Chapter 37: Born Against the Wind, Growing Toward the Sun

A coworker standing beside Leng Yongkang saw him staring blankly and nudged him with an elbow. "Yongkang, do you know that girl?"

Leng Yongkang turned back and said, "That's my daughter, Man'nu."

"Your Man'nu has grown up so much? The technician who came with her must have been invited from the machinery plant. Does your daughter work at the machinery plant? That's a good job."

The coworker nearby couldn't hide his envy. "Yongkang, does your daughter have a boyfriend? If not, I can introduce her to my son."

"You know my son; he's been exceptionally hardworking since he was a child. He works at the subdistrict office now. Although his job isn't as good as your daughter's, the advantage is that it's not physically demanding, making it easier to take care of the family after marriage."

Leng Yongkang gave him a look of pure exasperation. "It's working hours. Get back to your station quickly, and don't go causing trouble and dragging me down."

Receiving those envious looks from his coworker, he felt too embarrassed to mention that Leng Hui was merely filling in for Tang Lin.

***

Meanwhile, on the other side of the workshop.

Chen Zhongxiang stood by the machine and said to Leng Hui behind him, "This is the medium rolling mill."

"The medium rolling mill makes an abnormal noise upon startup. What kind of problem do you think it is?"

*Is he testing me?*

Had Chen Zhongxiang forgotten that she was only filling in for Tang Lin?

Chen Zhongxiang didn't wait for her answer; instead, he started the machine. The abnormal noise was piercing. He circled the machinery, returned to his original position, and shut it down.

Only then did Chen Zhongxiang turn around and continue asking, "Don't know?"

This time, Leng Hui did not hesitate. She spoke directly, "Since the rolling mill's own technicians were unable to repair it, it shouldn't be a basic issue or a lubrication problem. Aside from those two, it's likely a problem with the rolls, a transmission fault, a coupling issue, or a motor failure. Seeing as this machinery was imported from abroad, we don't understand foreign technology, so we can only troubleshoot step by step. The problem should be solvable."

When Chen Zhongxiang posed the question, he hadn't expected Leng Hui to be able to answer.

Hearing her response, his eyes lit up with great surprise. "Not bad. You know how to think when facing a problem. I suppose your mother has taught you some mechanical knowledge over the years."

There was nothing else Leng Hui could do but nod.

Since they were now acting as mentor and apprentice, the two prepared to disassemble the machine. Li Mingzhi felt somewhat worried. He stepped in to stop them and asked, "Technician Chen, this machinery was imported from abroad at a heavy cost to the rolling mill. If you take it apart, can you actually find the problem and restore it?"

"Are you worried?" Chen Zhongxiang took two steps back. "I can't guarantee it, but if we want to fix this machine, we can't avoid taking it apart. Do you think I'm a god who can fix things through thin air? Before I start disassembling, you should decide for yourselves whether you want it taken apart or not."

Leng Hui spoke up at this moment as well: "Since you are seeking help from our plant, if you don't have even the most basic trust, how can we discuss the subsequent work? If you truly cannot trust us, we will pack up our tools and leave now so as not to waste each other's precious time. You should know that lately, many of our technical department's technicians have been sent to the countryside to repair agricultural machinery. Our plant is also very busy."

Li Mingzhi: "..."

*Why does the apprentice have a bigger temper than the technician?*

Chen Zhongxiang tossed his tools into his bag. "How about this: why don't you invite Chief Engineer Huang from the Provincial Machinery General Plant to help you? Our technical skills aren't as good as his. If he can come, he should be able to guarantee that your medium rolling mill gets fixed."

Li Mingzhi was caught in a dilemma. If they could invite Chief Engineer Huang, would he still be stuck here agonizing over this?

"How about we try? If it really doesn't work, we'll have no choice but to invite Chief Engineer Huang," Li Mingzhi finally gritted his teeth and agreed.

If the machine problem wasn't solved, they could forget about completing this month's production tasks.

"Let's try then. If we can't put it back together later, don't blame me," Chen Zhongxiang said with a straight face.

These words successfully made Li Mingzhi and the others even more nervous.

Chen Zhongxiang and Leng Hui didn't care about their inner anxiety; he had said it intentionally because Li Mingzhi had just shown a lack of trust.

Since Chen Zhongxiang had never handled this type of machinery before, he didn't dare to be careless, and his movements were somewhat hesitant.

In contrast, Leng Hui, who was assisting him, moved with seamless precision as she unscrewed bolts and removed external parts. To an outsider, it would look as if she were the master and the other man was merely a junior fitter apprentice.

Li Mingzhi and the others watched with racing hearts. Fortunately, Leng Hui laid out all the disassembled parts in order to facilitate reassembly.

"Uncle Chen, I've found poor gear meshing on the transmission shaft, and there are some broken teeth."

Li Mingzhi quickly led the workshop maintenance crew over. "Where?"

Leng Hui pointed to the problematic areas. "They need to be replaced. Does your plant have spare parts?"

"We do. When we bought this machinery, we brought a batch of spare parts along with it. I'll have someone look for them immediately." Having identified the source of the problem, Li Mingzhi's tense emotions eased slightly, and he hurriedly ordered someone to search the warehouse.

Chen Zhongxiang carefully inspected the rolls. There were no major issues, just poor lubrication; the machine hadn't been cleaned or oiled for a long time. Additionally, during the disassembly, he discovered some loose bolts, perhaps because the machine was a high-cost import.

No one in the plant's maintenance workshop dared to touch it recklessly. Because it had been used for a long time without regular maintenance, a series of problems had accumulated.

Once the crux of the problem was found, solving it became much simpler. By the time the machine was repaired, several hours had passed, leaving only about ten minutes before the end of the shift.

Chen Zhongxiang checked the time and was pleased; he wouldn't have to work overtime today.

After washing his hands and face, it was exactly time to clock out. Before leaving, Li Mingzhi gave each of them a few industrial coupons as a hard-earned bonus for the day.

Leng Hui accepted them without hesitation. Chen Zhongxiang had intended to be polite, but seeing Leng Hui accept them directly, he could only smile sheepishly, take his, and put them in his pocket.

After bidding farewell to Li Mingzhi, Chen Zhongxiang pushed his bicycle and walked out with Leng Hui.

"Comrade Leng Hui, are you going back to the plant later? If you are, I'll give you a ride."

"I'm not going back. I'll take the bus home from here."

"Alright then. Since you aren't going back, I'll just cycle straight home too."

Watching Chen Zhongxiang cycle away, Leng Hui prepared to wait for the bus, only to see Leng Yongkang pushing his bicycle out of the factory.

Well, she wouldn't even need to take the bus after all.

"When did your mother teach you how to repair machinery?"

On the way back, Leng Yongkang couldn't help but ask.

He was truly curious.

The fact that the machinery could be fixed today brought Director Li great surprise and shock. He had always thought she was just a young girl who knew nothing, yet she was already able to pick up tools and repair machinery. How could he not be shocked?

Facing the cold wind, Leng Hui sniffled and replied, "When I was very young. Whenever I went to the factory to play with her during holidays, she would start teaching me."

Leng Yongkang nodded upon hearing this. From the seamless way Leng Hui had disassembled the machine today, it was clear that such skill could not be practiced in just a year or two of extracurricular time.

Without realizing it, the young girl had grown up. Leng Yongkang certainly felt proud of her.

However, there was also an indescribable emotion lingering in his heart. Before he could figure out what it was, someone suddenly rushed out from a street corner and blocked his bicycle.

Startled, Leng Yongkang wobbled his handlebars, but fortunately, he managed to brake in time.