Chapter 114 New Product This is simply face-to-face
The machinery factory had given all the parts that had been replaced during the hydraulic system modification to Qi Fang, and he was now in charge of this workshop.
All the materials collected had to be brought up the mountain, so he couldn't do research. The bureau even specially dispatched an RT-12 for him to use.
But although these things looked numerous and complicated, Qi Fang knew exactly where each one was located. If there was anything wrong, he could tell at a glance.
He quickly returned several parts to their original positions and glanced at the empty space. "We're missing a hydraulic pump here."
Then on the other side, two hydraulic motors were missing, as were some pipes and control valves, about twenty in total.
"Was it robbed?" When Yan Xue heard Qi Fang say that something had been tampered with, her first reaction was that it was Wu Xingde.
But we can't completely rule out this possibility. What if the lost items are just a pretext?
"I'm not sure, I need to take a closer look." Qi Fang put his things down and got back on the RT-12.
Knowing the seriousness of the matter, Yan Xue put the little fat boy down and followed him. "Has he been touched?"
"It doesn't look like it." Qi Fang had already checked the entire hydraulic system. "But I didn't keep anything. I dismantled it immediately after each test."
The machinery factory was crowded with people, so how could he leave any traces? He could remember them anyway, and if he took them apart, he could always put them back together again. This RT-12 only had a half-assembled hydraulic system, and no one could tell it was there.
To be on the safe side, Qi Fang checked other places as well. After the inspection, he said, "We still have to find a way to find this person."
Regardless of whether it is related to Wu Xingde or not, he just casually entered his workshop and took things. Who knows what else he had touched?
Qi Fang couldn't tolerate a rat under his nose, not to mention that he still had research to do, and he couldn't let such a person hide in the dark.
However, the couple kept their composure and neither showed it on their faces. When they took the little fat boy out, they greeted the guard at the door as usual.
In the evening, I went to Liu Weiguo and Zhou Wenhui's house for dinner. After dinner, I played for a while before coming back with the sleepy little fat boy.
When the couple were the only ones left in the room, Yan Xue soaked her feet and asked, "No one in the factory knows about what you want to research, right?"
"Probably not." Qi Fang said calmly, "I just said I want to study how to make it better."
"Will that have any impact?" If this matter is really related to Wu Xingde, it will be even more inconvenient in the future.
"Let's see." Qi Fang's expression was relatively calm. He even added some hot water to Yan Xue's bowl. "I've figured it out a bit. I just need to modify a few parts."
He always felt that the previous control valves were not good, but if he wanted to replace them, the existing models were not suitable, so he might have to find a way to design his own.
As soon as he put down the kettle after filling it, Yan Xue leaned over and shook his hand, "Let's take our time, there's no rush."
There are still two years until it all ends, and compared to the original book, he has moved much faster and more steadily, and is even making improvements.
Qi Fang shook her hand back, "Yeah." After a pause, he came over and hugged her, gently rubbing her head.
As for how to catch the person, Qi Fang should have a plan in mind, so Yan Xue didn't say much. After all, the other party's whereabouts were exposed, so it wouldn't be difficult to catch him.
Sure enough, within a few days, the matter came to a conclusion, and it caused quite a stir, but the result was not quite what Yan Xue and Qi Fang had expected.
It wasn't that Wu Xingde was unwilling to give up and was up to something again, but that two boiler workers in the factory stole something and sold it, and ended up with Qi Fang.
In winter, the factory needs to burn boilers for heating, and burning boilers will produce ash. The factory has a special cart with a bucket to dump the ash outside.
The truck bed wasn't big, but it could still hold 200 to 300 kilograms. The two men stole parts from the factory and hid them in the truck bed, covering them with ash, which was heavy enough that no one would notice.
And it's not just parts, because brass was valuable in those days, and the purchasing station would buy it for more than three yuan per pound. They even stole the wires, cut off the plastic covering and sold it.
I didn't expect that even though they were very careful, basically picking up the discarded parts that had been replaced and arranging them to make it look like nothing was missing, Qi Fang still found them. He was even caught on the spot while pushing the ash out of the furnace, caught red-handed.
