The printed paper was still steaming when Chen Hao posted it in the most conspicuous spot on the bulletin board. Susan leaned over to glance at it, then looked up at him: "Shall we start now?"

"Or wait until it expires?" Chen Hao stuffed the pen into his pocket. "We tested it yesterday, so we have to get started today. Every day we delay, it'll be leaky for another day."

Carl pulled a wrench from his toolbox and twirled it halfway in his hand: "Four people making dozens of windows, have you calculated how long that will take?"

“I’ve calculated it.” Chen Hao nodded. “At our pace yesterday, it would be difficult for each of us to finish all three doors. But things are different now.”

He slapped the handbook on the bulletin board, making a snapping sound.

“This thing isn’t for cooking; you don’t need one person to do everything from stir-frying and cooking to serving dishes. Let’s break it down and get started.”

Nana stood in front of the technical desk, the screen already lit up. She brought up the operation flowchart, which was divided into six independent modules.

"I suggest dividing production into six functions: cutting, pressing, assembly, quality inspection, material flow, and recording," she said. "This would allow for parallel operations and theoretically increase efficiency by 312 percentage points."

"Speak plainly," Chen Hao grinned. "It means don't let someone spend half a day making just a rubber ring, only to have to twist the strap themselves later."

Susan smiled and said, "Then I'll take care of the cutting?"

"You have a steady hand and sharp eyes; you cut things precisely without going astray." Chen Hao pointed to the third page of the manual. "I'm giving you the waterproof membrane and tire covers. Take two people with you to work on this. Find two obedient ones; don't let them do whatever they want."

“There are two people who are idle over at the warehouse,” Susan said. “They asked me yesterday if I could learn some skills.”

“Then call him over.” Chen Hao turned to Karl. “You’re in charge of the assembly line. You set the standards for how to assemble it, which side to tighten first, which piece to press next. If anyone does it wrong, fix it on the spot.”

Carl weighed the strap in his hand: "What if someone is too slow?"

“Practice slowly.” Chen Hao shrugged. “It’s not an exam where you can start over if you make a mistake. But the rules have to be set, otherwise ten of them will be different.”

Nana added, "Quality inspection points have been set. Each window must pass three basic tests upon completion: structural stability, joint sealing, and uniformity of stress on the external tension straps."

"Sounds like a car inspection," Susan muttered.

"Pretty much." Chen Hao laughed. "Those that don't meet the standards will be sent back for redoing. No extra points will be awarded, and no work hours will be recorded."

"You're still planning to keep track of working hours?" Carl raised an eyebrow.

“Of course.” Chen Hao took out a small wooden board with several horizontal lines drawn on it in pencil. “Starting today, draw one line for each board you complete. The goal is to complete eight boards a day, and finish them in ten days.”

"Are you going to start drawing now?" Susan asked.

“It’s too late.” Chen Hao drew the first line on the wooden board. “We were delayed by half an hour this morning to discuss whether to start work. It’s 9:17 now, time to officially begin the countdown.”

No one spoke. Susan turned and walked towards the cutting area, picking up a roll of black rubber. Carl moved three stands out in front of the assembly table and began adjusting the clamps. Nana turned on the quality control instrument and calibrated the probe.

Chen Hao ran back and forth carrying the material boxes, moving stacks of No. 3 boards to the workbench. He was covered in sweat, and his chubby arms made his sleeves slide up.

“I used to think that being lazy was the most comfortable thing to do.” He put down the last box, panting. “Now I realize that it’s more comfortable to delegate the work to others.”

Before noon, the first batch of semi-finished products came out.

Susan had over twenty rubber rings stacked on her side, all the same size with clean cuts. The waterproof membrane had also been cut to standard size and neatly stacked on a tray.

"You teach fast!" Chen Hao leaned closer to take a look.

“It’s not that I teach them quickly,” Susan said, wiping her hands. “It’s that they understood. When I say cut two centimeters, they don’t dare to cut an extra centimeter. They’re better than some people.”

