Siheyuan: Starting from the driver

Chapter 797 First Trial
Happy times are always short-lived.

The third day of National Day arrived quickly.

countryside.

As dawn broke, the crowing of roosters began to rise and fall.

When Jin Jianxian woke up, his mother was already busy in the kitchen, and the porridge in the pot was bubbling and steaming.

After washing up, he went out into the courtyard and took a deep breath of the air, which was filled with the scent of dew and fresh grass.

He carefully inspected the bicycle, applied some oil to the chain, and inflated the tires thoroughly.

Breakfast consisted of simple rice porridge, pickled vegetables, and cornbread. The family ate in silence as the atmosphere of parting began to permeate the air.

His mother kept stuffing things into his canvas bag:
Boiled eggs, fried pancakes, a small jar of homemade pickled vegetables, and a small bag of fried soybeans that she thought her son needed to "nourish".

"Mom, that's enough, that's enough, there's no more room in the bag." Jin Jianxian looked at the bulging bag, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"Things are expensive in the city. Take some with you so you can eat on the way and supplement your diet when you get back to the factory." Without waiting for a reply, her mother stuffed two more still-warm cornbread buns into her mouth.

The father silently smoked his cigarette, watching his son pack up. After a long while, he finally spoke: "Ride slowly on the road and watch your bike. Work hard at the factory, and don't worry about things at home."

"Yes, Dad, Mom, don't worry. I'll write back often." Jin Jianxian nodded vigorously, slung his bag over his shoulder, and pushed his bicycle.

Stepping outside, I found that quite a few neighbors were already waiting at the door.

Uncle Zhang, Aunt Wang, Aunt Li, and several elders and friends whom we didn't see last night all came to see him off.

"Jianxian, are you leaving already? Why don't you stay another day?"

"Be careful on the road! Ride slowly!"

"Do well in the city! Make our village proud!"

"Uncle, take me for a bike ride next time you come back!" Jinbao and Jinhua ran over, reluctantly tugging at his clothes.

Jin Jianxian responded to the villagers' words of advice and blessings one by one, feeling warm inside.

He hopped on his bicycle and took one last look at his family standing by the low earthen wall.

"Father, Mother, Brother, Sister-in-law, I'm leaving!" he shouted, and pushed off the pedal with all his might.

Early risers had already begun their work, and when they saw Jin Jianxian riding by on his bicycle, they all stopped what they were doing, waved to him, and called out, "Ride slowly" and "Come back and visit often."

Kim Geon-hyun responded loudly, his heart filled with strength.

As he rode past the old elm tree at the village entrance, he couldn't help but look back one last time.

Their mud-brick house looked so small and quiet in the morning mist.

The journey was smooth, and we did not encounter any bandits or robbers who tried to rob us.

This is not the same as two years ago. The food shortage that lasted for more than two years made them prefer to go to prison rather than endure hunger and misery.

I made it back to my home in the city without incident.

"Hey, Xiao Jin's back? How was your time in the countryside?"

When Jin Jianxian, whom they hadn't seen for two days, appeared, the neighbors greeted him warmly.

"Not bad, how have you all been these past few days?" Kim Geon-hyun replied politely.

Upon hearing this, the neighbors immediately looked worried.

"Oh, don't even mention it, you wouldn't believe it." Just as the aunt was about to vent her frustration, she suddenly remembered that Jin Jianxian hadn't been in the city for the past two days.

I couldn't help but explain the reason to him.

"Xiao Jin, you don't know, something big has happened since the day you left! The whole city has been going crazy over the boss's situation these past few days."

"You don't know? They've come up with some kind of industrial voucher."

The group of elderly men and women told Jin Jianxian everything that had happened over the past two days, one sentence after another.

Grandpa Wang even took out the day's newspaper to show him.

After reading the newspaper, Jin Jianxian fully understood the gravity of what had happened that day, and couldn't help but sigh:

"I never imagined that such a big thing would happen the day I left!"

"Yes, don't just stand there. Hurry up and pack your things, see what coupons you have at home, and go to the supply and marketing cooperative to exchange them."

"If you go too late, it'll be too late. I heard that many items are out of stock. If you don't redeem the goods properly, the voucher will be worthless!"

The few words of advice from everyone made Jin Jianxian even more anxious.

"Okay, thank you everyone, I'll go back and check now."

He hurriedly pushed the car home, picked up his canvas bag and went inside, then rummaged through drawers and cabinets, taking out all the tickets in the house.

The bachelor didn't have much to begin with, and his ration coupons were all kept in a small tin box in the corner of a drawer.

With a splash, he poured out several pieces of cloth coupons, an ounce of oil coupons, and a soap coupon. He carefully examined each one, and his heart gradually settled back into his stomach.

