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

When Lin Xiuhe arrived in Linzhou, a Jiefang brand truck was parked in front of the daily necessities factory.

The driver was squatting by the tires smoking, and two men in blue work clothes were standing next to him, one of whom was carrying a wooden box.

As soon as she entered the guardhouse, Section Chief Chen, who had spoken to her on the phone the day before, quickly came out of the office building to greet her.

"Engineer Lin? You've finally arrived."

Lin Xiuhe glanced at the car at the door.

"The department store in Anxian County?"

"Yes."

"Did they come ahead of schedule to urge us to finish the order?"

Section Chief Chen's face turned even uglier.

"They're not rushing us. Nanhua Hardware Factory has already sent over the samples."

Several people were already seated in the office.

Two hand-cranked pasta machines were placed on the table.

The one from the daily necessities factory was painted gray, with a thick base and a bulky crank handle. The other one was light green, looked much lighter, and had printed product instructions next to it.

Qian, the purchasing agent at Anxian Department Store, was cranking the green machine.

The dough is pressed out from the middle of the roller and falls layer by layer into the enamel basin.

He stopped what he was doing when they came in.

"Forest worker?"

"I am."

The two shook hands.

Qian Caigou didn't beat around the bush and pointed directly to the machine on the table.

"We've been waiting for this unit for almost a month, and there's still no delivery date."

"Nanhua delivered the goods yesterday and quoted a price."

Section Chief Chen couldn't help but say, "Old Qian, you told me yesterday it was 5 PM the day after tomorrow."

"right."

Qian Caigou looked at him.

"But I didn't have any in stock yesterday."

"It's here today."

"I can't just have products to sell and leave the sales outlets with empty counters waiting for you."

Factory Director Wang sat to the side, a half-smoked cigarette between his fingers.

"Comrade Qian, we've already received the raw materials and produced the samples. Could you please give us a little more time?"

I know it's tough for you.

Qian Caigou sighed.

"But I still have to explain myself when I get back."

"I get a call every day asking when the pasta machine will arrive. I have other deliveries ready to go, but I insist on waiting for you guys, and I'm the one getting criticized."

Factory Director Wang asked, "Give us those two hundred units from An County a few more days."

"A few days?"

Factory Director Wang's lips moved.

He couldn't provide that date.

Qian Caigou didn't pressure him; he just took his hands off the machine.

Lin Xiuhe walked to the table.

"How much does Nanhua cost?"

Qian Caigou quoted a price.

She turned to Section Chief Chen.

"And what about us?"

Section Chief Chen also submitted his report.

Each unit costs 3.6 yuan more.

Factory Director Wang immediately said, "Our materials are thicker than theirs, and the base is more stable. The product feels different when you hold it in your hand."

"I agree with that."

Qian Caigou patted the gray one.

"Yours is indeed solid."

"But ordinary people also need to ask how much something costs when they buy it."

"One unit costs 3.6 yuan less, so two units would cost more than 7 yuan."

In this day and age, it's not a small number.

Lin Xiuhe did not fight for the three yuan and sixty cents on behalf of the factory.

She asked, "How much can I pay per day now?"

Factory Director Wang paused for a moment.

"More than a dozen units."

After listening, Qian Caigou leaned back in his chair.

"I want two hundred units in my first batch."

The materials in Section Chief Chen's hand fell down a bit.

Lin Xiuhe then asked, "How many are there in total for the remaining six orders?"

"Seven hundred and eighty units."

"Is An County the most urgent?"

"right."

Qian Caigou raised his wrist and glanced at his watch.

"That's why I came here today."

"Mr. Lin, I don't want to keep running back and forth. Just give me a reliable delivery date, and I won't have to sit here today."

Lin Xiuhe asked, "How long can you wait now?"

"Tomorrow at 2 PM."

Section Chief Chen's expression changed.

"Yesterday and the afternoon of the day after tomorrow."

"The second batch of goods from Nanhua has arrived in the county today."

Qian Caigou paused for a moment.

"The situation has changed."

There were still three days left yesterday.

There's only one day left.

Factory Director Wang stood up from his chair.

"Mr. Lin, let's go to the workshop first."

"After you've finished reading, give me the truth."

The situation in the workshop is immediately apparent.

There were quite a few semi-finished products piled up, but only about twenty dough presses were actually assembled and ready to be delivered.

Several workers were arguing over a batch of returned parts.

As soon as Factory Director Wang entered, he asked:

"How much was sold today?"

The workshop director looked displeased.

"Twelve platforms."

