The Fiery Era: Becoming an Industrial Giant

Chapter 218 Deputy Factory Director Hou: I don't think it's reasonable.
"Comrades, the core tasks of our heavy machine tools have been clarified. For now, we will refer to the technical standards of the Soviet Union. As for the special requirements of the Eleventh Research Institute, we will also incorporate them."

After discussing with the people from Liaoyang Shipyard and the Eleventh Research Institute, Shen Changlin also held an internal meeting with all the project team members.

The meeting was attended not only by Zhou Zhiqiang and his group from Beijing, but also by the deputy director of the First Heavy Machinery Plant, who was in charge of technology and was also a level six engineer.

The other two are directors of the Special Materials Research Institute, who will also provide support for some special steels used in heavy machine tools.

"Our project is time-sensitive and demanding. The project at Liaoyang Shipyard has been stalled for a long time because of this step; moreover, the initial investment was huge, so we can't just give up. Therefore, we must complete it."

However, whether it can be successfully completed depends on whether our heavy-duty machine tools can achieve the desired result.

Shen Changlin paused for a moment, then pointed to the task deadline schedule on the blackboard.

This is the task deadline they just finalized, with a total cycle of sixteen months, but Zhou Zhiqiang feels that the time can be shortened.

However, leaving oneself some leeway is something everyone does; going all in is a very small minority, and even in scientific research, one cannot guarantee smooth sailing and that there will be no mistakes.

If a calculation error occurs, the time lost will be much greater.

"Next, Comrade Zhiqiang will be responsible for the design and drawing confirmation of the special scheme. Now, please welcome Comrade Zhou Zhiqiang to speak."

After Shen Changlin finished speaking, he signaled that it was Zhou Zhiqiang's turn to speak, which was something they had agreed on in advance.

After the Russians withdrew their aid, they had to figure things out on their own in this regard.

However, even in a blank slate, there are still people who excel in machine tool-related research and development, such as Zhou Zhiqiang.

The research and development of three machine tools over two years has greatly benefited China. They have not only helped in the manufacturing of special components for cutting-edge national defense projects, but have also earned a lot of foreign exchange.

Although neither of them had experience in developing heavy machine tools, if you had to pick the most suitable candidate, it would be Zhou Zhiqiang.

No one else will have any objections, after all, research and development and achievements determine everything.

Moreover, Zhou Zhiqiang and Engineer Lin had already developed some ideas and plans on how to develop CNC machine tools when they were in Beijing.

Zhou Zhiqiang didn't stand on ceremony. As the deputy leader, he had to take on the responsibilities: "Comrades, the design and drawings for the special solution of the heavy machine tool have been finalized. It is currently set for three months, and a feasible solution should be ready by the end of September."

"There's plenty of time. Before we came, Lin and I had already discussed the heavy machine tool and came up with a preliminary idea about its general structure."

As Zhou Zhiqiang spoke, he took out a stack of blueprints from his briefcase.

These were the structural design schemes he derived from collecting and analyzing data from his assistants. He then discussed them with Mr. Lin, and they generally agreed that there were no major problems.

However, to reassure everyone, it would be best to conduct some calculations and experiments.

Otherwise, if Zhou Zhiqiang had made the decision directly, even Engineer Lin and Team Leader Shen wouldn't have believed it.

With a preliminary structural design for the heavy-duty machine tool already in place, it will indeed save a lot of time.

The three months spent on designing the specialized solution alone could potentially save ten or twenty days.

My first day here.

Zhou Zhiqiang and his team immediately got to work, discussing plans with everyone in the project team in the meeting room. However, most of the time, others asked questions, and Zhou Zhiqiang answered them.

When it came time to demonstrate the computational structure, the group realized they lacked the necessary tools, so they moved to an office prepared specifically for them to continue their discussion.

------

Nanluoguxiang, the old city of Beijing.

A postman stopped his bicycle in front of the courtyard gate and shouted inside, "There's mail for you at No. 63!"

A moment later, Guo Yuting came out quickly and asked the postman, "Comrade, is this ours? Where did it come from?"

"See for yourself, just stamp and sign here."

The postman had delivered mail here several times, so he knew Guo Yuting, but the proper signature and stamp were still required.

After Guo Yuting stamped and signed the letter, she took it and saw that it was sent from a county in the Northwest. She immediately guessed that it was a letter from her father.

His face immediately fell. Although the letter from his father was nice, why wasn't it from the Northeast?
Back in the backyard, Mei Xiuxue saw her daughter returning from the front yard looking somewhat dejected, so she wiped her hands and asked, "Wasn't the letter sent by Zhiqiang?"

"No, I guess it was sent back by Dad. If it wasn't Dad, it was my older brother and sister-in-law."

