The Grandmother in the Siheyuan

Chapter 7 Cooling down
"You are still gloating over other people's misfortune." The head of the transportation department was furious: "Get out of here."

"Don't worry." Liu Hua immediately explained: "I'm from the equipment group. Trucks should also be part of the factory's equipment. I think I can help."

"We have a dedicated maintenance team in the Transportation Department."

Liu Hua nodded: "I don't know about that. I just came here to take a look. If I can help, I will try my best. What happened today?"

Someone said loudly: "Chief, the kid is very enthusiastic. Why don't you tell him about it? Three cobblers are better than one."

"Yes." Liu Hua also echoed, "I heard from my father that when fighting, grassroots officers and soldiers would often hold Zhuge meetings to review gains and losses. This is a fine tradition."

The section chief threw the cigarette butt to the ground and crushed it with his foot: "What can a little kid like you do? You are a fool and you can't do anything."

"You are underestimating me. Ambition does not depend on age."

The section chief smiled helplessly and said, "Then I'll tell you something. Our transportation department has a frequently used transportation route. If we take a shortcut, it's a long downhill slope, which is very dangerous. If we want to be safe, we have to take a long detour. This way, after a month, we can't keep up with the fuel supply."

"Long downhill?" Liu Hua nodded: "Is it because you can't stop the car?"

"You know a little bit." The section chief nodded. "Long-term braking causes the brake pads to overheat. Once heated, the brakes will fail easily. In addition, the things we transport are heavy and all metal. An experienced driver has to be extremely careful when driving there. An accident will happen if you are not careful."

Liu Hua smiled and said, "Hey, I didn't think it was a big deal. Now that we know the cause, can't we just make corrections based on it?"

"You are not a good talker, but you are not reliable in your work. You are really like that." The section chief waved his hand impatiently: "The brake pads overheat because we need to use the brakes frequently. As long as there is friction, it will easily overheat. What can you do? If you don't let it rub, doesn't it mean there is no brake?"

"Aren't you just being too picky?" Liu Hua shook his head. "Instead of trying to stop it from rubbing, why don't we just think about lowering the temperature?"

"Lower the temperature?"

Liu Hua clapped his hands and said, "Yes, you said that the brakes failed because the brake pads were overheated. If we make sure that the brake pads are not overheated, will the brakes be effective?"

Several experienced drivers clapped their hands and said, "That makes sense, but how can we prevent the brake pads from overheating? If the road were a little flatter, we could just find a place to stop and let it cool down. But this is a long downhill slope, and it's hard to even slow down, let alone stop."

"Then cool the brake pads while driving."

The section chief slammed the table and said, "This is a solution. Let's work in this direction. Since you have raised the problem, do you have the confidence to solve it?"

Liu Hua nodded: "I have some ideas. It's almost time to get off work today. I'll go home and think about it. I'll give you an answer on Monday. How about that?"

"No problem." The section chief patted Liu Hua on the shoulder and said, "If you can help me solve this problem, I will treat you to mutton hotpot at Donglaishun. No, the experienced drivers in our transportation department will treat you in turn until you vomit mutton."

"Are you rewarding me or punishing me?" Liu Hua said with a smile, "I'll go home and think about it, but I don't think it's a big problem."

"Since you said so, I'll be waiting for your good news. If you really succeed, it will be equivalent to saving the lives of everyone in our transportation department." Liu Hua waved his hand: "Please don't say that. It makes the burden on my shoulders heavier and heavier. My little shoulders can't bear such a heavy responsibility for the time being."

After the bell rang for the end of get off work, Liu Hua staggered out of the factory gate. He was not worried about what had just happened at all. This matter was too simple. Which big truck in the future would not be without a water tank? Although Liu Hua had not done any specific research, for a student of mechanical design, modifying a truck with a water tank is not something that can be done with just hands, but it is no different from a piece of cake.

The courtyards are a bit noisy at night. In this era of extremely slow information dissemination, people generally have nothing to entertain themselves, so if something unusual happens somewhere, it is very worth talking about.

The accident at the steel mill today was soon known to everyone in the surrounding area, and the old men and women in the yard were whispering about it.

The third aunt was a well-informed person. She gossiped with the middle-aged women around her while washing dishes.

"Have you heard anything else? The driver from the steel mill was in a car accident? I heard he was sent to the hospital, but couldn't be saved."

"Third Aunt, don't talk nonsense. He was sent to the hospital and is lying on the bed, but he is not dead. But I heard that the car is useless."

"Aunt Liu, this truck is damaged. Do we have to pay the steel mill for it? A large truck is very expensive."

"Fourth Aunt, this doesn't make sense. This is a work-related injury. How can someone who suffers a work-related injury have to compensate the steel mill? It is the steel mill that should pay the compensation."

"Sixth Aunt, what you said is not right. It is called pension only if the person dies. If the person is not dead, it is called work injury compensation."

An old man was playing chess with a few other men in the middle of the yard. He heard an old woman talking nonsense and coughed.

"Hey, you old ladies, stop talking nonsense. There is no final conclusion in the factory yet, so don't talk nonsense. This is called a rumor."

Sha Zhu was giving advice from the side, looking up and shouting, "Hua Zi, Hua Zi."

"What's the matter?" Liu Hua walked out of the room. "Why are you yelling? You're so jumpy while playing chess."

"No, I seemed to see you coming from the Transportation Department when I got off work today. Do you know about the accident?"

Liu Hua nodded: "Yes, the man was seriously injured and was in hospital. I didn't know the result until I got off work. The car was scrapped and completely useless."

Yan Jiecheng, the eldest of the three uncles' families, sighed and said, "They say that once the steering wheel is turned, even a county magistrate won't change it. It turns out that driving is so dangerous."

"What kind of job is not dangerous? There is even the risk of choking to death while eating." Liu Hua said jokingly: "The traffic laws in our country are not very complete yet. Fortunately, there are not many vehicles on the road now, otherwise it would be more dangerous."

"Cars are so expensive. Where do all these cars come from on the road?"

Liu Hua smiled and said, "You don't understand this? Western countries developed their industries earlier, so their cars are cheap. It can't be said that everyone has a car. But in the United States, there are at least tens of millions of cars in the country. Their roads are really crowded with cars."

(End of this chapter)