Chapter 4

"Speak up."

The man slammed the folder in his hand onto the table, glaring at Hu Wenhai with a cold expression.

"What to say?" Hu Wenhai shifted uncomfortably in his seat, though he wasn't handcuffed, the cold interrogation chair in the room still made him feel uneasy.

"Just tell me, which country sent you as a spy?"

"Me? A spy?" Hu Wenhai was taken aback, and he couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Comrade, from what angle do you think I'm a spy?"

"Hmph, caught red-handed, and you still want to argue?" The man opened the folder, pointed coldly at a photo inside, and said sternly, "This is the tool you used for your espionage activities, right? Your imperialist masters provided it to you, didn't they? It has excellent performance, can fly at nearly 800 kilometers per hour, and this doesn't prove anything?"

"Oh, Comrade, I think there's a problem with your thinking!" Hu Wenhai retorted, "Just because something has high technology and good performance, it must be an imperialist spy tool? Do you really look down on China's scientific and technological capabilities?"

"Uh—"

The man was momentarily speechless, then seemed to become angry and slammed his hand on the table, shouting, "No matter how you try to argue, it's useless. Your only way out is to confess and be lenient! Otherwise, you'll taste the iron fist of the people's democratic dictatorship of the proletariat!"

"Please, can you at least investigate the background of the person you're interrogating before you start?" Hu Wenhai held his forehead, saying helplessly, "My family has been poor farmers for eight generations. How could I be an imperialist spy..."

"If not an imperialist spy, then you must be a revisionist spy!" The interrogator's eyes lit up, and he instructed the clerk beside him, "Write it down, the revisionist spy claims his surname is Hu! Huh, who would believe that his family has been poor farmers for eight generations? I think he might be related to the reactionary Nationalist Hu Zongnan!"

"Hey, you should apologize to Hu Zongnan, he once armed and protected Yan'an!"

"Hmph, clearly sympathetic to the reactionary Nationalists, I see you won't shed a tear until you see the coffin!"

"Comrade, can you get your facts straight? I'm not being sympathetic, I'm just making a comment!"

...

Hu Wenhai chatted aimlessly with the obviously inexperienced interrogator, not particularly worried about his safety.

At most, he had violated aviation control regulations, and there was no evidence of any espionage. Not to mention his family background, the political review in the country wasn't a joke. His family had indeed been poor farmers for eight generations, and it wasn't until Hu Shiwu's generation that they worked in the munitions factory in Northeast China during the war.

During the war, Hu Shiwu was already a member of the Communist Party's underground organization, and he had participated in many domestic military research and development projects after the founding of the country. Any leader in the industrial system of Xiucheng would know his name.

As for Hu Wenhai's father, Hu Jiefang, who was in his thirties and the factory manager of the 501st Factory, a regiment-level unit, how could such a family be unreliable?

If even such a family was unreliable, the country's political review system could be thrown in the trash.

However, the country's household registration system was not yet computerized. Even if Hu Wenhai revealed his identity, someone would still need to verify it in Xiucheng, which would take time.

This back-and-forth process, including getting letters of introduction, making phone calls, and even getting approval from superiors, was a bureaucratic nightmare in the 1980s.

That morning, Hu Shiwu, Hu Wenhai, Hu Hu, and Lu Daming were taken to the airport, and they hadn't eaten or drunk anything all day until the sun was about to set.

The interrogator, who had already exhausted his energy on Hu Wenhai, sipped his tea to moisten his throat, ready to continue the interrogation, when suddenly the door to the interrogation room was opened.

"Oh, this is really a case of the flood washing away the Dragon King's temple..."

An elderly man with old-fashioned glasses, wearing a 1978-style military uniform and dark blue pants, pushed open the door and saw Hu Wenhai sitting in the middle of the room, smiling broadly, "Oh, it's been years, Hu old man, your grandson has really grown up and become talented!"

"This is your Grandpa Si, the principal of our Xiucheng Aviation School, don't you recognize him?" Hu Shiwu followed Si Xingu behind, pulling Hu Wenhai up with a beaming face.

"Grandpa Si, hello!" Hu Wenhai called out obediently, though he had some vague memories of Si Xingu.

When Shengjing Shen Huoyi was replicating the MiG-19, they naturally didn't overlook nearby Xiucheng. As a star worker in Xiucheng, Hu Shiwu had made a name for himself during the project.

