Back to the 80s Machinery Factory

Chapter 465 Uncle, how about I help you with something?

Like the provincial machinery plant, Shishan Steel Plant was a highly closed unit.

The building includes staff dormitories, a school for employees' children, a hospital, a canteen, and a bathhouse.

Workers ride bicycles out of their apartment buildings in the morning and can work all day without leaving the factory.

Seeing a doctor, buying groceries, taking a bath, and picking up the kids from school—all these things can be done within this small community "within the walls."

As Chen Luyang walked towards the office building, she looked around at her surroundings.
As he was observing, he suddenly caught sight of a rusty dump truck parked crookedly at the edge of a slope by the roadside, its front end pointing towards the slope and emitting wisps of white smoke.

Three or four workers in overalls were gathered around. Some were squatting down to look at the chassis, some were lying down to study the oil pipes, and others were holding wrenches and looking anxious.

The security guard saw this, stopped, and asked, "What's wrong?"

A worker looked up, his face contorted in a grimace, and replied:
"It won't light."

"It was fine yesterday, but this morning it just wouldn't start, and it was emitting white smoke."

The security guard frowned: "Did you report it for repair?"

"I called," the worker sighed. "I called at seven in the morning, and the repair team said they couldn't schedule it today and told us to push it to the north end of the factory and wait. This truck is over a ton heavy; if it's not running, who can push it?"

“Yes!” another worker chimed in, “If it weren’t for the fact that this shift is in a rush to load materials, we wouldn’t be in such a hurry either. But now that the slope is blocked, the two trucks behind us are also stuck.”

The group's conversation was filled with helplessness.

Chen Luyang's gaze subconsciously swept over the front wheel of the dump truck.

I was just about to take a couple of steps forward to see what was wrong with the car when...
As a result, the security guard coughed, and Chen Luyang could only glance back at the broken-down car before following the guard into the office building.

Walk through the corridor to the office door.

The security guard knocked lightly twice, then pushed the door open and entered.

Inside, a middle-aged cadre in his fifties, wearing glasses, was sitting, with the table neatly laid out.

"Director Liu, these are the students from Peking University."

The security guard gave a brief introduction, then left, quietly closing the door behind him.

"Hello, hello, please have a seat."

Director Liu stood up warmly and walked to the door to invite Chen Luyang in.

"Hello Director Liu, I am Chen Luyang from the External Relations Department of Peking University," Chen Luyang said warmly and politely.

"This is our school's letter of introduction and letter of inquiry regarding the 'December 9th' commemoration activities."

"I apologize for bothering you, but our school is planning to hold several cultural and artistic events and would like to request some funding or material support from your factory."

Director Liu happily took the materials, and while reviewing them, he said:

"Students from Peking University! You are truly remarkable! You will all become pillars of our nation in the future."

As a major factory in the city, Shishan Steel Plant is not only a backbone unit in industrial production, but also holds considerable influence in the university community.

Whenever universities have a large-scale event and need sponsorship, venue rental, or display board rental, Shijiazhuang Iron and Steel Group is the first place they think of.

This is especially true for this year's "December 9th" commemoration activities.

Besides Peking University, several other universities, including Beijing Normal University, Beijing University of Technology, China University of Political Science and Law, and China University of Geosciences, have also approached them.

The factory had an unwritten rule regarding these matters.

Regardless of which school they come from, they will all receive a grant of 300 yuan.

Not too much, not too little, neither too high nor too low, steady and reliable, avoiding trouble and making no mistakes.

Treat everyone equally.

Just as Chen Luyang explained his purpose, Director Liu smiled and said:
"Our factory has always attached great importance to the ideological and political work and cultural propaganda work of universities. In particular, historical commemorative activities such as the December 9th Movement deserve our support."

"Especially good schools like Peking University, which represent the hope of the nation and the future of the people!"

"Besides funding, is there anything else you need? Like promotional display boards or something?"

Director Liu asked another question, his tone revealing his initiative.

Ok?
Chen Luyang was a little stunned when she heard the office director say that.

These days, he's been met with setbacks everywhere he goes, and every word he hears is a rejection.

Before entering the office, he was hoping to get some money.

If we can't get the money, taking some ink and paper back will be enough to complete the task.

But from what Director Liu said, they could not only give money, but also some other things?
"Director Liu, in addition to funding, we do need some printing paper and ink."

Chen Luyang tentatively spoke.

"Easy to say!"

Director Liu agreed immediately, a decision that surprised everyone.

