Back to the 80s Machinery Factory

Chapter 421 The more useless the parts, the better!

Muttered something,
The older woman called out to a passing student, asking her to knock on the door of room 201 and call Yu Xia down.

After a while

Yu Xia, wearing a thick coat, hurried downstairs.

At a glance, she spotted Chen Luyang standing at the door waiting.

She walked out of the dormitory with a suspicious look on her face: "You need something from me?"

"Senior, there's something I want to ask you about..."

Chen Luyang had only spoken halfway when she sensed that the atmosphere around her was a bit off.

Almost every girl who passed by the door would take a special look at the two of them.

It's the end of evening self-study, and people are coming and going from the girls' dormitory, with waves of people pouring into the building.

Upon suddenly spotting a male and female student chatting at the dormitory entrance, many girls instantly perked up and their eyes involuntarily drifted over.

Not to mention that Chen Luyang is tall, handsome, and energetic.

Two girls carrying thermos flasks passed by and winked at Yu Xia.

He looked like he hadn't quite managed to fart yet.

Yu Xia felt embarrassed and ashamed from being squeezed in the crowded room. She glared at them fiercely several times, wishing she could kick them back to the washroom.

"Senior, how about we take a walk and talk as we go?"

Even if Chen Luyang is thick-skinned, he still has to consider Yu Xia's reputation.

He's a handsome old man, and to put it bluntly, he's not afraid of girls staring at him.

The more daughters he sees, the happier he is.

But after all, the senior student was innocent.

If they keep standing and chatting under the girls' dormitory, who knows what kind of rumors will spread tomorrow or the day after!

"Okay!" Yu Xia couldn't wait to leave.

The two of them, one after the other, quickly crossed the grove of trees in front of the dormitory and headed straight for the main playground.

As more and more people gathered around them, and students walking, chatting, jogging, and exercising in twos and threes, the two slowed down.

"Senior, does your department have any projects that require used spark plugs, connectors, or anything like that?"

Yu Xia was taken aback and looked at him suspiciously: "Why are you asking this?"

Chen Luyang spoke frankly: "I asked Teacher Zhang to draw some blueprints before, but he refused, didn't he?"

"I was thinking, could you provide some materials that you could use in your research, so we could discuss cooperation from a different perspective?"

“Our repair center has a ton of parts. We disassemble cars every day, and we see all sorts of damage: burnt, broken, chipped, worn and deformed…”

"If you have projects that require fatigue analysis or damage modeling, this batch of materials should be quite useful."

After listening, Yu Xia couldn't help but say, "You're quite good at finding the right approach."

Chen Luyang pleaded pitifully, "I was forced into this situation, that's why I came up with this idea. Could you please help me find out more?"

"Okay, I'll try to find out if any projects need these kinds of physical samples."

Chen Luyang said happily, "Thank you, senior!"

Yu Xia said, "Alright, it's late, I have to go back. Wait for my news."

"I'll take you back," Chen Luyang said instinctively.

Yu Xia waved her hand as if she had been burned, saying like a plague demon, "No need, no need, I can go back by myself."

Chen Luyang froze for two seconds, her smile turning to ice.

Although he is already in a relationship, he should indeed keep his distance from women.

But being so disliked really made his fragile self-esteem twitch.

"correct!"

After taking a few steps, Yu Xia seemed to remember something, stopped, and said without turning her head:

"I'll come to the External Relations Department to find you once I've found out the information."

"it is good!"

Back in the dormitory that night, all five brothers from room 421 were lying on the kang (heated brick bed).

Seeing Chen Luyang return, Wu Dechen asked curiously:
"Xiao Chen, I heard the student council recruitment results are out. Did you go to check if you got in?"

"Don't even mention it." Chen Luyang put her schoolbag on the table. "Not only did she go, but she also spent an afternoon cleaning in the External Relations Department and came back with an invitation letter assignment."

Jiang Feng asked curiously, "What kind of invitation?"

Chen Luyang said, "They said the school is going to hold a 'Science Spring' academic conference and asked us to write invitation letters to researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences to see if we can invite a professor to give a lecture."

Chinese Academy of Sciences!!!
Everyone in 421 was energized.

Pan Yu rolled out of bed: "That's one of our country's top research institutes!"

"No, the student union can now write to the Chinese Academy of Sciences? Will they reply?"

Chen Luyang didn't know if they would come back or not.

Anyway...

“Just write it! Our minister said that after I finish writing it, he will go and get it stamped by the school to complete the process.”

As she spoke, Chen Luyang sat down at the table and took out manuscript paper and a fountain pen.

Fortunately, the five people in room 421 are all "pillow brothers," preferring to lie down rather than sit.