Si Xingu, as the principal of the Xiucheng Aviation School, had no reason not to know such a famous person. In fact, the two had even met before the liberation. Si Xingu was a student in the Northeast Army's aviation team, and Hu Shiwu had been assigned to work as ground crew at the airport, where he had met Si Xingu several times.

With this connection, the two families became close after the liberation.

"Brat, what are you being so polite for? I'll be the one to hit you!"

A thunderous roar came from behind Hu Shiwu, and an angry middle-aged man walked in, reaching out to grab Hu Wenhai's ear.

Slap—

The middle-aged man's hand was slapped away by Hu Shiwu, who glared at him and shouted, "Brat, what are you doing? What does my grandson have to do with you?"

"Dad!"

"Father!"

Obviously, this middle-aged man was none other than Hu Shiwu's son and Hu Wenhai's father, Hu Jiefang, the factory manager of the 501st Factory in Xiucheng.

"I don't have a son like you!"

"I don't have a son like you!"

Hu Jiefang spat at Hu Wenhai, and then Hu Shiwu immediately washed his face...

"Father, look at this brat, you always protect him. Now he's caused such a big problem, and you still..."

Hu Jiefang was fuming, but with Hu Shiwu protecting Hu Wenhai, he was truly invincible.

"Problem? What problem? Oh, I was also brought to this interrogation room today. Did I cause a problem too?"

"Father, I'm not talking about you."

...

The chaotic family drama played out for about half an hour. Hu Jiefang, full of anger, couldn't argue with Hu Shiwu and could only give Hu Wenhai a look that said, "I'll deal with you when we get home," and then he backed down.

Si Xingu shook his head and stepped in to mediate, "Speaking of which, Wenhai is only in his second year of high school, right? Truly, he's a chip off the old block! Wow, nearly 800 kilometers per hour, almost breaking the sound barrier!"

"Well, just a kid's plaything!" Hu Shiwu said this, but his face was flushed with pride, and his smile was so smug that it seemed to be urging Si Xingu to praise him more.

Hu Wenhai interjected, "My model aircraft can't exceed the speed of sound. The structural strength isn't enough, and the engine's power is insufficient."

"Speaking of the engine—" Si Xingu looked curiously at Hu Wenhai, asking, "I saw your 'model' when I came. It uses a turbojet engine, right? It's incredible, did you design it yourself?"

Hu Wenhai replied calmly, "Actually, it's not that difficult. The structure of a micro-turbojet is simpler than an internal combustion engine, just a compressor, combustion chamber, and turbine. The design of the engine is one thing, but the precision of the manufacturing and the materials are more critical. Compared to the strict production requirements of large turbojet engines, this is just a toy."

"That's still impressive, considering your age."

The Xiucheng airport had no combat readiness tasks and was set up purely to support the aviation school. As the principal, Si Xingu had the final say on matters at the airport. Since Hu Shiwu and Hu Wenhai's identities were confirmed, and the technical team had inspected the "model" and determined it had no surveillance capabilities, the matter was dropped.

"Hey, old Hu, slow down." As they left the airport office building, Si Xingu called out to Hu Shiwu, "I have something to discuss with you about this model."

"Oh, just say it."

"Here's the thing, I have an idea." Si Xingu hesitated, then continued, "You know, the country's economy is tight, and the central government is calling for the military to endure. But people can endure, equipment can't. The flight hours for aviation school students are less than three hours a week. How can our Air Force maintain combat effectiveness like this?"

Hu Shiwu stopped and nodded, "That's true. The Army can still rely on fighting spirit, but the Air Force has a significant technological gap, and spirit alone won't help."

"Exactly!" Si Xingu sighed, "So when I saw your model, I had an idea. If this thing can replace some of the training content, it could save the country money and also train the students' skills. I just don't know if it's feasible."

"Well, you should ask my grandson Hu Wenhai, he knows it best."

"Old Hu, you're not being fair. At this point, why are you still hiding? Do you really think a high school sophomore can make something like this? I know you're embarrassed, but you're an eighth-level worker, right? Making a toy for your grandson is nothing to be ashamed of..."

"Hey, why would I lie to you!" Hu Shiwu was upset; questioning Hu Wenhai's ability was like touching his sore spot, "I'll guarantee it with my party membership, do you believe me?"