Back to the 80s Machinery Factory

Chapter 440 Workers, teachers, and students—the three parties came together.
At the same time, Li He, Jiao Long, Sun Hongjun, Zuo Zhuo, and several others were happily handing out candy to the crowd, each holding a large red plastic bag.

"Thank you all for coming! Our repair shop is very happy today! Please don't be shy, everyone take a piece!"

"Oh my, even wedding candy!"

The woman selling steamed buns was delighted, took the candy, and stuffed it into her shirt pocket.

The area outside was bustling with activity, and the inside was just as lively.

The ping-pong table on the second floor had already been covered with old newspapers as a tablecloth, and on it were placed a large bowl of braised pork, stir-fried vermicelli, stewed tofu, smashed cucumber, and pickled vegetables... The pot was also simmering with pork bone soup, and the aroma was wafting out.

"Come on, come on! Little student from Peking University, sit here!" Director Lu warmly invited the boy with glasses and Yu Xia to sit at the table.

The two men were flustered when they first came to the repair shop and were suddenly confronted with so much good meat, wine and food.

I stood to the side, too afraid to sit down.

"Don't be shy, come here and feel at home. Look, Xiao Zhang and Xiao Lin have already started serving themselves food."

"Yes, if you're not enthusiastic about eating, then there's something wrong with your mindset!"

Chen Luyang beckoned to the boy with glasses and Yu Xia to sit down.

"It's a good thing we left this ping-pong table, otherwise there really wouldn't be enough room to sit down."

Chen Luyang looked at the large group of people at the table and rubbed her hands together happily.

it is good! !

Great! !

The more people there are, the more lively and festive the event will be, and the greater the energy it will have!
Although the current form is merely a collaboration between the two parties, it cannot be considered an addition to the family.

But we'll gradually get back on our feet eventually.

Looking at the twenty or so people crammed together around the ping-pong table, their glasses filled with wine, they all stared at him.

Chen Luyang looked happily at Zhang Diancai beside him and said politely and respectfully:

“Teacher Zhang, if you hadn’t proposed it to the school, the repair shop wouldn’t have been able to become a testing site for the school.”

"Would you like to offer the first toast?"

Zhang Diancai was also very happy.

"Director Chen, you deserve the most credit today! If it weren't for you bringing everyone together, how could this experimental site have been established?"

"I dare not accept such praise." Chen Luyang raised his glass, looking modest. "If it weren't for Teacher Zhang's willingness to take the lead, our repair shop wouldn't have been able to transform from 'car repair' to 'experimentation'."

Zhang Diancai laughed and said, "You shouldn't refuse."

Chen Luyang said happily, "Alright! I'll suggest one."

"Our official unveiling today is just the beginning, not the end!"

Chen Luyang stood up, raised his glass, and said, "From now on, this place won't just be our car repair shop anymore; it'll be Peking University's 'back base' for scientific research!"

"In the future, we will not only have hammers and pliers, but also blueprints and data; we will not only repair cars, but also produce results."

"We've gathered here together—workers, teachers, and students—so let me toast you all!"

He tilted his head back and downed the glass of liquor in one gulp.

"Done!"

The room erupted in enthusiastic responses, dozens of cups clattered together, and people were all red-faced, laughing, or with tears welling up in their eyes from excitement.

After a glass of wine,

Zhang Diancai, holding his wine glass, stood up with a slight blush on his face and a smile.

"I'd like to offer a toast as well."

As soon as he said this, the dinner table fell silent, and everyone looked at Professor Zhang from Peking University.

Zhang Diancai smiled and glanced around, his tone full of heartfelt joy and warmth.

"To be honest, I'm really happy today."

"One reason is that we are happy for our research group, as we have finally put the 'experimental platform' project into practice."

"One is that I'm happy for our repair shop. It's not something an ordinary person can do to turn a small repair shop into an experimental site for Peking University."

"And another reason is that I'm happy for my students."

As he said this, his gaze swept over Zhang Nan, Lin Qiming, and the others, and he continued:

“My students study a lot at school, but they become listless when it comes to using equipment. They can’t grasp it or understand it. They can only draw some decent diagrams, not usable ones.”

"You can't say we've taught it wrong."

"But relying solely on blackboards and blueprints, they'll never grasp the essence of a real piece of equipment in their lifetime."

"If it weren't for Xiao Chen running around and opening up this path, how would we students have had the opportunity to touch the real equipment and see the real process?"

Speaking of which,
Zhang Diancai paused, raised his glass, and his tone became more sincere:

"These kids don't spend much time in the workshop, so they don't know much about things. We often have to take time out of our busy schedules to help them out and even clean up their messes."

"I actually feel really bad about it..."

