rabbit had eaten the grass beside its own nest, meeting Yang Yue's parents in this new identity made him feel utterly unsettled. This was probably the real reason why a rabbit shouldn't eat grass beside its own nest: doing so changed the environment and brought a whole host of discomforts.

Yang Hui might have been uncomfortable, but Yang Yue's parents were perfectly at ease. Both were their juniors, after all; only the label had changed. A young man whose background they knew inside out was certainly better than some stranger, so they were naturally quite satisfied.

Only Yang Yue's father seemed to have a sour look on his face. Then again, no father could be expected to remain indifferent when faced with the man about to "take away" his daughter.

Yang Yue's mother was also in the military, and appeared to be a woman absorbed in her work—otherwise she surely wouldn't have sent Yang Yue off to her grandfather's care when she was young.

A mother-in-law looking at her son-in-law somehow finds more and more to like with each glance. This is one of the differences between men and women, and it's something worthy of serious study by the relevant experts. Social ethics as a field could probably spend years researching it.

"Mm, Xiao Hui, good. Just like Xiao Yue, you've grown up so fast. Time really does fly. We're getting old too. Come, sit down, keep her father company. Now that he's heard his daughter is about to get engaged, he hasn't quite come to terms with it yet."

The moment she finished speaking, Yang Yue's father furrowed his brows, looking rather...

"Nonsense. Don't talk rubbish. I was just thinking about something else."

Then, changing his expression, he turned to Yang Hui and said, "Xiao Hui, don't overthink it. I think very highly of you and Xiao Yue. The two of you grew up together, and now you've come together—that puts us parents at ease. I'm just bothered by some work matters."

When it came to work matters, Yang Hui couldn't say much. He knew that Yang Yue's parents were both naval officers. They had returned to the capital together this time because of job reassignments. Word was they were to be posted to the Qionghai Naval Base. Since it concerned military matters, Yang Hui thought it best not to ask too many questions.

But just because Yang Hui didn't ask about work didn't mean Uncle Yang wouldn't. To this day, Uncle Yang only knew that Yang Hui and Yang Yue had gone off to the far southwest to work on aircraft at Base 0011, but he had no idea how their work was actually going. It was only natural for a parent to show concern. Yang Yue's entire family held positions requiring a certain level of security clearance, so matters up to a general classification level were still fair game for questions.

At this point, he began asking about Yang Hui and Yang Yue's work: "By the way, you two ran off to such a remote place. How is your work going now? Tell me what won't violate confidentiality. As your elder, I still need to care about what you do."

Yang Yue and Yang Hui found themselves at a loss for words. A father like this really was a straightforward fellow. The only good thing about it was that it meant Yang Yue had been able to grow up without constraints.

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Finally, Director Yang, sitting off to the side, set down his teacup with a look of utter "contempt."

"So now, as a father, you remember to care about your daughter's work. Back when Xiao Yue and Xiao Hui were about to head off to Base 0011, I told her to ask for your opinions, and the two of you just brushed it off. Now... hmph... the two of you as parents."

He drew out the word "parents" at length, then shifted his tone. Director Yang began introducing Yang Hui and Yang Yue's achievements at Base 0011.

"But that's fine. You didn't object to them going to Base 0011, and now they're thriving out there. The model aircraft project Yang Hui and Yang Yue are working on has become the main source of export earnings at Base 0011. Not long ago, they even went to Paris and landed a big project. Base 0011 is now making preparations—they're gearing up for a major undertaking."

After hearing all this, Uncle Yang was even more confused. As far as he knew, Base 0011 currently only had the Jian-Jiao-7 in development. That aircraft hadn't even made its maiden flight yet—how could they be starting another project?

"That can't be right. I recall Base 0011's current work is the Jian-Jiao-7. Where would they get the technical team for a new project? That doesn't quite match reality, does it?"

Unexpectedly, Uncle Yang also knew about the Jian-Jiao-7. That made things easier. If he knew about the Jian-Jiao-7, then he was certainly qualified to learn about the new trainer aircraft program. Yang Hui prepared to introduce it anew.

