Chapter 143

Xu Wen was dumbfounded.

I asked the guard again, "Is it Luo Zemin, the production manager of the workshop? Wasn't he working here last week?"

Why did you resign after not seeing you for a week?

I haven't heard Xu Wen say that he's quitting?

Xu Wen looked puzzled.

Tan Changlin had not expected this to happen, so he asked, "He's not going to run away with the money, is he?"

Xu asked: "..."

It's not impossible. My second brother said that Luo Zemin took two thousand yuan from him the day before yesterday.

The total amount was three thousand yuan.

In 1979, three thousand yuan was not a small amount.

But, would a manager of a foreign company with a stable and high salary give up his job of more than ten years just to earn three thousand yuan?

Objectively speaking, it's not worth it.

And although three thousand dollars is not a small amount, it is the military’s money!!!

Even thieves wouldn't dare to think about it, right?

After thinking about it, Xu Wen felt more confident. He leaned against the window of the reception room and asked the master, "Do you know where he went?"

"I don't know." The security guard shook his head.

Xu Wen was a little disappointed. This time he was in big trouble!

Tan Changlin was also a little dumbfounded. If that Luo guy ran away with the money, would all his work be in vain?

After all, everything he did was intended to be used on that printer.

Xu Wen was too lazy to pay attention to him. He walked out under the scorching sun, feeling a little depressed, thinking about going to ask his second brother again.

Before he even got to the street, the security guard chased him out and said, "Little comrade, wait a minute!"

Xu Wen turned around and saw the security guard holding a small piece of paper in his hand and shaking it. "When Director Luo left, he left an address for a female comrade named Xu Wen. Are you Xu Wen?"

Xu asked: "..."

Master, isn't it a little late for you to ask this?

Although he was complaining in his heart, Xu Wen still walked back to the master, "Yes, I am Xu Wen."

I showed my ID to the master, thanked him, and got the note.

Xu Wen raised his eyebrows in surprise. The address on the note was not far from here, only ten minutes' walk.

Xu Wen wondered as he walked, since Luo Zemin didn't plan to run away, what was the point of resigning?

Or was he fired?

After all, many companies fire people after a conversation and let the person voluntarily resign.

Could it be that he was fired because he helped her make the printer?

Tan Changlin disagrees. "You can still let the communication office communicate with you calmly. It doesn't seem like you are having a quarrel with the company."

The two men, each holding their own opinion, walked to the place written on the note.

This is a yard, and it looks like a factory. It is quite small, with only two workshops.

There is not even an office building, just a few wooden houses on one side of the workshop.

It just didn't look like it was open for business, as the front door was fastened with a thick iron chain.

Xu Wen shouted twice at the top of his lungs.

"Anyone there?"

"Is anyone there?"

I don’t know if there was no one there or if no one heard it, but there was no response from inside.

Tan Changlin spat on his hands, rubbed them, grasped the iron bar on the gate, and climbed up in a few seconds.

"Be careful!" Xu Wen reminded.

The iron gate is quite high. I didn’t expect that Tan Changlin, a top student, could climb the wall so skillfully.

Xu Wen was stunned by what he saw.

"Don't worry! When we were in school, our dormitory was too far from the school gate, but very close to the backyard wall, so we often climbed over the wall to go out for meals!"

Xu asked: "..."

No wonder it's so smooth.

Who knew that as soon as Tan Changlin landed, a big yellow dog suddenly jumped out and bit Tan Changlin.

Xu Wen was so scared that he shivered.

Tan Changlin was even more frightened, and he hurriedly climbed up again by grabbing the railing.

The more anxious he was, the more mistakes he made, and he was hooked.

The top of the gate is in the shape of an arrow, with a sharp point at the top.

Tan Changlin didn't pay attention and was anxious to jump down.

With a hissing sound, a hole was torn in his trousers.

Xu Wen raised his head subconsciously, saw the edge of a pair of blue cloth trousers, and suddenly lowered his head again.

"Tan Changlin."

Tan Changlin was now in a dilemma. When he heard Xu Wen calling him, he hummed in a depressed tone.

I wanted to act cool in front of Xu Wen, but ended up losing everything in my life today.

It would have been fine if I had just climbed over someone's door and got pushed out by a dog, but I also had my □□ torn off.

His face turned very ugly and he didn't dare to look at Xu Wen.

"That dog..." Xu Wen raised his hand and pointed to the yard, "It's on a leash."

Tan Changlin: “…”

He turned around and looked down, and with so much force he nearly fell off the door.

Sure enough, as Xu Wen said, it was a dog without freedom and could only bark at him within a limited range of activities.

Even if he didn't crawl back, the dog couldn't bite him.

So, instead of making himself look more handsome by climbing in and out through the front door, he ended up tearing his pants and embarrassing himself?

Tan Changlin gritted his teeth and stared at the Shiba Inu on the ground, which was still jumping and biting him desperately.

It seems like they are competing to see who is more vicious.

Xu asked: "..."

The people in the yard were probably startled by the barking of the dog and finally there was some movement.

