Chapter 40: Military Industry Official Unveiling, Soldiers Step Up to Try

The morning sun had just cast its first rays across the pharmaceutical factory gates when crisp, orderly footsteps echoed from afar. Putting down her ledger, Su Yao stepped outside just in time to see Captain Zhao leading a dozen soldiers in brand-new military uniforms, carrying a plaque draped in red silk.

"Director Su, we are here to unveil your plaque!" Captain Zhao called out from a distance, his voice booming.

Su Yao hurried forward to greet them, pleasantly surprised. "Captain Zhao, such a big event, why didn't you give us a heads-up? We could have prepared properly."

"We wanted to give you a surprise," Captain Zhao said with a smile, directing the soldiers to mount the plaque on the left side of the factory gates. "After multiple inspections by the military, your penicillin fully meets our military standards. Headquarters has specially approved the plaque reading 'Military Industry Quality Inspection Qualified Unit'. From now on, you are our designated military supplier!"

The soldiers lifted the red silk, revealing a gleaming golden plaque. The eight characters "Military Industry Quality Inspection Qualified Unit" were clearly engraved, alongside the official seal of the military, shining brilliantly in the sunlight. Hearing that the military had come to award a plaque, the villagers all gathered around to watch the excitement. Widow Li and Erzhuzi squeezed to the front, their eyes full of envy.

"Comrade Su is truly amazing. Our village's pharmaceutical factory has actually become a military industry unit!" Widow Li said with a smile, her tone brimming with pride.

"In the future, our village's medicinal herbs can be sold directly to the military. We'll never have to worry about finding buyers again!" Erzhuzi exclaimed excitedly.

Looking at the plaque, Su Yao felt a deep wave of emotion. From the humble little workshop it once was to today's qualified military supplier, none of this journey would have been possible without everyone's support. She turned to Captain Zhao and said, "Thank you for the military's trust. We will certainly live up to expectations and ensure that every single vial of penicillin meets the standard."

"We trust you," Captain Zhao nodded, pointing to the five soldiers behind him. "These five are here to learn the operations. The military plans to build a small-scale pharmaceutical factory in the future, so let them follow you to learn the technology so they can produce penicillin themselves to support the front lines."

The five soldiers stepped forward and saluted Su Yao: "Director Su, please give us your guidance!"

Su Yao quickly returned the salute and smiled, "No need for formalities, let's learn from each other. Xiao Zhang, take the comrades to the workshop and help them get familiar with the equipment."

Xiao Zhang, a veteran technician at the plant, immediately led the five soldiers toward the workshop. Su Yao and Captain Zhao followed behind, explaining as they walked: "The production process is divided into three steps: extracting the active ingredients from the herbs, fermentation, and purification followed by packaging. Each step has strict standards and brooks no carelessness."

Inside the workshop, the workers were busy at work. The medicinal herbs in the extraction tanks bubbled gently, releasing a faint herbal fragrance; the pressure gauge needles on the fermentation tanks held steady at standard values; at the packaging station, workers carefully placed the penicillin into small vials and affixed labels. The five soldiers watched attentively, pulling out small notebooks from time to time to take notes. Whenever they didn't understand something, they asked Xiao Zhang, who answered them with utmost patience.

Stopping beside the operation table for the spirit spring water dilution, Su Yao paused and said, "This is our 'secret weapon'." She pointed to the small bottle on the table. "Adding a bit of this water during purification increases the purity of the penicillin and extends its shelf life. The 'long-acting version' previously sent to the plateau troops was made using this."

The soldiers crowded around to take a look, and a soldier named Xiao Li asked, "Director Su, what kind of water is this? It's so magical."

"It's spring water channeled from the mountains, specially treated and rich in various minerals that aid the medicinal potency," Su Yao explained, keeping the origin brief. "You must be careful with the dosage during future operations—add 5 milliliters of this water for every 100 milliliters of medicinal liquid. Neither more nor less will do."

Xiao Li hurriedly recorded it in his notebook, even sketching a small bottle and labeling it: "Secret Weapon, add 5ml per 100ml." The other soldiers nodded as well, firmly committing the proportions to memory.

At noon, the courtyard of the pharmaceutical factory was exceptionally lively. Su Yao had the kitchen prepare a few extra dishes—braised pork belly, scrambled eggs, and stewed chicken soup—all favorites of the soldiers. Lu Xingchen and Lu Xuxuan also arrived, chattering endlessly as they sat among the soldiers.

"Uncle Soldier, do you guys often fight battles on the front lines?" Lu Xingchen asked, her eyes full of admiration.

"We defend our country on the front lines. Sometimes we encounter the enemy, but we aren't afraid," Xiao Li said with a smile. He pulled a small trinket made from a bullet casing out of his pocket and handed it to Lu Xingchen. "I'll give this to you. It's made from a shell casing I picked up on the front lines."

Delighted, Lu Xingchen took the trinket and hugged it to her chest. "Thank you, Uncle! When I grow up, I want to be a Liberation Army soldier to defend our country, too."

Xiao Li patted her head. "Alright! When you want to enlist in the future, Uncle will help you sign up."

Lu Xuxuan pulled out his small account book and sat down beside a soldier to calculate: "Uncle, each vial of penicillin can treat one wounded soldier. Five thousand vials can treat five thousand. If each wounded soldier can save three of their comrades, that means fifteen thousand comrades saved! Isn't that incredible?"

The soldiers all laughed. Captain Zhao nodded approvingly. "Xuxuan is really good at math. You're right—every single vial of penicillin you produce can save countless lives on the front lines. You are all making a contribution to the country."