After the first trial, it was found that the two had stolen a lot, enough to be sentenced. This caused quite a stir within the Forestry Bureau, and for several days in a row, all the subordinate units held meetings to discuss the matter.
On the day the verdict was announced and the two were paraded through the streets, a truck passed by the training center. Both of them had large signs on their chests that read "Thief."
Yan Xue didn't go out to watch the fun, and she didn't know whether this matter had nothing to do with Wu Xingde and whether it was a good thing.
It has been more than three years since I last heard from Wu Xingde. It seems like this man has completely given up and has not appeared in three years.
But the conflict between him and Qi Fang is irreconcilable. As long as Qi Fang lives a good life and becomes capable, he will be the first one to be in trouble.
So as long as he could do it, he would definitely step on Qi Fang tightly and not give Qi Fang the chance to climb up and target him.
If possible, Yan Xue would certainly hope that this person would stay quiet and wait until everything was over before being liquidated together. However, one cannot rely on luck and must take necessary precautions.
However, because of this incident, Qi Fang received another commendation from the bureau for his timely discovery and reducing losses for the bureau and the country.
As the end of the year is approaching, all departments have to report their advanced achievements to the city. Secretary Tang has been a little hesitant these days.
In terms of outstanding contributions, both Yan Xue and Qi Fang could be nominated as city advanced individuals. One brought a new industry to the city, and the other solved a major problem for the city.
But the biggest problem for the two is that they are young, only in their twenties. It would be okay if they apply for one, but if they apply for both, they may not get it.
There are always some people who are more qualified, some who have more connections, and some who think that young people need to be more patient and give opportunities to veteran comrades first.
Therefore, no matter how capable Yan Xue is, she can only be an acting manager. The position of manager above her can be left vacant, but if someone wants to promote her, the resistance will definitely be greater than if the position is vacant.
"It's really a worry when there's no talent, and it's also a worry when there is talent." Secretary Tang couldn't help but sigh to Qu Mingli, "How did you deal with it in the past?"
Qu Mingli certainly didn't look at age or seniority, only at contribution. But the situation was different then. "Hadn't I even reported to the county at that time?"
The main reason was that he was transferred to the county before we could make it, and Yan Xue and Qi Fang were also transferred here.
The two young men never stopped, they kept moving forward and making contributions to the bureau. No one knew what else they could create.
"Why not report them all?" Qu Mingli suggested with a smile, "Maybe the city will need them again next year, so give them all."
That's not certain. Who knows if we can sell all the fungus we grow? What if the market is saturated next year? What if the province finally allocates funds next year?
Secretary Tang was about to say something when the office phone rang. He frowned as soon as he answered it. "Are you asking if we have any ready-made modification parts?"
Actually, there are, but most of them are scattered spare parts, mainly used for subsequent maintenance of the new hydraulic system.
But this was obviously not what the other party wanted to ask. In another county next door, there were machines that were not working, and there were more than one, and they were racking their brains to find a solution.
This winter has been exceptionally cold, putting extra strain on the machines' power systems. Those with serious issues in Changshan County have all been replaced, but I don't think the situation in other counties is as good.
As early as last month, machines started to have problems one after another, but they were not so serious that they were not reported to Changshan County.
The temperature has dropped again recently, and those machines finally couldn't hold on. No matter how hard we tried to repair them, they couldn't keep up. The other party was really at their wit's end, so they called to ask.
Soon other people called, also asking about the accessories. Finally, even the Municipal Bureau came to ask Secretary Tang, as if Secretary Tang could conjure up the accessories.
Secretary Tang could only ask someone to make several copies of the purchase order that Qi Fang had written before and send them to the other party. However, some people were still anxious and asked him if he could revise it first, as they had more experience in purchasing.
Secretary Tang has to think about this. What if the other party cannot come up with the money to modify the hydraulic system and wants their bureau to pay for it first?
Although they grow wood ear mushrooms and have a strain cultivation center, they have ample funds, but they are not the ones who are taken advantage of, right?
As a result, the Municipal Bureau soon talked to him and expressed this intention in their words, asking them to make more contributions to the collective since they had the ability.
In this era, people are talking about making contributions. The wood they cut and the minerals they mined are all used to contribute to the whole country, but Changshan County has only changed a small half of it. Where does the money come from?
