Restarting life in Siheyuan

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, all industries returned to normal, factories started working, and the capital city was still immersed in the festive atmosphere, with joy everywhere.

But Zhu Xuefeng felt heavy-hearted. He had just attended Jiao Xuemin's memorial service, which was held in a small auditorium near his unit.

Looking at his colleague's parents who were trying hard to appear strong, Zhu Xuefeng felt very upset. According to Uncle Kong, many sacrifices are made on this front every year, and most of them don't even have ashes. Jiao Xuemin is considered lucky.

The memorial service was very low-key. There was nothing but a banner expressing deep condolences to Comrade Jiao Xuemin. There were no units or signatures on the wreaths. All the colleagues who came to mourn did not communicate with the family of the deceased. They lined up to pay their respects and then left silently.

"Don't worry, the relevant departments will follow up and the families of the martyrs will enjoy corresponding treatment, but they cannot publicize it."

Uncle Kong saw that Zhu Xuefeng was in a low mood and knew that the two had had a conversation, so he comforted him in a low voice.

"Uncle Kong, I know that they took this path and gave everything to the country. They died for a good cause. I have nothing to worry about."

"By the way, your boss may want to meet with you in a few days, so don't run around. Just stay at home if you have nothing to do."

After leaving the small auditorium, Zhu Xuefeng let out a long sigh. The atmosphere in the mourning hall was too depressing and solemn. Seeing Jiao Xuemin's smiling portrait and thinking of every little bit of their contact, one can't help but want to cry.

"I'll probably go to the steel mill, that's fine."

"Of course, no problem. You have made a great contribution this time. I heard that you will receive a special medal. Prepare yourself some clean and neat clothes. The person you are going to meet this time may not be Leader Hao, so you should have an idea in mind."

"A leader more powerful than Leader Hao?"

Zhu Xuefeng was a little nervous, but he knew who Leader Hao was directly responsible to. That was a great man, whom he had admired all his life.

"Just know it, don't guess blindly. Maybe I won't meet you, so it's always good to be prepared."

After leaving the inconspicuous courtyard and returning to the street, Zhu Xuefeng was still a little dazed. Was it really possible to meet a great man? What should he say?
I returned to the compound in a daze and then came to my senses. I was just a student who had completed a mission. What was there to say? It was a joke. Maybe I would just see him from a distance, just like meeting him in the Great Hall in the future.

After I figured it out, I realized that I had ridden my bike out of the compound. I turned around and rode straight to the steel mill. I heard that the sports car experiment of the steel mill's automobile project was progressing well. Professor Xu had asked people to tell me several times to go and take a look, so I decided to go.

I rode along the main road towards Dongzhimen. The snow on the road was cleared very cleanly. Colorful lights and lanterns were hung on the electric poles and big trees along the street. The road was full of primary and secondary school students shopping in groups of three or five. It felt quite far away from me. I had unknowingly walked to another latitude. I remembered that during the Spring Festival two years ago, I took my younger brothers and sisters to the temple fair like them.

After leaving Dongzhimen and arriving at the factory-dense area, the atmosphere is different again. There are very few people walking on the streets and alleys, and you can vaguely hear the roaring sounds of machines from various units on the road.

The guards at the steel rolling mill were as diligent on their duties as usual, and it seemed that they had changed from two guards to three. Zhu Xuefeng greeted them and walked in. He planned to take a look around Lao Yang's office first, and then go to the new factory area to see the progress of the new car's experiments.

Along the way, I always felt that the atmosphere was a little different. "Brother Ma, is the factory manager here?"

"Hey, Comrade Xiao Zhu, the factory director just came back from a tour of the workshops, he should be here."

Just then he remembered that today was his first day at work and the leader was going to visit each department to express his condolences. Zhu Xuefeng smiled, threw down a box of Daqianmen, and went straight to Director Yang's office.

"Leader, Happy New Year."

Director Yang was looking at a report with the door closed. Zhu Xuefeng didn't knock but pushed the door open directly. Director Yang looked up and smiled through his reading glasses.

"Boy, why are you so active this year? You came here on your first day of work, but last year you didn't come to see me until the tenth day."

I didn’t expect Lao Yang to have such a good memory. I didn’t return to Beijing until the ninth day of the Spring Festival last year.

"Of course I came early if I have nothing to do. I'm here to wish you a happy new year and to report to you. I'll go take a look at Professor Xu's new car. I heard that it's progressing well."

