60s: I have a store

Chapter 586: As soon as I came back, I was caught to help
After Zhou Yimin sent Zhang Yan home, he returned to the courtyard. It was very late, so he had no plans to go back to Zhoujiazhuang. Moreover, after resting for a few days, he also had to go to the steel plant to take a look. After all, he had just been promoted to section chief not long ago, and he couldn't let others have any opinions.

The next day, Zhou Yimin opened the store and went to the flash sale shop as usual. When he saw the flash sale products, it seemed that he was lucky.

There are 100 kilograms of cotton, 100 kilograms of beef shanks, 100 kilograms of strawberries, and 100 lamb legs.

After buying everything and washing up, he drove his cool motorcycle to the steel plant to work.

During the time when Zhou Yimin was away, Li Chongguang and everyone in the laboratory were extremely busy. Since the solar water heater had already been developed, mass production should not be difficult.

I can only say that I thought too simply about solar water heaters. I was busy for a few days, but there was no progress at all.

Just as Li Chongguang and his team were still worried, someone from the research lab said, "Can we ask Section Chief Zhou to come over and help?"

Li Chongguang explained: "Chief Zhou, he has been out collecting supplies these past few days and has not returned to the steel plant."

When everyone heard the news, they fell silent.

The late autumn wind, carrying sand and dust, hit the glass windows of the purchasing room, making a slight whimpering sound.

After Zhou Yimin returned to the purchasing room, he went to his office, opened the door, sat down and read the newspaper.

In less than half an hour, the office door was pushed open and the strong smell of tobacco hit me in the face.

When Zhou Yimin saw Li Chongguang’s sloppy face, he knew that the solar water heater must have encountered some problems again, otherwise Li Chongguang would not look like this.

"Yimin, you're here at last!" Li Chongguang stood up suddenly, and the chair made a harsh sound on the ground. "We are facing a problem again this time."

Zhou Yimin was very interested: "Chief Li, what problems have you encountered with the solar water heater?"

Li Chongguang did not hide the fact that "mass production of solar water heaters encountered problems. During research and development, we used the best parts, but problems arose once mass production began."

“Either the parts don’t meet the standards, or there are all kinds of problems.”

Zhou Yimin did not expect that there would be so many problems with mass production, but he did not have any good solutions for the time being.

"Chief Li, it's no use talking about it on paper here. We can only solve them one by one."

Li Chongguang's argument did make sense, so he brought Zhou Yimin to the research laboratory.

When everyone in the laboratory saw Zhou Yimin, it was as if they had seen their backbone, and they immediately felt at ease.

In their opinion, as long as Zhou Yimin helps, there is nothing that cannot be done well.

The incandescent lights in the research lab were crackling on the greasy ceiling, casting an eerie blue-gray cast on the drawings on the wall.

Zhou Yimin and Li Chongguang began to arrange work for everyone.

The "machine" of the research laboratory began to operate in an orderly manner.

"The seventh test has failed again!" The old man's voice was tearful, and his calloused fingers trembled as he pointed at the twisted metal at the interface.

The technicians gathered around the table were immediately in an uproar. Engineer Zhang's helmet rolled to the ground, revealing a newly bald patch on his head. "If this continues, all our design parameters will have to be overturned and started over again!"

Zhou Yimin slammed the table so hard that the calculator jumped half a meter high.

"Shut up!" He unbuttoned his collar, revealing his work clothes soaked with sweat.

Everyone was shocked to hear Zhou Yimin speaking so loudly, and the originally noisy laboratory suddenly became quiet.

“Master Wang, dismantle the hydraulic system of the old die press and assemble it with the CNC lathe in Workshop No. 3! Engineer Zhang, immediately take people to the scrap heap to find those titanium alloy scraps discarded by the military industry!”

He grabbed the fire axe on the wall and chopped a crack on the progress chart: "From now on, we will not make perfect products, but only machines that can survive!"

The roar of machinery tore through the darkness before dawn. The research room became a temporary command center.

Master Wang lay in front of a scalding hot machine tool, even though the flying iron filings could burn through his work clothes, and he had to make the curvature of the interface precise to 0.01 mm.

The technicians took turns holding the thermos and pouring pepper water into their mouths, and the jumping instrument data were reflected in their red eyes.

When the typhoon and heavy rain hit the factory, Zhou Yimin was kneeling in the mud and water inspecting the modified transport carriage.

The rain flowed down the edge of his helmet into his collar, but he was completely unaware of it. The beam of his flashlight was fixed on the newly welded insulation layer at the bottom of the car.

"Add two more layers of asbestos mesh!" His roar was mixed with thunder. "Even if we have to weld the carriage shut, we must send this batch of goods to the quality inspection center!"