"Everyone already has a lot of work to do. If we students just crowd in, it'll only make things worse."

"But these kids are willing to learn!"

"So I toast this glass to all the masters."

"Please be understanding and supportive, and treat them like apprentices. If they make mistakes, scold them, but don't be too harsh."

Upon hearing this, Director Lu immediately stood up, smiling warmly: "Teacher Zhang, you're too kind! If the students are willing to learn, we're willing to teach!"

Zhang Guoqiang stood up, raised his glass and said with a smile, "We've been repairing cars our whole lives, and we've never taught any students from Peking University."

"For the first time in my life, let's have a moment of glory!"

Tan Songren also raised his glass and stood up: "Teacher Zhang, we should be the ones saying this!"

"You entrusted your student to us because you trust us! We certainly can't let you down!"

Liu Kangwen smiled and nodded: "That's right! Kung fu is all about practice, it takes time and time. It's okay to be slow. As long as you're willing to learn, we have plenty of patience."

The experienced mechanics at the repair shop responded enthusiastically, as if guaranteeing Zhang Diancai's claim.

Lin Qiming, Zhang Nan, and the other students were moved to tears.

Despite Zhang Diancai's usual arguing and scolding towards them,

But I truly care about them.

Chen Luyang also smiled and smoothed things over, saying, "Teacher Zhang, don't worry, you can rest assured."

"Don't let our quiet demeanor fool you; we skilled workers are quite adept at mentoring apprentices in the workshop."

"In our provincial machinery factory, these masters have dozens, if not hundreds, of apprentices under their tutelage, so their teaching experience is quite extensive!"

"They can't do anything else, but they're really good at tightening screws and teaching students."

"We will make sure our senior brothers learn everything clearly and thoroughly, so they don't come for nothing!"

"Great!!" Zhang Diancai excitedly raised his glass.

"cheers!"

……

The wine has passed three rounds, and the food has passed the five flavors.

The people at the table talked about interesting things in the workshop and embarrassing experiments. They were from Peking University, from the factory, old and young, and they got along better and better as they chatted.

Some people call him "Teacher Zhang" all the time, while others call him "Master Zhang".

Just as the group was happily drinking and eating, the phone rang on the first floor.

Li He quickly got up and rushed downstairs to answer the phone.

A few minutes later, Li He excitedly ran upstairs and shouted:
"We got a call from the construction plant; the first batch of standard parts is ready!"

Damn it! !
Chen Luyang was stunned with excitement for a moment.

"Isn't this a double blessing!"

Zhang Nan held her chopsticks up in mid-air, her voice trembling with excitement: "You made it?!"

Liu Kangwen said happily, "We were just talking about this this morning, and I never expected that what I was hoping for would come true!"

Director Lu rubbed his hands together excitedly. "Hurry, hurry!"

"Hongjun, Jiaolong, Lao Zuo, you guys bring out that cart from the backyard! Let's go to the construction factory to pick up the parts!"

"I'm going too!" Zhang Nan put on her coat and hurriedly headed out.

"I've been watching those blueprints for so long, I need to see how they turn out as soon as possible!"

A group of people shouted as they got up from the table, not even bothering to finish their soup.

This whole thing happened at such an inappropriate time, which put Zhang Diancai in a rather awkward position.

He wants to go with them, but that's not the case.

If he hadn't refused to go, things wouldn't have turned out the way they did.

Just as he was feeling awkward, Chen Luyang's voice rang out.

"Teacher Zhang, let them go, let's drink ours!"

"Today is a special day, let's have some fun and drink more!"

Sun Hongjun chimed in, "That's right! Let them do what they want, we'll just have our own drinks."

Pah!

He worked himself to the bone to prepare such a huge meal; I have to finish it before I can leave!

Zhang Diancai then didn't hold back.

"Okay! Let's wait here for them to come back."

Yu Xia and the boy with glasses breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that Zhang Diancai was willing to stay, and then said:
"Teacher Zhang, we'll wait with you~"

……

At the dinner table, everyone continued chatting animatedly, with one topic after another.

We've been chatting for who knows how long, and finally!
Footsteps sounded outside.

"It's back, it's back!"

"The parts have arrived!"

Chen Luyang suddenly stood up, almost knocking over the stool.

Zhang Diancai immediately put down his wine glass, smiled, and wiped his mouth.

"Let's go downstairs and take a look!"

At the entrance of the repair shop, a cart was rolling into the yard with a clatter.

While panting, Lu Ju, Jiao Long, Li He, Zhang Nan, and Zuo Zhuo excitedly removed the burlap covering their heads.

"No missing edges or corners, all intact!"

Chen Luyang hurriedly ran over to take a look.

