In the 90s, you could acquire max-level skills every 14 days.

Chapter 108 Three Zhuge Liangs

Wei Shuyun grabbed Zhang Yong's shoulders with both hands and was trying to push him onto the bed.

Zhang Yong gritted his teeth and endured it, refusing to lie back down.

"Professor Fang is waiting for the boiler data."

His eyes were very serious.

"I promised them I'd resolve the boiler issue as soon as possible."

"It's not like we absolutely have to go today!"

"Director Meng said that the safety supervision department needs to be notified next week. If the preliminary parameters of the renovation plan cannot be produced this week, the factory will have to shut down the boiler. More than 400 workers are waiting to burn boilers to generate electricity."

Wei Shuyun loosened her grip a little.

Both she and Sun Lei were about to become college students, and they understood these principles.

Looking at their expressions, Zhang Yong softened his tone.

"Besides, I'll just take a look, take a few measurements, record the condition of the furnace wall, and draw a diagram to bring back to Teacher Fang. It'll only take half a day."

Wei Shuyun wasn't the type to overthink things; she pondered for a moment and then let go.

Then he smiled slyly, took out a bunch of keys from his pocket, and twirled them on his finger.

"You can go if you want."

"But you have to ride in my car."

Zhang Yong was about to say no, but Wei Shuyun had already turned and walked out.

"The way you ride your motorcycle now, you look like a mummy wrapped in bandages. Anyone who sees you on the road will stop you."

"I'll drive to the back door and wait. How about we meet in ten minutes?"

Sun Lei paused for a moment, then picked up a military green water bottle from the chair by the door and slung it over his shoulder.

"I'll go too."

Zhang Yong looked at him.

"what?"

Sun Lei's expression showed a hint of nervousness.

"You have trouble even bending over now, and you need help going to the toilet. If I go with you, at least I can lend a hand."

He paused for a moment, then lowered his voice.

"Besides—I've had this feeling these past few days that someone wants to harm you, and it's been keeping me up at night. I happen to be free today, and I won't feel at ease if I don't go with you."

Zhang Yong felt a surge of warmth in his heart as he looked at the young neighbor who had been keeping watch on him for someone just two weeks ago.

"OK."

He nodded.

"Then I'll leave it to you two."

The three of them discussed it and decided that Sun Lei would go out first to scout the way and make sure that no nurses were checking on patients in the corridor, and then Zhang Yong would slowly move out while holding onto the wall.

Before leaving, Zhang Yong tore a piece of paper from the bedside table and wrote a line: "Mom, I'm going to see Wei Shuyun off. I'll be back in the evening. I want to eat fried radish balls."

The note was placed under the canned yellow peaches that Li Guilan had brought.

Sun Lei peeked out of the corridor and gave an OK sign to those inside.

Zhang Yong, supporting himself on his ribs with one hand and bracing himself against the wall with the other, slowly moved toward the back door.

Outside the back door, a dark green Beijing 212 Jeep was already running, its exhaust pipe sputtering out white smoke.

Wei Shuyun had already taken the driver's seat, while Zhang Yong was half-supported and half-carried into the passenger seat by Sun Lei.

With a deep, muffled roar, the jeep emerged from the shade of the trees and turned onto the Jing-Tong Highway.

On both sides of the road are large cornfields and poplar trees. The early September sun shines on the asphalt road, and the heat waves in the distance twist the scenery into a jumbled mess.

Wei Shuyun steered the car around one pothole after another, making Zhang Yong grit his teeth from the bumpy ride.

She glared at Zhang Yong in the rearview mirror.

"Don't show off when you get to the coal mine. Do what you need to see, do what you need to remember, and then we'll come back immediately."

"understood."

"Sigh, I really don't trust you anymore. You only ever report good news and never bad."

Sun Lei, sitting in the back seat, was filled with mixed feelings. He thought Wei Shuyun was really dashing and even her driving was so beautiful.

A moment later, he felt that there seemed to be a bad guy in the car that passed by, staring at Zhang Yong.

