Back to the 80s Machinery Factory

Chapter 415 The Stingy Director Chen

"Director Chen, Comrade Pan didn't ask for anything, just some paint."

Zuo Zhuo took out a small medicine bottle and showed it to Chen Luyang, explaining, "It's nothing special, just some folk remedies."

"I won't give it to you!"

Chen Luyang's eyes widened.

Although technically he is not as good as Zuo Zhuo.

But there's an eighth-grade worker in the family, and Old Jin who comes over to scold them from time to time.

Having been exposed to it since childhood, I can understand quite a lot even just by listening.

The "traditional methods" that Zuo Zhuo mentioned are actually the "special skills" that each worker possesses.

In many cases, the quality of a part depends on the worker's "special skill".

We can't just teach it to anyone.

Pan Yu hissed, "Hey, Xiao Chen, how can you be so stingy! I've come all this way to work for you, and you won't even give me a small bottle of paint."

Chen Luyang rolled her eyes at him again.

"This small bottle contains a secret formula developed by our factory's technical backbone. We can't just give it to you casually... Unless, you also teach Zuo Zhuo your whole electrical control wiring trick!"

Pan Yu: ...

Zuo Zhuo just said it was a homemade method he developed himself.
As a result, it became the secret recipe of the provincial machinery factory in Chen Luyang's mouth.

"Well, Chen... I was wondering why you suddenly became so stingy. You were waiting for me here!"

Pan Yu finally understood Chen Luyang's little scheme and had no choice but to speak up.

Zuo Zhuo subconsciously looked at the machine tool.

The solder joints that Pan Yu had just repaired were smooth and full, and even the ends of the thin solder wires were pressed into standard arcs. The entire circuit board was neat and tidy. Even the seemingly harmless loose solder joints at the corners of the board were repaired with two layers of solder, and the finish was as smooth as drawing a picture.

Zuo Zhuo's eyes widened: "Comrade Pan, your skills are amazing! The solder joints look like they were printed out."

Pan Yuqian waved his hand modestly: "Our factory has strict rules. Before the control board is handed over, it has to undergo a full-process current test. If there is any flaw, blurry, or off-center part, it will be sent back to be redone. After doing this for a long time, my hands have become very skilled."

This wasn't something that could be achieved through grinding!

Chen Luyang and Zuo Zhuo thought of this almost simultaneously.

At first glance, Chen Luyang could tell that this welding technique was extraordinary.

If they could learn this skill, the repair shop would be much better off in the future.

"Brother Pan~"

Chen Luyang changed his tune, grinning and massaging Pan Yu's shoulders, trying to persuade her with sweet words.
"We'll give you the paint, can you teach us how to weld this?"

"This is called cash in kind and technology exchange, a win-win situation!"

This expression is completely different from the one just now, when he looked so righteous and determined to guard the secret formula to the death!
Pan Yu and Zuo Zhuo were both stunned.

Isn't Chen Luyang's change of expression a bit too fast?

"Hey Chen, how come your face changes faster than our factory's speed control box!" Pan Yu was exasperated.

"Just a moment ago you were saying 'technical secrets must not be disclosed,' and now you're putting them on my shoulders?!"

"Isn't this all negotiation strategy?" Chen Luyang said considerately, massaging Pan Yu's shoulders and neck.

Just as Chen Luyang was about to launch another round of his shameless attacks, Pan Yu couldn't take it anymore and broke free from Chen Luyang's clutches as if fleeing for her life.

"Okay! I'll teach you if you want to learn."

Before Chen Luyang could even feel happy about Pan Yu's offer of instruction...

Zuo Zhuo's side has run into trouble again!
"Director... I... I need to ask my master first."

Zuo Zhuo looked at Chen Luyang awkwardly: "I can only learn if my master agrees to it."

Chen Luyang's smile froze on her face.

A breath caught in my throat, I couldn't get it up or down.

I almost choked to death.

The people at the provincial machinery factory are all wonderful.

They're just too stubborn and inflexible!
A master is more important than anything else; a master is like one's own father.

You have to listen to your master first in everything.

No matter how new the technology or the outside job, no matter how rare it is!!

Unless the master approves, it's "someone else's job" and you can't touch it.

It would be fine if Zhang Guoqiang agreed.

If he even frowned, Zuo Zhuo wouldn't bother learning Pan Yu's welding techniques.

Pan Yu stared at Zuo Zhuo in astonishment.

He truly hadn't expected that Zuo Zhuo would say something like that at this critical juncture!

These days, when faced with new technologies and opportunities, who wouldn't want to secretly learn a little bit?
Even secretly memorizing a step or a formula and figuring it out yourself is better than trying to figure it out by yourself.

But Zuo Zhuo's first question was about his master?!

In an instant,
Pan Yu looked at Zuo Zhuo with a serious expression.

...They got serious, but Chen Luyang was speechless.

"Then what are you standing there for! Go ask her!"

Chen Luyang really wanted to kick Zuo Zhuo in the butt and send him flying to Zhang Guoqiang's side.

