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

Chapter 140: You'll know once you touch it?

That night.

Zhang Yong sat at his desk with the desk lamp on.

He opened a brown paper notebook and flipped to the last few pages.

A line of numbers was written in pencil above:

Asset inventory (September 1990.9):

Court enforcement payment received: 8008

October's royalties deposit: 3600 (600 in current account + 3000 in fixed deposit)

Publisher royalties: 2240 (current account)

Expenses already paid: University tuition and miscellaneous fees approximately 220 / difference in subsidized housing price 4000

Remaining current assets: 9628

He drew a line under the number.

We were still a little over 20,000 yuan short of the 30,000 yuan target for "Spring 1992, Shenzhen".

If the boiler upgrades at all twelve factories are successfully completed, based on the total contract value of 60,000, after deducting costs of 15,000 and Zhao's contribution...

Fu Cai's commission is 6,000 yuan, leaving 39,000 yuan. This money will go through the school's account, and how much he will personally receive will depend on what Teacher Fang negotiates with the school.

But no matter what, the path has already been paved, and judging from the current situation, there are no problems.

But with time so tight lately, I don't know if I can continue writing the Great Power series. I need to discuss it with the workers and October Magazine in advance.

He closed the notebook, his gaze lingering on the words "Spring 1992, Shenzhen" on the title page.

At 6:30 a.m., at the entrance of the Engineering Building at Peking University.

The white Toyota Coaster minibus was belching black smoke from its exhaust pipe, and the words "For Beijing University Only" in red on its body were particularly eye-catching in the morning light.

Fang Qiming stood at the car door, holding a tin megaphone, and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Has everyone arrived yet? If not, let us know!"

This caused the students to burst into laughter.

Qian Zhiyuan, carrying a roll of blueprints, went straight up and took a seat in the first row.

Wang Guanghui followed closely behind with his tool bag, while Lin Ling squeezed into the carriage carrying her notebook and thermometer.

Nineteen people boarded the vehicle one after another, each carrying a tool bag and with a safety helmet at their feet. The vehicle was packed full, with people even standing in the aisle.

Zhang Yong rode his motorcycle to the front of the minibus, acting as the vanguard.

A canvas tool bag was strapped to the back of the motorcycle, containing a measuring tape, vernier calipers, a temperature gun, and a notebook.

Fang Qiming got into the car, sat in the passenger seat, and began reading the list into the loudspeaker in a serious and methodical manner.

"Classmates! Today we'll visit five places on the east side: Tongxian Brick Factory, Dongfeng Flour Factory, Hongxing Passenger Transport Repair Shop, Hongqi Chemical, and Chaoyang Building Materials. Let's start with the easier ones and proceed in order."

"Especially the Hongxing Passenger Transport Factory. They not only have two heating boilers that need to be modified, but they also have dozens of Yellow River trucks and buses waiting for spare parts in the factory area. If we can modify the boilers well, we might be able to get business from their fleet next! Everyone, show some enthusiasm!"

The students nodded in agreement; who among mechanical engineers wouldn't want to take apart a car and study it, even if it meant getting worked up?

He then patted driver Lao Zheng on the shoulder.

"Let's go, Lao Zheng, you've had a hard day!"

When the minibus started, a plume of black smoke came out of the exhaust pipe again.

Zhang Yong listened from the front, his brows furrowing slightly.

This Coaster is equipped with a Toyota 2F gasoline engine. The knocking sound is clearly due to an incorrect ignition timing and an overly rich air-fuel mixture.

"My ears, at [Auto Repair Level 5], are really sharp!" Zhang Yong chuckled, shaking his head as he twisted the accelerator, and the Jialing 125...

With a crisp roar, it took the lead and set off.

The car swayed and bumped as it drove out of the school gate and headed towards Tongxian along the East Fourth Ring Road.

Zhang Yong rode in front, the engine of the Jialing 125 buzzing, and the autumn morning wind felt cool on his face.

8:20 a.m.

Tongxian Brick Factory.

Zhang Yong arrived at the factory gate first on his motorcycle.

