The success of the first prototype was like opening a window in a sealed room, allowing everyone on the project team to breathe in long-awaited fresh air. But Liu Li knew that the success on the workshop test bench was only the first step. The real test lay in the fields, in the hands of the end users, and in their word-of-mouth. No matter how impressive the laboratory data was, it could not replace the rigorous testing in a real-world environment.

"We must get the prototype into the hands of real users." Liu Li made a decisive decision at the project team meeting. "We can't work behind closed doors. We need to hear the most authentic voices, even criticisms and complaints."

This decision was unanimously approved. But where should we send it? How can we ensure the feedback is authentic and effective?

Liu Li already had an ideal place in mind—her hometown, Liujiatun, located in the suburbs of the city where the Hongxing Factory was located, where her parents still lived. It was a typical northern rural area, mainly growing corn, which naturally required threshing machines; at the same time, hand pumps were an essential household facility. More importantly, she knew the villagers there well, and they were honest and straightforward, and wouldn't hold back because she was a "high-ranking cadre in the factory."

“I’m going back to my hometown, Liujiatun,” Liu Li said. “I’ll personally take the prototype back and find a few trustworthy villagers to try it out for free and gather their feedback.”

This suggestion made Zhao Qiang somewhat hesitant: "Team Leader Liu, are you going personally? Won't that be too much work? And what if... what if the results aren't good? It would damage your reputation..."

Liu Li waved her hand, interrupting him: "Prestige isn't gained by sitting in an office; it's earned by solving problems. Whether a product is good or not, the users decide. Only by hearing the most jarring feedback can we create truly good products."

Without hesitation, Liu Li, through her father Liu Weiguo's connections, contacted several villagers in advance who were fair-minded, respected among the villagers, and whose families genuinely needed these farm tools—including an old production team leader surnamed Li, an elderly woman surnamed Zhao whose family lacked labor, and a young man named Tiezhu who liked tinkering with machinery.

On the weekend, a Jiefang brand truck sent by the factory, carrying two carefully packaged threshers, two water pumps, Liu Li, Zhang Shulan (responsible for recording feedback), and a mechanic, drove leisurely towards Liujiatun.

The car stopped at the village entrance, immediately attracting a crowd of villagers. When Liu Li and the workers carefully carried the "iron thing" off the road, which looked much sturdier than those sold at the market, the villagers started talking amongst themselves.

"Hey, Lily's back? What's that? It looks really sturdy!"

"I heard it's a new threshing machine from the Hongxing Factory? Will it work well?"

"They're giving it to us for free? Is this for real?"

Old team leader Li walked around the threshing machine twice, tapped the casing with his hand, and nodded: "Hmm, it's thicker than the thin-skinned box at home." He then looked at the water pump, "The gaps in this pump body are small, it looks very solid."

Liu Li didn't explain the performance data in detail, but simply explained how to use them, and solemnly promised: "Uncle Li, Aunt Zhao, Tiezhu, these machines are for you to try out. Use them as much as you like! There's only one requirement: if you encounter any problems, such as something not working properly, something breaking easily, or anything that's inconvenient to use, write it down for us, or have Tiezhu send a message to the factory. We're just trying to make our products even better!"

The honest old captain patted his chest and said, "Lily, don't worry! Whether it's good or bad, we'll definitely give you the truth!"

Aunt Zhao was more concerned about the water pump. The old hand pump in her yard had been leaking air lately and couldn't pump water, which worried her a lot.

Watching the prototype being carried into the villagers' yards, Liu Li knew that the real, most severe test had only just begun. The seeds of hope for Hongxing Factory's transformation had been sown in this most authentic and demanding soil. Could it take root and sprout here? The answer would come from these ordinary farmer users, from their experience using the machine over the next period of time, and from their simple, heartfelt comments.