Courtyard House: A Major Power's Heavy Industry, Hand-Crafted Nuclear Fusion

Day three.

Su Zheng arrived at Workshop 1 of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill in high spirits.

After two days of "renovation leave," he looked radiant and impeccably dressed. His confidence and composure, emanating from within, made him stand out from the crowd.

Good morning, Master Su!

Good morning, Mr. Su!

Along the way, many fellow workers greeted him.

Su Zheng also smiled and nodded in response.

However, when he walked through the workshop gate and arrived at the pre-shift meeting point, the atmosphere suddenly changed.

Yi Zhonghai stood at the front of the line, his hands behind his back, whispering something to Old Zhang, the workshop foreman. When Su Zheng entered, their gazes sharpened slightly before quickly shifting.

Old Zhang cleared his throat: "Assemble! Meeting!"

After a routine safety briefing and production task assignment, Lao Zhang took the assignment sheet and began calling out names and distributing tasks.

"Zhang San, go to machine tool number three and machine that bearing housing."

"Li Si, go over there and work on the silk."

"Jia Dongxu, you'll work with Master Yi. You'll be in charge of the precision gears."

……

Soon, everyone was assigned a task.

Only Su Zheng.

He stood there, his hands empty, without even a blueprint.

"Alright, everyone get moving! Today's task is heavy, we must complete it with high quality and quantity!" Old Zhang closed his notebook and turned to leave.

"director."

Su Zheng called out to him, "Where's my work?"

Old Zhang stopped, pretending to have just remembered, and slapped his forehead: "Oh dear, look at my brain! Su Zheng, it's like this. You just got promoted to level eight worker, so you should be assigned some difficult tasks. But... the factory hasn't received any high-precision orders yet, so it's not appropriate for you to do those rough and tiring jobs; that would be a waste of your talents. How about... you take a break? Read some books? Or help your coworkers out? I'll call you when there's a suitable job."

This is a combination of "praise to death" and "freezing out".

On the surface, they respect your status as a level eight worker, but in reality, they prevent you from accessing core production, turning you into an idle person in the workshop.

Over time, you will become marginalized.

If your fellow workers are busy while you're just loitering around, people will have complaints.

Moreover, without output, there are no bonuses, and one might even be labeled as "out of touch with the masses" or "reaping without sowing."

This move, without a doubt, was taught to me by Yi Zhonghai.

Su Zheng looked at Yi Zhonghai, who was looking down at the blueprints, but the smug smile on his lips was impossible to hide.

"rest?"

Su Zheng smiled.

He didn't get angry or argue, but nodded: "Okay, since the director is so considerate, I will follow the arrangement."

Old Zhang breathed a sigh of relief, secretly pleased: This kid is quite easy to talk to.

"but……"

Su Zheng changed the subject, "Since there's no specific task, I'd like to ask to take a look around that scrap heap over there. By the way... I'd like to use that old, unused drill press to do some minor improvements."

"innovation?"

Old Zhang was taken aback for a moment, then waved his hand dismissively, "Alright, alright, as long as it doesn't delay production, do whatever you want."

In his view, Su Zheng was just looking for a way to save face. What kind of innovation could he possibly achieve by playing in the mud at the waste pile?

Su Zheng turned and walked towards the corner of the workshop.

The place was piled high with all sorts of processing waste scraps and several old machines that had been phased out due to insufficient precision.

Among a group of busy workers, Su Zheng, the "idle person," stood out conspicuously.

Yi Zhonghai's apprentices began to whisper among themselves.

"See that? Level 8 workers are different. We're working ourselves to the bone, while they're just strolling around."

"Tch, what kind of level eight worker is he? I think he's just all show and no substance. The foreman just doesn't trust him to do any real work, afraid he'll expose his lack of skill!"

These words were deliberately spoken loudly, so that they reached Su Zheng's ears.

Su Zheng turned a deaf ear.

He stood before the pile of scrap and activated the Eye of Truth.

What others see as trash, he sees as treasure.

[Scanning in progress...]

[Found: Broken high-speed steel cutting tip (can be resharpened)]

[Found: High-strength spring steel fragments (can be used to make clamps)]

[Found: Miniature motor stator (usable after repair)]

Su bent down and picked up a few inconspicuous pieces of scrap iron.

Then he walked over to the old drilling machine. It had been abandoned long ago because of excessive spindle wobbling.

Su Zheng didn't mind, picked up a wrench, and quickly disassembled the spindle box of the drilling machine.

"What is he doing? Taking apart the machine?"

"He wouldn't be thinking of fixing that piece of junk, would he?"

The surrounding workers all looked over curiously.

Su Zheng moved swiftly.

Using the scrap materials, he handcrafted several washers and adjusting rings on the spot.

The Eye of Truth provides a perfect compensation solution.

Assembly, adjustment, and fastening.

In just twenty minutes, the old drilling machine, which used to make a loud clanging noise as soon as it was turned on, started spinning again and began to make a smooth humming sound.

Experts can tell from that sound that the precision has improved!

Next, Su Zheng made a simple "quick positioning fixture" using scrap steel bars.

He placed a scrap part on it, and with a click, the drill bit fell down.

Nourishes—

Iron filings flew everywhere.

A standard hole is completed in an instant.

No need to draw lines, no need to calibrate, just place it on and it will be accurate!

"this……"

The young worker who was closest to the scene was stunned.

His name was Zhao Ming, a first-class worker. He was usually honest and unassuming, but he was often ostracized. At that moment, he was holding a pile of scrap parts in his hands, his face flushed. That was the work he had messed up that day, and he was bracing himself for a scolding.

Seeing Su Zheng's move, Zhao Ming felt like he had seen a savior.

He hesitated for a moment, then mustered his courage and went closer.

"Master Su... Master Su..."

Zhao Ming's voice was barely audible, "Um... could I borrow this clamp? I... I keep drilling crooked holes..."

Su Zheng stopped what he was doing and turned to look at the young man whose face was full of embarrassment.

The eye of truth swept across.

Name: Zhao Ming

[Talent: Above average (strong focus, steady hands)]

[Status: Extreme anxiety (due to long-term suppression leading to a lack of self-confidence)]

[Potential: Can be developed (high loyalty)]

"Want to use it?"

Su Zheng took the clamp down and handed it to Zhao Ming.

"Take this and try it. Remember, don't let your hand shake when you're positioning it. This thing is inanimate, but people are alive."

Zhao Ming was overjoyed and tremblingly accepted the clamp.

He ran back to his workstation, installed the fixture, took a deep breath, and placed the workpiece in.

Nourishes—

The drill bit fell.

Take it out and measure it.

Perfectly in the center! Absolutely perfect!

"Amazing! It's truly amazing!" Zhao Ming was so excited he almost shouted it out.

This scene was witnessed by Yi Zhonghai, who was not far away.

His hand paused for a moment, and his eyes instantly turned sinister.

He wasn't afraid of Su Zheng's good skills.

But he was afraid that Su Zheng... would take on apprentices.

"Trying to win people's hearts?"

Yi Zhonghai snorted coldly, "It's not that easy. Old Zhang! Old Zhang! Go check on that Su Zheng. Is he disrupting production? Using public equipment for personal work?"

A new campaign to encircle and suppress Su Zheng is quietly brewing.

But Su Zheng didn't care at all.

Because he knew that once the seed was planted, it was only a matter of time before it sprouted.