Courtyard House: Starting in a Ceramics Factory

Installation is merely assembling the skeleton, while debugging is about infusing this massive steel frame with soul.

This soul is the computer control program that Li Feng wrote and designed himself.

In the following days, the factory was no longer filled with the clanging and banging of hammers; instead, it was filled with a more refined and quiet busyness.

Li Feng, along with the core technicians from the Equipment Management Department, plunged headlong into the complex debugging work.

Zhou Miaomiao and Wang Ping, as the head and deputy head of the Equipment Management Section, practically became Li Feng's right and left hands.

Both of them were technicians personally trained by Li Feng, and now they know all kinds of machinery and equipment in the factory like the back of their hand.

They were all top students who graduated from Jinling University, with solid theoretical knowledge and quick learning ability.

“Zhou Miaomiao, look here,” Li Feng pointed to a control cabinet with its chassis half-open. Inside, the densely packed wires and electronic components flashing with a faint light were dazzling to behold. “The feedback signal of this logic gate circuit has a delay, although it’s only a fraction of a second. But at high speeds, it’s enough to cause positioning errors.”

We need to add a signal amplification and calibration module here.

Zhou Miaomiao leaned closer, but these things were like a foreign language to her. She could understand each word individually, but when put together, they were completely incomprehensible.

After all, Zhou Miaomiao is studying mechanical engineering, but she still doesn't understand these things very well.

"Director Li, how...how do we add this?"

Li Feng didn't answer directly. Instead, he picked up a soldering iron and a small roll of solder and said to Wang Ping next to him, "Wang Ping, come and watch my operation. Pay attention to the angle and time I use for soldering. On this kind of precision circuit board, if the temperature is too high or the time is too long, the components can easily be burned out."

His movements were fluid and steady, his wrist deliberate as he lightly touched the circuit board with the soldering iron. A wisp of smoke rose, and a shiny solder joint was perfectly formed. As he operated the iron, he explained the underlying principles: "The core of computer control is countless 'yes' and 'no' judgments. Our program issues instructions, sensors provide feedback signals, and the system determines the next action based on these signals. What we need to do now is ensure that every signal is accurate and every instruction is executed perfectly."

Wang Ping watched intently, feeling that the theoretical knowledge she had learned in college had suddenly become vivid and concrete in Li Feng's eyes.

Moreover, Wang Ping also learned about other professional knowledge. Afterwards, she quickly took out her notebook and wrote down every key point Li Feng mentioned.

Li Feng didn't just do the work himself; more often, he guided and taught. He would deliberately create small glitches and have the technicians troubleshoot them. From the simplest continuity tests to complex program logic checks, he patiently taught everyone.

"Don't be afraid of making mistakes. The debugging process is a process of continuous trial and error. Every failure means that we are one step closer to success." Li Feng's words were like the warm sun in winter, dispelling everyone's fear and anxiety when facing unknown technologies.

After a few days, Zhou Miaomiao and Wang Ping, along with the technicians in the department, were able to handle some simple debugging problems independently.

They watched those cold machines perform precise movements under their control, and the sense of accomplishment they felt was unprecedented.

The factory leaders, especially Director Zhu and Director Wu, were paying close attention to the progress of the commissioning.

Factory Director Zhu would come to the site twice a day without fail, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. He didn't ask many questions, but just stood not far away, watching Li Feng and a group of people working around the control panel. Their focused efforts reassured him.

"Director Li, how's it going? Any difficulties? If you need anything from logistics, just let me know!" Director Zhu rubbed his hands together, exhaling a puff of white breath.

"Don't worry, Director Zhu, everything is going according to plan." Li Feng looked up from a pile of blueprints. Although his eyes were bloodshot, he was still full of energy. "The progress is going smoothly. We expect to be able to conduct full-line linkage testing in about ten days."

"Good, good, good!" Factory Director Zhu said three times, his wrinkles smoothing out. "No rush, safety first, quality first!"

He said he wasn't in a hurry, but as soon as he got back to his office, he immediately picked up the phone and dialed Deputy Director Zheng's number in the ministry.

"Hello, Director Zheng? This is Old Zhu from Wuxing Ceramics Factory... Yes, yes, I'm here to report to you that Comrade Li Feng's debugging work is progressing very smoothly! Yes, he said it will take about ten more days... Hey, don't worry, the entire factory is fully supporting you, providing manpower and materials as needed! We will definitely live up to your expectations!"

Director Zhu makes such calls every day. He knows that this project is not only about the future of the ceramics factory, but also a decision made by Deputy Director Zheng despite opposition, and its significance has long exceeded the scope of a single factory.

Factory Director Wu pays more attention to details. He will lead people to check the electrical safety on site and arrange for the canteen to provide extra meals for the workers who work overtime, such as steaming hot meat buns and ginger soup.

Sometimes, Wu Na, the head of the finance department, would come over. She would always find an excuse to refill Li Feng's enamel mug with hot water, and then casually ask, "Li Feng, I heard that the system you designed is more advanced than those abroad?"

