Chapter 116 The Father of Optics and the Bloodstained Dozen

Jilin Province, Spring City.

A jeep with special military license plates.

"Screech," it came to a halt at the entrance.

The car door opened, and Jiang Jun stepped out.

He was no longer that truck driver with grease-stained hands and dull eyes.

His zhongshan suit was pressed crisp, and his hair was combed meticulously.

He stood there, his back as straight as a javelin.

The spine that had once been bent by life was now straighter than anyone else's.

Several old colleagues wearing thick cotton-padded coats pushed their bicycles out.

Seeing the car and the person beside it, they stopped in their tracks, gripping their handlebars subconsciously.

"Is that… Old Jiang?"

"It really is Jiang Jun!"

"Didn't he go off to drive trucks?"

Several former coworkers crowded around, their eyes filled with complicated emotions.

Some were surprised, others felt pity.

Old Zhang from the Security Department poked his head out of the window.

He still remembered this stubborn man who had gritted his teeth and resigned just to pay for his daughter's leukemia treatment.

"Old Jiang, what is this…"

A technician wearing glasses asked tentatively, "How is Niannian's illness?"

Jiang Jun's lips curled up slightly, revealing a sense of ease he had never shown before: "The condition is under control now."

"The medical expenses have also been resolved."

Everyone gasped.

Medical expenses resolved?

That's leukemia, a bottomless pit!

Did Old Jiang strike it rich? Or did he meet a benefactor?

Just as everyone was speculating, the back door of the jeep opened.

Lin Xi stepped out.

Almost instinctively.

Jiang Jun stepped aside, retreated half a step, and bowed slightly.

"Let me introduce you."

"This is the Deputy General Manager of our Red Star Technology, Mr. Lin Xi."

The noisy crowd went silent instantly.

They knew Jiang Jun too well.

The man had a backbone of steel.

Back when the director criticized his technical approach as too aggressive, he dared to slam the table and shout back.

For a young man to be treated with such genuine respect by him…

What kind of background could he possibly have?

The live stream comments floated by at the right moment:

【Everyone stand up! This is the cradle of Chinese optics! Elder Wang is right here!】

【This is the Changguang Institute! The cradle of Chinese optics, where the first ruby laser was born!】

【The current Institute of Optics and Mechanics might be poor, but their technical reserves are solid; they're only five or six years behind the world's advanced level!】

【At this time, ASML was just a small workshop established a few years ago, not even able to draw a PPT properly; we have a chance!】

Third floor of the office building, the director's office.

Elder Wang, known as the "Father of Optics in China," was frowning at a financial statement.

In 1981, the country entered the "National Economic Adjustment Period."

Scientific research funding was slashed significantly.

Although the shift from "appropriation to loan" hadn't fully spread yet, the chill of "running out of food" had already permeated the cracks in the bricks of this old building.

A large institute with nearly three thousand people.

People need to eat, horses need to be fed, water, electricity, and heating—everything costs money.

"Director! Director!"

The secretary pushed the door open excitedly, "Jiang Jun is back!"

"Little Jiang?"

A flash of brilliance burst into Elder Wang's dull eyes, "Quick! Let him in!"

He was his proudest disciple, and also his deepest regret.

A moment later.

When Jiang Jun led Lin Xi into the office, Elder Wang was stunned.

He had expected to see a truck driver worn down and looking even older by life.

But he didn't expect to see a sharp sword that had been sheathed again, its edge even keener.

"Teacher, I'm back." Jiang Jun's eyes turned red instantly, his voice hoarse.

"Good! It's good that you're back! It's good that you're back!"

Elder Wang stepped forward quickly, grabbing Jiang Jun's arm and looking him up and down, his voice trembling: "You haven't lost weight, and you look more energetic! You look like yourself again!"

"And Niannian? How is the child?"

Jiang Jun fought back the soreness in his nose and said in a trembling voice: "It's all resolved."

"The condition is under control, and the follow-up treatment is on track."

"That's good… that's good…"

Elder Wang seemed to have shed a thousand-pound burden, his whole body relaxing.

Then, his gaze turned to Lin Xi beside him, with a hint of scrutiny, "And who is this?"

"This is the Deputy General Manager of Red Star Technology, Lin Xi."

