Siheyuan: Game of Red Dust

Chapter 15 Going to work
The next day, at the steel mill.

When everyone starts working.

The Propaganda Department’s broadcast also sounded on the radio in the workshop.

"Now I have some good news to share. Today is a very important day for the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill. Comrade Li Weidong, a genius engineer from Harbin Institute of Technology who is said to be a once-in-a-century talent, has joined our steel rolling mill family and will be in charge of all work in the technical department going forward.

Li Weidong is a trustworthy comrade with firm beliefs. During his time at Harbin Institute of Technology, he studied hard and made important contributions to the construction of the motherland.

His grandfather was an old comrade from the Jinggangshan period, and his father was an anti-Japanese war hero in northwest Shanxi. His mother was wounded in the war and later became the factory doctor of our steel rolling mill, and eventually died at her workplace.

Comrade Li Weidong has never been afraid of hard work and has studied hard since childhood. He skipped grades twice in elementary school, once in junior high school, and once in high school. He was admitted to Harbin Institute of Technology with the first place in the Beijing college entrance examination.

During his time at Harbin Institute of Technology, Comrade Li Weidong studied day and night. In just two years, he completed the knowledge that other students at Harbin Institute of Technology needed six years to learn, and obtained the ninth-level engineer certificate. He improved one level every year, and at the age of 18, he was already the youngest seventh-level engineer in the entire Hua family.

The most valuable thing is that Comrade Li Weidong did not forget his roots. After graduation, he rejected countless olive branches and returned to the place where his mother worked.

When Li Weidong was admitted to Harbin Institute of Technology, he rejected offers from Peking University and Shuimu University and said, "Human life is limited, but serving the people is unlimited. I want to devote my limited life to unlimited service to the people."

It is this great spirit that constantly spurs Comrade Li Weidong to move forward and eventually become an important and useful talent in flower growing.

I call on all factory workers to learn from Comrade Li Weidong's great spirit and devote their limited lives to serving the people without limit."

The sound from the loudspeaker spread to every corner of the factory, and could even be heard in the alleys next to the factory.

Almost all the workers stopped what they were doing.

After hearing the content of the broadcast, everyone was surprised for a moment. An engineer, and an 18-year-old seventh-level engineer at that.

This kind of genius has never even been seen in the newspapers before.

And now, it turned out to be someone from their steel mill.

However, at this moment, no matter whether it was Yi Zhonghai, Jia Dongxu, Liu Haizhong, He Yuzhu who returned to the kitchen today, or other residents in the courtyard, they were all numb.

The broadcast was still going on at this moment, but what really shocked them was the following announcement.

"In view of Comrade Li Weidong's previous important achievements and his experience in leading large-scale R&D and scientific and technological projects, under the instructions of the Ministry of Industry and Heavy Industry Department, Comrade Li Weidong will be given a level 15 administrative position subsidy and the position of Director of the Leading Technology Department, with a monthly subsidy of 15 yuan.

Please strive to learn from Comrade Li Weidong, study the technology diligently, learn your skills diligently, take every minute of your work seriously, and become a talent who can make greater contributions to flower growing."

It's numb, really numb this time.

Yi Zhonghai was distracted and the alien workpiece in his hand was directly scrapped.

Jia Dongxu accidentally destroyed the parts in his hand.

Liu Haizhong was stunned. The iron ingot in his hand was almost flattened by the air hammer, and he hadn't reacted yet.

He Yuzhu was chopping the chicken and almost cut his hand.

Liu Lan, who was standing by, seemed to have thought of something and asked He Yuzhu, "Master He, I seem to have heard you mention the name Li Weidong before. Is it the same person?"

Although He Yuzhu didn't want to admit it, he could only nod helplessly.

Although He Yuzhu didn't believe that it was Li Weidong at first, when he heard that he was eighteen years old, he really didn't have any hope at all.

Li Weidong is actually a level seven engineer. As soon as he started working, he even made a special broadcast introducing himself and called on everyone to learn from him.

In this day and age, this is a considerable honor.

"Then Master He, can you tell us what kind of person Li Weidong is?" Another chef in the kitchen next to him asked curiously.

He Yuzhu gritted his teeth and said, "I'm not bragging, Li Weidong and I grew up in the same compound. Li Weidong has been very talented since he was young. His academic performance is well-known throughout Nanluoguxiang. There are so many awards and certificates that the walls of the house are almost full..."

