The improved plan was submitted to the technical department, immediately sparking a heated argument. Section Chief Wu slammed his fist on the table in opposition: "The export order is so important. If something goes wrong with the equipment, who will take responsibility?" Fu Jingchen's face turned red with anxiety: "Without modifications, we simply can't produce qualified parts! We've already tested twenty, and they're all ruined. If this drags on any longer, the order will really be off!"

For two days, the two sides were deadlocked, neither able to convince the other. That afternoon, the curtain to the technical department was suddenly lifted, and Engineer Zhou Zhenhua walked in, clutching a vernier caliper in his hand. He picked up the plan, peered through the window light for a long time, and pointed at the hydraulic schematic diagram: "The approach is on track. Adding a radiator to stabilize the oil temperature is a practical method. Now it's not about arguing whether to make changes or not, it's about getting it done quickly and not delaying the construction period."

With Zhou's words, the plan was quickly approved. But a new problem arose—the renovation would require a three-day shutdown, leaving only ten days until the order delivery deadline.

“Use my spare M131W,” Master Wang suddenly said. He was sitting at his workstation cleaning a micrometer when he put down his tools and stood up. “While we’re modifying it, let the other grinders keep trying. We’ll try to get as much as we can.”

The moment those words were spoken, everyone in the room was stunned. Master Wang's spare grinding machine, usually covered with a thick dust cloth, was rarely used more than twice a year; it was the most precious piece of equipment in the workshop, known for its high precision.

"Old Wang, this..." Director Zhao wanted to persuade him further.

"It's settled then." Master Wang waved his hand, turned to look at Liu Li, "You'll lead the renovation, and I'll talk to the mechanics team and get them to cooperate with you."

Letting an apprentice lead the modification of equipment was unprecedented at the Hongxing Factory. When the news reached the workshop, it immediately caused an uproar. Some said Liu Li was lucky, others said Master Wang was biased. Sun Peng, upon hearing this, had a long face and spent his days loitering around the grinding machine area, never giving a pleasant look.

The renovation started early the next morning. Liu Li, with the blueprints in hand, worked with the mechanics to disassemble oil pipes and install radiators, personally checking each part. Fu Jingchen would come over whenever he had free time to help calculate parameters and adjust sensors. The two would squat by the grinder and discuss things, sometimes until the workshop lights were turned off.

"The oil pipe connection is leaking!" Old Zhang, the mechanic, suddenly shouted after finishing installing the radiator that afternoon. Hydraulic oil was dripping from the connection, forming a small puddle on the ground. Old Li, standing nearby, muttered, "I told you it wouldn't work. An apprentice trying to direct the modification of the equipment."

Liu Li didn't panic. She squatted down, touched the interface, and then picked up the replaced sealing ring to examine it. "I didn't notice. This sealing ring isn't oil-resistant. We have high-temperature resistant ones in the warehouse. I'll go get them." She ran to the warehouse and returned with a new sealing ring in no time. She tightened it herself, and the oil leak immediately stopped.

Sun Peng watched from the side, his face growing even uglier. He had initially thought Liu Li would definitely mess things up, but he hadn't expected her to resolve the issue so quickly. What worried him even more was that the blueprints he had stolen were outdated, and the revised plan by Liu Li and her team was far superior to the old ones.

On the afternoon of the third day, the modification reached its final step—debugging. A crowd gathered in the workshop; Director Zhao was also there, standing at the back and watching. Liu Li took a deep breath and pressed the start button. The grinder hummed and started spinning, and the newly added radiator fan also began to turn. Fu Jingchen held a thermometer, his eyes fixed on the reading: "Oil temperature 45 degrees! 12 degrees lower than before!"

A sigh of relief swept through the room, but Liu Li knew it wasn't time to celebrate yet. She personally loaded the workpiece onto the chuck and started the grinding program. The grinding wheel made a soft "shush-shush" sound as it touched the workpiece, and the grinding was completed in no time. Fu Jingchen measured with a micrometer, his voice trembling slightly as he reported the result: "Inner hole roundness 0.003 mm! Surface finish meets mirror requirements!"

"It's done!" Director Zhao clapped his hands excitedly. "The order is saved!"

Before everyone could finish celebrating, a sudden alarm sounded – black smoke was billowing from the spindle of the grinding machine that Sun Peng was operating!

"What's going on?" Director Zhao's expression changed immediately, and he quickly walked over.

Sun Peng stood beside the machine tool, his face as white as a sheet, his hands still trembling: "I...I don't know, it started making noise shortly after I turned it on..."

Master Wang also went over, opened the spindle box cover and saw that the bearings inside were all burnt black: "Did you not add oil when you did the maintenance?"

"I...I added it..." Sun Peng stammered, not daring to look Master Wang in the eye.

"Did you sign the maintenance record?" Master Wang took out the record book, turned to the page of that day, and it was clean and blank, without a single word.

When the investigation team arrived, they not only found that Sun Peng hadn't lubricated the spindle, but also discovered the old blueprints that Liu Li had lost in his toolbox.

"What else do you have to say?" Director Zhao slammed the blueprints down in front of Sun Peng, his hands trembling with anger.

Sun Peng slumped to the ground, head drooping, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

That evening, the factory issued a notice: Sun Peng was transferred from the machining workshop and given a major demerit; Liu Li was officially appointed as the workshop equipment operator, in charge of the maintenance and innovation of all equipment in the workshop.

Liu Li stood in front of the grinding machine she had modified, her hand touching the scratches on the guide rail—scratches she had accidentally made during debugging. Fu Jingchen walked over and handed her a bottle of cold water: "Congratulations, equipment operator."

Liu Li took the water and smiled, "Thanks. But I'll be managing so much equipment in the future, there's still a lot to learn."