Twenty-seven, Military converted to civilian

  After a week's holiday, Father Lin Zhihui returned home. As the head of the scientific research equipment department, he often traveled all over the country to purchase instruments and equipment. Except for Taiwan Province, he had been to every province in the country. There were probably no more than ten days at home each month. Fanghua was used to it since childhood. However, this time after returning home, Lin Zhihui mentioned this business trip during casual conversation, and Fanghua couldn't help but feel a little worried.

  It turned out that the Scientific Research Equipment Department was not only responsible for purchasing various instruments and equipment for each research room, but also for collecting some of the latest scientific and technological intelligence, mainly in the form of physical products. Therefore, apart from going through the foreign affairs department to purchase abroad, Lin Zhihui would also go to the Canton Fair every year to collect information and physical objects of foreign civilian science and technology products. After returning, he would hand them over to the research personnel of the research room for analysis and evaluation of the technical content, and of course, it was inevitable that several samples would be imitated.

  Years ago, he brought back a German-made instant camera that could take pictures and develop them in one minute. The key to this camera was the special film that used a special chemical solution. The third laboratory of the institute studied it and came up with an approximate formula for the solution, but they didn't think it had any high-tech or in-depth research value, so it was put aside.

  After the mid-10s, under the influence of national policies, all military industries had to do "military-to-civilian" conversions. In other words, they had to use their original military research capabilities to develop civilian products and push them into the market to create economic benefits and sustain themselves. The idea was good, but for a research institution like ours that only focused on developing ultimate weapons, it was hard to find suitable "military-to-civilian" projects. Unlike the famous Changhong, which originally developed radar systems and later successfully transitioned to producing TVs, but even that was achieved after introducing Japanese production lines.

  As a research institute directly under the State Council, the state would not forcibly order the conversion of military products to civilian goods without considering the actual situation of the unit. However, if the leadership of the unit did not make any achievements in this regard, it would be unacceptable. Later on, for some reason, one of the leaders of the institute remembered the matter of the camera and decided to utilize the technology of the camera. As a result, they really contacted a domestic camera factory that was willing to cooperate. Recently, Lin Zhihui has been busy negotiating with them about cooperation. It is said that the form of cooperation is not simply licensing the technology, but rather jointly establishing a branch factory specifically for producing this type of camera and film.

  Lin Fanghua didn't quite understand the technical details, but she had used digital cameras before and had even replaced two of them. She knew that this type of camera actually had no future prospects. Because in a few years, instant imaging, instant storage, and filmless digital cameras would rapidly spread globally. Even traditional film cameras were greatly impacted, let alone the "Lipadete" style camera which didn't have the quality of traditional cameras nor the convenience of digital cameras. This type of camera was only novel to people in closed-off inland areas in the 10s, but was no longer fresh abroad. Due to its expensive film costs, roughly three times that of ordinary film rolls, it wasn't widely used overseas either. It would be too difficult for thrifty and low-consuming Chinese people to accept it.

  Lin Fanghua decided to remind her father. She said that she had seen some reports in English journals, saying that foreign computer technology and digital image storage technology were advancing rapidly, and it was expected that digital imaging technology would become popular within a decade. At this time, developing this instant imaging technology would not only be difficult to surpass the mature technology of foreign countries, but also face the danger of being eliminated quickly, which is a high-risk and unprofitable behavior.

  Lin's father was also from a technical background and later switched to administrative management, so he still knew a thing or two about image digitization technology. He had been hesitant about this project from the start, which was originally just a plan thrown out by his superior to impress their own superior. However, that superior had already been promoted last year, and now Lin's father was completely in charge of the project. It was possible that the superior had long since forgotten about it. After hearing his daughter's words, Lin's father cautiously decided to put the project on hold and contacted the personnel from the Science and Technology Intelligence Office to ask for their help in finding the latest foreign information on this aspect. Although there was no internet at that time, as a core military research unit of the country, they always had channels to obtain some foreign technological information, it's just that it would take some time.

  Lin Fanghua saw that the project was temporarily shelved and felt at ease.

  One evening after dinner, it was time for the volleyball match. Lin Zhengyu went to the court early, and soon afterwards, Lin Fanghua also strolled to the court with her parents to watch the excitement.

