Era: Starting with the struggle to refuse being taken advantage of

Chapter 176 Assembly Equipment
After a while, An Qiuyun finally came to her senses and carefully began to peel off the oil paper covering the cuboid.

As the layers of oil paper were peeled away, the true form of the cuboid was finally revealed to the two of them.

These were actually two aluminum lunch boxes stacked together. Feeling the warmth emanating from them, it was clear what was inside.

Even An Dongsheng couldn't help but sigh and say, "Little sister, this person really understands you. He knows that nothing is better than sending you food."

"I left home in a bit of a rush today, and I haven't even had breakfast yet."

"Why don't you give me these two boxes of food, and then we can go to the state-run restaurant for lunch?"

After saying that, An Dongsheng reached out to take the lunchbox back.

In his view, these were just two ordinary lunch boxes, and his beloved little sister wouldn't be so reluctant to give them to him.

However, just as his hand was about to reach the lunchbox, two chopsticks struck An Dongsheng's hand with lightning speed, causing him to instinctively pull his hand back.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!" An Dongsheng cried out. "I regretted coming to pick you up."

"Who cares about your shabby boxed lunch? After you've eaten your fill, I'll go to a state-run restaurant for a big meal, but I won't take you with me."

Too lazy to deal with her unreliable brother, An Qiuyun opened the lunchbox and immediately saw the food inside.

Since it was for takeout, vegetables and soups were not really suitable, so Wang Chengpeng simply prepared some food that was easy to pack.

Several pieces of bright red braised pork were stacked together, glistening and translucent.

The ribs and potatoes were coated in a thick, sticky broth.

In the middle are eggplant, green beans, and fried meatballs; it's simple, yet extremely tempting.

Finally, there's a near-perfect fried egg, with golden-brown, crispy edges. Biting into it will surely result in a fragrant, tender, and incredibly delicious treat.

To prevent flavors from mixing, Wang Chengpeng bought a divided lunchbox, which was slightly more expensive, but it also provided a better experience.

Looking at the generously portioned boxed lunch, An Dongsheng subconsciously swallowed.

Especially after smelling the alluring fragrance in the air, he felt even more regretful, regretting his earlier outrageous remarks.

This lunchbox looks like it was made with great care and tastes absolutely delicious.

Adding to the fact that he was also hungry, it was pure torture for him.

However, since he had just spoken so forcefully, he couldn't very well ask for it again now. He could only say something suggestive:
"This boxed meal looks just average; it probably won't taste very good."

"But if my dear sister insists on giving me some, I wouldn't mind helping her eat it."

Too lazy to pay attention to her unreliable brother, An Qiuyun picked up her chopsticks and started eating.

Since An Dongsheng hadn't eaten breakfast, she naturally couldn't either, especially when she was in a bad mood, she had no appetite for breakfast.

With such a delicious boxed lunch in front of her, An Qiuyun could not resist the temptation.

Savoring the delicious flavors lingering on the tip of the tongue, and listening to the pattering rain outside the window, the black sedan is speeding towards the unknown distance.

……

An Qiuyun's departure was discussed in Wangjia Village for less than three days. After all, although cars were novel, ordinary people were more concerned about their daily lives.

In particular, the fact that Wangjia Village is preparing to open a sugar factory is destined to be a perpetual topic of conversation among the villagers.

As time went by, the Dapeng Sugar Factory gradually took shape.

Although construction has not officially started yet, it already resembles a factory. All that remains is to fill the factory with equipment, personnel, and products.

In the warehouse, looking at the various parts laid out in front of him, Wang Fucheng felt numb.

I originally intended to solve this problem myself, but I never expected that even with the blueprints, the seemingly simple assembly would be so difficult.

Should we continue to seek help from Wang Chengpeng?
The moment this thought popped into his head, Wang Fucheng couldn't help but blush.

Even with his thick skin, he felt somewhat embarrassed about his idea of ​​endlessly exploiting Wang Chengpeng.

If he were to ask Wang Chengpeng for help again, he might as well just ask him to give him a factory directly.

Most importantly, he felt that the benefits he gave to Wang Chengpeng were not commensurate with the efforts the other party had made.

Three positions?

Originally, this seemed like a deal that would allow Wang Chengpeng to make a fortune, but unexpectedly, he ended up making a huge profit himself.

After thinking for a moment, Wang Fucheng finally gave up the idea of ​​asking Wang Chengpeng for help.

