Back to the 80s Machinery Factory

Chapter 549 Back to the Repair Shop

Ok?
Upon hearing Chen Dazhi mention "youth," Chen Luyang leaned closer, looking like she'd just stumbled upon some juicy gossip!

Chen Dazhi's pupils were deep, and his gaze seemed to pierce through the years.

"Back when Lao Jingang and I started working at the factory, he always treated me like this, constantly calling me Chen Erzhi, it was so annoying!"

"Later, I was recognized as an advanced worker every year, and I was also rated as an eighth-grade worker. Gradually, Lao Jin stopped calling me that."

"Hearing Chen Erzhi's name suddenly today felt quite familiar..."

wipe!
Chen Luyang and Feng Jiuxiang both silently rolled their eyes at Chen Dazhi.

"I think you're completely unnecessary to be with me! You should just go live with Old Jin!" Feng Jiuxiang muttered and cursed.

After scolding the old man, Feng Jiuxiang turned to scold her son!

"Second brother, did you force him to drink?"

Looking into the sharp eyes of Detective Feng Jiuxiang, Chen Luyang felt more wronged than Dou E.

"Mom, who would I force to drink? I'm usually at school, and I only go home on weekends at most."

"Back then, we all drank together; nobody forced anyone... Oh dear! I don't like drinking either!"

On the other side,
When Lu Quanyou heard his wife scolding Chen Dazhi and Chen Luyang, he was so scared that his cotton hat almost flew off.

His wife is completely irresponsible and doesn't care about anything, but he can't do that!

If word gets out that his wife is cursing Chen Dazhi and Chen Luyang, how can he continue working under Chen Luyang?
"Honey, please keep your voice down... I promise I won't drink anymore!"

Aunt Lu's eyes flashed with murderous intent, and she was about to unleash her power.

As if by some strange twist of fate, she turned her head and saw Chen Luyang and his family carrying their luggage and looking in her direction.

In an instant, Aunt Lu seemed to have changed completely. Her previous thunderous aura disappeared, and she smiled, revealing two deep dimples. She waved enthusiastically at Feng Jiuxiang.

"Sister-in-law~"

After calling out, Aunt Lu reached out and took Director Lu's arm, greeting him repeatedly as they walked towards the Chen family's house, her voice as sweet as if it had just been coated with honey:
"Oh my, what a coincidence! Director Chen is here too!"

Aunt Lu turned her gaze to Chen Dazhi, her face full of warmth, as if she hadn't been the one who had just scolded Chen Erzhi.

"Are you two also here to see Director Chen off at the train station?"

Chen's mother immediately chimed in, "Yes, our family came to see the child off."

Aunt Lu smiled and said, "I'm here to see my husband off~ Oh, you must be Director Chen?"

Seeing Aunt Lu's warm and natural gaze, Chen Luyang smiled and said, "Yes, Auntie, I'm Xiao Chen!"

Aunt Lu immediately beamed with joy: "Director Chen, you are a great benefactor to us old Lu!"

"If it weren't for you, he would still be stuck in the factory, with no chance to go to the city and see the world!"

Chen Luyang said with a smile, "Auntie, I should be the one saying that!"

"Uncle Lu is my benefactor!"

"If Uncle Lu weren't there to oversee things, I wouldn't be able to manage the repair shop on my own."

Aunt Lu chuckled, "Oh! He's just naturally timid. He's always happy to be a nice guy wherever he goes. If others give way one step, he'll give way ten steps."

The tone shifted abruptly, with a hint of pleading in Aunt Lu's voice:
"Director Chen, my husband, Lao Lu, loves to drink."

“I can keep an eye on him at home, but when he’s out and no one’s watching him, he doesn’t care about his teeth anymore.”

"You're the leader in the workshop, and you're usually close to him. Please take care of him a little more."

"If you see him starting to do something, stop him. Don't let him ruin his health by drinking too much. If he starts acting up again and won't listen to advice, tell me, and I'll deal with him!!"

Director Lu quickly chimed in, "How could I dare disobey? Director Chen is right here. I'll definitely listen to him and drink less, or even not at all if I can avoid it."

Chen Luyang chimed in, "Don't worry, Auntie, I'll keep an eye on Pian'er City. I'll make sure Uncle Lu's wine is taken good care of!"

Feng Jiuxiang also chimed in, "Yes, Xiaolan, you have my son. You'll definitely keep an eye on Lao Lu!"

Hearing Chen Luyang and Feng Jiuxiang's assurances, Aunt Lu's worries did not lessen much.

Only men know what they're doing.

Dogs cannot change shit.

His only hobby in this life is drinking a little alcohol. He's not allowed to drink normally, so he drinks it secretly.

But no one can resist drinking like that all the time!
After the last group of people gathered, they got on the bus.

Through the car window, Aunt Lu said goodbye to Old Lu while also giving him some advice:
"Drink less alcohol!"

