Major Heavy Industry: Starting with a Fake Marriage

"First, our marriage was a temporary arrangement just to allocate rooms."

"Secondly, because the factory is very strict about the quota review, we must be respectful to each other during the day and not let others see through us."

"Third, the factory requires eligible couples to conceive and give birth within two years, so... so we can do that."

……

Jiang Cheng stared blankly at the woman in front of him, who had a cool demeanor but a flushed face.

For a moment, I began to question the meaning of life.

Am I doing engineering mechanics analysis in the lab?

What did you give me?

At that moment, a wave of unfamiliar memories suddenly flooded into Jiang Cheng's mind, giving him no time to react.

After a sharp, agonizing pain, Jiang Cheng finally understood what had happened.

crossed!

I traveled back to 1978 and became a lowly fitter at Shenyang Hongxing Machinery Manufacturing Plant!

His grandfather and father both died, leaving him and his mother to depend on each other for survival.

Jiang Cheng couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement!

In 1978, my country's industrial base was very backward, although it later caught up through political measures.

However, due to some drawbacks left over from the early stages, it has always lagged behind in terms of strategy.

Wasn't this exactly what I did for six years of doctoral studies at the military research institute?

Now that I'm back in 78, I can finally put my skills to good use!

Although his grandfather and father were both dead, Jiang Cheng felt this was a great start!

These days, a son's status depends on his father's. The original owner of this body relied on his father's influence, Yu Yin, to become a fourth-level fitter. Not only was the salary high, but there were also subsidies for rice, flour, cooking oil, and other necessities.

But Zheng Yanxi is different.

Zheng Yanxi's father is a professor at Shenyang Institute of Technology, and her mother is a doctor at a hospital.

However, both of them had been sent to the countryside as educated youth in their early years, and it took their parents' last bit of influence to get Zheng Yanxi a job as a nurse at the Hongxing Factory.

There is no room for promotion, and they are frequently suppressed.

That's why Zheng Yanxi chose to have a fake marriage with herself, the factory's socialite, to secure a coveted housing allocation.

Wait a minute, Jiang Cheng was suddenly stunned. Why am I the "factory's socialite"?

After searching again, Jiang Cheng gritted his teeth and discovered that the original owner of this body was actually a petty thug!

Taking advantage of his elders, he frequently flirted with women at the factory, harassing female workers, and was even warned...

Isn't this just ruining my reputation for no reason?

Do you agree?

Zheng Yanxi's cool voice rang out.

Jiang Cheng snapped out of his daze and took a closer look at Zheng Yanxi.

Perhaps due to her upbringing in a scholarly family, Zheng Yanxi has grown into a graceful and poised young woman with fair skin on her face and neck, the rest of which is covered by the loose-fitting dark blue shirt she is wearing.

The waist area appears to have been slightly cinched, suggesting she's a woman who loves beauty and knows she's beautiful; a standard blue shirt wouldn't have this design.

"If you don't agree, then forget it."

Zheng Yanxi's face was a little pale: "My family background doesn't sound good, and I'm really not good enough for you."

"I agree."

Jiang Cheng suddenly said.

Zheng Yanxi immediately raised her head, a hint of surprise flashing across her beautiful face.

"Really? You're willing? You know me, aren't you worried I'll drag you down with me?"

"I'm not worried. I only judge people by their character."

Jiang Cheng smiled, thinking that the national policy would change in 79. With Zheng Yanxi's parents' status and his own advanced engineering knowledge, he might be able to make a name for himself.

"I also don't want to live in the workers' dormitory anymore."

Jiang Cheng gave himself an excuse: "The dormitory is crowded and noisy, and my mother also advised me to find a girl to settle down as soon as possible. It's not good to keep flirting with other girls."

"That's true."

Zheng Yanxi nodded, clearly having heard about Jiang Cheng's "romantic exploits" at the factory.

"Let's go get the marriage certificate now, they won't be processing it tomorrow because it's the weekend."

"No rush."

Jiang Cheng waved his hand: "We don't interact at all normally, so going straight to get a marriage certificate would definitely arouse suspicion."

"I'll pick you up from get off work tonight, just to give the people at the factory a heads-up."

Zheng Yanxi remained silent for a moment, then said, "Okay, I'll be going now."

After saying that, she actually left without even turning her head back.

"She has quite a personality."

Jiang Cheng smiled, stayed in the unmanned workshop for a while longer, and when he figured no one was watching him, he swaggered out.

……

The atmosphere unique to 1978 immediately hits you. What comes into view are the old buildings left over from that time, with dark gray brick walls that are dull and lifeless, and occasionally you can see weeds sprouting from the cracks in the walls.

The grass blades were white, and the propaganda department had painted propaganda slogans on the wall in white paint.

Jiang Cheng squinted. The midday sun shone through the cracks in the wall onto his face, and the air was thick with the smell of engine oil and metal filings.

"Let's get to work, we'll be off at five anyway."

Jiang Cheng muttered to himself.

The state-owned factory in 1978 strictly adhered to the 9-to-5 work system, which was like a dream compared to the 8-to-11 work hours in laboratories in later generations.

Jiang Cheng's job is a mechanic fitter, mainly responsible for equipment maintenance. It is a technically demanding job with a lot of responsibility, but the salary is high, so it is considered a lucrative job.

As soon as Jiang Cheng entered the machine repair workshop, he saw his master, Huang Deqing, squatting in front of the rolling mill, looking intently at the mechanical structure.

Huang Deqing is a senior craftsman in the factory, a level six fitter, and highly respected.

Hearing the commotion, Huang Deqing turned his head and glanced sideways: "Whose girl have you been bothering this time?"

"I haven't provoked anyone, and I'm planning to settle down."

Jiang Cheng scratched his head sheepishly; the original owner of this body had never been liked by Huang Deqing because of this.

"Settle down? You'll settle down?" Huang Deqing scoffed, not believing it at all.

Jiang Cheng didn't mind, and happily squatted down with Huang Deqing to take a closer look.

He had never seen this model of rolling mill before. Judging from its appearance, it should be a hot continuous rolling mill, which is responsible for rolling steel into large sheets and is usually used to manufacture truck chassis.

However, this rolling mill looked quite different from the domestic rolling mills Jiang Cheng remembered. At that time, my country's industrial base was quite weak. Even Shenyang, which was one of the top cities in the country, had a considerable gap compared with advanced foreign equipment.

"Master, what are you looking at?"

Jiang Cheng took out a pack of "Warrior" cigarettes from his pocket, lit one for Huang Deqing, and asked solicitously.

"This one is an imported product."

Huang Deqing glanced at him: "It was just delivered the day before yesterday. There were some strange noises during the trial run yesterday, and the startup sound was also wrong. I'll check what's wrong."

Huang Deqing circled the rolling mill several times, occasionally tapping it with a wrench or rubbing his fingers on the gears and smelling the odor.

Finally, he let out a long breath and said, "It should be fine. It's probably just that the weather here is too hot, and I'm having some trouble adjusting to the new environment."

Jiang Cheng couldn't see anything wrong with it either; problems with machines are usually only apparent when they're running.

However, the trial operation of imported machines requires the approval of the factory leaders. Even though Huang Deqing is a level six fitter, he cannot operate them on his own initiative.

Jiang Cheng checked the time; it was time to leave work. He patted his behind and said, "Master, I'm off now. I have some things to do tonight."

Where are you going?

Jiang Cheng grinned: "Let's go talk work with the female comrades."