He Yuzhu felt heartbroken as he spoke. Why was Li Weidong so awesome while he was just a level nine cook in the kitchen?

This gap is too big.

Hearing what He Yuzhu said, Liu Lan seemed to have thought of something and said in shock: "A level seven engineer, according to the salary here in Beijing, that's 133.5 yuan, plus 148.5 yuan in administrative subsidies, my God, yuan per month, and he's only years old..."

Liu Lan felt dizzy from talking so much.

Everyone in the kitchen stopped their work and seemed to be thinking about how they would spend such a large salary if it were given to them.

Among all the people in the compound, Xu Damao was the calmest.

Because he came to the Propaganda Department today, he was sure that Li Weidong was the Li Weidong he knew.

It was not about confirming the age, but many people in the Propaganda Department were preparing big-character posters, and Li Weidong's photo was in their hands.

Soon, Li Weidong’s photos and his deeds will be posted all over the factory’s four main gate bulletin boards.

Some of the slogans Li Weidong said will also be painted on some walls of the steel rolling mill so that everyone can learn from Comrade Li Weidong's spirit.

This was a task assigned by Secretary Zhang. The 19-year-old seventh-level engineer and director of the technical department, as well as the head of the publicity section, was the one who took the lead in taking charge of the related work.

It was said that the welcome meeting that was originally planned was cancelled at Li Weidong's request and replaced by a broadcast announcement.

For this reason, the big red flowers prepared by the Propaganda Department were of no use.

Xu Damao also went from being incredulous when he first came in to completely accepting it.

He even made up his mind that if he bled once today, he would definitely treat Li Weidong to a good meal.

At some point, the head of the Publicity Department walked up to Xu Damao and asked, "Xu Damao, I seemed to have heard that a few years ago, Dr. Li lived in the same compound as you?"

At this moment, Xu Damao was thinking about what dishes to buy to treat Li Weidong to dinner in the evening so as not to be rude, or just go out to eat.

After hearing what the section chief said, Xu Damao finally came back to his senses and said, "Li Weidong and I are from the same compound."

The head of the publicity department frowned and said, "What's Li Weidong? You should call him Engineer Li, or Director Li. No matter what your relationship is within the compound, you can't call him by his first name in the factory. Got it?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Damao immediately nodded, knowing that he was wrong.

"Very good. If Engineer Li does anything good or says anything profound, you have to write it down, okay?" the head of the Propaganda Department instructed.

Xu Damao nodded quickly and thought to himself that Li Weidong had done so many things.

But many of them are not good things. Does fighting since childhood count?

Does it count as the fact that I often cursed at Jia Zhang when I was a child?
Does smashing the Jia family’s glass count?

Does using firecrackers to blow up Jia Zhang count?

Does it count if I beat Jia Dongxu so hard that he was bruised and battered when he was a child?

But he didn't dare to say these things. Obviously, the Propaganda Department wanted to continue promoting Li Weidong's personal heroic deeds.

"If I hear anything later, I will report it to you."

After receiving Xu Damao's answer, the section chief nodded and said, "It's a pity that Director Li is unwilling to be interviewed, otherwise it would be much better."

……

Let's not talk about Xu Damao. In Workshop No. 1, Jia Dongxu was in no mood to do anything. He came to Yi Zhonghai and said, "Master, are you talking about Li Weidong?"

Yi Zhonghai saw many people looking at him, the key was the three words "Li Weidong".

Yi Zhonghai took a deep breath and said, "That's right. Remember from now on, when you're in the factory, you have to call me Engineer Li. Got it?"

Although there is no class, there is still respect.

This is not a class issue, but a kind of respect. Who made Li Weidong so awesome now?
As a level seven engineer, Yi Zhonghai felt bitter just thinking about it.

He knew that with his level of education, he would never be able to become an engineer.

Being an engineer has always been an unattainable dream for Yi Zhonghai.

He has been working hard, but unfortunately, although the eighth-level fitter seems impressive, the gap between him and the engineer is too big.

In fact, Yi Zhonghai should not always focus on engineers. Above the eighth level of fitter, there are two non-existent levels.

That is technician, the true pinnacle of skill, and the most impressive title for a craftsman.

Many top craftsmen who participated in the "Two Bombs and One Satellite" project were at this level.

