Chapter 32 Technological Innovation Plan

Lin Yuanshu said thoughtfully, "I believe you! Why wouldn't I believe you? But let me make this clear from the start: I won't return the bride price. Anyway, I have a city household registration and a job now, so I'm not short of suitors. Whether any city women are willing to marry into your family is another matter. After all, if we couldn't do it in our first marriage, we certainly can't do it in our second."

Zhou Ma angrily retorted, "Pah! You want the betrothal gifts not returned? Dream on!"

Lin Yuanshu laughed and retorted, "Want to divorce me? Dream on!"

With her hands on her hips, Aunt Zhou appealed to her emotions and reasoned with her, saying, "Second daughter-in-law, I haven't treated you badly, and I haven't made things difficult for you. How can you turn around and attack me instead!"

Lin Yuanshu stood up and said softly, "It's not that you don't want to make things difficult for me, but that you can't. If I didn't have a job right now and didn't know the workshop director, your attitude towards me would be hard to say. On the other hand, what do you mean by not making things difficult? Even now, you're still relentlessly smearing my reputation in front of the neighbors. You're really full of petty tricks!"

To make a vicious dog docile, you only need to beat it hard and subdue it. It will naturally obey. Reasoning with it is useless because it cannot understand human language.

To be honest, she admired Zhou Ma quite a bit. She relentlessly tried to control her, failing repeatedly but never giving up. It was as if the word "give up" didn't exist in her dictionary. With that kind of drive, what couldn't she succeed at? Why did she have to choose to make things difficult for her?

But she couldn't back down. If she yielded even a little, Zhou Ma would only think she had won and would intensify her efforts to turn her into a good daughter-in-law like her sister-in-law, instead of giving up. She could only keep fighting with Zhou Ma. Since Zhou Ma hadn't given up on controlling her, it must be because she hadn't suffered enough losses.

Zhou Ma hadn't expected Lin Yuanshu to discover her little tricks behind her back. She retorted confidently, "How did you know? Who told you? Was it Sister Hua?"

Lin Yuanshu took a deep breath and slowly said, "All I can say is that I have spies everywhere in this tenement building. If you don't let me have a good time, I naturally won't let you have a good time either. I am a good person. I don't offend others unless they offend me. If you continue to tarnish my reputation, I don't know what I might do."

After saying that, Lin Yuanshu left the living room. She couldn't be bothered to continue arguing with Zhou Ma. It was just a matter of hurting each other! Who was afraid of who?

However, it wasn't those older women who told her, but rather a woman named Chun whom she had previously helped. Chun told her everything that Zhou Ma had said bad things about her to the neighbors, and what the neighbors thought of her.

Feeling rebuffed by Lin Yuanshu, Zhou Ma walked up to Xue Dasao in a huff and said coldly, "You've been quite arrogant lately!"

Upon seeing this, Sister-in-law Xue immediately understood that Aunt Zhou had come to settle scores. It was all her fault for being blinded by greed and choosing to follow Lin Yuanshu's orders. Fortunately, she had already thought of a reason.

She whispered, "My second wife has a formula that can make me pregnant. I have no choice but to listen to her. Mom, everything I do is so that you can hold your grandson."

Aunt Zhou frowned and said, "She's never been pregnant, and you just believe her remedy like that?"

Sister-in-law Xue said confidently, "Although the second daughter-in-law's words are unpleasant, she has never told a lie. She said she would make Dad the group leader, and Dad became the group leader. She is the smartest person I know."

Zhou Ma couldn't find a rebuttal. Thinking of her future grandson, she decided to let Xue's sister-in-law off the hook for the time being. "Just pray that the prescription works! Otherwise, I'll make you regret it."

Sister-in-law Xue was bullied by Aunt Zhou again and could only work in a wronged manner.

She suddenly missed the days after her mother-in-law made a mistake. At that time, her mother-in-law could no longer be arrogant and domineering, and she could have some peace and quiet.

Those were the happiest times of her year. She wondered if Lin Yuanshu could find another way to scheme against her mother-in-law and make her make another mistake so that she could escape this oppressive life.

In family life, it's always the other way around. She suddenly felt that it was actually quite good that Lin Yuanshu had his mother-in-law so overwhelmed.

After washing up, Lin Yuanshu returned to his room and sat on the edge of the bed to rest.

Zhou Xiangyang came closer and asked with concern, "Are you alright? Did my mom say a lot of hurtful things again?"