Li Feng simply smiled and nodded: "We're taking a completely new path, with the goal of being more efficient and more stable."

Wu Na looked at his confident and composed profile, which seemed to be coated with a halo under the light, and her eyes unconsciously revealed a trace of infatuation.

Time passed by day by day in this tense yet orderly rhythm.

A dozen days later, on a cold morning, the atmosphere at the debugging site reached its most somber point.

Today is the day for the full-line integrated testing.

All the technicians involved in the project, the people from the equipment management department and the engineering department, as well as Factory Director Zhu, Factory Director Wu and other leaders, all gathered at the beginning of the production line.

On the brand-new production line, rows of pristine white ceramic blanks are ready to be laid out.

Li Feng stood in front of the central control console and took a deep breath. Behind him were dozens of pairs of eyes filled with anticipation and tension.

"Attention all units, check your respective areas. Full-line testing will begin in three minutes." Li Feng's voice was clearly transmitted to every corner of the production line through the factory's public address system.

"Area One is normal!"

"Area Two is normal!"

"..."

As reports came from various areas, the entire factory became so quiet that only the sound of everyone breathing could be heard.

Li Feng's gaze swept over the rows of flashing indicator lights on the control panel. His finger hovered over the start button for a moment before he resolutely pressed it.

"Om-"

A low, rumbling electrical hum filled the air, and the entire production line seemed to slowly awaken like a sleeping dragon. The conveyor belt began to rotate smoothly, and the robotic arms extended precisely, steadily grasping, placing, and transporting each blank... From blank forming to drying, and then to subsequent transfer, every step was seamlessly connected.

The silver-white robotic arm traced graceful arcs under the lights, and the blanks on the conveyor belt moved forward smoothly like rows of neat soldiers. There was not a single stutter, not a single unnecessary noise, only the unique, rhythmic sound of the machine in operation, like a magnificent industrial symphony.

Wang Ping held a stopwatch in her hand, her eyes fixed on the end of the production line.

When the first qualified embryo was steadily delivered to the designated position, she abruptly pressed the stopwatch.

"It's out! It's out!" she shouted excitedly.

Zhou Miaomiao snatched the stopwatch, stared at the numbers on it, and froze. She looked at it several times before saying to Director Zhu in a trembling voice, "Director... this... this speed..."

"Well? Tell me quickly!" Director Zhu stamped his feet anxiously.

"It's faster than the first phase of the production line... twice as fast! A full twice as fast!"

With a loud "boom," the crowd instantly erupted in cheers!
"Success!"

"My God! It's twice as fast!"

"Deputy Factory Director Li is amazing!"

Cheers and applause resounded throughout the factory.

Many of the veteran technicians were so excited that their eyes welled up with tears. They patted each other on the shoulder, laughing and jumping.

The production line they installed and debugged by hand created an unprecedented miracle!
Factory Director Zhu rushed forward excitedly, grabbed Li Feng's hand tightly, and shook it vigorously: "Factory Director Li! You...you are truly our factory's treasure! No, you are the treasure of our nation's industry!"

A genuine smile spread across Li Feng's face as he looked at the cheering crowd and the smoothly operating production line, his heart filled with a tremendous sense of accomplishment. This was more than just a production line; it was the culmination of his wisdom and a microcosm of the industrialization process of this era.

……

Beijing, Planning Department of the Ministry of Light Industry.

In Deputy Director Zheng's office, the telephone rang urgently.

He picked up the phone, but before he could even speak, he heard Director Zhu's voice, which was so excited it was almost distorted.

"Deputy Director Zheng! We succeeded! We succeeded! The entire production line passed the joint testing on the first try! Production efficiency is twice as fast as the first phase of the project! Twice as fast!"

Deputy Director Zheng suddenly stood up from his chair, so forcefully that the chair slid backward a considerable distance and crashed into the filing cabinet with a dull thud.

But he couldn't care less about any of that; his blood seemed to be burning at that moment.

"Good! Good! Good!" Deputy Director Zheng exclaimed three times in a row, his voice booming with barely suppressed joy and excitement. "Old Zhu! You did a great job! That kid Li Feng really didn't disappoint me!"

This project faced immense pressure from the very beginning. Many people questioned it, and many others remained hesitant, believing that he was betting everything on a young man in his early twenties, which was too radical and too risky.

And now, facts have given the loudest response!
This is not just a technological transformation project for a factory; it's a successful exploration of the future direction of industrial development! Computer-controlled automation—this is the right path!

"I'll go report to Minister Jiang right now!" Deputy Director Zheng hung up the phone and paced back and forth in his office excitedly.

This is not only a victory for the Five Star Ceramics Factory, but also a victory for Zheng himself! This weighty achievement is enough to make him stand tall in the ministry and even at higher levels!

He quickly straightened his attire, buttoning his Zhongshan suit collar meticulously, picked up the documents on the table, his eyes flashing with sharp, excited light, and strode towards Minister Jiang's office. He knew that a new era for Chinese industry might be about to begin with this report. (End of Chapter)