It's not easy for Pan Yu to come all this way, if she dawdles any longer she'll just leave.

Zuo Zhuo then realized what was happening, quickly threw down the screwdriver in his hand, and ran towards Zhang Guoqiang, who was drawing blueprints.

Zhang Guoqiang was originally drawing blueprints.

Upon hearing Zuo Zhuo's request, Zhang Guoqiang paused, his pencil twitching, and his eyebrows shot up.

“Learn!”

Zhang Guoqiang's voice suddenly rose, "What's there to ask me!"

"If someone's willing to teach you, why don't you hurry up and learn properly!"

"If you can't learn this, I'll teach you a lesson!"

"Go now!!!"

Seeing Zhang Guoqiang getting anxious, Zuo Zhuo quickly said, "Understood, Master!"

Watching Zuo Zhuo's figure run away into the distance, Tan Rensong said with delight, "Little Zuo is a really good kid."

Zhang Guoqiang raised his eyebrows, feigning composure: "How could my apprentice be bad?"

Run back to the machine tool,

Zuo Zhuo was a little embarrassed: "Comrade Pan, my master has agreed to let me learn from you."

Zuo Zhuo seemed to realize that his actions just now were impolite, and he tentatively asked in a low voice:

"Comrade Pan, will you still teach me?"

“Teach! Of course I will teach!” Pan Yu said without the slightest hesitation.

"If I don't teach, I wonder what your director will do to me when he goes back to school."

Chen Luyang said shyly, "Brother Pan, I'm not that kind of person~~~"

Pan Yuli didn't even bother to acknowledge him.

"Comrade Pan, this is the paint and formula."

Zuo Zhuo took out a small medicine bottle from his pocket, quickly wrote down the prescription on a piece of paper with a pencil, and handed it to Pan Yu.

Pan Yu looked at Zuo Zhuo with great appreciation, accepted the small medicine bottle and formula, then took out another empty terminal block, selected a spare wire, and demonstrated as she spoke:
“Our machine tool follows the ‘three-point positioning, five-corner protection’ method. This line wasn’t pulled up…” Pan Yu suddenly turned her head halfway through her speech and looked at Chen Luyang, who was eavesdropping beside her.

"What are you listening to? I only agreed to teach Xiao Zuo, I didn't say I'd teach you too."

Chen Luyang said shamelessly, "...I'll just listen along~"

"Even listening isn't allowed!"

"...I don't know how to fix things, so I just followed along and watched."

"You can't even look!"

"...Fine, I won't listen!"

snort!
……

After the meal was prepared, more than a dozen men squeezed together to eat at the ping-pong table on the second floor.

Zuo Zhuo had just learned a new welding technique and was still in a state of excitement. He couldn't help but excitedly describe it to Zhang Guoqiang, wanting to be the first to share any good news with his master.

Zhang Guoqiang really wanted to stuff his mouth shut with a steamed bun!

That foolish apprentice!

Even if you really want to say something, shouldn't you wait until everyone's left?

We're all at the same dinner table. If you say these things to your master, how is he supposed to react?

The veins on Zhang Guoqiang's temples were throbbing so hard they looked like rubber bands.

He listened calmly to Zuo Zhuo's excited words, inwardly sighing heavily, then cheerfully picked up his wine glass:
"Comrade Pan, it's a great thing that you came here today to teach Xiao Zuo a few moves. I'd like to toast you."

Pan Yu quickly put down his chopsticks and picked up his wine glass with both hands: "Master Zhang, you are too kind. I dare not accept the title of 'teacher'. I just wanted to have a chat with Xiao Zuo."

"Xiao Zuo is a very talented and skillful child. He learns quickly after being taught."

"You've really given me a great mentor!"

Zhang Guoqiang chuckled and said, "Don't let his slow tongue fool you, my apprentice is incredibly quick to learn. He picks things up as soon as you teach him. It saves me so much trouble!"

……

The two experienced chefs, holding wine glasses at the dinner table, subtly steered the conversation towards Zuo Zhuo.

Zuo Zhuo sat on the table, grinning foolishly, listening to the two men praise him, one sentence after another.
It's so beautiful.
The next moment, someone kicked him hard under the table.

Zuo Zhuo's smug mood was interrupted, and he looked at Chen Luyang with a puzzled expression.

His eyes seemed to ask, "Why did you kick me for no reason?"

Chen Luyang rolled her eyes so hard they almost reached the sky.

He tapped his chopsticks on his wine glass, then subtly glanced at Zhang Guoqiang and Pan Yu from side to side.
He gestured to Zuo Zhuo not to sit there like a fool, but to get up and offer a toast.

Can't you tell the difference between different occasions?

Fortunately, Zuo Zhuo wasn't too stupid.

After Chen Luyang gave him a few meaningful glances, Zuo Zhuo quickly stood up, gave Zhang Guoqiang and Pan Yujing a nod, and that was the end of it.

"Brother Pan, what do you think of my workshop? Any suggestions?"