Lin Yuanshu glanced at Zhou Xiangyang, sighed, and looked like he wanted to say something but couldn't.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Xiangyang immediately sounded the alarm. It was the first time he had ever seen Lin Yuanshu look so troubled, since Lin Yuanshu always appeared confident no matter what he was facing.

"What's wrong? What happened? Did you suffer some injustice?" Zhou Xiangyang asked anxiously.

Lin Yuanshu said with a sad expression, "I didn't suffer any injustice, but Mom threatened me, saying that if I didn't listen to her, she would make you divorce me. I'm afraid you'll listen to Mom."

Zhou Xiangyang was stunned for a moment, then lowered his head, his face flushed, and stammered, "I...I won't divorce you...I think you're a good person..."

He hadn't expected Lin Yuanshu to be afraid of such a thing. He seemed fearless all the time. He didn't know how to put Lin Yuanshu at ease, and he wasn't sure if what he said was right!

Hearing this, Lin Yuanshu smiled with satisfaction and continued to probe, "What if Mom threatens you? Or what if she doesn't want to live if we don't get a divorce?"

She has no plans to divorce now, mainly because divorce would affect her performance evaluation and promotion. In today's society, collectivism and family values ​​are emphasized, and divorce would be seen as a "stain" on one's personal life and would affect the image of the workplace.

Therefore, in order to maintain the overall reputation of the organization, the leaders will give priority to removing divorced employees when it comes to performance evaluations and promotions.

Besides, Zhou Xiangyang isn't unattractive, and aside from being socially awkward and a little weak, she doesn't have any other flaws. She doesn't need a strong lover because she is already very strong herself.

Although she had never been in a relationship in her past life, she had seen others do, and she could tell that Zhou Xiangyang wasn't entirely without affection for her. Given that, why should she even consider divorce? After all, divorce wouldn't bring her any benefit; she preferred to maximize her own interests.

Therefore, she was willing to spend time with Zhou Xiangyang first and experience a kind of love that she had never tried in her previous life. If the two were really not suitable for each other, then they could only wait until the social atmosphere was more open before getting a divorce.

Zhou Xiangyang was unaware of Lin Yuanshu's thoughts. He confidently assured her, "Your mother definitely wouldn't want to die. At most, she'll try to force me to divorce her. Don't worry, even if she beats me to death, I won't divorce you. I don't want to find a new wife."

He had finally accepted Lin Yuanshu, and he really couldn't stand the thought of having to find another wife. He loved being with Lin Yuanshu; only when he was with Lin Yuanshu did he feel like a normal person.

"What if your mother's reasons for divorce are indeed reasonable?" Lin Yuanshu asked.

Zhou Xiangyang said, blushing, "The idea of ​​asking me to get a divorce is completely unreasonable."

Lin Yuanshu gave a satisfied smile and asked, "You're so nice, may I kiss you?"

Zhou Xiangyang stared wide-eyed in disbelief. He instinctively stood up and stammered, "Kiss...kiss...kiss me...I...I need to sleep...no, I need to read...no, I need to go to the bathroom..."

Zhou Xiangyang fled the room, rambling incoherently. He could practically hear his own heart pounding. He had never kissed anyone before. What if Lin Yuanshu thought he hadn't kissed him well? How should he react if Lin Yuanshu kissed him on the lips? His mind went completely blank…

Lin Yuanshu couldn't help but sigh. Looking at Zhou Xiangyang's innocent appearance, she thought to herself: Could it be that Zhou Xiangyang thinks that getting married means sleeping in separate beds?

They've been married for so long, and she's never even held Zhou Xiangyang's hand. The most intimate thing she's ever done is rubbing Zhou Xiangyang's face. They're legally married, but she can only act like a "gentleman."

As Zhou Xiangyang left the room, his face was flushed. Lin Yuanshu's words were still replaying in his mind. It was mainly because it was said so suddenly that he was not prepared. He was a little nervous and at a loss, but also a little happy.

Seeing Zhou Xiangyang's strange behavior, the older brother asked, "Little brother, why is your face so red? Are you sick?"

Lin Yuanshu, who was inside the room, couldn't help but laugh when he heard his older brother's words.

Hearing Lin Yuanshu's voice, Zhou Xiangyang felt even more embarrassed. He stubbornly said, "I was holding in my pee."

He wasn't shy at all.

Big Brother: "..."

