Courtyard House: Inheriting the Restaurant, the Jia Family Wants to Get It for Free

"These cans have slight burrs on the sealing edges; we'll take them for destructive testing."

"The ink color of this batch of labels is 5% darker than the standard color sample. We have notified the printing factory that the next batch must be adjusted."

His eyes are like the most precise scanner; no flaw, however tiny, can escape his scrutiny.

Just as the first batch of 500 cans of food was completed and ready to be sealed and stored.

Qin Huairu, who was in charge of the spot checks, walked over quickly with a vernier caliper in hand, her face somewhat solemn.

"Brother, there's a problem." She placed several cans of food in front of Cheng Shuhai. "I just randomly checked twenty boxes and found that the seals on three cans weren't tight enough. Although it's not visible to the naked eye, when I measured it with an instrument, the sealing pressure was three percent lower than the standard value."

Upon hearing this, the workshop director immediately came over.

"Mr. Qin, aren't you being a bit too meticulous?" He picked up a can, examining it from all angles. "Five hundred boxes, over twenty thousand cans, and you've only found three substandard ones. That's a very low percentage. Besides, this difference doesn't affect edibility at all. Mixed in with a large shipment, how could the Soviets possibly spot it? I think we should just send it out as is. If we re-inspect, there won't be enough time."

"No way!" Cheng Shuhai immediately rejected the idea. "Pass the word down: stop the production line immediately! Open all the canned goods that have already come off the line and re-inspect them 100%!"

This decision sent a collective gasp through everyone present.

More than 20,000 cans of food had to be re-inspected—the workload was astronomical. This meant that the original delivery time would be delayed by at least three days.

The official in charge of foreign trade liaison was sweating profusely with anxiety.

"Consultant Cheng, this is unacceptable! The shipping schedule has already been set! Our contract with the Soviet side includes a penalty clause for delayed delivery! If there's a delay, who will be held responsible?"

He even suspected that Cheng Shuhai was deliberately causing him trouble to show off his authority.

"I'll take responsibility." Cheng Shuhai's tone left no room for doubt. "Send a telegram to the Soviet side, saying that a quality defect was discovered in our product before it left the factory, and in order to maintain our reputation, we need to delay delivery by three days. I believe they will understand."

Soon, the Soviet acceptance department sent a telegram back.

The telegram was strongly worded. They questioned the Chinese side why the problem was only discovered at the critical juncture of delivery, asking if there had been a major oversight in production management. They also expressed serious doubts about the quality of the batch of products.

Immense pressure instantly weighed on the project team.

Old Zhao couldn't take it anymore. He went to the factory himself, pulled Cheng Shuhai aside, and asked in a low voice, "Shuhai, tell me the truth, how confident are you really? If this turns out to be a disaster, we'll both be in deep trouble!"

Cheng Shuhai made no guarantees; he simply pointed to the German sealing machine.

"Old Zhao, the problem lies here."

He and several of his top technicians worked tirelessly, day and night, guarding the machine. They disassembled, inspected, and tested it again and again.

Finally, the problem was found.

It wasn't that the machine itself was defective; rather, this advanced German machine was somewhat "unsuited to local conditions." Its sealing heating module required extremely stable voltage. However, the domestic power grid at the time had slight voltage fluctuations. It was these minute fluctuations that caused a very small number of cans to experience momentary deficiencies in temperature and pressure during sealing.

Once the problem is identified, solving it is not difficult.

Based on the actual conditions of domestic factories, Cheng Shuhai boldly modified the machine's circuit system, adding a small voltage regulator. At the same time, he also fine-tuned the sealing material formula according to the new voltage characteristics, increasing the proportion of adhesive slightly.

After more than ten hours of repeated testing, Qin Huairu conducted another random inspection when a new batch of canned goods came off the production line.

This time, she tested one hundred cans in a row, and the sealing pressure of each one was perfectly and consistently at the standard value.

It worked!

After the revised technical report and detailed explanation of the delayed delivery were sent to the Soviet Union along with the first batch of goods.

Everyone's hearts were in their throats.

Three days later, the telegram from the Soviet inspection team finally arrived.

In the telegram, they expressed high praise for the Chinese side's conscientious and responsible attitude. After conducting random inspections of the goods, they found the product quality to be impeccable. They not only fully accepted the explanation for the delayed delivery but also immediately decided to place a new order and hoped that the Chinese side could expedite the import process for the next batch of more advanced textile equipment and tinplate raw materials.

The entire project team was jubilant!

Cheng Shuhai's professionalism and perseverance not only resolved a potential quality crisis, but also earned him greater trust from the other party.

Old Zhao breathed a long sigh of relief. He walked over to Cheng Shuhai and handed him a newly received encrypted telegram.

"You little rascal, you've stirred up another big scandal for me."

Cheng Shuhai took the telegram, opened it, and read it.

The telegram contained simple information, but its weight was immense.

"Through friendly consultations between China and the Soviet Union, the Soviet side hoped that China would, on the basis of the original plan, simultaneously construct three supporting export factories in Beijing: one for food, one for textiles, and one for daily necessities. Both sides agreed that Comrade Cheng Shuhai would continue to be responsible for the overall technical coordination and quality control of all projects."

This means that he now wields even greater power.

This also means that the burden on his shoulders has become heavier.

The news that Cheng Shuhai remained calm in the face of danger, not only solved the technical problem, but also won the greater trust of the Soviet side and more orders, spread like wildfire throughout the relevant departments in Beijing.

Those who were waiting to see him fail, or even ready to take his place, were all dumbfounded.

They couldn't understand why Cheng Shuhai was always so lucky. Every time he was about to fall into a pit, he would not only climb out, but also casually fish out a piece of gold from the pit.

In Courtyard No. 95, Cheng Shuhai's prestige reached an unprecedented peak.

In the past, his neighbors feared and fawned over him. Now, their feelings have been mixed with genuine respect.

"Have you heard? Director Cheng has modified all the Soviet machines! He solved problems that even their experts couldn't!"

"Of course! The newspapers even said it was a 'technical breakthrough'! Director Cheng is now a national-level technical advisor!"

"Wow, our institute has really produced a big shot!"

Praises were endless. But even faster than the applause came waves of neighbors coming to plead for leniency.