Chapter 504

In the laboratory of the Research Base, sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting mottled light and shadow on the floor.

The interlocking test of the avionics and weapons systems was underway in full swing.

Lin Shengli stood before the test bench, eyes fixed on the jumping data stream on the screen, his fingers unconsciously tapping the tabletop.

Lin Zhengcheng and Lin Qinhua appear.

"Activate the interlocking test, simulate target lock, fire the air-to-air missile." Lin Shengli ordered.

The operator pressed the start button, and the screen instantly showed a simulated battlefield: six "enemy" aircraft moved quickly; the avionics system quickly locked onto three of them, and the weapons system immediately entered launch-ready status.

"Target locked, missile ready to fire!" the operator shouted.

But just then, the weapons system on the screen stalled briefly, delaying the launch command by 0.5 seconds.

Although it was only a brief instant, it made Lin Shengli's brow furrow.

"Pause the test!" he said in a low voice, "What's going on? The command was delayed; in actual combat, that 0.5 seconds would let the target escape."

Lin Zhengpeng hurried over, glanced at the code data, then turned to Lin Shengli and said:

Lin Zhengcheng and Lin Shengli appear, with Lin Shengli being the father.

Hanna appears (Hanna). Not in glossary; but Hanna is a name, we need to include? The glossary list says list every named entity / coined term in these lines: characters (incl. protagonist & minor ones), places, sects, etc. Hanna is a character (maybe a foreigner). Not in provided glossary but we must output exact English forms from glossary for terms already listed. For Hanna, not in glossary, we need to translate? It's a name of a person, should be romanized as Hanna (since it's a name). The instruction: Use Hanyu Pinyin ONLY for a person's actual NAME. For non-Chinese names, we keep as is? Probably we keep Hanna as is. It's a name, not a translation. So we include Hanna.

Lin Shengli is mentioned; the F/A-18 reference is a real-world military aircraft and is omitted.

Lin Zhengcheng and Lin Qinhua.

Keyboard clacks rose and fell, occasional debates flared up, then quickly consensus was reached—all were tech folks, eyes only on problems, no nonsense.

Lin Shengli wasn't staring from the sidelines; he knew the kids' abilities.

He walked to the window, watching soldiers running on the outdoor training field, and thought to himself: Once the carrier aircraft's first flight succeeds, I'll spend a few good days with the family; the children's marriages really can't be delayed any longer.

Meanwhile, the courtyard of Lin Shengli's home was also bustling with activity.

Qin Jingru, Zheng Juan, He Yushui.

She held out a photo to Zheng Juan: "Look, this is my colleague's daughter, Su Qing, who does structural design at the design institute—she's in the same line as Pengzi, so they have common ground. She's pretty-looking and gentle-natured, absolutely a good match for Pengzi."

Zheng Juan took the photo, examined it carefully, and grew more pleased: "Indeed not bad—features are regular, she looks steady. When should we arrange a meeting?"

Qin Jingru and Lin Zhengcheng appear, with Lin Zhengcheng also known by the nickname Pengzi.

He Yushui walked over carrying a plate of sliced watermelon, set it on the stone table, and said with a smile:

"That Pengzi kid usually looks steady, but he blushes at the mention of a blind date—don't let him get so nervous he can't speak."

Han Chunyan came out of the house holding a new shirt:

"I bought Pengzi a shirt; let him wear it then to look sharper. Our Pengzi isn't bad-looking; he just always wears work clothes, so he doesn't show his looks."

Lin Zhengcheng appears along with his siblings, who are not named.

Lin Zhengcheng laughed and said: "Older brother's going on a blind date? We'll go along and check him out when the time comes!"

"Go on, go on, you kids—what's the fun in tagging along?" Zheng Juan swatted him with a laugh, "If you're capable, find your own partners and come back; don't make me worry."

Lin Dingwan appears.

"No problem!" Zheng Juan readily agreed, "As long as Pengzi succeeds, I'll agree to anything you ask."

A burst of laughter erupted in the courtyard; even Lou Xiao'e and Chen Xueru, who were busy in the kitchen, poked their heads out and joined in.

Sunlight fell on every face, full of warm anticipation.

But in the Siheyuan of South Luogu Lane, a small vegetable plot stirred up a fuss.

In the Houyuan of the Siheyuan there was a small vacant patch that no one had tended; Shazhu, idle, cleared it and planted some greens and radishes, eating them himself and occasionally sending some to Yi Zhonghai.

Yi Zhonghai and Lin Shengli appear, with Lin Shengli being the nephew.

This afternoon, Shazhu came home from work, planning to pick two cucumbers from the vegetable plot for a cold salad, but as soon as he entered the Houyuan he was dumbfounded.

Half of his cucumbers had been picked, the ground was trampled into a mess, and beside it the vacant plot now held several newly planted eggplant seedlings.

"Who did this?!" Shazhu shouted, his voice raised, brandishing his hoe in the courtyard, "Who stole my cucumbers and took over my vegetable plot? Come out!"

Xu Damao poked his head out of the house, sauntered out with his hands behind his back, and looked at Shazhu saying:

"What are you shouting about? What 'your' vegetable plot? This Houyuan is public land—anyone can plant there. I see your patch lying idle, so I planted some eggplants—what's the problem?"

"Bullshit!" Shazhu yelled, face flushed red, "This plot is what I reclaimed; I've farmed it for two years—how did it become public land? You stole my cucumbers, trampled my veggies, and dare to act innocent?"

"I didn't take your cucumbers," Xu Damao protested, "When I arrived I didn't see any cucumbers—maybe a wild cat dragged them off. And even if I had, what's the fuss over a few lousy cucumbers?"

The two argued heatedly, and the neighbors in the courtyard gathered around.

Qin Huairu also squeezed into the crowd, eyes fixed on Shazhu's hoe, thinking: If they come to blows, I might snag a fallen cucumber, or make Shazhu feel indebted and give me some favor.

"Zhuzi, Damao, cut it out." Yi Zhonghai stepped forward to mediate, "We're neighbors; a tiny vegetable patch isn't worth getting worked up over. Damao, you shouldn't take over Zhuzi's reclaimed land; Zhuzi, don't get so heated—it's just a few cucumbers."

"Eldest Uncle, this isn't about cucumbers—it's that Xu Damao is bullying me!" Shazhu stuck out his neck, "He did it on purpose; he doesn't like me and wants to cause trouble!"

Xu Damao curled his lips: "I don't have that leisure time; I just want to grow some eggplants for myself to eat."