The Hongxing factory was very quiet on the weekend, without the usual humming of the machines. But the machining workshop was tense – the internal selection was being held this morning.
A space was cleared out in the middle of the workshop, and several long tables were set up as an examination room; several lathes and fitter's benches were polished to a shine, and tools and measuring instruments were neatly arranged, waiting for people to get started.
Liu Li arrived early, wearing her oldest, faded work clothes, her hair tightly tied up and tucked into her work cap. She took a deep breath, calming her racing heart, and looked up to see Master Wang and Director Zhao already waiting, along with several veteran workers and technicians acting as referees—Fu Jingchen was also among them, and when he saw her, he nodded quietly, his eyes gleaming.
The contestants arrived one after another. Li Weidong was wearing a new work uniform, his hair was neatly combed, and he looked quite confident; Zhao Yongqiang's eyes darted around, glancing at Liu Li from time to time, and his face was long; there were also three or four young workers, all clenching their fists, looking quite nervous.
Seeing that everyone was present, Director Zhao walked to the middle and called out, "Everyone's here? Good! Today's selection has only one purpose—to choose the most capable to compete in the city and bring glory to our factory! There will be two sessions: a theory test in the morning and a practical test in the afternoon. The one with the best overall score will advance! Now, I'll hand out the test papers. Find your seats!"
When the test papers were handed out, Liu Li glanced at them—there were questions on mechanical drawing, questions on the properties of metallic materials, and a major question asking her to analyze how to modify the manufacturing process of shaft parts to save time. She answered the basic questions smoothly, but when she got to the process question, she paused, recalling the workflow she had worked out when designing the ball joint fixture. She wrote on the paper: First, modify the clamping method to combine the two roughing operations, then adjust the cutting speed. She also specifically noted, "Reducing the clamping time by one operation can reduce errors and save half an hour of work time."
Fu Jingchen walked around the examination room, walked behind Liu Li, saw her answer, paused, and his eyes lit up - this was not rote memorization, but a real understanding of how to process information.
After the theory exam, some people breathed a sigh of relief while others frowned as the papers were collected. Li Weidong had a smirk on his face, looking like he had done well; Zhao Yongqiang scratched his head, looking frustrated.
After lunch, the practical training began. The fitter's competition was on file fitting—two pieces of iron had to be filed to create grooves and ridges, so that the gap was as small as possible after fitting, while also ensuring a large enough contact surface. Liu Li stood in front of the workbench, first studying the drawing of the blank for a long time, then picking up the file and steadily making each stroke. She didn't rush; after a few strokes, she would compare the file with a ruler and measure with a dial indicator, correcting any slight deviation. The veteran fitter watching couldn't help but nod: "This girl has a steady hand and a meticulous mind."
Li Weidong was filing away rapidly beside her, his arm muscles taut, but he wasn't as diligent as Liu Li in taking measurements. Finally, both of them finished. Liu Li gently closed the punch and pull—the punch actually lifted the die as well, fitting perfectly together! The old fitter exclaimed, "Great! This fit is flawless!"
Li Weidong also tried, but the mold fell off as soon as he lifted it, and his face immediately fell. Zhao Yongqiang was in even worse shape; the groove he filed was crooked and couldn't be closed at all, and he was sweating profusely with anxiety.
After the fitter's demonstration, it was time for the lathe work. She needed to machine a stepped shaft and a short conical surface—the conical surface was the most demanding, as even a slight angle error would be unacceptable. Liu Li walked to the C616 lathe, first touching the handle to familiarize herself with the feel. She proceeded step by step: loading the blank, aligning it, selecting the tool, measuring each section with calipers after each turn, ensuring the dimensions were precise. When it came to machining the conical surface, she first rough-machined it, leaving some allowance, then used a dial indicator to check the taper before slowly finishing it. The metal filings were cut finely, and the conical surface was so smooth it reflected a person's image.
Fu Jingchen and the veteran worker took the measuring tools and reported the data: "Outer diameter 25.002 mm, qualified! Length 100.01 mm, qualified! Cone angle error 0.05 degrees, excellent!"
Li Weidong's stepped shaft dimensions were also acceptable, but the tapered surface had some vibration marks and the gloss was a bit lacking; Zhao Yongqiang fared even worse, with one step exceeding the standard by 0.1 millimeters, making it an immediate failure.
After all the events were completed, Director Zhao, Master Wang, and the referees gathered to calculate the scores. The few minutes waiting for the results were even more agonizing than the exam itself. Li Weidong pursed his lips, his hands clenched tightly; Zhao Yongqiang hung his head, looking dejected.
Finally, Director Zhao walked over and said in a loud voice: "Theoretical scores: Liu Li 95 points, Li Weidong 88 points, Zhao Yongqiang 72 points! Practical skills: Liu Li, the fitter, had the best teamwork, with a contact area exceeding 85%; Liu Li, the lathe operator, had all parts pass the test, with the best conical surface! Overall, Liu Li is first!"
He paused, then called out, "The workshop has decided that Liu Li will represent our machining workshop in the city's fitter skills competition! Does everyone have any objections?"
"No objections!" Zhang Shulan was the first to clap and shouted the loudest. The other workers also clapped, and even Li Weidong sighed and clapped along—the results were there for all to see, Liu Li was indeed better than him, and he accepted it.
Master Wang stood behind, a slight smile playing on his lips, his eyes full of approval.
Liu Li walked to the center, bowed deeply to everyone, and said in a steady voice, "Thank you, leaders and mentors! I will definitely practice hard and not let our Hongxing Factory down!"
At that moment, all the previous doubts and rivalries vanished—strength spoke for itself, and she earned the qualification to compete in the city through her skills. Liu Li knew that this was only the first step; the real battle was yet to come in the citywide competition.
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