Chapter Thirty: The Project Team Begins Work

“To demonstrate the institute’s emphasis on this project, it has been decided that I will personally serve as the project team leader, with Yang Hui as deputy director.” Yang Hui smiled and nodded at this, noting the mixed expressions beneath him—admiration, envy, confusion, all intertwined.

Having anticipated this reaction, the director continued, “No need to be surprised; the entire project was his proposal, and the materials you’ve reviewed are his work. Comrade Yang Hui is capable, and you should trust him. He, along with several of us in the leadership, will be taking considerable risks for this project, so there’s no need to envy him.”

With the director’s words, outward dissent was quelled, though what might transpire below the surface remained unknown; it would be up to Yang Hui to win over these colleagues with his own abilities.

“Now, we can begin preparations. The institute has set aside an empty office especially for the project team. Come, I’ll show you.” He took out a key from his briefcase, signaled to the group, and led them away to have a look.

No one spoke along the way, each lost in their own thoughts. Yang Hui glanced at the office sign: “Fuel Injector Project Office.” The sign hadn’t been changed yet—it seemed they had commandeered another project team’s space. The others likely noticed this too, and must have felt a bit embarrassed.

“Come in and have a look. This will be your work and design area. It was originally for the fuel injector project, but as their team was small, the institute decided to merge them with the combustion chamber project, leaving this office vacant.”

Yang Hui broke out in a sweat—the project hadn’t even begun and already they had displaced another team. Surely the former fuel injector group would resent them for this.

There were eight work desks in all, suggesting the previous team had been well-staffed, but the office was spacious, and one group could work together without feeling crowded.

“Alright, this is it. You can move your things over and get started. If you need coordination with other departments, come find me. Yang Hui, step outside for a moment, I have something to tell you.” As they walked towards the combustion chamber project office, the director handed Yang Hui a sheet. “Here, this is your accommodation arrangement. I haven’t informed the others yet; remember to tell them later.” He patted Yang Hui’s shoulder and departed.

Holding the accommodation sheet, Yang Hui felt a warmth in this unfamiliar place for the first time—someone was willing to help him, and that counted for a lot. Yang Hui had nothing to repay the director with yet, but he was now sure he respected this new acquaintance. In the future, he would try to get closer and repay the kindness.

Yang Hui watched Director Bai leave, then walked towards the combustion chamber project office. Stepping inside, he saw two new faces at the desks, and quickly realized the combustion chamber and fuel injector projects had been merged. It made sense—both were understaffed and closely related, and even combined the office was not full. The merger was inevitable.

“Hey, Yang Hui, you’re here! Good news—we’ve expanded our team, now five people. These two joined from the merger,” Deputy Section Chief Wu said, clearly pleased at the growing department, which meant his position was more secure.

Yang Hui greeted them with a smile, recognizing one as Tian Zhuang from the fault analysis meeting. He’d heard their section was short-handed, and hadn’t expected the merger to happen so quickly. Now, the enlarged section finally seemed adequately staffed.

After introductions, Yang Hui informed his colleagues he was transferring to another project team. At first, they didn’t believe him, but seeing him packing up, they finally accepted it and hurriedly asked why. The department was still short-handed, so his departure was a concern.

Though they’d only worked together a few days, Yang Hui felt he owed them an explanation; after all, they’d see each other daily in the institute.

“Oh, recently the institute set up a new department to pursue other projects and earn some money to supplement R&D funds. We all know funds are tight, so we need to be self-reliant and work hard.”

The room fell silent; they exchanged glances, understanding the necessity and support for the institute’s decision. No one could object to the transfer.

The humorous Tian Zhuang said wistfully, “I thought things would be livelier with more people, but now you’re off to another department, and we’re down another one.”

Yang Hui had grown accustomed to these bittersweet farewells, having experienced many. He quickly adjusted his mood and resumed packing—there wasn’t much, having only been there a few days, so he could carry it all at once.

With everything packed, his colleagues came to say goodbye; finally, Deputy Section Chief Wu patted Yang Hui’s shoulder and encouraged him to do well.

“It’s alright; we’re still under the same roof. There’ll be plenty of chances to meet. Our new office is where Brother Tian’s group used to be—come visit often.”

With that, Yang Hui left for his new office.

Upon arrival, he saw those who’d moved quickly were already settled in, everyone present. Yang Hui was the last to arrive, and as he organized his desk, he spoke:

“Hello, everyone. From now on, we’re all in the same project team, and all newcomers from the same year. We should keep in touch more. Now we’re working together on a project, which is a stroke of fate. Let’s get our things settled, and then discuss how to start.”

Once their things were arranged, they pushed two leftover desks together, sat around, and began to discuss the design of the model aircraft engine.

As the proposer of the project and now deputy team leader, it fell to Yang Hui to present his design plan. The five members turned their eyes to him, eager for his ideas.

“Alright, I’ll share my thoughts first. If I miss anything, please point it out. First, let’s clarify: this is for model aircraft, so the thrust requirement isn’t high—around eight to twelve kilograms. The key requirements are cost, reliability, size, and weight. I believe we’re capable of designing and producing a small axial-flow turbojet, but given our limited funds and the market’s need for a reliable engine, we should keep it simple and opt for a centrifugal type.”

Model aircraft engines come in both centrifugal and axial types. Axial-flow is more challenging and less common, so centrifugal is the preferred power source among enthusiasts, offering advantages in small thrust applications.

In reality, small thrust engines have uses beyond model aircraft—missiles, aircraft auxiliary power units (APUs), all require such engines in great numbers. These are directions for future development, though those markets are well-established and difficult to break into. For now, with no experience or reputation, it’s best to focus on model aircraft engines.

“That’s feasible,” Xie Lianfa replied after some thought. “If the first project leaves us with surplus funds, we can develop several different thrust variants, giving buyers more options. Ideally, we could even make an axial-flow version.”

Yang Hui was impressed—such forward-thinking from someone raised under a planned economy was rare. Clearly, Xie Lianfa would be well-suited for sales in the future.

“Exactly. Offering more options isn’t just a matter of variety—think about how buyers compare two stores. The one with more choices leaves a better impression: ‘This place has more products, so it must be stronger.’ With that mindset, our products are already halfway to success.”

“Well said! That’s insightful.” Xie Lianfa praised immediately, surprised to find such expertise and perspective here; he admired it greatly. Ever since the state loosened policies, Xie had wanted to accomplish something big, studying sales and marketing, though never quite grasping it. He hadn’t expected to meet someone so capable.

The others seemed to understand Yang Hui’s reasoning, agreeing it was sound. In that moment, they felt their deputy team leader was indeed a man of talent.