Jiang Jun took a deep breath and introduced him solemnly, "He is also the benefactor who saved Niannian's life."

Hearing the word "benefactor," the scrutiny in Elder Wang's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by immense gratitude.

"Please, sit! Please, sit!"

"Little Zhang, go to the cafeteria and give instructions."

"Add a big iron pot stewed goose; we're throwing a welcome feast for Little Jiang!"

The small cafeteria of the Changguang Institute was dimly lit.

Several freshly cooked dishes were set on the round table.

In the center was a large basin of steaming iron pot stewed goose, its rich aroma irresistible.

Sitting around the table, besides Elder Wang, Jiang Jun, and Lin Xi, were several key members of the institute.

They were all brothers who had worked with Jiang Jun back then.

"Come, Mr. Lin, try our Northeastern hearty dish!"

Elder Wang greeted him warmly.

But Lin Xi keenly noticed that his chopsticks always avoided that basin of goose, only picking at the plate of shredded salted vegetables in front of him.

It wasn't just Elder Wang.

The seven or eight top optical experts sitting there all had their chopsticks hovering over the vegetable dishes.

Their complexions all showed an unnatural paleness.

That was the mark of long-term malnutrition and excessive fatigue.

"I'm going to the restroom."

Lin Xi stood up and followed the corridor to the back door of the cafeteria.

Several researchers in white coats were squatting in the corner smoking, the trash can at their feet overflowing.

Lin Xi's gaze sharpened.

In that pile of rotten vegetable leaves and coal cinder, he saw a stark, eye-catching pink.

He walked over, ignoring the filth, and reached down to pick it up.

They were crumpled receipts.

"Central Blood Station Nutritional Subsidy Receipt."

The date was yesterday, and the amount was 50 yuan.

Not just one, but over a dozen.

In the live stream, the comments exploded:

【Damn… selling blood?!】

【Tearing up, brothers, is this what scientists were like in that era?】

【To do research, they couldn't even eat enough, and had to sell blood to exchange for funds to buy materials?】

【Streamer! Stop looking, I can't take this! Give them money! Throw money at them!】

Lin Xi's fingers trembled slightly.

He flattened those crumpled receipts.

Carefully folded them, and put them in his inner pocket.

That wasn't just paper; that was the blood spilled by the hardest bones of this country.

Returning to the dining table, Elder Wang asked:

"Mr. Lin, I heard that your Red Star Technology generated 18 million in foreign exchange last year?"

Elder Wang's tone carried a bit of envy, and also a bit of probing,

"And now you want to develop CNC machine tools?"

"Yes."

Lin Xi put down his chopsticks,

"At this year's Canton Fair, we sold over 200 units of the C616 with the m1 kit."

"Now we are tackling micron-level CNC machine tools."

Everyone at the table stopped their chopsticks.

Although different industries are like mountains apart,

But the reputation of being a "major foreign exchange earner" was a golden signboard in 1981.

"Jiang Jun, this child, followed you, so he followed the right person."

Elder Wang sighed,

"Unlike here with me…"

"I couldn't even come up with the money to treat his child's illness."

The atmosphere was a bit heavy.

"Elder Wang, this time I came back, besides catching up, I mainly wanted to talk about cooperation."

Jiang Jun picked up the conversation:

"Mr. Lin wants to develop ultra-high-precision optical scales, with accuracy reaching the micron level."

As soon as this was said, the atmosphere at the table became a bit subtle.

Engineer Li, when mentioning technology, his eyes instantly became sharp:

"Engineer Jiang, you are an insider."

"Do you know what a micron-level optical scale means?"

"It means the lead screw error of the ruling engine must be controlled within 1 micron!"

"Our current ruling engines are all purely mechanical structures."

"The thermal deformation of the lead screw, vibration, and even the uneven thickness of the lubricating oil will all lead to errors."

Engineer Li shook his head, his tone carrying a hint of pride:

"When it comes to optics, our Changguang Institute is number one in the country."

"But this is the physical limit of mechanical processing; it's not something that can be solved just by having money."

The implication: Although your Red Star Technology has money, you don't understand technology.

Lin Xi smiled.

He put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth.

"We indeed cannot break through the physical limits."

"But what if…"

"We use mathematics to solve physical problems?"