After handing the letter to Mei Xiuxue, Guo Yuting said, "Read the letter. I'll wash the kimchi jar."

"You child, you don't even want to read the letters your dad sends back. If your dad knew, he would definitely feel bad."

Mei Xiuxue took the letter and said it with a hint of annoyance, but she was becoming more and more satisfied with Guo Yuting.

Before she got married, she didn't do any housework at home and kept complaining that the new era had arrived and that she wanted to be a "new youth." Now she's much better; she knows how to volunteer to do chores and takes good care of her two children.

"Dad is only in a good mood when he's scolding me; he's thinking about his son and son-in-law."

Guo Yuting snorted and said, "You read the letter. I'm going to wash the jar. Remember to call me when your daughter wakes up."

As Mei Xiuxue opened the letter, she said, "Zhiqiang has only been gone for a little over a month, and he's been on business trips before, so he might be very busy now. You don't need to worry about waiting for letters every day."

“I was very anxious last time, but I didn’t hear from him for more than half a year. This time he said he would send letters often, but I guess he just forgot about it when he went there.”

Guo Yuting snorted and said, "Besides, even if we don't meet, it's still necessary for husband and wife to stay in touch. When Dad goes to work on a project, Mom can go with him, but when it comes to us, even writing a letter is a bit difficult."

Mei Xiuxue said irritably, "How can that be the same?"

Guo Linhua's project is a five-year minimum, ten-year maximum, so it's basically a fixed commitment. It would be too inhumane to make the couple live apart for ten years.

Therefore, people who go to the Northwest usually relocate their entire families there, and once they arrive, they are provided with all the necessary arrangements for building industrial facilities.

Zhou Zhiqiang's return after only a year or two clearly indicates a short-term project. What would the households do if they went with him? Mei Xiuxue has been with Guo Linhua for a long time, so she knows some of the ins and outs.

After her daughter went to work, Mei Xiuxue opened the letter and took a look. Her husband didn't say much; he just sent a photo of their place.

They also asked about their situation, such as whether Guo Chenghua was in school.

Mei Xiuxue was relieved to hear that everything was fine over there. Guo Chenghua would be going to school soon, and she would write back in a couple of days.

Just as Mei Xiuxue was about to go back inside to put the letter down, there was another knock at the front door. After hearing the knock, Mei Xiuxue put the letter away and went to the front door to open it. Seeing Zhao Tiandong standing there, she asked, "Tiandong, it's you. What's the matter?"

"Aunt Mei, my sister-in-law didn't collect Zhiqiang's wages last month. The factory asked me to come and ask her about it."

Zhao Tiandong said that the factory's finance department was also quite anxious about this matter, as the factory manager's salary had been delayed for a month.

Last time, he helped pass on a message outside the precision workshop, letting many people in the factory know that Zhao Tiandong and Zhou Zhiqiang had a good relationship and came from the same village. So the finance department approached Zhao Tiandong and asked him to help convey the message.

"Come in and talk to her. Yuting has probably forgotten."

Mei Xiuxue welcomed Zhao Tiandong in. Zhao Tiandong and Wu Xiaojun used to come to their house to help out often, and they were also very sensible.

After bringing Zhao Tiandong in, Mei Xiuxue called Guo Yuting out, and then Zhao Tiandong told Guo Yuting again about going to the factory to collect his wages.

"I really forgot. Thank you, Tian Dong. The neighborhood office has been quite busy lately, and I just forgot about it for a moment."

The main reason is that their family has a lot of savings. When they don't have enough money, they just take some from the box. She still remembers this when she was receiving her salary at the neighborhood office.

As a result, I forgot about it completely after two days.

As for what documents to bring, Guo Yuting had collected Zhou Zhiqiang's wages on several occasions when she went to Dafeng Agricultural Machinery Equipment Factory before, so she definitely knew.

Guo Yuting casually said to Zhao Tiandong, "I'll go pick it up on Monday, don't worry, Tiandong."

"Sister-in-law, as long as you remember, I'm off."

After Zhao Tiandong finished speaking, he took his leave.

on Monday.

Factories are operating at full capacity, and the faint hum of machines starting up can be heard at the gates.

A knock suddenly sounded on the deputy factory director's office door.

"Come in."

After Deputy Factory Director Sun finished calling out, he saw that the person who came was Deputy Factory Director Hou, and couldn't help but say, "Oh, Deputy Factory Director Hou, what brings you here? Let me pour you a glass of water."

"Deputy Factory Director Sun, you're too kind. I just have something I'd like to ask you. It's really no trouble at all."

Deputy Factory Director Hou waved his hand with a broad smile and spoke in a very polite tone.

