Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 296 Old House, New Factory
That was quite a surprise, quite unexpected.

It seems that in 09, Chai Jing was indeed a top-notch commentator, which reflects the importance that Yang City attached to her.
Although he is a controversial figure, Zhai Da understands.
Since things have come to this, there's no need to worry about it.

It's not something he can control.

The specific interview process or format is still unclear; it might just involve someone awkwardly reading a teleprompter at the school gate: "Harbin Institute of Technology is a university with a rich historical heritage, under the wise leadership of its president..."

In that case, it wouldn't matter who comes; even if you send Zhao Zhongxiang, you still wouldn't be able to make a good Animal World film.

Jiang Xiaobai then said some other things, but there wasn't much information to be known. Apart from needing to set aside plenty of time that day, it seemed that he also needed to prepare two sets of "youthful," "appropriate," and "stylish" outfits.

The school gave two suggestions: A: Wear a loose white short-sleeved shirt with the words "Harbin Institute of Technology" printed on it and no other decorations.

Zhai Da: B! B! B!

In other words, dress more formally.

Many college students wear formal attire when they receive honors and are interviewed; their youthful appearance immediately suggests they are good students.

Zhai Da already has a set of formal attire that is prestigious enough; all he needs to do is get one for Xiao Mutou. It doesn't have to be a standard suit, but it should at least be a formal-style outfit.

However, with five full days until the interview, Zhai Da couldn't just do nothing and stay home doing skincare while waiting to appear on TV.

There were still things to do and classes to attend. After the short trip, Zhai Da resumed following up on some plans.

For example, we're preparing the inverted hoisting equipment for Laoyu; construction is about to begin.

------

On Tuesday afternoon, after class, Zhai Da took Lu Wei home and then went alone to the industrial park in Daoli District.

More than a month has passed since I first met Gao Cheng here, who was shaking his head and swaying. I can only imagine how carefree and unrestrained he was back then, which was truly enviable.

But now things have changed. The garden is still there, but people have moved in.

Dad went in too!
The industrial park, which had previously been reluctant, immediately offered the best terms, providing Yueda Catering with the highest standards: three years of tax exemption and two years of tax reduction, full exemption of property management fees, and rent 80 cents cheaper than the lowest in the entire park.

Also includes twenty fixed parking spaces
In the northwest corner of this industrial park stands an old building, rectangular in shape with a pointed red brick roof and a side building resembling a clock tower. From a distance, it looks like a church, with a distinct Soviet style.

If you look out from the second floor, you can have a panoramic view of the Songhua River, which is a pleasant sight.

The only pity is that the large clock face on the clock tower is now just an empty hole, covered with cement, which ruins some of its aesthetic appeal.

The old building is number 9, and the main entrance is right at the foot of the clock tower. Zhai Da is no stranger to this place; the initial planning of the entire factory was decided by him and Xu Xuejun.

In addition to the early workshop-level facilities, "Yueda Catering" plans to invest 400 million yuan to increase production capacity, and some equipment has gradually been installed in the factory.

This was the first proper "factory" that Zhai Da set up.

There were about 20 people working inside at the time. Xu Xuejun was the factory manager or workshop director. His management style was not advanced, but at least he was "good at it," after all, he had worked in large factories for many years.

Moreover, the old man was not a person who was complacent and closed-minded; he never stopped learning, which was the biggest mark left by his master, Yu Lihua.

However, Zhai Da didn't come to see him today; he came to see Lu Tao.

He nodded and greeted many employees along the way. Amidst the calls of "Brother Da," Zhai Da did not lose his way and went straight to the bottom of the large cave, where four or five people were busy.

Lu Tao put on a hard hat with a serious expression, his youthful face resembling that of a construction site intern always ready to take the blame.

The person arrived in the morning, signed the document at noon, and was handcuffed in the afternoon.

However, under Zhai Da's full authorization, he was actually the chief commander, designer, and client for the entire facility installation.

Zhai Da walked over and greeted him: "How did it go? Did it go smoothly?"

Lu Tao adjusted his helmet: "It went smoothly. Well, I'm not sure either."

