Chapter 71: Brother-in-law, are you coming back to give birth to a nephew with me? ...
Master Hong was more perceptive than the apprentice and could tell at a glance that the atmosphere in the workshop was not right.
Qi Fang's face was especially stern, Engineer Shen's face was ashen, and everyone else was looking at them, either openly or secretly.
But when people get older, even if they are not stupid, they can still pretend to be stupid at critical moments, so he just asked that question directly.
Because of this question, the stagnant atmosphere in the workshop eased. We couldn't continue arguing in front of him, right?
Qi Fangxian calmly withdrew his gaze from Engineer Shen and said, "You mentioned the bulldozer..."
Before he could finish his words, Engineer Shen coldly took over and asked, "Did the bulldozer he modified for you have a problem?"
This made Qi Fang pause, and he looked back at him without saying anything. Master Hong also seemed stumped by the question, finding it difficult to answer for a moment.
Engineer Shen was even more convinced when he saw this. "I told you that idea wasn't his. He doesn't have the skills, but he's taking on such a tough job."
He was really angry. It was okay for the people above to say that to them, but why should Qi Fang, a small repairman, be punished?
He hadn't seen any special abilities from the other party during the few days he had been here, but he was quite willing to work overtime just for the overtime pay.
This made him sneer even more. He looked directly at Master Hong and said, "Just tell me what you have to say. There's no need to hide it. I want to see how he has the nerve to say that about others."
This made Master Hong even more hesitant to speak. After a long while, he lowered his voice and said, "No, he revised it quite well for me."
This sentence stunned Engineer Shen, and the people from other county machinery factories present were also stunned.
Qi Fang? It's a good change? Did they hear it right?
If I remember correctly, Shen Gong seemed to have gone to help check it once before...
As expected, Engineer Shen was completely unconvinced. "There's nothing wrong with your hydraulic system. Why would you modify it?"
"That's right." Master Hong nodded in agreement, his voice lowered. "So he asked me to modify the bucket, and it will be fine after that."
"He asked you to modify the bucket?" Engineer Shen had no idea.
Others were also surprised that the transmission system problem had to be solved by modifying the bucket.
Qi Fang, however, still had the same expression. He ignored Engineer Shen and asked Master Hong directly, "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Yes, a little." Master Hong glanced at Engineer Shen and whispered, "I want you to help me take a look and see if there is anything else that needs to be improved. I always feel that it is still a little bit short."
Qi Fang didn't waste any words. "I'll go with you."
The two of them just left, and the rest of the people in the workshop looked at each other, feeling a little awkward.
After a while, Engineer Shen followed with a sullen look on his face.
He really couldn't believe that Qi Fang, a small mechanic, could not only repair tractors but also modify bulldozers.
Every profession has its own expertise, and he wouldn't dare to say that he understands all kinds of construction machinery.
When others saw this, they followed. After all, the bulldozer was being tested in an open space behind the factory, and anyone could go there.
On the way, Master Hong was still talking to Qi Fang: "I didn't intend to modify it, but the people testing the bulldozer always forget and turn up the power while using it."
The bulldozer on the open ground has obviously been working for some time. Although the smaller bucket does not seem to be as coordinated with the original one with the body, it operates very smoothly.
Master Hong and Qi Fang looked at it from below, then called the person who was trying to open it up down and went into the operating room themselves.
"The hydraulic system is fine now," Master Hong patted the hydraulic cylinder. "It's just that the machine has been running for a while, and I always feel like it's not as good as when it was first turned on."
"Normal." Qi Fang said, motioning him to touch the engine through the iron sheet.
When Master Hong touched it, it was indeed so hot that you could fry an egg. "Can this be modified?"
"Yes, add a cooling device to the engine."
Qi Fang finished speaking and glanced at Master Hong again, "I don't want to stop for two hours to cool down."
"Let's leave it this way for now." Master Hong really didn't want to increase the cost any further.
But even though nothing was changed this time, when the two men got off the bulldozer, the people who came to watch still had different expressions.
Especially Master Hong's loud voice said to Qi Fang as he came down, "Then I'll hand it in like this. Or you can calculate and tell me to change the bucket to the perfect size."
It was actually fixed. When Shen Gong went there, he didn't give any effective suggestions...
