Chapter 479: General Assembly before New Year's Day
After seeing off the comrades from the original research institute, Gao Zhendong sat in his office, deep in thought.

It seems like we can really make another big one.

After taking inventory of the technology and information at hand, he felt excited. It seemed that this thing might not be impossible. Even though many things might not produce results in the short term, at least it seemed that it could be considered as a technology reserve, such as the laser gyroscope he had just given away, instead of seeing no hope at all like before.

But there is still one board missing, and it is a crucial one.

As for things like pyrolytic graphite that are not decisive, that's not the case. At most, they can be replaced with inferior performance, which will not lead to an order of magnitude degradation in performance.

Be steady! Gao Zhendong resisted the urge to take action. The thing was too big and made too much noise. The Defense Work Committee would probably be scared crazy by it.

At this stage, we should further strengthen communications, agricultural machinery, and informatization in the areas of national economy and people's livelihood, while also strengthening some equipment shortcomings.

Thinking of this, Gao Zhendong made a phone call.

Liu Rongguo received a call in a test workshop of the Third Factory.

"Mr. Gao, are you talking about the bismuth telluride? Um... yes... we have it, and the preliminary test results are similar to your requirements. Yes, yes, but all the items have not been tested yet. OK... I'll do it quickly... OK, OK."
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12月29号，星期四。1960年的日期和星期很有趣，12月31号就是星期六。

As Gao Zhendong got home from get off work, Lou Xiaoe came to greet him: "Teacher Yan from the opposite door notified us this afternoon that there will be a meeting for the entire school at 8 o'clock tonight. She also said that each family should bring their own benches, so it seems that it will take a long time."

Like Gao Zhendong, Lou Xiao'e doesn't call anyone "first uncle", "second uncle" or "third uncle". Yan Bugui is just Teacher Yan.

Gao Zhendong nodded while drinking water to indicate that he understood. It was probably discussed by Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui. Yan Bugui had a relatively flexible schedule, so he would be the one to inform everyone.

"Do you know what it is?" Lou Xiao'e asked with a smile while busy serving the meal.

Gao Zhendong shook his head: "I'm not sure, but I guess it's probably something like the courtyard's year-end summary. The timing is about right, and nothing big has happened in the courtyard recently."

According to convention, the institute holds a full institute meeting at the end of the year. In the past, it was held before the Lunar New Year, but as more and more people in the institute use the Gregorian calendar, for convenience, it was changed to one before New Year's Day and one before the Spring Festival.

It’s a bit like raising problems on New Year’s Day and solving them during the Spring Festival.

This can be considered a fine tradition, and it can indeed solve some practical problems for the residents in the courtyard, especially those in need, so Gao Zhendong is quite cooperative.

Before I could eat, Sha Zhu came and knocked on the door.

"Zhendong, where is the honeycomb coal stove made of a tin bucket in your house? An old man said he would like to borrow it to use at the meeting venue. If the old men, old ladies and children gather around it, it won't be so cold during the meeting."

This thing was made by Gao Zhendong when he first reported for duty. He bought a tin bucket at the scrap yard, and the yellow mud was dug from the roadside. After he got married, he rarely used it unless there were too many people and not enough fire.

It’s no wonder that not every family has even such a small gadget these days. There are dozens of people in the yard, and they are holding a meeting in the yard in the freezing cold, but there are only a few stoves available, so they can only take care of the old and the young.

Gao Zhendong smiled and said, "Don't you know where my stove is? It's the same place, you can carry it yourself."

When there was an important event in Gao Zhendong's family, Sha Zhu would often come to cook. Of course he knew where the stove was, and he just said a few words to explain the reason and show politeness.

After hearing Gao Zhendong's agreement, Sha Zhu walked to the corner, picked up the stove, and said with a smile: "Hey, there are still two pieces of honeycomb coal in it. I'll pick them out for you."

Gao Zhendong waved his hand and said, "No need, no need. Just carry them over. Just consider it as my contribution to this whole hospital meeting."

When Sha Zhu heard this, he said without further ado: "Okay, thank you on behalf of my uncle." After saying that, he picked it up and left.

Lou Xiao'e smiled and said, "Master Yi and the others are arranging a meeting. I think Sha Zhu is more active than Master Yi."

Gao Zhendong nodded, "Of course. Ever since Shazhu's father ran away, Master Yi has been taking care of them. I also heard that everyone took good care of them at the end-of-year conference. So naturally they have feelings for this conference."

Only then did Lou Xiao'e realize why Sha Zhu was running so happily. It turned out to be here, and she stuck out her tongue.

After dinner, Gao Zhendong and Lou Xiao'e put aside their work and studies. It was the first time for the couple to attend a hospital-wide meeting together that was not caused by some trivial matter. Anyway, Lou Xiao'e took it very seriously. Not only herself, but also Gao Zhendong was dressed up from head to toe.