"Luckily, there weren't many tickets, so I was able to buy them all at once. I'm so glad I went to the supply and marketing cooperative after get off work that day. If I had waited until I set off to buy them, I might not have been able to get any at all. Thank goodness."

In addition to these tickets, there are also some daily necessities tickets, but none of them require industrial coupons.

He didn't dare to delay and quickly took the money and tickets with him, heading straight to the supply and marketing cooperative.

Even when he was still dozens of meters away from the supply and marketing cooperative, Jin Jianxian sensed something unusual.

It's usually bustling, but today it's absolutely a sea of ​​people!
"My goodness, I didn't expect it to be so lively, it's been two days already."

Kim Geon-hyun was also shocked by the long queues.

The next day.

First day back to work after the holiday.

Many people were walking down the street yawning, looking like they hadn't woken up yet.

People gathered in twos and threes, discussing in hushed tones, naturally focusing on the supply and marketing cooperatives and industrial coupons.

When they arrived at the technical department, the atmosphere there was surprisingly calm.

After more than half a month, Jin Jianxian had finally grasped the basics of the information and was able to participate in the work of the technical department.

"morning!"

"Morning!"

Everyone greeted Kim Geon-hyun when he came in.

"Xiao Jin, you're back? How was it in the countryside?" Director Wang greeted him.

"That's good, Director," Jin Jianxian replied with a smile.

"Hmm, that's good enough. Perfect timing, come here, I've made some minor modifications to the fitter's bench, what do you think?"

As he spoke, Director Wang handed a drawing to Jin Jianxian and explained a few key changes.

"Adding this movable baffle allows it to accommodate workpieces of more sizes; the modified support structure makes it more stable; and the integrated toolbox design makes it much easier to access tools!"

The drawings are clear, and all changes are marked with detailed explanations and data.

Jin Jianxian looked at it carefully. With such clear markings, it would be much easier to manufacture the improved version of the fitter's table.

"Director, your changes are so practical! They can improve both efficiency and safety significantly."

Director Wang made the decision: "Let's go, call Zhang and Xiao Zhao, let's go to the machine repair workshop and make it first!"

Director Wang rushed out of the office and asked Jin Jianxian to call several technicians over.

Director Wang is mainly responsible for studying the blueprints. This improved version of the fitter's bench is also a small achievement he has made recently.

As he passed Li Kailang, he glanced at him twice. This man was a real expert in practical skills, and it would be even better if he could handle this kind of production and verification work.

But in the end, they didn't choose to invite him. After all, he's now Engineer Ling's 'darling,' and besides, he's not the only technician in the department; others also need to learn and improve.

Finally, Jin Jianxian is not bad either, so there is no need to invest too much manpower and resources in this improved blueprint.

workshop.

Director Wang, Jin Jianxian, several technicians, and several fitters including Yi Zhonghai who were called over.

"I've already applied for all the materials. We'll use this thick steel plate for the countertop and these channel steels for the support frame," Director Wang said, pointing to the materials on the ground as he began assigning tasks.

"Yi Gong, I'm entrusting you with the important work. The requirements on the drawings are all clearly marked."

"Engineer Qian, these moving parts and connecting parts need to be machined on a lathe, with a precision of level two."

He turned to Jin Jianxian, Zhang Gong, and Xiao Zhao, saying, "You guys, please carefully inspect the parts you produce to ensure they all meet the standards, and also handle the final assembly and testing!"

"Understood!" Jin Jianxian and the others replied in unison.

Everyone divided the work among themselves. The most important parts were naturally inspected by senior technician Zhang, while Jin Jianxian and Xiao Zhao were responsible for the other parts.

The workshop instantly sprang into action.

The group divided up their tasks and began working.

Director Wang was also busy, moving among the fitters, occasionally offering pointers on key dimensions or coordinating the workflow.

The production of the fitter's bench proceeded in an orderly manner, and the completed benches were immediately handed over to Jin Jianxian and others for precision verification and other procedures.

However, the production process was not smooth sailing.

When assembling the movable baffle, Jin Jianxian discovered that some parts manufactured according to the drawings had slight deviations due to the extremely high precision requirements, which caused the baffle to slide poorly.

Instead of complaining, he carefully measured and marked the areas, and then decisively decided to make on-site adjustments.

He used the grinding wheel next to the lathe to perform extremely fine grinding and finishing.
Their technicians aren't just people who can read blueprints; they have their own tasks and can handle minor issues on their own.

Seeing this, Director Wang nodded. "These two have a solid foundation, but they still have a long way to go if they want to be promoted to engineers."

Thinking back to his own experience as an engineer, Director Wang couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

Finally, after patient adjustments, the movable baffle slid as smoothly as silk, fully meeting the design requirements.