After returning from Dongyang, in order not to delay his studies too much, Lu Tao immediately began the construction of the "inverted device". A teacher he knew introduced a small construction team, which brought four or five people. They are currently on-site reviewing the plan.

As a genius, he has not yet reached a sufficient level. He can provide answers to design schemes in no time, but directing construction on site is another matter entirely.

Even if it's not a "building", but a much simpler "facilities".

Social anxiety is a major hurdle. Zhai Da looked up at the large hole. The old elm tree would be hanged upside down here when it was executed. The roots were on the second floor, while the canopy was on the first-floor ceiling. The ceiling here was a full seven meters high (single floor), with plenty of space.

To be honest, it was very time-consuming and complicated, comparable to those large-scale art installations in exhibition halls. The total cost reached 40, which is close to a bag of screws produced by the US military industry more than ten years later.

But it's all worth it.

The area-of-effect buff from "Execute Old Yu" is worth the price.

Moreover, Lu Tao's design is beautiful, taking into account both functionality and art.

Lu Tao took a deep breath. He didn't like wearing a safety helmet, nor did he like dealing with workers.
No, to be precise, he doesn't like dealing with anyone; he prefers drawing boards and pencils.

"President, is it too late for me to back out now? Can I just submit a proposal instead?"

Zhai Da shook his head: "I know you don't want to communicate with people, but this is unavoidable in the architecture industry. Just by coming up with a design, do you think you don't need to communicate with people?"

Lu Tao sighed and could only grit his teeth and nod.

Everyone has talents, and everyone has flaws. Perhaps in the original timeline, Lu Tao was unable to overcome this flaw, which led to his lifelong obscurity.

But now, he has friends, has joined an organization, and has been entrusted with important tasks and gained experience by Zhai Da, so he will eventually embark on a better path.

Smoking is a way of getting on the right track, it's still getting on the right track.

Zhai Da had Lu Tao show him around to get a basic understanding of the situation, and finally stood on the second floor overlooking the "big hole".

If you get shot and fall down, you'll die a horrible death.

"By the way, I have a new additional request. When the whole device is built, could you please add a 'bird-keeping' function for me? Would you like to place it on the first floor or the second floor?"

Bird keeping?

Lu Tao pondered for a moment, then suddenly remembered something, took a step back in horror, and said, "Those crows that slaughter small animals? No way, Chairman! You're bringing them along too?"

The scene in the courtyard a few days ago is still etched in Lu Tao's mind, and the thought of it makes his scalp tingle.

"Hey~ How can you call things in the animal kingdom 'slaughter'!"

Besides, crows probably don't have the ability to hunt so many small animals; they just collected them from various places.

"Are they really those crows?"

"There's only one. It likes that tree, so I brought it here to keep it company. It's kind of semi-free-range, so it doesn't need to be kept in a cage."

Lu Tao hesitated for a while before saying, "If it's just one, it's easy to handle. No special facilities are needed. Just leave a nest and a passageway for it to fly in and out."

Zhai Da nodded: "You can prepare like this first. I can keep the bird at home for a while. How long will the overall construction period be?"

"It can be done in eight or nine days if things go smoothly."

"Alright, everyone in the factory is one of us. Be bold and speak up, especially that old man, see him? He can do everything!"

Looking at it from afar, Lu Tao instinctively rejected the idea.

Looks fierce
The two walked outside together, and Lu Tao remarked with emotion, "This could be considered my debut work. I never expected it to be an art installation, and for a tree no less."

Zhai Da smiled and said, "This is nothing. I can assure you that you will have many more outstanding works in the future, including proper architecture, sculptures, art installations, and even skyscrapers."

Take this old elm tree, for example. When its effect becomes more widespread in the future, it will become a spectacular, large-scale buff.

Therefore, it is inevitable that a special area or building will be designed for it.

In fact, as he acquires more and more area-of-effect equipment, there will be even more demand for it.

Lu Tao's talent was a prerequisite for this.

One wonder is never enough.
　Old elms don't grow to an outrageously large size.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)