"Da Huang! Stop yelling!"

When Dahuang heard the familiar voice, he looked back, hummed twice, wagged his tail, and looked vigilantly at the two uninvited guests outside the door, but his voice became lower.

Xu Wen raised her eyebrows. She also felt that the voice was very familiar. If she guessed correctly, it should be Luo Zemin.

As footsteps approached from afar, Luo Zemin appeared in front of the gate. He was stunned for a moment when he saw Xu Wen, and then his face was filled with joy: "Comrade Xu Wen, you are finally here! I was afraid that you couldn't find me!"

Xu Wen forced a smile and thought to himself that he was also afraid of not being able to find you.

As they were talking, Luo Zemin saw Luo Zemin still riding on top of the gate and was a little puzzled, "Who is this comrade? What is he doing riding on the gate of our company?"

Tan Changlin: “…”

Xu asked: "..."

"It's a long story. Now I'd like to ask you to help find a pair of pants for my friend!" Xu Wen pointed at Tan Changlin.

Luo Zemin took a few steps closer and looked up to see Tan Changlin's predicament. He suppressed his laughter and nodded: "Then you wait a moment."

He ran back and forth, first throwing a pair of work pants to Luo Zemin above the gate, "These were issued by my previous unit, I haven't worn them yet, you just have to make do with them for now." He then unlocked the door, opening the side where Tan Changlin was not, and let Xu Wen come in first.

He pointed to the small wooden houses and said, "My office is over there. Please go and wait for a while. There is tea on the table. Please help yourself."

Xu Wen also knew that with his presence here, Tan Changlin would feel embarrassed to change his pants, so he didn't bother to exchange pleasantries with Luo Zemin. He just thanked him, lowered his head, and walked into the yard towards the wooden houses.

These wooden houses are a little far from the main gate and face west and east.

The material of the house was not something Xu Wen was familiar with, probably gypsum board.

It is very low, and each house has only a door and a small window.

Xu Wen didn't know which of these rooms was Luo Zemin's office, so he had to check them one by one starting from the first one on the side.

The first door opened, and a wave of heat hit me. The furnishings inside were very simple, with a bed, a table, a chair, and a closet. This should be Luo Zemin's residence.

It was cleaned up fairly well.

Although he was somewhat puzzled as to how Luo Zemin had ended up living here, he still left the room on the principle of not looking at anything inappropriate.

The second room looks like a kitchen, with a gas stove and a cabinet next to it.

There was a square wooden board on a stone in the middle of the room. There was some leftover food on it, and mosquitoes and flies were flying around it.

Xu Wen frowned, closed the door, and opened the third room.

This time I finally found the right one.

The office is just like the bedroom, simple but clean.

Two desks took up half of the space, and next to them was a long wooden bench that could seat about two people.

One desk was piled with books and materials, while the other desk was temporarily empty, with the tea set that Luo Zemin mentioned placed on it.

There was a fan in the room but it was still uncomfortably hot.

A house like this will be soaked by the sun, and fans are useless.

Xu Wen broke out in a sweat as soon as he sat down.

She was wearing a pair of white pants, and was afraid that she would sweat too much while sitting and would be embarrassed when she stood up, so she simply stood in front of the desk.

The books and materials on the desk are all related to the printer, and there are also some hand-drawn drawings and data.

Xu Wen looked down and thought it should be something related to a 3D printer, which should be the printer she wanted.

She picked it up and flipped through it.

Luo Zemin's handwriting is very beautiful, but perhaps because he is of Chinese descent, he mostly uses English for annotations and the like.

Fortunately, Xu Wen could understand.

The more I watch, the more I am amazed.

First of all, I have to praise Luo Zemin. He is indeed a talented person and his achievements in the field of printers are probably no worse than those of Tan Changlin.

It’s just that one represents the scientific research direction and the other represents the business direction, and the structures are different, so Luo Zemin is slightly inferior.

In addition, Xu Wen felt fortunate that his second brother knew Luo Zemin.

After reading these data, she realized that it was impossible to make such a sophisticated instrument with her little knowledge as an amateur and the things she had searched on the magic mirror.

Just by looking at these drawings and data, Xu Wen was already looking forward to what the finished printer would look like.

It was at this time that Luo Zemin brought Tan Changlin in.

"Why don't you turn on the fan?" Luo Zemin wiped the sweat from his forehead, turned on the fan, and blew it towards Xu Wen like a gentleman.

Xu Wen was too embarrassed to do that, so he reached out and pressed the button on the fan head.

Luo Zemin first poured a glass of water for Xu Wen and Tan Changlin.

Xu Wen apologized on behalf of Tan Changlin: "Sorry! We were shouting outside the door just now, you may not have heard it. My friend took the liberty to come in to see if there was anyone there, but accidentally..."

Tan Changlin was very thirsty and was drinking water. When he heard Xu Wen's words, he smiled embarrassedly and said, "I'm sorry..."

Luo Zemin didn't care much, waved his hands, and drank a cup of cold tea. "The main reason is that I'm usually alone here, so I often lock the door and forget to open it."

