Back to the 80s Machinery Factory

Chapter 555 Come for a ride with me!

Once the work here was finished, the car started again, drove around the playground, and quickly stopped in front of the teaching building.

Several people worked together to lift the last few posters and drawing boards off the car and neatly arranged them against the entrance of the building.

Yu Xia shook her numb fingers and said happily, "Now everything is complete!"

"Chen Luyang, I'm so glad I ran into you today!"

"If we had to carry all of this ourselves, our hands would be so cold we wouldn't be able to lift them."

Chen Luyang smiled nonchalantly: "What else is there to say? Don't forget to treat me to steamed buns later!"

The head of the arts and culture department laughed: "Sure! When we're done, I'll treat you to two large steamed buns straight from the steamer, all you can eat!"

"Okay!" Chen Luyang waved to them cheerfully.

"You guys go ahead with your work, I'm leaving now~"

With Li He flooring the accelerator, the car steadily drove away from the entrance of the teaching building.

"Brother Chen, where do we go next?"

Li He got so engrossed in driving around the school that he couldn't help but turn around and ask.

"First, take Zhang Nan back to her dorm, then take me back to my dorm, then stop downstairs and take our dorm's eldest brother for a drive!" Chen Luyang said spiritedly.

"Okay!"

……

As the car turned the corner on the playground path, it gradually disappeared from Yu Xia and the others' sight.

Several students came out of the teaching building carrying books.

Seeing the students from the Arts and Literature Department busy moving banners and hanging bulletin boards, a few people quickly walked over and reached out to support the wooden boards.

"The setup was done pretty quickly this time!"

One of the boys, who was fair-skinned and not very tall, spoke with a smile.

The head of the arts and culture department said irritably, "We can't not decorate, can we? We were scolded in a meeting last semester for decorating late for the orientation."

"I can't let this get me scolded again this semester, can I?"

While helping out, Luo Tian laughed and said, "Hey? I didn't mean to scold you last time. It's just that during the first week of school, the school leaders came to inspect every day."

"The display boards are empty, and the first people they ask are the student council. Do you think I can handle this without pushing you?"

You can't let your emotions get the better of you!

The Minister of Arts and Literature rolled his eyes: "You're the student council president, you're right."

Luo Tian pretended not to hear and said while working, "Moving things from the administration building to the teaching building must be hard work, huh?"

No one said a word.

Minister of Arts and Literature: I can't be bothered with you.

There was a brief silence.

Finally, one of the girls sighed and stepped forward to ease the awkwardness.

"Thank goodness we had Chen Luyang. If we hadn't gotten a ride with him, we probably would have had to move there in the middle of the night."

Luo Tian paused in his movements.

"Chen Luyang's car?"

Yu Xia chimed in from the side, "Yeah, he just happened to be driving by and helped bring the stuff over, saving us a lot of trouble."

Luo Tian raised an eyebrow and asked casually, "When did the school start allowing students to drive onto campus?"

The Minister of Culture and Arts immediately and naturally took over the conversation: "It's not a private matter."

"It was a repair shop vehicle. He said he was delivering equipment to the lab on his way, so he came in."

"Oh, oh, oh." Luo Tian nodded naturally, as if his question was just a casual remark.

"Wow, your arts and literature department is quite capable, you even managed to get a car on board!"

The Minister of Culture and Arts rolled his eyes and casually retorted, "Yeah, we'll send a rocket on in a couple of days too!"

The students from the arts department nearby burst into laughter, their laughter carrying a sense of relief.

Luo Tian's smile remained unchanged as he slowly said, "I can't say whether it's rocket-level or not, but I've never seen any student in our school drive a car in here."

The atmosphere became heavy. The Minister of Arts and Literature grinned and chuckled dryly, "Hey, it's just hitchhiking, it's not like we're showing off."

After he finished speaking, no one responded.

Yu Xia originally wanted to speak, but seeing that the atmosphere was not right, she swallowed her words and just kept brushing the paste in silence.

Several girls quickly unfurled the banner, as if they were rushing to finish it, and nailed the large characters "Study diligently, unite and strive for progress" to the wooden frame.

Before long, banners and bulletin boards were hung in the windows and at the entrance of the teaching building.

"go!"

After finishing their work, the Minister of Arts greeted Luo Tian and then led his group of Partners, carrying empty paint buckets and the remaining paper rolls, hurriedly dispersed from in front of the teaching building as if avoiding a plague, without even looking back.

……

At this moment, the boys' dormitory building was bustling with activity.

The hallway was incredibly lively.

They were either delivering local specialties from one room to another, or running to the water room carrying thermos flasks and washbasins.