However, Deputy Factory Director Sun insisted on pouring Deputy Factory Director Hou a glass of water, and then led him to sit down on the sofa before asking, "Deputy Factory Director Hou, is there something you need from me?"

"I have something I wanted to ask. Some comrades asked me if the factory had stopped issuing welfare coupons since the beginning of the year. I went to the general affairs department to inquire, and it turns out that you, Deputy Factory Director Sun, had them withheld and were not being distributed to the comrades."

Deputy Factory Director Hou said with a smile, "Is there something I don't know about? It's already the second half of the year, and our factory should have accumulated a lot of welfare coupons."

Why didn't Deputy Factory Director Sun allow the General Affairs Department to issue welfare vouchers?

Upon hearing this, Deputy Factory Director Sun said, "This matter was actually Director Zhou's decision. All the factory's welfare vouchers will be saved and exchanged for prizes to reward the workers at the end of the year."

"It's not a new practice this year that cadres aren't involved; the factory did the same thing last year. It's understandable that you, Deputy Factory Director Hou, didn't know, but other cadres shouldn't be like this. Who asked you?"

"You can't say that, Deputy Factory Director Sun. Why are you asking about this? Retaliation is not appropriate, haha."

Deputy Factory Director Hou gave a warning, feigning a joking gesture, and then asked, "Why don't the cadres participate in the welfare ticket rewards? Isn't that very unfair to them?"
Our factory's managers have worked hard all year and made significant contributions, so it's really unfair that they aren't included in the year-end prize distribution.

“It would be unfair if they were involved, because even the lowest-ranking cadres earn almost the same salary as the highest-paid workers.”

Moreover, the effort and risks involved in mental labor and physical labor are completely different.

Deputy Factory Director Sun was too lazy to explain himself, so he simply quoted Zhou Zhiqiang's words to Deputy Factory Director Hou:

"Besides, it's not that we don't allow them to participate. If they do 300 hours of physical labor, the cadres can also participate in the year-end reward selection."

If you participate in physical labor for three or four hours a day, you will only need a maximum of one hundred days to participate in the award selection along with the workers at the end of the year.

Zhou Zhiqiang didn't completely block the way; he left a way out for the factory's cadres.

Nowadays, frontline production workers work more than ten hours a day, while most of the factory's managers leave at the end of their shift, and only a small number are on duty.

The pay is incomparable to the workload; it's already quite good that Zhou Zhiqiang didn't completely block their path to the selection.

When this matter was discussed at a factory meeting, some cadres expressed their opposition because in the past, the factory's welfare coupons were distributed among the cadres, with only about 20% of the coupons being given to model workers and advanced individuals who performed well.

At that time, Zhou Zhiqiang slammed his fist on the table and reprimanded the opposing cadres, telling them that if they didn't agree, they should finish their own work and go to the front line to work overtime.

If you can do what they can do, then there's no problem.

When Zhou Zhiqiang first arrived, he distributed his welfare coupons to the workers who were working overtime and to Zhang Yaoguo.

The factory implemented this regulation the following year.

After listening, Deputy Factory Director Hou smiled and said to Deputy Factory Director Sun, "I don't think this system is very good. Some of our cadres are working very hard."

Take Director Tian, ​​for example. His working hours are no less than those of the frontline production workers. Wouldn't it be unfair if he didn't participate in the distribution of welfare vouchers?

"Therefore, Deputy Factory Director Sun, we shouldn't look at problems one-sidedly, just like socialist construction..."
The proletariat is the main force in our construction, but capitalism can also contribute to socialist construction. If we look at the issue too one-sidedly, then we will be unfair.

After hearing this, Deputy Factory Director Sun secretly clicked his tongue, then spread his hands and said to Deputy Factory Director Hou, "Deputy Factory Director Hou, it's no use telling me this. These are the rules set by Factory Director Zhou, and they're set in stone."

Unless Secretary Li intervenes and changes the rules, if the three of us deputy factory directors discuss and make changes, who will take responsibility when Director Zhou returns and holds us accountable?

He wouldn't take any responsibility. Sun's non-stick pans would absolutely not take any responsibility at the Second Machine Tool Plant, especially since Zhou Zhiqiang would slam his fist on the table and yell at him.

Although Zhou Zhiqiang was younger than many of the factory's cadres, when he slammed his fist on the table and pointed his finger at someone, he could make you lose face completely.

The cadre who said last time that cadres could also participate in the distribution of welfare vouchers was almost assigned by Zhou Zhiqiang to be forced into labor.

If it weren't for Secretary Li smoothing things over, Zhou Zhiqiang would probably have been demoted from deputy section chief to deputy section chief.

(End of this chapter)