"Come on, come on, sit down for a while. I just finished touring the old factory area and haven't had time to visit the new factory area yet. Let's go there together later."

Old Yang greeted him warmly, and the attentive Zhu Xuefeng suddenly discovered that Old Yang seemed to have aged a lot, and the few white hairs he had originally had suddenly turned his temples white.

"Boss, you must be very busy. I see you have a lot more white hair in the past six months."

Zhu Xuefeng didn't hesitate to find a teacup, made tea for the two of them, and sat down.

"Yes, without the secretary to supervise, the pressure is great. Fortunately, the comrades work as conscientiously and responsibly as always. Last year, our factory achieved good results in all aspects..."

Zhu Xuefeng even wanted to remind him that if this were to get out, it would offend the new secretary.

Old Yang was still somewhat proud. Although he was under a lot of pressure, last year's achievements had reached a new level. The Materials Research Institute won the first prize for scientific and technological progress, the foreign exchange indicators were greatly exceeded, all other tasks were successfully completed, and he also won many awards and commendations. Of course, due to the confidentiality incident, he also lost some awards, did not receive the civilized unit title for two consecutive years, and he personally did not receive any awards.

"You are a really good leader. You manage such a large factory in perfect order. I admire you very much."

Zhu Xuefeng smiled and joked. Lao Yang and Zhu Xuefeng chatted very easily and did not hide anything. Just now he even dared to say that he did not have the secretary's help. Now he was happy to speak.

"What do you mean by well-organized? You rarely come to the factory, so you don't know. There were a lot of big and small things last year. Many things were caused by one problem after another. I was almost busy to death. Well, I shouldn't say these things to you. Let's go and take a look at your father-in-law."

"The more capable you are, the more work you should do. Haha, who put you in this position?"

The two men stood up, and Director Yang opened the cabinet and threw a pack of cigarettes over.

"Here, you haven't reported in for a long time, and I couldn't hide my cigarettes. Lao Zhang took two of them. I said I was leaving them for you, but he was even more confident and said he wanted to take them, even in front of you, haha."

"You are talking about Director Zhang of Logistics, right?"

"Who else but him? This guy is nothing. He is in charge of logistics, but he always comes to my office."

Normally, since Director Zhang's supervisor Li Huaide had gone to Hong Kong, he should have something to report to the new deputy director who was in charge of the factory. Zhu Xuefeng seemed to understand some of it.

He has a good relationship with Director Zhang and they interact from time to time. He visits him every once in a while. It's not for any other reason, but the fishery business of his second uncle and aunt's family still depends on Director Zhang.

"Then you can put this away too. I hardly smoke, so it would be a waste to leave this to me. If Uncle Zhang wants it again, just give it to him."

Old Yang glared at him, "So you're using my cigarettes as a favor, you little bastard, what do you call him, uncle?"

"Well, there's nothing wrong with calling him uncle, right? He's close to my dad, and he got it from my dad. He came in a hurry, so there's nothing good to see. I'll give you some tea."

Zhu Xuefeng took out two tea cakes from his backpack and handed them to Director Yang. Director Yang took them and felt the hardness in his hand.

"What is this? Why is it so hard? It can't be Pu'er."

Zhu Xuefeng tied the strap of his schoolbag and said, "It's Pu'er. It used to be a tribute tea. Now it's the Spring Festival and there's not much good tea. This one is not bad. You can try it."

How could Old Yang not know about Pu'er, it's just that he couldn't get this stuff at all. He guessed that Zhu Xuefeng also got it at the trade fair. He didn't ask much, but he was upset that Zhu Xuefeng called Director Zhang "uncle".

"You kid, you can call him uncle, but I've never seen you call me uncle."

Zhu Xuefeng laughed, "Uncle Yang, is this okay? But I still like to call you leader, factory director, and Lao Yang, haha."

Old Yang also knew that it was inappropriate to call him that at work, but Zhu Xuefeng could call him that easily, as long as he had the intention. "Okay, I know what you're thinking, let's go, it's a bit far, we have to ride our bikes over there."

The new factory building was newly planned and is more than three kilometers away from the old factory area. It is not in a large yard, but it is not far from the newly built dormitory area of ​​the steel rolling mill.

The two of them rode out of the compound. Lao Yang might have had some concerns, so he still rode a bicycle instead of an electric bike or a scooter. Zhu Xuefeng could only accompany him slowly.