Therefore, Chen Luyang had almost all the study desk and chair in the dormitory to herself.

"The Chinese Academy of Sciences... I haven't written an invitation letter to the Chinese Academy of Sciences yet."

Chen Luyang looked at the manuscript paper, pondered for a moment, then picked up a pen and began to write:

"...The spring of science responds to the call of the times; the forefront of reform requires knowledge to lead the way."

"We cordially invite you to give a lecture at our university in mid-November to discuss the scientific research mission and the responsibilities of youth in the new era..."

Chen Luyang carefully considered her tone as she wrote.

Zhang Dongliang, who was on the upper bunk, popped his head out to look down.

"Chen, we don't even know where the Chinese Academy of Sciences is, and you can send invitations directly to the Chinese Academy of Sciences."

Chen Luyang boasted casually, "Maybe I'll invite an academician to give us a lecture."

Tao Runze exclaimed, "You have such great energy! You can still write letters after a whole day of work."

Wu Dechen also stretched his old arms and legs on the bed and said:
"If I were to wipe a whole room of tables in the afternoon, all I'd want to do at night is lie down... Xiao Chen, you're in the Philosophy and Mechanics External Relations Office every day, how can you manage?"

"What can we do if we can't keep up..." Chen Luyang sighed.

According to his original plan, once he entered university, he would immerse himself in the ocean of knowledge and spend every day in the library!

I don't want to think about anything other than studying, reading, and doing research.

But for some reason, things started to go awry.

It's only been a short time since the start of the semester, and he already feels busier than when he was a workshop foreman and factory translator.

Although it was a brief invitation, Chen Luyang revised it several times before finally finalizing a first draft.

After finishing her classes the next day, Chen Luyang rushed to the student affairs building without stopping.

As soon as he stepped into the External Relations Department office, he glanced around and immediately felt at ease.

I wonder if yesterday's warning had any effect.
It was only one night, and Shen Fei didn't even have time to wreak havoc on the house.

Anyway, the room looks pretty good today; at least it looks like someone can stay here.

Shen Fei is not here today, and Ma Tieli has a class soon, so Chen Luyang is the only one in the room.

Chen Luyang happily chose a seat by the window, translating and writing the manuscript while listening intently to the activities of the Literature and Art Department.

You know what...

Getting into the External Relations Department is really great!
As long as no one is around, the whole room is his. It's quiet, peaceful, and undisturbed—even better than being in a study room.

After an unknown amount of time, a soft knock sounded on the door.

"Please come in." Chen Luyang turned around and greeted her, and saw Yu Xia push open the door and walk in.

"Is this still the External Relations Department? When did it become so clean?!"

Yu Xia stared at the office in disbelief, hardly daring to recognize it.

"Don't even mention it, I worked all afternoon yesterday."

Upon seeing Yu Xia, Chen Luyang quickly stood up to greet her and eagerly asked:
"So, did you get the answer?"

"Asked."

Yu Xia said, "There's a senior in our department who's helping out in Professor Zhang Diancai's research group. Recently, they've been collaborating with the Fifth Research Institute of Ordnance Industry on a project about 'fatigue crack modeling of connectors,' which mainly focuses on small metal parts that are prone to damage during long-term service."

Yu Xia continued, "I heard that it's difficult to get samples from the factory, and the process is very tight. Teacher Zhang even lost his temper in front of the students a couple of days ago."

Chen Luyang's eyes lit up: "Really?"

"Really. Would I lie to you?"

That makes things much easier!
He has a huge collection of physical samples that others can only dream of!

"Senior, you've been a huge help to me!"

"It wasn't really helping out, it was just something I asked casually," Yu Xia said with a smile.

Chen Luyang couldn't sit still any longer: "I'm going back right now and dig out all those scrap parts!"

Yu Xia was a little surprised: "Don't you have class tomorrow?"

"I have classes, but it won't interfere with them. I can get back before class tomorrow morning."

As Chen Luyang spoke, she put the pen and notebook on the table back into her schoolbag.

"Besides, there's no such thing as waiting!"

"I'm anxious, and Teacher Zhang is anxious too!"

These kinds of things are always done by seizing every opportunity; if you delay and someone else gets there first, you'll have nowhere to turn for help.

He hurriedly placed the completed invitation on Shen Fei's desk.

Chen Luyang ran back to the dormitory, told everyone that he wouldn't be back that night, borrowed Wu Dechen's bicycle, and rode it back to the repair shop that same night.

The journey from school to the repair shop takes about the same amount of time, whether by bus or bicycle, ranging from one and a half to two hours.