The doorways on both sides of the corridor were full of people, and the clotheslines were covered with freshly unpacked sheets and thick quilts.

A few loud kids turned their radios up to the maximum volume, playing pop songs. Accompanied by the shouting of a group of young men, the whole dormitory building was as lively as during the Chinese New Year.

Amidst the noise, you could still hear someone shouting:
"Hey, you guys from 203!! Come out here, I've got some freshly peeled peanuts for you!"

"Don't grab it! There's not all the candy yet!"

"Try this cured pork of mine... my dad cured it himself!"

4th floor corridor.

Unaware that Chen Luyang, who had almost caused a minor incident because of his car, was happily leading several of his older brothers from class 421 through the corridor, shouting and yelling along with his classmates.

"Stop eating eggs and drinking tea for now, come on, I brought my car today."

"Everyone, come downstairs with me to get in the car!!!"

What do economics majors have the most of?!

There are the most awesome people here!!!
They were either the head of this commune or the secretary of that commune.

These people are all potential car buyers!

Chen Luyang had previously said that he would take them for a ride in his car if he had the chance. Now that the car had finally made it into the campus, he had to seize the opportunity to promote the factory's cars.

Upon hearing that Chen Luyang had driven his car to the dormitory building, the entire fourth-floor corridor erupted in noise.

"Really? A car can drive right up to the dorm building?"

"This is something new!"

"Hurry up, hurry up, I've never ridden in a car before!"

A group of people rushed downstairs and saw a car parked downstairs in the distance.

The sleek body of the car gleamed in the cold wind, and several students stood in twos and threes by the door, peering out curiously.

It seemed like someone was asking the driver something.

Li He's expression was stiff, he stammered, and his face was full of pleading for help!

Upon seeing Chen Luyang, Li He felt as if he had seen a savior and quickly shouted:

"Brother Chen!"

Chen Luyang ran over suspiciously. After understanding the situation, Chen Luyang was helpless...

wipe!
He thought something terrible had happened!

The car was parked there, attracting a lot of students to watch.

Several students from the Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics departments came over out of curiosity to ask about the car's basic features.

Li He has no idea about any of this!
I was stumped by the questions in just a few minutes.

But just because he didn't know doesn't mean Chen Luyang didn't know!
One of his important tasks during this winter break was to write English instructions for the factory's latest car model.

He had a complete picture of the car in his mind.

"This car is the fourth generation of cars from the provincial machinery factory. The powertrain is derived from an old Nissan model, a four-cylinder water-cooled engine with a maximum horsepower of seventy and a rated speed of four thousand eight hundred rpm."

"Fuel consumption is about seven and a half to eight liters per 100 kilometers in urban driving conditions, and even less in suburban driving conditions."

Several mechanical engineering students widened their eyes in surprise: "It really has this performance?!"

According to the textbook and the materials cited in "Fundamentals of Automotive Engineering",
At that time, domestically produced models such as Huahai and Jeep generally had fuel consumption of between 10 and 12 liters per 100 kilometers in urban areas, and their power was mostly around 50 horsepower.

The specifications of the car in front of them were clearly much more advanced than those of the domestically produced cars they were used to.

If this car can really get 7.5 liters per 100 kilometers, that would be considered top-tier advanced technology in China!

A student studying mechanics of materials couldn't help but ask, "Is the engine housing made of cast iron or aluminum alloy?"

Chen Luyang said, "The main body is still a cast iron cylinder."

“We considered that winters are cold in the north, and cast iron has better durability and heat insulation. Some foreign models have already used aluminum alloys, which can reduce fuel consumption by about one liter, but the process requirements are high and the materials are in short supply. For us now, seven and a half liters is already quite good.”

As Chen Luyang spoke, her hands were not idle either. She casually pulled the car door open and opened the driver's seat.

"It's no fun just listening to me talk. You should see for yourselves. It's much more interesting than flipping through textbooks."

As soon as he finished speaking, several students immediately gathered around, and one of them peered into the cockpit: "Wow, this instrument panel is really complete!"

"There's also a tachometer, which we learned about in our textbooks, but it's really rare to see on domestically produced cars."

Chen Luyang simply opened the passenger door as well, so that everyone could see more clearly.

"Our car was designed and modified according to Italian standards, and the interior design was also based on the same design."

"The steering wheel is a size smaller, making it easier to turn; the instrument panel is a newly added combination gauge, which shows the fuel level, water temperature, and RPM, so you don't have to rely on your ears to read it."

Several mechanics students couldn't help but squat down and reach out to touch the steel plate on the car door.

It's indeed thick and strong!

