Chapter 579: Chapter 577: Uncle’s "Mission

Money was what they needed most right now. Han Xiaorui didn’t have the technical skills, but she was an expert at making money.

Especially from the sea.

Han Xiaorui now had plenty of little helpers, so she didn’t have to go herself.

In the past, she only provided a few locations for the salvage company under her name to work on.

This maintained a decent profit, but she never dared to do too much.

Even though these things were on the seabed, a business that required no upfront capital, Han Xiaorui felt it would attract too much attention.

She was wary of gold obtained so effortlessly.

But now, with money so tight, she couldn’t afford to be so cautious.

If the research team disbanded, they wouldn’t even be able to use the lithography machines they produced, and all their previous investments would go down the drain.

This was also why private investors were unwilling to get involved. The cost was too high, the development cycle was long, and the returns were slow.

Furthermore, there was the risk that even after they produced something, it would be behind foreign technology, unrecognized domestically, and suppressed internationally.

Ye Ling noticed his sister-in-law staring at the television. "Sister-in-law, what is it? Have you thought of a solution?"

Han Xiaorui smiled. "I think our luck is about to turn. Money shouldn’t be a problem anymore."

Ye Ling tried to comfort her, worried she would stress herself out. "Sister-in-law, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Sometimes, these things are beyond any one person’s control. We can only do our best and leave the rest to fate."

Han Xiaorui smiled and said, "Mm-hmm."

No need for long explanations. It was time for action.

Ye Zheng finally returned the day before New Year’s Eve.

Everyone was home except for his eldest son, which made Ye Zheng very happy.

To keep the Xu family elders happy, he called Old Master Xu every evening.

Han Xiaorui did the same, grateful for the elders’ understanding.

When Ye Zheng learned the purpose of Han Xiaorui’s trip to Beijing, he sighed. "When Ye Feng first invested in this, I told him it would probably all go down the drain."

Han Xiaorui shook her head. "Someone has to do it. Our semiconductor chips may not be the most sophisticated right now, but at least we’ve established a foundation for production."

"Besides, chips come in high-end and low-end varieties. Without a foundation in low-end chips, there’s no way we can aim for the mid- to high-end market."

"The low-end chips our factory produces now are not only competitive domestically, but we also have a lot of foreign orders. That’s because they’re cheap—half the price of foreign ones."

"With this, we can train industrial workers and engineers. The same goes for the upstream lithography machines. In any case, the research can’t stop. Having something is completely different from having nothing."

"I bet you that if we couldn’t produce low-end chips domestically, those same foreign low-end chips would be much more expensive than they are now."

Ye Zheng nodded with a faint smile. "Yes, the countries of Europe and America profit from the technological dividends of things we don’t have. We’ll wait until we’ve learned their technology, then we’ll seize their mid- and high-end markets."

"This process might take ten, twenty, or even thirty years... but we won’t rest until we’ve surpassed them. To fall behind is to be vulnerable, and our Chinese Nation cannot afford to fall behind again."

Han Xiaorui nodded. "Yes, Dad. Once we master it, we’ll have the upper hand."

Ye Zheng smiled. "Good. I’ll pull some strings on my end as well."

Han Xiaorui shook her head, stopping him. "Dad, you hold a high position. If you speak up for us now, even if your intentions are purely for the public good, many people won’t see it that way."

Ye Zheng waved his hand. "I know what I’m doing. Don’t worry."

’There are some things that can’t be said openly, but in front of *those* few, there’s no need to be so discreet.’

’No one wants to see the country weak and technologically stagnant.’

’The higher your position, the more you understand how suffocating it is to be behind.’

’Back in the day, the Korean War was a war to establish our nation. One generation fought a war for the next three, all so that future generations wouldn’t have to fight and could have more room to survive.’

’Now, his generation, despite their backbones of steel, had to bow their heads and endure humiliation.’

’When he went abroad for economic negotiations with Western countries, he had gritted his back teeth until they nearly shattered.’

’He constantly told himself to ’endure hardship for a future victory,’ all so that his children and grandchildren wouldn’t have to do the same.’

’He was glad to see the country gradually developing and talented young people emerging one after another.’

’Although Ye Feng and Han Xiaorui weren’t researchers, they were formidable in the world of business.’

’Ye Ling was an excellent student at university and had a promising future in politics.’

’As for Ye Chen, he had been completely captivated ever since he saw a fighter jet.’

’After coming back, he became even more studious.’

’In a recent essay titled "My Dream," he wrote that he wanted to become a scientist and research fighter jets.’

’A dream provides motivation.’

’Now, Ye Zheng worked harder than ever. He had to shelter his sons from the wind and rain.’

’They weren’t taking advantage of the country, but he wouldn’t allow others to swoop in and reap the fruits of their labor after they had sacrificed so much.’

Han Xiaorui also hoped that Ye Zheng and Wang Liwen would be well. With them around, the younger generation could do things with much more ease.

Therefore, she added some of her superpower to the water they drank.

It would not only keep them healthy but also extend their lives.

After staying in Beijing until the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, Han Xiaorui received a reply from Professor Xu. The team would not be disbanded this year.

Han Xiaorui was relieved. After returning home with her children, she had the company transfer the funds.

With the funding secured, Professor Xu and his team could continue their research.

After returning, Han Xiaorui finished up her company’s affairs and then took her children into the city.

"Grandma, Grandpa, we’re here to give you our New Year’s greetings. It’s a little late, but the sentiment is the same." Han Xiaorui said, bringing the children to pay their respects to the elders.

Mr. Xu smiled. "Let the children play here. Let’s go to the study to talk about something."

"Okay!" Han Xiaorui was taken aback for a moment, then quickly followed Mr. Xu to the study. "Grandpa, what is it?"

Old Master Xu said in a grave voice, "Your uncle came back to spend the New Year with me. He told me to tell you and Ye Feng that you must not give up on the lithography machine and semiconductor R&D. Falling behind one step at a time is one thing. But if the generation gap becomes too wide, you’ll never be able to catch up."

Han Xiaorui’s expression turned serious. "From what Kuno Hiroo said to me before, I suspected this would be the case. But I didn’t dare ask Uncle about it, for fear of putting him in danger over there."

Old Master Xu nodded. "There are indeed people following your uncle. When we were talking, he wrote it down. After I read it, he shredded it with a paper shredder and flushed it down the toilet."

Hearing this, Han Xiaorui was stunned. "Is Uncle in danger?"

Old Master Xu sighed. "A little, but nothing major."

"Grandpa, then why didn’t you keep Uncle here? As long as he’s in Shencheng, we can guarantee his safety," Han Xiaorui said, worried.

Old Master Xu shook his head. "Your uncle wouldn’t come."

"Huh?" Han Xiaorui was startled. "Is Uncle unwilling to leave the United States? He could live very well in Shencheng!"

Old Master Xu shook his head again. "No, that’s not it. Your uncle is a special-grade researcher over there, and his lab is top-tier. Hua Country might not be able to provide adequate conditions for the research he’s doing."

"It’s not about money, nor is it about material things. Since they’re willing to provide the funding and the lab, your uncle wants to use their resources and equipment to continue his research."

"On top of that, he’s also a university professor there. Seventy percent of the students he recruits are from Asia, and more than half of those are exchange students from Hua Country."

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