The following morning, the autumn rain fell softly, a gentle, crisp drizzle, as if ethereal spirits had descended from the heavens, dancing and singing, only to vanish into the mist.
In an old district of JingDou, every household tightly shut their windows to keep out the chilly air carried by the autumn rain. Yet, the biting wind carried the raindrops, tapping against the glass with a rhythmic "crackling" sound. The rain traced down the window, leaving streaks of water behind.
Suddenly, a small gap appeared in the second-floor window, and a plump, fair little hand stretched out. A gust of cold wind sent the rain through the narrow crack, and the little girl shivered involuntarily.
"Ahh..." she hurriedly withdrew her hand and slammed the window shut.
With a childish voice, she called out, "Mommy, Mommy, it's so cold outside! Do I get to stay home from kindergarten today?"
From the kitchen, her mother poked her head out and said, "Xixi, it's Friday today. Tomorrow is Saturday, and you can play at home!"
"Oh!" The little girl pouted, disappointed.
"Then when is Daddy coming home? I haven't seen him in so long!"
Her mother set down the vegetables she was chopping, wiped her hands, and walked over to her daughter. She lovingly scooped her into her arms and said gently, "Daddy is a great inventor, and he's working on something very important. Once he's finished, he'll come home!"
"Is Daddy inventing a spaceship?" the little girl asked innocently.
The young mother gently rubbed the bridge of her daughter's nose and laughed. "Yes, your Daddy is inventing a huge spaceship!"
"Wow, I love spaceships! When Daddy finishes it, I'll take you and Daddy to space! Hee hee..."
"..."
After breakfast, the young mother helped her daughter into her raincoat and prepared to head out to kindergarten.
As they stepped out of the building, a bone-chilling wind, accompanied by rain, greeted them.
"Ahh, it's so cold, Mommy!"
"Wait, I'll open the umbrella!"
As the young mother opened the umbrella, the little girl noticed a figure in the distance and pointed excitedly. "Look! It's Daddy!"
"Xixi, be good. Daddy might not come home for another month," her mother said, comforting her.
It seemed as though the little girl hadn't heard her mother's words. She immediately sprinted toward the figure.
"Xixi! What are you doing? Wait for Mommy!" The woman, holding the umbrella, hurriedly chased after her daughter.
The little girl ran through the rain, calling out, "Daddy! Daddy!"
She flung herself into the arms of the man.
The man grinned widely and scooped her up into his arms.
The little girl burst into a fit of joyful laughter, her eyes turning into crescent moons—she looked like a little angel.
The young mother, seeing this, smiled and hurried over, holding the umbrella over both father and daughter.
"Daddy! Daddy, I missed you so much!"
After the little girl spoke, she kissed the man's face, which had a hint of stubble.
"I missed you too, Xixi."
"Did you bring back the spaceship you invented, Daddy?"
The man froze for a moment, then looked at his wife. She smiled at him.
He instantly understood, and smiled warmly at the little girl.
"Of course, I finished the spaceship, but I can't bring it home yet because of the energy. But look, I brought you this."
The man took out a cute doll, and the little girl joyfully hugged it close to her chest.
"Wow! A doll! I love it! Thank you, Daddy!"
Seeing his daughter so happy, the man felt an indescribable sweetness in his heart.
"Daddy, Daddy, I don't want to go to school today. I want to play with you!"
The little girl gazed up at her father with expectant eyes.
The man, doting on his adorable daughter, smiled and replied, "Okay, today Daddy will stay home with you!"
"Yay! That's wonderful!"
The young mother, noticing how gaunt her husband's face looked, knew he must have been through a tough time.
"We should head back inside. It's too cold out here. I'll make you some chicken soup," she said.
"Mm," the man replied, his eyes filled with love as he held the little girl in one arm and his wife with the other, as they walked back home.
"You said you would be gone for a month. How come you're back so soon?" the woman asked.
"Your husband is amazing! This time we finished the task in just eleven days! Hehe..." the man said, proudly.
"Yes, my husband is the best!" the woman said, looking at him with admiration.
The little girl chimed in, "My daddy is the best! He's a great inventor!"
"Ha ha..."
The man was a researcher in the Lithography Department at JingDou Research Institute No. 3. This morning, under Jiang Fan's leadership, they had successfully developed a 7-nanometer lithography machine by 6:00 AM!
At that moment, Jiang Fan had announced the results.
The more than seventy researchers, all with anxious hearts, awaited the verdict.
"7-nanometer lithography machine, test results..."
Jiang Fan scanned the faces of everyone present and then declared loudly, "Success!"
Upon hearing this, everyone erupted in ecstatic shouts!
Some danced, some screamed with joy, others hugged each other, and some wept with happiness...
Their excitement was beyond words, and they didn't know how to express their overwhelming joy and exhilaration.
Amidst all the excitement, Old Qiao announced a three-day break for everyone to rest, as everyone was utterly exhausted from the past ten days of grueling work.
Some researchers with families chose to reunite with their loved ones right away, just like little Xixi's father.
Jiang Fan and Old Qiao first reported to Director Zhang.
Director Zhang, upon hearing the news, walked around his office, beaming with excitement.
"This is incredible! We finished the 7-nanometer lithography machine in just eleven days! Ha ha..."
"7-nanometer lithography—this is the most advanced technology on Blue Star! Ha ha..."
"Now, our Dragon Country will no longer fear threats from the beautiful country! Well done, Jiang Fan... You are the pride of Dragon Country!"
Director Zhang paused, calming down after a half-hour. Then, he suddenly remembered something and excitedly told Old Qiao, "Old Qiao, I have some good news for you too! Our silicon wafer technology has also made a breakthrough!"
"Really?"
Old Qiao sprang to his feet, astonished.
"Ha ha... You wouldn't believe it, but just yesterday, the silicon wafer department successfully extracted silicon wafers with a purity of 99.09%!"
Old Qiao, upon hearing this, was so overwhelmed that he nearly lost his balance!
If the silicon wafer technology had also broken through, they would soon be able to develop chips!
Director Zhang glanced at both Old Qiao and Jiang Fan before saying,
"Old Qiao, Jiang Fan led the lithography department to develop the 7-nanometer lithography machine, achieving extraordinary results. I want him to lead the silicon wafer department next."
"Director Zhang, Jiang Fan has been working hard these past ten days. Let him rest for two days before we talk about it," Old Qiao replied.
Just then, Jiang Fan heard the system's voice in his mind.
[System]: "Mission selection triggered!
Choice 1: Agree to Director Zhang's request and gain the technology for 99.9999% purity silicon wafers!
Choice 2: Refuse Director Zhang's request, no reward!"
Jiang Fan did not hesitate for a moment.
"Uncle Qiao, Director Zhang, I'm willing!"