Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 159 Your talent far surpasses mine

Zhai Da held an S-shaped metal component in his hand; literally, it was a metal S.

With his eyes very close, he placed it on another metal cube with one hand, the cube having an S-shaped notch.

The component in my hand seemed to fit the gap perfectly, so much so that it slid down very slowly, producing some metallic dust at the edges, which was caused by the slight friction.

After it fell completely into the gap, Zhai Da picked it up and examined it against the light.
Cut. There are still traces.
It's impossible to achieve that seamless feeling seen in the previous life video.

This seemingly useless thing was hand-carved and polished by him, taking two whole days, and it could only be used a few times.

Things that come and go will inevitably wear and tear; it's all the same principle.

He handed it to Xu Xuejun behind him and said, "Take a look."

Xu Xuejun's eyesight is failing; at his age, he can't even see light properly.

He simply put it into the "Precision 2D Image Measuring Instrument" behind him. This instrument was bought specifically to verify Zhai Da's achievements. Even a second-hand one costs more than 10,000 yuan, and this is the cheapest type currently available on the market.

The maximum measurement accuracy is only 30µm, or three micrometers. Repeated measurements are required to confirm that the workpiece has a similar accuracy, especially when it involves curved surfaces, which requires complex calculations and is not very convenient.

Zhai Da offered to pay for the equipment himself, but the old man refused.

The measurement would take a long time, so Zhai Da simply washed his hands at the sink and sat down by the door with an iced Coke to enjoy the breeze.

Without Utopia, this already desolate street became even more bleak. The sun was so bright outside that people could hardly open their eyes, and there wasn't a single pedestrian on the road.

Five or six days have passed since Utopia closed down, and Zhai Da's departure is drawing ever closer.

Zhai Da signed a five-year rental contract for the courtyard at No. 99 Luochuan Road. The rent of 700 yuan a month is not expensive. Maybe he will come back and set it up again sometime in the future?
In the remaining time of summer vacation, in order to meet Xu Xuejun's requirements before leaving, he stayed in the workshop for more than 12 hours almost every day.

The components this time should be acceptable.

In Xu Xuejun's words, Zhai Da's skills might not be comprehensive (relative to himself), but his hands were simply too extraordinary.

Meow~ Meow~

The calico cat emerged from the shady corner, slithering along Zhai Da's trouser leg to rub its scent against him.

This guy didn't realize that Utopia had ended. He waited in the yard for three days and no one came to feed him. In the end, he found Zhai Da, who still came to this area.

Now they've moved to a new location, near the workshop. Zhai Da feeds them something every day, and Xu Xuejun doesn't seem inclined to drive them away.

"You're something else. You do remember people, but unfortunately, they don't remember you."

Just as he was scratching and kneading the belly of the beautiful young woman, Xu Xuejun came out and sat down next to Zhai Da on a stool.

Zhai Da asked curiously, "Is the test finished? What were the results?"

Xu Xuejun lit a cigarette: "My eyes are tired. Take a break."

The two of them fell silent, with only the incessant chirping of cicadas from the roadside trees.

Only after Xu Xuejun stubbed out his cigarette did Zhai Dacai say, "Your grandson really isn't coming? Summer vacation is almost over."

"They said they're not coming because other kids are taking extracurricular classes and tutoring, and they have to take them too."

"What will you do after I leave?"

Xu Xuejun laughed: "How do we do it? We take jobs, like square dancing! Several of my dance partners call me every few days to come back."

"Then remember to feed the cat, but don't feed it anything too salty."

"It's amazing how even wild cats can be so particular."

Then the two of them fell silent again.

Just like in a romantic relationship, frequent silences usually indicate that the person doesn't know how to handle the end of the relationship.

Zhai Da always felt close to Xu Xuejun because he was an old friend of his maternal grandfather, but he also always felt somewhat distant because Xu Xuejun never told Zhai Da the specific details of his relationship with his maternal grandfather back then.

Over time, Zhai Da came up with the idea that he was possessed by a ghost.

Stop fucking dragging this out, is he your grandfather's enemy?! Have you been reading too many martial arts novels, finding pleasure in raising the descendants of your enemies?

So Zhai Da asked the same question for what seemed like the umpteenth time.

"When will you finally give me the notebook and pocket watch?"

If you can't figure it out, just get straight to the point.

The four notebooks had been passed between the two of them, and only Xu Xuejun's verbal promise was needed to confirm their ownership. The pocket watch, on the other hand, hadn't been seen for a long time; Xu Xuejun had put it away and it wasn't in that drawer anymore.

Xu Xuejun took a puff of his cigarette: "I said, when you meet the requirements."

Zhai Da emphasized, "But I'm leaving the day after tomorrow."

"Then it depends on you. If you lack confidence, you can work harder and make another component."

"You haven't even finished testing. I think this is fine."

Xu Xuejun pounded his shoulder and groaned, "I'm too old and useless. I really can't do anything today."

"Then I'll go get tested."

"Are you both a player and a referee?"

After another pointless argument, Zhai Da could only pack up and leave, planning to come back tomorrow.

Xu Xuejun was left alone in the workshop again.

The old man got up, rubbed his back, and then started cleaning. He put Zhai Da's scattered tools back in their original places, placed the calico cat's food bowl in a corner where it wouldn't get in the way, and finally threw the empty Coke bottle that Zhai Da had left behind into the trash can.

Young people tend to dislike tidying up because they prefer to spend their time changing rather than restoring.

But the old man always liked to tidy up, because he was already grateful that he could restore everything to its original state. Finally, Xu Xuejun pulled down the roller shutter door and locked himself inside the workshop.