Chen Luyang bent down, pointed to the car door joint, and smiled, "This is a double-layer stamped part with a reinforcing rib in the middle. A single layer is prone to shaking, while a double layer is more robust."

As he spoke, he walked to the back of the car, opened the trunk, and revealed a neatly organized tool bag and spare tire inside.

"Look at this, the trunk space is quite large, isn't it?"

"I usually drive long distances and there's no problem storing my luggage. The spare tire and jack are all here."

"Where's the engine? Can I take a look?" a student asked anxiously.

“Sure!” Chen Luyang readily agreed, giving Li He a wink.

Li He understood and pulled a switch from the driver's seat. Chen Luyang walked to the front of the vehicle and clicked open the hood.

Inside the cabin, the gleaming black engine, the thick pipes, and the silver-white heat sinks are all clearly visible.

"This is a four-cylinder water-cooled engine." Chen Luyang patted the engine cover proudly.

"The cooling water flows through the water tank here, and the fan is belt-driven. It heats up quickly when starting the engine in winter and provides sufficient cooling in summer."

"The carburetor is here. We've made improvements to it, which can increase combustion efficiency by about ten points, so we can reduce fuel consumption."

The students all crowded at the front of the bus, craning their necks to see.

This is the first time I've seen a real car engine; it's much more intuitive than textbook drawings.

Seeing that the mini-lecture on theory was almost over, Chen Luyang smiled and said:
"What's the point of just looking? Get on the bus!!!"

"I'll show you around!"

The words were met with a two-second silence before erupting into a commotion.

"Really? Can I sit here?"

"I've never even ridden in a car before!"

"How much does a ticket cost?" someone asked, half-jokingly and half-seriously.

Chen Luyang laughed: "Where would I get a ticket! This isn't a public bus, we're all family here, anyone can ride if they want!"

The students were all eager to try.

Don't be fooled by how eagerly they ask questions.

But when it came to actually stepping forward to get on the bus, everyone was a little embarrassed, their faces flushed, and no one dared to be the first to squeeze through the door.

Chen Luyang simply called out, "Stop dawdling! Everyone has a chance. Let's go for a drive around the school gate, just line up to get on the bus!"

"Dagen, go to the girls' dormitory and call Gao Xiaolin and the other girls downstairs too, we'll all take the bus together!!"

And so, a rare sight appeared before our eyes—

At the entrance of Peking University, a dozen or so students lined up obediently in a long queue, just like waiting for a bus.

Their faces were filled with excitement, yet they managed to suppress their composure.

"Hey, hurry up ahead!"

"Don't push, don't push, there's enough for everyone!"

"It feels like fighting for a seat, hahaha!"

……

This is the peak time for students to return to school.

Seeing everyone queuing at the entrance, the crowd assumed there was some new activity and curiously ran over to see what was going on.

Chen Luyang stood casually to the side, explaining to each person in turn.

Upon hearing that they could ride for free, everyone immediately became excited and lined up at the school gate, waiting to ride in the cars.

At first glance, it's even more lively than a job fair!
Just as Chen Luyang was directing people to "queue in an orderly manner and ensure everyone gets a turn" at the car door, two teachers came out of the administration building on the other side of the school gate.

Seeing a large crowd lined up at the school gate, the two teachers frowned and walked over.

"What's going on? Why is there such a long line at the school gate?"

Before the other students could speak, Chen Luyang quickly forced a smile and rushed forward to greet them:

"Hello teacher, we are doing a student practical activity."

The teacher frowned: "Student practical activity? Who approved it? Did the department stamp it?!"

Chen Luyang calmly replied, "Teacher, this car was originally delivered to our lab by the repair shop. I thought that since everyone usually only looks at it in textbooks, why not take this opportunity to explain the engine structure up close, as a temporary learning exchange."

The teacher narrowed his eyes, clearly still somewhat skeptical.

However, Peking University does now advocate "integrating theory with practice".

Many students do unexpected things once they are given free rein.

In the first semester, the physics students even built their own "solar water heater." They made a big box out of black tin sheets and glass panels, attached an iron bucket to the back, and carried it to the center of the playground to dry in the sun for an afternoon. As a result, all the students in the building went to watch, making it look like a temple fair.

Compared to these, Chen Luyang driving a car into the school gate and even talking about engine principles isn't too "outrageous".

Therefore, when the teacher saw Chen Luyang talking about cars with his classmates, he had his doubts, but he couldn't deny it outright on the spot.

Seeing that the teacher's brows were furrowing more and more, Chen Luyang quickly added:
"Teacher, don't worry!"

"The repair shop covered the gas, car fare, and driver's fees. I was just using this opportunity to give my classmates a practical exchange."

(End of this chapter)