As he pulled a sheet of paper from the table and began to write and draw, he clearly explained the plan in his mouth:

"Okay, I'll write you a letter of support from your employer first, and you can take it back and give it to the school."

"Then contact the finance department and ask them to allocate 300 yuan in special funds to your school."

"We'll also provide you with some printing supplies. Our factory's printing workshop has some surplus paper and ink, so we'll have them pack a small batch and send it to Peking University."

"Student, please register your name in this book first, and I will call the finance department to confirm it later."

"Although the amount is not large, our factory's starting point is to support student work; it's a token of our appreciation."

……

Chen Luyang was stunned.

Did you agree so readily?!
To put it bluntly, I came here just to ask for money.

Even if the school stamps the document and writes a letter of introduction, in other people's eyes, isn't he still just a student running errands?
The result was good,

There was neither back-and-forth probing nor any of the usual polite small talk.
They even skipped the usual procedures like "we'll look into it further" and "go back and wait for our notification."

They just said they'd give 300 and you actually gave them 300?!
"Young man, is there anything else you need?"

Director Liu looked at Chen Luyang with a kind tone and a questioning expression.

"No, that's all. I am..."

Chen Luyang thought about her words, hesitated for a moment, and finally managed to say:
"Uncle, do you think I can lend a hand or help you in any way?"

"We can't just take your money for nothing!"

Director Liu was delighted to hear this.

A college student even offered to help with the work?
This is really rare.

Director Liu chuckled, "How can you call this taking it for free!"

"This money was originally intended for your event, so don't take it to heart."

“Every year our factory supports university activities, especially commemorative events like the December 9th Movement, which are worth supporting.”

"As long as you study hard and do your job well, that's better than anything else!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Luyang became even more embarrassed.

Humans are just despicable...

He's been turned away too many times these past few days.

The sudden appearance of someone with such a kind attitude touched Chen Luyang deeply.

Although I know that the other party is not concerned about my personal reputation, but rather about the reputation of Peking University.

But he felt a little awkward about taking it away empty-handed.

suddenly,

Chen Luyang's eyes lit up, and he said:
"Director Liu, when I came in, I saw a dump truck over at your factory that wouldn't start."

"How about I fix your car for you?"

Director Liu was stunned, almost thinking he had misheard.
"What do you say?"

Chen Luyang said earnestly, "I've taken a quick look at your car, and it doesn't seem to have any major problems. I can help you fix it."

Director Liu asked suspiciously, "You studied mechanical engineering?"

Chen Luyang shook her head: "I studied economics."

Director Liu asked in surprise, "You studied economics, how come you know how to repair cars?" Chen Luyang replied shyly, "Before I went to school, I worked at the provincial machinery factory."

"I now run a car repair shop next to the West Railway Station. I can also repair cars a little, so it's my old profession."

Seeing that Director Liu hadn't fully grasped the situation, he added earnestly, "I can go check on things first."

“If it really can’t be fixed, we have several experienced workers in our factory who are sure to be more skilled than me.”

Director Liu: ...

He looked at the young man in front of him, who was wearing a school uniform but had a tough look in his eyes, and was momentarily taken aback.

Many students have come to express their gratitude in the past.

But they either hand over a neatly written thank-you note or present a banner.

This is the first person to offer to repair the car.

"Okay, then go and take a look."

Director Liu nodded with a wry smile.
"Let me broaden my horizons too."

……

At that moment, at the other end of the factory area, several workers were looking around a red dump truck with a slag-carrying cab, looking worried.

"Is the fuel line clogged?" A man squatted in front of the car, frowning as he fiddled with the fuel tank connector.

"The battery might be dead too. I just tried jump-starting it, but it still won't start."

"It's so cold today. I haven't moved all night, and the car is freezing, which is really annoying."

While they were discussing
Director Liu from the office led a young man who, somehow, had mysteriously and intricately blended into their group.

When everyone noticed him, the young man said:
"It's not a big problem."

Saying,

The young man bent down to examine the fuel lines, then tapped the car body with his fingers: "The fuel pump is stuck, and with the cold weather, the battery voltage is low. The car wasn't warmed up properly for a cold start, so the ignition isn't working..."

Do you have a small hammer and a scalpel?

The young man stretched out his hand, asking the workers for tools.

The workers were taken aback.

who is this?

Where is it?
I've never seen this person in the factory.

But then he looked again and saw Director Liu standing next to the young man.