Director Lu leaned half his body out of the car window and waved to his wife:
"Do not worry!"

Finally, as the train sped up, the figures of those seeing people off were left behind, until even their outlines became obscured.

Director Lu finally rolled down the car window, straightened his clothes, and moved his luggage to his feet.

Finally, I'm on the bus...!
Before Chen Luyang could react, he saw Director Lu urging Zhang Guoqiang with an expectant look on his face.

"Hurry up, Lao Zhang!"

"I'm coming!"

Chen Luyang looked at the two busy old men with suspicion.
The next moment, a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) slammed onto the small table.

Chen Luyang: Holy crap?!
In his astonishment, Director Lu grabbed the Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor), skillfully opened the bottle, and took a small gulp!
"Ha~"

Director Lu swallowed a small sip of wine, his face instantly turning red, and he seemed to regain his energy.

Seeing Chen Luyang's bewildered expression, Director Lu awkwardly explained:
"Director Chen, my wife is very strict and won't let me drink."

"I was really feeling pent up, so I asked Guoqiang to get me a small bottle to help me relieve my craving..."

Zhang Guoqiang, a man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, also awkwardly said from the side:

"Director Chen, I'm just doing Lao Lu a favor. He's asked me about it several times at the factory, so I'll get him a small bottle."

There's nothing I can do...

This person is always the one who can subdue another.

Don't let Director Lu's cheerful demeanor fool you; he married a woman who's known for her formidable skills in the machinery factory compound.

Every single one of Lu's drinking buddies who was on good terms with her had been subjected to her scathing rebukes.

However, this also proves the strength of Director Lu's personal charisma.

Even when his friends were being verbally abused, they were still happy to drink with him.

Call him whenever there's a drinking party.

When he returned from the Spring Festival this year, his old buddies hugged Director Lu and drank with him one meal after another.

At first, Aunt Lu understood how these old people felt.
But anyone would get impatient drinking this three times a day.

And so began Director Lu's abstinence from alcohol.

Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore, but he didn't dare to upset his wife.

Director Lu could only place his hopes on Zhang Guoqiang.
I repeatedly told him that he absolutely had to bring a bottle of wine with him on the train to enjoy himself.

And so, Zhang Guoqiang decisively took on this revolutionary historical mission.

He boarded the train with the wine, not daring to tell anyone.

Chen Luyang clicked his tongue: "It's a good thing you only brought out this wine now. If Aunt Lu had seen it, she would have thrown it away along with you."

Director Lu said with lingering fear, "To say she was frivolous was the least of her worries; she could set the whole thing, including the liquor and her suitcase, on fire."

Speaking of which,
The people in the car all shivered.

It really can...

It's hard to say about others, but Director Lu's wife is truly capable of doing it.

Although Chen Luyang sympathized with Director Lu's situation, he had just promised the director's wife that he would keep an eye on his drinking.

"Uncle Lu, drinking is fine, but let's not overdo it."

"Your sister-in-law truly cares about you. When we're away from home, don't do anything that will worry your family." Director Lu nodded, sighing softly.
"Yes, I know that. She just cares about me."

"If it were someone else, she wouldn't care whether they lived or died."

Damn, he sounded pretty arrogant!

Chen Luyang was speechless.

If you two can get along well, that's better than anything else.

Although they were leaving home, once the train left the provincial capital, everyone's thoughts started to wander.

For the past six months, a group of men have been eating, drinking, playing, and working together, and they've had a pretty good time.

The thought of going back to the repair shop always fills me with a faint sense of anticipation.

After getting off the train, I used the key to open the door of the repair shop.

The group of people divided the work on the spot.

It's time to clean up, wipe and dust the floor.

Those who need to buy meat and vegetables should start a fire and cook.

Fortunately, before leaving, everyone cleaned the factory thoroughly.

Now, after wiping away the accumulated dust and opening the window to let in some fresh air, the room becomes clean and tidy in no time.

Now all that's left is to wait for the factory to deliver the new cars and trucks; once that's done, everything will be officially in operation.

Just as everyone was about to sit down and breathe a sigh of relief, a shout rang out from outside:

Is anyone home?!

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Chen Luyang lifted the cotton curtain and ran out, only to see a 212 SUV parked at the door.

The car window rolled down, and a man with a slight accent leaned out: "Can you fix cars here?"

"Amazing! Amazing!"

Chen Luyang rubbed her hands together with joy.

This is a very good omen!
The car was repaired on the very first day back – a great start!

"Uncle Zhang, Uncle Tan, Uncle Liu, we have a customer!"

Chen Luyang turned around and shouted, and Zhang Guoqiang, Tan Songren, and Liu Kangwen ran out of the house.

"What's wrong!?"

Zhang Guoqiang's eyes lit up.

This guy!
Working is unpleasant, but not working is even more unpleasant.

