Reborn in 1977, I will no longer be my brother's blood bag.

Chapter 167 Her file already contains information about two factories.

Before dawn, the lights were already on in the training center's courtyard.

The truck was parked at the door, with a row of wooden crates stacked in its bed.

Zhou Zhiyuan stood by the car, holding a list in his hand.

He hadn't slept well all night, and his eyes were dark and bluish. The list was folded neatly, and the pencil was sharpened and tucked between the edges of the paper.

He would read out a number, and the person next to him would mark it on their notebook.

As he finished reading, a crease appeared between his brows.

"One box is missing."

The warehouse keeper, yawning sleepily, muttered with his arms crossed, "Didn't we find it last night?"

"What we found was the parts box."

Zhou Zhiyuan marked the list with a pencil.

"What's missing is the instrument panel."

"Not even one word can be missing?"

Zhou Zhiyuan handed over the list.

"If we arrive at the destination and one box is missing, will you come back and repack it for someone else?"

The man immediately woke up and turned to run towards the warehouse.

Lin Xiuhe saw this scene just as she entered the courtyard carrying her cloth bag.

Zhou Zhiyuan turned his head, and the crease between his brows faded a little.

"So early?"

"Weren't you on the morning train?"

"Just drop it off at the door, and you actually came all the way here."

Lin Xiuhe handed him the cloth bag.

Inside were two boiled eggs, four steamed buns, and a glass jar half-filled with pickled vegetables.

Zhou Zhiyuan opened it and took a look, a slow smile spreading across his face.

"I'm just going back to hand over my work properly, not to flee a famine."

Food on the train is expensive.

"OK."

He retied the cloth bag, picked it up, and weighed it in his hand.

"Technician Lin has already started doing the accounting for me."

Lin Xiuhe reached out her hand.

"ticket."

"What are you doing?"

"Let me see what time it is."

Zhou Zhiyuan handed over the ticket.

After looking down at the document, she asked, "Where should we go first when we arrive?"

"Go back to the unit first. You need to hand over your post, equipment, and warehouse keys one by one."

"What if they don't release them?"

Zhou Zhiyuan folded the ticket and put it back in his pocket.

"I'll handle the handover of what needs to be done. As for the transfer, we need to explain it to each other in person."

Someone in the warehouse shouted at the top of their lungs, "The instrument box has been found!"

Zhou Zhiyuan turned around and responded, but when he turned back, Lin Xiuhe was still standing in the same spot.

He asked, "Did you bring the keys?"

Lin Xiuhe patted the cloth bag.

"exist."

"Don't lose it."

"If you don't come back, I'll change the locks."

Zhou Zhiyuan picked up his luggage and took two steps forward.

The soles of the shoes rolled over the gravel in the yard and then stopped.

He turned around, his eyes showing signs of fatigue, but he couldn't suppress his smile.

"Then wait until I get back to change."

The truck quickly left the yard.

Lin Xiuhe stood there, watching the car's rear turn around the corner, before turning and walking back to the school.

Graduation materials have begun to be compiled and organized.

There were more than a dozen people lined up outside the academic affairs office, each holding a file folder.

When it was Lin Xiuhe's turn, the teacher in charge of reviewing her internship record went through it twice, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

"You visited the North City factory for a month, and the East City factory a few times. How many days did you actually spend at school this semester?"

"I've attended all the required classes, and the project has been approved by the university and research institute."

"Approval is one thing, how the records are written is another."

The teacher spread out several forms.

"I'm involved in factories, research institutes, and schools. Who will explain this to anyone who asks later?"

The people in line behind were already peering ahead.

Lin Xiuhe took out the materials again and laid them out on the table one by one.

Stamped record of the Beicheng Factory project team.

Proof of the school's consent to participate in the project.

The institute receives feedback.

Three-day operation record of Dongcheng Plant.

She arranged them according to the time and pushed them in front of the teacher.

"The date of the visit, who approved it, what was done, and whether the factory has any results—all of this is here."

The teacher picked up the records from Dongcheng Factory.

When I turned to the last page, my hand movements slowed down.

"Production has resumed?"

"We've resumed low-load production first. Further upgrades will require the research institute's attention."

"What about the North City Factory?"

"The plan has been implemented, and the factory has applied for continued cooperation."

The teacher turned a few more pages and looked up at her.

"Both factories specifically requested that you continue working with them?"

"Yes."

Someone behind them took a soft breath.

The teacher collected the materials and put them back into the file folder.

"Okay. The internship certification will be added later."

He picked up a pen, wrote a few lines on the form, and then stamped it.

"When you go to graduate school, they'll be able to tell just by looking at your file that you weren't just someone who sat in a classroom."

Lin Xiuhe took the file folder.

"Thank you, teacher."

"What are you thanking me for? You brought this all on yourself."

After leaving the school, she went straight to the research institute.

Several people were already seated in the deputy director's office.

Engineer Zheng leaned against the table and drank water.