She glanced at Chen Hao. He pretended not to hear and kept counting the rubber rings.

Carl had just finished assembling the first window. He placed the finished product into the inspection rack, and Nana started the scanning.

"Structure is stable and meets the requirements."

"The seams are well sealed, with no penetrating airflow."

"If the external tension deviation is less than 5%, it is judged as excellent."

"It's done?" Karl breathed a sigh of relief.

"The first one," Chen Hao patted him on the shoulder, "Don't let your guard down after this one."

At 2 PM, a problem arose.

The cutting team delivered a batch of newly made rubber rings, which varied in thickness. Some were noticeably thinner and wouldn't stretch when pressed.

"Who cut this?" Chen Hao asked, holding up the sample.

A young team member lowered his head and said, "I...I thought that was good enough."

“Even a little bit off won’t do.” Chen Hao threw the ring into the waste bin. “This thing relies on its elasticity to fit. If it’s too thin, it won’t be pressed tightly, and the edges will curl up when the wind blows.”

Susan frowned: "I talked about the standards this morning."

“He wasn’t listening,” another person whispered. “He went to the restroom halfway through, and when he came back, he didn’t listen anymore.”

Chen Hao sighed: "Next time, stop the work before you leave. Otherwise, it's a waste of everyone's time."

He removed the waste and readjusted the spacing between the cutting blades.

"From now on, send five samples over for testing with each batch first," he told the cutting team. "Only after they pass the test can we continue."

At 6 p.m., the last window of the day was placed into the inspection area.

Nana reported the data: "Six doors were completed today, with a pass rate of 96.7%. Two doors were scrapped due to insufficient compression of the rubber ring and loose fastening of the pull strap."

Chen Hao drew the sixth line on the wooden board.

“Four more doors than yesterday,” he said.

“Because we’ve divided the work.” Susan sat on the toolbox and drank water.

"Also because some people have stopped messing around." Carl glanced at the teammate who had cut the rubber band.

The man shrank back and didn't say a word.

Chen Hao stood up and walked to the bulletin board. He picked up a marker and wrote below the progress bar:

Daily output: 6

[Cumulative: 6]

[Remaining: 34]

"I'll work overtime tomorrow," he said. "I want to finish early so I can go to bed early."

"Do you work shifts?" Susan asked.

"Two shifts," Chen Hao said. "The morning shift is from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the evening shift is from 2 a.m. to 10 p.m. Karl and I will each lead one shift, and you and Nana will keep an eye on the technical aspects during the day and provide remote support at night."

“I can come tonight too,” Susan said.

"Take a day off." Chen Hao shook his head. "You have to lead the work again tomorrow morning. Don't overwork yourself; we don't have a replacement."

Carl stretched and asked, "So, you'll be in my group tonight?"

"I'll coordinate," Chen Hao smiled. "We'll fill the gaps wherever there's a shortage of people. You just need to focus on doing your jobs well."

He put away the wooden board and casually erased an incorrect line of data from the blackboard.

The workshop lights were still on. The cutting area was piled high with neatly arranged semi-finished products, and six completed wind shield windows sat on the assembly table, each one crooked but sturdy.

Nana's screen scrolled through tomorrow's work schedule, the cursor hovering over the "Mobile" column after "Chen Hao's" name.

Susan got up to pack up her tools, putting the scissors back into the magnetic holder. Carl finished checking the last piece of equipment and turned off the power switch.

Chen Hao stood at the door and glanced at the time.

7:18.

He walked back to the data table, picked up a pencil, and wrote a line in the daily summary column:

"The process is running smoothly, but we don't have enough manpower. We'll recruit people tomorrow."

Just as I finished writing, I heard footsteps outside the door.

He looked up.

A man in old work clothes stood at the door, holding a pair of gloves in his hand.

"I heard they're hiring here?" the man asked.

Chen Hao glanced at the numbers on the wooden board, then at the people outside the door.

He smiled and tucked the pencil behind his ear.

"Test the scissors first."