Duo Xi said with a bitter face, "Duo Ji, I can't eat or cook my hands. Fourth Brother can't be without hands."

When Dorje saw his wrinkled little face, he let go of his hand and grinned, as if he was happy that he had successfully scared Dorje.

When Gao Shujing went to the steel mill for inspection, he indeed discovered a problem. The so-called latest machine was actually an old machine that they had used for a long time and had already been phased out. It had only been cleaned and then sent over.

When Director Lu saw the badly worn parts inside, he was so angry he almost flew to heaven: "This is outrageous! This is outrageous!"

Gao Shujing: "The machine they sent has a problem. Can we return it to them?"

Cao, the steel mill's only level-nine engineer, said with a grim expression, "You know those people. Once the money is paid, a refund is impossible. If the machine doesn't work, you can call them over to fix it."

"But the repair costs are separate. Their hourly repair fee is higher than the monthly salary of several of us regular employees. We also have to buy a lot of their parts, which is quite an expense."

If we don't continue to spend money to have their people come and repair it and buy parts, the machine will just sit there unused, which is like throwing money down the drain.

But if you keep spending money, it's a bottomless pit, and the output may not even be enough to cover the money spent on the machines.

No matter what you do, buying machines from outside sources will likely result in a greater loss.

The situation is the same for all major manufacturers now. It's rare to get a genuine product when buying from outside sources. It's good enough if it works.

Even if the factory knew this situation, it still had to jump into their trap for the sake of development.

Factory Director Lu: "Shujing, don't you know how to make parts? Can you make those damaged parts?"

Gao Shujing: "I'll think about what materials to use."

Factory Director Lu: "Thank you for your hard work. I know you have a younger brother who can also do repair work. Can he also make parts?"

Gao Shujing: "Guojing's repair skills were learned from me, but they're not quite there yet."

Factory Director Lu: "Even if he learns a little of your skills, his craftsmanship will still be top-notch. He would be more than qualified to be a technician here."

Gao Shujing: "He's like me, without a license and without the will, so let him stay in the team and do some repair work."

Speaking of this, Director Lu was unhappy. Gao Shujing's skills were excellent, but because he didn't have a certificate, even though he was the factory director and his rank was equivalent to that of the town mayor, he couldn't arrange for Gao Shujing, who didn't have a certificate, to be assigned to the technical department.

Now is a time of heightened tensions, so we must be careful in everything we do.

When it comes to technology, insiders see the intricacies, while outsiders just watch the spectacle.

Those outside the sect can't tell how good Gao Shujing's skills are. If they knew he held an important position in the technical department without a certificate, they might report him at any time.

If Gao Shujing comes in but doesn't take on an important position, his income will decrease. Bringing someone in will result in less income than when he was working as a clerk in the commune. Wouldn't that create enmity?

Factory Director Lu glared at him: "If you're all capable, why are you so stubborn about not getting certified? If you have any difficulties at home, just let us know and we'll see if we can help. It's such a waste to keep you in the countryside all this time."

Gao Shujing: "I don't actually spend much time in the team, as you know, I'm often running around to different units."

"Actually, whether I have a certificate or not doesn't make much difference to me. As long as you trust my skills, just say the word and I'll come over without delay."

Factory Director Lu: "Who says there's no difference? Putting everything else aside, the engineers' salaries are double what you're currently getting. You did the work, so you should get that money, right?"

Gao Shujing: "Whether it's a lot of money or a little, as long as it's enough, that's fine. Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. I'll go and think about the machine first."

When Gao Shujing got home that evening, he told Yu Rujia about what happened at the steel plant.

Gao Shujing: "Director Lu wants the machine to be put into use as soon as possible. I will go to the factory tomorrow morning and plan to stay there tonight to catch up on the work."

Apart from the first week or two at the textile factory, although he often went to town afterwards, he never stayed there for more than five days in total over the two years.

Yu Rujia knew in her heart that two days would pass by in no time.

Besides, we have Gao Guojing, a strong and capable laborer at home. He can do any kind of work and is very useful.

Yu Rujia: "Don't worry about things at home. Everyone in our family is capable of doing chores. You don't need to rush back. Just focus on your work."

Gao Shujing continued, "Director Lu said to send Guojing along to help."

Yu Rujia: "Since he couldn't recruit you, he's now setting his sights on Guojing?"

Gao Shujing: "We do have this idea, but the specifics will depend on Guojing."

Gao Guojing hurriedly said, "I have no such intention, please don't agree to this."

He insisted on coming to Shangfen Brigade to work in the countryside because of the delicious food there, but he never thought of becoming a worker.

In a year or two, he will enlist in the army. Why would he go to the factory then?

Yu Rujia: "Guojing, go take a look and make an impression first. If things don't go smoothly when you enlist, you can go to the factory to work as a technician."

Gao Guojing objected: "Sister Rujia, if I can't enlist, I can continue working as a repairman here."

Don't underestimate him just because he's a repairman in the brigade. With his salary and commission, he can earn about twenty yuan a month, plus grain and other things when he reaches his work points. His income is comparable to that of a factory worker.

If you work as a technician in a factory, as long as you don't get certified, your income will be only slightly more than that of an ordinary worker.

It's better to stay in the countryside, where you're free and no one bothers you. You can even go up the mountain and down into the river to fish out some things to eat.

I don't have time for that when I'm working in the factory.

Yu Rujia: "The team doesn't have that many things to fix. By the time you're done fixing them, you'll have to go back to the fields. You might as well become a technician."

Gao Shujing: "Guojing, Rujia is right. You should leave an impression this time. Even if you don't need this line in the future, you will have learned the technology."

"The machines in the factory are more technically demanding than the things you usually repair. It's always good to learn more."

That evening, Gao Shujing and Gao Guojing cooked a lot of meat dishes. In this kind of weather, cooked food won't spoil for two or three days, and it can be reheated when needed.

During the two days they were away from home, Gao Shujing did as much as possible to make things easier for Yu Rujia at home.

Early the next morning, Gao Guojing, who had already greeted Captain Huang, packed his clothes and went to town with Gao Shujing.

Last time, Xia Jingxing suggested going into the mountains with Gao Guojing at night to look for wild sheep in the cowshed, but was suppressed by several elders of the Xia family.

But he wasn't one to give up easily. The moon was just right that night when Gao Guojing went to the steel mill, and Xia Jingxing, who had a sudden idea, secretly sneaked into the Yu family's house, wanting to find Gao Guojing to go into the mountains to look for sheep.