Chapter 125 Inspection
Winter passed and spring came. In the blink of an eye, Lin Yuanshu welcomed the spring of 1975. Unbeknownst to her, she had been in Beijing for almost three years.
After the New Year, Lin Yuanshu returned to the laboratory. The progress on penicillin improvement was, in a way, going smoothly, but also in a way, not so smoothly.
Although they discovered a "high-yield strain," unfortunately, it was only a fleeting phenomenon. Before they could passage the "high-yield strain" five times, its high-yield trait had already disappeared.
Generally, the strain needs to be passaged more than 5 times to be considered a final improved strain, because only in this way can the stability of the strain be demonstrated.
Therefore, they had to start from scratch, activating the mycelium and screening for "high-yield strains" again.
Lin Yuanshu was also helpless. If the allocated raw materials were not so limited, she would have planned to cultivate the "high-yield strain" while screening for new "high-yield strains" at the same time. This way, she wouldn't waste time and wouldn't have to start from scratch every time. Unfortunately, the raw materials were not good enough.
The simplified purification process is progressing very smoothly. Now we are just waiting for the strain to be improved so that we can enter the pilot-scale stage to collect experimental data.
The so-called pilot-scale experiment is to simulate the entire production process of penicillin in the production workshop in the research institute's "pilot workshop", from the raw material ratio to the operation of the fermentation tank.
Only after passing the pilot-scale experiment can her project be considered to be in its final stage. All that remains is to write the experimental report and apply for acceptance.
That day, Lin Yuanshu was in the laboratory using ultraviolet lamps to induce mutations in mycelia.
Hong Shuang'er shuffled into the laboratory and went straight to Lin Yuanshu's side. A hint of excitement flashed in her eyes as she said mysteriously, "Guess what I found out about the First Research Institute today?"
Lin Yuanshu glanced at Hong Shuang'er and said bluntly, "I don't know anything about the First Research Institute, so I can't guess. Just tell me! Don't keep me in suspense."
Hong Shuang'er pursed her lips, still not giving up on keeping everyone in suspense, and instead gave a hint, "This matter is somewhat related to Comrade Tang Dasi, you can definitely guess it."
Upon hearing this, Tang Dasi, who was assisting Lin Yuanshu, joked, "Could it be that Team Leader Lü's project failed?"
Hong Shuang'er looked at Tang Dasi in shock and asked, "How did you guess it so easily? Did you already know about this?"
Tang Dasi paused for a moment, her expression somewhat complicated. After spending time together, she trusted Lin Yuanshu and the others quite a bit, so she didn't hold back and said directly, "I knew a long time ago that their research direction was wrong. I reminded Team Leader Lü before, but it was no use. I'm just a nobody, and no one believed me. Instead, they thought I was just causing trouble."
Hong Shuang'er gave Tang Dasi a pained look. She patted him and comforted him, "It's good that you came to our project team. Don't worry, we will definitely not ignore what you said. I heard that Team Leader Lü's research results are fine for small-scale testing, but unstable for pilot testing. They are preparing to test and modify as they go. We don't know what the final result will be!"
As Lin Yuanshu placed the nascent mycelium into the incubator, he added, "This can't really be called a project failure. Perhaps Team Leader Lü can turn things around!"
Hong Shuang'er blinked, saying something she didn't mean, "I hope they have that good luck."
Although she said this, she secretly hoped that Team Leader Lü's project would fail. If Team Leader Lü succeeded, their experimental plan would have to be revised based on Team Leader Lü's research results, which would increase the difficulty of their experimental plan.
Most importantly, the results achieved by Team Leader Lü may lower the Ministry of Health's expectations for their project team. With such outstanding achievements already made, their project tasks may not seem so important.
Tang Dasi subconsciously shook his head, his face full of pessimism. "If they want the project to succeed, making changes in the pilot stage won't work. They have to start from scratch. They've gone astray from the very beginning."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yuanshu, though unfamiliar with the experimental plan of Team Leader Lü's project, understood human nature. "It's quite difficult to start from scratch. After all, no one wants their years of research to go to waste. However, let's leave it at that. Whether Team Leader Lü's project succeeds or fails, it has nothing to do with us. We should focus on our own project."
Tang Dasi nodded in agreement.
Hong Shuang'er scratched the back of her head somewhat embarrassedly and said awkwardly, "I haven't had a chance to say the most important thing yet. Because of what happened with Team Leader Lü, the Minister of Health is going to inspect all the research institutes in Beijing. He will inspect the First Research Institute tomorrow, and our institute will be the day after tomorrow."
She was already considered slow in gathering information, considering that the project led by Team Leader Lü had been going poorly for several days. If it weren't for the Minister of Health's upcoming inspection of the research institute, she might not have been able to find out anything about Team Leader Lü.
Upon hearing this, Lin Yuanshu felt a mix of emotions, both excited and regretful. If the Minister of Health had come to inspect a few days earlier, he would have witnessed them cultivating "high-yield strains." Now, all he could see was them screening for "high-yield strains."
