Major Heavy Industry: Starting with a Fake Marriage

Chapter 28 Old Zhou

The Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, is located in Haidian District, in an inconspicuous old building. Chen Siyuan led him upstairs and pushed open a door. Old Zhou was hunched over his desk looking at blueprints. Hearing the noise, he looked up, took off his reading glasses, and smiled.

"Xiao Jiang, you're here!"

He stood up, shook Jiang Cheng's hand, and looked him up and down: "You've lost weight since the last time I saw you. Working at the factory must be exhausting."

Jiang Cheng smiled and said, "It's alright."

Old Zhou pulled him to sit down, and without exchanging pleasantries, immediately spread out the blueprints: "Here, take a look at this."

The drawing was a cross-sectional view of a large piece of equipment, densely covered with dimensions and parameters. Jiang Cheng recognized it at a glance—an imported 10,000-ton hydraulic press, one of only three in China.

"This machine has been in use at the Shanghai Heavy Machinery Plant for over ten years," said Mr. Zhou. "Recently, it's been having a lot of problems. The factory has repaired it several times, but it's only gotten worse. If it can't be repaired, it will have to be scrapped. But this is a 10,000-ton hydraulic press; there are only a handful in the whole country. No one can afford to take responsibility if it's scrapped, and most importantly, the country can't afford the loss."

Jiang Cheng carefully examined the blueprints, pointing to several key areas: "The stress concentration in these places is a design problem. When we imported the blueprints, they already had flaws. We copied them directly, and that's when the problems started."

Old Zhou's eyes lit up: "You noticed it too?"

Jiang Cheng nodded: "I've repaired similar equipment in the factory, although not as big as this, but the principle is the same. The core problem with this machine is the unreasonable sealing structure of the main cylinder, coupled with long-term overload operation, which has caused the cylinder to deform. Repairing only the surface is useless; we have to change it from the root."

Old Zhou slammed his hand on the table: "That's right! I knew I hadn't chosen the wrong person!"

He stood up, paced around the room twice, and turned to look at Jiang Cheng: "Xiao Jiang, I want you to go to Shanghai to see this machine in person. If possible, lead the development of a modification plan. Are you confident?"

Jiang Cheng was taken aback. Go to Shanghai? To lead the renovation of key national equipment? This was a rather ambitious step. Although his theoretical knowledge was sufficient to handle the current situation, his identity...

"Mr. Zhou, I'm just a fitter—"

"Here we go again," Old Zhou interrupted him, his eyes sharp. "I've said it before, status isn't important. What matters is whether you can and want to get things done!"

Jiang Cheng was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Old Zhou, going to Shanghai is fine. But I have a condition."

"explain."

"I can take the lead on the renovation plan, but its implementation requires the cooperation of the factory's technical workers. My mentor, Huang Deqing, needs to be involved."

Old Zhou thought for a moment: "Your master? The one who taught you?"

"Yes. He's been doing this for decades, he has more experience than me. With him around, I feel at ease."

Old Zhou nodded: "Okay, I'll arrange it. Anything else?"

"Also, some new materials and processes may be used during the renovation process, which will require support from the research institute."

Old Zhou smiled and said, "Don't worry about that. You can use the resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences as you like."

After he finished speaking, he walked to the window, looked at the courtyard outside, and suddenly asked, "Xiao Jiang, do you know why I came to find you?"

Jiang Cheng shook his head.

Old Zhou turned around, looked at him with a deep gaze: "Because I've investigated your background."

Jiang Cheng's heart tightened.

"Your father was a martyr, and your grandfather was a martyr too. Three generations of workers, with impeccable revolutionary credentials," Old Zhou said. "But that's not the point. The point is what you did—the rolling mill, the planer, the sand mixer—each one a genuine achievement. You didn't rely on anyone; you relied on your own skills."

He walked back, sat down, and looked at Jiang Cheng: "This era needs talent like you. But I have to be frank with you—"

"Please speak."

"I know you've offended Zhou Chuanming. He's been operating in Liaoning for twenty years, deeply entrenched, with complex factions. It's hard to imagine that in just over twenty years, things have turned out like this... Enough said," Old Zhou paused for a moment, "He'll definitely be watching you when you come to Beijing this time. So, you need to be careful and not give him any leverage."

Jiang Cheng nodded: "I understand."

Zhou Chuanming has connections in Beijing.

Old Zhou looked at him and suddenly smiled: "But you don't need to worry too much. In Beijing, I'm here. Zhou Chuanming's influence can't reach here."

That evening, Professor Zhou treated Jiang Cheng to dinner at the research institute's canteen. It consisted of four dishes and a soup, plus a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor). Professor Zhou wasn't a heavy drinker; after just two glasses, his face turned red, and he became quite talkative.

"Xiao Jiang, do you know, I used to work in a factory when I was young." He squinted, recalling something. "Back then, conditions were even worse than now. We didn't even have proper tools. We used files, filing them down bit by bit. It could take us several days to finish just one part."

As Jiang Cheng listened, a strange resonance suddenly welled up within him. He recalled his days at the military research institute, spending his days analyzing data on computers, precise to six decimal places. But compared to the parts this old man was painstakingly crafting by hand, which had more warmth?

"Later, the country sent me to study in the Soviet Union. After studying for a few years, I came back and started doing research," Zhou continued. "But as I did it, I discovered a problem—I was getting further and further away from the factory. No matter how beautiful the blueprints were, if the workers couldn't build them, they were just waste paper."

He raised his glass and clinked it against Jiang Cheng's: "That's why I value you. It's not just because you can draw, you can also do the work. You understand workers, you understand machines, you understand what's going on in the factory. You can't learn these things from books."

Jiang Cheng picked up his glass and downed it in one gulp. He understood what Old Zhou meant—in this era, there were many people who understood theory, and many who understood practice, but those who could combine theory and practice were extremely rare. And that was precisely his advantage.

"Old Zhou, I won't let you down."

These simple and lovely people are crossing the river by feeling their way across the stones, while we are crossing the river sitting on the shoulders of giants. Let the tide of the times surge!

Old Zhou nodded and poured another glass of wine: "Come on, have another drink."

That night, Jiang Cheng drank quite a bit. Back at the guesthouse, he lay on his bed, listening to the chirping of insects outside the window, but his mind was unusually clear. He knew that from this day forward, his stage had changed. It was no longer that small foundry workshop, but the entire industrial system of the country.

But he also knew that the bigger the stage, the greater the risk. Zhou Chuanming wouldn't give up easily, and his opponents might be far more than just Zhou Chuanming.

The next morning, Chen Siyuan knocked on the door: "Comrade Jiang, Old Zhou asked me to accompany you to Shanghai. The train tickets have been bought, and we're leaving tonight."

Jiang Cheng was taken aback: "So fast?"

Chen Siyuan smiled: "That's just the kind of person Old Zhou is. He's decisive and efficient."

Jiang Cheng thought for a moment and said, "Comrade Chen, could you spare a day? I want to see someone."

"Who?"

"Director Zhang from the Ministry of Machinery Industry. I met him once at the factory last time, and I'd like to pay him a visit."

Chen Siyuan glanced at him and nodded: "Okay, I'll arrange it for you."