Era: Winning since educated youth went to the countryside

At the end of 1979, the wind was biting cold, but Zhou Ziwen's home was warm and cozy.

The school was on vacation and the family sat around the fire, enjoying the rare leisure time.

Zhou Ziwen held a newspaper in his hand, but his eyes kept glancing at the TV where the news was being broadcast.

There was a barely perceptible excitement in his eyes.

"Ziwen, what are you looking at so intently?" Chen Qiaoyi couldn't help but ask when she saw how focused he was.

Zhou Ziwen put down the newspaper and pointed at the TV screen. "Look, the country's policies are changing. Some places are beginning to allow private individuals to open small workshops and develop township enterprises. This is a great opportunity!"

Chen Shiying also came over to take a look, "Yes, I heard from my classmates that someone in their village has started a small factory, and I heard that the business is pretty good."

Shen Zhaodi was excited. "Then we can do something, right? Ziwen, you are so smart, you will definitely come up with a good idea."

Zhou Ziwen nodded, "I think so too. Although our family has enough food and clothing, I always feel that taking advantage of this policy and doing something can perhaps improve our lives."

Chen Qiaoyi smiled and patted his hands. "If you have this ambition, we will definitely support you. But you have to think about what you want to do first."

Zhou Ziwen's eyes sparkled. "I have an initial idea. We can start with mechanical processing. This is my major and I am familiar with this industry. Moreover, the industry is developing so fast now, the demand for mechanical parts must be huge."

Chen Shiying thought about it seriously and said, "This is a good idea.

However, we need to understand the market first and see what the demand is, so as not to start construction blindly.”

Zhou Ziwen gave her an approving look and said, "Shiying is right. I plan to visit the surrounding factories in the next few days to see what they are short of and then process what they need."

Zhou Ziwen is very familiar with the surrounding machinery factories, and some of them even have cooperative relationships with their research groups.

"Then I'll go with you!" Shen Zhaodi immediately raised her hand, "I'm quite interested in the market."

Zhou Ziwen smiled and nodded, "Okay, more people means more eyes and more ideas."

They did what they said. The next morning, Zhou Ziwen and Shen Zhaodi set off on their bicycles.

They first came to the Red Star Machinery Factory where Zhou Ziwen had once interned.

The factory is well-known locally and is famous for producing high-quality agricultural machinery and small industrial equipment.

Zhou Ziwen has a good relationship with Lao Wang, the factory's technical director, and he believes that Lao Wang can provide him with a lot of valuable market information.

As soon as he entered the factory gate, Zhou Ziwen saw the familiar workshop scene.

The workers are busy operating various machine tools, cutting, welding, and grinding, creating a scene of bustling production.

When Old Wang saw Zhou Ziwen and Shen Zhaodi, he greeted them warmly.

"Hey, Comrade Ziwen, are you here to inspect the work?" Lao Wang joked.

Zhou Ziwen smiled and said, "Brother Wang, I am here to learn from you. The policy has been relaxed recently, and I want to do something on my own, so I came to you to ask about the market situation."

Lao Wang nodded. "That's a good thing. I support you. Tell me, what do you want to do?"

Zhou Ziwen went straight to the point, "I want to start with machining. Does our factory have any parts that are in high demand but difficult to machine?"

Lao Wang thought for a moment, "Yes, it is. We are developing a new type of harvester recently. There is a key component in it - a precision transmission shaft. We have not been able to find a suitable supplier. This thing requires high precision and is difficult to process. We tried several times ourselves, but we did not achieve the desired effect." Zhou Ziwen's eyes lit up, "Transmission shaft, I am sure about this. Can you tell me the technical requirements in detail?"

Lao Wang brought Zhou Ziwen to the office and took out a design drawing.

“You see, the precision of this transmission shaft must reach 0.01 mm, and the surface roughness requirements are also very high.

Moreover, its shape is relatively complex, with multiple keyways and splines, which makes it very difficult to process. "Zhou Ziwen studied the drawings carefully, and he had already begun to think of a processing plan in his mind.

"Brother Wang, this job is indeed challenging, but I think we have a chance. Look, if we can produce a transmission shaft that meets the requirements, what will be the order quantity from your side?"

Lao Wang rubbed his hands and said, "If the quality is reliable and the price is right, the order volume will be large. According to preliminary estimates, at least 500 pieces will be needed each month. Moreover, as our harvesters are promoted, the demand will increase."

Zhou Ziwen was delighted, this was a big order.

He said to Lao Wang confidently: "Brother Wang, don't worry, I will organize people as soon as possible, study the processing technology, and try to give you a satisfactory answer as soon as possible."

After saying goodbye to Lao Wang, Zhou Ziwen and Shen Zhaodi rushed to another machinery factory without stopping.

This factory mainly produces mining machinery and has a large demand for large parts.

Zhou Ziwen hopes to understand the market situation of large parts by visiting this factory.

At this factory, they met the technical director, Lao Zhang.

Lao Zhang was also very interested in Zhou Ziwen's entrepreneurial ideas. He introduced in detail the demand for some large parts.

"What our factory lacks most is large-scale mining crusher hammers. This type of hammer must not only be hard and wear-resistant, but also have a critical shape and size accuracy. Currently, we have been relying on imports, which are expensive and have unstable delivery times."

Zhou Ziwen listened carefully, and his mind was already starting to think about how to improve the design and processing of the hammer head.

"Mr. Zhang, what is the main difficulty in processing this hammer head?"

Lao Zhang pointed to several key parts on the drawing and said, "Look, these parts have concentrated stress and are prone to cracks. In addition, the weight and dimensional accuracy of the hammer head are very high. If you are not careful during processing, the product will be unqualified."

Zhou Ziwen nodded. "I understand. This job is indeed difficult, but it is also an opportunity. I will go back and study it to see if there are any new processing techniques and materials that can solve these problems."

Shen Zhaodi was also listening with great interest. She asked questions from time to time, showing her sensitivity to the market and her learning ability.

Zhou Ziwen was very satisfied with her performance. He knew that with Shen Zhaodi's assistance, his entrepreneurial journey would be smoother.

After a day of visits, Zhou Ziwen and Shen Zhaodi gained a lot.

Not only did they understand the market needs, they also discovered several potential projects.

Zhou Ziwen is full of confidence. He believes that as long as they work hard, they will be able to make a name for themselves in the field of mechanical processing.

After returning home, Zhou Ziwen couldn't wait to share his gains of the day with Chen Qiaoyi and Chen Shiying.

They sat around the fire and discussed their future plans.

Chen Qiaoyi and Chen Shiying were also very excited. They believed that Zhou Ziwen's entrepreneurial journey would be successful. (End of this chapter)