At this moment, in the car repair center,

A white tow truck covered in mud with red stripes lay across the lifting platform, its chassis exposed, and several connecting rods and the boom's connection points had been partially dismantled.

"It's not a problem here; I already measured the tolerances!"

Zhang Guoqiang squatted under the crane arm, clutching a pair of vernier calipers in his hand.

"Look at this connecting shaft. It's not an assembly error at all; it's metal springback deformation."

"Adjusting the firing angle won't help either." Liu Kangwen frowned, tapping the connection point with a wrench, producing a dull metallic sound.

"This vehicle makes 30 trips a day to clear obstacles, and it's been damaged by the vibrations for a long time."

"Let's just replace the shaft and weld on a reinforcing plate," Zhang Guoqiang said, frowning.

"I'll work overtime tonight and try to get the car fixed by tomorrow."

As the two were talking, they heard the sound of a bicycle bell.

"Director Chen?"

Director Lu greeted him in surprise: "Why are you back? What happened?"

"I'm looking for something."

Chen Luyang didn't stop and hurriedly headed straight for the waste area in the backyard.

He squatted down, and with a "whoosh," lifted the tarpaulin covering the pile of scrap metal, reaching inside to start rummaging.

One moment they'd pull out a blackened spark plug, the next they'd pick up a nozzle with a cracked surface.

Zhang Guoqiang, Zuo Zhuo, and a few others heard the commotion and ran out as well.

When they saw Chen Luyang rummaging through the scrap metal and pulling out a pile of rusty, broken parts,

Several people were stunned.

"No... Director, why are you looking for these? They're all useless now."

"Let's find the useless ones!"

Chen Luyang didn't even look up. "The more useless, the better!"

The group looked at each other, completely baffled as to what he was doing.

“The school has a project that requires the use of used parts to study fatigue fracture of components. I thought we have a lot of scrap parts here, so if it works out, I’ll talk to the school about cooperation.”

Chen Luyang gave a cursory explanation of the situation, without mentioning Zhang Diancai's refusal.

Upon hearing the word "cooperation," everyone became quite excited.

"There are plenty of scrap parts!"

Director Lu turned around and shouted to the tool shed, "Xiao Li, bring me the pump head that blew up the nozzle yesterday!"

"Guoqiang! Didn't you disassemble that connecting rod that broke as soon as you twisted it yesterday? Take it out and let the director take a look!"

"And that toothed ring that's broken into five pieces, that thing just sits under my desk collecting dust!"

Upon hearing that Chen Luyang needed scrap parts,
A group of people rushed into the house, rummaged through drawers and tool cabinets, and soon set up a small stall in the yard.

Broken spark plugs, split gaskets, cracked gears, burnt-out valve springs, rusted bushings... all sorts of strange and unusual items were on display.

"Good heavens... these old folks!"

Chen Luyang stared in shock at the mountain of discarded parts.

"If Brother Sheng sees all of this, he'll have to buy it all!"

"These were originally intended for Haisen to take away and sell as scrap metal," Director Lu said with a smile.

"Director, do you need all of these? Would you like me to pick some more for you?"

"No need, these are fine."

Chen Luyang threw a spark plug that had already cracked open into the cloth bag.

Just as he straightened up,

Chen Luyang turned her head and saw a tow truck, with half of its rear end hanging on the lifting platform.

What's wrong with this car?

"Director, this is a tow truck from the sanitation department. They said the chassis keeps making noise when it's being towed, so we're fixing it here right now."

Chen Luyang glanced at the broken parts on the tool table and asked, "Is this the replacement part?"

"What's there to replace? It's already disconnected."

Liu Kangwen pointed to the fracture and said to Chen Luyang, "It broke open from the inside. Look at this fracture, it looks like it was torn apart like cloth. If the chassis hadn't been so sturdy, it would have flipped into a ditch long ago."

Chen Luyang's eyes lit up when he saw the connecting shaft placed on the metal table!
Isn't this exactly the kind of industrial sample with long-term load and fatigue cracks that Zhang Diancai wanted?
"Should I take this with me too?"

Hearing Chen Luyang's murmurs, Director Lu's eyelids twitched, and he quickly advised:

"Director, this thing is almost as heavy as a bag of cement. It's not safe for you to come all the way back to school!"

Zhang Guoqiang also frantically urged, "Yeah, if you're just taking some spark plugs, rubber gaskets, and gears, that's fine. It's not worth it, really not worth it!"

Chen Luyang frowned slightly.

The trunnion is a thick metal cylinder, which looks like carrying an iron rod from a distance.

Even if I carried him on my bicycle and rode all the way back to school, I doubt the school gatekeeper would let him in.

"Is there anything else I can bring?" Chen Luyang persisted.

(End of this chapter)