When Zhou Xiangyang calmed down and prepared himself mentally, he returned to his room to find Lin Yuanshu already asleep.

He lowered his head in disappointment, then silently took his quilt from the cupboard, spread it on the floor, and prepared to go to sleep.

The next morning, just as dawn broke, Lin Yuanshu got up to brush her teeth and wash her face. Zhou Xiangyang seemed to have something to say but was too embarrassed to speak, so he kept hovering around her.

She roughly knew what Zhou Xiangyang wanted to say, but she didn't ask. She just looked at Zhou Xiangyang with a smile on her face. It was quite interesting to tease Zhou Xiangyang every now and then.

After washing up, Lin Yuanshu and Zhou Xiangyang sat down at the rice porridge table. Zhou Dafu and the others had already gotten up, but Lin Yuanshu and Zhou Xiangyang were the last ones in the family to get up.

Zhou Ma served everyone white rice porridge, but not Lin Yuanshu's.

Lin Yuanshu raised an eyebrow, not expecting Zhou Ma's retaliation to come so quickly. Not only would she not make her rice porridge, she would make it herself.

Aunt Zhou said with a smug look on her face, "I'm sorry, I didn't cook your white rice porridge."

You're too green to fight her! Disobedient people don't get to eat.

Lin Yuanshu shrugged indifferently and said softly, "No rice porridge is fine! When I get paid, I won't hand over my salary anyway, since I spend it all on breakfast."

Watching this farce unfold, Zhou Dafu said seriously, "You eat your mother's white rice porridge."

He turned to look at Zhou Ma and said expressionlessly, "Anyway, you're not going to work, so it doesn't matter if you eat plain rice porridge later."

Aunt Zhou nodded, daring not to speak her anger. After all, Lin Yuanshu never joked. If he said he wouldn't hand over his salary, he absolutely wouldn't hand over a single penny. Damn it, doesn't Lin Yuanshu have anything he's afraid of?

If Lin Yuanshu doesn't hand over his salary, it will inevitably cause dissatisfaction among others and disrupt the stability of the family.

I should never have agreed to let Lin Yuanshu go out to find a job, no matter what reason I gave.

Lin Yuanshu sat back down and unceremoniously moved Zhou Ma's white rice porridge in front of him, then began to eat it with gusto.

If she hadn't run out of food coupons and couldn't eat out, she would have wanted to leave the living room in style instead of continuing to eat at the table.

Zhou Ma was furious but helpless. Seeing Lin Yuanshu's indifferent attitude towards her, she had a bold idea.

Since Lin Yuanshu wanted to use her mother-in-law to deal with her, she could also use her mother-in-law to deal with Lin Yuanshu. Her mother-in-law's methods were not something that ordinary people could withstand. Her mother-in-law was so old, could Lin Yuanshu really hold a grudge against an old woman?

Most importantly, she needs to meet her mother-in-law before Lin Yuanshu does, and then she can say some bad things about Lin Yuanshu to her mother-in-law, making her have a bad impression of Lin Yuanshu. When Lin Yuanshu and his mother-in-law meet, conflicts will naturally arise.

Zhou Dafu is so filial to his mother, he can't just stand by and watch his mother be bullied by Lin Yuanshu. In that case, it will be Lin Yuanshu's turn to suffer.

When no one was paying attention, she revealed a wicked smile, as if she could already see Lin Yuanshu's miserable wails. This is what you call reaping what you sow.

After finishing their meal, Lin Yuanshu and Zhou Xiangyang returned to their room to retrieve their handbags.

Zhou Xiangyang said apologetically, "I'm sorry, my mom made you suffer."

He wanted to speak up for Lin Yuanshu, but Lin Yuanshu had told him before not to interfere in the matters between her and his mother, and that his involvement would only make things more complicated, so he could only remain silent.

Lin Yuanshu waved his hand dismissively and said indifferently, "Mothers-in-law in this era are all like this. They don't treat their daughters-in-law like human beings. They've suffered a lot themselves, so they want their daughters-in-law to suffer a little too. Even if it were someone else, they would treat their daughters-in-law the same way. As long as you stand firmly on my side and don't bully me with your mother, that's fine."

She was quite open-minded. Aunt Wen and Aunt Hua had such a good relationship with her, so if she were to become their daughter-in-law, they would still find fault with her. After all, in their eyes, a good daughter-in-law was someone who was filial, obedient, and had many big, fat grandsons.

