Chapter 150 Educated Youth in the 1970s (XIV) I Want to Build! I Want to Learn...
Song Ce followed Qin Guangde briskly toward the brigade headquarters. Along the way, Qin Guangde kept rubbing his hands together, unable to suppress the smile on his face.
"Little Song! You've really made Xinhe Village proud this time! Before you came, I asked the experts a couple of questions, and they said you came because of that combine harvester you were researching the other day! They tried it out and said it works even better than the machines from the province!"
After saying this, Qin Guangde smiled憨厚ly, stopped, patted Song Ce on the shoulder, and instructed, "Son, experts and leaders from the city have come to the village specifically to see you, so you must do your best!"
Song Ce paused for a moment, then replied seriously, "Yes, Captain."
Qin Guangde nodded and said with emotion, "You're a capable kid. I knew from the beginning that our village couldn't keep you. But I never expected this day to come so soon. Child, remember, no matter where you go in the future, never forget that Xinhe Village is your home!"
"Hmm..." Song Ce said, his voice slightly hoarse, "Captain, I've got it."
"Okay...okay..." Upon hearing this, Qin Guangde quickly turned his back so that Song Ce wouldn't see his slightly reddened eyes.
When the two arrived at the brigade headquarters one after the other, a grass-green jeep was parked diagonally at the entrance, attracting the curiosity of many villagers who gathered around to watch.
Qin Guangde straightened Song Ce's collar, then patted his shoulder and said softly, "Little Song, the leaders are all waiting for you in their offices. Go in quickly!"
"Yes!" Song Ce nodded and strode into the brigade headquarters.
Uncle Li, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, just saw Song Ce's retreating figure as he entered the courtyard. He quickly walked up to him and hurriedly asked, "Captain, what's going on? I heard that people from the city have come?"
"Yes, that's right! Everyone's waiting in the office to see Xiao Song!"
Uncle Li sighed upon hearing this, "Alas, there's nothing we can do. Comrade Song is just too outstanding. There's only one such remarkable person in the entire surrounding area, so the city is eager to poach him!"
The villagers nearby listened intently to the conversation between the two, and upon learning that Song Ce was very likely to be transferred to the city, one by one they were unhappy.
"Captain, is Song Zhiqing going to be transferred?"
"Song, the educated youth, has only been in our village for less than half a year, and she's already leaving? Will she come back?"
Looking into the hopeful eyes of the villagers, Qin Guangde shook his head with difficulty and sighed, "Comrade Xiao Song is capable; once he leaves, he definitely won't come back."
These words immediately caused an uproar among the crowd.
"Fellow villagers, our village was able to harvest grain so quickly this time, all thanks to the machine invented by Song Zhiqing! Brigade leader, you must find a way to keep Song Zhiqing here!"
"No, why should we? Song Zhiqing made contributions to our village and received an award, and now the city is rushing to snatch her away? So what if she's an expert? Being an expert doesn't make a difference!"
"That's right, Captain! We don't want Song, the educated youth, to leave!"
"Yes! Yes! Song Zhiqing can't leave!"
Seeing the villagers' indignant expressions, Qin Guangde's lips moved. After a long silence, he waved his hand and squeezed out a sentence from his throat: "Disperse, disperse! What will the leaders look like if they see this!"
"..."
Song Ce walked to the office door, which was open, and two men in blue Zhongshan suits were sitting in chairs. Hearing footsteps in the courtyard, the two men stood up at the same time.
"Are you Comrade Xiao Song?" One of the elderly men, with gray hair, pushed up his glasses and spoke in a very friendly manner.
"Yes, sir."
"Hey! Comrade Song, your Captain Qin just praised you a lot, saying that you managed to tinker with a combine harvester all by yourself using old parts from the county's scrap metal yard! That's really amazing!" Another middle-aged man stepped forward and patted Song Ce on the shoulder, saying heartily, "We tested it on a few acres of land, and your harvester is almost as efficient as imported machines!"