No one dared to look at Engineer Shen, but Engineer Shen's face still looked extremely bad.
And just because others didn’t dare to look, it didn’t mean Qi Fang did the same. He walked right past Engineer Shen and said, “If you don’t like me, you can let me go back.”
It was a provocation. Engineer Shen didn't even return to the workshop, but went straight to the guard room to make a phone call. "That trick you taught me doesn't work at all. He doesn't care whose efforts are put in, or whether the project is stopped or not. Besides, this matter has nothing to do with him in the first place. If you insist on arguing with him, come here yourself."
He just couldn't understand how Wu Xingde was so sure that he could convince Qi Fang just by talking about his hard work, and how he was so sure that Qi Fang had the ability to do so.
If Wu Xingde had not been the one leading the research and development this time, and if most of the things had not been provided by Wu Xingde, he would not have cooperated with Wu Xingde to do such an absurd thing.
After trying to persuade him for a long time, he still couldn't be persuaded. When he returned to the workshop, he felt that everyone looked at him strangely.
It seems to be saying: "He's an engineer from the research institute, but he can't even keep up with a small repairman."
Besides, what Qi Fang said was not without reason. He released the product without sufficient testing, and then expected others to solve the problem when it arose...
And after a few days, the feeling was no longer the same. Some people were actually talking about it behind my back.
The main reason is that although Qi Fang has a cold personality, he is not arrogant. If you ask him for help, he will really help you. But Engineer Shen is different.
Moreover, the county's batch of 50 materials was repaired according to Qi Fang's method. Although Engineer Shen came from the research institute, it actually didn't play any role.
Before, Qi Fang hadn't shown much ability, so everyone had a bit of a filter for Engineer Shen. But now...
The problem was caused by the poor preparation of the research institute. If they don't try to solve it themselves, why should they expect Qi Fang, a mere repairman, to do the repair?
After hearing this, Engineer Shen was so angry that he couldn't sleep for half the night. He then found time to call the institute.
As for Qi Fang, he was waiting for the other party to call him home, but unfortunately, there was no response no matter how long he waited.
He was very suspicious that Wu Xingde was deliberately delaying his departure and forcing him to hand over the solution in order to go home.
This made him very confused when he wrote to Yan Xue, "He's so old and still not married?"
It was obvious that he was talking about the engineer named Shen. After all, he had been here for more than a month and had no intention of leaving.
Yan Xue found it funny. Seeing Yan Jigang standing by the table, waiting to hear news about her brother-in-law, she simply told Yan Jigang.
Yan Jigang was also puzzled. "Right, right, he's already that old, but he doesn't have a wife? He doesn't have a brother-in-law?"
This really made Yan Xue laugh. "Then maybe he really doesn't have a brother-in-law." She pinched his nose with her good hand and said, "Do you miss your brother-in-law so much?"
Yan Jigang smiled sheepishly, then after a while he pulled her again, "So, brother-in-law can't come back yet?"
"I guess he can't come back for the time being." After Yan Xue said this, she immediately saw the young boy's head drooping, obviously disappointed.
She put her arm around the boy's shoulders and said, "If you miss your brother-in-law, would you like to write him a letter as well?"
In the past, Yan Jigang's eyes would have lit up, but today he just hung his head. "Even if I write, my brother-in-law can't come back."
This surprised Yan Xue. She looked at him carefully and asked, "Do you have something to ask your brother-in-law?"
This child is easy to coax. He didn't urge her in the letter even though she had been gone for so long.
She was afraid that Yan Jigang had encountered something outside and was reluctant to tell her, because Qi Fang was the man of the family after all.
After hearing this, Yan Jigang lowered his head even more and said, "No, no." He even avoided her sight for a moment.
This made Yan Xue even more suspicious. She looked at him and sighed, "Jigang has grown up and doesn't tell his sister anything anymore."
When Yan Jigang heard this, he immediately panicked and reached out to pull at the corner of Yan Xue's clothes, "No, no."
Then he hurriedly explained, "Yes, I heard that if my sister and brother-in-law don't come back, there will be no way for me to have a nephew."
Yan Xue was embarrassed because of this, but she continued to ask, "Who did you hear that from?"
