Chapter Ninety-Three: Every Possible Way to Run Errands

All the effort he had put into pulling strings had finally paid off, and Yang Hui was naturally delighted to accept the task.
"Thank you, leaders, for your trust. I will gladly take on this responsibility and ensure that every aspect of the project is handled thoroughly. I will not let anyone down."
Director Bai hadn’t expected Yang Hui to secure a position for himself in the end, but it wasn’t a bad outcome—perhaps even preferable. After some thought, Director Bai offered Yang Hui a word of encouragement:
"Good, Yang Hui. You’ll have to give this your all—you must be prepared, both in your mind and in your work."
Chief Engineer Yu, second only to Director Bai in his concern for the new trainer aircraft project, now saw that the main issues had been resolved and was eager to get to work.
"Alright, next we should pay some visits to the ministries—starting with those leaders we can trust. That way, we might keep things under wraps for a few more days."
Everyone agreed with this plan, and the discussion turned to which leader would be most reliable.
It had only been a month since they’d gone to Director Yang for personnel, so naturally, Director Bai thought of Deputy Director Yang first.
"I think Deputy Director Yang at the National Defense Science Committee is absolutely trustworthy. Both of his sons work at our base. If we approach him, there shouldn’t be any problem."
This made sense—Chief Engineer Yu knew best: "Exactly, Director Yang’s granddaughter works at my institute, and the young man who’s all but officially engaged to her is none other than Yang Hui."
This revelation was unexpected, but with such a connection, they would have someone within the National Defense Science Committee.
Now that everything was so clear, there was nothing left to do but for Yang Hui and Yang Yue to stroll around the compound that evening.
"Alright, no problem. I’ll go back to the compound with Yang Yue tonight. We can also bring up the matter of setting up a company—it happens to fall within Director Yang’s area of responsibility."
A major obstacle had been resolved on the National Defense Science Committee side, but the Ministry of Aviation Industry, which oversaw aviation, would be the real challenge. They couldn’t avoid approaching the Ministry.
Thinking of this gave Director Bai a headache, and he could only bring it up for everyone to discuss together.
"The current Ministry of Aviation Industry is like a sieve, and the people from the Northeast control it. If we submit our project, the folks over there will know immediately. I have no doubt they’ll try to swoop in and snatch it from us."
As soon as he finished, Director Bai began to tap the bedside rhythmically, the soft sound unmistakably expressing his lack of confidence in any reliable solution.
In truth, it wasn’t just Director Bai—no one present had any dependable method.
After all, their base’s roots ran too shallow; in the capital, they had no real connections.
With everyone staring at each other and unable to come up with a workable plan, it was clear this matter wouldn’t be resolved soon.
Chief Engineer Yu decided to take a different approach. If the Ministry of Aviation Industry wouldn’t work, they could focus on the military first.
"It looks like we’ll have trouble with the Ministry of Aviation Industry for now. We can’t get stuck here. There are other places to go—let’s start by contacting the military."
Given the circumstances, that was their only option. They would have to make a real effort with the military, since launching a new trainer aircraft absolutely required military support.
Director Bai stopped tapping the bedside and, after some thought, agreed this was a viable plan.
"This isn’t a bad idea at all. We’ll go to the military first and talk to some people there. There are a few generals responsible for equipment who are supportive of our work."
With the two main authorities at the base agreeing to temporarily set aside the Ministry of Aviation Industry, the rest followed suit. At least this gave them something to work on.
Seeing this plan, Yang Hui felt uneasy. After all, the Ministry of Aviation Industry was their direct superior, and hiding such a major project from them would undoubtedly strain their relationship even further, making future work even harder.
Even if everything else was settled, it would still be impossible to carry out the project smoothly—after all, the immediate supervisor always holds the real authority.
But Yang Hui couldn’t object now. With all the base’s key figures having decided to put the Ministry of Aviation Industry on hold, there was no room for dissent.
He’d just have to wait and see, and discuss the situation in detail with Director Yang that evening. When it came to conflicts at the upper level, it was best to consult someone in that position.
While Yang Hui was lost in thought, Director Bai and the others had finalized which ministries they would visit the next day.
After a three-hour meeting and lunch, Yang Hui called for Yang Yue.
Ever since returning to the capital, Yang Yue had wanted to visit the compound, but she hadn’t wanted to leave the team while Yang Hui was still there—after all, they were on official business, not vacation.
"Yueyue, pack up—we’re going to the compound to visit the elders. The director has already approved it."
Hearing she could go back, Yang Yue was overjoyed. She hurried to her room to pack. By the time Yang Hui had finished packing and stepped out, he found Yang Yue already waiting at the door, which made him marvel at her efficiency: women these days truly were far more capable than those of twenty years ago.
That afternoon, they returned to the compound. Director Yang hadn’t finished work yet, so they first headed to Yang Hui’s grandfather’s house.
Before they reached the small apartment building, they heard a thunderous shout from the old man.
"Watch carefully—draw the chariot!"
He sounded full of vigor, and Yang Hui quickened his pace.
Yang Yue, unable to keep up, slowed down: "You go ahead, I’ll catch up in a moment."
Arriving under the large, crooked tree where a crowd had gathered, Yang Hui saw that most were veterans from the war years—old, but still sharp.
Someone soon spotted Yang Hui. After sizing him up and noticing the girl behind him, it clicked—the compound had few young women, and it didn’t take long to recall who Yang Hui was.
With a kindly smile, the man said to those nearby, "Alright, I’ll call Old Li for you."
He parted the crowd and saw that Yang Hui’s grandfather, playing black, was in a commanding position. Still, this game of chess was destined not to finish.
"Old Li, Old Li, stop with your chess—your rascal of a grandson is back! Aren’t you going to see him?"
Old Li, fully engaged in a winning position, was having none of this interruption.
"Hey, hey, don’t bother me—I’m about to win!"
His opponent, playing red, was clearly on the defensive. Hearing the commotion, he’d hoped for a chance to quit the game, but Old Li insisted on continuing.
"Old Li, let’s just call it. Your grandson has brought Director Yang’s granddaughter back—come on, let’s wrap this up."
At these words, the old man finally looked up, spotted Yang Hui and Yang Yue, glanced at his advantageous chessboard, and without hesitation, returned to the game.
"Xiao Hui, just wait a moment. Let me finish this game. You two rest for a bit."
Seeing how much his grandfather was enjoying himself, Yang Hui complied, standing with Yang Yue to watch the match. He only understood the basics of chess, so he watched without much comprehension.
His grandfather, holding the initiative, was launching a fierce attack, though the red side’s two knights were proving troublesome. Wanting to finish quickly and spend time with his grandchildren, he ignored the knights, pushing his black army forward, forcing the red knights to be abandoned one by one.
"Checkmate! Haha, I won’t play with you anymore."
Victorious, the old man’s face was creased with laughter.
"Come on, Xiao Hui, Yueyue, let’s go sit inside."
He led the way, with Yang Hui and Yang Yue following behind. On entering, they saw the familiar furnishings, but it was clear the table hadn’t been used for a meal in ages.
Noticing Yang Hui’s confusion, the old man chuckled and explained, "Don’t bother guessing. Since you left, we haven’t cooked here. Your Uncle Yue always invites me over for dinner, and I eat breakfast and lunch in the cafeteria. No need for an old man to cook by himself."
Yang Hui was surprised, but it made sense—cooking alone would be a hassle for his grandfather.
Yang Yue was delighted: "That’s wonderful. With Grandfather and Grandmother at home, now there’s someone to keep him company at dinner—he won’t have to drink alone anymore."