Fusion System: Rebirth in a Courtyard - Bird Fighting Chronicles

Chapter 152 Arrival in a Major Town, Encountering Setbacks and Old Acquaintances

The morning mist in Zhangcheng hadn't yet dissipated, but the workshop of the farm implement factory was already filled with the smell of rusted iron after quenching and the smoke from burning coal. Lin Chen squatted beside the newly improved spinning machine, his fingertips tracing the turning gears, feeling the smooth vibration of the metal meshing. The system panel appeared in his mind: "Gear improvement complete, equipment efficiency increased by 32%, scrap rate reduced to 2.8%, 100 points gained, 'Material Compatibility Analysis' sub-skill unlocked." A slight smile had just appeared on his lips when he was interrupted by the sound of arguing coming from the workshop door.

"This equipment clearly works, what makes you say it's substandard?" Old Zhou's loud voice was filled with anger. Standing in front of him was a man in a gray cadre uniform, with a "Commune Quality Inspection Team" badge pinned to his chest, flipping through a blue ledger, his brows furrowed deeply. "Technician Zhou, being qualified doesn't mean it can just work. The commune has clear regulations: equipment modifications must have a technical appraisal report from at least the county level. Your privately hired technician doesn't even have a letter of introduction. Who will be responsible if a safety accident occurs?"

When Factory Director Zhou Ming rushed over, the two sides were already arguing heatedly. He took out a cigarette and handed it to the quality inspection team, explaining with a forced smile, "Team Leader Wang, Master Lin is a key technical expert from the Beijing Steel Rolling Mill. He was specially transferred here to support us, and his letter of introduction hasn't arrived yet. You see, the equipment efficiency has indeed improved. Spring plowing is just around the corner, and missing the planting season is no small matter."

Team Leader Wang tucked a cigarette behind his ear, glanced at Lin Chen squatting on the ground, and said with a contemptuous tone, "So what if you're from Beijing? Without any evidence, you're just a charlatan. Either produce an appraisal report and a letter of introduction within three days, or dismantle it and restore it to its original state. Otherwise, I'll have to report it to the commune and treat it as an illegal renovation." After saying that, he threw down the ledger and left with two team members.

The workshop fell silent instantly. Several technicians stopped what they were doing, their eyes filled with disappointment. Old Zhou kicked a piece of scrap metal in the corner and cursed, "That Wang the Skinflint is deliberately making things difficult! Last month, the plows we delivered were clearly up to standard, but he insisted they weren't precise enough and held us back by demanding half a cartload of grain coupons before letting them go." Zhou Ming's face was grave as he squatted down beside Lin Chen and sighed, "Young Master Lin, I'm sorry to have put you through this. Zhangcheng is a small place, and relationships are very complex. Team Leader Wang's brother-in-law works in the commune's materials department; we can't afford to offend him."

Lin Chen stood up, dusted off his hands, and looked at the pile of scrap molds in the corner of the workshop: "Director Zhou, I can figure out a way to get the appraisal report, but the letter of introduction really has to wait for the research institute to send it. However, these three days are a good opportunity for us to modify the plowshare mold as well. Taking the finished product to the commune will be much better than just talking about it." He walked to the scrap mold, and the system immediately popped up the analysis results: "Cast iron plowshare mold, excessive sulfur content leads to excessive brittleness and easy breakage. It is recommended to fuse manganese steel shavings and graphite powder to improve toughness."

Zhou Ming's eyes lit up: "Master Lin, are you confident? We bought those scrapped molds from Wuxi last year. It cost a lot of money, and we consulted several experts, but none of them could fix them." Lin Chen nodded and picked up a scrapped plowshare mold: "Tomorrow, prepare fifty kilograms of manganese steel shavings and twenty kilograms of graphite powder for me. Also, find a small, enclosed room to use as a temporary laboratory. I need absolute quiet."

After settling things in the workshop, Zhou Ming took Lin Chen to the dormitory in the factory's backyard. It was more of an abandoned storage room than a dormitory; the walls were peeling, old burlap sacks were piled in the corner, and the only window was covered with plastic sheeting that rattled loudly in the wind. "Please make do for a couple of days. I've already asked logistics to replace the plastic sheeting and bring you a wooden plank bed," Zhou Ming said apologetically. "The factory is short on funds and really can't provide any better accommodation."