"No, no one." Yan Jigang's head drooped again, and he started picking at his fingers. "Liu, Liu Weibin is going to be my uncle."
Liu Weiguo is so arrogant that he can't hide his words. He wants the whole world to know that he is going to be a father. It is normal for Liu Weibin to say so.
But Yan Xue was worried about her brother, so she went to check on him later. She was relieved to hear that he was not being bullied at school.
When she wrote back to Qi Fang, she told him Yan Jigang's words "there is no brother-in-law" and that Yan Jigang missed him.
Of course, she didn't mention the matter of her nephew. Fortunately, her left arm was injured, otherwise she wouldn't be able to write back to Qi Fang and the truth would be exposed.
After Qi Fang read it, he looked at Engineer Shen with an increasingly unfriendly look.
But Engineer Shen probably realized that he didn't want to stay here anymore, so he wasn't as anxious to leave as he was at the beginning. He spent every day thinking about how to patch the system, as if they were competing to see who could consume more energy.
Qi Fang wanted to imitate Yan Jigang and ask the other party, "Don't you have a wife, so you don't have a brother-in-law?"
Considering the huge pressure Wu Xingde was under, he estimated that even if this person left, they could send someone else to continue to fight him. He still had to think of another way.
So Qi Fang didn't work overtime for four consecutive days, then wrote a thick letter and sent it out on the fifth day.
Qu Mingli happened to have a meeting on the day he received the letter. Although he was a little puzzled when he saw that it was sent by Qi Fang, he did not open it and went to the meeting first.
At the meeting, each forestry farm reported on their current logging progress. Since the 50 skidders had resumed normal operation, they had gradually caught up. Furthermore, with the RT-12s already in place, they hadn't been delayed much, especially Jinchuan Forestry Farm and the other farms that had first gone to Jinchuan to look for Qi Fangxiu.
Then someone at the meeting made a suggestion: since the 50th generation skid plate had been repaired and the RT-12s were no longer useful, could they be sold?
"Even our forestry workers can come up with a solution. I believe it's only a matter of time before the problem is completely solved. These machines are just sitting there, not only taking up space, but also requiring manpower and resources to maintain. It's really not worth it."
Qu Mingli wanted to frown when he heard him put the problem so lightly, but if the things could not be used, it would be a waste to just leave them there, so he asked the other party where he planned to sell them.
"Where can you sell it for? It's an old thing produced in the 1940s and 1950s. No one wants it even if you sell it." Before the man could speak, Director Liu spoke first.
Sure enough, the man nodded and said, "It's true that the whole machine can't be sold, but a lot of good metal is used in the machine, so it's still worth a lot of money if it's disassembled."
He actually planned to sell the scrap metal. This time, Qu Mingli frowned. "The items aren't scrapped yet. Isn't it a waste to dispose of them like this?"
"If it's just sitting there unused, what's the difference between it and being scrapped? I can sell it for a good price now, but in a few years it will really be scrap metal."
Director Liu didn't care and obviously agreed with the other party's proposal. Others agreed, some opposed, and some simply did not express their opinions.
In the end, Qu Mingli still did not agree and put the matter aside, but judging from Director Liu's expression, he might not give up.
Regardless of whether it was Director Liu's idea or that person's, there was always room for maneuver in the unit's sales. Qu Mingli could simply agree to it and see if the other party was trying to make a quick buck. If he could find a strong handle on them, it would be a shame to sell the machines for scrap metal.
He still has to think of a gentler solution and not just force it. Otherwise, the people below will form a clique and it will be difficult for him to carry out his work.
After all, he was parachuted in, and it is impossible for him to replace all his subordinates with his own people. Some of the people who were used before still need to be used. It is best to recruit some and fight some.
But he is too young. Everyone knows that he will be promoted within a few years. By then, Director Liu will still be the director of the bureau, but not everyone is willing to take this risk.
Qu Mingli was thinking about it, his eyes glanced at the letter on the table, and he picked it up and opened it.
The letter was obviously sent from the county machinery factory. I don’t know if there has been any progress there.
Then when he saw this, his eyebrows first frowned in confusion, then raised in surprise, and finally even his eyebrows relaxed.
He picked up the jar and drank a few sips of water, then called the county machinery factory, "Please help me find Qi Fang who is on secondment to your factory."