At dawn, the first finished product moved slowly on the assembly line.

The entire workshop suddenly fell into silence, and everyone's breath froze in their throat.

Zhou Yimin dug his nails deep into his palms, watching the pointer of the testing instrument slowly climb up to the qualified area.

When the alarm remained silent, someone suddenly burst into tears. Li Chongguang collapsed to the ground, letting his tears mixed with engine oil flow like a river on the ground.

Outside the window, the rising sun penetrated the clouds and cast its golden light on the water heater that was glowing with cold light. That light was brighter than any medal.

The harsh sound of brakes broke the silence of the factory. Director Hu came jogging over. He did not bother to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Dark sweat stains appeared on the back of his work shirt. When he pushed open the door of the workshop, a gust of wind blew, causing the hanging drawings to rustle.

"Zhou Yimin! Li Chongguang!" His shouts mixed with the roar of machines echoed in the steel-frame factory building.

The technicians who were debugging the equipment turned their heads in unison, the blue light of the welding guns illuminating their oily faces.

Looking along the assembly line, Zhou Yimin was half-kneeling on the ground checking the conveyor belt. The knees of his overalls were worn to a shine. When he heard the shout, he looked up suddenly, and the protective mask slid to his neck, revealing two clean marks washed by sweat.

Director Hu walked quickly on the vibrating iron plate, and the soles of his leather shoes made a crackling sound as they rolled over the iron filings.

He stared at the finished solar water heaters moving slowly on the conveyor belt, his Adam's apple rolling up and down - the technical problems that once kept him awake at night were now transformed into smooth lines shining with metallic luster.
The first device successfully passed the quality inspection area. When the alarm remained silent, he reached out to hold the pillar beside him and suddenly found that his palms were full of sweat.

"It really worked." His voice trembled unconsciously, and his fingertips gently touched the metal shell of the device which was still warm.

Li Chongguang took off his helmet, revealing his forehead with a mark on it, and grinned: "Director Hu, take a look at the sealing of this heat collector tube."

Before he could finish his words, Director Hu suddenly patted him on the shoulder, causing him to stagger half a step.

"Let's go to the office!" Director Hu grabbed Zhou Yimin's arm and walked out, his leather heels knocking against the ground. As he walked through the corridor, he caught a glimpse of the progress chart on the wall that was wrinkled by rain. The traces of red pen were still vivid, and his throat suddenly tightened.

Not until he saw the complete quality inspection report in the office did he sit down on the rattan chair, grab the enamel cup and take a gulp of herbal tea, only to find that the tea had already gone cold.

"I'll report to my superiors." He stroked the rim of the cup, his eyes swept over the two young men's red eyes and cracked lips, "But we've agreed - I won't leave the celebration party until I'm drunk!"

The sunlight outside the window penetrated the dusty glass, casting mottled light and shadows on the three people. The roar of machines coming from afar sounded like the most beautiful music at this moment.

That afternoon, Director Hu reported the good news to his superiors.

The affirmation from the other end of the phone made him feel relieved, but the following instructions made him fall into deep thought: "Solar water heaters can be produced, but the quantity should not be too large."

The leader's meaningful words echoed in my ears.

Director Hu certainly understood the deep meaning of this.

This is a new thing and its market acceptance is still unknown. Rash large-scale production is likely to cause backlogs.

Furthermore, materials are still in short supply, and we need to be cautious about investing precious resources in projects that are not yet mature.

"Understood! We will strictly follow the instructions!" Director Hu solemnly promised on the phone.

After hanging up the receiver, he stood in front of the office window, looking at the busy figures in the factory, his eyes showing both relief and a hint of worry. Although the mass production problem has been solved, the road ahead may not be easier than R&D.

The roar of the machine tool gradually subsided, and Zhou Yimin slumped on the bench in the locker room, the knees of his work pants still stained with lubricating oil from debugging.

He unbuttoned two buttons on his collar, letting the draft into his stuffy chest. Just as he took out the wrinkled cigarette case from his pocket, someone knocked on the metal cabinet door.

When he saw it was Li Chongguang, he handed the cigarette over.

Li Chongguang took a look and thought that this was a good cigarette and of course he couldn’t miss it, so he took it immediately.

Then the two of them chatted intermittently, after all, it was rare for them to be happy.

The major issues that had been piling up for Li Chongguang for many days were finally resolved with the help of Zhou Yimin.

Moreover, everyone in the laboratory is looking forward to the celebration party in the evening. You know, the celebration party for the air fryer last time was so good that they were drooling just thinking about it.

Director Hu asked his secretary to give instructions early in the morning.

Everyone in the research lab was modifying the solar water heater to see if there were any problems, while thinking about dinner in the evening.