It's like working hard for half a year but still making no progress.
"The Minister of Health's arrival is perfectly timed," Lin Yuanshu said weakly.
Hong Shuang'er and Tang Dasi hadn't thought much of it at first, but after seeing Lin Yuanshu's performance, they suddenly realized that their project was stuck at a bottleneck.
The three of them sighed in unison, and seeing that everyone was sighing, they couldn't help but laugh. It seemed that they had all thought of the same thing.
The Minister of Health's visit to the research institute was a significant event, so Lin Yuanshu told Wang Jun and the others about it after they finished eating and returned to the office area.
Upon hearing this, Fang Ren asked excitedly, "What? The Minister of Health is coming to inspect our research institute the day after tomorrow? Will he come to inspect our project team's work?"
Hong Shuang'er said irritably, "Aren't you just talking nonsense? How could the Minister of Health not inspect our project team's mission? Team Leader Lü's situation isn't going well, so the Minister of Health definitely wants to see how things are going on our side!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Xin couldn't help but frown and said, "But our project isn't progressing very smoothly either! The task of improving the strain is still stuck in the same place!"
These words evoked mixed feelings in everyone.
Seeing this, Lin Yuanshu cleared his throat and encouraged, "Our task of simplifying the purification process is progressing smoothly and is not exactly stagnant. Since everyone wants to make a good impression on the Minister of Health, let's work hard these next two days and try to screen out the 'high-yield strains'. Instead of sighing, let's take action and let the Minister of Health see our good work."
There is no other way.
Tang Dasi immediately chimed in, "Team Leader Lin is right. Improving the penicillin production process is not an easy task. If it were easy, Team Leader Lü's project team would have completed the task long ago, and it wouldn't be our turn to do this. Frustration is the most useless thing."
After hearing Lin Yuanshu and Tang Dasi's words, everyone's frustration vanished, and they became excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood.
In the past, everyone would take a nap at their desks at noon, but today no one mentioned lunch break. They all left the office area with great enthusiasm and headed towards the laboratory, eager to screen out "high-yield strains" as soon as possible.
Seeing this, Lin Yuanshu naturally followed. The group members were all working so hard, and as the group leader, she couldn't just stand by and do nothing!
As dusk fell and the sun began to set, the fiery red sunset painted the sky like splashes of paint.
Zhou Xiangyang waited at the back door of the cafeteria for more than half an hour, but Lin Yuanshu did not appear. So he went to the laboratory to look for Lin Yuanshu.
He saw Lin Yuanshu working busily in the laboratory, walked over to Lin Yuanshu, and whispered, "If you have to work overtime tonight, then I'll go home first. I won't take the bicycle; you can ride it home tonight. Be careful on your way home."
Lin Yuanshu turned to look at Zhou Xiangyang and said with a smile, "I understand. I'm not sure how long it will be before I get off work. You don't need to wait for me to come home for dinner tonight. I'll just grab something to eat at the cafeteria."
“Okay.” Zhou Xiangyang nodded without hesitation.
After Zhou Xiangyang left the lab, Tang Dasi exclaimed, "Your partner is so thoughtful."
Hong Shuang'er muttered to herself, "What's the use of being considerate? It's what's important to have power and influence."
Lin Yuanshu raised an eyebrow and teased with a smile, "Since you've put it that way, then I'll have to work even harder to become a powerful and influential lover."
Hong Shuang'er: "..."
This was just a small interlude during their overtime work. The three of them chatted for only a few words before plunging back into their busy work.
Unfortunately, things in this world don't always yield results just by trying. Even with their best efforts, they ultimately failed to identify a "high-yield strain."
Looking at the dejected crowd, Lin Yuanshu comforted them, "You've all tried your best. It's not your fault that the result wasn't ideal. Go back and rest, get a good night's sleep, and be in the best possible condition to welcome the Minister of Health's inspection tomorrow, so as to leave a good impression on him."
Fang Ren glanced at Lin Yuanshu, took a deep breath, and said righteously, "The Minister of Health will be coming to inspect our experimental progress tomorrow. Given our current progress, he will definitely be very disappointed. Team Leader Lin just submitted the application materials for the mutagen a while ago. I'm worried that the Minister might not approve our application because of our experimental progress. So I think we should be bolder. Anyway, the Minister doesn't know anything about 'high-yield strains.' We can choose a stable strain to cultivate and create a fake one."
Hong Shuang'er hesitated and said, "This...this will work!"
Fang Renzhen said confidently, "It will definitely work. We won't mention that it's a 'high-yield strain,' but will only talk about its advantages, such as vigorous growth and stable characteristics. That should be enough to fool the minister. Besides, we're not lying!"
Upon hearing this, everyone fell into deep thought.
Only Lin Yuanshu showed his disapproval and resolutely refused, saying, "Even if we can fool the minister, we cannot do anything fraudulent."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com