Secretary Tang came back furious after hearing this, and almost scolded the other party in the office for not having the ability to ask the province for money, and if he had the ability, he should put pressure on him here.
Qu Mingli, on the other hand, said calmly, "It's okay. We're not the ones in a hurry. The higher-ups will definitely have to find a solution. And even if the province isn't willing to pay for a system change, they can always come up with the money to upgrade the system, right?"
Secretary Tang thought so too and called the Municipal Bureau directly. They said they could modify the things, but they didn’t have the money, so he asked the Municipal Bureau to ask the provincial government for it.
Don't let the people below figure out how to overcome all the difficulties themselves. He doesn't believe that if the logging in Jiangcheng City really stops, the province will not be anxious at all.
Besides, this matter should be the responsibility of the province. It is the province that is causing trouble. The application has been submitted for two years and it has not been resolved yet.
But it has been like this in recent years. At the beginning, work and classes were even suspended for a while, but now everything is fine.
Finally, the secretary of the municipal bureau went to the provincial government in person, and there was finally some progress. However, the money had not yet been allocated. An engineer from the provincial tractor factory came first.
The tractors produced by the Provincial Tractor Company are agricultural tractors, which are quite different from those used in forestry, but they share the same hydraulic transmission system.
The province is obviously afraid that the system changes they are talking about are a mess, so they first find someone knowledgeable to come and take a look.
The engineer who came was in charge of the hydraulic system in the factory. He heard that a machinery factory in the next county had changed the static hydraulic system to hydraulic system, and he frowned on the way.
He was a straightforward person and even told the secretary of the municipal bureau that if the changes were not good, he would tell the provincial government directly and would not cover it up for them.
Even though it had been used for a year and was confirmed to be fine, the secretary of the Municipal Bureau felt a little unsure when he saw his serious expression.
But there's also the advantage of someone who's solely focused on technology and not particularly adept at interpersonal relationships: they can actually get things done. The person arrived without delay and went straight to the skidder 50 that had been pre-deployed to the machinery factory to begin inspection.
Then half an hour passed and no one came down.
An hour passed and the person still didn't come down.
He didn't respond until the people below couldn't wait any longer and asked him.
Even when the person came down, he didn't say how the changes were going, or whether they would be approved by the provincial government. He first looked around the crowd and asked, "Who changed this system?"
Secretary Tang pointed directly at Qi Fang and said, "Comrade Qi Fang from our machinery factory was once featured in the provincial newspaper for converting a tractor into an excavator."
The engineers didn't care about converting the tractor into an excavator. After all, if they really wanted to, there were people in their factory who could do it.
But they produce tractors. Who has the time to study how to modify idle tractors?
He was more concerned about another question and asked Qi Fang, "How did you come up with this change? Tell me."
Qi Fang seemed to be well prepared. He held the blueprints of previous modifications in his hand and began to explain them to him.
In order to take the engineer's height into consideration, Qi Fang deliberately lowered the drawing. The two of them talked and nodded, and started discussing.
"Is this going to work or not?" Someone waiting anxiously nearby couldn't help but ask in a low voice.
There was no way, several machines in their county were out of service, so of course he was the most anxious.
The secretary of the Municipal Bureau was no longer anxious, and neither was the person from the machinery factory. "If the product wasn't good, he wouldn't discuss it with Master Qi."
Sure enough, the engineer kept saying, "That's a good idea," and then "It turns out it can be done this way." After looking through several drawings, he suddenly asked Qi Fang, "Do you have time after the New Year?"
Even though they knew that there was no problem with the system modification and it was probably quite good, they were still surprised when they heard him ask this.
The provincial engineer didn't care. "Our factory is having an exchange meeting after the New Year, and representatives from several other major factories will be there. I think you have some interesting ideas. Would you like to come and take a look?"
This was a great opportunity. The secretary of the Changshan County Machinery Factory immediately agreed on Qi Fang's behalf. "That's great! Just let us know when you're going, and we'll definitely go."
Qi Fang paused for a moment, but didn't say anything. The engineer, however, finished speaking and looked at the drawings again. "Fortunately, you didn't use too many hydrostatic components, otherwise they would have to be modified."