During his time back at the machine factory, he had no work to do every day. He wandered around the workshops and offices, and he almost became a street urchin.

If I don't pick up the pliers soon, I feel like I'll become rusty.

"There are quite a few problems... Master, could you please take a look?"

The driver jumped out of the car, looking kind and honest.

Zhang Guoqiang and the other two looked at the car, and their hands instinctively went to their waists.

"You drive this car pretty hard...!"

The car's paint was peeling, the cylinder head was covered in grime, the front suspension was sagging badly, the springs were almost touching the limit blocks, and the undercarriage was covered in black spots.

As for minor issues like steering gear clearance and headlight wiring, there's not much to mention; almost nothing about them is in good condition.

If I hadn't seen them drive over with my own eyes,
Zhang Guoqiang and the others all assumed that it was taken from a scrap yard.

Wow, they're really good at handling things...

Zhang Guoqiang and the other two were all shocked.

Even with the car in this condition, you still managed to drive it to the repair shop!

We're not afraid of something going wrong along the way.

“Comrade, your car isn’t in good condition,” Zhang Guoqiang said frankly.

"Although the main engine components of your car can still hold up, the ignition system is basically ruined, there are multiple oil leaks around the engine block, the oil pan bolts are loose, the oil consumption is high, the fan belt is slipping badly, and the gearbox gear meshing is also severely worn."

"This car can still be driven for now, but to get it back to normal, it needs a major overhaul. The engine, chassis, and electrical system all need to be systematically repaired. In total, the cost will be quite substantial."

At this point, Zhang Guoqiang kindly reminded him, "Even if it's repaired, this car can only be driven for another year or two at most before its lifespan is over."

Zhang Guoqiang had initially thought that the driver would likely back down after all this. But to his surprise, the driver grinned without hesitation:

"Let's get it fixed. I've already driven my car here; I can't just drive it back and let it break down again."

"……Row."

Zhang Guoqiang didn't hesitate.

He reminded everyone of things that should and shouldn't have been reminded.

If they still want to fix it after all this, then let's fix it!

Then, Zhang Guoqiang and the other experienced workers changed into their work clothes, picked up their tools, and got to work.

Zhang Guoqiang and his colleagues were repairing cars outside.

Chen Luyang and Director Lu invited the driver into the reception room, served him hot tea, and warmly welcomed him.

The stove in the reception room was burning hot.
The driver warmed his hands with the enamel mug and said honestly, "Thank you, comrade."

Chen Luyang said cheerfully, "Don't be so polite. Once you're in our repair shop, you're family. Come on over, it's perfect timing, it's our first day back after the New Year!"

"If you had come a day earlier, there would have been no one in this house."

After saying that, Chen Luyang looked at the old SUV with peeling paint outside and asked curiously:

"Sir, what do you do for a living? This car doesn't look like something an ordinary person could get their hands on."

The driver scratched his head and smiled憨厚ly: "I'm a driver for a forestry team in the southern suburbs."

"About ten years ago, we were allocated a batch of vehicles, which were said to be assembled from imported parts and were specifically for the forestry station to use on mountain roads."

"Back then, being able to get your hands on this car was incredibly prestigious. Our team leader even called it his 'precious treasure' and polished it every day."

He paused, then sighed: "But in recent years, the mountain roads in the forest have been difficult to travel, and we rely entirely on this truck to haul timber and transport fertilizer."

"Although I've replaced parts several times, it seems to get older with use, and I've replaced everything that can move inside and out."

“I could manage to drive it a few years ago, but now it’s really not working. I was on edge the whole way from the suburbs.”

Chen Luyang agreed wholeheartedly, nodding repeatedly: "That's right! This car has too many problems; driving it is like playing with fire."

“If you really break down halfway, there’s no one to help you push your car in the middle of nowhere. You’re very lucky to have driven all the way to our repair shop.”

The driver chuckled good-naturedly: "That's right, I've been driving like this the whole way, just hoping to make it this far."

"If it breaks down halfway, that would be a huge problem."

Chen Luyang sighed, "But repairing such an old thing really costs a lot of money."

He heard everything Zhang Guoqiang said.

If the car is really broken like that, just replacing the parts would cost a couple hundred yuan, not to mention the major overhaul that would require lifting the engine and moving the chassis.

He shook his head: "One or two hundred yuan is equivalent to more than half a year's savings for my family."

The driver smiled sheepishly and said, "It's a bit much money, but there's nothing I can do about it."

"The forestry team still has a few tractors, but they can't go anywhere. We're counting on them to still be able to go on some roads and get things in an emergency."

“If it really collapses, a lot of work in the forest will be delayed. If we repair it, even if it can only last another year or two, it will be worth it.”

At this point, the driver sighed, "Besides, this car has been running for over ten years. It's like a person; I've grown attached to it and can't bear to part with it."

(End of this chapter)