"Director, I heard that the dormitories have been allocated?"

"It's just that little. We distributed it all before the New Year. You can visit more often when you have time. Several of us have moved to the new dormitory area. Only your father-in-law is reluctant to leave. But we'll keep the house for him. He has to move this year anyway."

"He has it, too?"

Zhu Xuefeng was very surprised. He had never heard Xia Yuhong mention it. He did hear that the leaders of the steel rolling mill had moved here, but he always subconsciously thought that it had nothing to do with Old Xia.

"How big is the house? Is there water, electricity and gas?"

"Of course, it's almost 80 square meters, and it uses liquid gas, which is clean and neat. Our factory has taken advantage of our own strengths and built a central heating system, which is quite convenient and saves a lot of trouble in winter. It's much better than living in a slum. I'm confused as to why people are still unwilling to come here."

"People think it's inconvenient. There are no grocery stores or markets. It's not as convenient as in the city to buy anything."

Director Yang nodded. "You are right. We have set up a grocery store and a market in the dormitory area behind us. In the future, there will be a primary school and a clinic. We will improve it step by step. At the last meeting, someone suggested that we build a larger lake park based on the existing small lake."

"Isn't this great? I've seen that lake. It's impossible to fill it up and build a house. The foundation won't work. Let's make a small lake. I'm sure everyone will like it."

Zhu Xuefeng did go there when he was looking for a water area to try out jet skiing. The lake was neither too big nor too small.

"Let's talk about it later. The follow-up plan has not been approved yet. If it succeeds, we can build several thousand units this time. In a few years, our factory employees can move here. It will be much more convenient for work in the future. There will be elementary schools, hospitals, guesthouses, cinemas, and bathhouses. The conditions will be better than now."

The steel mill has never been short of money in recent years. It has been very caring about various policies, and the city has given strong support. The land outside the city has also been given the green light. Everything is for the rapid development of the steel mill.

"By the way, didn't you say you had to graduate early? I'll leave you a set when the time comes. Come back home with a clean mind after graduation, haha."

Old Yang seemed to have seen the near future when Zhu Xuefeng would be under his command, no longer running around outside, but working honestly, and the corners of his mouth smiled.

"Please don't. We'll talk about it later. I'm not working now, so I don't want to cause you any trouble. It's not like I don't have a place to live. You should focus on the employees who need it first."

Old Yang also knew that Zhu Xuefeng was trying to avoid suspicion. After all, he hadn't entered the factory yet, and it would not sound good to say it out. However, if the next few thousand units could be built, they could basically solve the problem for all the employees of the steel rolling mill. After all, the steel rolling mill has a large number of dual-income families, so it would be easy to leave one unit for Zhu Xuefeng. When this guy enters the factory, it will be natural to give him a house according to his contribution. His qualifications can be counted from the time he entered the factory the year before. Old Yang has his own ideas.

The two soon arrived at the new factory area. The sign of the Red Star Vehicle Factory of the steel rolling mill was prominently hung at the entrance of the new factory area.

"Hey, which gust of wind blew you here?"

"Haha, Happy New Year, Uncle Ma, come and take a look at the car project."

Behind the guard room, Director Ma was talking to the security guard in charge. He unexpectedly saw Director Yang and Zhu Xuefeng riding their bicycles over. He gave Zhu Xuefeng a hug affectionately before turning to Yang.

"You came here without notifying me. Deputy Director Xia just showed us all the workshops and departments."

"He's doing his thing. Xiao Zhu and I are going to check out the car project. I won't go to other workshops. Old Xia has only one acre of land. Haha, I won't steal his limelight."

The vehicle factory moved here not long ago. Strictly speaking, it is a branch factory. All departments are the same as those of the main factory, and Lao Xia is in charge of them. Normally, the leaders of the main factory rarely come here, and Lao Xia goes to the main factory to report if there is anything.

"I'll take you to..." Director Ma led the way without saying a word. The planning of the new factory area is more scientific. Although it is a new factory area, it can be seen that a lot of thought has been put into it. The roads in the factory area are all new, and many trees have been planted. Although few of them are evergreen, there are quite a few evergreen trees beside the small garden in front of the factory office building, which look vibrant against the white snow.

At the entrance of the large factory building, Lao Xia and Professor Xu, who had heard the news, were there. They greeted Lao Yang and introduced the operation of the workshop. Director Ma followed, and Zhu Xuefeng and Professor Xu followed behind.

