Rebirth in 1960, My Industrial Age

Chapter 14: Outstanding Performance in the Countryside
Early in the morning, Zhou Fengnian set out with a backpack and a toolbox.

He checked many times last night and even repaired the bicycles in the factory. Because he had to travel a long distance today, he was afraid that something might go wrong on the road, so Zhou Fengnian even applied some lubricating oil.

After the time travel, Zhou Fengnian felt that he had great strength and endurance. After leaving Sijiu City on his bicycle, he didn't feel tired at all.

It was not until noon when Zhou Fengnian felt tired after riding on the country mountain road for a long time that he stopped and took out some steamed bread and pickles to eat. After eating, he drank some water and rested for about ten minutes before continuing on his journey.

Along the way, they passed a commune and a rural village. Zhou Fengnian asked for directions only after showing his work permit and a certificate issued by the factory. Then he continued on his journey without much rest.

According to the fellow villager who showed him the way, Zhou Fengnian could easily reach Hongqi Commune before dark.

The wheels were moving quickly and Zhou Fengnian's legs were almost numb from pedaling, but he finally arrived at Hongqi Commune before dark.

"Zhang Anhong is such a bastard. If it weren't for him, I would have been riding in the same car with most of the gang now."

It was impossible to say that Zhou Fengnian was not angry. If there were more people, there would be trucks to take them, but he was the only one going to the countryside, so there was no need to send out the factory's trucks.

Zhang Anhong, this old bastard, abused his power for personal gain and was retaliated against for not wanting to be the son-in-law of the Xue family. He does not have the strength to retaliate for the time being, and it seems that he will not have the strength to retaliate in the future. Zhou Fengnian has made a note of this account, and when he finds the opportunity in the future, he will definitely not let Zhang Anhong go.

He couldn't afford to offend the deputy factory director for now, but it would be fine if Zhang Anhong did this once. If he did it again, it would be a slap in the face of Luo Cheng, a ninth-level engineer. Although Luo Cheng was only the head of the technical department, he was at least a department-level cadre.

"Stop! Who is it?"

Just as Zhou Fengnian was about to ride his bike into the commune, several armed militiamen stopped him.

Zhou Fengnian said immediately after getting off the car: "I am a technician from the Second Machinery Factory of Sijiucheng. This time I came to Hongqi Commune to help repair machinery in response to the policy of mutual assistance between workers and farmers. This is my work permit and certificate from the machinery factory."

Only after I explained my purpose and handed over my work ID did the militiamen let down their guard.

However, the leading team leader scratched his head in confusion and asked, "Comrade, are you alone? In previous years, many people came, and they drove trucks. Are they behind?"

Zhou Fengnian's mouth twitched, and he shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, comrade, I'm the only one this year, but the maintenance task will not be delayed. Why don't you take me to see the secretary first?"

After hearing what Zhou Fengnian said, the militia captain didn't know what to say. After telling the other two to continue patrolling, he brought Zhou Fengnian to the commune.

The secretary of the commune happened to be still here. After hearing the report from the militia captain, he came up to Zhou Fengnian and asked after checking his ID: "Comrade Zhou, why are you the only one here this year? Two tractors broke down in our commune alone. Moreover, I see that your factory's certificate seems to require you to go to three communes, and you are the only one here."

The commune secretary also became suspicious, but the work permit and the certificate issued by the Second Machine Factory were not fake. Could it be that the Second Machine Factory was fooling them?

"Secretary Bai, no matter how much I say now, you will doubt me. It's too late today. Why don't you let me fix it tomorrow? The leader always says that practice makes perfect. If I can fix it, everyone will be happy. If I can't do anything, then our commune can ask for help from the Second Machinery Factory earlier. What do you think?"

Zhou Fengnian's words were well-reasoned and his face was full of confidence, which made Bai Youtian gradually believe it. He would know whether the repair was good or not by giving it a try. Besides, there was no problem with the documents, so Bai Youtian made up his mind and said:
"You're right, Technician Zhou. I'll arrange accommodation for you first. You can stay in our commune today. Have you eaten?"

"I brought it myself, Secretary Bai."

Zhou Fengnian brought enough dry food for two meals, so he could have one meal at night. Besides, since he had not made any achievements, he was embarrassed to eat and drink too much in the commune.

After arranging accommodation, Zhou Fengnian locked the door and fell asleep soon after. He had been riding a bicycle all day and was very tired.

The next day, after getting up, Zhou Fengnian had a simple breakfast arranged by the commune, and then came to the commune warehouse, where he saw two broken tractors.

Secretary Bai said, "Technician Zhou, these are the only two tractors we have in Hongqi Commune. We used to have one tractor, but it broke down more than a month ago. Now we can only rely on mules and donkeys to transport food and supplies."

"Dongfanghong, this is the benchmark tractor of our country. Secretary Bai, don't worry, I am very familiar with the structure of this tractor." After Zhou Fengnian finished speaking, he gestured to Secretary Bai to step aside. He got into the driver's seat and pulled the hand accelerator. Then the tractor made an unusual noise, black gas came out, and then it broke down.

As soon as he heard the sound, Zhou Fengnian could almost determine what went wrong, and he was very familiar with the areas where Dongfanghong tractors often had problems.

After leaving the driver's seat, Zhou Fengnian took out his tool bag and said to Bai Youtian, "Secretary Bai, please call someone to help me. Otherwise, I can't move some things by myself."

"Okay, wait a minute and I'll go call someone."

After Bai Youtian finished speaking, he left and called over a strong young man after a while.

With someone's help, Zhou Fengnian felt much more relaxed. He removed the outer casing and then slowly took down the parts. After finding the place where the cylinder was clogged, he began to clean it.

With level six mechanical maintenance capabilities, operating a tractor like the Dongfanghong is no problem at all for Zhou Fengnian.

At the end of the day, he not only repaired the faulty parts, but also wrote down the parts that needed to be replaced on the tractor, preparing to tell the commune to buy them back.

At night, the sky gradually darkened and more and more people gathered around the commune warehouse. These people were not in a hurry to go home after work and came to see what was going on.

After all, these two tractors are the treasures of their Red Flag Commune.

"What's going on, Secretary?"

"Secretary, why is there only one person this time? Aren't there more than a dozen people in previous years?"

"How would I know? But it looks like it's been repaired. As for whether it can be repaired, we'll have to wait and see in a few days."

Bai Youtian replied to the other person and said that he didn't really believe Zhou Fengnian at first, and even felt that their commune would definitely have to ask for help from the Second Machinery Factory.

However, after watching for a day, he found that the repair was done in a very professional manner. Although he didn't quite understand it, being able to disassemble the tractor and then reassemble it was already very impressive in Bai Youtian's eyes.

"Secretary Bai, it's almost done. Please ask the comrades at the door to make way. I'll try to start the tractor."

Zhou Fengnian finished everything before it got completely dark, then sat in the driving seat and shouted to Bai Youtian.

After hearing this, Bai Youtian immediately shouted to disperse the people at the warehouse door to leave space for Zhou Fengnian.

Then Zhou Fengnian pulled the accelerator. This time there was no strange noise from the tractor. Instead, it started up with a clang. Zhou Fengnian drove it out of the warehouse, turned around, and then drove back.

When the onlookers saw it, they couldn't help but exclaimed in unison: "It's fixed! It's really fixed!"

"The master who came this time is really good. I heard he fixed it all by himself."

"Didn't Li Sangou go to help?"

"Li Sangou knows nothing. How can he have anything to do with repairing a tractor? This was fixed by a master from Sijiu City."

"That's true, if you put it that way."

(End of this chapter)