Song Ce was a little embarrassed by the praise. He smiled shyly, then said solemnly, "It is my honor to be able to contribute to the organization!"
"Good! Well said!" The middle-aged man's voice was loud and clear. "I've been talking to you for so long, and I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Old Zhou from the city's Agricultural Machinery Research Institute, and this gentleman is Professor Wei Zhaoxing from Beijing. He studied in the Soviet Union when he was young, and after completing his studies, he returned to China to contribute to its development. He is a rare and highly skilled talent in our country!"
"Hello, Professor Wei." Song Ce bowed respectfully to Professor Wei.
"Hello." Professor Wei picked up the drawings from the table behind him and said gently, "Comrade Song, your tractor parts drawings and harvester sketches are very good. Who taught you to draw these?"
Song Ce said somewhat embarrassedly, "My dad works in a machinery factory. I was exposed to it from a young age and gradually learned how to do it."
"If I remember correctly, the verification formula here uses the D country standard."
"Yes, I found some old documents about agricultural institutions in various countries at the junkyard, and I studied them."
Professor Wei nodded, but a sense of unease stirred within him. To be so outstanding simply by self-studying from books—if this child received professional training, his future achievements would undoubtedly rival his own!
"Comrade Xiao Song," Professor Wei pondered for a moment, then said seriously, "Your contributions to Xinhe Village are evident to all. I wonder if you would be interested in coming to the Municipal Agricultural Machinery Research Institute? There, you can not only learn new knowledge, but also make the most of your professional expertise." He paused, then smiled gently, "This is also a sign of the organization's trust in you. I hope you will seriously consider it."
Song Ce cleared his throat, stood at attention, and declared loudly, "If the organization needs us, we will not hesitate to do so!"
Professor Wei was taken aback for a moment, then smiled: "Good comrade, you have ambition!"
After a brief chat, Professor Wei began to inquire in detail about Song Ce's research on the harvester. Upon learning that Song Ce had also successfully developed a seeder and a plow, Professor Wei, suppressing his excitement, immediately expressed his desire to visit Song Ce's "workshop."
Song Ce led Professor Wei and Engineer Zhou to the small woodshed at the educated youth settlement, carefully pushed open the door, and generously invited the two inside.
Professor Wei looked at the simple wooden table, on which were scattered some messy machine parts, as well as calipers, files, wrenches and other repair tools.
Zhou walked around the "workshop," pointed to a few half-person-high tin barrels in the corner, and asked curiously, "Comrade Xiao Song, what are these?"
Song Ce smiled slightly, opened the lid of the tin bucket, and saw that it was full of various parts salvaged from the scrap yard.
“Our team can’t buy new parts, so I thought I’d bring back some old parts so that it will be easier to maintain or study them in the future.”
Professor Wei walked over, picked up a small part with foreign language markings from the tin can, and asked, "Can any of these be used?"
“Not entirely.” Song Ce shook his head. “Some parts are not a perfect fit and need to be adjusted manually.”
"Good, good." Professor Wei smiled with satisfaction, his voice trembling slightly. "So, you recognize all these parts?"
"Um."
"What is this called?" Professor Wei asked.
"This is a 156F driven bevel gear produced in the Soviet Union in 1958. It is made of high-hardness material and has stable meshing. It is mainly used to reduce the speed and change its direction to ensure the efficient operation of agricultural machinery."
"What about this?"
"This is a domestically produced eccentric wheel from 1962. It is a type of cam. Its outer edge can drive another component to generate reciprocating motion."
Professor Wei nodded, then suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Song Ce's wrist, his eyes glistening with tears, and said excitedly, "Comrade Song, could you come with us to the Municipal Agricultural Machinery Research Institute today? The organization needs you!"
China is currently facing a shortage of talent. Such gifted young people are like promising seedlings in a field. If they are properly nurtured in the future, they will surely grow into towering trees capable of standing on their own.
Song Ce was taken aback. "Professor Wei, today..."