Lin Chen didn't care; what he valued more was the small backyard that came with the storage room, surrounded by blue bricks, which was perfect as a fusion experiment site. "This place is quite good, Director Zhou, no need to trouble yourself. By the way, does the factory have an accountant? I need a raw material consumption list and cost accounting sheet for the past six months. The cost of improving the mold needs to be calculated clearly, otherwise it will be difficult to explain to the commune."

When the accountant was mentioned, Zhou Ming's expression became somewhat awkward: "There used to be an old accountant, but she retired last month. Now Su Qing from the finance department is temporarily filling in. She's a high school graduate with a high level of education, but..." He paused, lowered his voice, "...her family background isn't good. Her father used to own a cloth shop and was classified as a capitalist, so he's never been officially hired. She's usually quite shy about talking to people."

Lin Chen's heart skipped a beat. In his previous life, when he worked at the steel mill, he had indeed heard many stories of intellectuals with "bad class backgrounds" being sent to the countryside. "It's alright, I just need a report, don't trouble her to make an extra trip." Just then, he saw a girl in blue overalls carrying an account book walk down the corridor. The overalls were a little faded from washing, but they were pressed crisply. Her hair was tied back with a simple hair tie, revealing her smooth forehead. She walked with her head down, her steps very light, as if afraid of disturbing others.

"Su Qing, wait a minute!" Zhou Ming called out to her. The girl stopped and looked up, and Lin Chen froze—he recognized her face. In his past life, in the steel mill's staff quarters, he had seen her mending clothes for Qin Huairu. Back then, she was just a timid little girl. He never expected to meet her here again. Su Qing also recognized Lin Chen, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. She then lowered her head and asked softly, "Director Zhou, did you need something?"

"This is Master Lin, a technical expert from Beijing. He needs to improve the plowshare mold. Could you give him a copy of the raw material reports for the past six months?" Zhou Ming introduced. Su Qing nodded and turned to go to the finance department to get the reports. Lin Chen watched her retreating figure, recalling how he had heard in his previous life that she was later sent to a farm because of her class background, and eventually died in a rainstorm while trying to save the collective's account books. A pang of regret rose in his heart.

When Lin Chen received the report, he paid special attention to it. The report was extremely neat, with every expenditure clearly marked, even the smallest expense, such as pennies for ink, recorded. A simple cost analysis was also written in red ink in the margins. "Accountant Su, this report is truly professional, even more meticulous than the old accountant at our steel mill," Lin Chen praised sincerely. Su Qing's cheeks flushed slightly, and she whispered, "I learned bookkeeping from my father before. If there are any problems with the report, please ask me to correct them."

That afternoon, Lin Chen began preparing for mold improvements. He had Lao Zhou move manganese steel scraps and graphite powder to the small backyard, and then found several old pottery jars and refractory clay to build a simple small furnace. The system prompted that fusion would consume 50 points and 10 points of mental energy, so he deliberately waited until evening, after his coworkers had all gone home, before activating the fusion function. A pale blue halo enveloped the mold and raw materials, and a faint smell of sulfur filled the air. Lin Chen stared intently at the fusion progress bar, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

"What are you doing?" The sudden voice startled Lin Chen. He hurriedly put away the system and turned to see Su Qing standing at the courtyard gate, holding a lunchbox and looking wary. Lin Chen breathed a sigh of relief and explained, "I'm modifying the mold. Did I scare you?" Su Qing walked into the courtyard and saw the furnace on the ground and the cooling mold. A hint of curiosity flashed in her eyes: "You're using a hybrid forging method? My father once mentioned that this method can improve the toughness of metal, but it's difficult to control the heat."

Lin Chen was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected Su Qing to know forging techniques. "Was your father also a technician?" Su Qing nodded, her eyes darkening. "He used to run a cloth shop and also did hardware processing. Later, he was classified as a capitalist, and all his equipment was confiscated. He often said that good craftsmanship doesn't discriminate based on background, but unfortunately..." She didn't finish her sentence, handing the lunchbox to Lin Chen. "The cafeteria is closed now. This is some sweet potato porridge and pickled vegetables that I made myself. Please make do with this."