The setting sun stretched the shadow of the chimney very long, but the steam from the cafeteria's kitchen had already broken through the twilight and surged up.

Director Hu stood in the corridor filled with the aroma of braised pork, watching Old Li from the kitchen team swinging a large iron ladle to stir the wok. The flames shot up to half a person's height, making the slogan on the wall "Work hard and strive to be the best" glow hot.

"We have to make sure everyone has a good meal tonight!" Director Hu pulled at his crooked tie and slammed his fat palms on the chopping board, causing the freshly chopped green onions to jump up. Cook Xiao Wang was putting steamed buns into the steamer, and when he heard this, he looked up and smiled, "Don't worry, Director! I specially left two old hens, and they are stewing them now!"

When dusk fell completely, the cafeteria was already bustling with people.

The long table was filled with enamel basins, with braised pork lying trembling in thick sauce, cold cucumbers piled up like a small hill, and freshly steamed buns still steaming.

Zhou Yimin was pushed by the crowd to sit in the main seat. The cuffs of his work clothes were still stained with iron filings from debugging, but he could not avoid the enamel jar handed to him by Director Hu - it was full of homemade rice wine.

"What are you all standing there for?" Factory Director Hu shouted at the top of his voice while standing on a stool, his shiny forehead reflecting the incandescent light. "Without you, our solar water heater would still be lying on the drawing board! Go!"

After hearing what Director Hu said, everyone raised their enamel pots.

The sound of enamel pots colliding came one after another. Some people were choking and coughing, some were laughing until tears came out, and a few young technicians, taking advantage of their drunkenness, put their safety helmets on Director Hu's head, causing a burst of laughter.

In the corner, Master Wang secretly put a few pieces of braised pork into the thermos.

When Zhou Yimin cast a questioning look at him, the old man wiped his eyes and said, "Give some to my wife. She always says that I am not home every day."

Before he finished speaking, Li Chongguang had already put his arms around their shoulders. The aroma of rice wine mixed with the smell of cigarettes on his body: "Why are you saying these things? Don't go home until you're drunk tonight!"

The moment Director Hu shouted "Let's eat" at the top of his voice, the steaming heat instantly blurred everyone's glasses - in the middle was a big bowl with a diameter of half a meter, and a tender old hen stewed in golden and shiny soup, the meat on the chicken legs almost sliding off the bones.

There is also braised pork trotter served in a basin, with the trembling skin wrapped in thick sauce, which makes people salivate.

Master Wang's Adam's apple rolled up and down, and his cracked fingers were holding the chopsticks but were reluctant to let go.

It was not until Li Chongguang hit his shoulder with an enamel pot that the old man woke up from his dream. He picked up the largest chicken leg and stuffed it into his mouth, with the sauce dripping down his gray beard.

"Smells good! It smells so good!" He muttered incoherently, and suddenly a cloudy tear oozed out of the corner of his eye. He didn't know whether it was caused by the steam or by the memory of the anxiety when the debugging failed.

Engineer Zhang put his safety helmet upside down on the table as a plate and scooped out three large pieces of braised pork.

This technical backbone who usually has a stern face, is now tapping the enamel bowl with chopsticks and making up an impromptu jingle: "The drawing was revised to the 23rd, but it's not as sweet as this tonight!"

His flushed face was still stained with blue paint from debugging, but it did not affect his enthusiasm in serving food to others.

Young technician Xiao Lin climbed onto the bench holding a wine jar, the holes at the knees of his overalls swaying as he moved. "I'll sing 'We Workers Have Power' for everyone!"

He shouted at the top of his lungs, and his off-tune singing startled the wild cat outside the window, which jumped onto the beams with a cry. Several girls sang along with red faces, some laughed until tears came out of their eyes, and some secretly poured half a cup of vinegar into his wine jar.

Zhou Yimin was surrounded in the center of the crowd, his bowl piled high with delicious food forced upon him by his colleagues.

Director Hu staggered around his shoulders, the smell of alcohol spraying on his face: "Yimin! There are three pounds of pork belly in this table, specially for your brain!"

Before he could finish his words, someone stuffed a sauce-covered chicken leg into the factory director's mouth, causing everyone to burst into laughter.

Zhou Yimin did not eat alone. For him, meat was something he could eat whenever he wanted, so he did not have much obsession with meat.

Then he took two pieces and shared the rest.

Everyone in the research lab didn't hesitate to share a piece. Everyone took a piece, and the whole plate of three pounds of pork belly was divided up.

The tin roof was buzzing with laughter. Some people threw their safety helmets into the air, some beat the rhythm with chopsticks, and some drunkenly held on to the vegetable bowls and refused to let go.

(End of this chapter)