"I heard that you resigned? Was it because of making the printer for me?" Xu Wen asked concernedly, with a hint of self-blame in his tone.

"Yes!" Luo Zemin nodded without hesitation.

Xu Wen apologized: "I'm sorry!"

"What are you apologizing for?" Luo Zemin looked at her strangely, "Should I say thank you to you?"

Xu asked: “……?”

Luo Zemin then realized that Xu Wen had misunderstood him. He waved his hand, motioned for them to sit down, and said, "I was not fired by the company. I really resigned on my own initiative."

"Why?"

Luo Zemin pointed at the blueprint in Xu Wen's hand and said, "Because I want to open my own factory and be my own boss. Of course, this requires your permission, or partnership."

Xu asked, raising his eyebrows: "What do you mean?"

Luo Zemin drank another cup of tea and said, "It's a long story..."

Luo Zemin's family immigrated abroad several decades ago due to livelihood pressures, and he was born abroad.

But unlike other wealthy immigrants, their family was considered illegal immigrants and their living conditions were extremely poor.

Later, my father died early because he was injured from years of hard work that was bad for his health, and my mother married a local widower.

Only then did he get a hukou and could go to school openly, although going to school was also difficult.

My stepfather had no money, so he had to work part-time to pay for his studies.

In this way, he joined his current company after graduating from university through his own efforts.

In fact, he had good grades, but due to some macro-environmental reasons, such as racial discrimination, he could only find a small company.

But thanks to his hard work and good luck, the company grew bigger and bigger, and he was considered a hero, as his position and salary continued to rise.

Not long after I graduated from college, my mother passed away a few years ago.

It just so happened that the top management of the company was attracted by the untapped market and cheap labor in our country, so they wanted to come here to test the waters.

Luo Zemin remembered that his parents wanted to return to their hometown, so he took this opportunity to transfer here. He is basically the second-in-command here.

The top leader is of course someone from another country.

“Even if I work my ass off for this company, I am still just an ‘outsider’, just like even if I have a resident permit in that country, I still cannot enjoy the same treatment as them.

In the past two years, especially this year, I have watched our country flourish and this land change day by day. I have been thinking, I don't want to work anymore!

I want to be my own boss and contribute to our country. Although I have foreign nationality, I never forget that this is my root.

I hadn't decided what to do until I took the information you gave me and read it all night. That night, I couldn't sleep.

The next morning I went to the company to hand in my resignation and rented this small courtyard. ”

Perhaps fearing that Xu Wen might misunderstand him, Luo Zemin added, "Don't worry, I didn't touch the money for the printer. The rent for this yard and factory building is all my savings over the years.

I would like to discuss with you about cooperating in opening a factory after the first printer is manufactured."

Xu asked: "..."

I was so shocked that I didn't know what to say.

The printer hasn't been made yet, or to be more precise, we don't even know if it can be made, but Luo Zemin quit his job?

What if you are going to fail?

Besides, she had never thought about cooperating in opening a factory.

She made the printer just to build a big cage for the Kaya.

Tan Changlin did not ask such questions, but asked directly and straightforwardly: "Have you made the printer?"

"Not yet!" Luo Zemin shook his head honestly.

Xu asked: "..."

Tan Changlin: “…”

Both of them had the same thought: Who gave you the courage to quit?

"But it's almost done! We're still missing some parts. I've already ordered them overseas, and they should arrive in two days. It's about 80% complete now." Luo Zemin invited them excitedly, "Do you want to go and take a look?"

Xu Wen and Tan Changlin nodded without hesitation.

They came for the 3D printer.

Luo Zemin took the lead and led them into the first large workshop.

Tan Changlin looked around for a long time and only saw two or three young men fiddling with some long thin square tubes. So he asked Luo Zemin, "Where's the 3D printer?"

Luo Zemin pointed to the long arms hanging above the workshop, and then to the square tubes that the three young men were assembling. "That's it! We only need the last arm, and it will be finished soon. Once the parts arrive and you install them, you can run the program and use it."

Tan Changlin: “…”

He adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, and was so surprised that he couldn't close his mouth. "This... this is a 3D printer?"

Are you kidding?

Whose printer is like this?

Even with this square tube installed, the whole thing will look like a rectangle.

It looked nothing like the printers he was familiar with.

The printers he knew were all square, either cubes or cuboids, big or small, and definitely not like this.

Xu Wen had learned a lot about 3D printers through the magic mirror. Besides, she had drawn the appearance of this picture, so she was mentally prepared. However...

Xu Wen frowned and asked, "How long can this be made?"

Luo Zemin said: "Ten meters."

"So short?" Xu Wen frowned. Ten meters was not enough.

The width is OK, but the length is far from enough.

Whose warship is ten meters long? It's not a bus.

Luo Zemin held up his hands and said, "There is no way. I have consulted many foreign expert friends and have done many tests myself. The limit of my ability is 10 meters long and 5 meters wide.

"Impossible!" Xu Wen shook his head, "Five meters high is not enough."

Is a sea that is five meters deep still called a sea?