Qi Fang had been on loan here for a while, and this was the first time someone came to see him. The guard in the security room went to call someone, and when he came over he said a few simple words, "Well, it's definitely feasible, and the cost is not high." He hung up quickly.
But not long after, the phone rang in the secretary's office of the machinery factory. "Comrade Qi Fang from our Jinchuan Forest Farm has also been on secondment with you for some time. Isn't it time for him to come back?"
The secretary of the machinery factory was stunned at the time. He didn't expect that even though they offered such good conditions, the Chengshui Forestry Bureau would still come to ask for people.
Besides, hasn’t the 50th collection point of Chengshui been repaired? I haven’t heard of any problems.
But Qu Mingli was very determined. They were in urgent need of someone and Qi Fang was the only one who could do it. If that wasn't possible, you should study it yourself first.
Another question is that the comrades here have limited skills, and even if they stay with you, they can't really help much.
This caught Wu Xingde off guard. No one expected Qu Mingli to come and ask Qi to be released.
In fact, it was not just Qu Mingli's case. Qi Fang was already very surprised that he would allow his teacher's achievements to be questioned and denied.
After all, Qi Fang regarded his teacher very seriously. Last time, he just mentioned it, and it provoked Qi Fang to take action.
After all, Qi Fang was on secondment, and his file was still in Chengshui, in Qu Mingli's hands. If Qu Mingli wanted to get him, no one could stop him.
In the end, Wu Xingde called Engineer Shen and said, "Come back. We'll study it ourselves. If it doesn't work, we'll find other ways."
So Qi Fang finally packed up and prepared to go back. Others didn't know that the masters who had asked him for help were still reluctant to let him go.
He is smart and knowledgeable, especially when it comes to calculation problems, you can always go to him.
Of course, after Qi Fang returned to Chengshui, he was unable to go home directly, but went to the Chengshui Forestry Bureau.
Qu Mingli was in a meeting at the bureau. "I've carefully considered Ma Fusheng's suggestion last time, and I still think it's inappropriate. We're short on resources right now, and every bit of it needs to be used effectively. The machine is still usable, but it would be a waste to just dismantle it and sell it for scrap metal."
"So, what else can we use it for?" Director Liu seemed to ask. "Now, most forestry farms across the country have switched to the 50 skidder. The RT-12's performance is still a bit lacking."
Qu Mingli knew he would ask this question and changed the subject. "Currently, transportation in the forest farm still relies mainly on small trains, which are too simple and very limited. If there is a problem with the small train track, all the forest farms will be isolated from the outside world. The cost of building a small train track is also not low."
Suddenly the issue of the forest farm's roads was brought up, and Director Liu couldn't help but frown, but someone else followed up with a question: "What do you mean?"
"I have some information here about converting tractors into bulldozers and excavators. It's very feasible. You can take a look at it."
Qu Mingli picked up the stack of papers that had been lying beside him. "The road to our forest farm should have been repaired a long time ago, but unfortunately we lack tools. We basically rely entirely on manpower, and at most we can use tractors to plow it a few times."
Not only in this era, but until the 1980s, domestic engineering construction still relied mainly on manpower, and construction machinery was in short supply.
It’s not that they don’t want to build roads. How efficient can it be if they rely entirely on various units and schools to send people out for voluntary labor?
When Qu Mingli said that bulldozers and excavators could be modified, some people immediately took them to take a look. Some, like Director Liu, were skeptical. "Is this reliable?"
"The county machinery factory has already successfully reformed an example. I can call the person who produced this information to talk to everyone in detail." Qu Mingli directly asked someone to go to his office to call Qi Fang.
There were still many people present who remembered Qi Fang, and they had heard that he had solved the previous problem of collecting 50 materials. People like Section Chief Miao were particularly impressed by Qi Fang.
Seeing that it was him again, some people understood, but some people were not so happy and asked him several tricky questions in a row.
Director Liu was even more obsessed with the cost issue. "It's going to cost a lot of money to make so many changes, right?"
"There's a cost estimate at the back." Qi Fang flipped to the end of the document. "If there's no problem with the procurement channels, the fluctuation won't exceed 10%."
"That's not a lot." The deputy director next to him was an accountant by background and he almost immediately made an assessment.