"Uncle Yang, your information is outdated. The Jian-Jiao-7 as it was is no longer continuing—or rather, it's been renamed the new aircraft 'Super Jian-Jiao-7.' Our new project is all about making improvements on the Jian-Jiao-7."

Hearing that Yang Hui and the others were planning major modifications to the Jian-Jiao-7, Uncle Yang grew interested and immediately asked.

"Xiao Hui, then tell me about this new Jian-Jiao-7. Go ahead. I'm in naval aviation logistics. I'm entitled to know the general gist of new aircraft developments. You won't be violating confidentiality regulations by telling me."

Nodding, Director Yang, the senior figure present, spoke up: "Go ahead. He's about to be transferred to the Qionghai Naval Base, and he has the right to know these things. It's only a matter of time before he finds out anyway."

Hearing that Uncle Yang was to be transferred to Qionghai, a thought suddenly struck Yang Hui. But for now, he would focus on the Super Jian-Jiao-7 and set everything else aside for the moment.

"The main thing is this: in Paris, we secured foreign investment for our Jian-Jiao-7. The funding is ample, and the foreign party's requirements aren't unreasonable. So we've carried out a comprehensive upgrade of the Jian-Jiao-7—from the aerodynamic configuration to the flight control system, from the avionics suite to the radar, and the engine as well. We've made appropriate modifications across all these areas. The Super Jian-Jiao-7 we've produced can be called a second-and-a-half generation combat trainer."

The term "second-and-a-half generation" was something he'd never heard before, but it was such an intuitive phrase that he understood immediately what it meant. He grew curious about this "second-and-a-half generation" designation.

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"Oh, second-and-a-half generation. So tell me, what kind of qualitative leap does this new aircraft have that earns it the title of second-and-a-half generation?"

Yang Hui knew that "second-and-a-half generation" was a term that could impress people. He hadn't expected the first person to be hooked by it to be his own future father-in-law—but that suited Yang Hui just fine.

"The so-called second-and-a-half generation means that our new aircraft approaches third-generation fighters in all respects. In low-altitude maneuverability, range, radar, and avionics, it will surpass the current Jian-7 aircraft across the board, achieving third-generation fighter flight performance. This is also what the foreign party requires—they need the new aircraft to be capable of training pilots for certain routine third-generation fighter training subjects."

Hearing all this, Uncle Yang grew more and more excited. If such an aircraft existed, wouldn't using it purely as a trainer be a terrible waste? Take this new aircraft, modify the cockpit, install a weapons system, and you'd have a fighter on your hands. Thinking about all those enhanced capabilities, having such an aircraft in the future would be absolutely ideal.

"Based on what you've said, the development funding for this new aircraft must be substantial, right? We're talking in the hundreds of millions, aren't we? Do you have that kind of money?"

Hundreds of millions... Director Yang was the first to laugh.

"My boy, you're thinking too small. The new aircraft project has a total budget of 600 million."

Before anyone could react, Yang Hui piled on even more: "And those 600 million are in US dollars. Converted to RMB, that's over a billion."

Hearing that the new aircraft had such ample funding, Uncle Yang nearly grinned from ear to ear. With this much money, completing the new trainer's development would absolutely be sufficient.

"So, do you have any plans to convert these new technologies from trainer aircraft back into a fighter? That would make for an absolutely excellent new aircraft."

Converting a two-seat trainer back into a fighter sounded rather comical, but in later years, Base 0011 had indeed done exactly that. Back then, the Jian-7 had only one production line left, at Base 0011. At the time, the JF-17 fighter couldn't find buyers due to ongoing engine problems. To fill the market gap and preserve their traditional arms markets, they had converted the two-seat Jian-Jiao-9 back into a single-seat fighter.

Now that the Jian-Jiao-9 had come out ahead of schedule, converting it to a single-seat version would definitely be necessary. And it wouldn't just be for overseas sales—domestically, there would certainly be large-scale procurement as well. When that time came, production numbers would surely reach new heights.

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