Siheyuan: Grassroots Counterattack

The chaos outside cannot disturb Li Tianyi for the time being. He now goes between home, research institute, and National Defense University.

Starting this year, his superiors asked him to supervise graduate students. Li Tianyi thought about it and decided to agree. Anyway, his own laboratory needed help, so he had time to supervise graduate students.

And now the hot project in the institute is the research of photolithography machines. Their institute has already produced a prototype. Although it cannot catch up with the world's most advanced photolithography machines, it is enough to meet domestic needs.

It's just that recently some people in power have put forward the idea that "it's better to take than to make, and it's better to imitate than to take". Li Tianyi disagrees with this idea. He believes that those who imitate others will always lag behind them. His own country had such a period in the past life, when it gave away the advantages it had already occupied to others, and finally was controlled by others again.

Therefore, Li Tianyi advocates that his country must grasp the core technology so that it can achieve better development in the ever-changing world.

Li Tianyi tried his best to meet the needs of the people in the institute. In his previous life, the country did not pay enough attention to these grassroots scientific researchers, and some of them could not even get their basic living standards guaranteed. Those technical masters had tens of millions of dollars in research expenses, but those grassroots scientific researchers could not even apply for tens of thousands of dollars in research expenses. This was social injustice.

Therefore, Li Tianyi fought for the interests of the researchers in his institute in order to retain these people. Although the scientific research environment abroad is much better than that in China, the older generation of scientific researchers returned to China from abroad because of their patriotism. However, if the country does not pay attention, these talents will be lost in vain.

Li Tianyi has no ability to change the overall situation. Those officials are still corrupt and those who sell out their country are still selling out their country. Li Tianyi can only guard his own piece of land and prevent the unhealthy tendencies from outside from entering their research institute.

With the reform and opening up, Li Tianyi also came into contact with some people who wanted to poach Li Tianyi or gain his attention overtly or covertly.

The country has no solution to this problem, especially since the top leaders recently proposed to send more students abroad to learn from others. If dozens are not enough, then hundreds will be enough, and if hundreds are not enough, then thousands will be enough.

Therefore, there was a sudden craze for studying abroad in society, and people were in a state of unrest. Li Tianyi could feel it when he was teaching his students.

The situation is better at the National Defense University. After all, once students enter the university, they are equivalent to military enlistment, and their going abroad is restricted. Other schools do not have such restrictions.

Li Tianyi usually chats with his colleagues and learns from them that students’ thinking has changed a lot nowadays, as if they have been imprisoned for a long time and suddenly they don’t know what to do after being released.

Not only did the students' thoughts change, but even their clothing and hairstyles became more flamboyant. Bell-bottom pants, curly hair, and tapes and movies from Hong Kong Island slowly became popular in society.

As for the Li family, Li Tianhu, who had not been in contact for a long time, suddenly contacted Li Tianyi through Li's father. Li Tianyi didn't know what had happened, so he went back to the courtyard when he had time.

Although Mr. and Mrs. Li also live in the courtyard house now, they usually live in Li Tianyi's small courtyard. After all, the courtyard house has been renovated into a crooked shape, which is not very friendly to the elderly.

This year, the government has begun to subscribe to houses. As long as people pay some money to the government, they can apply for a property certificate for the place where they live. From then on, the house will be theirs, so this will further aggravate the phenomenon of more occupancy, more benefits.

When he got home, Li's mother was cooking. Seeing Li Tianyi coming back, the old lady was very happy. She arranged for Li Tianyi to have dinner at home and she went to prepare delicious food for Li Tianyi.

Li Tianyi knew that the old couple was a little lonely, so of course he would not agree with the old lady. The old lady happily went to the kitchen, and after only Li's father was left in the room, Li Tianyi asked his own questions.

"Dad, why did Huzi contact me?"

Father Li looked at his eldest son and sighed. He didn't know how to start talking, and he really couldn't. But his second son came to him begging all day long. Maybe he had grown old and his heart had become soft. He used to wish that he would never have anything to do with his second son again, but now that the second son was begging him with tears, he agreed to his request.

Seeing that his father was in such a dilemma, Li Tianyi quickly comforted the old man, "Dad, just tell me if you have anything to say. I will decide whether it can be done or not."

"Oh, Tianyi, Dad is really old!"

"Recently, the steel mill's profitability has been getting worse. Although we can pay wages, prices outside have been rising. That little salary is simply not enough, so your brother wants to go abroad."

"Go abroad?" Li Tianyi looked at the old man in shock. He didn't expect that Li Tianhu would think of this.

"What will he eat after he goes abroad? How will he feed his family?"

"This..." Father Li hesitated, "He wants the whole family to go out."

Li Tianyi took a deep breath and said, "Did he find a job abroad?"

"I'm not sure about that. He just wants to ask you if you have any connections."

Li Tianyi didn't want to embarrass the old man, so he simply asked Li Tianhu to come over and talk. "How about this, at this time tomorrow, you ask Li Tianhu to come over himself. I want to hear his ideas."

"Okay, okay, don't quarrel when the time comes." Father Li warned worriedly.

Li Tianyi felt that his father was really old. He had never been so cautious before. Li Tianyu felt very uncomfortable.

After dinner, Li Tianyi accompanied the old lady. The old man watched TV for a while, and then agreed to let Doudou come to see them on the weekend, and then left home.

The next afternoon, Li Tianyi finished his work and let Xiao Zhao drive back to Nanluoguxiang.

At this time, Li Tianhu was already chatting with his father at home. When he saw Li Tianyi coming in, Li Tianhu quickly stood up and gave his seat to Li Tianyi.

Li Tianhu is now in his thirties and looks much more mature. Li's father did not interfere in their affairs and went to the kitchen to find the old lady.

The two brothers sat facing each other, neither of them spoke first. Finally, Li Tianhu lost his patience and asked, "Brother, did Dad tell you about this?"

"I did say a little, but I want to know the details from you."

Li Tianhu did not hesitate. If he didn't say it now, he might not have to say it in the future. "I knew someone before. That person can help people go abroad, so I want to take my whole family to Country M."

"So what do you do for a living?"

"That's easy. I'm an electrical engineer. With skills, how can I not make money?"

"Besides, I heard that one month's work in Country M is enough to pay for several months here. You won't make a lot of money in your lifetime just by guarding the machines in the factory."