The lunchbox was made of rough porcelain with a small chip on the edge. The porridge was still steaming, and an egg lay inside. Lin Chen felt a warmth in his heart; this was the first hot meal he had eaten since arriving in Zhangcheng. "Thank you, Accountant Su." He took the lunchbox and began to eat heartily. The sweet potato porridge was thick and had a subtle sweetness. Su Qing squatted beside the mold, carefully touching its surface, and asked, "Will this mold really solve the cracking problem? We tried adding manganese steel before, but we couldn't control the heat well, and it became even more brittle."

"The key is the proportion of graphite powder and the quenching time." Lin Chen put down his lunchbox, picked up a twig, and drew a simple heat curve on the ground. "When the manganese steel is heated to 800 degrees, add graphite powder, keep it at that temperature for ten minutes, and then quench it with cold water. This can increase the toughness by 40%. I've calculated the cost. Each mold costs 50 cents more than before, but the service life can be extended by three times, so it's still worthwhile overall."

Su Qing looked at the curve on the ground, her eyes lighting up: "When I was calculating costs before, I found that the loss of scrapped molds accounted for 30% of the raw material expenditure. If we can solve this problem, the factory can turn a profit this year." She looked up at Lin Chen, her eyes less timid and more determined. "I might be able to help Team Leader Wang. His wife works in the mailroom next to our finance department, and she often asks me to help her with the family accounts."

The next morning, Lin Chen used the improved mold to produce ten plowshares on a trial basis. Old Zhou took the plowshares to test their hardness, and when the results came back, he excitedly shouted in the workshop, "Hardness meets the standard! Toughness is twice as high as before! Master Lin, you're amazing!" Zhou Ming also rushed over to check, examining the plowshares repeatedly, the worry on his face finally disappearing. "Great, with this, we can go to the commune for errands."

Unexpectedly, when they went to the commune with their plows, Team Leader Wang avoided them, sending a message through his assistant: "Without an appraisal report, we won't accept anything." Zhou Ming was frantic, but Lin Chen remained calm: "Director Zhou, let's go to the materials department and visit Team Leader Wang's brother-in-law, Section Chief Li." Su Qing had already inquired beforehand and knew that Section Chief Li was an honest man who valued practical benefits the most.

In the materials department office, Section Chief Li was checking the list of spring plowing supplies. Lin Chen placed the improved plowshare and the old, scrapped plowshare in front of him, and handed him the cost accounting sheet prepared by Su Qing: "Section Chief Li, look at this improved plowshare. Its service life is three times that of the original. It can save two man-hours per hectare of farmland. Zhangcheng has two thousand hectares of farmland, which means four thousand man-hours can be saved in one season, equivalent to the workload of fifty workers."

Section Chief Li picked up two plowshares and tapped them lightly with a hammer. The improved plowshare made a crisp sound, while the scrapped one sounded much duller. He flipped through the cost accounting sheet, nodding more and more as he looked at it: "This accounting is clear. If it can really be done like this, the commune can save a lot of manpower." He looked up at Lin Chen, "But Team Leader Wang said you don't have an appraisal report, which doesn't comply with the procedure."

"We're applying for the appraisal report, and we can sign a letter of responsibility," Lin Chen said firmly. "If the spring planting is affected by the plow's quality, I will personally take full responsibility and compensate for all losses. Section Chief Li, spring planting waits for no one; if we delay any longer, the seeds won't be ready for sowing." Su Qing added from the side, "Section Chief Li, Team Leader Wang's wife said yesterday that their spinning wheel broke down. I've already told her to have Master Lin fix it; I guarantee it'll work even better than a new one."

Section Chief Li paused for a moment, then laughed, "You guys know how to find connections. Okay, I'll talk to Team Leader Wang and tell him that my materials department will take the plowshare first. If it works well, I'll coordinate the appraisal report." He patted Lin Chen on the shoulder, "Young man, you're skilled and responsible. Keep up the good work. Zhangcheng needs talents like you."