The old man in the gatehouse poked his head out, glanced at the Peking University badge pinned to his chest, then looked at the minibus following behind, before letting him pass.

"The boiler room is at the back; just walk west to the end."

Zhang Yong nodded, twisted the throttle, and the motorcycle drove directly into the factory area.

The air in the brick factory was filled with a pungent smell of coal smoke, mixed with the earthy odor of the brick kiln.

The ground was covered with slag and dust, and every step you took left your shoes covered in black ash.

The boiler room is located at the westernmost part of the factory area. It is a low, red-brick bungalow with two large chimneys on the roof belching black smoke.

Zhang Yong parked the car, took off his safety helmet and put it on, then pushed open the iron door of the boiler room.

A wave of heat hit me.

The temperature inside was at least forty degrees Celsius. Two Soviet-style water-pipe boilers stood side by side, their fires glowing red-hot, and the walls were blackened by smoke.

Three shirtless old stokers were squatting beside the furnace smoking when they saw Zhang Yong come in and paused for a moment.

Who are you?

"They're from Kyoto University, here to see the boiler."

"Oh, come here, young man. The factory manager told us that we need to upgrade the boiler, right?"

As Zhang Yong spoke, he walked up to the No. 1 furnace and reached out to touch the furnace wall.

The system panel appeared silently.

[Automotive Repair Lv.5: Mechanical Sensing - Start-up]

The furnace wall surface temperature is 82 degrees Celsius, the scale thickness on the inner wall is 4 millimeters, the furnace deformation tolerance is ±3 millimeters, and the wall thickness of the main steam pipe elbow is 9.1 millimeters.

A series of data unfolded in my mind.

Zhang Yong withdrew his hand, took out a notebook from his toolbox, and quickly wrote it down.

Although he studied auto repair, everything has the same origin. The underlying mechanical principles of internal combustion engines, such as heat-work conversion, piston stress, and pipeline sealing, are essentially the same as those of this old Soviet-style water-pipe boiler.

At that moment, the minibus arrived.

Fang Qiming led Qian Zhiyuan, Wang Guanghui, and a few others into the boiler room and saw Zhang Yong already recording data. He nodded in approval.

"Zhang Yong, how's the situation?"

"The furnace chamber of No. 1 is deformed, with a tolerance of plus or minus three millimeters. The wall thickness of the main steam pipe elbow is 9.1 mm, which is insufficient for safety. No. 2 has severe scaling, with an inner wall thickness of four millimeters, and the combustion efficiency is estimated to be only 50%."

Zhang Yong spoke very quickly.

The three old furnace workers listened, completely bewildered.

"You—you'll know if you just touch it?"

"Um."

Zhang Yong didn't explain much, and turned around to touch the edge of the No. 2 furnace again.

Fang Qiming took out a measuring tape and vernier calipers and began taking measurements on site.

Ten minutes later, the data verification was completed.

The figures reported by Zhang Yong differed from Fang Qiming's actual measurements by no more than half a millimeter.

The three old furnace workers looked at each other in bewilderment.

"This...this is too bizarre."

"I've been tending the furnace for twenty years, and I wouldn't dare say I can tell what's going on just by touching it."

Fang Qiming smiled and patted Zhang Yong on the shoulder.

"You were born for this."

After the group finished measuring, they discussed the difficulties they encountered while firing the boiler with the foremen, and had Qian Zhiyuan write them all down in a notebook.

They quickly packed their things and rushed to the next place.

When we arrived at the minibus, we saw Zhao Fucai leaning against a black Santana, smoking.

He saw Zhang Yong and Fang Qiming come out of the boiler room, quickly put out his cigarette, and went to greet them with a smile.

"Teacher Fang, Zhang Yong, thank you for your hard work."

Fang Qiming nodded without saying much. His mind was full of the measurement work. He waved his hand and told the students to get on the bus quickly.

Zhao Fucai grabbed Zhang Yong, who was also about to leave, and lowered his voice.

"Zhang Yong, there's something I need to discuss with you. I guarantee you'll make money."

"What is it?"