bookmarkrole Chapter 100: Wild Geese Arrive with Letters, A New Journey Begins in the Hometown
Chapter 100: Wild Geese Arrive with Letters, A New Journey Begins in the Hometown
The early autumn frost had gilded the gray bricks and tiles of the Hongxing Courtyard with a thin layer of silver. As Lin Chen pushed open the wooden door of the north wing, the icicles on the eaves reflected the rising sun. He had just stuffed the optimized blueprints for the fully automated production line he had drawn the night before into his canvas bag when he heard Qin Huairu's cheerful call from the middle courtyard: "Master Lin, the soy milk is freshly made, just waiting for you!"
On the stone table sat a blue-and-white porcelain bowl filled with milky white soy milk, next to which were golden fried dough sticks and sesame-coated sugar cakes. Qin Huairu was braiding Jia Dang's hair when she saw Lin Chen approaching. She quickly wiped her hands and handed him chopsticks, saying, "I heard from Guangtian yesterday that you guys had successfully developed the technology. This is a special treat for you, to share in the joy." Jia Huaihua, holding her rag doll, came over, clutching a piece of fruit candy in her small hand, saying, "Uncle Lin, have some candy. It's a reward for fixing the machine."
Lin Chen took the candy, bent down to pat her head, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Liu Haizhong and his son squatting in the corner adjusting a tin box. "Master Liu, what's this new gadget you're working on?" he asked as he walked over. Liu Haizhong straightened up, a rare look of pride on his face: "Guangtian's idea for a waste heat recovery device. I changed the pipe angle as you suggested last time, and I tried it yesterday. It really saved a lot of coal!" Liu Guangtian quickly opened the box, revealing copper pipes inside bent into delicate curves, the joints polished smooth and shiny.
Just then, a bicycle bell rang at the gate, and Zhou Jianguo pushed in a brand-new Forever brand bicycle. A kraft paper envelope hung on the handlebars, with the words "Urgent" printed in red paint standing out prominently. "Xiao Lin, this was just delivered by the District Industrial Bureau. They said it's a special package from the south!" He handed the envelope to Lin Chen, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement. "Director Wang Deshun specifically instructed that you go to the factory headquarters immediately after reading this."
Lin Chen tore open the envelope. Inside were two yellowed pages of letter paper, the handwriting bold and vigorous. The letter was from the Zhangcheng Light Industry Bureau in the south. It began by mentioning the technology innovation exchange meeting two months prior—at that time, his presentation on alloy fusion technology had caught the attention of the Zhangcheng Agricultural Implements Factory. Now, the factory was setting up a precision forging workshop and had specifically invited him to come south as a technical consultant, offering not only a high salary of sixty yuan per month but also a promise to solve his housing and family resettlement problems. Attached to the letter was a train ticket, dated three days later, early morning.
"That's great news!" Zhou Jianguo came over to take a look, patted him on the shoulder and exclaimed, "Zhangcheng is a major industrial city in the south, it has a better future than our place!" Qin Huairu came over with a glass of soy milk, stopped when she heard this, a hint of reluctance flashing in her eyes: "Master Lin is leaving? What about the sewing shop..." "Don't worry," Lin Chen turned around and smiled, "I've already spoken to Director Li of the street office, he will help you get the business license, and I'll bring you the start-up capital this afternoon."
Liu Haizhong scratched his head, squatted down, and pulled a wooden box from the back of his bicycle. "This is a toolbox that Guangtian and I made overnight. The wrenches inside were forged according to your method; they're better than the ones in the factory. You'll need them when you go south." The words "Craftsmanship" were engraved on the wooden box, and the corners were covered with copper sheets, showing that it was a work of art made with care. Lin Chen touched the cool copper sheets, feeling a warmth in his heart. "Master Liu, this gift is too kind."
Just after finishing breakfast, Yan Bugui hurried in carrying a cloth bag, his face unusually free of calculation. "Master Lin, I heard you're heading south?" He opened the bag, revealing a thick ledger and a stack of grain coupons. "This is my cost breakdown for the sewing shop. The rent, fabric, and thread prices are all marked. There are also twenty jin of grain coupons for you to take on the road." Lin Chen looked at the densely packed numbers in the ledger, even noting down to "three cents a month for needles and thread," and couldn't help but laugh: "Teacher Yan, your accounts are more detailed than a bank's."
When they arrived at the steel rolling mill, the forging workshop was already bustling with activity. The fully automated production line was running smoothly, with red-hot steel billets moving along the conveyor belt, undergoing forging, cooling, and grinding to finally become neat bearing parts. The technicians surrounded the machines, occasionally letting out exclamations of admiration. "Master Lin is here!" someone shouted, and everyone immediately gathered around, asking questions about the situation in the south.
Wang Deshun and the factory leaders were already waiting in the workshop office, where a technology handover checklist was laid out on the table. "Xiao Lin, this is the handover plan we've drafted," Wang Deshun said, pointing to the checklist. "The five key R&D personnel you led have all been promoted to technicians, and Liu Guangtian has been promoted to a level five worker, responsible for the subsequent maintenance and debugging of the production line." He paused, then took out a box wrapped in red silk from a drawer. Inside was a "Municipal-level Technological Innovation Pioneer" medal. "This is an award from the district, and it's also recognition of your skills."
Lin Chen accepted the medal; its metallic texture felt heavy. He flipped through the technical handover list and added in the "Key Process Parameters" section: "The alloy fusion temperature must be controlled at 1200℃±5℃, and the holding time must not be less than twenty minutes. I've written the specific operating procedures at the back." Liu Guangtian leaned over and carefully wrote down the supplementary information in his notebook, his eyes full of admiration: "Master Lin, rest assured, I will definitely learn the technology well and not let you down."