"What's wrong? Are some components going to be discontinued?" Qi Fang almost immediately realized the hidden meaning in his words.
The engineer looked at him in surprise. "It's really going to be discontinued. The engineer who developed this system is now an official. Who's still working on this?"
When talking about it, his attitude reveals a bit of disdain. Generally, people who are devoted to technology look down on those who are scheming and relying on connections.
But the most important message in this sentence was that Wu Xingde was likely to give up his research and go into politics. Qi Fang lowered his eyes.
After the provincial engineer returned, the provincial funding was finally approved. Although it was reduced by more than half compared to what was applied for two years ago, it was able to solve the urgent problem.
Qi Fang worked overtime for a long time afterwards. He had to hurry up and make changes to the most seriously affected areas so that logging in all counties could return to normal.
He goes out early and comes back late every day. When he leaves in the morning, the little fat boy is still asleep, and when he comes back in the evening, the little fat boy is already asleep. He hasn't seen the little fat boy for several days in a row.
Then one day, the child suddenly refused to sleep. Yan Xue and the second old lady took turns trying to coax him, but the little guy just kept his eyelids open. It wasn't until the sound of a bicycle outside that he suddenly opened his eyes and said, "Dad."
Qi Fang was wrapped in coldness. He heard these words as soon as he entered the door. Seeing his son trying hard to open his eyes and look at him, his usually cold expression softened instantly.
If we ignore the fact that his son was too afraid of losing his old father and insisted on staying in this room and sleeping with him...
Fortunately, we were busy until the Chinese New Year, and the ones with the most serious problems were finally repaired. The rest can be repaired slowly after the logging is completed.
Qi Fang resumed his previous working hours, and Secretary Tang also reported the city's advanced individuals.
This time Secretary Tang did not hesitate. Qi Fang and Yan Xue both applied, and when the results came out, both of them got the award.
Without looking at anything else, we have to look at the accounts submitted by Changshan County and Baisong County. The 50% Qifang timber collection fees in each county have not been fully revised yet.
The Municipal Bureau was rarely generous. The two of them attended a commendation meeting together. Someone at the meeting took photos and also took a photo of the two youngest advanced individuals.
Then, less than half a month later, this photo appeared in Yan Xue's diary. Qi Fang later went to find the person who took the photo and asked him to help him develop two copies.
Yan Xue didn't realize it at first, as she and Guo Changan went to Wugang Town and Liuhu Town respectively to learn the bottle cultivation method of wood ear mushrooms.
Because she had been there to guide them in building a cultivation room last year, the waiters at the guesthouse knew her and picked the cleanest room for her.
During the breaks in guidance, Yan Xue also heard some gossip, saying that someone had called Secretary Zhang of the companies that raised the price of wood last year.
Not only Secretary Zhang, but Zhuang Qixiang also received a call asking him whether he wanted to buy it or not. If not, they would sell it to someone else.
The other party was quite good at saying, "Last time you said you wanted to buy it, I have been keeping it for you. Are you still going to buy it or not?" as if Zhuang Qixiang had already made an order with him.
But in fact, when Zhuang Qixiang heard the price, he had no intention of buying it. His words that he would think about it were purely a face-saving remark.
The other party obviously wanted to take his face-saving words as a promise, "I've kept this for you for such a long time, and it's hard to sell it to anyone else. How about you order two years at a time from me, and I'll give you a discount?"
He is so shameless. He failed to sell his own things, so he came back to buy from him. He even lowered the price a bit and asked him to place an order for two years at a time.
Zhuang Qixiang was also trained by the former Secretary Hu, and his tone was surprisingly calm. "No need, just sell it to someone else."
A similar situation occurred at Secretary Zhang's Wugang Town Forestry Bureau, which confused several companies that had been discussing raising prices together.
No, it’s already April and you still haven’t bought it. Don’t they plan to grow wood ear mushrooms this year?
In fact, when Wugang and Liuhu refused to buy at the beginning, these families were not worried at all. After all, it was not that they lacked wood to grow wood ear mushrooms.
It is not realistic to buy wood from other places. Their city is the closest, and transportation will become a problem if it is farther away.