Given her personality, she would never be a good daughter-in-law no matter which family she went to. So from the beginning, she never thought about getting along well with her mother-in-law, nor did she need Zhou Xiangyang to mediate between the two.

Zhou Xiangyang agreed, "Okay, if there's anything I did wrong, you can tell me."

He took a deep breath and continued, "I will try my best to be a good husband."

Lin Yuanshu paused for a moment, then said seriously, "I do have something to say to you. Lower your head."

Zhou Xiangyang obediently walked to Lin Yuanshu's side and lowered his head.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lin Yuanshu tiptoed and kissed Zhou Xiangyang's cheek, saying with a smile, "This is a good morning kiss as a reward."

That's enough. We can't provoke Zhou Xiangyang too much, or we might scare this little rabbit away.

Zhou Xiangyang's pupils contracted subconsciously, then he realized that the person kissing him was Lin Yuanshu. His body gradually relaxed, and he lowered his head to kiss Lin Yuanshu's forehead, mimicking Lin Yuanshu's words: "Good morning kiss."

This action left Lin Yuanshu stunned. She hadn't expected Zhou Xiangyang to learn so quickly. He was still shy last night, but she preferred the shy Zhou Xiangyang. It was mainly because it was rare to see such a pure-hearted gay man in modern society.

The two smiled at each other, their bodies enveloped in an irresistible sweetness, even their breaths were filled with a hint of sweetness.

Afterwards, the two went out together and met Aunt Hua, who was out buying groceries, on the way.

Aunt Hua chuckled and teased, "You two are so inseparable, you go to work and come home together! I was just as lovey-dovey when I first got married."

Zhou Xiangyang walked forward, embarrassed, wanting to get away from Aunt Hua.

Lin Yuanshu didn't mind being teased. She smiled and replied, "If we're not sweet now, it'll be hard to be sweet later."

Aunt Hua nodded in agreement and said in a low voice, "Women don't have it so easy after having a child. Comrade Xiangyang has such a good wife, yet he's still shy. If it were me, I would definitely take him out to show off."

“Everyone has a different personality; this is just his inner talent,” Lin Yuanshu said seriously.

Aunt Hua gave a thumbs up and said admiringly, "As expected, cultured people know how to praise others. The words that come out of your mouth are so classy."

Lin Yuanshu chatted briefly with Aunt Hua before returning to Zhou Xiangyang's side, and the two continued walking towards the chemical plant.

After arriving at the production workshop, Lin Yuanshu first went to the changing room to change into his work clothes, and then went to the office to sign in.

After the team leader finished the pre-shift meeting, he kept Lin Yuanshu and the other new recruits behind. Everyone else was a little uneasy, wondering why the team leader had asked them to stay. Only Lin Yuanshu remained calm and composed.

Seeing everyone's performance, the team leader couldn't help but sigh. No wonder only Lin Yuanshu among the four was valued by Director Xia. This composure and calmness in the face of honor and disgrace is truly rare among young people.

She handed the four people the materials she had collected yesterday about past labor production competitions, and said with a serious face, "You read through the materials first, and then tell us what your thoughts are on this year's labor production competition. How can we avoid coming in last place? If we come in last place again this time, you will all lose face."

Ling Ke asked curiously, "Just us? Don't the others need to see?"

The team leader said with a stern face, "This is an opportunity for you, and I really hope you will cherish it."

If those veteran employees were truly valuable, they wouldn't always be last.

Upon hearing this, Ling Ke's eyes lit up instantly. She eagerly flipped through the pages, her lips curving into a smile. It was time for her to show off her skills.

Lin Yuanshu ignored the noise from the outside world and focused intently on reviewing the documents. Her fingertips quickly swept across the paper as she rapidly processed every piece of information she had obtained.

Because everyone had different information, she waited for everyone else to finish reading before exchanging documents.

Lin Yuanshu hadn't expected that the labor production competitions in the 1970s would be so elaborate, unlike any makeshift event. The labor production competitions held by the chemical plant were mainly based on a point system, with a maximum score of 100 points.

The judging panel consists of the deputy factory director, key production technicians, and the head of the safety department. After the labor production competition begins, they will score according to the scoring criteria, and the group with the highest score will win first place.

This labor production competition was quite comprehensive, assessing participants in five areas: production tasks, product quality, safe production, technological innovation and rationalization proposals, and teamwork.

