Siheyuan: Starting from the driver

Chapter 800 The Chess Game Relapses

The next morning.

"Excuse me!"

"Newspapers for sale! Breaking news! A truly earth-shattering event has occurred!!"

The newspaper boy reappeared on the streets and alleys.

Instantly, everyone rushed into the yard without even washing up.

"Give me one!"

"Here you go! I'll have an extra edition!"

"What exactly happened? Tell me quickly!"

Everyone stared intently at the contents of the newspaper.

"what!"

The newspaper read:

"(This newspaper reports) In order to maintain market order and protect the interests of the general public, the industry and commerce bureaus and public security organs closely cooperated yesterday."

"We have cracked down on and investigated various cases of illegal private exchange and sale of goods, and arrested the suspects involved. This has effectively deterred the arrogance of criminals."

The content is very impressive, but for various reasons, very little of it can be released.

But even this small part shocked the general public.

"Well done! These parasites who dabble in these things deserve to be dealt with severely!"

A middle-aged man in overalls suddenly slapped his thigh, his face showing a long-suppressed sense of satisfaction. "Last time, I almost got skinned alive by those bastards just trying to get some food coupons for my mother!"

"Exactly! Disrupting the market and reselling tickets deserves to be thrown in jail!"

An older woman carrying a shopping basket next to her nodded repeatedly, her wrinkles revealing a sense of satisfaction. "These people, they inflate the prices of perfectly good things to such exorbitant levels, they've lost all their conscience!"

"Well done! That's the kind of tough attitude we need!"

An elderly man with gray hair, leaning on a cane, spoke in a loud voice, "That's how it should be! Stand up for us ordinary people, and see if they dare to act lawlessly again!"

The cries of newsboys, the chatter of the crowd, and the indignant condemnations all applauded the action.

Incidentally, they also caught up with all the ticket scalpers who had been hiding during this period, killing two birds with one stone.

However, beneath every wave lies an undercurrent.

Everything has its good and bad sides.

Amidst the discussions on the streets and alleys, besides the mainstream applause, some dissenting voices gradually emerged:

"Sigh, it's finally peaceful now, but my husband does manual labor and just wants to eat something with lots of oil and fat. It'll be even harder to make that up now."

"Who can argue with that? My child is growing, and the rationed amount of supplementary food is hardly enough. In the past, we could secretly supplement it a little bit."

"The arrests were swift and effective, but with the ticket scalpers gone, where are ordinary people like us supposed to find some of the hottest items?"

This conflicting emotion is spreading.

But! Where there is demand, there must be supply.

Just a few days later, in the evening, while the excitement of the newspaper's extra edition was still lingering, in the back room of an inconspicuous little teahouse.

Several people with different expressions sat around a few old square tables.

Old Jin, a middle-aged man wearing a slightly worn gray Zhongshan suit, used to be a purchasing agent for a state-owned store and was very familiar with the ins and outs of the distribution of goods.

Later, he was dismissed due to misconduct and became a minor node in the underground distribution network.

He narrowly escaped the storm a few days ago, but several of his key subordinates were caught in it.

"Master Jin, things are getting tense. Should we take a break?" one of his men asked cautiously.

"Take a break?" Old Jin took a sip of his cheap jasmine tea, his voice low and hoarse. "Take a break? Starve? Those people up there..."

He gestured with his chin toward the door, "They're satisfied now, they've arrested people and established their authority, but life still goes on. Workers have to work, farmers have to farm, cadres have to attend meetings, and students have to study."

"Humans need to eat, drink, and relieve themselves; they have emotions and desires. Food coupons and meat coupons—which of these can they do without? Who can get enough by relying solely on rationing? Will these needs disappear just because people are arrested?"

"But Mr. Jin, the investigation is so strict now."

“Strict?” Old Jin scoffed. “Even the strictest net has loopholes. Before, we were openly scalping tickets, which was like walking into a trap.”

"Now we need to change our approach and remember a few words: barter, introductions from acquaintances, and leaving no trace."

He put down his tea cup.

"This cleanup is a good thing for us. I've long disliked those shady methods; they're not meticulous at all!"

"It's good that they were caught this time. We can take this opportunity to take back our territory."

After saying a few words that pleased everyone, he then began to give orders.

"First, let's not resell tickets for now; the risk is too great, and the target is too obvious. From now on, we'll just act as intermediaries, connecting people and facilitating direct exchanges."

"We don't handle tickets or large sums of cash; we only charge a small service fee or exchange them for things we need."

Secondly, we only serve regular customers, or new customers referred by regular customers; we do not deal with strangers at all.

