Chapter Sixteen: Thrust into the Flames

Breathing in the fresh morning air of the great Southwest, with the lush vegetation of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, it was truly a wonderful place. The two young people made their way toward the motorcade.

Entering the dispatch room, they greeted, “Captain Zhang, we’re here.”

“Alright, let me see your documents. If everything checks out, you can get ready to leave with us.” Straight to the point, no unnecessary words.

They presented their credentials, and after inspection, the two were permitted to catch a ride with the convoy.

“Wait here for a moment. I need to check how the loading is going at the back,” Captain Zhang said as he headed toward the truck being loaded with engines in the warehouse.

At that moment, a young man in a Zhongshan suit approached. He looked five or six years older than Yang Hui. It was clear that this man, smartly dressed in a Zhongshan suit, was there to handle the handover upon arrival at Anshun—standard procedure, since the factories were different entities.

The young man carried a document folder under his arm, the level of confidentiality apparent from his careful manner. He seemed to be a diligent and serious worker.

Yang Hui sized up the handover officer again, but something felt off. Yet, he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

With a broad smile, the young man turned to Yang Yue and said, “Comrade, you must be hitching a ride, right? I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”

So, his intentions weren’t exactly pure—he was clearly interested in Yang Yue.

Helplessly, Yang Yue replied politely, “Yes, I’m accompanying my friend to report to Institute Two. He and I came to the Southwest together, but I’m going to Institute One.”

At this, the man’s eyes lit up. “Is that so! You should come visit your friend in Pingba more often. If you need a ride, just let me know—I’m in charge of these things. We can travel together anytime, no problem at all.”

Yang Hui could no longer hold back. He knew this was his cue to step in.

He turned to the young man and said, “Hello. I’m her friend—and her boyfriend, in fact. We’re a couple.”

The man’s face fell. He realized he’d overstepped and turned away in silence, though inwardly he resented Yang Hui. Why hadn’t he said so earlier? Now he’d embarrassed himself thoroughly. He resolved to teach this newcomer a lesson.

Yang Yue was delighted by Yang Hui’s intervention and gave him an encouraging thumbs-up.

Finally, Captain Zhang returned. Seeing the handover officer, his expression remained unchanged. With a habitual nod, he prepared to call Yang Hui and Yang Yue to board.

“Captain Zhang, isn’t this man from Institute Two? If he’s going to Institute One, shouldn’t his institute have their own vehicle? So I think…” The young man in the Zhongshan suit began to stir up trouble.

Captain Zhang replied coldly, “What are you getting at? We’re all from the base. Pingba only has our Liyang factory producing finished engines. If there’s a car going, what’s the harm in giving someone a ride?”

His tone was icy—Captain Zhang clearly harbored some resentment toward the young man.

Being rebuffed in front of everyone for the sake of an outsider, the young man was visibly annoyed.

“Captain Zhang, our cargo is highly confidential. We can’t have outsiders along. I’m saying, you can’t let these two come with us this time.”

“Confidential? The people at Institutes One and Two know more about airplanes and engines than you do. Confidentiality—what a joke.” Captain Zhang had no patience for this spoiled, unprincipled second-generation factory brat.

The young man bristled with anger. “Zhang, what are you trying to say? You—”

“What? I’m doing it my way. Move aside, we’re leaving. Find yourself another car at the back.” With that, Captain Zhang shoved the man blocking the door aside, climbed in, and started the engine.

The young man glared venomously at Yang Hui before heading to another vehicle.

“Hop in, you two,” Captain Zhang said with a smile—a total change from his earlier demeanor, almost as if he were a different person.

Yang Hui and Yang Yue circled around to the passenger side and got in. Captain Zhang started the car and headed slowly toward Anshun.

Once on the highway and driving smoothly, Captain Zhang spoke up. “Sorry you had to see that. That fellow is the factory director’s son—surname Liu, not much education. He got into university during the special period, came back, and just loafs around. People like him have made a mess of things around here—there have even been several accidents lately. I just can’t stand him.”

So he was a second-generation heir—no wonder he acted so arrogantly. Yang Hui could only smile wryly. Such things were all too common in state-owned factories.

“Captain Zhang, you’ll find people like him everywhere. It’s nothing to worry about.”

