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

The movements were slow, but very steady.

Mr. Li watched for two minutes without saying a word.

Liu Xiaojun sharpened the knife and handed it over.

Master Li took it and gently scraped it with his fingers.

"good."

He said.

"Starting tomorrow, you'll work for me. First, master the basics, then you can work with the machine tools."

"Thank you, Master Li."

Ye Bingwen said from the side.

"Master Li, Xiao Jun has a good foundation, he just needs someone to guide him. Please take care of him."

Whether it takes effort or not depends on his own fate.

That evening, Ye Bingwen took Liu Xiaojun back to the rented room.

The room next door has already been cleaned up.

"You'll stay here and eat with us."

"Uncle Ye, you've gone to so much trouble."

"No trouble at all. Your aunt cooks a lot, it's just a matter of adding another pair of chopsticks."

Liu Xiaojun sat on the bed and looked around.

"Harbin is really different from my hometown."

"Study hard, and you'll be able to settle down here someday."

Liu Xiaojun nodded vigorously.

The next day, Ye Bingwen went to school.

When I returned to the factory in the afternoon, Master Li was teaching Liu Xiaojun how to use a knife.

Liu Xiaojun studied very diligently.

When Master Li saw Ye Bingwen come in, he said something.

"This kid is good; he can endure hardship."

Ye Bingwen was relieved.

The mold wasn't ready yet, so he went to the school-run factory a third time to urge them.

Master Sun said it would be fine the day after tomorrow.

Ye Bingwen said he would come to collect it the day after tomorrow, and he wouldn't leave if he couldn't get it.

Master Sun smiled.

"You little Ye, you're even more formidable than a creditor."

Ye Bingwen smiled, but he was not at ease.

He couldn't rest easy until the provincial military district's order was delivered.

The rumors about the Second Factory are still circulating; he doesn't know if the provincial military region has heard about them.

If rumors affect subsequent orders, the losses will extend beyond just one batch of goods.

He returned to the factory and re-inspected all the parts in the finished product boxes.

Each one was made with a much higher precision than required by the contract.

The tremors came again.

When Ye Bingwen arrived at the factory in the morning, Master Li had already ruined two jobs.

"It's not working again."

Mr. Li threw the scrap metal onto the table, his face turning ashen.

"It was fine last night, but it's not working properly this morning. The outer diameter tolerance is four microns, and the inner diameter is also out of tolerance."

Ye Bingwen walked over, placed his hand on the machine tool, and felt it.

The vibrations were not strong, but they were irregular.

"Has the motor been checked?"

"I checked. The new motor is fine; it doesn't vibrate at all when running idle."

"Where are the anchor bolts?"

"I tightened them three times in a row, no problem."

Master Li tapped it again with a wrench.

Clang clang—the sound was very solid.

Ye Bingwen squatted down and placed his hands on the ground.

"Master Li, start the machine, 600 RPM, idle."

Mr. Li turned off the power switch.

The spindle started spinning, and the vibration began again.

Ye Bingwen touched different parts of the machine tool base with his hand.

"Shut down."

"How is it?"

"The machine tool is shaking. It's not just the spindle; the entire machine tool is shaking."

Mr. Li was stunned.

"Impossible. The anchor bolts are tightly fastened, the base is firmly attached to the ground, how could it wobble?"

"Put your hands here."

Ye Bingwen pointed to the base on the left.

Master Li placed his hand on it.

"Restart, 800 RPM."

The vibration was so strong that Mr. Li could clearly feel the subtle displacement in his palm.

"That's really true..."

Master Li withdrew his hand.

"But the bolts are too tight!"

"The bolts were tightened, but the foundation became soft."

Ye Bingwen patted his knee.

"Our factory building was built in the 1960s. Back then, the machine tools on it only weighed one ton and had a low rotation speed."

"This new machine tool weighs over two tons and rotates more than twice as fast; the foundation can't support it."

Master Zhao, who was listening nearby, chimed in.

"What can we do then? We can't just dig up the ground and re-water it, can we?"

"It's too late. Re-laying the foundation will take at least half a month, and this batch of goods needs to be delivered by the end of the month."

Ye Bingwen walked around the workshop twice, then squatted down to examine the pads on the machine tool base.

He thought for a moment, then stood up and spoke.

"I'll try making something myself."

"What are you doing?"

"Shock-absorbing pads. Replace the pads with large steel plates, and then add a layer of rubber underneath."

"Distribute the weight of the machine tool and absorb the vibration."

Master Li glanced at him.

"Have you done this before?"

"I haven't done it before, but the principle is simple. It's like carrying a load on a shoulder pole; if the pole is too thin, it will strain your shoulders, but if you put a towel underneath, it will be more comfortable. It's the same principle."

Master Li thought about it.

"Okay, I'll give it a try."

Ye Bingwen walked to the materials shelf.

"Xiao Zhang, cut out eight iron plates this big, according to the dimensions of the base's mounting holes."

"Master Li, could you cut eight rubber gaskets for me, the same size as a metal plate?"

Master Li looked at the rubber sheet and the iron plate and understood.

"Is the metal plate underneath, and the rubber pad in the middle?"

"Yes. The iron plate transmits force, and the rubber absorbs shock. One layer is hard, and the other is soft, separating the machine tool from the ground."

Mr. Li didn't ask any more questions, picked up the scissors and started cutting the rubber.

I was busy for over an hour.

Master Li used a level to measure the four feet.

"It's a draw."

"Give it a try."

Xiao Zhang took a blank part and installed it.

Master Li sets up the knife, turns on the machine, and sets it to 600 RPM.

The sound of the cutting tool contacting the workpiece —

There was no low-frequency humming sound, and no random shaking.

Master Li stared at the contact surface between the cutting tool and the workpiece.

The iron filings are rolled up evenly, and the surface is smooth.

After surviving the first accident, Master Li measured the body three times with calipers.

The outer diameter tolerance is exactly one mil, and the inner hole tolerance is 0.8 mil.

"It's done."

Master Li placed the workpiece on the table.

"Try a few more."

Ye Bingwen said.

Master Li completed five more tasks.

Every single one is up to standard.

Master Zhao watched from the side and clicked his tongue in amazement.

"The machine tool is rated at two microns when it leaves the factory, but you've only managed to produce 0.8 microns, which is higher than what they say."

The problem lies in the foundation.

Ye Bingwen said.

"Once the foundation issue is resolved, the true precision of the machine tool will become apparent."

Just as I finished speaking, Old Liu from the gatehouse ran over.

"Director Ye, someone's here at the gate. It's from the Provincial Military Region, and it's that same Director Fang again."

Ye Bingwen's heart tightened.

Why are you here again?

He walked quickly to the factory gate.

Director Fang stood next to the jeep, accompanied by a middle-aged man in a blue work uniform with a tool bag hanging around his neck.

"Comrade Ye Bingwen, this is Engineer Zhang from the Equipment and Technology Department of the Provincial Military Region, who is in charge of equipment acceptance."

Director Fang explained.

"Director Zhou asked me to check on your production progress. Engineer Zhang happened to be here too, so we came together."

Ye Bingwen understood.

Director Fang's visit this time wasn't just to check on the progress; it was to get a sense of the situation.

The rumors had reached the ears of the provincial military district, and they were worried.

"Director Fang, Engineer Zhang, please come in."

Upon entering the factory, Director Fang immediately noticed several finished products displayed next to the new machine tool.

"Are these freshly dried?"

"Yes. It was dried this morning."

Zhang took out a caliper from his toolbox and measured the outer diameter of the workpiece.