Before he could finish speaking, Professor Wei interrupted him: "Comrade Song, we know you haven't been in the countryside long and are reluctant to leave Xinhe Village and the villagers here. But you must know that you have a more important mission in the future. Although the Municipal Agricultural Machinery Research Institute is not as advanced as the capital, it is much more advanced than your workshop. At the institute, you will have access to a lot of confidential technologies and data, and you can make a greater contribution to our country's agricultural mechanization!"
“Yes!” Engineer Zhou chimed in, “Comrade Song, why don’t you come with us?”
Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the workshop.
"Is Song Zhiqing home?"
"Song Zhiqing, we've all come to see you!"
Professor Wei and Engineer Zhou exchanged a glance, then both looked at Song Ce. Song Ce was taken aback at first, then smiled apologetically, pushed open the wooden door of the workshop, and walked out.
Many villagers, men, women, and children, came to the educated youth compound, and their faces all showed obvious anxiety and reluctance.
"Song Zhiqing, are you really leaving?" Aunt Sun stepped forward, grabbed Song Ce's hand, and said tremblingly.
"Song Zhiqing, you can't leave! What will happen to our village's machinery if you leave?"
"Yes! Everyone will miss you!"
Hearing the villagers' heartfelt pleas for him to stay, Song Ce's nose tingled, and he almost burst into tears. He forced a smile and said, "Fellow villagers, I..."
Professor Wei and Engineer Zhou, who were inside the room, couldn't stay still when they heard the commotion. They looked at each other and gave a wry smile before walking out of the workshop one after the other.
Upon seeing the two of them, the villagers were silent for a few seconds. Then, someone shouted from behind, "Captain, say something!"
Looking at the villagers, Qin Guangde felt a pang of unease. He knew better than anyone that Song Ce was an invaluable talent, and he wanted Song Ce to stay. But… the city's experts and leaders had come in person; what could he do? Could he simply refuse the organization's request?
He can't keep him, and... he shouldn't keep him.
Qin Guangde cleared his throat, walked slowly to Song Ce's side, patted him on the shoulder with a smile, and said loudly, "Fellow villagers! I know you are all reluctant to part with Song Ce, but Song Ce is capable and will be able to make even greater contributions to our country in the future! This is a good thing!"
"Captain, that's true, but Song, the educated youth, has only been here a short time and she's already leaving. We're heartbroken!" a young man shouted.
The young man's words reignited everyone's emotions, and they all chimed in with their own opinions. They knew perfectly well that Song Ce was capable and shouldn't be confined to the village, but they just couldn't bear to let him go.
In the past, during the summer harvest season, the villagers had to work for a long time under the scorching sun. But since Song Ce came to the village, he not only repaired the tractor that had been abandoned for many years, but also invented a harvesting machine for everyone! This has saved the villagers a lot of effort.
If Song Ce can stay in the village, Xinhe Village will definitely become an advanced model village in the entire county within a year!
Qin Guangde sighed. He looked at Professor Wei's troubled expression, then at Song Ce's emotional face, waved his hand at the villagers, and said in a deep voice, "How about this! Our brigade will have a holiday today, so let Song Ce say goodbye to everyone properly!"
"Why……"
Standing on the perimeter, Qi Ziling glanced at Jian Fangning with some concern. Seeing that her eyes were red, she quickly reached out and took her arm, asking cautiously, "Fangning, are you... are you alright?"
Jian Fangning forced a smile. She wanted to say she was "fine," but for some reason, it felt like there was a piece of cotton stuck in her throat, and she couldn't utter those two simple words. After a long while, she shook her head, but her gaze remained fixed on Song Ce.
Wu Wangliu clenched his fists tightly, glanced at the distraught Jian Fangning, and a faint, secret joy suddenly rose in his heart.
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Author's note: Okay (smoothly kneels down)
The agricultural machinery content is from Baidu (Chinese search engine) + self-compiled [pat on the head]
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