Wang Yue watched Zhao Xiaomai leave with the two children without a backward glance. He could only resign himself to entertaining the others. Only now did it dawn on him that his current position meant his former coworkers couldn't simply let him wander around the county at his leisure.
At first, everyone gathered around Wang Yue and talked about the work in Dagu Town and Xijiu County. Later, they all asked him for advice. Wang Yue held nothing back and offered them some suggestions. The atmosphere was lively.
Toward the end, after everyone had finished speaking, Old Qiu from Xijiu County suddenly asked, "Old Wang, that EUV lithography machine project you mentioned in the city—does it really have a future?"
Wang Yue nodded, then shook his head. With a helpless look, he said, "Our technology is constantly advancing, and products are becoming more and more sophisticated. Chips are essential to many electronic products. If we don't want others to choke off our supply, we need lithography machines. The main problem right now is that domestic demand for chips is low, and we can't compete with foreign manufacturers. We'd never recoup the cost of developing lithography machines and manufacturing chips. Foreign processes may be more mature than ours, and their chips are cheaper, which is why making them ourselves costs more than buying them."
Old Qiu knew Wang Yue never spoke without good reason. Like Wang Yue, he believed in the great leader's philosophy: buying was better than renting, and making things yourself was better than renting. Thinking of the electronic products Wang Yue had mentioned, he said with a smile, "I know you're not one to talk without good reason, Old Wang. If you're set on this lithography machine project, you must have already found a market for the chips."