He didn't even intend to take Wang Chengpeng's equipment blueprints for free. As long as he confirmed that the blueprints were indeed usable, he would give Wang Chengpeng the money he was owed once the sugar factory started making money.

After all, preparing equipment is a reasonable expense for starting a factory, especially when you are building the equipment yourself, and the blueprints are of utmost importance.

Wang Fucheng wasn't someone who knew nothing; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to become the production team leader. He naturally knew the value of the blueprints.

Unfortunately, with the sugar factory being such a huge financial hole, and the village really having no money, he had no choice but to shamelessly owe the money.

After contacting some acquaintances and spending some money, Wang Fucheng finally managed to find a skilled master craftsman to come to the village.

The master craftsman's name was Luo Hai, and he was famously skilled, being a level seven craftsman.

That was a level seven worker, which was definitely among the best workers in that era.

In order to invite the other party over, Wang Fucheng not only specifically asked his son Wang Yong to make the invitation, but also gave him a reward of fifty yuan.

Whether it succeeds or fails, a reward must be given!
Seeing the other person's expressions—sometimes frowning, sometimes sighing, sometimes joyful—Wang Fucheng was truly unsure and cautiously inquired:
"Master Luo, what do you think? Is this blueprint usable or not?"

Interrupted by Wang Fucheng, Luo Hai realized that now was not the time for research, and said excitedly:
"I don't know if it will work, but it can definitely be assembled."

At this point, Luo Hai asked:
"Captain Wang, this blueprint looks incomplete. Besides the assembly steps, why are there no specific dimensions for the parts?"

"If I could get the drawings that contain all the data for the components, I might be able to figure something out."

Faced with Luo Hai's questioning, Wang Fucheng's mind was filled with alarm bells.

He realized that he had underestimated the blueprints Wang Chengpeng had given him. Blueprints that even Luo Hai would actively request were clearly not simple.

Thinking of this, Wang Fucheng smiled wryly and said, "Comrade Luo, you really overestimated me."

"The complete blueprints that record the specific parameters of the components—how could I possibly have access to such a core item?"

"I only bought the equipment and received the installation diagrams; I know nothing else about it."

Although Wang Fucheng's words sounded like a lie, after all, which manufacturer would give up the most profitable technical services and just sell some parts to Wang Fucheng?
In particular, the drawings clearly show signs of being hand-drawn, and do not look like proper drawings at all. Instead, they seem to be the impromptu work of some master.

However, Luo Hai was only doing this for money, and since Wang Fucheng didn't say anything, he didn't have the face to investigate further, so he could only start assembling the machine with a regretful expression.

With blueprints in hand, assembly was no difficult task for Luo Hai, a skilled worker of the eighth grade. He quickly built a prototype using the pre-made parts. Wang Fucheng was pleasantly surprised by this, thinking to himself that the fifty yuan was well spent.

As for Wang Yong? He didn't dare miss any of the details and studied very seriously from the side.

The sugar factory needs more than just one piece of equipment; it will also need to manufacture and assemble other equipment, which will naturally require his operation.

With the help of the blueprints and Luo Hai's hands-on experience, many things that Wang Yong didn't understand suddenly became clear.

With his meticulously recorded notes, he was confident that he could assemble a second identical device through his own trial and error.

The equipment designed by Wang Chengpeng is generally small, or rather, given the current production conditions and material strength, it simply cannot support larger equipment.

Therefore, all that is needed is some clever equipment to save time for workers.

Especially in large-scale sugar production, excellent equipment can save a lot of time over time.

Luo Hai lived up to his title of Level 7 worker, spending several hours assembling the equipment into a respectable form.

Looking at the equipment that had been painstakingly assembled, Luo Hai could roughly guess some of its functions, but he still only had a vague understanding of many others.

Considering that he had been stuck at level seven for a long time, and that he could only advance through hard work or merit, Luo Hai's mind started to work more creatively. He said:
"I'm becoming increasingly curious about the inventor of this device."

"Captain Wang, let's not beat around the bush. If you're willing to introduce me to this master, I can waive the fee for helping with the assembly this time."

"Not only that, but if you ever need any small favors in the future, I won't refuse."

With a casual remark, Luo Hai had already done a favor.

In this era, the favor of a seventh-grade worker is still very valuable; if handled properly, it might even be possible to arrange for someone to become an apprentice in the factory.

However, the better the conditions Luo Hai offered, the more valuable these blueprints were highlighted, and the more nervous Wang Fucheng became.

