Chapter 508

Lin Shengli stood, raised his wine glass, and spoke in a steady, powerful voice: "This toast is to the nation, to the chiefs, to every team member, and most of all to my family! Without the nation's support, without the team's day-and-night efforts, without the family's silent guardianship, there would be no success today. We will continue to strive, develop more cutting-edge weapons, and safeguard the nation's lands and rivers, keeping them safe."

"Good! Well said!" the chief led the applause, and the hall thundered with applause.

Lin Zhengpeng, Lin Qinhua, and Hanna were surrounded in the middle, receiving everyone's congratulations.

The young engineers raised their wine glasses and exclaimed excitedly: "Peng-ge, Qinhua-jie, from now on we'll follow you, continue R&D, and build even more formidable aircraft!"

Lin Zhengpeng smiled and nodded: "Let's work hard together! There will be even more challenges awaiting us in the future!"

Zheng Juan, Qin Jingru, and several other women sat at a corner table, watching Lin Shengli on stage, their eyes full of pride.

Zheng Juan poured tea for everyone and said: "Our victory hasn't betrayed the nation's trust, nor has it betrayed our support."

Ding Qiunan laughed and said: "Pengzi is getting more and more capable; this First Flight earned him great merit, and his matchmaking went smoothly—truly a double blessing!"

Qin Jingru laughed so hard she couldn't close her mouth: "Of course, the person I introduced couldn't be anything less! Once Pengzi and Su Qing settle down, we'll throw another big celebration so everyone in the courtyard gets a share of the joy."

The victory banquet bustled on for an afternoon, only ending at dusk.

Lin Shengli saw off the chiefs and leaders, and when he got home he was already a little tipsy.

Zheng Juan hurriedly brought him a hangover soup.

Lin Shengli took it, about to gulp it down, but Zheng Juan stopped him: "Drink slowly, and don't drink too much—it's bad for your health."

Lin Shengli took two sips of the soup, smiling: "I'm so happy—all these years of effort haven't been wasted. By the way, Pengzi, have you made a date with Su Qing?"

"He left long ago—right after the victory banquet ended this afternoon, he went to see Su Qing." Zheng Juan said with a smile: "I packed some of our homemade pastries for him to bring to Su Qing to try."

At that moment, at the north gate of Beihai Park in Sijiucheng, Lin Zhengpeng was waiting there.

Su Qing, wearing a white dress, walked over gracefully, saw the pastry box in his hand, and smiled: "You even brought something special?"

"My mom made them—your favorite jujube paste cake and pea yellow, I brought them for you to try." Lin Zhengpeng handed over the pastry box, a shy smile on his face.

During their previous matchmaking meeting, Su Qing had mentioned she liked old-Beijing pastries, and he had taken note.

"Thank you for even remembering my preference." Su Qing took the pastry box, feeling warm inside.

The two walked into the park and strolled slowly along the lakeside.

The setting sun dyed the lake surface gold, a gentle breeze brushed the willows, and the scenery was pleasant.

"Was the First Flight Success especially tiring?" Su Qing looked at him, her eyes full of concern.

"Not bad, tired but worth it." Lin Zhengpeng said with a smile: "Seeing the carrier-based aircraft take off made all the fatigue vanish. By the way, I'll take you to see something."

He led Su Qing to a viewing platform in the park, pulled a small model from his pocket, and handed it to her, saying:

"This is a model of the carrier-based aircraft, a gift for you."

The model was exquisitely lifelike, its fuselage printed with the Daxia Guo flag; Su Qing couldn't put it down: "It's really beautiful, thank you. I'll treasure it."

"This was made by our team together—each core member gets one." Lin Zhengpeng looked at her, speaking earnestly: "Su Qing, I've been happy getting to know you these two times. I'm rather blunt and not good with words, but I truly want to get along well with you. Will you give me a chance?"

Su Qing's cheeks flushed instantly, she lowered her head and gave a slight nod: "I'm willing."

Under the setting sun, their shadows stretched long, and the air was filled with a faint sweetness.

Meanwhile, in the siheyuan at South Luogu Lane, the news of the victory banquet had filled the air with a sour, resentful vibe.

Shazhu came back from work, holding a bottle of erguotou, a smug smile on his face, and shouted loudly in the courtyard:

"Do you know? General Lin's carrier-based aircraft succeeded in its maiden flight! The state held a victory banquet, and the chiefs all attended! I heard from our cafeteria master chef that the feast had abalone, sea cucumber, and Maotai—what a grand affair!"

As soon as he said that, everyone in the courtyard poked their heads out.

Yan Bu Gui sat on the low stool by the door, fanning himself rapidly with his fan, feeling bitter: "It's just a victory banquet—what's there to show off about?"

Xu Damao walked over, curled his lip: "Hmph, what's so great about it? It's just building an airplane—nothing but luck."

"Luck?" Shazhu glared at him: "You don't know squat! General Lin and his team burned the midnight oil for how many days and nights to build such a formidable carrier-based aircraft, letting our nation hold its head high! Besides gossiping behind backs, what else can you do?"

"What the hell do I care?" Xu Damao also flared: "Lin Shengli got rich—what's that got to do with you? Why are you kicking up a fuss for no reason?"

"I'm happy to!" Shazhu stuck out his neck: "General Lin came from our siheyuan, he's made something of himself, and we share in the glory! Unlike you, with your dark heart, you can't stand seeing others do well."

"You can't stand others doing well?" Xu Damao jumped up in anger: "It's you! You used to suck up to the Jia family all the time, and now you're sucking up to Lin Shengli—you're just a sycophant!"

The two argued until their faces reddened and spit flew. Qin Huairu crouched by the broken shed's door, clutching a plastic bottle she'd picked up, feeling sour inside.

She recalled that when Lin Shengli still lived in the siheyuan, if she hadn't schemed against him, she might now be basking in some reflected glory and wouldn't have to scrape a living picking up trash.

She hesitated a moment, stood up, moved near the two, and feigned to mediate:

"Zhuzi, Damao, stop arguing. General Lin has made something of himself—that's good; we should be happy for him."

Shazhu glanced at her, annoyed: "Cut the act of being a good person! How did you treat General Lin before? You've forgotten? Now you want to glom onto his fame—too late."

Qin Huairu's face flushed instantly; she stood there embarrassed, unable to speak.

At that moment, Liu Haizhong came over with his hands behind his back, frowning and scolding: "What's all this yelling? Late at night, can't people have some peace? General Lin's success is his own ability—why are you yelling at him? With this energy, you'd be better off thinking about how to improve your own lives."

He was genuinely scared now, afraid of stirring up trouble again and attracting Lin Shengli's attention.

Xu Damao still wanted to retort, but seeing Liu Haizhong's gaze, he swallowed his words.

Shazhu also snorted, took his bottle of erguotou, and went back inside.

Yan Bu Gui watched this scene, calculating in his mind: Lin Shengli is getting more and more formidable, the victory banquet even had chiefs attending—if he could get Jiefang connected to him, he might really land a good job. The more he thought, the more unwilling he felt; he rose and headed toward Yi Zhonghai's house—he wanted Yi Zhonghai to put in a good word for him.