"Great! Beautiful!" Director Wang patted Jin Jianxian on the shoulder as he looked at the successfully adjusted baffle.

"Your dedication and skill are in no way inferior to Kailang's!"

Making a new fitter's bench was not as difficult as I had imagined.

On the one hand, it is an improved version, with many of the dimensions still being the same as before, and the minor changes are within acceptable limits.

On the other hand, there are also many spare parts stored in the workshop, which can be used directly.

Times of Day.

The prototype of this new type of fitter's bench, which embodies the hard work of several people, has finally been erected in a corner of the workshop.

Although it hasn't been painted yet and looks somewhat simple and rough, it has a reasonable structure and complete functions. In particular, the moving parts that Jin Jianxian and his team meticulously processed are flexible and reliable in operation.

Director Wang tried it himself and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

"Not bad, not bad, the production was a great success, but how well does it actually work? We'll have to put it into practice to see."

"Director Guo."

"Yes," Guo Dapiezi replied.

"Have everyone in the workshop try out this fitter and see if there are any problems. If there are any, report them as soon as possible so we can make further improvements."

Director Wang gave the instructions in a few words.

"Yes, I promise to complete the mission."

"Xiao Jin, you guys need to be extra careful these next few days," Director Wang instructed again.

"Yes," Jin Jianxian and the others replied.

After all, it was just an improved fitter's bench, not worth an engineer's attention. His main focus was on developing new blueprints and improving large machines.

This new fitter's bench is perfect for Jin Jianxian and a few other technicians; it'll be a good opportunity for them to get some training.

After giving his instructions, Director Wang left.

Guo Da Piezi immediately instructed his master craftsmen: "Old Zhang, Old Wang, Old Li, you guys are all steady and meticulous, give this new machine a try today!"

"Use the improvements made by Engineer Wang and his team carefully. If there's anything wrong or uncomfortable, write it down and tell the technician!"

The veteran fitters who were named had been eagerly waiting, and they were seen fiddling with things early in the morning.

As soon as Guo Da Piezi spoke, they immediately stepped forward and circled the fitter's bench twice, their eyes filled with scrutiny and curiosity.

Old Zhang touched the chamfered edge of the countertop and then tried pushing the movable baffle.

"Wow, this barrier is slippery!"

Old Wang, on the other hand, focused more on organizing his toolbox, trying to arrange his frequently used tools.

"Hmm, the size is alright, but the depth is a problem." He gestured with his long file.

"It wobbles a bit when you put it in; it would be better if you could make an adjustable partition."

Jin Jianxian quickly took out his notebook and scribbled it down.

Old Li then got straight to work. He picked up a piece of unfinished cast iron, fixed it in a vise, and began filing the surface with a file.

The improved support structure does indeed make the platform as stable as a rock. Perhaps because it was just made, the structure is quite sturdy.

But he soon discovered the problem.

To accommodate the movable baffle, the structure of the front edge of the countertop is slightly more complex.

When he needs to change tools frequently, especially when taking them out from the toolbox under the table, he always feels that the edge of the table is a bit of a hindrance.

Old Li immediately said, "Technician, this is reliable for working, but when I pick things up, the edge of the table keeps bumping my wrist. If it were a little rounder, or if it were retracted by a tiny finger?"

"Understood!" Jin Jianxian wrote down the notes while quickly sketching out the revised draft in his mind.

Jin Jianxian and two technicians spent the entire afternoon glued to this fitter's bench.

Many people tried to get their hands on the equipment, and the participants were not limited to senior and intermediate workers; even junior workers and apprentices had the opportunity to try it out.

Among them, female fitter Liu Xiaoyan and others all tried it out.

When they finished work in the evening, Jin Jianxian and the others looked at their notebooks, which were filled to the brim. Instead of feeling discouraged, they felt an unusual sense of fulfillment.

After everyone had compiled some notes, they reported to Director Wang.

"Indeed, so many issues have arisen in just half a day, issues that I hadn't considered when I first started working on them."

Director Wang wasn't embarrassed at all when he heard so many questions; on the contrary, he was very happy.

"Next, you will continue to collect questions. It's impossible to collect them all in just half a day. We'll collect them in a few days."

“You guys can make improvements based on these suggestions. I believe you can do it.”

Director Wang confidently entrusted this task to them to take the lead.

His purpose in improving the fitter's bench was twofold: firstly, to genuinely improve it, and secondly, to give technicians like Jin Jianxian something to do.

"Yes, please rest assured, Director Wang, we will definitely do our best!"

Jin Jianxian and his group were in high spirits.

Seeing this, Director Wang nodded with satisfaction: "Alright, it's almost time to get off work. You should pack up and get ready. Collecting opinions isn't something that can be done in a day or two, so there's no need to rush."

(End of this chapter)