After the demands were made, several of his men looked at Lao Jin in disbelief, not expecting him to have come up with a solution in such a short time.

just.

"Mr. Jin, the profit margin is too thin, and it's so troublesome."

"Trouble? Want quick money? The consequences of wanting quick money are written in the extra edition!"

Old Jin snorted coldly, "Thin? It may be thin, but it's safe! Don't you understand the concept of a steady, long-term strategy? Now is not the time to make a fortune, but to survive and preserve our connections!"

"Once this storm passes and we've mastered this route, we won't have to worry about not having meat to eat."

This is a more hidden and difficult path, and the profits are far less than those from the previous practice of dealing in tickets and certificates.

But it seems to be the only way to survive right now.

"Mr. Jin, can we still contact those old customers? They must be panicking right now."

"Contact them!" Old Jin said firmly, "but in a different way. Don't call, and don't come to their door directly."

"Find an excuse and have your child or a trusted neighbor pretend to be visiting and deliver a message."

He took out a crumpled piece of paper covered with code names and personal names: "These are the most reliable and most urgently needed companies that I selected from my old clients."

"You guys take responsibility and don't cause any trouble. If something does happen, don't blame me for not helping."

The new rules of the game were quietly established in the back room of this teahouse.

Steel rolling mill.

The outside disturbances did not affect the factory's production.

"I'll leave this to you."

"Okay, Engineer Ling." Li Kailang nodded and turned to leave.

The grinding machine that was repaired last month has broken down again.

The grinding machine had many problems before, and Li Kailang was only responsible for fixing some of them.

Unexpectedly, problems arose again after only a short period of use.

We went straight to the workshop.

As soon as Director Shen of the workshop saw Li Kailang, he immediately went to greet him.

"Technician Li, thank you for making this trip."

The previous Director Sun was demoted and it's unclear where he's working now. "It was all part of his duty."

When operator Zhang saw Li Kailang, he felt like he had seen a savior.

"Technician Li! You've finally arrived! This grinding machine... it's acting up again!"

Engineer Zhang spoke rapidly, pointing to the grinding machine that was emitting an unusually dull friction sound.

"In just the last two days, the dimensions of the processed workpieces have been fluctuating wildly, and the tolerances are completely out of control! I've adjusted them again and again according to the procedures, but they just won't cooperate!"

Engineer Zhang explained in detail the recent problems with the grinding machine.

Li Kailang, relying on the repair panel, was still dealing with the same old problem.

The grinding machine exhibits abnormal overall accuracy, resulting in dimensional fluctuations in the machined parts.

1. Replace the core powertrain assembly

2. Create replacement and repair components for the subsystem.

He only managed to repair a part of it.

Without saying much, he walked to the grinder, but instead of starting, he quietly observed it.

The sound of the machine was indeed somewhat unusual; it was less smooth and more sluggish with subtle vibrations.

In response to the issues raised by Engineer Zhang, Li Kailang conducted another thorough inspection.

The hydraulic system has stable pressure, no shock during reversal, and no obvious wear or loosening of the base guide rails.
"The problem has been found." Li Kailang straightened up and said to the tense Director Shen and Engineer Zhang:

"The problem lies in the spindle drive system. It's likely that the coupling system is malfunctioning, causing unstable power transmission and resulting in loss of precision. A new shim assembly needs to be replaced."

The root of the problem is not the spindle itself, but the elastic element inside the key coupler that connects the spindle and the drive gear—the special alloy gasket assembly.

It exhibited uneven fatigue wear and slight deformation.

It is this tiny flaw that causes imperceptible fluctuations and lags in power transmission, ultimately resulting in a loss of control over the precision of the machined parts.

Director Shen breathed a sigh of relief: "It's good that it can be replaced! Do you have spare parts in the warehouse? I'll have someone go and get them right away!"

Li Kailang shook his head slightly, his brows furrowing: "This kind of grinding machine is imported."

Just one sentence was enough to make Director Shen frown deeply.

None of the imported goods are cheap.

Moreover, if you want to switch, you have to wait for imports.

"What can we do? We can't just wait, can we? We're under pressure to meet production targets!"

“No need for that. We can try to repair the positioning groove and make a temporary replacement gasket. I’ll try to see if I can make it.” Li Kailang immediately made the decision.

With his Level 8 technical skills, Li Kailang was confident in his abilities.

Even if the parts produced by our own steel rolling mill are not as good as those imported, they won't be too far off.

Even if it's much worse, just treat it as a consumable item and replace it frequently.

"Made?" Engineer Zhang's eyes widened. "These are components from imported precision parts!"