In addition to engineers, we also need a large number of workers to process the engineers' drawings.

This is the technician, a respectful title without a formal rank, but it is also highly respected. Some technicians even have engineers respectfully call them masters.

In Li Weidong's opinion, as long as Yi Zhonghai is willing to work hard, there is still hope for him to make further progress.

Unfortunately, Yi Zhonghai is not a pure craftsman.

Engineers have so much to learn. It is a comprehensive system. Even if you are just a mechanical engineer, it is difficult to learn the knowledge covered without systematic learning.

Of course, there are always talented people among us. Every year, some ordinary workers, through their own study and hard work, pass the exams, and further pass the assessment, become engineers. However, such talents are only a few in the whole country each year.

Although Yi Zhonghai is only an eighth-level fitter, it is nothing.

There is an eighth-level fitter in Harbin Institute of Technology, but he is only 35 years old.

The youngest eighth-level fitter in the country, Niu Laoshi, is only 33 years old.

Compared with these people, Yi Zhonghai was only able to reach the eighth level of fittership at the age of fifty, which was only considered average.

Of course, if Li Weidong is willing, he can also take the assessment for eighth-level fitter. By then, the youngest eighth-level fitter in the country will be only eighteen years old.

Others need to take the exam slowly, but there is still preferential treatment in the system for some geniuses.

Li Weidong never had the idea of ​​traveling at night in fancy clothes. In this era, the more talented one is, the more he needs to show his value, so that he can attract more attention.

Although there are no classes for young geniuses in this era, the desire for geniuses and special treatment have long existed.

Otherwise, USTC would not have opened a class for young geniuses after the storm.

Cultivate some geniuses from an early age so that they can get better resources and education.

If it weren't for the talent and ability that Li Weidong displayed, even a level 7 engineer coming to the steel mill would definitely not receive such treatment.

Li Weidong never took Yi Zhonghai, an eighth-level fitter, seriously. From the very beginning, the two were not on the same level.

At this moment, Yi Zhonghai also figured it out. He originally wanted to see if he could suppress Li Weidong in the factory, but now, it was pure nonsense.

"Dongxu, go do your work and concentrate."

Yi Zhonghai persuaded Jia Dongxu.

Jia Dongxu nodded. What he least wanted now was to see Li Weidong in the workshop.

However, Li Weidong didn't have time to deal with him now. Even if he had time, he was too lazy to cause trouble for Jia Dongxu.

There is no sense of accomplishment in bullying a wimp like Jia Dongxu.

The night before yesterday, Li Weidong slapped Jia Zhangshi several times, but Jia Dongxu didn't say a word.

Li Weidong also felt bad about dirtying his hands by bullying a weakling like Jia Dongxu.

It's purely Jia Dongxu's own unfounded worry.

As for Li Weidong, upon arriving at the steel mill, before Director Wang and Secretary Zhang could take him to the technical department, he pulled out a number of blueprints from his briefcase. These were ideas he had gleaned from projects he was working on during his university years, ideas for improving machinery, which he had recorded.

Director Wang understands the technology, and although Secretary Zhang doesn't understand much, he has worked in the steel rolling mill for many years and has understood some of it.

Then Li Weidong also suggested that there was no need to hold any general meeting as there was no time for that. Instead, they should first study these improvement plans to see if they were feasible for the equipment in the steel rolling mill.

Neither Director Wang nor Secretary Zhang had any objection to having such good things in front of them.

The three of them went straight to the technical department.

The technical department in the steel rolling mill is not a busy department. They are there to repair machine tools and equipment when there are problems.

Or when some products come in, they occasionally guide the workers to read the drawings, guide production, and test some of the produced parts.

So the work is still very leisurely.

In the steel rolling mill, the original eighth-level engineer, whose surname is Zhang, is already in his fifties and will be able to retire in three or four years.

The two were ninth-level engineers, both in their forties.

At the steel rolling mill, people are almost in a semi-retirement state.

However, the technicians, assistant technicians, and technical apprentices are younger and more energetic.

When Li Weidong came over, the announcement had not yet been made on the radio. It was Secretary Zhang who announced it personally.

After hearing Li Weidong's resume, the technicians and the three engineers present were all shocked.

Even the eighth-level engineers were respectful to Li Weidong and addressed him respectfully as "Engineer Li!"

