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

A few days after the twenty motors from the provincial military district passed inspection, Director Zhou came again.

This time he didn't bring anyone with him; he drove a green Jeep and parked it at the factory gate.

Ye Bingwen was discussing cutting tools with Master Li next to the lathe.

Hearing the horn, I wiped my hands and went outside.

"Comrade Ye Bingwen, get in the car and let's talk."

Director Zhou rolled down the car window.

Ye Bingwen opened the door and sat down.

There was a leather smell in the car, and the heating was on full blast.

"One hundred units, can you deliver them in three months?"

Director Zhou didn't turn the corner.

"One hundred units?"

Ye Bingwen was taken aback.

"Director Zhou, you've seen my factory. With just these few machines, I'm afraid we can't finish producing them in three months."

"Don't you have a business partner back in your hometown? Let him share the burden in half."

Ye Bingwen thought for a moment.

"Then I'll have to ask him."

"Ask me now."

Ye Bingwen got out of the car and ran to the reception room to make a phone call.

Liu Yongqiang answered the phone. The machine on the other end was very loud, and he had to shout several times before he could hear it.

"One hundred units? Are you crazy?"

"Can you make fifty units?"

"It's possible to do it, but what about the materials? Where will the materials come from?"

"I'll take care of the materials. Just tell me if you can do it."

Liu Yongqiang remained silent for a few seconds.

"Capable. But we need more people and more beds."

"Add more. I'll pay for it."

After hanging up the phone, Ye Bingwen returned to his car.

"Director Zhou, you're very capable."

Director Zhou took a contract out of his bag and handed it to him.

"Look, the terms are the same as last time. One hundred units, three hundred and eighty yuan each, totaling thirty-eight thousand yuan."

"Pay 30% deposit first, and pay the balance after acceptance."

Ye Bingwen read through the contract, picked up a pen, and signed it.

Director Zhou stamped the document and tore off a copy for him.

"Work hard. This batch of goods is urgent and must be delivered before the end of the year."

"OK."

Director Zhou drove away.

Ye Bingwen stood at the factory gate with the contract in his hand, the north wind stinging his face.

Master Li came out and put a cigarette in his mouth.

"How many units?"

One hundred units.

Master Li took the cigarette out of his mouth.

"One hundred units? Even if we work until the end of the year, we still won't finish."

"Liu Yongqiang is assigned fifty units. We'll handle fifty units."

"Fifty units would be a stretch. Look at this factory, there are only two machines, and one of them is borrowed."

Ye Bingwen turned and went into the factory.

He walked up to the lathe and touched the guide rail with his hand.

This machine is too old; it lacks precision and is too slow.

He had wanted to get a new one for a long time, but he couldn't bear to part with it.

"Mr. Li, how much is the new machine tool?"

"It depends on the size you want. For this size, made in Shenyang, it'll cost around seven or eight thousand."

"Eight thousand?"

"almost."

Ye Bingwen did the calculations.

The provincial military district will make an advance payment of 30%, which is 11,400 yuan.

With the money I have left, I can scrape together enough to buy one.

I'm going to Shenyang.

"Shall we go now?"

"I'm leaving first thing tomorrow morning. You should call Liu Yongqiang and ask him to think of a way to expand production capacity. I'll take care of the materials."

Master Li nodded and stubbed out his cigarette on the sole of his shoe.

Ye Bingwen got up before dawn the next day.

Zheng Shuyun was still asleep, and An'an was curled up next to her, her little hands clutching the corner of the blanket.

He didn't turn on the light, but dressed in the dark, carefully tucked the money into his body, and sewed a pocket inside his coat.

As she was leaving the house, Zheng Shuyun rolled over.

"What time is it?"

"It's past five o'clock. You should sleep a little longer."

"Be careful on the road."

"Um."

He took a bus to the train station and bought a ticket to Shenyang.

The green train, with a hard seat, takes more than seven hours to travel.

The bus was crowded, with people even standing in the aisle.

He found a seat by the window and sat down, clutching his money bag to his chest.

A middle-aged woman was sitting opposite me, holding a child.

Next to me was an old man, dozing off with his eyes closed.

Two young men, wearing military overcoats, were sitting diagonally opposite me, talking the whole time.

Ye Bingwen did not sleep.

He held the bag in his arms and looked out the window.

The snow hadn't completely melted, and the ground was bare, with only a few mud houses visible occasionally.

The train stopped at Siping Station for a while, and many more people boarded.

The two young men in military overcoats stood up, took a snakeskin bag from the luggage rack, and squeezed into the connecting area between the carriages.

Ye Bingwen didn't pay any attention.

As we approached Shenyang, the atmosphere in the train carriage became more relaxed.

Ye Bingwen stood up and stretched his legs, then reached into his coat and felt around; the money was still there.

He breathed a sigh of relief and sat back down.

The train pulled into Shenyang Station, and he got off with his bag.

When he got to the ticket gate, someone bumped into him from behind.

He turned around and saw a young man in his early twenties, wearing a cotton hat and with his head down.

"I'm sorry, brother."

After he finished speaking, the man walked forward.

Ye Bingwen didn't think much of it and continued walking out.

After taking a few steps, he subconsciously touched his chest.

The pocket is open.

He felt a chill and reached inside to check—the money was still there, but the pocket button was undone.

He turned around abruptly, and the young man in the cotton hat was already almost at the exit.

Ye Bingwen chased after him and grabbed the man's arm.

"What are you doing?"

The man turned around, looking completely innocent.

"What's wrong, brother?"

"You bumped into me just now and unbuttoned my shirt, didn't you?"

"I didn't, don't accuse me wrongly."

People gathered around.

An old man in a railway uniform walked over.

"What happened?"

He stole my money.

Ye Bingwen said.

"Which eye of yours saw me steal it?"

The young man stuck his neck out.

"Don't make false accusations."

Ye Bingwen reached into his coat and took out the money.

A stack of ten-yuan notes, tied together with a rubber band.

He held it tightly in his hand.

"You unbuttoned the shirt, but the money wasn't stolen. I'm warning you, don't let this happen again."

The young man glanced at the money in his hand, his expression changed, and he turned and left.

The old railway worker glanced at Ye Bingwen.

"Comrade, it's good that the money wasn't lost. Be careful when you're out and about."

"thank you."

Ye Bingwen put the money away again, this time fastening the buttons tightly and pressing them down on the outside.

He stood at the exit, his heart pounding.

Eight thousand yuan. If we lose it, this trip will have been for nothing, and the factory will be finished.

He squatted by the roadside for a while, smoked a cigarette, and then got up to look for the bus stop.

......

The Shenyang Machine Tool Factory is located in Tiexi District. Rows of factory buildings stand there, with black smoke billowing from their chimneys.

Ye Bingwen went to the sales department, where he was greeted by a middle-aged man wearing glasses.

What model do you want?

Ye Bingwen spread out the blueprints.

"For this specification, high precision is required."

The middle-aged man looked at the blueprints and flipped through the catalog.

"Yes. C618 model, spindle precision two microns, 8,200 yuan."

"Can you make it cheaper?"

"This is a state-owned factory; prices are clearly marked, and there's no bargaining."

Ye Bingwen thought for a moment.

"Then I'll buy one. Do you have any in stock?"

"Yes. If you want it, we can issue the invoice today and you can pick it up tomorrow."

"OK."

The middle-aged man issued the invoice, and Ye Bingwen went to the finance department to pay the money.

He took out eight thousand two hundred yuan from his pocket, counted it three times, and handed it over.