Seeing three people sit down,
Chen Luyang cheekily approached Pan Yu and asked.

"This place is really great," Pan Yu said truthfully. "The layout of the equipment on site is ingenious and orderly, conforming to the specifications of the 'standard procedures' while also having a flexible and down-to-earth feel. The equipment entry and exit routes are clear, the tool tables are appropriately spaced, and the workstation lines are clearly marked. It is standardized but not rigid, orderly but practical. It can handle tasks, handle emergencies, and allow people to move around freely. Even in urgent repairs, things don't get chaotic. Moreover, everyone here is a 'multi-skilled worker,' each person can manage at least two or three workstations. It's really great, really great!"

Director Lu, Zhang Guoqiang, Tan Rensong, and Liu Kangwen listened at the dinner table with indifferent expressions, neither speaking nor expressing their opinions.

Just take this kind of praise with a grain of salt.

Although the No. 1 Machine Tool Factory in Pian'er City was impressive, their provincial machinery factory was also a major national factory.

If we really want to have a showdown, look at the workshop, compare skills, and no one will be convinced.

What Pan Yu said is child's play.

To put it bluntly, what is Pan Yu compared to you?

The old master craftsman has a deep-rooted self-confidence that he thinks his own methods are the best and his factory's approach is the most correct!
It's always been other companies coming to the factory to visit, learn, and humbly seek advice.
Why should someone else come over and teach you "how to do your job"?

But Chen Luyang is not like that at all.

He wants to see, touch, and hear anything that is new or that others have.

He listened to Pan Yu's words with great enthusiasm, then his face fell, and he said speechlessly:
"Brother Pan, are you writing a novel here?! This whole thing... it's making me totally confused!"

"I didn't come here to praise me, but to give my brother some advice."

"Our operation is still small, and we can change anything."

Pan Yu glanced at Chen Luyang: "Really? Just kidding? You won't hold a grudge if you do?"

Chen Luyang said aggrievedly, "Brother Pan, I'm not that petty! I'm a straightforward and honest man from Northeast China, would I really do something like forcing you to drink soy milk?!"

Pan Yu's eyelids twitched.

Chen Luyang might not do anything else, but this kind of shady thing is really hard to imagine.

"Alright, then let me say a few words."

Pan Yu said, “Your repair shop looks like it has taken into account the standard workshop wiring diagram. The flow is reasonable and the ventilation and lighting are also well thought out. But when you encounter heavy parts or large-sized tools, the space is obviously not enough when several mechanics are gathered around.”

“Take the T616 machine tool for example. If you really want to ‘load parts onto the machine’ and add tooling racks and padding supports, the position will be very tight. For large machine tools like this, each movement involves hundreds of kilograms of parts. Without some margin, you won’t be able to move around properly when you’re really working on it.”

"And that vertical lathe against the wall, if you need to disassemble the motor or replace the part, there's not even a place to put your feet. The repairman has to squeeze in sideways. If you're not careful, you can easily strain your back if you do it too much."

Chen Luyang frowned as she looked at the workshop layout: "Anything else?"

“Another issue is the workshop aisles,” Pan Yu said. “I see that your drawing area, testing station, and disassembly station are all lined up in a straight line, with no quick access between workstations. If there are emergency repairs, urgent parts, or overlapping operations, the workers have to take a long detour. This not only affects efficiency but also makes it easy to make mistakes.”

“Our factory tried this layout before, and it looked really nice, but after three months we changed it back. It’s just not suitable for people to work in groups.”

Upon hearing this, several of the older workers who had remained silent at the dinner table subtly raised their eyebrows.

However, he only twitched his eyebrows.

Chen Luyang, on the other hand, pondered it carefully.

Pan Yu makes a good point.

The provincial machinery factory has a large workshop and many people, so this stable arrangement is indeed fine.

However, car maintenance and repair centers are busy with a lot of vehicles and have limited space, so the layout of the front line is inevitably stretched thin.

We could try to find a way to integrate the two approaches.

"You have to admit, Director Pan has such great taste!" Chen Luyang chuckled, raising her glass and clinking it against Pan Yu's.
"Cheers~"

……

Since everyone has to go back to school tonight
So around 3 p.m., the six students from class 421 packed up and prepared to go back to school.

"Director, these are the blueprints we drew."

Zhang Guoqiang handed the three basic component drawings he had completed to Chen Luyang.

Chen Luyang opened it and took a look.

"Okay, I'll go back to school and find someone to help me with the rest."

"Please keep up the good work in the workshop. If you need anything, come to the school to find me anytime."

Director Lu said cheerfully, "Don't worry, Director Chen, we will definitely take good care of the house."

With Director Lu here, Chen Luyang was completely at ease.

"But there's still one thing... Do we have any money left in our accounts?"

Director Lu replied calmly, "Yes!"

"Last time, the four of us chipped in a few hundred yuan, right? Don't worry, Director Chen, the factory has enough money for everything! You should go back to school and focus on your studies."

(End of this chapter)