The parts, still bearing the oil marks left from metal cutting, were neatly stacked on the car, gleaming with a fresh metallic sheen.

"It's really done!"

Lin Qiming's eyes widened, and he squatted down to carefully touch one of the nozzles with his hand.

"Tolerances, structure, threads... exactly the same as the drawings!" Zhang Nan's eyes lit up, and he was so excited he could hardly breathe.

He looked at Zhang Diancai excitedly, his chest heaving.

"Teacher, the blueprints I drew have really come to fruition!"

Zhang Diancai picked up a spark plug housing, first examining the interface and threaded ring, then feeling the slope of the machined interface at the bottom of the nozzle to confirm the chamfer and wall thickness treatment of the inner groove.

"Not bad." Zhang Diancai looked at his student with satisfaction: "You did a really good job."

Zhang Nan took a deep breath, her eyes filled with excitement.

"Uncle Zhang, let's install it and see!"

As soon as Chen Luyang turned his head, he saw Zhang Guoqiang roll up his sleeves and stick his head out from the side of a BJ212 that was waiting to be repaired.

"All that's missing is this nozzle, let's give it a try today!"

Zhang Nan quickly handed over the tools, and Zhang Guoqiang deftly applied grease and tried to screw them into the connector.

This butter is not edible cream, but an industrial lubricant.

Because of its yellowish color and thick texture, it is commonly referred to as "butter" in the trade.

One circle, two circles, three circles.

"Click!"

Precise placement!

"Perfect!" Zhang Guoqiang's eyes lit up.

"It feels stable, the joints are tight, and there is no wobbling at all in the axial direction!"

"Bring the spark plugs over and try them!" Jiao Long shouted excitedly.

Zuo Zhuo quickly took a universal spark plug that still smelled of engine oil from the cart and carefully handed it over.

Zhang Guoqiang installed it with practiced ease, and after turning it only half a turn, he laughed and said, "It's perfect!"

"Get another rubber gasket!" Liu Kangwen shouted as he flipped through the containers. "Let's see if this seal works!"

Soon, a universal rubber gasket was installed into the gap, tightened, and the old car was started for a pressure test.

"Plop—da da da—" The engine made a few soft sounds before running smoothly.

"No leaks!"

Zhang Guoqiang nodded as he looked at the pressure gauge. "The seal is quite good!"

...A series of crisp assembly sounds rose and fell, filling everyone with a mixture of excitement and tension.

Li He was holding a register and recording each item one by one.

My fingers would tremble every time I successfully completed a test.

Seeing the parts fit securely into the old car like building blocks, the repair shop staff were all thrilled.

"...They actually made a universal component that they can use themselves???"

Chen Luyang felt like she was dreaming.

After all this back and forth these past few days, from blueprints to prototyping, from coordination to processing... after putting in so much effort, we've finally achieved results today.

But before everyone could finish celebrating, Liu Kangwen suddenly cried out, "Ouch!"
"Huh? This nozzle... why is it a little crooked when I screwed it in?"

"Where is it crooked?" Zhang Guoqiang leaned over to take a look.

"There's something wrong with the fuel inlet on this car." Liu Kangwen frowned and shone a flashlight at the fuel inlet.

You won't know the result until you see it.
"Wow, this car had its engine replaced before!" he clicked his tongue.

"The interface has been modified. Not only was a rubber ring installed inside, but a seam was also welded at an angle. No wonder it can't be screwed in."

Zhang Diancai approached, picked up the nozzle parts that had been tested, and compared them from left to right.

“It’s not a problem with the parts,” he said confidently, looking up.

"The joints on this old car were welded crooked back then; they were originally slanted."

"The nozzles in this batch are drawn according to the standard interface and uniform tolerance, and the machining precision is also good. There will definitely be no problem installing them on a normal machine."

"But here's the problem,"

He paused, then looked up and glanced around the workshop. "In reality, every car, especially those old guys in our repair shop, has been welded, patched, and had its model changed. Don't expect them to fit perfectly; some are lucky to even be installed at all."

Seeing the expert beside him, Chen Luyang wasn't about to let the opportunity pass, and quickly asked:
"Teacher Zhang, what do you think is the best next step for us?"

Zhang Diancai frowned slightly: "Actually, I think the next thing you need to consider is whether to make 'general-purpose parts' or 'adaptive parts'."

"It's good that the first batch of generic parts has been manufactured. But this is just the beginning."

"If we really want to achieve widespread adoption and promotion, we need to consider 'adaptive structures' that are compatible with older components."

"For example, we can try to make nozzles with flexible connections in the future, such as those with multiple threads, multiple sealing rings, and adjustable angles, which would have a wider range of compatibility."

"Or simply make two specifications: one with strict standards and one with a floating margin."

(End of this chapter)