After leaving the commune, Zhou Ming was so excited that he insisted on treating Lin Chen and Su Qing to the famous rice noodles of Zhangcheng. In the small restaurant, Zhou Ming, holding a bowl of rice noodles, said with emotion, "Master Lin, we really owe you and Su Qing this time, otherwise our factory would have had to close down. Su Qing, you're usually so quiet, but you're really useful in a pinch." Su Qing smiled shyly and looked at Lin Chen, "It's mainly because Master Lin's skills are so good; I just helped out a little."

After finishing their rice noodles, Lin Chen followed Su Qing to Team Leader Wang's house to repair his spinning wheel. Team Leader Wang's wife, seeing how young Lin Chen was, was a little worried: "Young Master Lin, this spinning wheel is made in Shanghai. Several repairmen couldn't fix it after it broke down." Lin Chen smiled and took the spinning wheel, inspecting it. He found that the problem was caused by worn gears. "Auntie, it's not a big problem. Just replace the gear. I happen to have an improved gear here, which is more durable than the original."

Half an hour later, the spinning wheel was repaired. Team Leader Wang's wife tried it out, and the spinning speed was much faster and more stable than before. She took Lin Chen's hand and insisted on giving him a few eggs: "Master Lin, thank you so much. If you need anything in the future, just let me know, and I'll tell Old Wang." Lin Chen couldn't refuse, so he had to accept them, knowing in his heart that these few eggs were more useful than anything else.

By the time Lin Chen returned to the factory, it was already dark. As soon as he reached the dormitory entrance, he saw Su Qing standing under a streetlamp, holding a document. "Master Lin, this is a template for a technical appraisal report I got from a friend of my father's, along with a cost analysis report I wrote. Take a look and see if you can use it." Under the lamplight, her eyes shone brightly, like stars in the sky.

Lin Chen took the documents, opened them, and saw that the appraisal report template was very well done, and the cost analysis report was even more detailed, with not only data comparisons but also charts and graphs. "Su Qing, you really helped me a lot." He looked up at Su Qing and said earnestly, "Don't call me Master Lin anymore, just call me Lin Chen." Su Qing's cheeks flushed slightly, she gently hummed in agreement, and turned and ran away.

Lin Chen returned to his dormitory, filled out the appraisal report template, attached the test data from the trial production, and delivered it to the commune overnight. The next morning, Team Leader Wang led the appraisal team to the farm implement factory, personally testing the spinning machine and plowshare; all tested to be合格 (qualified/up to standard). He shook Lin Chen's hand, his attitude completely changing: "Master Lin, I was blind to your talent before. Your skills are truly exceptional. I've already reported to the county and recommended you as our commune's technical consultant."

Factory Director Zhou was overjoyed and immediately announced a raise for Lin Chen, from forty to sixty yuan, and also upgraded his dormitory to a single room with a window. Old Zhou and the workers surrounded Lin Chen, praising him, "Master Lin, we'll learn the skills from you from now on!" Lin Chen smiled and said, "We'll all learn together. Skills can only truly be useful if they are passed down."

That afternoon, Wang, the research institute's staff member, finally delivered the letter of introduction. Seeing the changes at the farm implement factory, he exclaimed in surprise, "Lin Chen, you're really something! You've solved the problems here in just a few days. The director asked me to tell you that if you're willing to stay at the farm implement factory, the institute can coordinate with the factory to retain your position."

Looking at the busy workers in the workshop, and recalling the way Su Qing handed him the report, Lin Chen made a decision. "Officer Wang, please tell the director that I'm willing to stay in Zhangcheng." He knew that this place not only offered him a stage to showcase his skills, but also a warm and welcoming atmosphere that he could cherish.

In the evening, Su Qing handed Lin Chen a new cost accounting sheet, highlighting several areas for further optimization in red. "Lin Chen, I've calculated that if we purchase manganese steel scrap in bulk, the cost can be reduced by another 10%. I've already contacted a scrap yard in Wuxi; they have a large quantity of alloy scrap at very low prices." Lin Chen looked at the annotations on the sheet, feeling a warmth in his heart. He knew that his journey in Zhangcheng had only just begun.