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

"Master Yi," Jiang Chen's voice wasn't loud, but it instantly silenced the surroundings, "How is it? Is the machine fixed?"

This is a blatant slap in the face.

All eyes were fixed on Yi Zhonghai. The awe that had once been in those eyes had vanished, replaced by suspicion and mockery.

Yi Zhonghai stared intently at the smoothly running machine; its mellow sound was more grating to him than noise. His old face turned a deep purplish-red, and his chest heaved violently.

He is not willing!

He has been a technical authority in this factory for decades, and he absolutely cannot let a mere young upstart completely destroy him in a few tens of minutes!

Suddenly, Yi Zhonghai strode forward, pointed to a linkage mechanism on the machine, and shouted:

"Wait a minute! What's so special about replacing a part? That just means you have connections and got your hands on a good one! That's just luck!"

As if grasping at a last straw, he pointed at the connecting rod that was trembling slightly from high-speed operation and said sternly, "This machine isn't finished yet! See that connecting rod? The eccentric shaft on it is worn! That's a non-standard part; without blueprints, you can't buy the parts! You can only rely on the feel of an eighth-grade worker to grind it out bit by bit! This job, the machine can't do, and none of your shady methods can do! No one in this factory can do it except me!"

Yi Zhonghai's shout was like pouring a ladle of cold water into a boiling oil pan.

The cheering crowd fell silent instantly. They looked at each other, their eyes filled with hesitation.

In this era, workers had an almost superstitious worship of "craftsmanship." Replacing parts was "dead," but the delicate work of hand polishing was "alive," the foundation of an eighth-grade worker's livelihood, and a unique skill honed through decades of experience.

Seeing that he had tamed the situation, Yi Zhonghai straightened his previously hunched back a bit. With his hands behind his back and chin slightly raised, he resumed his earnest, lecturing demeanor: "Director Yang, I'm not trying to discourage you. The machine is running, but if the connecting rod eccentric shaft isn't properly aligned, the precision will only last half a day, after which it will break down. That final push depends on the hands of our workers."

His words were extremely malicious. On the one hand, he acknowledged that Jiang Chen had mostly fixed it, but on the other hand, he attributed the core difficulty to "experience" and "feel," attempting to pull Jiang Chen back to his area of ​​expertise and use his rich experience to defeat this young man.

"This..." Factory Director Yang didn't understand the intricacies either, and turned to look at Engineer Wang.

Engineer Wang frowned and looked at it for a long time before hesitatingly saying, "What Master Yi said... makes sense. That connecting rod is indeed severely worn, and if it isn't corrected at the micron level, there will definitely be hidden dangers in long-term operation. Moreover, this kind of non-standard curved surface can only be polished by hand."

With the chief engineer's endorsement, Yi Zhonghai's smugness deepened. He glanced sideways at Jiang Chen, his eyes full of provocation: "Kid, so what if you have connections to get parts? You think you can cheat with your real skills?"

Just then, a plump figure squeezed through the crowd.

Qin Huairu was carrying a white porcelain teacup, which was Yi Zhonghai's personal teacup. She seemed to have run all the way here, with fine beads of sweat on her forehead, and she saw the tense atmosphere as soon as she entered.

Her eyes darted around, and she immediately understood the situation. If she helped the old man get back at him now, wouldn't he be even more protective of the Jia family in the courtyard from now on?

Qin Huairu swayed her hips as she walked to the middle, handed the teacup to Yi Zhonghai, then turned around and said in her usual soft, slightly aggrieved voice, "Oh dear, Team Leader Jiang, look at you, why are you arguing with this old man? He's worked his whole life for the factory; the calluses on his hands are thicker than steel plates. You, after all, are the one who handles guns; this delicate work of embroidery is best left to him. We must respect our elders, don't you think?"

These words, seemingly intended to smooth things over, were actually a form of moral blackmail. They implied that Jiang Chen didn't understand respect for elders and care for the young, that he stole credit from veteran workers, and that he was an outsider giving advice to experts.

Jiang Chen watched the two of them singing in unison and suddenly laughed.

That smile was cold, like frost on a winter night.

"Embroidery?"

Jiang Chen slowly walked to an old, unused lathe and patted the oil-stained bed.

"Master Yi, since you keep saying that I don't understand precision or feel, then let's stop wasting our breath."

Jiang Chen turned around, his gaze sharp, and stared directly at Yi Zhonghai. "Right here, in front of all the workers in the factory, let's have a competition. The same blanks, the same connecting rods, we'll hand-grind them on the spot. Let's see who's faster and more accurate."

The entire audience erupted in uproar!

Comparing fitter skills? Comparing him to Yi Zhonghai, an eighth-grade craftsman?

Has Jiang Chen gone mad? He's a former soldier and now a security chief. Even if he knows a bit about mechanical principles, his manual skills are something that takes years of practice!

Yi Zhonghai was taken aback at first, then almost burst out laughing. He might be a little hesitant about other things, but a fitter? That was practically asking for death!

"Jiang Chen, you brought this up yourself." Yi Zhonghai narrowed his eyes, his tone ruthless. "If you lose, you'd better not interfere in technical matters from now on."

"It's not just a matter of interrupting."

Jiang Chen held up a finger and shook it gently. "Let's make a big bet. If I lose, I'll bow and apologize to you in front of the whole factory, admit that I'm not as skilled as you, and resign from my position as deputy head of the technical team. From now on, I'll avoid you, Master Yi."

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. The stakes were too high!

"But if you lose—"

Jiang Chen's voice suddenly turned deep, carrying an undeniable air of authority:

"You must admit in front of everyone that you, a level eight technician, are a 'frog in a well,' and from now on, you must completely shut up on technical issues. If I say one thing, you absolutely cannot say another!"

Yi Zhonghai was being roasted over a fire, watched by hundreds of eyes, with Qin Huairu also watching nearby. He had no way out. Besides, he simply didn't believe he could lose!

"Fine!" Yi Zhonghai slammed his teacup aside. "I'll teach you, young man, a lesson in humility on behalf of the factory!"

Soon, two lathes were cleared out side by side. Two rough steel blanks were placed on the workbench.

Holding a stopwatch and a micrometer, Engineer Wang acted as a temporary referee, his expression tense and sweating profusely.

"Ready—"

Yi Zhonghai took a deep breath, took out his reading glasses from his pocket and put them on, his expression becoming extremely solemn. He picked up calipers and carefully measured the dimensions of the rough blank, his brows furrowed, as if he were performing a sacred ritual.

In contrast, Jiang Chen.

He stood in front of the lathe, not even wearing protective clothing, nor even with calipers or vernier. He simply picked up the blank and weighed it in his hand, as if it weren't steel but a cucumber.

"What is Section Chief Jiang doing? He's not even measuring?"

"Oh no, this is complete amateurishness."

The workers below were whispering among themselves, and even Director Yang was so anxious he wanted to stomp his feet.

Jiang Chen ignored the surrounding discussions. With the system's [Basic Mechanical Proficiency] buff, his hands were the most precise calipers, and his eyes were the highest magnification microscopes.

He placed one hand on the control lever, turned his head to look at Yi Zhonghai, who was on high alert and still repeatedly making adjustments, and a mocking and domineering smile appeared on his lips.

That look was like looking at an ant trying to shake a big tree.

"Master Yi, stop dawdling."

Jiang Chen uttered three words calmly:

"Let's begin."