Helping Mom

Chapter 56 Helping Mom Out

The exit of Northwest Airport.

Wu Guodong dragged his suitcase, Liu Xuelan held Wu Zu's hand, and the three of them stood there waiting.

Just then, a person in the distance waved and hurriedly ran towards them.

"Guodong, Xuelan, I'm so sorry I'm late!"

The man who arrived wore glasses and looked quite refined. He rushed over and quickly reached out to help Wu Guodong with his luggage.

When he saw Wu Zu, he couldn't help but be slightly taken aback.

"Oh, you even brought the kids?"

Wu Guodong introduced with a smile: "Auntie, this is Dr. Chen Fei from our Northwest Weaponry Research Institute. You can call him Uncle Chen. Little Chen, this is my son, Wu Zu."

Wu Zu quickly greeted him politely, "Hello, Uncle Chen!"

Chen Fei smiled and patted Wu Zu's head: "Little boy, you're very polite. How old are you this year?"

Nine years old!

"Nine years old, hmm, not bad."

"But—it doesn't seem to be summer vacation yet, so you took leave to come here?"

"Um----"

Chen Fei was somewhat surprised and thought to himself: Taking leave to bring the child to the research institute, this couple really doesn't care much about the child's studies!

But this is their private matter, so he shouldn't interfere.

"By the way, where are the experts from the Jiangnan Arsenal? Why aren't they with you?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Guodong smiled.

"I've already brought it!"

Chen Fei was taken aback. He turned around and looked around, but only saw the family of three. He asked with a puzzled expression.

"I didn't see it!"

Seeing this, Liu Xuelan smiled and patted Wu Zu on the shoulder, saying, "Let me reintroduce you. This is Wu Zu, the developer of the Type 99A main battle tank and air defense missile system, and also our son."

"what?"

Chen Fei stared wide-eyed at Wu Zu in disbelief. "You must be kidding me!"

Wu Guodong stepped forward and patted Chen Fei on the shoulder.

"I'm not kidding, it's true. When we first found out about this, our reaction was similar to yours."

Wu Zu grinned and took out his ID card, handing it over.

Chen Fei took the document and saw that it not only had Wu Zu's photo on it, but also a clear steel stamp.

He looked at Wu Zu, hardly believing his eyes. An eight-year-old child was actually a researcher at the Jiangnan Arsenal. This was too outrageous!

"Uh—well, welcome Researcher Wu Zu, let's—get on the bus!"

After getting on the bus, Wu Guodong couldn't help but ask.

"By the way, I heard the specialist from the Yanjing Air Force Factory is here. How did it go? We should have secured the development of the PL-10 air-to-air missile, right?"

When this was mentioned, Wu Guodong and Liu Xuelan looked on with anticipation.

They believed that with the technology provided by Wu Zu, developing the PL-10 air-to-air missile would be a piece of cake.

However, Chen Fei sighed helplessly.

"Judging from the dean's expression when I arrived, I figured it was probably hopeless."

"What?"

Wu Guodong was shocked. "Why? Our unit has pretty good resources, why aren't we allowed to research this?"

Liu Xuelan seemed to have figured out the reason, "Could it be because our research institute's equipment is too outdated?"

Chen Fei nodded. "When I came here, I heard them say that this is roughly the idea. After all, many pieces of equipment have been in use since the early days of the People's Republic of China, and that's probably the reason."

Upon hearing this, Wu Guodong, who had been filled with hope, instantly lost his smile and looked extremely dejected.

"How could they do this? Bad equipment doesn't mean bad skills! Honestly!"

The moment this news broke, the originally relaxed and cheerful atmosphere instantly became oppressive.

After several hours of driving, they finally arrived at the Northwest Weaponry Research Institute late at night.

As soon as I got out of the car, Dean Han Xueheng and several other people came to greet me personally.

"Oh, I've been waiting for you so long! I've been so excited, like waiting for the stars and the moon to appear!"

Han Xueheng patted Wu Guodong on the shoulder.

"By the way, where's the technician? I haven't seen him."

Chen Fei, who was standing next to him, pointed at Wu Zu.

"Dean, this is Wu Zu, a researcher at the Jiangnan Arsenal, the developer of the Type 99A main battle tank and the HQ-7 surface-to-air short-range missile system!"

"What?"

Han Xueheng stared wide-eyed in disbelief, first looking at Wu Zu, then at Wu Guodong and his wife.

At this moment, Wu Guodong was no longer excited as before, and simply nodded slightly.

"Yes, Dean, this is my son, Wu Zu."

Wu Zu greeted Han Xueheng with a smile, "Hello, Grandpa Han!"

"Uh...oh, okay, okay."

"Um—let's go inside first! You must be exhausted from your journey. I've prepared some food for you. Have something to eat first, and then get a good rest for the night."

At this point, Han Xueheng leaned closer to Chen Fei and asked in a low voice.

"What on earth is going on? It's just a child!"

"It's a child, but not an ordinary child. I specifically called to confirm on the way here, and there really is such a person."

"My God! To develop the Type 99A main battle tank and air defense system at such a young age is simply unbelievable!"

"Yes, I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't called to verify."

Just then, Wu Guodong, carrying a suitcase, asked.

"Dean, is there really no hope for the PL-10 air-to-air missile?"

The room fell silent the moment those words were spoken.

Han Xueheng looked worried; his previous enthusiasm had completely vanished.

"Sigh, our research institute's equipment is too outdated, and our research projects are too limited. I called and the higher-ups said they plan to shut down our research institute."

For a moment, everyone present fell silent.

What will they do if the research institute is gone?

For many people, the Northwest Ordnance Research Institute may be old, but they have worked and lived here for many years and have long regarded it as their home.

Hearing this news so suddenly filled me with reluctance.

Wu Guodong felt a pang of sadness. "Is there really no chance at all?"

"I called and asked, and they said that if we can come up with outstanding technological achievements, the higher-ups might reconsider."

Upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope flashed in Wu Guodong's eyes.

"There's still a chance!"

"Oh dear, you're thinking too simply. Without funding from above, how are we supposed to conduct research?"

These words struck Wu Guodong's heart like a heavy hammer.

He kicked a nearby weed in anger.

"Isn't this just discarding us after we've served our purpose? What do they take us for?"

Seeing Wu Guodong get angry, Liu Xuelan quickly stepped forward to dissuade him.

"This is necessary for national development. Stop acting like a child and hurry up and pack your things."

Han Xueheng nodded quickly, "Yes, yes, let's go get something to eat first, get a good rest tonight, and we'll talk again tomorrow!"

As Wu Zu carried his schoolbag and looked at the somewhat dilapidated research institute, an idea suddenly came to mind.

Such a large research institute, just those old and discarded equipment inside, they should be worth a lot of money if sold, right?

When the time comes, we can use the points to buy some key technical parts, and maybe we can even assemble an engine for the J-10 fighter jet ourselves!

With this thought in mind, Wu Zu's gaze swept across the experimental workshops, and he began to make plans.

However, he now faces a thorny problem.

How can we sell these devices?

There were three dishes and a soup on the table, but only one of them was a meat dish, which was stir-fried vegetables with pork cracklings.

It's easy to see that this is the highest level of hospitality that the Northwest Weapon Research Institute can offer.

Wu Zu felt somewhat helpless. He hadn't expected the place to be in such dire straits. It seemed the country had indeed long ago planned to shut this place down.

Seeing the reluctance on his parents' faces, Wu Zu became even more determined to help them.

After a simple dinner, he was led to a spacious room to rest.

After a long day of running around, Wu Zu was exhausted and fell into a deep sleep as soon as he touched the bed.