Chapter Fifty-One: I Truly Don’t Understand

Looking at the thin stack of test sheets, Yang Hui finally breathed a sigh of relief. The combustion chamber had at last been completed and passed the tests—now all that remained was to see how it performed during the full engine trial. If the engine test went smoothly, then the combustion chamber could be considered a success.

“Yang Hui, look at this,” Section Chief Wu said, pointing to the report. “Judging from the main indicators, the combustion chamber’s lifespan is actually a bit longer than we designed—it reached 26 hours. The highest temperature on the chamber wall at idle was around 700 to 800 degrees. As for the temperature at the inner and outer nozzles, we didn’t test that, but we used the same lining material as the Turbojet-6, so the nozzle held up perfectly in the end.”

Yang Hui listened as Section Chief Wu summarized the results and examined the report himself. All the data seemed reliable; there were no major issues. That meant his combustion chamber and fuel system were likely problem-free. The fuel system was currently undergoing pressure and seal testing—a test that was arguably redundant, since, for model aircraft, the difference in pressure inside and outside the fuel system would never be great.

As the person in charge of the model aircraft power system, Yang Hui signed his name on the report, marking the completion of the first phase of the combustion chamber project. For now, he could set this matter aside. Section Chief Wu, seeing the signature, was able to relax as well.

“So quick, and the combustion chamber’s already done—such impressive efficiency. This design has inspired some new ideas in me. I’m going to go back and optimize my own combustion chamber project.”

Clearly, this model aircraft combustion chamber design had sparked some inspiration for Section Chief Wu. After all, it was the institute’s first successfully designed annular combustion chamber. Though crude, it marked a breakthrough in their conceptual approach.

With that, Section Chief Wu turned to leave, but suddenly seemed to remember something. “Yang Hui, when it’s time for the full engine trial, make sure to call me—I want to join in the excitement, too.”

“Don’t worry, I absolutely will. After all, you’re part of the design team too.”

After seeing Section Chief Wu out, Yang Hui suddenly felt at a loss for things to do. He glanced over at Zhong Jianshe’s optimization design—nearly finished, with nothing that needed his help. The rest of the project team had long since gone off to the institute’s specialized departments, seeking help from the regular staff.

Helplessly, Yang Hui looked around the office and suddenly remembered that he hadn’t visited Yang Yue in several days. Ever since finishing the model aircraft’s outer design, he’d had no time to visit the airframe project group. Now that he had some free time, it was the perfect opportunity.

Before he even reached Yang Yue’s office, he heard Xiao Bo’s voice—loud and energetic, but with an odd undertone. The words, beneath their surface confidence, carried a sycophantic eagerness to claim credit, undermining any air of authority.

“Xiao Yue—”

“That’s not what you should call me.”

“All right, all right, then how about Yueyue?”

Now Yang Yue was even angrier. How dare Xiao Bo try to call her that—who did he think he was?

“Let me tell you, that’s not a name for you to use either. My surname is Yang, my given name is Yue—you should address me as Yang Yue.” As she spoke the last two words, her tone was noticeably more forceful.

Xiao Bo could only comply, dejected. After all, his feelings were still unrequited. “Yang Yue, I spent a week developing this variable-sweep wing control mechanism. Take a look.”

His tone was much less confident this time; although the sycophantic eagerness was gone, the desire to be recognized was even more apparent.

Though Yang Yue found Xiao Bo’s persistent attentions irritating, she had to give due weight to work matters. Motivations aside, he was still the backbone of the airframe project group.

“Oh, so fast? You didn’t just copy your university project, did you? That design is far too complicated for a model aircraft.”

As a fellow alumnus—and someone Xiao Bo had pursued since college—Yang Yue was familiar with his work.

As an outstanding graduate from the Aviation University, Xiao Bo’s research was now somewhat out of favor, but he remained supremely confident in his technical skills. To suggest he would simply transplant a combat aircraft’s design onto a model aircraft was, to him, a denial and desecration of years of experience—something he couldn’t allow.

“Of course not. As an engineer, I would never just copy and paste a design without modification. I spent a week optimizing this control structure, removing all non-essential components. It’s now a much more streamlined design—perfectly suited to a model aircraft’s requirements.”

Xiao Bo’s confidence bordered on arrogance, but his talent justified it—he truly had substance behind his pride.

The world never lacks budding geniuses, but for those talents to flourish, they must weather countless trials. Many burn out along the way, and Xiao Bo had shown promise since university, but now he faced romantic setbacks he couldn’t overcome.

“All right, let me have a look. I think I can understand it. You can head back to your office now.” Though Yang Yue valued his work, she couldn’t help but instinctively want to avoid her old classmate.

Xiao Bo would have liked to linger, but he was smart enough to know that haste would only backfire. He left quietly, waiting for another opportunity.

As he stepped out, he ran headlong into Yang Hui in the corridor. Xiao Bo was clearly surprised to encounter his romantic rival at such a time. The sight of an adversary intensified his resentment—he merely snorted and turned coldly into the next office.

Yang Hui could only chuckle. Although they were rivals in love, there was no reason to take him seriously—Xiao Bo was clearly deluding himself with unrequited feelings.

Yang Yue was absorbed in her work, probably reviewing Xiao Bo’s variable-sweep wing control mechanism. The materials were few and concise—just a basic outline.

Curious, Yang Hui craned his neck to take a look at Xiao Bo’s design, but his subtle movement was quickly noticed. Without even glancing at him, Yang Yue handed over the two finished sheets.

Since he’d been caught, there was no point in pretending. With others present in the office, Yang Hui quietly took a seat and began to read—but soon lost interest. The reason was simple: he didn’t understand the design.

Variable-sweep wing design was a product of its time; by the 1980s and 90s, research fervor had waned worldwide, and even more so in their own country. In the years to come, Yang Hui never paid any attention to such things, and so now, he couldn’t make sense of the design’s merits or flaws. It wasn’t enough to merely recognize a hydraulic mechanism here or a gear drive there. True understanding meant knowing why each choice was made, what advantages and disadvantages it brought, and being able to offer a comprehensive critique.

Seeing Yang Hui set the materials aside after just a glance, Yang Yue was puzzled. “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you looking? To be fair, Xiao Bo’s design is actually quite good. You’re not ignoring it because of personal grudges, are you?”

He felt wronged—since when had he become someone who mixed personal and professional matters? He needed to clear this up, or his sterling reputation would be ruined.

“No, I’m not reading it because I can’t understand it.”

Yang Hui was nothing if not straightforward—he simply admitted the truth.

“Really? And you talk about revitalizing the aviation industry and achieving great ambitions? And you can’t even understand this?”

She looked at him in disbelief—how could someone with such grand ambitions not grasp this?

“Comrade Yang Yueyue, I really don’t understand this aspect of aircraft manufacturing. It’s quite different from my field of expertise.”

Only then did Yang Yue realize that Yang Hui wasn’t an engineer like herself; it was understandable he couldn’t follow the technical details.

“Well then, what will you do about this? How are you going to handle the engineering side of the design?”

“That’s simple. I’ll support you from behind—I’ll champion you, provide the power, stand right behind you.” His words were almost brazen—he intended to pull his future wife into his own long road toward the rejuvenation of the aviation industry.