Chapter 287: Nylon

Zhou Yimin hadn’t expected that the seatbelt made from cloth strips would be so fragile.

Just then, he recalled what Uncle Zhang had mentioned—that the fiber factory in Four-Nine City had already developed nylon. Wouldn’t that be the ideal material for making seatbelts?

Even in later generations, most seatbelts were made primarily of nylon.

“Captain Li, don’t worry. We’ll definitely reinforce the materials. I’ll go find the factory director for help,” Zhou Yimin promised.

With that, he hurried off.

After Zhou Yimin left, Zhou Dafu cautiously asked, “Master Li, what are we going to do about the truck’s shattered windshield?”

Looking at the wrecked Yellow River-brand truck made his heart ache to the point that he could barely breathe. Though it wasn’t his personal truck, it was still an important factory asset.

Li Feng finally came back to his senses. Staring at the shattered windshield of his designated truck, glass shards littered the ground. Those weren’t just pieces of glass—they were fragments of his heart!

He usually felt distressed even over minor issues. This was on another level entirely.

“With it this badly damaged, there’s no way to repair it. We’ll have to replace the whole thing,” Li Feng said painfully.

Luckily, the factory still had spare windshields for the truck. Otherwise, they’d have to cannibalize another vehicle.

After arriving at the factory director’s office, Zhou Yimin saw that Director Hu was still working. He immediately said, “Director, the seatbelt sample has already been made and tested. The result is very promising. However, due to issues with the material, it can’t be considered a successful prototype yet.”

Director Hu hadn’t risen to his position without understanding the ways of the world. He responded, “If you’re saying this, then you must have a solution. Tell me, and I’ll see if I can help.”

“I heard that the fiber factory in Four-Nine City has developed a new material called nylon. Using it to make seatbelts could significantly improve their safety,” Zhou Yimin explained directly.

Nylon is a type of polyamide fiber. It was the world’s first synthetic fiber, developed by scientist Carothers and his research team. Its emergence revolutionized the textile industry and marked a major breakthrough in synthetic fiber production—also a milestone in polymer chemistry.

Polyamide fibers are mainly used in synthetic textiles. Their most prominent feature is their superior abrasion resistance, far exceeding that of other fibers—ten times more durable than cotton, and twenty times more than wool. Even blending a small amount of polyamide fiber into fabric greatly improves its durability. When stretched 3–6%, its elasticity recovers 100%, and it can withstand over ten thousand bends without breaking.

Director Hu felt a headache coming on. He didn’t have much of a connection with the fiber factory’s leadership. But if these seatbelts proved valuable, he might just have to swallow his pride and pull some strings.

He said, “Yimin, you mentioned earlier that a test has already been done. Can we do another one? I want to invite some of the factory leadership to observe.”

Seeing is believing. Without witnessing the results firsthand, it would be hard to persuade his superiors to support them.

“No problem. I’ll ask Captain Li to get ready for another test,” Zhou Yimin replied without hesitation.

Director Hu didn’t summon the entire leadership team—just the two deputy directors and the Party Secretary. Altogether, four people made their way to the transport division.

On the way there, Director Hu gave them a rough summary of the situation.

The secretary and the others were quite intrigued by the seatbelt Zhou Yimin had mentioned. After all, this could be a major achievement.

When they arrived at the transport division, they saw that Li Feng and the dummy were already set up.

Li Feng had initially intended to use his own truck for the second test, but Zhou Yimin vetoed that idea. Since the leadership was coming to observe, they needed a different truck to better demonstrate the results.

Li Feng had already been heartbroken over one shattered windshield; if another one broke, he’d definitely get an earful from the section chief.

But Zhou Yimin made a fair point. To get a better comparison, they needed to use a different vehicle for testing.

The two rounds of testing were completed quickly.

No one present was a fool—they clearly saw how effective the seatbelt was. If implemented nationwide, it would greatly improve truck drivers’ safety.

The secretary suddenly asked, “Yimin, can this seatbelt also be used in passenger cars?”

“Absolutely, Secretary. Seatbelts can be installed in passenger cars and greatly increase safety. They can even be used on airplanes,” Zhou Yimin replied.

He hadn’t expected the secretary to be so sharp. With just a glance, he was able to extrapolate and envision other uses for the seatbelt.

Everyone was once again astonished. They hadn’t realized the seatbelt could be applied so widely—to cars and even planes.

They all understood the importance of this seatbelt. Naturally, everyone started thinking the same thing—they wanted all the factory’s vehicles to be equipped with them, as it would be a huge boost to everyone’s safety.

“Yimin, regarding the request you made earlier, I’ll try to get it sorted out as soon as possible,” Director Hu said at this point.

If he could help solve the materials issue, he’d surely share in the credit. That was something he couldn’t miss out on.

“Thank you, Director,” Zhou Yimin said gratefully.

Director Hu led Zhou Yimin back to the office, leaving behind a heartbroken Li Feng and Zhou Dafu.

There was nothing they could do. The two of them began cleaning up the aftermath. Meanwhile, Li Feng had to figure out how to deal with his section chief—breaking two truck windshields in a row would definitely earn him a scolding.

Director Hu and the others continued discussing the seatbelt with Zhou Yimin—how complicated the manufacturing process was, how high the costs might be, and what challenges they’d face rolling it out across the country.

Unknowingly, it was already the end of the workday. Initially, they hadn’t wanted to let Zhou Yimin go just yet.

But Zhou Yimin explained that he had been away on a work trip for several days and hadn’t had a chance to visit his grandparents yet.

Hearing that, Director Hu and the others could only let him go.

Director Hu then called his old superior and explained the entire situation, without exaggerating the achievement for personal credit.

After listening, the old leader paused for a moment, then said, “Tomorrow, bring Zhou Yimin to the fiber factory. I’ll make arrangements in advance for you.”

If things were as good as Director Hu described, this definitely warranted large-scale production. There were more vehicles abroad, and safety was taken more seriously. If they could export the product, it would even generate foreign currency.

As for domestic use, while it wasn’t widespread, that didn’t mean it was useless—it just hadn’t caught on yet.

After work, Zhou Yimin got on his bicycle and headed straight for Zhoujiazhuang.

Once he reached a remote spot, he pulled out a number of items from his store inventory. Some were for the village, and some were for his grandparents—including some seafood, so they could enjoy a nice meal.

(End of Chapter)