After the meal, the soldiers voluntarily cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks, and Xiao Li even taught Lu Xingchen how to fold a military quilt. Spreading the quilt flat on the table, he measured the dimensions with his hands and folded it into crisp, sharp edges just like a block of tofu. Lu Xingchen learned earnestly, following along step by step. Although it wasn't quite as neat as Xiao Li's, it still looked remarkably decent.

"Folding a military quilt requires patience. Aligning the corners makes it look neat," Xiao Li instructed as he demonstrated.

Lu Xingchen nodded and folded it again, this time much neater than before. Happily, she said, "Thank you, Uncle! I'm going to fold my quilt like this every day, just like the Liberation Army uncles."

Over the next few days, the five soldiers spent their days learning operations in the workshop. They studied diligently, repeatedly practicing every single link from herb extraction to packaging. Whenever they encountered something they didn't understand, they consulted Su Yao and Xiao Zhang until they had completely mastered it. Holding nothing back, Su Yao taught them all her techniques and even compiled the production processes and precautions into a manual, presenting a copy to each soldier.

That afternoon, the pharmaceutical factory received a notice that the first batch of 5,000 vials of penicillin was to be dispatched to the front lines. The workers hurriedly packed the packaged penicillin into wooden crates, each stamped with the words: "Support the Front Lines, Defend Our Home and Country." The soldiers also came over to help, swiftly loading the wooden crates onto the truck until the loading was complete in no time at all.

Before setting off, Captain Zhao handed Su Yao a thick envelope. "These are thank-you letters written by the soldiers on the front lines. When they heard that you work overtime every day just to produce penicillin, they specifically wrote these and asked me to pass them on to you."

Taking the letter, Su Yao felt a rush of deep emotion. Opening it, she found pieces of paper covered in handwriting—some neat, some scrawled in haste, clearly written during lulls in combat. A soldier named Wang Lei wrote: "Thank you, Director Su and the comrades at the pharmaceutical factory. Your penicillin saved my life. I will certainly fight well to defend our country and live up to your expectations."

Another young soldier wrote: "Before, I didn't know how penicillin was made. Now that I know how hard you all work, I will cherish every single vial of medicine and repay your dedication with victory."

Looking at these unvarnished, heartfelt words, Su Yao's eyes grew moist. Carefully folding the letters, she said to Captain Zhao, "Please tell the soldiers on the front lines that we will always support them and guarantee a steady, continuous supply of penicillin so they can fight with peace of mind."

"I will certainly pass that along," Captain Zhao nodded and saluted. "We're heading out now. When good news comes from the front lines, we'll come back to visit you!"

The truck slowly pulled away, the soldiers waving goodbye to Su Yao and the villagers. Su Yao and the villagers waved back until the truck disappeared at the bend of the mountain road.

Back inside the factory, Su Yao pinned the thank-you letters onto the office wall. Whenever villagers walked by, they would stop to take a look, and some even asked Su Yao to read them aloud. Wiping away tears, Widow Li said, "Those soldiers have it so tough. From now on, we must work even harder at production and send them more medicine."

Erzhuzi chimed in, "From now on, my family's medicinal herbs will be sold to the factory first—at whatever price, as long as it helps our soldiers."

Looking at the letters on the wall and the plaque at the door, Su Yao felt a profound sense of grounded reassurance. She knew the factory's responsibilities were now even heavier: it had to secure welfare for the villagers while also contributing to the nation. With everyone of one mind, there was nothing that could not be accomplished; this bond of shared heart and soul between the military and the civilians was the most precious treasure of all.

By dusk, Lu Zhanye returned. Hearing the news about the plaque and the delivery, he was overjoyed. "I knew you could do it! Our factory is a military industry unit now, so we must hold ourselves to even stricter standards and avoid the slightest mistake."

"I know," Su Yao nodded, pulling him into the office and pointing to the letters on the wall. "Look, these were written by the soldiers on the front lines. They're still waiting for our medicine."

Inspecting the letters closely, Lu Zhanye's eyes filled with deep emotion. "These soldiers are true heroes, and we can't fall behind either. From now on, I'll help you keep a tighter watch on production to ensure every single vial of medicine is up to standard."

Lu Shihhan, Lu Qingmiao, and Lu Suisui arrived as well. Looking at the letters on the wall, Lu Shihhan whispered, "Mother, I'm going to write even more songs in the future and sing them for the soldier uncles so they can feel happy on the front lines, too."

Su Yao patted her head. "Alright. In the future, Shihhan's songs can also become 'spiritual nourishment' for our soldiers."

Sitting side by side on small chairs, Lu Qingmiao and Lu Suisui held the bullet casing trinkets Xiao Li had given them, making joyful cooing sounds as if cheering on the soldiers.

Outside the window, the setting sun bathed the pharmaceutical factory in a golden glow. The plaque at the entrance gleamed brightly, and the letters on the wall looked exceptionally warm under the lamplight. Gazing at everything before her, Su Yao felt brimming with happiness and anticipation. With the military and the people united as one, there was no hardship that could not be overcome. Supported by this profound bond, her pharmaceutical factory would surely grow better and better, making an even greater contribution to the country and the people.

Late into the night, the lights of the pharmaceutical factory were still burning bright. Sitting in her office, Su Yao looked at the production plan on her desk and calculated in her heart: next month, she would expand production scale, hire a few more workers, and strive to produce 10,000 vials of penicillin per month to support even more soldiers on the front lines. She believed that as long as they persevered, more good news would surely arrive, and this dedication to the country and the people would make her life all the more meaningful.