Gao Zhendong took a long bench and walked towards the central courtyard holding Lou Xiaoe's hand. Neighbors along the way greeted them and stepped aside to make way for them.

"Here comes Chief Engineer Gao. Look at his momentum. It's great."

"Look at that couple, they are all well-groomed, young, and look very comfortable."

"It's a pity that Director Gao doesn't really care about the affairs of the courtyard, otherwise many things might be easier to solve." "He is busy, how can he waste his time on these trivial matters."

"He doesn't need to be in charge of anything. He just needs to keep an eye on the senior uncles. With him around, the second and third uncles won't do anything excessive."

"..."

In the eyes of the neighbors, although Gao Zhendong was not the manager of the yard, he had to sit at the innermost part and keep an eye on the three managers.

Xie Jianye and his wife also followed Gao Zhendong. In the yard, the section chief was considered a big shot, and both of them were working. When there was something that required money and effort, they were a solid force.

A few people sat down and took a quick look. It seemed that everyone was there. This kind of academy-wide meeting these days not only has the practical function of a meeting, but also has a bit of entertainment content in it.

You can take this opportunity to chat with neighbors who you may not meet on a normal day. It may not necessarily enhance your relationship, but it will at least deepen your impression of them.

Even the two brothers who had only been in the back house for a few months had one person come to participate, which meant that all the people were really present.

Soon, everyone arrived. Sha Zhu was the last one to squeeze in with He Yushui and sat down next to Gao Zhendong. They were probably busy with preparations for the meeting.

The last one to arrive was Liu Haizhong. His wife and children came earlier, but he was the last one to arrive. After arriving, he looked around and then sat down in the middle with his arms and legs spread out.

Looking at his behavior, Yi Zhonghai frowned secretly, coughed and spoke.

"Dear neighbors, this Gengzi Year is about to pass. During this year, our yard has seen many gratifying changes, and the overall trend is getting better and better. Today, we all gather together to summarize the past, and then solve the problems, and strive to make this year a good year for all the neighbors in the yard."

1960 was the Gengzi Year in the lunar calendar. Older people like Yi Zhonghai are more accustomed to talking about this.

Yi Zhonghai's words were not very high-pitched, but still very down-to-earth.

After saying that, he took out a piece of paper from his pocket and began to summarize the yard's performance in the past year.

On the paper were the gratifying changes that had taken place in the courtyard over the past year. He was afraid that he had missed something, so he started thinking and writing it down before the meeting, trying to be foolproof.

Like Ding Yongnian and Qin Huairu attending TV University, Gao Zhendong donating televisions to enrich the learning channels and cultural life in the courtyard, Yan Jiecheng successfully entering the factory, etc., they are all listed on it.

Even things like Gao Zhendong's marriage were included. This was not because Gao Zhendong was seeking special treatment, but because young people getting married indicated the possible arrival of a new next generation. This has been counted in performance since ancient times. When evaluating KPIs for ancient county officials, population was an important indicator.

Gao Zhendong thought to himself that it was a close call. If Xu Damao had not gotten married last year, he would have been on the same list as himself this year, which would have felt a bit unlucky.

Everyone was listening and discussing, the atmosphere was lively and everyone was in a good mood.

There are a few who sound a bit unpleasant, such as Liu Haizhong.

How come he didn't make the list when he was doing this job? Yi Zhonghai simply doesn't take himself seriously.

In fact, it was not that Yi Zhonghai could not remember, but that he remembered it but did not know how to deal with it. His salary was reduced a lot after he changed his job. Because of this matter, he heard Liu Haizhong and his wife quarreling several times.

Therefore, he was not sure whether bringing this up was a congratulation or a mockery to Liu Haizhong, so he simply did not mention it. Anyway, Liu Haizhong's position was not a serious official position, and mentioning it specifically would sound like bragging.

Besides, he didn't even mention Gao Zhendong's promotion. Who do you think you are, Liu Haizhong? In Yi Zhonghai's opinion, winning awards and being named a model worker are enough, but as for the promotion, forget it.

After Yi Zhonghai finished speaking, he looked at Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui: "Our second uncle and third uncle, do you have anything else to add?"

Yan Bugui smiled and said, "I am a teacher, and what I care about most is education. You have already talked about education in detail, so I won't add anything."

Liu Haizhong deliberately waited until Yan Bugui finished speaking before he spoke. Important people always speak last.

"Old Yi, your summary of the achievements is incomplete. You didn't mention the progress made by many comrades in our courtyard. This will dampen their enthusiasm at work."

Before Yi Zhonghai spoke, Xie Jianye smiled and said, "Master Liu, a considerable number of comrades in our courtyard cannot talk about their work casually. Master Yi has considered this matter very carefully. And according to discipline, these things are not something Master Yi can inquire about. Please don't make things difficult for Master Yi."

He was the head of the internal security department, and this sentence made Liu Haizhong swallow back the rest of his words.

(End of this chapter)