"There were still fifteen at this time yesterday."

"The more you rush them, the more chaotic things become."

Factory Director Wang immediately became furious.

"The factory is desperately short of goods right now, and you're telling me the more we urge them, the slower it gets?"

The workshop director was also holding back his anger.

"What can I do? The things that were rushed out earlier can't be installed later. If we take them apart and start over, it will only delay things more."

Lin Xiuhe did not ask any further technical questions.

That's enough.

It's not that we can't make it.

It's because it's being done too slowly.

The wait is so long that orders can't afford to wait.

The purchasing manager asked in the back:

"At the current rate, how long will it take to get 200 units?"

The workshop director couldn't answer.

Factory Director Wang's face grew increasingly grim.

Near the door, a young female worker placed a piece of paper under an enamel mug.

A gust of wind blew in through the window, lifting the corner of the paper.

Lin Xiuhe happened to see it.

Application for advance payment of salary.

Factory Director Wang also discovered it.

"Does the family still need money?"

The female worker quickly pressed the paper back down.

"It's alright, factory manager."

An older female worker nearby casually remarked, "Her mother is still in the hospital."

"Auntie."

The young female worker quickly stopped her and said to Factory Manager Wang, "Let's talk about it after this batch of goods is shipped out."

Factory Director Wang stood there, and after a long while, he could only manage to utter one sentence:

"Let's get to work."

The money for procurement was originally being pressed, but now there's no further discussion.

Lin Xiuhe looked at the semi-finished products piled up in the workshop.

There are still more than 6,000 yuan worth of raw materials stored in the warehouse.

More than 700 orders.

If the orders aren't fulfilled, these things won't turn into money in a day.

She turned to ask Factory Director Wang:

"If Anxian withdraws, what about the others?"

The factory manager's face showed even more fatigue.

"Everyone's watching."

"If Nanhua can pay, but we can't, then the orders we get later are also in jeopardy."

If this order for 200 units is lost, the rest may follow suit.

Qian Caigou came over.

"Mr. Lin, let me speak frankly."

"I don't necessarily have to buy Nan Hua's."

"Yours is more robust; I can tell."

"But what I need is the goods."

"Simply displaying a sample on the counter is useless."

"I see."

"Should I come tomorrow afternoon?"

"Come."

Qian Caigou raised an eyebrow.

"What will you give me then?"

"At least I'll give you a definite date."

Factory Director Wang suddenly turned his head.

Qian Caigou was also keeping an eye on Lin Xiuhe.

"Can we place the order tomorrow?"

"We can't even say for sure how much we can pay in a day, so of course we can't make a decision."

Lin Xiuhe looked at Director Wang.

"Let's get the real numbers straight tonight."

"Say as much as you can."

Stop telling people "it'll be soon".

After listening, Qian Caigou nodded.

"OK."

"Then I'll wait one more day."

Just as Section Chief Chen showed a hint of joy, he added:

"Just one day."

"I'll come again tomorrow at 2 PM."

"If you continue like you did today, I can only give this order to someone else."

After he finished speaking, he picked up his briefcase and walked out.

Factory Director Wang escorted the person all the way to the workshop entrance.

After returning, he stood in front of Lin Xiuhe.

"Forest worker."

"The orders for more than 700 units are all in the back."

"If this ticket from An County is really lost..."

"So let's not worry about the seven hundred units for now."

Lin Xiuhe interrupted him.

"Find out how much you can submit tomorrow."

Factory Director Wang paced around in a panic.

"But what's the use of just having numbers?"

"It's better than not even knowing how much you can afford to pay."

"They want the date."

"If you can't provide the date, you can only watch others take the order."

Factory Director Wang was rendered speechless by what he was saying.

The workers in the workshop have resumed their work.

Just then, someone suddenly ran over from the direction of the office.

"Factory Manager!"

Factory Director Wang turned around.

"What's wrong now?"

"Someone's at the door."

"Who?"

"Nanhua Hardware Factory".

Section Chief Chen's expression changed immediately.

"What are they doing here?"

"I heard that the truck from Anxian Department Store hasn't left yet; they're here to get money for their purchases."

Factory Director Wang cursed on the spot.

"They've already bought so much stuff they're at the factory gate?"

A car horn sounded immediately outside the courtyard.

The security guard also ran in.

"Factory manager, the people from Nanhua have arrived."

Factory Director Wang had already strode out.

Section Chief Chen followed closely behind.

Lin Xiuhe picked up the materials on the table and followed them out of the workshop.