The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 415: Chapter 415: Wrong Method, Wrong Timing

Fortunately, they had managed to build a laboratory by scraping together equipment from Japan, Europe, America, and even the Soviet Union.

However, to achieve technological innovation, they needed experts with a more extensive knowledge base. This was something the country was lacking.

The students the country had sent to study abroad hadn’t finished their education and returned yet.

Besides, even when these students did return, they wouldn’t necessarily be able to take on major responsibilities immediately.

Just then, a domestic expert, Expert Liu, said, ”Ye Feng, I can see you’re sincere about your research. You might not be able to recruit anyone from the United States or Western Europe, but I think you should consider recruiting from the Soviet Union.”

”The Soviet Union?” Ye Feng was taken aback. ”Is that possible?”

”Why not?” Expert Liu replied. ”Over there, because of the bipolar struggle with the West, the lives of ordinary people aren’t very good, and professors and experts are having a tough time too. Trade between our two countries is growing rapidly. In fact, my department went on an inspection tour to the Soviet Union just three months ago.”

”There were some things we didn’t understand, so I publicly consulted a few experts. We gave them a fair number of gifts, and in return, they clued us in on some key issues. This saved us from a lot of dead ends and wasted resources in our experiments. Most importantly, it bought us time.”

”Many professors and technical personnel are unsatisfied with their jobs. If they’re willing to come, that’s great. If not, we don’t lose anything. Anyway, it’s worth a shot.”

Ye Feng nodded. ”Expert Liu, you’re right. But I don’t know any experts in the semiconductor field. Even if I went to the Soviet Union, I wouldn’t know how to find anyone with real skills!”

Expert Liu smiled. ”My former professor taught at Moscow University. He’s retired now, and while his specialty wasn’t semiconductors, he knows many people in that field.”

”If you want to go to the Soviet Union, I can give you his contact information. This is just one lead, so you should also ask around with others and prepare more thoroughly.”

Hearing this, Ye Feng felt as if a whole new world of possibilities had opened up. ”Thank you, Expert Liu, for giving me a new direction and a valuable contact.”

After bidding farewell to Expert Liu, Ye Feng saw that it was getting late and headed home.

’Some things could wait until tomorrow; it was best not to rush.’

Back home, Ye Feng discussed the matter with Han Xiaorui over dinner.

Han Xiaoqing, who had been listening from the side, said, ”Brother-in-law, I think even if you find the right personnel, you might not be able to recruit them. When I was traveling abroad, I met a lot of foreigners and saw how advanced other countries are. Some of those people were from the Soviet Union.”

”Even though the Soviet Union and Western nations are rivals competing in every aspect, their standard of living is far below that of the West. I could clearly sense that young people from the Soviet Union genuinely admired the West. In my conversations with them, many expressed a desire to stay in the West and had no wish to return home.”

”If they get a chance to work abroad, their first choice would be Europe and America, not Hua Country. This applies to both Soviet experts and young people with advanced skills and experience. Without offering some exceptional opportunities, Hua Country will have a hard time attracting the talent it needs.”

Ye Feng was taken aback. Having been on missions abroad, he certainly knew what the world outside was like.

Ye Feng smiled. ”A trip abroad certainly makes a difference. You’ve gained such a clear perspective on so many issues in a short time. Impressive. It seems I’ll have to get out and see the world more often in the future.”

Han Xiaoqing smiled and said modestly, ”I’m a psychology student. I can’t help but carefully observe people’s words and actions. Unless someone is a specially trained agent, an ordinary person’s behavior reveals everything. Even if they lie, their body language will give them away.”

”Speaking of which, the reason I was able to go back to university and get a fresh start is all thanks to you, Brother-in-law, and you, Sis. Without you two, I would just be an ordinary woman, destined to get married at a certain age and live an unremarkable life.”

Han Xiaorui laughed softly. ”It was the right thing to do. Seeing you make so much progress—you’re so smart, you’re bound to become a leader in your field. Our Hua Country is still relatively behind in this area, so the potential for the future is limitless.”

”I’ve even been thinking, once my investments start turning a profit, I want to build a facility nearby that specializes in treating autism in children aged three to six. It would combine therapy with a kindergarten curriculum. It could even be an affiliate of the children’s hospital, allowing more children with these challenges to receive timely treatment.”

Hearing this, Han Xiaoqing’s eyes lit up. ”Sis, you’d really do that? They do have institutions like that abroad. A doctor at a hospital makes an autism diagnosis, and with that, the family can enroll the child in an institution for specialized courses and targeted therapy.”

”But they don’t integrate it with a kindergarten. Some kindergartens might accept these children, but often with conditions, and they’ll reject any with violent tendencies. There’s no uniform standard. And here in Hua Country... I’m not trying to be critical, but it’s really only in major cities like Shencheng and Beijing that you’ll find the relevant medical departments.”

”In the countryside, these kids are just called dimwits, simpletons, or in worse cases, fools, or the Village Guard. But in many cases, with early intervention, their conditions can improve dramatically. We don’t have to look far—look at Pingping, An’an, and Wenjun. Think about what they were like before and what they’re like now. It’s been less than a year and a half, and while we can’t say what great things they’ll achieve, they can at least grow up to live normal lives.”

”With us elders to support them, the kids will have a much easier life down the road. You can’t think about making a profit from something like this. So, Sis, you need to make a lot of money! If you can help more children like them, that would be an act of incredible virtue.”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”I’ll do my best. Once I free up the capital, I’ll buy that empty plot in the next village and start building the facility. I’ll make the scenery beautiful, too, to attract more people.”

”That way, when parents do bring their children for treatment—and maybe they’ll even come from all over the country after hearing about it—the parents can find work in the area while their child undergoes therapy. It would help ease their financial burden.”

Han Xiaoqing looked at her sister with pure admiration. ”Sis, you’re incredible. I was only looking at the surface-level problem, but you’re already thinking two steps ahead, considering the parents’ struggles too. With a source of income, parents can focus on their child’s therapy without worry. The combination of intervention, group activities at the kindergarten, and the loving presence of their parents... the results are bound to be much better.”

Ye Feng looked at Han Xiaorui, his gaze filled with adoration and pride.

’As expected of my wife.’

”It’s nothing, really,” Han Xiaorui said with a smile. ”There’s an old saying: ’In times of hardship, tend to your own virtue; in times of prosperity, share your blessings with the world.’ We earn so much, but how much can our little family really spend? We ought to do something meaningful with it. I believe there are more and more people like me in Hua Country. It’s just that right now, everyone is in a mad dash for economic growth, and some things might get left behind. But for us to industrialize and build a strong, prosperous nation without resorting to colonization or plunder, the only path is to work hard and strive for self-improvement.”

”Also,” Han Xiaorui added, ”you were just pouring cold water on your brother-in-law’s idea about not being able to recruit Soviet experts. I have to disagree. Just because we might not be able to get them now doesn’t mean we never will. It just means our methods or our timing might be wrong.”