78: Bringing his wife and children to Harbin Institute of Technology

Ye Bingwen was talking to Liu Xiaojun.

The phone rang again.

Ye Bingwen quickly grabbed the phone.

"Hello, Director Ye, I am Director Wang's liaison. Director Wang just gave me some instructions, and I would like to communicate with you to confirm the itinerary."

"Okay, please wait a moment while I write it down... Alright, please give me your instructions."

"Director Ye, Director Wang will be in Harbin next Wednesday with four people in total. Besides Director Wang, there will be Professor Zhang from Harbin Institute of Technology, Engineer Sun from the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, and Secretary Xiao Zhou. Director Wang's idea is not to hold any receptions, but to just go directly to the factory."

After hanging up the phone, Ye Bingwen calculated that there were still six days left.

Chen An walked in from the workshop and saw Ye Bingwen staring blankly. He asked:

"Director Ye, what's wrong?"

"Director Wang will be coming next Wednesday, accompanied by four people."

"Four people?"

"Yes, one of them is Professor Zhang from Harbin Institute of Technology, another is an engineer from the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, and the last one is Director Wang's secretary."

"Professor Zhang? Which Professor Zhang? There are quite a few professors with the surname Zhang at Harbin Institute of Technology, but one who can come to inspect the country with the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense..."

"I don't know either, they didn't tell me my name."

Soon after, news that Wang Jianguo was coming to the factory for an inspection spread throughout the factory.

Inside the factory area, Mr. Li is working at his lathe.

Master Li heard from Liu Xiaojun that Wang Jianguo from Beijing was coming to the factory for an inspection.

Master Li stared at Liu Xiaojun and asked:

"From the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense?"

"Yes, Director Wang said he wanted to visit our factory when he was in Beijing last time. I didn't expect him to actually come."

Master Li nodded and continued working.

Before leaving, Liu Xiaojun noticed that Master Li had slowed down his work, so he repeatedly checked and verified each dimension.

The cafeteria was unusually quiet at lunchtime.

Several elderly workers sat together and talked quietly.

"The Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense is coming. Do you think they'll even look at our shabby factory?"

"They're looking at the technology, not the house."

"Won't people laugh at us if they see our mixer and the motor, which we found at a junkyard?"

"What's so funny? As long as it works, that's all that matters."

Ye Bingwen walked over and sat down.

The older workers fell silent.

Ye Bingwen looked at the group of veteran workers and said:

"Eat what you want to eat, say what you want to say, don't shut up just because I'm here."

An old worker hesitated for a long time before finally speaking:

"Xiao Ye, I'm not trying to be discouraging, I'm just worried that when such a high-ranking leader comes, will our factory be presentable?"

Ye Bingwen put down his rice bowl.

"Our factory may have old equipment and dilapidated buildings, but the products we make have been tested in Professor Cai's lab and have a 100% pass rate. The impact strength is 34% higher than the national standard. These things are not made with new equipment or new buildings, but with craftsmanship, ingenuity, and a sense of responsibility."

"The leaders aren't here to see how new our factory is or how shiny our equipment is; they're here to see if we have real skills."

After hearing this, the older workers fell silent.

At 2 p.m., Ye Bingwen called Chen An, Liu Xiaojun, and Master Li to his office.

After the door closed, Ye Bingwen got straight to the point:

"Three people are coming next week, so we need to prepare. Just tell us what you're thinking."

Master Li was the first to speak.

"I don't think we need to prepare anything special. Just do what you normally do. Any fake stuff will be obvious at a glance."

Chen An hesitated for a moment and said:

"Director Ye, I have an idea, but I'm not sure if I should say it."

"Tell me it's okay."

"Our current testing equipment is indeed a bit outdated. Professor Cai's laboratory has the most advanced equipment, but it's not our own. When Director Wang comes, he wants to see our factory's own testing capabilities. I'm wondering if we can temporarily borrow two pieces of equipment from Harbin Institute of Technology to make a good impression."

The office fell silent.

Liu Xiaojun kept his head down.

Master Li frowned.

Chen An glanced at everyone's reactions and added:

"I'm not saying our products are bad, I'm just afraid that if experts see our testing equipment, they'll have a preconceived notion that we don't have the testing capabilities, and then they won't even look at our product data."

Ye Bingwen leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

After a while, he spoke:

"Chen An, what you said makes sense, but there's a problem."

He sat up straight.

"The borrowed equipment isn't our own. After Director Wang leaves, the equipment will be returned, and we'll be back to normal. If they come back next time, will we just borrow it again? What will they think if they go to other places for inspection and hear that our Hongqi Factory even borrows its testing equipment?"

Chen An opened his mouth, as if to say something, but in the end he didn't say anything.

"We show people what we have."

Ye Bingwen spoke calmly but firmly:

"An old motor is an old motor, a circuit that you modified yourself is a circuit that you modified yourself, and a handwritten test report is a handwritten test report. Whether people believe it or not is their business, but we can't lie to them."

Master Li nodded.

"Xiao Ye is right, we shouldn't do things that involve deception."

Chen An stopped insisting.

"Okay, Director Ye, I'll do as you say."

Liu Xiaojun then raised his head.

"Uncle Ye, do you want my blender taken apart and serviced again?"

"Yes, but don't change anything. Leave it as it is, just wipe it clean."

Liu Xiaojun nodded.

"Also, have your spare one ready, so that you can take it out anytime if the experts want to see the two for comparison."

"clear."

Ye Bingwen looked at Master Li and said:

"Master Li, check all the anchor bolts on the equipment in the workshop again, and also check the dry sand in the vibration isolation trench. If there are any clumps, replace them with new ones."

"Okay, I'll go check."

"Chen An, organize all the original records of the test reports and bind them into a booklet in chronological order so that we can take it out whenever the experts come to check."

"it is good."

Ye Bingwen thought for a moment and called out to Chen An:

"Oh, and also, make a table of the pass rate data for all batches from the first trial production to now, and remember to plot a curve graph."

"I'm already doing that."

"Also, from the first batch of 20 samples to the current total of 360 produced, the pass rate has gradually increased from the initial 95.8% to the recent 99.3%, and the scrap rate has decreased by 60%, all of which are clearly marked."

"Go and prepare yourselves."

Liu Xiaojun walked to the door and looked at Ye Bingwen again, saying:

"Uncle Ye, what should I say if Director Wang asks us why we don't use imported equipment?"

Ye Bingwen looked at Liu Xiaojun and said:

Just answer whatever you think.

Liu Xiaojun thought for a moment and said:

"I want to say that imported equipment is good, but it's too expensive. If it breaks down, we can't afford to repair it. It takes three months to get the parts. The one we modified ourselves may not look good, but it works well, and we can repair it anytime if it breaks down."

Ye Bingwen looked at Liu Xiaojun and said:

"Okay, that's settled then."

Liu Xiaojun turned and left.