  In the living area of the dormitory, it is a lamp ball court. In the middle is a standard basketball court, which can also be used as a volleyball court. The front is a large red five-star shadow wall on the roof, used for movie screenings. The other three sides are cement stepped bleachers.

  There are not many cultural and entertainment activities in the mountain valley, so this lamp ball field has almost become an important place for "nightlife" entertainment after dinner. In addition to the union often holding friendly matches between various departments here, outdoor movies are also shown in spring, summer and autumn, of course, only in the grand hall of the institution in winter. In recent years, it's been fashionable to have social dance parties, disco parties for the elderly, etc., and at night, there are often people who love to dance spontaneously holding outdoor dance parties here.

  At this moment, the lamp ball court was already crowded with people watching the volleyball match. Lin Fanghua was watching the game with her parents and teasing her brother's refereeing actions. Suddenly, someone greeted Lin Zhihui next to him: "Director Lin, you're also here to watch the game! I have something to talk to you about!"

  Fang Hua turned her head to see a 27-year-old young man standing behind her, tall and handsome, wearing a fashionable leather jacket. Ah, she knew this person. His name was Yu Liang, a technician in the third room. He had taught chemistry at the school for children of employees four years ago. At that time, the school was short of teachers, so they often borrowed technical personnel from the research institute to teach science and mathematics courses. It wasn't until two years ago when many new graduates from normal universities arrived that this kind of substitute teacher gradually disappeared.

  Lin Fanghua, who was still in junior high school at the time, had a deep impression of Teacher Yu Liang. On the first day of class, this teacher performed a remarkable feat - writing with both hands simultaneously. Although the handwriting of both hands was a bit rough, it looked very impressive. Especially when everyone thought of Guo Jing's ambidextrous skills in the Hong Kong drama "The Legend of the Condor Hero", they felt that Teacher Yu had a mysterious aura of a martial arts master.

  However, the admiration for Teacher Yu soon dissipated. Because he had a severe rural accent, which was rare and unusual in a military unit where everyone spoke Mandarin. Even Lin Dad and Lin Mom, who were born and raised in the province, no longer had a noticeable accent when speaking. Classmates basically couldn't understand what Teacher Yu was saying during class, and after all, he wasn't from a normal school background, so his teaching was a bit disorganized and off-topic, which made students dislike attending his classes later on. In the first chemistry test, only two people in the whole class passed, and several good students who usually ranked first or second failed miserably.

  Among these two barely passing students, one is He Chao. His mother was a chemistry teacher and helped him with his homework. The other one was Lin Fanghua.

  Although Teacher Yu Liang's accent is really hard to understand, Lin Fanghua once made up her mind (in the words of Lin's mother, she "offended the cow tendon") and still has great potential. Throughout the class, only she was focused on listening to Teacher Yu's lecture. Gradually, she could barely understand seven or eight out of ten. Although Teacher Yu Liang's expression ability is not strong, Lin Fanghua is a sensitive person, and she still feels from the teacher's words that Yu Liang is a knowledgeable and professionally capable person. Therefore, her diligence in chemistry class is largely due to personal admiration.

  But even if she studied hard, she could only get more than 60 points in the test. Most of the students who were good at studying in class failed the exam, and the school leaders had to let Yu Liang go after not teaching for a full semester due to the parents' protests. But it's better this way, he wasn't suitable for teaching anyway, and it's more suitable for him to continue working in the research unit.

  It's been years since we last met, and Yu Liang is no longer the young graduate with a hint of innocence, but has become more mature, and even his dressing style seems to have changed from being so casual.

  Lin Fanghua respectfully nodded to Yu Liang: "Teacher Yu, hello!" Originally she would call young people from her parents' work unit "Uncle" or "Auntie", but since Yu Liang had taught her before, it was clear that this wasn't suitable.

  Yu Liang still had an impression of this girl: "Ah, you're back on vacation!" He chatted with Lin Ma and Sun Yuemin for a few more sentences before getting down to business with Lin Zhihui.

  Lin Fanghua heard that it was still about the development of that camera. It turned out that at that time, the formula for the medicine was actually developed by Yu Liang. If this cooperation could be successful, he as the main developer would have gotten a lot of benefits. However, recently, there were rumors in the lab that the project was going to be cancelled again, so he came to ask what was going on and wanted to persuade the leaders to reconsider their decision.