As I passed by that measuring instrument, a hint of helplessness flashed in my eyes.
Actually, the result was already known just now.

The result is that no matter how many times it is measured, the result is always around 30um, which is about three micrometers.

This means that the accuracy may have already exceeded the level of this instrument.
He set the exam questions and he set the rules. It's just that this secret will be revealed today.

I have a feeling that kid won't come back tomorrow.

Xu Xuejun returned to his bedroom, a small room surrounded by several bookshelves. Due to Zhai Da's frequent visits to borrow books, the layout and arrangement of the room had changed from usual.

Xu Xuejun has no intention of restoring it for the time being.

Lying in bed, he picked up a book, which was Yu Lihua's metalworking notes. (II), (III), and (IV) were all with Zhai Da. This was (I), which was the first book that Zhai Da had obtained.

It also means
This is a piece of equipment.

Xu Xuejun flipped through the very basic materials that were quite interesting to him, but he seemed to be enjoying them immensely. Perhaps he wasn't really looking at the techniques, but rather at the familiar handwriting.
Gradually, Xu Xuejun seemed to fall asleep.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Xu Xuejun opened his eyes and found himself in a strange little room.
A tall, thin figure stood with his back to him, writing under the dim light of a desk lamp.

Xu Xuejun's heart skipped a beat. It was just a dream.
He stepped forward, wanting to see the person's face, but found he couldn't. However, for some reason, he seemed to be able to "see" what the other person was writing from a great distance.

In dreams, this is quite common, isn't it?

"Xuejun, it's like seeing you in person. How have you been lately?"

“I often hear people say that you are still in Dongyang County, and that you even have a family now, but I am old and don’t often leave this door. It has been many years since I last saw you.”

"I've actually stopped blaming you. But you never come to see me."

In his dream, Xu Xuejun suddenly felt as if a heavy hammer had struck his chest.

It was as if the old, aging shell had been completely torn apart, leaving only the person I was in my teens.

With a round face, bulbous nose, big ears, and lively eyes, she seemed to have a head full of little thoughts.

Young Xu Xuejun tries to move forward step by step in his dream. He wants to see his master's face, but he can only "see" words, as if the distance between the two is endless.

The figure continued writing:

“I haven’t been feeling well lately, so during my rest period I’ve compiled four training manuals, which I plan to leave to the wool mill.”

"But after finishing writing it all, I still felt it wasn't enough. The wool mill had already declined to this point, and there was a shortage of skilled technicians. I was afraid that written materials alone were far from sufficient."

"So I'm writing this letter to ask what you're busy with, and if you're interested, whether you could return to the factory to provide technical guidance to the new employees. Not to return to the wool mill, but as a rehired expert."

"I know that you have suffered permanent nerve damage due to drinking, but the technical guidance does not need to be too complicated. It just requires experience and patience. You are a suitable candidate."

That figure, after finishing writing, tore off the letter, wrapped it in an envelope, and casually tucked it into a notebook beside him.

It was his four-volume metalworking notebook, which he had just completed.

Just as the figure was about to turn off the lamp, it seemed that there were still some unspoken thoughts. It took out the letter again and wrote something.

"Xuejun, actually I don't have much time left. I don't know if I can hold on until this letter reaches you, so I'm afraid this is our last letter."

Young Xu Xuejun was already in tears.

"You started learning from me when you were a teenager, and I was delighted to see that. Your progress was so rapid that I realized it in less than two years."

“Your talent far surpasses mine, and I have never seen anyone like you before. If you were to become a doctor, you would surely save countless lives; if you were to become a chef, you would be able to carve exquisite buildings; and even if you were to pursue scholarship, it should be an easy task for you.”

"But you've been orphaned since childhood and are unruly, like a wild monkey on the mountain. You only come down the mountain to eat, drink, and have fun, which gives me a real headache."

“Back then, you ruined yourself because of alcoholism, and I was angry for many years. But recently, I have started to reflect on whether I didn’t care enough for you back then. I always said that you were a young comrade and I was an old comrade, but at that time, we were clearly old enough to be father and son, but I always treated you like an adult.”

The boy was already sobbing uncontrollably. He tried to grab his master's arm, but found that he couldn't do it at all. In this dream, he was just a shadow, unable to interfere with anything.
"Now that I'm writing this, I only hope you know not to give up on yourself or be discouraged, and to live life to the fullest. You are still young."

"One day, I will grow old and lose my steady hands, and even my skills will be eliminated by the times. At that time, how will I be any different from you? So, take it easy, Xuejun."

Just then, the sound of a baby crying came from outside this small space.

Immediately following was what appeared to be a minor argument between a young couple.

"You made Xiaoda cry again?"

"No! Really, no! The child is just hungry!"

The figure listened intently for a moment, and it was unclear whether he smiled or not.

He bent down and wrote the last line on the nearly empty sheet of paper.

Life still has many beautiful aspects.

Then he put down his pen, got up and left to go outside to see his grandson.

Young Xu Xuejun finally saw that unforgettable face.
The master looks so old, even older and thinner than he remembers.
He couldn't turn his head; his gaze was locked on the front, seemingly in the direction of the four notebooks.

So he knelt down and kowtowed.

Youth and old people passed by in a blur.

The tall figure swept past the illusory image of the boy Xu Xuejun, who shouldn't have been there.
He raised his right hand.

He seemed to pat Xu Xuejun on the shoulder.

Or perhaps it was just an illusion. The old man raised his hand and turned the brass doorknob, gathering his last remaining strength:
"Let me see—who has upset my grandson this time?"

(End of this chapter)