We're Going to the National Laboratory!

Years in the military had shaped Gao Yuan's father into a man of few words and unyielding resolve.

He woke at five in the morning, careful not to disturb anyone. Dragging his inconvenient body along, he got dressed, washed up, picked vegetables in the kitchen, and prepared egg noodles for breakfast.

Gao Yuan's mother knew very well that Gao Xiangnan did not want to become a burden to others. Ever since his condition had stabilized, he had been trying every possible way to make himself useful.

Seeing her husband take the initiative to make breakfast, Gao Yuan's mother did not stop him. Instead, she carried a basket of laundry to the balcony and turned on the washing machine.

"Gao Yuan didn't come home again last night?" Gao Xiangnan asked.

"Yeah. Who knows what Yuan Yuan has been busy with lately? He's been eating and sleeping at the factory." Though he was already twenty-one, his mother still liked calling him by his childhood nickname.

She picked out several of Gao Yuan's clothes from the basket and showed them to Gao Xiangnan. "Look at this. Young people these days all dress fashionably and follow trends. They even insist on Korean-style clothes."

"But look at our son. Wade, Wade, Wade—it's all Wade."

Gao Xiangnan frowned and asked in confusion, "What's wrong with Wade? It looks pretty good."

Gao Yuan's mother rolled her eyes at her husband. "Like father, like son. You even have the same taste. No matter how good it looks, it's still sportswear. Would you want your son wearing athletic shorts and a tank top when he goes out on a date with a girl?"

Well...

Gao Xiangnan stammered. He had always been busy with work and had never considered such things.

The couple was chatting when Gao Yuan suddenly ran home carrying a plastic bag.

"Dad, Mom."

"Egg noodles again? You eat noodles for breakfast all year round and never get sick of them?"

"I bought some soup dumplings. Pork prices have gone insane lately—meat buns are already two yuan each. Hurry up and eat them while they're hot. There are also two bags of soy milk in there."

When she heard that meat buns had risen to two yuan each, Gao Yuan's mother frowned and muttered about trivial matters like rising prices. Gao Xiangnan, meanwhile, examined his son carefully and found that he really was dressed entirely in sportswear.

As the saying went, clothes made the man, just as a saddle made the horse. Since he was going to manage the factory, he should at least leave customers with a decent impression.

It was summer now, and athletic shorts were cooler to wear. Gao Xiangnan figured that perhaps Gao Yuan would change when autumn and winter came around.

What he did not know was that Gao Yuan also had long-sleeved sportswear for autumn and winter...

"You're not eating?" Gao Xiangnan asked after sitting down.

"I already ate outside," Gao Yuan replied.

Only then did Gao Xiangnan notice his son's heavy dark circles and the bloodshot veins in his eyes. He must have stayed up all night without sleeping.

"Stay up late less often in the future. Watch your hairline," Gao Xiangnan nagged.

Gao Yuan chuckled and rubbed his forehead as he said to his father, "Dad, which suppliers used to provide the factory's Chemical Fiber Yarn?"

The mention of the factory immediately piqued Gao Xiangnan's interest. "Mostly Chaoda, and occasionally Nanhua. Why? Did something happen to the raw materials?"

Gao Yuan hurriedly waved his hands. "No, no. I recently came up with a quick-drying synthetic fiber formula and want to find a factory to produce it."

"Oh, customized Chemical Fiber Yarn." Gao Xiangnan spoke with the air of someone who knew the business inside out. "Then you should go to Yuan Zheng at Chaoda. The phone numbers and such are all in the car. There's a black leather notebook in the glove compartment with all the contact information for customers and suppliers."

Gao Yuan nodded. In truth, he had already gotten his father's notebook. He had only come today to confirm which supplier his father considered trustworthy.

The father and son discussed more matters concerning the factory. At this point, there was no business even if they rushed to resume production, so it would be better to use this time to sort out the factory's future development properly.

In Gao Yuan's view, they should stop making generic mass-market goods. The facts had long proven that while such products sold in large volumes, they made little profit and often led to customers delaying payments or making deductions.

He planned to register trademarks and patents, develop a new type of fabric, and promote it to downstream clients.

Simply put, the factory needed to transform and establish its own brand.

This was an extremely important decision. Success or failure hinged on this move. Otherwise, they might as well sell the factory and at least gain some peace and quiet.

Although he knew there were problems with their previous business model, Gao Xiangnan would still feel heartbroken if they truly sold the factory. But he had one good quality: he kept his word.

The doctor had said that if he wanted to live, he needed to rest and recuperate properly instead of overworking himself.

So he had made a military pledge to his family. From this day forward, he would hand the factory over to Gao Yuan. Whether it succeeded or failed, he would never interfere.

"After breakfast, don't just sit around at home. Go take a walk by the river and get some exercise." Gao Yuan stood up, ready to leave. "I saw on TV that lots of old men and old ladies have worked themselves into really muscular shapes. They look super cool."

Old men and old ladies...

Gao Xiangnan felt a little uncomfortable. He had not yet adjusted to retirement, nor did he think of himself as very old.

"Give it to him," Gao Xiangnan said, looking at Gao Yuan's mother.

His mother nodded lightly and told Gao Yuan not to leave just yet. Then she returned to the bedroom and brought out a China Merchants Bank card.

"What is this?" Gao Yuan asked in confusion as he accepted the card.

"This is all the money the family has left after paying your father's hospital bills," his mother explained.

Gao Yuan's heart skipped a beat. He had heard her clearly—not the family's money, but all the money the family had.

"Take it for now. If it isn't enough, we'll find another way," Gao Xiangnan said calmly.

Ah...

That quiet, taciturn personality of his father's... Gao Yuan believed there had to be many stories behind this bank card, but his father simply would not talk about them.

The family had little savings left. Had they gathered this money from relatives? Or had they mortgaged the house?

After leaving home and getting into that battered Accord, Gao Yuan touched the bank card in his pocket. His eyes suddenly stung, and he had to take several deep breaths before he could calm himself.

There was a small cardboard box on the passenger seat. Inside were sheets of seemingly ordinary synthetic fabric, not even dyed yet. They looked truly rough and rudimentary.

There was still an enormous difference between laboratory products and mass-produced industrial goods.

After all, laboratory equipment was not designed for production or appearance, but for testing and research.

For instance, could a high school chemistry lab make soap?

Of course it could, but do not expect soap made in a laboratory to be as smooth and moisturizing as Safeguard, with a rich, pleasant fragrance.

The batch of quick-drying fabric in Gao Yuan's hands was a typical laboratory product. It was unattractive, but more than sufficient for performance testing.

Shaoxing had a National New Textile Materials Laboratory that was highly authoritative and renowned within the industry.

In the end, business still depended on trust. If Gao Yuan issued his own evaluation report claiming that his quick-drying fabric was the best in the world, probably not even an idiot would believe him.

Therefore, he could not save money on the testing fees no matter what. Gao Yuan needed the endorsement of a national-level laboratory to prove that his product had excellent performance before he could negotiate with clients and discuss loans with banks.

In addition, Gao Yuan needed to find a Patent Agency Company to apply for the patents and trademarks.

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