  Lin Zhihui patiently explained the results of the latest research to Yu Liang, and after evaluating that the project's risk was too high, it was decided not to do it. Yu Liang listened for a long time without speaking, finally sighing and saying: "It's really hard to find a project that can be converted from military to civilian use!"

  Lin Zhihui felt the same way and they all fell silent for a moment.

  Lin Fanghua's mood also became a bit heavy after hearing this, and the exciting match in front of her couldn't attract her attention anymore. She fell into a daze.

  A gust of cold wind blew by, and she felt her hands and feet were very cold. She couldn't help but stomp her feet and rub her hands vigorously several times. Suddenly, a bright idea flashed in her mind: warmth! Electric heating pad!

  She turned her eyes and asked, pretending to ask Yu Liang for advice: "Teacher Yu, what can be heated up with a high temperature but not expand in volume, and the heat can last for a relatively long time?"

  "Hmm, why are you asking this?" Yu Liang's mind hadn't caught up yet.

  "Oh, I see! I think it's a hassle to fill hot water bottles in winter and the water gets cold soon. So, I wish there was something that can automatically heat up or be electrically heated, so when it cools down, you can just reheat it without having to change the water, and also keep warm for a longer time!"

  "What you're saying is probably impossible..." Yu Liang was embarrassed by Lin Fanghua's wild imagination.

  Sun Yumin, who majored in electrical resistance, suddenly spoke up: "It's possible that there isn't one. A solid one can still work. It's like an electric heating blanket, with a heating wire in the middle to generate heat and insulation materials on the outside!"

  Lin Fanghua was taken aback, not expecting her old mother's thinking to be so lively. She thought for a moment and said: "The electric blanket will stop heating up after the power is off for a while. It would be best if the material outside the electric heating wire could keep warm!"

  Sun Yumin thought for a moment: "In that case, it's still possible to achieve long-term insulation by wrapping with refractory bricks."

  Lin Fanghua also said: "This is not bad, but refractory bricks are too heavy and inconvenient to carry. I think it's more convenient to use something like a hot water bottle to generate heat and keep warm."

  Yu Liang shook his head: "Using it, easy to leak water and electricity."

  Lam Chak Wah often runs around various production plants and is more familiar with the manufacturing process: "Using good sealing materials, it's not difficult to do."

  Sun Yuemin also said: "Adding a conductor to the water and passing an electric current through it can generate heat. The efficiency of heat generation can be improved by using magnetic levitation and vortex principles, without causing the volume of water to increase too much. It seems like it's not difficult, but still need to experiment to find out."

  Yu Liang, who was knowledgeable in both Confucianism and Buddhism, heard this and exclaimed with delight: "That's right! This is a good direction to take! It really might succeed! Director Sun, your level is indeed high!"

  Lin Fanghua secretly laughed: I didn't expect that even the straightforward Yu Liang teacher would also flatter.

  Lin Zhihui patted Yu Liang's shoulder and said, "Little Yu, go back and think carefully, write a report. After the Spring Festival, start experimenting and try to make this electric hot water bag happen. If it succeeds, it will definitely be a good project for military-civilian conversion!"

  Yu Liangxin accepted the task with a smile, didn't even watch the rest of the game, and hastily left, probably to eagerly look up data and write the report.

  Lin Zhihui said to Sun Yumin, "Yumin, I think the refractory brick you mentioned is not bad, it should be simpler. You go back and let the workers in the room try to make a sample. We'll prepare for both possibilities!" Sun Yumin nodded in agreement.

  Finally, Lin Zhihui said intimately to his daughter, "Alright, kiddo! One sentence and we've found a project for our development!"

  Fang Hua shrugged: "It's not that I'm capable, it's just that you've been doing military industry work for a lifetime, how would you know how to develop civilian products? Your thinking is rigid! It's not that you can't do it, it's just that you can't think of it!"

  "Haha, got accepted into university, wings are hard now! Time to tease old dad!"

  "How dare you! How dare you! You are always right in our house! A person who can top a million sentences! Who dares to mock you!"

  Sun Yumin listened to the teasing of the two men and couldn't help but laugh: "How can you talk like that, without respect for age!"

  The weather is getting colder day by day, readers pay attention to keep warm!