The key point is that Li Weidong directly became the director of the entire technical department.

In the past, Deputy Director Yang had always served concurrently as the director of the technical department, but it was just a concurrent position and he had no responsibility at all.

Now I really have a backbone.

Li Weidong got to know everyone. Although there were not many engineers in the steel rolling mill, there were quite a few technicians, more than 30 in total, big and small.

It was early in the morning and some people who were going to leave the workshop had not yet left.

Li Weidong also took out the design drawings of the improved machinery and began to take office. He said, "Do you have a printer? Make a few copies of the drawings and we can discuss improving the machinery."

How could the technical department not have a printer? Soon, five copies of the drawing were made.

Li Weidong handed the original drawing to Director Wang and said, "Director, what else can I do for you? We need to go to the workshop to check out the equipment and discuss improvement plans."

The intention of kicking people out was obvious. Li Weidong wanted to get down to work right away, arrange technical personnel as soon as possible, and implement the improvement plan as soon as possible.

Director Wang showed no sign of displeasure as he said, "I'd also like to show you around the technical department. There's a dedicated office upstairs for you. It was cleaned up yesterday, and a desk, bookcases, and a large safe were added.

The factory has also purchased an air conditioner specifically for you, but it will take some time for it to arrive. Why don’t you go take a look and see if there is anything else you need?”

Li Weidong shook his head and said, "No, I'll go and see it when I have time."

Upon hearing this, Director Wang did not force it. Instead, he called a young man over and said to Li Weidong, "This is Xiao Wang, from the Ministry of Industry. From now on, he will be your secretary. With your administrative rank of fifteen, you can also have a secretary.

Normally, I just pick up things for you, answer the phone, and run errands for you. I'm also well-educated enough to help you organize things."

Upon hearing this, Li Weidong looked at the energetic young man beside him. The young man looked at him with admiration.

"Okay, Xiao Wang will follow me from now on." Since it was the arrangement of the Ministry of Industry, Li Weidong naturally would not refuse. Having someone to run errands would also facilitate Li Weidong's future work.

"There is one more thing. Mr. Li, your home also needs a telephone. When do you think is a good time?" Director Wang asked again.

"Wait a little longer. My house still needs about ten days to be renovated. Let's install it after the renovation is completed!" Li Weidong said after thinking for a while.

Director Wang nodded and said, "Okay, Mr. Li, you go ahead and do your thing. I'll be off to work first. If you need anything, you can ask Xiao Wang to call me."

Then Director Wang and Secretary Zhang left.

At this time, everyone in the technical department office also gathered together.

Li Weidong didn't rush to talk about business, but said to everyone: "I'm still young, and I'm not used to beating around the bush. No matter what happened in the past, from now on, no one can be too proud of what they have.

If the technicians don’t understand something, they can ask the engineers. If the engineers don’t understand something, they can ask me anytime when I have time.

I will also take at least half an hour every day to give lectures to everyone.

Everyone must also work hard to improve their professional skills and strive to quickly improve our entire technical department.

This is also the most important thing for everyone and the entire technical department.

There are also three engineers who, when they have time, should take time out to share their professional knowledge with everyone.

Only when everyone's skills are improved can the entire technical department better serve the steel mill and the people.

In addition, my main job is research and development. Therefore, please do not enter my office and my R&D laboratory, which is the small warehouse next to the original technical department, to avoid misunderstandings.

Now, put the drawings in order, take your notebooks, and let's go to the workshop to check out the equipment!"

As soon as Li Weidong finished speaking, everyone started to get busy.

Everyone also felt Li Weidong's decisive character. Even some people who usually slacked off now quickened their pace.

As for whether anyone is dissatisfied with Li Weidong's youth, that is not the case.

A level seven engineer, eighteen years old, everyone would just think he was awesome.

What’s even more amazing is that Li Weidong came up with the drawings for improving the equipment as soon as he took office.

Even the three engineers were convinced when they saw Li Weidong's drawings.

The improvement theory on the drawing is very ordinary and not something high-end, but using a design that can be understood at a glance is the real skill.

It was made very complicated and ended up being inferior.

Only simple structures and simple accessories can reduce production costs and accelerate scale improvements.

So Li Weidong designed it as simply as possible, as long as it could improve the efficiency of the equipment. Of course, Li Weidong also considered the stability and reliability of the equipment.

(End of this chapter)