“Exactly. Who knows what will become of this factory in the future.” After that, Captain Zhang fell silent, focusing on driving, as more people appeared along the road.

The car settled into a quiet rhythm, with only the roar of the engine outside as they sped toward Anshun.

In the distance, Yang Hui could see planes performing test flights—clearly, they were approaching the aircraft factory.

Captain Zhang noticed too. “We’re almost at your destination. Thank you for choosing our service,” he said with a hint of humor.

Yang Hui was briefly stunned—he didn’t expect Captain Zhang to have such a humorous side. But as the car entered the facility, he came back to himself and got ready to disembark.

“Captain Zhang, do you know the way to Institute One?” Yang Hui asked, as he had no idea where it was—the entire 0011 base was mostly in Anshun, and it was enormous.

“Oh, Institute One? It’s easy to find—this is Shuangyang Airfield. You can head to the aircraft factory and look for Institute One’s R&D team. The prototype of the JJ-7 should be under assembly here.”

Indeed, nothing at the 0011 base could escape the insiders. Any major project’s progress was common knowledge. Back then, the JJ-7 project had seen fierce competition between Factory CD0420 and the 0011 base, so everyone paid close attention. It was no wonder that the engine factory knew the aircraft’s progress.

“Alright, we’ll check in first and come back this afternoon.” Yang Hui called for Yang Yue, picked up their luggage, and headed toward the workshop.

During the Third Front construction in China, most bases had only average technology, but they did have vast land. In later years, when many struggling defense factories had to relocate for urban development, they suddenly became rich.

Why? Because the factory land was so extensive that the relocation compensation from local governments often exceeded the value of all the factory’s other assets. The new sites were cheap, and with state subsidies, the factories could modernize.

Following directions, they soon found the aircraft assembly workshop. Along the way, they were stopped and questioned multiple times, needing to register several times, but finally, they located Institute One’s team.

“What do you want?” a worker, busy riveting the skin on a plane’s horizontal stabilizer, stood up and looked warily at the two strangers entering the workshop.

The vigilance of the working class was impressive. Before Yang Hui could speak, Yang Yue replied, “I’m here to report in, I came with the Liyang factory’s delivery truck. Captain Zhang said I should find the person in charge of Institute One here in the assembly workshop.”

“You’re here to report to Institute One?” the worker still seemed suspicious.

“Yes, could you please call them for me? I have my documents as proof.”

The worker looked them over—these young people didn’t look like spies. “Wait here. Don’t wander or snoop around. I’ll fetch Director Yu.” With that, he strode off.

It seemed that Old Wu was personally overseeing the assembly here, for soon an elderly man with a full head of white hair but a vigorous presence arrived with the worker. This must be Old Yu, a senior aircraft designer of the Republic, a contemporary of Chief Designer Song of Project Ten. He had led the design and development of the 0011 base’s all-weather J-6A, JJ-7, and JJ-7P aircraft.

The old man glanced at the pair, clearly already knowing why they were here.

“You’re here to report? Let me see your documents,” he said, extending his hand with no wasted words.

Yang Yue handed over her document folder, prepared in advance. “I’m from the Civil Aviation University, here to report. This is my companion from Institute Two.”

Yang Yue introduced Yang Hui as well, probably to avoid having Director Yu ask for his credentials later, as Section Chief Tang had done.

“Oh, Civil Aviation. Your surname is Yang, right?” Director Yu examined Yang Yue and took the documents.

Now it was Yang Yue’s turn to be surprised—she hadn’t introduced herself yet, and the director hadn’t even looked at the documents.

“Yes, I’m Yang Yue.”

“No need to be surprised. I’ve seen the list—you're the only female from Civil Aviation this time. Besides, your grandfather mentioned you.” Without looking up, Director Yu perused the documents.

“Alright, everything’s fine. Come in. Leave your luggage here. You can start working right away—the project’s understaffed. You can go back with us this evening.” With that, Director Yu turned and walked inside.

“Yang Hui, I’ll go now. You should head back.” Yang Yue picked up her things and followed after.

Watching Yang Yue leave, Yang Hui turned to go. Suddenly, someone rushed past him, running inside—

“Director Yu! The JJ-7 that just rolled off the line had an issue during test flight. The plane was forced to make an emergency landing. Please come quickly!” The messenger, out of breath, struggled to relay the urgent news.