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

"Bullshit! They measured it using standard methods right in front of us that day and it came back as five points."

"They didn't write the actual data, but instead wrote the fake data from the first time!"

He slammed the report on the ground.

"Isn't this bullying?!"

Liu Xiaojun ran over, picked up the report, and looked at it.

"Uncle Ye, let's sue them!"

Ye Bingwen remained silent.

He took the report from Liu Xiaojun's hand.

He had expected this to happen.

"Master Li, the factory is operating normally. Continue with your work as usual."

Mr. Li was stunned for a moment.

"They've already issued a document ordering us to suspend production for rectification."

"The following text refers to the Provincial Department of Industry, not the Public Security Bureau."

Ye Bingwen's voice was very calm.

"They can issue a document, but we don't have to implement it. We'll deal with it when they come with their official seal to seal the door."

Master Li turned around and went back to the workshop.

"Xiao Jun, get the machine tool ready. We can't skip any work today."

Liu Xiaojun responded and followed him inside.

Ye Bingwen stood at the factory gate and took out the report again to look at it once more.

The serial number, date, official seal, and signature were all present.

From an administrative procedure standpoint, this report has legal effect.

If he ignores it, the next step will be for the Industry and Commerce Bureau, the Tax Bureau, and the Public Security Bureau to come to his door one after another.

He rode his bike to school.

The office of Principal Liu Deben.

Ye Bingwen knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Liu Deben's desk was piled with folders and newspapers.

"Xiao Ye? What brings you here?"

"Principal Liu, I need to speak with you."

Ye Bingwen placed the reports from the Provincial Department of Industry and Professor Zhao together on the table.

"The Provincial Department of Industry issued a quality inspection report today, determining that my motors are substandard and ordering me to suspend production for rectification."

"At the same time, Professor Zhao issued a technical evaluation report on behalf of the department, concluding that the product was qualified and had excellent performance."

"The two reports have completely contradictory conclusions. I would like to ask the school to help me submit Professor Zhao's report to the Provincial Department of Education."

Liu Deben picked up the two reports and looked at them for a while.

His brows furrowed more and more deeply.

"Gu Ming, do you have any evidence that your testing methods were not up to standard?"

"I, Master Li, and Liu Xiaojun were present that day; we are three witnesses."

"In addition, we retested fifteen motors overnight after they left, and all of them passed the test."

"The retest data is attached to Professor Zhao's report."

Liu Deben remained silent for a moment.

"I'll submit this for you. But I can't say for sure whether the Provincial Department of Education will accept it."

"It's fine as long as you're willing to hand it over. I'll figure out the rest myself."

Liu Deben picked up the phone and shook it twice.

"Old Wu, this is Liu Deben. I have something I'd like to ask you... It's not about me, it's about a student at the school."

"The Provincial Department of Industry issued a quality inspection report... Yes, the two reports conflict... Okay, I'll send the materials over, you can take a look first."

After hanging up the phone, Liu Deben put the two reports into an envelope.

"Old Wu from the Industrial Education Department of the Provincial Department of Education, I've dealt with him for several years, and he's a fairly upright person."

"I'll deliver the materials this afternoon. If he's willing to help, he'll pass them on to higher authorities."

"Thank you, Principal."

"Don't thank me."

Liu Deben walked to the window.

"Xiao Ye, do you know where the root of this problem lies?"

"Know."

"Good to know."

Liu Deben turned around.

"Your factory is currently registered as a school-run factory, but school-run factories are managed by the school administration office, and the school administration office is managed by the school."

"The Provincial Department of Industry has no jurisdiction over you; they can only restrict you through quality inspection."

"Just do your job well and don't let anyone find fault with you. As for the rest, I'll cover for you if I can."

After leaving the administration building, Ye Bingwen went directly to the construction site.

He wanted to see how the foundation was being dug.

At the construction site, the foundation pit was dug to a depth of nearly one meter, with piles of loess soil around its edge.

When Captain Zhang saw Ye Bingwen coming over, he stood up and patted the dirt off his backside.

"Director Ye, there's something I need to tell you."

"What's wrong?"

"When we dug down to one meter, the bottom was all soft soil with a very high water content. I tested it, and the bearing capacity was insufficient."

Captain Zhang kicked the soil around the pit with his foot.

"According to the requirements on your drawings, replacing it by 1.5 meters might not be enough."

Why?

"The layer of soft soil below is too deep. I had someone probe down another half meter, but it's still soft."

"At this rate, we'll have to dig at least two meters down to reach the old soil layer."

Ye Bingwen grabbed a handful of soil from the bottom of the pit and rubbed it between his fingers.

The soil is wet and sticky, so it doesn't easily crumble when kneaded into a ball.

This indicates that the groundwater level is higher than expected.

He looked at the foundation pit.

A two-meter-deep replacement fill would nearly double the cost.

However, if the old soil layer is not dug out, and heavy machinery is placed on it, uneven settlement will inevitably occur within three to five years.

Reworking it later would be even more costly.

"Dig. Dig until you reach the old soil layer."

Captain Zhang was stunned for a moment.

"Director Ye, what about the cost..."

"I'll handle the cost. You just focus on getting the job done."

Captain Zhang glanced at him, said nothing more, and turned to greet the workers.

Ye Bingwen did some mental calculations.

If the backfill is deepened to two meters, the material cost of crushed stone and gravel will increase significantly.

With labor and machinery included, the total cost may exceed the budget by nearly double.

The provincial military district's advance payment has arrived, but it's intended for purchasing materials and paying salaries.

The available cash flow is barely enough to cover daily operations; we can't afford such a large sum to fill the foundation.

Just then, Liu Xiaojun rode over on his bicycle.

"Uncle Ye! The factory called! Uncle Yongqiang is calling and says he needs to speak with you urgently."

Ye Bingwen rode his bicycle back to the factory.

The phone was on the table.

He picked it up and put it to his ear.

"Yongqiang?"

"Old Ye, has the report from the provincial department been released yet?"

"You're done. You failed."

"I've already heard about it."

Liu Yongqiang's voice was very low.

"Ma Li's side is spreading rumors everywhere that your factory is about to close down."

"Zhao Jianguo's men have already started their activities, trying to intercept the provincial military region's order."

"What did Director Fang say about the order?"

"Director Fang hasn't made a statement, but his subordinates have already been informed. You need to figure out a solution as soon as possible; the longer you delay, the more trouble you'll cause."

Ye Bingwen held the receiver.

"I understand. What about the permit?"

"The approval document is still sitting in Ma Li's drawer. I had someone pass on a message, and he said he needed to 'look into it further.' That means he won't approve it."

Ye Bingwen took a deep breath.

"Yongqiang, do me a favor."

"explain."

"Help me find out who else signed the report from the Provincial Department of Industry, besides Gu Ming and Ma Li."

"I need to know how many people handled this report from its drafting to its official stamp."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Okay. I'll ask around for you."

It got dark.

He pushed his bicycle out of the factory gate and rode it towards the faculty dormitory.

As I passed by the construction site, lights were still on in the foundation pit.

Captain Zhang and two workers were still digging.