Major Heavy Industry: Starting with a Fake Marriage

Chapter 35 offended

"Mr. Zhao, I have a suggestion," he said. "Could the theoretical part be simplified? Add a practical application example after each formula, explaining in what situations and how to use the formula."

Engineer Zhao's expression changed: "Simplify? What do you know? This is science! Can science be simplified?"

Jiang Cheng remained composed and assertive: "Engineer Zhao, science cannot be simplified, but textbooks can. We wrote this book not for experts, but for workers. Workers don't care how the formulas are derived, they only care about how to use them."

Zhao Gong jumped up: "You, a mere fitter, dare to talk to me about how to write teaching materials?"

The atmosphere in the meeting room suddenly became tense. Several experts lowered their heads and remained silent, while some glanced at Director Zhang to gauge his reaction.

Jiang Cheng wasn't angry. He stood up, walked to the blackboard, picked up the chalk, and wrote a formula—a core formula from Zhao Gong's draft.

"Mr. Zhao, this formula is for calculating gear fatigue life," he said. "It's very well written and rigorous. But if I were a worker, my first reaction upon seeing this formula would be—what number should I substitute into it?"

He drew several boxes below the formula: "Substitute the gear module here. Substitute the rotational speed here. Substitute the material coefficient here. If Engineer Zhao can write these clearly and attach a calculation example, the workers can use it directly."

Zhao Gong stared at the blackboard, his expression shifting several times. He wanted to argue, but realized that every word Jiang Cheng said made sense.

Director Zhang stood up and patted Jiang Cheng on the shoulder: "Jiang is right. Teaching materials need to be practical. Engineer Zhao, please revise them again."

Zhao didn't speak and sat down. But from that day on, the way he looked at Jiang Cheng changed—it was no longer a condescending scrutiny, but something complex and indescribable.

Huang Deqing said to Jiang Cheng in private, "Chengzi, you offended Lao Zhao with that move just now."

Jiang Cheng said, "Master, I don't mean to offend him. I just want to write the book well."

Huang Deqing looked at him and sighed, "I know. But you have to remember, some people, even if you convince them, won't respect you; they'll only hate you."

Jiang Cheng was silent for a moment, then said, "Master, there's nothing I can do. The book is more important than people."

Huang Deqing shook his head and said no more.

The second draft, the third draft, the fourth draft… each draft required repeated revisions and discussions. Sometimes, Jiang Cheng would argue with the experts for half a day over a single technical detail. Huang Deqing would listen from the sidelines, occasionally interjecting with a comment that was often insightful and to the point.

"Master Huang is right." An elderly professor took off his glasses and wiped them. "We theorists sometimes overcomplicate things. One sentence from Master Huang is worth half a day of our discussion."

Huang Deqing was embarrassed by the praise and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "I was just talking nonsense, just talking nonsense."

Time flies. Two months passed in the blink of an eye. The manuscript was finally completed in its final draft. Director Zhang reviewed it and immediately approved, "It's ready for printing!"

That evening, the editorial team had dinner together. Director Zhang raised his glass and said to Jiang Cheng, "Jiang, you deserve the most credit for this book."

Jiang Cheng picked up his wine glass, but stood up and walked to Huang Deqing: "Master, this book couldn't have been written without you. I toast you."

Huang Deqing paused for a moment, his eyes reddening slightly. He picked up his wine glass, clinked it against Jiang Cheng's, and drank it all in one gulp.

Engineer Zhao sat in the corner, silently drinking his wine. Jiang Cheng walked over with his glass: "Engineer Zhao, you wrote the theoretical part very well. Without you, this book would just be a compilation of experiences, not a coherent system. I toast you."

Engineer Zhao looked up at him, remained silent for a few seconds, then raised his glass and clinked it against his: "Xiao Jiang, I admire you."

Jiang Cheng smiled. He knew that when Engineer Zhao said "I admire him," he meant not only his skills, but also his attitude.

That night, Jiang Cheng drank quite a bit. Back at the guesthouse, he lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He thought of Zheng Yanxi, and of her words: "No matter where you go, remember to write to me."

In the past two months, he wrote more than a dozen letters, and Zheng Yanxi replied to seven or eight of them. The letters were all about trivial matters—factory matters, family matters, weather matters. But he read each letter several times.

He sat up and pulled out Zheng Yanxi's most recent letter from under his pillow. The last paragraph read: "The factory gave out New Year's supplies today, including fish and meat. I marinated the fish, waiting for you to come back and eat it. When are you coming back?"

Jiang Cheng folded the letter and put it back under his pillow. He didn't know when he could go back. Although the book was finished, Director Zhang gave him a new task—to travel all over the country to give lectures and promote his experience in equipment modification.

He closed his eyes, his mind a jumbled mess. In his hazy state, he had a dream. He dreamt he was standing in a huge auditorium, surrounded by thousands of workers listening to him lecture. Suddenly, someone stood up, pointed at him, and said, "Who do you think you are? A mere fitter, daring to lecture us?"

He suddenly woke up with a start, covered in a cold sweat.

Outside the window, it was already daylight.

In the winter of 1979, Jiang Cheng embarked on a nationwide lecture tour.

The first stop was Ansteel.

When the train arrived at the station, it was still dark. Li Jianguo was waiting on the platform, wearing a new cotton-padded coat, his face red from the cold. Seeing Jiang Cheng, he rushed up and hugged him tightly: "Brother, you've finally arrived! Our factory manager said he'd definitely treat you to a good meal this time!"

Jiang Cheng was so tightly hugged that he could hardly breathe. He patted Jiang Cheng's back and said, "Alright, alright, let go! My master is still behind us."

Li Jianguo quickly let go and then shook Huang Deqing's hand: "Hello, Master Huang! Ansteel welcomes you!"

Huang Deqing was a little embarrassed by his enthusiasm: "Xiao Li, don't be so polite."

The jeep took them to the factory guesthouse. While helping them carry their luggage, Li Jianguo kept talking, "There are so many people attending the lecture this time, not just from our factory, but also from Benxi, Fushun, and Dalian. More than 300 people, the auditorium couldn't even hold them all, so we added more than 100 chairs."

Jiang Cheng felt a little nervous. More than three hundred people, ten times more than the time he went to the provincial capital.

"What kind of people are they?" he asked.

"There are all sorts of people. There are workers, technicians, engineers, and even a few officials," Li Jianguo said in a low voice. "I heard that people from the province have also come. I wonder what they're up to."

Jiang Cheng's heart sank. People from the provincial government? Were they here to listen to the lecture, or to cause trouble?

Huang Deqing saw through his thoughts and patted him on the shoulder: "Don't overthink it. Say what needs to be said. You have real skills, so you're not afraid of anyone."

Jiang Cheng nodded. His master was right. What was there to be afraid of? Standing in front of the machine, he was the most confident person there.

The lecture was scheduled for the morning of the second day.

Jiang Cheng got up very early and stood by the window looking at the Ansteel factory area. Just as dawn broke, white smoke billowed from the distant blast furnaces, and the whistles of trains drifted from afar. This was a true industrial city, ten or even a hundred times larger than the Hongxing factory where he worked.