Time flies and it is already mid-September.

As the institute's equipment gradually came in place, members of the 8702 project team also began to arrive in Shanghai one after another.

The first person to arrive was Guo Rui, the deputy team leader appointed by Xu Qiang. After learning of his arrival time, Xu Qiang drove to greet him personally and temporarily arranged for him to stay in the dormitory of the School of Mechanical Engineering.

After sitting on the train for more than ten hours, Guo Rui and the other two were quite tired, so they went straight to sleep in the dormitory.

In the evening, Xu Qiang took him and two other people to have dinner at a restaurant outside.

"Team leader, the time limit for our project is very tight. I have brought all of Professor Xu's previous research materials. You can study them later." Guo Rui said to Xu Qiang at the dinner table.

Guo Rui is also very concerned about the 8702 project, because this project has been going on for four years. If Xu Qiang's team still fails to make a breakthrough this time, the department may completely terminate the project, and the future of these project team members will become bleak.

Speaking of which, Guo Rui and others had followed Xu Yuanming all the time, and everything went smoothly. For example, Guo Rui himself followed Xu Yuanming when he was a graduate student until he obtained his doctorate degree. In the past ten years, he has won numerous awards and various honors, and has become one of the top explosives experts in the country.

But in fact, if he did not have a mentor, his title of "top expert" would be very watered down. Whether it was technical attainments or creative thinking, he had many shortcomings and was unable to take charge of the entire project. It was precisely because of this that even facing Minister Zhang, he did not have the courage to take over his master's mantle. In the end, the department had no choice but to use Xu Qiang.

In fact, it is not just Guo Rui, the same is true for other members of the project team. After following Xu Yuanming for many years, they have not learned the ability to work independently. It is no problem to let them do the work, but it is simply impossible to let them undertake scientific research projects independently.

Fortunately, Xu Qiang doesn’t need these people to have strong original abilities. All he needs are people who can do the work.

"Okay, I'll take a look." Xu Qiang nodded.

"In fact, Mr. Xu has already completed the project, and it is only one step away from completion. If it weren't for this accident, it would only take more than half a year to reach the project evaluation stage..." When he said this, Guo Rui looked a little gloomy, and he continued: "Who would have thought that such a thing would happen at this critical juncture..."

Guo Rui was really sad at this time. On the one hand, it was the misfortune that his mentor had encountered, and on the other hand, the honor that seemed to be within his reach was instantly shattered, and his future prospects also became bleak with this accident. These two factors were a very serious blow to him.

"It's really sad that something like this happened to Teacher Xu, but the most important thing is to complete the project he left behind." Xu Qiang paused, and then said, "The information left by Teacher Xu is very valuable. I will study and refer to it, but this time, you must follow my new plan. In addition, all personnel involved in the project must strictly obey the rules and regulations of our institute. Any member who does not meet the requirements will be eliminated at any time..."

For Xu Qiang, Project 8702 was not difficult. He only needed to complete some high-energy explosives formulas from his previous life. It would not take a year at all. He could complete the task in a few months at most.

Xu Qiang’s real purpose is to establish his own prestige in this team and become a true leader.

But this is not an easy task.

You know, each member of Xu Yuanming's team has very rich qualifications. Over the years, they have achieved success in many projects with Xu Yuanming and won many honors. It is these honors and awards that have given their team a strong cohesion. However, with Xu Yuanming's serious injury, they also lost their backbone and direction.

As for Xu Qiang, although he became the head of the project team, it was impossible for him to get the team to work around him wholeheartedly. After all, Xu Qiang himself had too little experience and had not yet demonstrated sufficient leadership.

Therefore, if Xu Qiang wants to become the real core of this team, he must be able to lead them to achieve project success and bring them more honors and rewards. Only in this way will everyone be convinced of him.

"Just follow the rules and regulations we had in the BJ laboratory before, there will be absolutely no problem." Guo Rui pondered for a moment, then continued: "The institute is almost completed, and I will make plans for the relevant management rules and regulations in advance. We will mainly follow the past management model. After all the rules are formulated, I will show them to you, the director, for your review first..."

Guo Rui was still very respectful to Xu Qiang.

Because he understood that ever since he refused Minister Zhang's offer to promote him to be the project team leader, Guo Rui's future had actually been overshadowed. At least in the eyes of his superiors, he was a person who was "not worthy of being reused."

