Chapter 557: Storming the Stronghold: Speeding Up to Break the Siege

At ten o'clock at night, they carried the insulated buckets and supplies to the workshop; from afar they saw the workshop lights blazing like daylight, light streaming through the windows, illuminating the busy figures inside.

Lin Zhengcheng was hunched over the desk checking engine parameters, sweat beading on his forehead, his tea cup beside him already empty; Lin Qinhua and Chen Mo stared at the coating tester, occasionally whispering a few words, the draft paper covered in dense annotations; the young technicians also stood at their posts, some leaning over machines to adjust parts, others analyzing data on computers, nobody complained of fatigue, nobody complained.

"Children, take a break, eat something hot." Zheng Juan put the insulated bucket on the table and served everyone hot porridge and spare ribs.

Lin Shengli took the bowl of porridge, looking at the women before him and then at the team hard at work, his voice full of emotion:

"With you all here, there's no obstacle we can't overcome."

Lin Zhengcheng sipped his hot porridge, his fingertip touching the bookmark Zhang Xiaoran had given him in his pocket; he felt both determination to overcome the technical challenge and concern for his family and sweetheart. He looked up at Lin Qinhua and Chen Mo, who were serving each other vegetables, their eyes full of unspoken understanding.

Setting down the porridge bowl, he immediately pulled Chen Mo back to the engine station, pointing at the seal at the interface and saying:

"Just now, while drinking the hot porridge, it suddenly clicked—during the earlier fitting, the temperature fluctuation exceeded limits; perhaps the seal's high‑temperature material is incompatible with the variable‑circulation piping. Let's try domestically produced fluororubber; it has enough toughness and heat resistance, and it will fit our pipe dimensions."

Chen Mo's eyes lit up; he immediately pulled out the spare‑parts box: "Exactly! How did I not think of that? The American seals rely on imported special rubber, while our domestic fluororubber, though harder to process, offers better compatibility."

The two worked through the night to obtain the fluororubber parts; Lin Zhengcheng measured the dimensions precisely with calipers, Chen Mo adjusted the interface assembly precision, and the young technician Xiao Zhang came over to help. Holding their breath, they installed the machined seal into the interface and started the tester. When the temperature curve on the screen steadied and all parameters met standards, a low cheer rose from the workshop corner.

Just then, the workshop door was gently pushed open; Zhang Xiaoran walked in holding an enamel bowl wrapped in a cotton pad, night dew on her forehead, and she still clutched a cloth bundle.

"I heard from the neighbors you were working overtime, so I made some wontons to bring you something hot." She spoke softly, not wanting to disturb anyone, walked straight to Lin Zhengcheng's side and handed over the enamel bowl: "Just boiled, wrapped in the cotton pad, still hot."

Lin Zhengcheng felt warm inside, reached out to take the enamel bowl, his fingertips touching her cool hand, and quickly said:

"It's so late—how did you come here? It's not safe on the road."

Zhang Xiaoran smiled, handed him the cloth bundle, which contained a clean towel and a small bottle of menthol ointment:

"I came on a 28‑inch bicycle, the streetlights are on. Knowing you get drowsy from staying up late, applying menthol ointment to the temples refreshes you; the towel is clean for wiping sweat."

Lin Qinhua glanced at the scene from the side, lightly tapped Chen Mo's arm, they exchanged a smile, turned away in unison to continue checking the coating data, leaving them some space.

Xiao Zhang came over, looked at the wontons in the enamel bowl, and joked:

"Brother Zheng Cheng, Teacher Zhang is so thoughtful! This beats the cafeteria's late‑night snack."

Lin Zhengcheng's face flushed slightly, he poured Zhang Xiaoran a cup of warm water: "Sit down and rest a bit; I'll see you home after I finish this."

Zhang Xiaoran shook her head, sat quietly in the corner chair, watching Lin Zhengcheng and the team busy at work.

He would lean over to adjust parts, then discuss parameters with coworkers; the light fell on his oil‑stained yet intensely focused face, her eyes full of tenderness.

Lin Shengli walked over, saw Zhang Xiaoran, gave a gentle smile and a slight nod, saying nothing—he could see her sincerity and understood this concern; for the kids pulling all‑night technical battles, it was another kind of motivation.

Lin Zhengcheng and the team, buoyed by this spirit, ran three repeat tests on the engine‑adapter interface, confirming the fluororubber seal fully met the requirements and completely resolving the temperature‑fluctuation bottleneck.

He let out a breath of relief, walked over to Zhang Xiaoran, picked up the towel and wiped his sweat:

"Thanks to your late‑night snack, it gave me a boost—the bottleneck is solved."

Zhang Xiaoran handed over the menthol ointment, smiling: "It's you who are impressive; I'm just here to lend a hand."

As the night deepened, the workshop lights stayed bright; the aroma of food, the roar of machinery, and the low hum of conversation wove together into the most moving melody in the deep‑autumn night.

Lin Zhengcheng rode his 28‑inch bicycle to take Zhang Xiaoran home; along the way they spoke little, yet felt completely at ease.

He knew that the challenges overseas were severe, but with the team fighting side by side, the family's solid backing, and his sweetheart's tender concern, they would surely win this battle against time and technology. Overcoming this small bottleneck was only the first step in breaking the technological blockade; many more obstacles lay ahead for them to surmount one by one.