It can be seen that a lot of new equipment has been introduced into the workshop. According to the factory's plan, many parts on the bed have been replaced with aluminum alloy. In order to increase the competitiveness of Fuso products, the rolling mill is upgrading its products while improving precision, once again taking a greater initiative in the North American and European markets.

"I heard that you are making good progress here?"

"Well, the initial products we made for the several ideas we proposed have all passed verification and are indeed extremely helpful for the vehicle's power, handling, and safety. Of course, there are some minor problems, and we have found them. A few are a bit troublesome, and the technicians haven't come up with a good solution. I am thinking of discussing with you how to improve them."

Professor Xu admired this young man who was more than ten years younger than him very much. He benefited greatly from their many discussions and his thinking was greatly broadened.

"Power steering is really meaningful. Drivers generally say that it works very well and they like it very much. However, the power steering pump needs to be improved. When we designed it, we were too optimistic about the ultimate pressure calculation and did not have enough surplus. As a result, the power steering pump failed due to excessive pressure. However, we found out after recalculation that some problems cannot be solved in a short time. Once the limit is reached, the pressure will increase sharply, and the existing materials and sealing conditions cannot overcome it."

As a person of later generations, Zhu Xuefeng is very familiar with this fault. He suggested, "In this case, we should start by limiting the occurrence of extreme pressure. We can avoid the generation of extreme pressure on the power pump by limiting the maximum rotation of the steering wheel. This should be relatively easy."

Professor Xu thought about it and nodded. "This is the most convenient way. It doesn't increase the cost. Well, I'll let them study it. As for the limit pressure, they can put it aside for now and study it more when they have time."

Professor Xu feels that he has benefited a lot from coming to the factory. The biggest change is that he is no longer obsessed with a certain technology. Everything is focused on serving production and promoting the smooth progress of the project as a whole. If it were in school before, it would definitely take him several years to come up with the best solution under extreme pressure.

"There are no problems with electronic ignition, and the exhaust gas recycling effect is very good, but there are still some areas that need to be improved. There are already plans for this. In general, these technologies can be quickly promoted and used in trucks."

"Then I wish you success. Haha, how is your experiment going with the anti-lock braking system I mentioned?"

Zhu Xuefeng also proposed an anti-lock braking system at the time and provided preliminary design principles and solutions. However, considering the load and multiple tires of the truck, he did not recommend testing it on a truck, but instead suggested testing it on a three-wheeled motorcycle first.

"The anti-lock braking system experiment you mentioned has good results, but it has not yet achieved the effect you mentioned."

Professor Xu took out an experimental report and said this. When he learned that Zhu Xuefeng was coming, he was well prepared.

Everyone who drives in later generations knows that it is ABS, which is very common, but it is still a bit too demanding for this era, and the development of the electronics industry has not kept up.

Zhu Xuefeng checked the experimental data and said, "It's already very good. In an emergency, we can still control the steering of the vehicle and avoid obstacles. This is already very good."

Professor Xu is very strict and serious about scientific research. He pointed out the experimental report and said, "The frequency of braking does not meet the requirements of our theoretical calculation. We have to continue research on this project."

"As long as it fails to reach our theoretical data level, there may be hidden dangers that cannot be predicted. We need to continue to improve the accuracy and put it into practical application after it matures."

Zhu Xuefeng frowned. What Professor Xu said was certainly right, but the reality was that there was little room for improvement at this stage.

"The working principle of our current ABS system mainly relies on vehicle speed sensors and wheel speed sensors. Domestic sensors are limited to those in some special industries that can meet our requirements. We can negotiate with them and there should be opportunities to improve performance."

"Yeah, I thought so too. I was planning to report to the factory and let the leader negotiate."

"Also, these sensors monitor the wheel speed in real time and transmit the data to the electronic control unit. Currently, the accuracy of this unit is limited by the components, so it is difficult to achieve the maximum braking speed of 100 times per second that we proposed (later generations generally require 120 times per second). This is quite difficult."

After taking a look at the people walking in front, Zhu Xuefeng lowered his voice and spoke softly.

"I have investigated the overseas electronic market and have not found any components that meet the requirements. Therefore, I suggest that you use it as you would any other project. Since it is helpful, you should use it first. Only through actual application can you discover more deficiencies and clarify the direction of improvement." (End of this chapter)