The jeep roared eastward along the empty provincial highway.

Around noon, four huge concrete chimneys appeared at the end of the road.

Black smoke billowed from the chimney, carrying a pungent sulfurous smell that could be detected from afar.

The iron gate of the coal yard was rusty, and there were several piles of black coal slag at the entrance. A Jiefang truck was leaning against the side of the road, its tires covered with coal dust.

The jeep had just turned onto the dirt road in front of the coal plant and hadn't even come to a complete stop yet.

The wooden door to the gatehouse was pushed open.

A middle-aged man wearing an old safety helmet and covered in coal dust rushed out from inside, the miner's lamp on the helmet swaying crookedly.

He ran to the car window, bent down, and looked inside.

"Who are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for Deputy Factory Director Meng," Wei Shuyun said crisply, rolling down the car window.

Which organization is it from?

"It's the daughter of Director Wei from Tongxian Dongfang Winery. She had an appointment with your Deputy Director Meng."

Upon hearing the name "Factory Director Wei," the man's attitude immediately softened, and he nodded and ran inside.

"Wait here, I'll go get someone."

The jeep was turned off and parked in the open space at the entrance of the coal plant. Zhang Yong leaned back in the passenger seat, a throbbing pain in his ribs.

Less than three minutes later, a middle-aged man wearing glasses jogged out of the factory area.

Meng Qingshan.

He ran to the car door, bent down and looked inside, and was stunned for a moment.

Zhang Yong's face was swollen on one side, his left eye was surrounded by bruises, and there was an iodine bandage on the corner of his mouth. He was leaning against the car, looking miserable.

"You are Comrade Zhang—Zhang? And this is—"

"It's nothing, just a minor injury." Zhang Yong got out of the car, supporting himself on the door, and extended his right hand.

Meng Qingshan quickly grabbed Zhang Yong's hand, wrapped both hands around the back of Zhang Yong's hand, and shook it hard twice, causing Zhang Yong to hiss in pain.

"Oh dear, you came all this way injured, I—I feel so bad. I've prepared all the data, just waiting for you to arrive."

"We can't break our promise." Zhang Yong steadied himself and gestured towards the back seat with his chin. "This is Wei Shuyun, Director Wei's daughter, a freshman at Tsinghua University. This is Sun Lei, from the Normal University, my neighbor."

Meng Qingshan nodded repeatedly, "Good, good, good, you are all top students, please come in, please come in."

Just as he was about to lead the group inside, another person followed him out.

He was in his early fifties, wearing an old, stained overcoat. Even though it was September, the overcoat seemed to be an extension of his body.

His face was full of fat, his eyes were squinted into slits, he had a half-smoked cigarette between his teeth, and he walked with his toes pointing outwards.

"Old Meng, is this the expert from Peking University you were talking about?"

He glanced at Zhang Yong from head to toe, his gaze lingering on the gauze and bruises for a while.

Meng Qingshan's smile froze for a moment. "Section Chief Liu, this is Comrade Zhang Yong, a student of Professor Fang Qiming from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Peking University."

Section Chief Liu flicked the cigarette butt onto the ground and then ground it with the sole of his shoe.

"Hey Lao Meng, this boiler in our factory has been running for thirty years, and it's survived every winter. Why are you making such a fuss, bringing in three schoolchildren from outside to come and see?"

He turned his head to look at Wei Shuyun and Sun Lei, and curled his lips slightly.

"Are these two helping with taking data or serving tea and water?"

Sweat beaded on Meng Qingshan's forehead.

"Section Chief Liu, I've already explained this to you, the tube wall of Furnace No. 1—"

"Boiler room, boiler room, you're always talking about boiler room stuff." Section Chief Liu shoved his hands into his coat pockets. "I've worked in this factory for twenty-six years. I know the boiler room better than you do. You graduated from an agricultural college, what do you know about boilers?"

He glanced at Zhang Yong again. "Young man, did you get into a fight or fall into a ditch? Shouldn't you go to the hospital first? What are you doing at our factory?"

>

1