Without even thinking, he immediately gave his reply, saying:
"Thank you for your kindness, Comrade Luo, but I don't know anyone like that."

"I paid a lot of money to get these equipment blueprints through someone, and I'm not familiar with the author at all, let alone recommend him to you."

"Don't worry about the agreed-upon compensation. Although the village is struggling, you won't be shortchanged by a single penny."

Seeing that Wang Fucheng was repeating the same story, Luo Hai decided to press his advantage. He was so eager to improve that he said:
"It is indeed difficult to get to know such an important person. I imagine Captain Wang must have gone to great lengths to manage to contact him."

"I will definitely not let you suffer any losses in this matter. As long as you are willing to help me make an introduction, I will absolutely not let you suffer any losses."

"How about one hundred yuan?"

"I not only don't want your payment, but I'll also pay you an extra 100 yuan as a reward. I just hope you can help me with this."

Luo Hai's attitude was sincere; it was clear that he was very eager to meet this master hidden behind the scenes.

Only Wang Fucheng was somewhat surprised. He really hadn't expected that the blueprints would be so valuable that Luo Hai would go to such lengths to acquire them.

Yes, it was indeed a very "difficult" meeting for him to meet Wang Chengpeng, and before he could even speak, the other party had already prepared the blueprints.

Comparing the two, Wang Fucheng was somewhat flattered, realizing that he actually had such a great deal of influence.

Since things had come to this point, Wang Fucheng couldn't very well refuse Luo Hai outright, just in case he might need his help in the future.

Thinking this, Wang Fucheng sighed and said, "I can only try my best to ask for you, but don't get your hopes up."

"As for the payment, I can't accept your money."

"Not only that, Wangjia Village will definitely give us the money that is due."

Setting up a sugar factory in the village is a major undertaking that cannot be taken lightly. It would be a loss if such a small amount of money caused a negative impact.

Nodding slightly, Luo Hai said, "Okay, then I'll trouble Captain Wang to ask around for you."

"No matter what the outcome, you just need to casually mention me to him."

Luo Hai was quite open-minded; it was clearly unrealistic to expect to achieve such mastery in one fell swoop.

Make a good first impression on the other person, and it will be much easier to do things later.

After seeing Luo Hai off, Wang Fucheng and his son, filled with excitement, began to try out the equipment in front of them.

Although these devices are shiny and have a cold, metallic sheen, whether they work well or not can only be determined after they are actually tested.

Without hesitation, Wang Yong put the chopped beets directly into the rollers of the first device.

Then the roll-on/roll-off unit is installed in a pool that is already filled with clean water.

Beetroot is denser than water, so it should normally sink to the bottom.

After looking the equipment over from all sides, Wang Yong found that it was not leaking water, and then he breathed a sigh of relief.

As a device that needs to come into frequent contact with liquids, it naturally has extremely high requirements for sealing performance.

No matter how good or numerous the functions are, if a device leaks water, it is not suitable for sugar production.

Taking a deep breath, Wang Yong began to manually crank the handle next to the equipment.

Vigorously miracle!
As the handle was turned, the roller gained power and began to roll rapidly.

As the rollers rotated, the beetroot tumbled rapidly.

As the beetroots tumble and collide, the friction against each other removes most of the dirt from their surface.

Only at this point should the beetroot be peeled to minimize impurities.

Once the beetroot has been peeled, it can be sent to the next machine. As the handle is turned, the machine gains power, and with the rapid cutting of the blades, the beetroot is cut into crystal-clear thin slices.

The sliced ​​beets will be transported to the next device via a conveyor belt.

Under the influence of gravity, the originally translucent beet slices were eventually pressed into a smooth beet puree, becoming the perfect material for making syrup.

Cook the beet puree with water until it reaches a certain consistency, and you will eventually get a pot of beet syrup with a very good color.

The preceding steps may seem tedious, but the final step determines the quality of the white sugar.

Pour the beet syrup into a specialized filtration device and filter it several times to obtain a relatively clear beet syrup.

Next, boil off the excess water from the beet syrup, then boil it into beet sugar syrup. After cooling naturally, you will get crystal clear sugar cubes.

Sugar cubes at this stage are ready to be sold, but to improve the appearance of the finished product, they need to be further ground into fine granulated sugar.

Finally, pack the sugar into a clean packaging bag and seal it. This completes a simple sugar-making process.

(End of this chapter)