Courtyard House: Starting in a Ceramics Factory

The cheers in the computer room gradually subsided, but the genuine excitement on everyone's faces had not yet faded.

Professor Wang and several senior experts were gathered around the prototype, as if admiring a masterpiece of art, constantly discussing every detail of the test they had just conducted and every fluctuation in the data.

Li Feng didn't disturb them. He knew that this pure joy of technology was the most precious moment for these researchers who had dedicated their lives to scientific research.

He quietly left the computer room and returned to his office.

The office still had a faint smell of machine oil and solder, and the desk was piled with blueprints and technical documents.

Li Feng sat down, poured himself a glass of cool water, and his excitement gradually subsided, transforming into calm reflection on the next steps.

The success of the prototype is only the first step in a long journey.

It proved that the advanced technological theories it brought were feasible and could be reproduced with the materials and processes of this era.

But theory is just theory, and technology must ultimately serve production.

Li Feng had already clearly figured out its first application target—CNC machine tools.

Only by combining this bulky computer with precision machine tools to achieve truly programmed control of processing can productivity be completely liberated, bringing about a revolution in the entire country's industrial system.

This is the true core value of his project.

He pulled out a few sketches of CNC machine tool control system interfaces from a pile of drawings, picked up a pencil, and began to circle and mark the parts that needed to be modified and optimized.

His brain was working at high speed, and data streams and control logics were clearly emerging in his mind.

Just as he was immersed in his own world, the black telephone on the table suddenly rang loudly and urgently, sounding particularly abrupt in the quiet office.

Li Feng put down his pencil and reached out to grab the heavy receiver.

"Hello, this is Li Feng."

"Li Feng! It's me, Lao Zhu!" A rough and loud voice came from the other end of the phone, full of enthusiasm and energy. It was Director Zhu of the Five Star Ceramics Factory.

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Li Feng couldn't help but smile, feeling as if he had been pulled from the cutting-edge computer research site back to the ceramics factory filled with the fragrance of earth and the aroma of kiln fires.

"Director Zhu, how are things at the factory lately?"

"Great! Excellent!" Director Zhu laughed heartily on the other end of the phone, with the faint sounds of machinery and workers' chants audible in the background. "I have some great news for you! The main structure of our second-phase project is now complete! It just passed inspection last week! Now, it's time for equipment installation!"

This news cheered Li Feng up.

"So fast? That's wonderful!"

"That's right!" Director Zhu's tone was full of pride. "The whole factory is working with all our might! We found the best master craftsmen to train their apprentices and worked overtime to tinker with the parts for those blueprints you sent us before. They all meet your requirements perfectly, down to the smallest detail! Now, hundreds of parts, bearings, and motors of all sizes are piled up in the newly built workshop, just waiting to be assembled!"

At this point, Director Zhu paused, his tone tinged with expectation and inquiry: "Li Feng, you see... this last hurdle, the most crucial one, isn't it..."

The words were left unsaid, but the meaning couldn't be clearer.

Li Feng certainly understood what Factory Director Zhu meant.

Although the parts of those assembly line equipment are manufactured according to the blueprints, assembling them, especially the debugging of the transmission system and control unit, cannot be solved by relying solely on the blueprints. It requires the chief technical officer, who has a thorough understanding of the entire design concept, to personally oversee the process.

He smiled and said decisively, "Director Zhu, don't worry. I have a plan. I'll make the arrangements here and I'll be back in a few days."

"Oh! That's good! That's good!" Upon hearing Li Feng's affirmative reply, Director Zhu felt reassured and exclaimed with delight, "I knew you wouldn't forget our factory! Alright, then the entire factory is waiting for you, the commander-in-chief, to come back and give orders!" "You're too kind, I'll do it as soon as possible."

"Okay! I won't take up any more of your time. You're busy with a major national project on your end! I'll go tell everyone the good news right away!"

After saying that, Director Zhu hung up the phone in a hurry.

Holding the still-warm receiver, Li Feng felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

Five Star Ceramics Factory was where he truly began his career after entering this era.