When others heard about it, they took it and took a look. As expected, just like in previous meetings, opinions were divided into two camps.
"Since we can't decide, let's ask the forestry farm for their opinions." Qu Mingli suddenly said, "After all, the machines are in the forestry farm, and we have to build roads for them."
So between selling scrap metal and modifying it into a bulldozer or excavator, the forest farm would definitely choose the latter, as they wouldn't get any benefit from selling the scrap metal.
Director Liu was silent now, and he was obviously unhappy. Not long after returning, he went to the accounting and supply departments of the bureau one after another.
Didn’t Qu Mingli and Qi Fang from Jinchuan Forest Farm insist on modifying the bulldozers and excavators?
Then he would challenge them on the cost. He didn't believe that there would be no waste parts in making these things. What would he do if they couldn't install them?
After looking for it and returning, Director Liu still felt upset.
Originally, he was supposed to be the secretary, but Qu Mingli showed up unexpectedly and made things difficult for him everywhere.
If he were the secretary, would he have to go to such lengths? If he wanted to sell the machine, he could have just held a simple meeting to discuss it.
Regardless of what Director Liu thought, in Qu Mingli's office, Qu Mingli and Qi Fang were having a very pleasant conversation.
"Fortunately, you delivered this letter in time, otherwise they would have to come to me to discuss selling these machines as scrap metal." Qu Mingli poured a glass of water for Qi Fang.
Qi Fang didn't say much about these things in the bureau. He agreed with Qu Mingli which accessories and materials to purchase first and prepared to leave.
Qu Mingli immediately thought of Yan Xue's injury, "It's been over a month, I have to go back and check on her."
Qi Fang always felt that his words seemed to hint at something, but at this time there was another job for Qu Mingli, so Qi Fang didn't ask any more questions and just picked up his things and left.
On the other hand, Yan Xue had just gone to the hospital for a follow-up examination two days ago accompanied by Shan Qiufang and had her fixation belt removed.
But the second old lady was still nervous when she saw her moving around, "Don't get too tired, or you'll get sick if you don't take good care of yourself."
"It's okay, my left hand didn't move much." Yan Xue showed the old lady her drooping left arm and continued to wash the test tubes.
Last year, time was tight, so she didn’t cultivate the seeds and directly used the original seeds for inoculation.
This year she has plenty of time, so she plans to use cultivated seeds for inoculation. The inoculation will take place in April, and she will have to start cultivating the mother seeds in January of the Gregorian calendar.
"It's already January, and there's still no news from Xiao Qi?" The second old lady couldn't help but ask Qi Fang again, "He hasn't been home during the Gregorian calendar year. You can't let him come back during the New Year, right?"
"That's impossible. Even if he doesn't celebrate the New Year, others still have to celebrate the New Year. ...
Before Yan Xue finished speaking, the door opened and a tall figure walked in, blocking out the sunlight outside.
She paused for a moment, but the second old lady said in surprise, "Xiao Qi is back?"
"Yeah." Qi Fang responded, his gaze fell back on Yan Xue, and he was speechless for a moment.
But although there were no words, those eyes quietly described Yan Xue, as if they said everything.
The second old lady immediately looked away and said, "I'll go see if Jigang is coming back."
She went into the house, put on her coat and hat, and then she quickly opened the door and disappeared.
This made Yan Xue laugh. She looked at the man and said, "Look, you scared the grandma away."
Qi Fang didn't say anything. He went into the house, put down his things, took off his coat, came out to wash his hands, turned around and picked up Yan Xue.
It wasn't a hug, it was the kind that lifted him up high, causing Yan Xue to subconsciously grab his shoulders and say, "What are you doing? Put me down!"
Qi Fang then put the person down and was about to hold Yan Xue's face and kiss her again, but he saw Yan Xue holding her left shoulder and rubbing it gently.
"What? Did you get hurt?" He quickly let go of the person and frowned.
Yan Xue saw that he thought he had done it himself, "No, I accidentally stretched it before."
Before Qi Fang could ask in detail, a familiar voice came from outside. Yan Jigang came back after playing.
Perhaps he had heard something, and the next second the boy quickened his pace, "Brother-in-law, are you coming back to give birth to a nephew with me?"
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