A few seconds later, someone took something out of their toolbox and handed it over: "Here, take this."

Chen Luyang took the tools and quickly disassembled the oil pipe connector. Then he picked up a small hammer, gently tapped the oil pump housing, and carefully probed the oil pipe opening with a needle.

He got used to watching Zhang Guoqiang and his colleagues repair cars at the repair shop, and over time, he developed a keen ear for it.

By tapping here and hitting there, you can basically tell what condition the car is in.

"Is that little tipper truck over there working? Can you give it some electricity?" Chen Luyang asked.

The worker quickly called out, "Hey, Lao Li! Come here with that truck!"

A cable was pulled over, the two vehicles were placed head to head, and the workers quickly connected the cables and started the power.

"Step back a bit, don't get covered in smoke!"

Chen Luyang gave a reminder, opened the car door, and got into the driver's seat.

Buzz... Buzz... Boom!
The car body jolted as if startled, and a plume of white smoke suddenly shot out from the rear and the exhaust pipe, causing the whole car to shake.

The engine then started running smoothly.

"It's done!"

Chen Luyang patted the steering wheel, laughed, and jumped out of the car.

"Wow, young man, you're really something!" A worker nearby rushed over, his face beaming with delight.

"We struggled for ages to get it working, but you did it right away!"

Chen Luyang smiled modestly and was about to exchange a few pleasantries when...
Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw three people walking out from the direction of the office building.

The man in the middle had thick, dark eyebrows, bright eyes, and an extremely straight back. He walked with a brisk pace, clearly a former soldier.

"What's going on? What are you all doing gathered here?" the middle-aged man asked in a deep voice.

After speaking, the man turned and glanced at Chen Luyang, his sharp eyes scanning her up and down:
"Young man, you're not from our factory, are you?"

Director Liu from the office quickly spoke up: "Factory Manager, this is a student from Peking University. He happened to see that our factory's dump truck had broken down, so he helped to fix it. It's already fixed."

Good guy...

Factory manager?!
Chen Luyang couldn't help but give the middle-aged man a serious look.

This trip was definitely worthwhile; we even bumped into the steel mill manager.

Upon hearing that she was from Peking University, Lu Yongqiang couldn't help but glance at Chen Luyang again, his tone carrying a hint of teasing.

"Students from Peking University came to help us fix our cars?"

Seeing that the leader had spoken, Chen Luyang immediately stepped forward and said politely and warmly:

"Hello, factory manager. My name is Chen Luyang, and I am a freshman in the Department of Economics at Peking University."

"We came to your factory this time to prepare for the December 9th commemoration performance and would like to contact you for some financial and material support."

"I happened to run into a car that had broken down, so I tried to lend a hand."

Chen Luyang?
Lu Yongqiang was slightly taken aback.

His gaze swept quickly over Chen Luyang again, and he asked, "Where are you from?"

Chen Luyang, unaware of the situation, replied, "My family is from the provincial capital."

Lu Yongqiang then asked, "Did you work at the provincial machinery factory?"

"...I did work at the provincial machinery factory."

A hint of doubt flashed in Chen Luyang's eyes.

Am I really that famous now?
Even the director of Shishan Steel Plant knows his name?
"Factory manager, do you know me?" Chen Luyang asked tentatively.

Unexpectedly, Lu Yongqiang smiled and directly extended his hand.

"Chen Luyang from the Provincial Machinery Factory? Of course I know him!"

Chen Luyang's pupils contracted, and she subconsciously took off the gloves hanging on her chest and quickly reached out with both hands!

The case is solved...

The director of this Shishan Steel Plant is definitely related to Wang Qingzhou!
Although he was quite well-known in the provincial capital, he was still just a figure in the small society of the machinery factory.

Besides this relationship,

How could someone as powerful as Lu Yongqiang, a factory director, possibly know about someone as insignificant as mere Karami?

Sure enough, connections are more powerful than anything else.

Director Liu, who was standing next to him, was dumbfounded.

Who is their factory manager?

He has always only shaken hands with provincial officials and city leaders.

This was the first time I'd seen him be so polite to a college student, proactively extending his hand for a friendly greeting.

Seeing his restrained expression, Lu Yongqiang couldn't help but laugh.

His gaze swept over the neatly folded gloves on Chen Luyang's chest, and he smiled:

"Your gloves are quite unique!"

"My boyfriend knitted this for me," Chen Luyang replied shyly and honestly.

Upon hearing the word "partner," Lu Yongqiang's smile softened even more.