Chapter 428 Balancing Research and Family

Su Yue stood there until the taillights of the jeep disappeared at the end of the street before slowly turning her gaze away.

She touched the passbook in her pocket, her fingers brushing against a hard envelope.

This was slipped in by Gu Beichen when she wasn't looking.

Su Yue took out the envelope.

It's very thick.

Upon opening it, I found no letter paper inside, only various receipts and vouchers.

There were national grain coupons, cloth coupons, meat coupons, and even a few rare industrial coupons.

At the very bottom was a note with messy, forceful handwriting:

"It's cold in Beijing, buy a thick coat. Don't skimp on the money, your husband can afford it."

Su Yue held the note in her hand, stood in the cold wind, and laughed out loud.

That idiot.

...

In the days that followed, Su Yue turned herself into a spinning top.

Laboratory, data room, clinical hospital – a three-point line.

The national-level verification process for "Hunter-9" was more complicated than expected.

Every piece of data must be checked repeatedly, and every report must go through layers of approval.

Fortunately, with Chen Xinyue and her assistants who were well-trained by her, the progress was very fast.

That afternoon.

As soon as Su Yue came out of the sterile room, she saw Old Wang from the gatehouse waving at her again.

"Director Su, someone's looking for us! This time it's a woman, and she's heavily pregnant!"

Su Yue's heart skipped a beat.

She took off her protective suit and walked quickly to the reception room.

Chu Jingya was sitting on the sofa, holding a cup of hot tea in her hand, with two mesh bags at her feet containing apples and canned goods.

After a few months apart, her belly swelled up like an inflated balloon, and she looked much rounder, her face radiating maternal glow.

"Jingya!" Su Yue exclaimed in surprise.

Chu Jingya struggled to stand up, supporting herself on the sofa armrest, and looked at her with a smile: "Great scientist, it's really not easy to see you. You have to register and be searched, it's even stricter than getting into our cultural troupe."

"Why are you here? Aren't you afraid of getting tired with such a big body?" Su Yue quickly went over to support her.

"It's okay, it's only six months, which is the safest time." Chu Jingya patted her belly. "The doctor said that moving around more is good for the baby. Besides, Bei Xiao is away on a business trip, and I was feeling bored at home alone, so I wanted to come and see you."

The two sat down in the reception room.

"How is that kid Gu Beixiao doing now?" Su Yue peeled an orange for Chu Jingya.

"Busy, huh?" Chu Jingya sighed, but her eyes and brows were still smiling. "After being transferred to the Writers' Association, I've been running around all day working on that new script. But it's much better than the backstabbing and infighting in the troupe before. At least I feel at ease."

She took the orange, broke off a segment, and put it in her mouth.

"By the way, Yueyue, have you heard? Lin Ruolan, the eldest daughter of the Lin family, has become quite famous in Beijing's social circles lately."

"Oh?" Su Yue raised an eyebrow. "What kind of trouble is she causing now?"

“This time it’s not acting up, it’s a change of heart.” Chu Jingya lowered her voice. “I heard that after she came back from Hainan Island, she put away all those delicate cheongsams she used to wear and wore Lenin suits every day. She even volunteered to help out at the neighborhood office. She said she wanted to experience life and support her husband’s scientific research.”

Su Yue smiled.

It seems that the "seasickness treatment" on the fishing boat that time was quite effective.

“That’s a good thing,” Su Yue said. “Although my cousin is a bit of a bookworm, he has great ambitions. With a wife who understands him and supports him, he’ll be able to succeed.”

“Who can argue with that?” Chu Jingya remarked. “We sisters-in-law used to dislike each other. But now, we’ve all found our own way of living.”

She took a picture book out of her bag and handed it to Su Yue.

"This is a drawing I did recently. Please give me your feedback."

Su Yue opened the picture album.

The first page features the painting "The Power of Growth".

In the picture, Cuihua is wielding scissors, her sweat glistening in the sunlight. That vibrant life force almost bursts through the paper.

"It's really well painted." Su Yue ran her fingertips over the painting. "Jingya, your paintings now have much more soul than those propaganda posters from before."

“I was infected by you guys.” Chu Jingya touched her belly. “I used to think art was in the clouds, but now I know that art is in the soil.”

The two talked for a long time.

They talked about everything from the child's name to future plans, from the situation in Beijing to the scenery of the islands.

It wasn't until dusk that Chu Jingya got up to say goodbye.

"Alright, I won't keep you from doing your research any longer." Chu Jingya tied her scarf. "Once you're done with this, let's get together properly. We'll invite Yiyi too. After she has her baby, we'll just leave the baby there, and nobody's allowed to bring any men. Let's have a good drink."

"It's a deal." Su Yue saw her off at the gate and watched her get into the Gu family's car.

After seeing Chu Jingya off, Su Yue did not return to her dormitory.

She turned around and went back to the lab.

It's late at night.

The entire compound was quiet, except for the laboratory windows which were still lit.

Su Yue sat at her desk and opened the thick experimental record book.

The passbook that Gu Beichen gave him was hidden under the notebook.

She picked up her pen and wrote a note next to the latest page of data:

"The stability test of the third-phase variant has been passed. We are ready to start the phase III clinical trial."

The pen tip made a scratching sound as it traced lines on the paper.

Outside the window, the night sky over Beijing is ablaze with stars.

Meanwhile, thousands of kilometers away on an isolated island in the South China Sea, the newly built radar station stands like a silent behemoth, guarding every inch of peace under this starry sky.

Su Yue closed her notebook, stood up, and walked to the window.

Her slightly tired but unusually determined face was reflected in the glass.

"Gu Beichen, see you at the summit."

Su Yue stamped the last official seal on the handover documents.

The autumn wind in Beijing seeped in through the cracks in the window.

Chen Xinyue stood across from the desk, holding a thick stack of lab reports.

The preparatory work here is already taking shape; all that remains is time and patience.

Su Yue put the pen back in its cap and tapped the red-headed document with her fingertip.

The specific tasks of the laboratory are temporarily entrusted to you. If you have any questions, please send a telegram directly.

Chen Xinyue straightened her chest, her expression very serious.

Sister, don't worry, I'll take good care of this business.

Su Yue picked up the worn-out medicine box and took one last look at the row of brand-new fermentation tanks.

The first phase of deployment has been completed; the rest of the journey is up to these young people to walk on their own.

She walked out of the red brick building, where a black jeep was already waiting at the door.

The streets of Beijing rushed past the car window.

On the runway of Nanyuan Airport, the propellers of the Y-5 transport plane kicked up large clouds of dust.

Su Yue stepped onto the gangway, her steps steady.

The tension that had been building up inside me for months finally eased.

Ping An must have grown taller again.

I wonder if Ning Jing, that little girl, still remembers the taste of her mother's cooking.

And then there's Gu Beichen, the man who always silently shoulders everything.

As the plane flew through the clouds, the roar of its engines became the best lullaby.

Su Yue leaned back in the hard canvas seat and unconsciously closed her eyes.