"Let's give it a try." Li Kailang didn't explain further and turned to Engineer Zhang: "Could you please prepare the materials for me, Master Zhang?"

Having witnessed Li Kailang's previous methods, Engineer Zhang dared not delay and immediately went to find him.

Director Shen also directed the other workers to clear out their workbenches.

In no time, all the materials and tools were ready.

Li Kailang went straight to the point.

The process doesn't need to be detailed.

Zhang Gong watched as Li Kailang made an extra L-shaped reinforcing plate, which was not included in the gasket assembly.

Immediately, I couldn't help but ask, "Technician Li, what is this sheet of metal?"

"The original coupler's support design at this location was a bit flimsy, and the concentrated stress made it prone to deformation. Adding this liner helps to distribute the pressure and extend its lifespan."

Li Kailang offered an explanation while continuing to work with his hands.

Before long, identical gasket components were produced and directly mounted on the grinding machine.

"Give it a try." Li Kailang wiped his sweat and gestured for Engineer Zhang to turn on the machine.

Zhang took a deep breath and pressed the start button.

The grinding machine spindle started to rotate smoothly. At first, there were some minor noises, but as the machine oil lubricated properly and the speed increased, the unsettling dull friction sound and the feeling of stiffness really disappeared!
Instead, it produces a uniform, smooth, and powerful operating sound.

Engineer Zhang couldn't wait to put the materials on for a trial grinding.

After finishing one workpiece, he nervously picked up a micrometer to measure it—the dimensions were stable and perfectly met the tolerance requirements! He tried another one, and it was the same!

"Amazing! Technician Li! Absolutely amazing!" Engineer Zhang was so excited his face turned red, and his voice trembled. "It's stable! Absolutely stable! It's definitely enough!"

Director Shen breathed a long sigh of relief. "That's great! Technician Li, you've saved the day!"

Li Kailang just smiled faintly and said while packing up his tools, "Director Shen, this is an emergency measure. The wear resistance and lifespan of homemade gaskets are definitely not as good as the original parts."

"Please pay more attention in the future, and stop the machine immediately for inspection if there are any problems."

Since it can be made, there is naturally no need to apply for original parts.

"Understood! Understood! I will definitely do as instructed!" Director Shen nodded repeatedly.

at the same time.

In a low-rise and crowded workers' residential area in the old city, a young man nicknamed "Skinny Monkey," one of Lao Jin's men, was following the information on the note and found his way to Wang the carpenter's door.

Instead of knocking on the door, he went to the neighboring yard and smiled at an elderly woman who was picking vegetables at her door.

“Auntie, I’m the brother-in-law of Uncle Wang’s colleague at the factory. Uncle Wang asked me to pass on a message to you, saying that there’s been news about the ‘two thick pine planks’ (a veiled reference to two jin of grain coupons) that you asked him to find.”

"Have your son go to his place before dinner, and remember to bring 'that newly made plane' (a veiled reference to cloth coupons or industrial vouchers of equivalent value) to see if it fits his hand."

The old lady, being someone who knew the situation, nodded knowingly: "Oh, I understand, thank you, young man. I'll tell my son right away."

It was late afternoon when Wang the carpenter had just finished dinner.

His son, a boy of about half a year old, carrying the three feet of cloth ration coupons his family had saved, slipped away to the vicinity of Li the blacksmith's house, which was two alleys away, according to the agreed-upon secret code.

He didn't go into the courtyard, but instead pretended to play outside the courtyard wall, loitering not far away.

Upon hearing the sound, Li the blacksmith's youngest daughter came out carrying an empty basket.

She saw Wang the carpenter's son, and the two exchanged a glance, their meaning unspoken.

The two pretended to be in a romantic relationship and walked a little further away, so that the strangers around them did not suspect anything.

Using the empty basket, Wang the carpenter's son took out three feet of cloth coupons and some money.

Li the blacksmith's daughter then took out two jin of grain coupons.

After confirming that the tickets were correct, the two immediately exchanged numbers and then went their separate ways.

Skinny Monkey leaned against the wall in the shadows of the alleyway not far away, like an idle man with nothing to do, but his eyes were sharp as he scanned his surroundings.

He watched as the two children successfully completed their barter exchange and left. Only then did he slowly straighten up, dust off his clothes, and prepare to go to the next spot to deliver a message.

Old Jin's new rules, thus, began to flow cautiously in a hidden corner, like an underground current.

The profits were indeed meager. This time, as an "intermediary," Lao Jin and his team each received a small amount of cloth coupons and grain coupons from both sides.

Although there wasn't much stuff, at least they managed to get out of there without leaving any trace of tickets or money.

(End of this chapter)