Courtyard House: Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) Traded for an Aircraft Carrier, the Whole Count

Not long after the experts' convoy drove out of the factory gate, a piercing sound of metal breaking came from the third workshop.

"Crack—bang!"

Immediately afterwards, the steel rolling mill, which was regarded as a treasure, shook violently, emitted a plume of black smoke, and the huge rollers came to a complete stop amidst a teeth-grinding grinding sound.

"What's going on? Stop the machine! Stop the machine!" The workshop foreman was so frightened that his voice cracked from shouting.

Upon hearing the news, Factory Director Yang scrambled back to the workshop. Seeing the machine lying idle like a corpse, he nearly fainted. This was steel destined for a key national project! If production stopped, he, the factory director, would be a sinner for all time!

"Quick! Quickly, call Master Yi! And Master Liu! Call all the level eight workers in the factory!" Factory Director Yang roared hysterically.

Soon, Yi Zhonghai, along with several apprentices and Liu Haizhong (who, although dismissed, still possessed the skills), and other technical experts from the factory, began working around the machines.

This repair took a full three hours.

Yi Zhonghai was covered in sweat, his face smeared with grease. He disassembled several casings, grabbed a wrench and a flashlight, and crawled in and out, but his brows furrowed more and more.

If it were a mechanical malfunction, with his decades of experience, he could pinpoint the problem just by listening to the sound. But this machine was a brand-new Soviet model, with all its core components interconnected; a change in one part would affect the whole machine. Moreover, the critical point of failure was designed to be extremely well hidden, making it impossible to troubleshoot without understanding the underlying principles.

"Old Yi, how is it? Can it be fixed?" Factory Manager Yang paced anxiously beside him, his shirt soaked with sweat.

Yi Zhonghai straightened up, shook his head helplessly, and said in a bitter voice, "Factory Director, this... I can't do anything about it either. The core drive shaft is locked, it seems some kind of anti-theft mechanism has been triggered. The Russians' design is too cunning. Without the original blueprints and special tools, forcibly disassembling it will only completely destroy the machine."

Liu Haizhong chimed in, "Yes, factory director, this thing is too intricate; we've never seen anything like it before. It seems... we'll have to ask those experts for help."

Just then, the sound of a car engine came from the workshop entrance.

Ivanov left and then returned.

He seemed to have anticipated this scene, swaggering in with several assistants, a nauseating victor's smile on his face.

"Oh, dear Yang, it seems you've run into a little trouble?" Ivanov shrugged, feigning surprise.

Factory Director Yang, as if grasping at a lifeline, disregarded his dignity and rushed forward to shake Ivanov's hand: "Comrade Ivanov, please help me! The machine suddenly broke down. We'll agree to any condition as long as you can fix it!"

Ivanov withdrew his hand, slowly took out a handkerchief and wiped it: "Yang, we're no longer in a cooperative relationship. However, out of humanitarian considerations, I can help you with the repairs. But..."

He held up three fingers: "First, pay $50,000 in technical consultation fees; second, admit that this damage was caused by your improper operation and issue a public apology in international newspapers; third, all future maintenance of this machine must be priced by us."

"This..." Factory Director Yang's face turned deathly pale. This wasn't helping; it was blatant profiteering! It was trampling on China's dignity!

However, if we don't agree, the production target won't be met, and the consequences will be even more serious.

The surrounding workers trembled with anger, and Yi Zhonghai lowered his head in shame. As an eighth-grade worker and a national treasure-level technical expert, he could only watch the foreigners swagger around at this crucial moment. This sense of powerlessness made him wish he could disappear into the ground.

"Okay... I agree..." Factory Director Yang gritted his teeth, tears welling up in his eyes, as he prepared to sign the humiliating agreement.

Suddenly, a strong, large hand pressed down on Director Yang's shoulder.

That hand was long and strong, carrying an unyielding determination.

"Factory manager, we can't waste this money. And we can't sign this document either."

A cold voice rang out in the deathly silent workshop.

Everyone turned around in astonishment, only to see Jiang Chen emerge from nowhere. He was still wearing his security guard uniform, his posture upright as a pine tree. In this workshop full of grease and desolation, he seemed out of place, yet radiant.

"Jiang Chen? What are you doing! Don't be ridiculous!" Factory Director Yang exclaimed anxiously, "This is a technical issue, what do you, a security guard, know!"

Yi Zhonghai frowned and scolded, "Jiang Chen, this isn't about catching spies, this is science! Even I can't fix it, what are you doing making things worse? Get out of here!"

Ivanov looked at the young man who had suddenly appeared and smiled contemptuously: "Oh? This comrade from the security department, do you know how to fix machines?"

Jiang Chen ignored Yi Zhonghai and Ivanov, staring directly into Director Yang's eyes as he said, word by word, "Director, tell them to get lost. I'll fix this piece of iron."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a strong sense of confidence, as if this wasn't a difficult problem at all, but a trivial matter.

"You?" Ivanov laughed exaggeratedly, as if he had heard the funniest joke. "You? A gatekeeper? Do you even know how to use a wrench? Do you even know what hydraulic transmission is?"

The surrounding workers exchanged bewildered glances. Although they loathed the Russians, they also felt that Jiang Chen was exaggerating. That was high-precision equipment that even Master Yi, an eighth-level craftsman, couldn't handle!

Jiang Chen slowly turned around, his gaze sweeping across Ivanov's arrogant face like a sharp blade.

A slight, cold sneer appeared on his lips:

"Not only can I handle a wrench, I can make it run faster than you guys built it."

"As for you, Ivanov, open your dog eyes and see clearly what Chinese technology really is."