Around noon, Sha Zhu walked into the workshop carrying a food box containing steaming braised pork and stewed ribs. "I heard you were leaving, so I specially made this for you from the guesthouse," he said, placing the dishes on the table and scratching his head. "I used to be so foolish, always being used as a pawn. Thank goodness you enlightened me. This is fifty yuan I saved; use it on your journey." Lin Chen couldn't refuse, so he accepted the money, feeling a pang of emotion—the honest, simple-minded chef who had once been morally blackmailed had now become enlightened.
Back at the courtyard house in the afternoon, Lin Chen handed Qin Huairu two hundred yuan he had prepared: "This is the start-up capital for the sewing shop. Let me know if it's not enough." Qin Huairu took the money, her hand trembling slightly: "Master Lin, this is too much..." "Not much," Lin Chen said with a smile, "Your craftsmanship is excellent, your business will definitely flourish in the future. By the way, I've spoken to Director Wang of the garment factory. They have some surplus fabric, you can buy it at a low price." He wrote Director Wang's address and contact information on a piece of paper and handed it to Qin Huairu.
Just then, a quarrel broke out at the courtyard gate. Lin Chen went out to see what was happening and found Yan Jiecheng and Yan Bugui arguing. "Dad, what's wrong with letting me see the account book? I'm managing the money for you!" Yan Jiecheng shouted. Yan Bugui clutched the account book to his chest: "You haven't paid back the money you borrowed from me before, and now you're trying to take advantage of the account book!" Lin Chen quickly stepped forward to mediate, and only after asking did he learn that Yan Jiecheng wanted to start a small business and wanted to borrow money from Yan Bugui, but Yan Bugui refused to lend him the money because of past grievances.
"Teacher Yan, it's a good thing that Jiecheng wants to start a business," Lin Chen said softly, pulling Yan Bugui aside. "You always said that raising children is for old age security, and now that Jiecheng is ambitious, you should support him. Besides, if his business succeeds, your retirement will be more secure, won't it?" Yan Bugui hesitated, looking at the account book in his hand, then at Yan Jiecheng's anxious expression, and finally relented: "I can lend you fifty yuan, but you need to write an IOU, pay it back in six months, with one percent interest." Yan Jiecheng nodded quickly: "Okay, Dad, I'll definitely pay it back!"
As evening fell, Lin Chen was packing his luggage when Sha Zhu and He Yushui walked in. He Yushui carried a cloth bag containing a brand-new cotton-padded coat: "Master Lin, this is a cotton-padded coat I made for you. Winters in the south are damp and cold; it'll keep you warm." Sha Zhu handed over a lunchbox: "This is some cured meat I made; eat it on the road, and try some if you miss home." Looking at the two people before him, Lin Chen recalled He Yushui's secret help to him in his past life, and a pang of sadness welled up in his heart: "Thank you both. Let's keep in touch."
The next morning, Lin Chen went to the workshop for the final technical handover. He led Liu Guangtian and other key R&D personnel, explaining the production line's operating procedures and maintenance points one by one: "This alloy bushing needs to be replaced every thousand hours of operation. When replacing it, pay attention to calibrating the eccentricity; the error cannot exceed 0.02 millimeters." He opened his toolbox and took out a self-made precision measuring tool, "Keep this micrometer; it's more accurate than the factory's."
Zhou Jianguo accompanied Lin Chen through every corner of the workshop, from the forging press to the cooling system and the finished product inspection station—everywhere bore the marks of Lin Chen's hard work. "Lin, after you leave, if there are any technical problems in the workshop, can we still ask you for help?" Zhou Jianguo's tone was filled with reluctance. Lin Chen nodded and wrote down his address and contact information in Zhangcheng for him: "Write to me anytime if you have any questions, and I'll reply as soon as possible."
When they returned to the courtyard, everyone was waiting in the middle. Qin Huai sewed a new patch on Lin Chen's canvas bag, embroidered with a small plum blossom; Liu Haizhong and his son helped him tie his toolbox to the back of his bicycle; Yan Bugui handed over a stack of letter paper and envelopes: "I collected these, so it will be easier for you to write letters in the south." Jia Dang and Jia Huaihua held up a painting depicting a panoramic view of the courtyard, with the words "Goodbye, Uncle Lin" scrawled in a corner.
Lin Chen looked at the people before him, his eyes welling up with tears. He recalled the morning of his rebirth, the furtive figure of Jia Zhangshi, the scene of first using the system to fuse horseshoes, the tension of repairing the forging press with a homemade wrench in the workshop, and the days and nights spent developing the production line with everyone. This courtyard, once filled with scheming and conflict, was now filled with warmth and affection.
"After I leave, please look out for each other if anything happens," Lin Chen said. "Master Liu, I'll leave the production line maintenance to you and Guangtian; Sister Qin, if the sewing shop has any difficulties, just ask Director Li from the neighborhood committee; Teacher Yan, Jiecheng has a tough time running a business, so please give him some pointers." Everyone nodded, their eyes filled with reluctance.
On the morning of the third day, before dawn, commotion arose in the courtyard. Qin Huairu had boiled eggs, Liu Haizhong helped Lin Chen push his bicycle, and Sha Zhu carried his luggage. The group escorted Lin Chen all the way to the train station. On the platform, train whistles sounded. Lin Chen looked back and saw everyone still waving goodbye. He raised his hand, waved vigorously, and then turned to board the train.
After the train started moving, Lin Chen opened his canvas bag, which was filled with everyone's good wishes: hot eggs, cured meat, patches embroidered with plum blossoms, a toolbox engraved with "craftsmanship", a painting of a courtyard house... He took out the system panel, which showed that he had accumulated 5000 points, upgraded his system level to level 5, and unlocked the "skill fusion" function.