As a result, we waited from autumn to winter, and from the New Year to the New Year. The vaccination time in previous years had arrived, and they also tried to lower the price, but still no one bought it.
You have to know that the purpose of raising prices is to make more money. Now that you can't make a penny, it's better not to raise the price in the first place.
At least if they are sold, they will make money. If they cannot be sold, they will become firewood. They can leave them at the bureau and deal with them themselves, which is ten yuan per cart.
Some people began to regret and even blamed the person who took the lead in proposing a price increase. Isn't this just looking for trouble because he has nothing better to do?
The one who took the lead in suggesting a price increase was still stubborn, saying, "Do you think they won't lose anything if they don't buy? Just wait, they'll have to come back to us to buy again this fall."
Then he waited until May when the first batch of wood ear mushrooms came on the market, with the words "Wugang Wood Ear Mushroom" clearly written on them.
Generally, more people buy these things before the New Year, but the number gradually decreases after the New Year. This is mainly because after the New Year, everyone feels that old things are not good and waits to buy new ones.
This is wood ear mushroom. If it were mushroom, it would get infested with insects after the hottest days of summer because they are all dried by hand these days without preservatives.
Therefore, each town will rush to sell out its goods before the New Year. Even if they fail to sell out, there will not be many left.
But these Wugang wood ears are obviously not that. The quantity is very large and they don’t look old. They are just smaller in size than last year.
Someone inevitably asked, "Are these the ones that weren't sold out last year? Why are there so many?"
But the salesperson said, "No, they are newly planted this year and have just arrived."
"Newly planted this year?" The other party was even more surprised. "Isn't this thing only available in June?"
The salesperson had no idea. "Anyway, it's definitely newly planted this year, just a different variety. It's also cheap, two yuan a pound."
When they heard it was two yuan per pound, some people walked past, then turned back and asked, "What kind of thing is so cheap?"
"It's definitely not as good as last year's." Before the salesperson could answer, someone next to him said.
After all, if they are the same, who would sell them so much cheaper? After the goods arrived, the people in the supply and marketing cooperative tasted them themselves, and there is indeed a big difference.
But at only two yuan per pound, many people who couldn't afford it before can now make up their minds and buy two or three taels to take home and try.
This thing is very valuable when soaked. A small handful can make a dish of stir-fry. You give me two or three taels, I give you two or three taels, and soon a lot of it is gone from the bag.
The supply and marketing cooperative moved out a bag of goods, and they were sold out within two days. They immediately contacted Wugang to order another batch.
This made everyone in the Wugang Town Forestry Bureau breathe a sigh of relief. Finally, this thing could be sold.
Moreover, Secretary Zhang from Wugang is also a wonderful person. Whenever the price of wood is raised, he asks the salesperson to go and sell it.
So several families knew that no one was buying their wood, but they still grew it, and even produced it a month earlier, and the yield was not low.
This is simply a big deal, which has made several forestry bureaus angry but helpless.
When this batch of wood ear mushrooms is almost sold out, those grown on logs will also be put on the market. It’s a perfect time difference and no one is affected by anyone else.
Moreover, the target audiences of the two sides are slightly different. Bottle-grown wood ear mushrooms can be sold to towns and villages as much as possible, while log-grown wood ear mushrooms can be sold to counties and cities with better conditions.
Soon, a second order came in from Wugang Town for 5,000 bottles, which were required before August this year.
After the deposit was paid, Zhou Wenhui came over to enter the money into the account. She couldn't help but smile and said to Yan Xue, "You're right. We'll have to cultivate two crops a year from now on."
"But that's it. There can't be any more. All the places that can easily deliver are sold out."
Yan Xue's words made Zhou Wenhui's smile freeze. Indeed, there was no place selling wood ear mushrooms in the province because of inconvenient transportation.
If the wood ear mushrooms cannot be sold, no one will expand the cultivation, and no new customers will come to buy the mushroom strains, and the sales volume of their breeding center will stop there.
But Yan Xue was smiling when she said this, and there was no worry on her face. Zhou Wenhui calmed down again and asked, "Do you have any ideas?"
"Do you have any ideas?" Yan Xue stood up and went out to call Guo Changan, Lang Yue'e and others. "Are you busy? If not, come over and have a meeting."
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