From the first phase of technological upgrades to the current grand second phase of automation project, he has poured so much effort into it.

You could say that the computer project was his "brain," while the automated production line at the ceramics factory was the "body" he built himself. Both were equally important to him.

Now, the second phase of the project has reached its most critical final stage. As the chief designer, he must personally return to ensure that this production line, which embodies the hard work of countless people, can operate perfectly.

Without hesitation, Li Feng picked up the phone again and dialed Deputy Director Zheng's office.

The phone rang a few times before being answered, and Deputy Director Zheng's familiar voice came through: "Hello, who is this?"

"Director Zheng, this is Li Feng."

"Li Feng!" Deputy Director Zheng's voice immediately became warm, filled with barely suppressed laughter. "What's wrong? The prototype has just made a breakthrough, are you missing some equipment again? Let me tell you, Minister Jiang has a very high opinion of you!"

"Thank you for your recognition, Minister." Li Feng said politely first, and then directly explained his purpose, "Director Zheng, it's like this, Director Zhu from Wuxing Ceramics Factory just called me. Their second phase of the project has been completed, the factory buildings have been built, and all the equipment parts have been produced. Now it has reached the most critical stage of equipment assembly and debugging. So, I would like to ask you for a few days off to go back and preside over the technical work."

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment.

At this moment, Deputy Director Zheng was thinking about the ceramics factory project, which he had personally overseen. However, the higher-ups were now placing more emphasis on computer automation control. Nevertheless, he felt he should still consult Li Feng for his opinion.

At this moment, Deputy Director Zheng pondered for a moment before speaking to Li Feng on the other end of the phone: "The ceramics factory is indeed a key project... However, your prototype has just been successfully debugged, and it is a critical period to press on and conduct system integration and application testing. If you, as the chief person in charge, leave, can things be done?"

"Don't worry, Director," Li Feng explained calmly. "After the prototype is successfully debugged, the next step is a lot of stability and compatibility testing. This is a relatively time-consuming task that needs to be carried out step by step. I have already formulated the specific technical solutions and testing procedures, and Professor Wang, Professor Fei, and the group leaders are fully capable of handling it."

"My absence for a few days will not affect the overall progress of the project. Moreover, the automated production line of the ceramics factory can actually be regarded as an early application test field for our computer control system. My visit there can be used to collect some first-hand data from the site, which will prepare for the subsequent research and development of CNC machine tools."

Li Feng's words were reasonable and well-founded. They explained the necessity of his departure, ensured that the computer project would not be affected, and even cleverly connected the two matters.

After hearing this, Deputy Director Zheng immediately understood.

As someone who oversees production and planning, he naturally understands the importance of having the chief technical officer overseeing a large-scale project during the final assembly stage. Moreover, the automation project at the ceramics factory was a benchmark project he spearheaded, a significant achievement demonstrating his vision and decisiveness to the ministry. The successful commissioning of this project would be equally significant.

“Okay! I understand!” Deputy Director Zheng immediately made the decision. “Your consideration is very thorough. Here’s what you’ll do: carefully hand over the work here to Professor Wang and the others, and then go back. The ceramics factory is a tough nut to crack, but it’s also a flagship of our light industry system. We must crack it, and we must establish it firmly! If you need any support, just give me a call anytime!”

"Yes! Thank you, Director!" Li Feng felt relieved.

"No need to thank me! It's all for work!" Deputy Director Zheng laughed heartily. "You're destined to work non-stop. You just finished one major battle and are about to head to another. Take care of yourself, don't overwork yourself!"

"I will, don't worry."

After hanging up the phone, Li Feng let out a long sigh of relief.

He stood up, walked to the window, looked at the busy construction site outside and the hazy outline of Beijing in the distance, and felt a surge of boundless enthusiasm.

Battlefield after battlefield—this was exactly what he had hoped for. Because each charge meant that, under his leadership, the nation was taking a solid step towards a brighter future. (End of Chapter)