The production task has the highest score, 35 points. It is not easy to get these 35 points. Successfully completing the production task for the month will earn you 10 points, exceeding the production task will earn you 5 points, failing to complete it will deduct points, and completing the production task ahead of schedule will earn you 10 points, and so on.

The product quality requirements are also largely the same: achieving the workshop's pass rate earns 10 points, exceeding the workshop's pass rate earns bonus points, and having a large number of quality problems results in a deduction of points...

Although achieving a high score requires completing production tasks ahead of schedule and exceeding targets, Lin Yuanshu prefers to focus on two aspects: safe production and technological innovation and rationalization proposals.

Doing well in these two aspects will easily earn you 25 points, which will help you stand out from other groups. After all, tasks like successfully completing production tasks are something any group can accomplish; they are basic points and don't really give you a significant advantage over other groups.

Although she hadn't finished reading the materials, based on her experience from her previous life, she had some immature ideas about technological innovation. Regardless of whether it would work or not, she would give it a try first. After all, her group always came in last place, so it couldn't be too bad.

The team leader patiently waited until everyone had finished reading the materials before asking, "What are your thoughts? Let's start from the left."

Ling Ke's friend smiled on the outside but cursed inwardly, wondering why they hadn't started from the right, which would have meant Comrade Lin Yuanshu would answer first.

She stammered, "I think we should devote ourselves fully to the labor production competition. Every employee in the workshop should be energetic and wholeheartedly commit to this labor production competition..."

Ling Ke's friend demonstrated what "nonsense literature" is all about. He talked a lot but didn't offer a single useful idea. He just kept repeating that it should be taken seriously.

The team leader waved her hand, too lazy to listen any longer, "That's enough, next one..."

Ling Ke's friend breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, she shut up. If she hadn't been shut up, she would have run out of things to say.

When it was Qian Xiang's turn, he glanced at the people around him and made up his mind: "It's a bit difficult to get first place, but it's easy to get rid of the last place title. Since we can't win in a fair competition, we can do some tricks to prevent other groups from completing their production tasks smoothly or cause major safety accidents. That way, we definitely won't be last place."

The team leader couldn't help but roll his eyes and said coldly, "Are you out of your mind? I'm the one who wants to live! There's no need to risk being kicked out of the chemical plant and being criticized for sabotaging something just for a competition. Do you think I'm as stupid as you?"

Qian Xiang lowered his head after being scolded. In fact, as long as he was careful, he wouldn't have been discovered. As the saying goes, fortune favors the bold. That's the problem with female leaders; they're too cautious.

Ling imagined herself as eloquent and articulate, but in reality, she stammered, "We can re-plan the production process based on the experience of the previous winner... We can also prepare the raw materials and tools needed for production in advance, so that the production speed won't be slowed down due to material shortages or broken tools..."

Although Ling Ke's words sounded reasonable, these ideas were all from the data and were simply following the lead of the previous first-place group. It wasn't that they were wrong; she had done the same thing before, but despite her best efforts, she still came in last place, so it lacked originality.

The team leader placed his last hope on Lin Yuanshu, hoping that Lin Yuanshu could come up with some constructive ideas that would be refreshing and make the plan seem feasible.

While the first three people were speaking, Lin Yuanshu had already prepared her speech. She spoke calmly and slowly: "Regarding technological innovation, I have a small idea. We can improve the reactor agitator by changing the shape of the impeller blades from a straight plate to an inclined blade. This will not only increase the stirring efficiency but also allow the materials to react more completely. The other groups are currently using straight plate impellers, while we are using inclined blade impellers. This will easily improve product quality and production efficiency, and we can also get 15 points for technological innovation and rationalization suggestions..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the team leader couldn't help but applaud, his smile impossible to hide. "If I had known you spoke so well, I would have let you speak first, and we wouldn't have wasted so much time. No wonder Director Xia has his eye on you; your abilities are beyond question."

The other three had mixed feelings. Indeed, people are different. They racked their brains but couldn't come up with an idea, while Lin Yuanshu could say it easily.

Lin Yuanshu smiled sheepishly and continued, "I haven't finished yet. In terms of safety in production, we can also make a small change. We can install simple activated carbon filters in the workshop's ventilation openings. This will be more beneficial to the workers' health. While other groups are still cautiously avoiding safety accidents, our group is thinking of ways to make the workers feel more at ease at work. This will definitely be a plus for us; you could say it's a secret weapon..."