If he wants to "turn the tables" in this situation, the only way is to hold on to Xu Qiang's "thigh". If this project is successful, as the deputy leader of the project team, he is likely to become the deputy director of the institute in the future. Although he cannot be the top leader, he can still have certain honors and rights, especially power, which is crucial.

So now Guo Rui and Xu Qiang are actually on the same page, and he must fully assist Xu Qiang in his work.

"Very good." Upon hearing this, Xu Qiang nodded with satisfaction.

"Another thing is the dormitory building of our institute. We all used to work and live in BJ and could go home every day. If the food and accommodation were too bad, it might affect everyone's mood..." Guo Rui said. Guo Rui was trying to please both sides. As the deputy leader of the project team, he had to maintain Xu Qiang's leadership prestige while also fighting for some benefits for his colleagues.

"Regarding this matter, you can collect everyone's suggestions later. The main issue is the food and accommodation after arriving in Shanghai. Then I will submit a report to my superiors and let them deal with these issues." Xu Qiang pondered for a moment, and then said: "If the superiors don't care, I will find a way to help you solve it. In short, I will ensure that everyone eats well and lives well in Shanghai, and the conditions in all aspects will not be much worse than those in BJ."

"Thank you very much, Director Xu." Guo Rui said quickly.

"We are all colleagues, no need to thank me." Xu Qiang smiled and continued, "Only if we unite as one can we ensure the smooth completion of the project. In addition, I can assure you that as long as you can work according to my requirements, I guarantee that this project can be completed on schedule."

"Well...it seems that Director Xu is very confident..." Guo Rui said.

Guo Rui obviously didn't quite believe that Xu Qiang could really complete the 8702 project within the deadline.

If this is true, then Xu Qiang's technical ability has undoubtedly surpassed that of his master Xu Yuanming, which is almost unimaginable.

You know, Xu Yuanming is a leading figure in the field of high-energy explosives in China. If Xu Qiang surpasses him, he will undoubtedly become a legend in this field in the future.

"Without the right skills, I wouldn't dare take on this job." Xu Qiang smiled and continued, "At present, the renovation of the institute's dormitory has reached the final stage. Since you have arrived in Shanghai, you will be responsible for connecting with the construction team temporarily. If you have any other requirements for the dormitory construction, just tell them directly."

"Ok."

"It will probably be another week before BJ's colleagues come over. If I'm not here, please pick them up for me and make arrangements for everyone." Xu Qiang paused, then continued, "I'm not good at taking care of these tedious little things. In the future, I'll need you to take care of me..."

Xu Qiang's meaning was very clear, that is, he didn't want to take care of anything other than project research and development. Promoting Guo Rui to be the deputy team leader meant that he wanted someone to do odd jobs and run errands.

"Don't worry, Director Xu. I will definitely arrange everything properly!" Guo Rui agreed straightforwardly.

"Then I wish us a successful cooperation in the future." Xu Qiang raised his glass when he heard this.

“Cooperation successful!”

The next moment, their glasses clinked together...

……

In the next few days, Xu Qiang traveled back and forth between Shanghai and Changzhou.

Xu Qiang's dye factory in Changzhou received a steady stream of applicants just one day after the job recruitment notice was posted. Most of them were educated youth who had returned to the city.

In fact, the large-scale return of educated youth to the city began in 1978 and lasted until 1980. However, even after one or two years, many educated youth still could not find jobs.

The difficulty for educated youth to find jobs is actually a very common problem across the country.

The difficulty in finding a job when the educated youth returned to the city was because society provided almost no job opportunities, and the range of choices was extremely limited. The educated youth of that era had all suffered in the countryside, and they were not picky about the quality of the job. As long as there was work to do, they were willing to do it, including some hard jobs, such as dung collectors, boiler operators, swill workers, dishwashers, and seamstresses.

As long as there is work, they will do it quickly, and even when they have to, they will actively find other ways to make a living.

However, since Xu Qiang was just a small workshop, he did not issue food coupons, oil coupons or other tickets. It seemed that the treatment offered by Xu Qiang had no advantages at all.

But even so, there are still many young people signing up to apply for the job.

Xu Qiang first selected a group of people based on their resumes, including their education background, age, etc. Then he personally interviewed them. After the final screening, he selected ten of the best young people from hundreds of applicants to become the new batch of employees... (End of this chapter)