Chapter 123: Someone Has Emerged

Time was running short; producing aerodynamic results even a day earlier would be a tremendous victory. Naturally, Yang Hui was eager to find ways to improve efficiency.

“Professor Zhu, I’d like to discuss something with you. I feel that, at our current pace, efficiency is too low. When we’re conducting theoretical analysis or building models, we can’t proceed with wind tunnel tests at the same time. I think we should add another group—so that when the current boundary layer project officially enters wind tunnel testing, we can simultaneously begin the theoretical analysis and model construction for the next test project.”

There was no denying the value of Yang Hui’s proposal. Highly feasible, it would certainly make effective use of their time. Yet, it wasn’t without its complications.

Professor Zhu, as their teacher, had his own considerations. His students’ theoretical foundations were solid, but years of underfunding meant the wind tunnel had rarely been used. Wind tunnels not only cost a fortune to build, but running and maintaining them was also expensive. The university, devoted as it was to aerospace, simply didn’t have the funds to use the wind tunnel frequently. Now that they finally had the opportunity, he naturally wanted his students to gain as much firsthand experience as possible.

“Your suggestion does save time and is very efficient, but there’s one thing I need to say.”

Hearing that there was an objection, Yang Hui took it seriously. He needed to leave a good impression on Professor Zhu. In a department so shorthanded in aerodynamic researchers, Yang Hui already had some thoughts upon seeing these graduate students.

“Oh, Professor, please feel free to speak. If there’s anything, we can certainly work it out. You’re our senior; we are but the juniors.”

Yang Hui purposely lowered himself to leave a good impression, but Professor Zhu thought otherwise. Here was the leader of a research institute team—regardless of age, at least at present, he seemed talented and full of promise. It was worth building a good relationship now; who knew, there could be long-term cooperation ahead. Judging from this collaboration, the institute seemed well-funded.

Not all senior professors scorned money as dirt. Professor Zhu valued funding, and thus, valued Yang Hui and the institute he represented.

“No, no, young people have limitless potential. Here’s my thought: if we are to have two groups working in parallel, could my students get more hands-on experience, while your designers handle more of the theoretical analysis? To be honest, my students have hardly had any chance to do practical experiments.”

Yang Hui understood this perfectly well. Back in university, he had only a general idea of what a wind tunnel was, but had never seen one in operation, let alone experienced its powerful winds. Undergraduates never saw the wind tunnel; for graduate students to have done only a handful of tests was understandable, given the resource constraints of the era. In fact, Yang Hui only saw a real wind tunnel years later, through work, when he first laid eyes on the legendary icing test tunnel.

So he completely understood Professor Zhu’s concerns. Yet, understanding aside, asking the young engineers brought from the base to focus solely on theoretical analysis...

At this, Yang Hui felt a headache coming on—but in truth, there was no need for him to worry. The young engineers themselves could hardly tolerate the idea. Forcing them to only do theoretical analysis was simply unreasonable.

One couldn’t hold back any longer and spoke up: “Professor Zhu, what you’re suggesting seems a bit unfair. In this heat, you’d have us working outside on theoretical analysis while your students get to enjoy the breeze in the lab? That’s blatant favoritism!”

As soon as Yang Hui heard someone speak up from behind, he knew trouble was brewing. Hearing the young man’s audacious words, he was at a complete loss as to how to handle the aftermath.

It wasn’t just Yang Hui—among the team from the base, there were a few older members, university graduates from the fifties with solid academic backgrounds, who quickly tried to hush the young man, tugging at him and nudging with their feet.

Yang Hui also noticed the expressions on the students standing behind Professor Zhu: they were all struggling to suppress laughter, not daring to let it out. This, Yang Hui found mortifying—these were the institute’s technical personnel, and this one sentence had dragged the institute’s reputation down several notches.

Speechless before Professor Zhu, whose face was now dark, Yang Hui turned away, preparing to deal with the outspoken young man. He hadn’t caught who spoke, but a glance was all it took—there he was, standing at the center, as if encircled by stars.

“You’re Zhou Jianguo, right? Come out with me for a moment, I’ll explain the situation.”

Yang Hui couldn’t bear to handle this in front of Professor Zhu; if things went south and the guy said something even more outrageous, it would be an even bigger disgrace. Dirty laundry should not be aired in public.

But this “Young General Zhou” had no intention of complying. Now, he felt compelled to defend everyone’s right to enjoy the wind tunnel. To miss out on that would be unthinkable.

“What do you want? I’m not going with you. Don’t try to act superior. When I started working at the institute, you were still playing in the mud. Do you really think you can boss me around now?”

Seeing him bristling with defiance, Yang Hui could only shake his head with a wry smile. If it were possible, he’d love to send this guy back to the assembly line for a total rebuild. But as the lead of the institute’s aerodynamics team, he had to handle this properly.

He was about to step forward to reason with Zhou, to urge him not to embarrass them further, when new trouble arose. Led by Zhou, several other dissatisfied young engineers joined him—four in total, nearly half the team.

The only comfort for Yang Hui was that the other seven had consciously distanced themselves from the rebellious group—meaning the would-be mutineers were just these five.

Seeing the others side with Yang Hui, the five felt both annoyed and uneasy. Wasn’t everyone supposed to oppose this “young punk” leader? Why had they all switched sides?

But the “generals” didn’t care; generals are known for their hot tempers and don’t overthink things. Besides, they weren’t at the institute now—what was there to fear? Once out in the field, orders needn’t always be obeyed.

This was about the right to enjoy the wind tunnel—something worth fighting for. It seemed their little leader wasn’t going to stand up for them. In the end, it was up to the grassroots to secure their own interests.

Back in the day, Chairman Mao said...

With that, the fighting spirit of the young engineers surged, as if they’d returned to those passionate, fiery years.

Seeing these “troublemakers” reveal themselves so quickly was both a surprise and a relief for Yang Hui. It was only the second day of testing, and already they couldn’t hold back. Now, Yang Hui fell silent, a little curious to see what tricks the “generals” might come up with next. It was unexpectedly entertaining.

Such was the spirit of youth—press the advantage, pursue to the end, never rest on one’s laurels.

As everyone else fell silent, the young engineers pressed on.

“What, no one’s speaking? Professor Zhu, could you please explain your reasoning? We’re not unreasonable people; we just want a fair chance. If there really is a need, we’ll still respect your decision.”

The sudden change of tone from the young men left everyone puzzled. But Cui A, himself once a young engineer, sensed something—these guys were evolving with the times; these weren’t the same old routines.

Professor Zhu, too, grasped what was happening. He smiled without a word, glancing at Yang Hui as if to say: This is your problem to solve.

He then stepped aside to review Liu Jun’s theoretical analysis, leaving the matter unresolved. He’d already accepted some of the institute’s funding; the work would be done. As for how things turned out, he wouldn’t worry—so long as there was money for experiments, all was well.