In fact, she had many more ideas. From a modern perspective, the current chemical plant was still a bit rudimentary. Of course, the equipment was something that couldn't be changed, since she hadn't studied machine-related knowledge in her previous life. But she could still make some changes in the details.

The two solutions she proposed were the most suitable; installing the activated carbon filter was not only for winning the competition, but also for her health.

She knew that simple activated carbon filtration devices already existed in this era, but they were not widely used. As far as she knew, activated carbon was used in the filter material of the Type 65 gas mask.

Improving the reactor agitator is not difficult; it can be left to technicians and equipment maintenance personnel. As for things like modifying the reactor heating device, she didn't even dare to mention it, because it would be both labor-intensive and expensive.

The team leader thought for a moment and said decisively, "You don't need to go to the workshop today. Before tonight, write a plan for the labor production competition. I'll give it to Director Xia for review. Once Director Xia approves, we can proceed according to your plan. Leave the production tasks and product quality to me. I'll have to trouble you with the technical innovation. I'm not very familiar with these technical things."

She wasn't stupid; she wouldn't take credit for Lin Yuanshu's work. Even if she knew about the technological innovations Lin Yuanshu proposed, she would still be completely clueless if she were to actually implement them. They sounded simple, but she had no idea how to modify the reactor agitator or how to make the so-called simple activated carbon filter.

Therefore, it would be better for the two of them to cooperate well, as both can benefit. Lin Yuanshu is so capable that he will definitely climb higher than her in the future. There is no need to offend such a powerful opponent for such a small benefit, unless she can guarantee that she can keep Lin Yuanshu in the shadows.

Obviously, she couldn't do that, because Lin Yuanshu had already caught Director Xia's eye and was not someone she could control at will.

Lin Yuanshu agreed without hesitation, "Okay."

She likes leaders who don't hold her back; they make her more motivated to work.

The team leader nodded to Lin Yuanshu and then turned and left the office.

Seeing this, Ling Ke and the others quickly followed.

Lin Yuanshu stopped Ling Ke and the others with a smile, "Wait a moment, I have something to say to you."

Ling Ke and the others were stunned for a moment, then subconsciously looked at their team leader. The team leader looked completely bewildered and said, "I told you not to leave, so don't leave! Why are you looking at me! Comrade Lin Yuanshu's words are my words, understand?"

The three answered in unison, "Understood."

The team leader left the office with a smile. With Lin Yuanshu, a top student, her team might be able to win first place this year. She was grateful to Director Xia for assigning Lin Yuanshu to her; if she had such an opponent, it would be a real headache.

Qian Xiang looked at Lin Yuanshu with trepidation. After all, he had offended Lin Yuanshu before, and who knew if she would take revenge on him.

Of the three, Ling Ke's friend was the most relaxed. After all, her relationship with Lin Yuanshu was neither too close nor too distant. She was familiar with Lin Yuanshu, but Lin Yuanshu might not know her name.

Lin Yuanshu looked the three of them over before slowly saying, "You should understand the importance of this labor production competition. Don't think it has nothing to do with you. If our group can stand out in this competition, you will also get the attention of the leaders. I can't guarantee that you can be promoted to permanent positions ahead of schedule, but at least as long as you don't make any mistakes, there shouldn't be any problem with becoming permanent."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "Use your brains and think about why the labor production competition was started not earlier, not later, but some time after we entered the chemical plant. This is an opportunity for us. If the group does well, we can do even better. Anyone who drags the team down will not be promoted. While the team leader and I are busy, you should not be idle. Find ways to improve the enthusiasm of the veteran employees. I don't care about the process, I just want to see the results."

The three men fell into deep thought because of Lin Yuanshu's words. This was what they called "thinking three steps ahead before taking one step." While they were still thinking about how to quickly master the equipment, Lin Yuanshu was already planning to make a name for himself through the labor production competition.

"Can you do it?" Lin Yuanshu asked with a serious expression.

The three looked at Lin Yuanshu and answered loudly, "Yes."

After all, their Evolution Factory didn't get in through back channels. They can't let Lin Yuanshu get all the meat while they don't even get the soup!

Lin Yuanshu waved them away from the office. She wasn't afraid of formidable opponents, but rather of incompetent teammates. She always had to give them something to do to prevent them from having any "sudden inspiration."

Although the labor productivity competition will be held next month, she needs to prepare her technological innovation plan in advance because the review panel needs time to evaluate the plan.

