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

"It used to be just electricity for lighting, but now that we've added a few machines, it can't keep up with the demand."

"Could you perhaps report this to the county government?"

"I've already reported it. They said there's a queue, and there are several villages ahead of us."

Ye Bingwen thought for a moment.

"I'll go back and talk to you in person."

"Aren't you busy over there?"

"Busy. But if you don't resolve this issue, we won't be able to deliver those fifty units, which is more troublesome than anything else."

"Then come back and take a look. I'll tell the village chief."

After hanging up the phone, Ye Bingwen stood in the reception room for a while, thinking.

Unstable voltage is neither a major nor a minor issue.

A single machine tool costs several thousand yuan. Frequent power outages not only delay the project schedule but also damage the machine.

He went out of the gatehouse to find Master Li.

"Master Li, I'm going back to my hometown for a couple of days. I'll be back in two or three days. You keep an eye on things here."

Okay. Be careful on the road.

The next morning, Ye Bingwen took the train back to his hometown.

This time I bought a hard seat ticket, which will take more than five hours.

It was already past 2 p.m. when we arrived in the county town.

He took a long-distance bus directly to Daxing Village.

It was almost dark when we arrived in the village.

Liu Yongqiang was waiting for him at the village entrance.

"You're back?"

"I'm back. I'll go see you first."

Liu Yongqiang took him to the branch factory, which used to be the brigade's warehouse, but has now been converted into a workshop.

Of the three machine tools, two were old beds that Ye Bingwen had brought back from Harbin, and one was a second-hand machine that Liu Yongqiang later acquired.

The lights were on in the workshop, and two young men were working.

"Is this all your possessions?"

Ye Bingwen asked.

"right."

Liu Yongqiang pointed to the electricity meter on the wall.

"Look at that lamp."

Ye Bingwen looked up and saw that the light from the incandescent bulb was indeed flickering slightly.

"It's even worse at night."

Liu Yongqiang said.

"After 7 o'clock, the machine simply won't start. It trips the circuit breaker as soon as it's turned on."

"What about during the day?"

"It's a bit better during the day, but it's still unstable. Sometimes while milling, the spindle speed suddenly changes, and the job is ruined."

Ye Bingwen walked around the workshop and looked at the parts that had already been processed.

The quantity is small, but the quality is decent.

"Were these dried during the day?"

"Yes. I can only do some manual work at night; I dare not turn on the machines."

"Where is the transformer?"

"I'll take you to see the east end of the village."

The two left the workshop and headed towards the east end of the village.

It was completely dark, and there were no streetlights in the village, so Liu Yongqiang was using a flashlight.

The transformer stood on a cement pole, humming loudly.

"This is it."

Liu Yongqiang said.

"Thirty kilovolt-amperes provides electricity to half the village. Before, it only supplied lighting and a flour mill, which was enough."

"Now that we have three more machine tools, we simply can't handle it."

Ye Bingwen looked at the transformer's nameplate and could tell it was an old piece of equipment from the 1960s.

"What size should I get?"

"The village chief said it would cost at least eighty. But replacing a transformer isn't just about replacing a lump of iron; we also need to install a dedicated power line."

"The county said it would cost tens of thousands of yuan, but we can't afford that."

Ye Bingwen remained silent.

He had lived in the countryside and knew that this kind of thing couldn't be solved by the village alone.

"I'll go see Secretary Wang Deming tomorrow."

Liu Yongqiang glanced at him.

"Can local officials really control a village like ours where the power grid trips?"

How will you know if you don't try?

The next morning, Ye Bingwen went to the county.

He didn't go directly to Wang Deming.

First, I went to the county party committee office and found an acquaintance, a cadre surnamed Zhou, who used to be the director of the commune.

"Director Zhou, I'd like to see Secretary Wang. There's something I need to discuss."

"What is it?"

Ye Bingwen explained the situation.

Director Zhou thought about it.

"Secretary Wang is in his office this afternoon. I'll pass on a message to you. But I can't say for sure whether he'll see you."

"Thank you for your help."

Ye Bingwen waited all morning at the guesthouse in the county town.

At noon, Director Zhou arrived.

"Secretary Wang wants you to go at three o'clock this afternoon."

"Thank you, Director Zhou."

At 3 p.m., Ye Bingwen arrived at the prefectural committee compound on time.

Wang Deming's office was on the second floor, and the door was open.

Ye Bingwen knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Wang Deming's desk was piled with documents.

He saw Ye Bingwen and smiled.

"Ye Bingwen? Weren't you studying at university in Harbin? Why are you back?"

"Secretary Wang, I need your help with something."

"Sit down and talk."

Ye Bingwen sat down and explained that the voltage in Daxing Village was unstable and the machine tools couldn't be started.

He recounted the order for fifty military units.

Wang Deming took out a cigarette and lit it.

"Fifty military supplies? For the provincial military district?"

"Yes. For the total order of one hundred units, my classmate and I split it in half. I was in charge of the Harbin order, and he was in charge of the order back home."

"If he can't do it, this batch of goods can't be delivered."

Wang Deming flicked his cigarette ash.

"Your classmate, is that Liu Yongqiang? The one who worked with you on the household responsibility system?"

"right."

Wang Deming nodded.

"I know the transformer in Daxing Village. It's old and needs replacing."

"But the county really doesn't have the money. To be honest, it's not just Daxing Village, several townships below it have this problem."

Ye Bingwen did not respond.

"but."

Wang Deming stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.

"This order of yours is for military supplies, supporting national defense construction. This can be handled as a special case."

He picked up the phone on the table and dialed a number.

"Old Zhang? This is Wang Deming. Look into the situation regarding the transformer in Daxing Village. Yes, as soon as possible. I'll figure out the money."

"Okay, then show me the plan."

After hanging up the phone, Wang Deming looked at Ye Bingwen.

"I'll have the county come up with a plan first. As for the dedicated line, I'll approve it."

He took out a piece of letter paper from the drawer, wrote a few lines, stamped it with the official seal, and handed it to Ye Bingwen.

"Take this to the county power supply bureau. Tell them to connect the line within a month."

"Thank you, Secretary Wang."

"You're welcome."

Wang Deming leaned back in his chair.

"You helped Daxing Village implement the household responsibility system, and the grain yield doubled. That's a great achievement."

"Now that you're developing industry and leading your fellow villagers to prosperity, I should support you even more."

He lit another cigarette.

"But Ye Bingwen, let me tell you something—your current identity is that of a student, and your main task is to study."

"Running a factory is fine, but it can't interfere with your studies."

"Don't worry, Secretary Wang, I won't."

"That's good. Go back now."

Ye Bingwen took Wang Deming's approval slip and went directly to the county power supply bureau.

The director of the power supply bureau, surnamed Sun, glanced at the approval slip, said nothing more, and immediately summoned the people from the technical department, instructing them to conduct an on-site investigation in Daxing Village.

Two days later, the construction team entered the village.

They installed twenty cement poles, erected three kilometers of high-voltage lines, and replaced the old transformer with a new one of 80 kVA.

The whole process took less than ten days.

On the day the electricity was turned on, Liu Yongqiang killed a chicken.

He stewed the chicken in a pot and then went to the village store to buy two bottles of beer.

Ye Bingwen sat in Liu Yongqiang's yard, looking at the newly installed power lines outside, and felt at ease.

"Can we do it now?"

he asks.

"You're capable."