Zhao Wenbo flipped through two records from the North City Factory and the East City Factory, his fingernail lightly scratching the voltage data from 3 PM.

Li Mingyuan sat by the window with an unsealed file folder on his lap.

When the deputy director saw Lin Xiuhe come in, he nodded toward the table.

"Sit down, and tell me about your specific arrangements after graduation."

Lin Xiuhe placed the file folder on her lap.

The deputy director continued, "The university has already decided that you will join the research institute after graduation. The current question is which group you will be assigned to first after joining the institute."

He turned to look at Zhao Wenbo.

"You go first."

Zhao Wenbo turned to the last page of the Dongcheng Factory's records.

"Let her go into the control room; there's no problem with her handling the data."

Engineer Zheng asked, "And then?"

Zhao Wenbo closed the notebook and leaned back in his chair.

"The problems she found in the factory are ones that some people wouldn't even encounter even after sitting in the control room for six months."

The deputy director smiled.

"First prize in last year's mechanical competition, and now you've learned to speak up for others?"

Zhao Wenbo's expression was indifferent, but his finger was still pressing on the page of data.

"I speak for the results."

Engineer Zheng put the enamel mug back on the table.

"Let her go to the factory first."

He pointed to the two records.

"The machines don't smoke or yell on the blueprints. But once they're in the workshop, all sorts of problems will pop up. She needs to know first how the workers will use them, whether the factory will be willing to shut them down, and whether they can afford to spend the money."

The deputy director looked at Lin Xiuhe.

"What do you think?"

"I want to visit the site first."

Zhao Wenbo raised his head.

A slight smile appeared on Zheng's lips.

Lin Xiuhe continued, "After the project is finished, I want to go back to the institute to complete the design and control work. I can identify the problems on-site, but ultimately, I have to solve them by addressing the equipment itself."

The deputy director tapped the table with his pen.

"Quite an appetite."

"Take advantage of your youth and learn as much as you can."

"OK."

The deputy director pulled out a distribution sheet and added a few lines of text after the equipment application direction.

Job assignment after graduation: Research institute.

After joining the institute, I first participated in technical collaborations with the equipment application group at the North City Plant and East City Plant.

The rotational training in the control room will be arranged separately.

The deputy director pushed the paper towards her.

"I've left you with both options. Whether you can master both is up to you."

Lin Xiuhe took it.

The paper still had ink marks from when it was first written on it.

She glanced at it once and put it back in the file folder.

As he left the office, Li Mingyuan followed him out.

The file folder in his hand was unsealed, and a returned application form was visible on top.

Lin Xiuhe asked, "Is there a problem with the materials?"

Li Mingyuan flattened the corners of the file folder and then flipped it over to press it down again.

"We're missing a competition certificate; the school needs to issue a new one."

"Should we still apply for joint training programs?"

Li Mingyuan stopped and turned to look at her.

"Why didn't you report it?"

After he finished speaking, he stuffed the application form into the document bag.

The corner of the paper was stuck out, so he bent down and straightened it again.

"You go and cover the scenes; I can't just stand there and wait for you."

Lin Xiuhe couldn't find the right words for a moment.

Li Mingyuan raised his head, a hint of weariness in his eyes, but his tone returned to its usual gentleness.

"Don't look at me like that. What we discussed yesterday is yesterday's business. Let's get the materials ready today."

The two walked to the bottom of the stairs.

He added, "By the time you've figured out the factory, I'll also need to figure out the research path. That way, when we encounter real problems in the future, you won't just know Zhao Wenbo."

Zhao Wenbo, who was walking ahead, stopped and turned around.

"I heard you."

Li Mingyuan raised an eyebrow.

"So what if I heard it?"

Zhao Wenbo's gaze fell on the materials in his hand.

"The competition certificate is in the old filing cabinet in the control room. Your name is on last year's entry list, so don't make a wasted trip to the school."

After he finished speaking, he went downstairs.

Li Mingyuan stood still, the file bag still tucked under his arm.

After a moment, he gently shook his head.

"This person is bad at praising others, but quick to help them."

In the evening, just as Lin Xiuhe returned to her dormitory, people from the training center came looking for her.

The person who came in was holding a phone record and looked rather uneasy.

"Zhou Zhiyuan has arrived."

Lin Xiuhe took the paper.

Has the handover been completed?

"I can hand over the job duties and the equipment accounts. But a new set of equipment has been installed over there, and I can't find anyone to take over right now."

The visitor sighed.

"His original employer suggested that he stay for another six months. They'll discuss a transfer once the equipment is stable."

Lin Xiuhe looked down at the record.

There is a line of text added at the very bottom.

The original employer does not agree to the transfer at this time.

Zhou Zhiyuan requested a face-to-face meeting tomorrow.

She reached into the cloth bag.

I still have the dorm key.

The metal teeth pressed against my palm, feeling distinctly cool.

The visitor asked, "Should we call him back?"

Lin Xiuhe took the key into her hand.

"No need for now."