The three of them walked towards the production workshop with great enthusiasm, their eyes brimming with barely suppressed excitement. It was time to show off their abilities.

After today's events, Ling was completely convinced of Lin Yuanshu's abilities. The idea Lin Yuanshu proposed was something she could never have come up with in her entire life.

She wanted to compete with Lin Yuanshu, but did she deserve it? They were both apprentices, yet Lin Yuanshu had risen to the point where he could command them, while they were still trying to curry favor with their master.

Lin Yuanshu spent most of the day writing this plan. To prevent it from being stolen, she only wrote about improving the reactor agitator and installing a simple activated carbon filter, without detailing the specific operations.

After she finished writing it, she went to the production workshop to find the team leader and handed the plan to him.

The team leader excitedly flipped through the document on the spot, praising it repeatedly, "As expected of you, you're so efficient. This plan is really well written. After I finish reading it, I'll give it to Director Xia. Thank you for your hard work today. There's nothing else for you to do now, so you can go back to the break room to rest and wait to get off work."

"Okay." Lin Yuanshu agreed without hesitation. Slacking off at work was her favorite thing to do. She needed to learn to balance work and rest, and she would still slack off when it was time to do so.

Lin Yuanshu was leisurely reading in the break room. When she turned to the page she hadn't finished reading before, she found a note tucked inside with a moon drawn on it.

This was the code she had previously agreed upon with Director Tang's subordinates. The moon signified that she would go to Director Tang's house that evening. She crumpled the note into a ball and put it in her pants pocket.

It seems that Director Tang also has people in the naphthalene intermediate production workshop, since only workers from this production workshop can enter the changing room.

On the other side, the team leader excitedly took the plan to Director Xia's office and placed it on Director Xia's desk.

Director Xia flipped through the plan with great interest, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table. After reading it, he didn't offer his opinion but instead asked the team leader, "Do you think this plan is feasible?"

The team leader confidently declared, "If it's entrusted to me and Comrade Lin Yuanshu, I guarantee there won't be any unexpected problems. Even if we don't get first place, we won't be last."

Director Xia thought for a moment and said solemnly, "Alright, since you think so, I won't interfere too much. I will cooperate with you fully. However, you must guarantee a good result, instead of embarrassing me like last year."

If the plan in Lin Yuanshu's book is really implemented, the group led by the team leader might actually become the first place this year. As the leader, he can't interfere too much in the competition, so he can only silently support the decisions of each group.

The team leader took the plan back from Director Xia's hand and patted his chest, saying, "I won't let you down again."

It's better to leave the project plan to her for safekeeping. If someone else takes it, she'll have nowhere to turn for help.

When the team leader came out of Director Xia's office, he ran into Wu Jianhua, who was looking for Director Xia. The two looked at each other, and the air seemed to be filled with the smell of gunpowder.

After entering the office, Wu Jianhua decisively closed the office door, keeping the team leader outside.

The team leader sneered, muttering to himself as he walked back to the production workshop, "What's so great about that! So what if you got second place the year before last! You're always second best, you can only be arrogant for a while. Once Comrade Lin Yuanshu grows up, he'll be abandoned by Director Xia sooner or later. Let's see if you'll still be laughing then..."

Wu Jianhua casually sat down in the chair opposite Director Xia and asked curiously, "What's she here for?"

Director Xia tidied up the documents and said with a smile, "What? Did you offend her? I noticed her expression towards you was off."

Wu Jianhua said nonchalantly, "I really think you can change the team leader for the fourth workshop. Her abilities are still a bit weak. I've looked around and I really can't find any good qualities in her."

Director Xia patted Wu Jianhua on the shoulder affectionately and said with a smile, "Underestimating women will only lead to trouble. Don't say I didn't warn you later. This time, you need to pay special attention to the fourth workshop. Comrade Lin Yuanshu is quite capable. Although she is young and doesn't have much work experience, she is not just smart, but exceptionally talented. I have read her plan for the labor production competition. It is not only well-reasoned, but also surpasses the factory's technicians in terms of technological innovation."

Wu Jianhua's face was filled with disbelief as he questioned, "How long has she been working here? How could she possibly surpass the factory's technicians? Are you kidding me?"

Director Xia stroked his chin and said frankly, "If things proceed smoothly according to her plan, she will most likely be nominated for the title of outstanding worker in this competition."

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Author's Note: The labor productivity competitions and technological innovation plans in this article are derived from various online resources.