Chapter 185: Generous Rewards
"Don't worry, Comrade Xu Zhili, our military region's arsenal always keeps its word, and a promise is a promise."
Upon hearing this, Director Chen laughed heartily, tapping the cigarette in his hand lightly against the edge of the discarded iron can, and grayish-white ash fell down in a flurry.
His gaze toward Xu Zhili was overflowing with admiration and anticipation.
"As long as you can really transform this pile of 'iron lumps' and make it run again, even more vigorously than before."
"The reward will be guaranteed to be in full; the factory will never mistreat those who have made contributions."
"He waved his hand dismissively, exuding confidence, "I'll personally apply for a special contribution bonus for you from the higher authorities."
"Besides bonuses, we'll try our best to get you all sorts of tickets and coupons, like thermos tickets and electric fan tickets, so you can stay cool in the summer and have warm water to drink in the winter. If your performance is particularly outstanding, we can even think about bicycle tickets and sewing machine tickets. We'll make sure you, as a meritorious person, live a comfortable life."
Xu Zhili's heart skipped a beat, but she maintained a polite smile on her face.
Modifying this nearly scrapped military jeep to push its engine beyond its original design limits and achieve a stable speed of 180 mph was undoubtedly an extremely difficult task in an era of scarce technology and resources.
But the corresponding rewards were indeed much more generous than she had initially expected.
She couldn't help but let her imagination run wild for a moment: if modifying a car could bring her all this, then what if... what if she had the chance in the future to use the advanced technology provided by her mother's system to come up with something even more amazing, like improvements to fighter jets or even aircraft carriers...
Of course, the thought only flashed through her mind, and she immediately shook her head and chuckled to herself.
Cough cough, I'm thinking too far ahead. Taking too big a step can lead to trouble. It's not that serious.
However, her mother's mysterious high-tech system was indeed her greatest source of confidence.
The system needs to exchange organic vegetables and fruits containing "spiritual power"—that's what the mother calls it, roughly referring to some kind of special life energy—for technical blueprints and knowledge far beyond the current era.
As long as the system is "satisfied with the food," the rewards it provides are always generous and accurate.
The key ideas and material handling techniques for this engine modification were obtained in exchange for two baskets of carefully cultivated "specially supplied" tomatoes and cucumbers.
Relying on this, she might be able to gain a foothold in this turbulent era, accumulate enough capital and prestige, and completely escape the fate of being an unknown, or even a sacrifice, cannon fodder in the original story.
After considering it this way, the effort and challenges at hand suddenly seem incredibly worthwhile.
"Director Chen, it's a pleasure to cooperate with you."
Xu Zhili extended her hand, her smile gentle yet undeniably firm, "I will produce a detailed renovation plan and blueprints as soon as possible."
"Haha, great! Happy to cooperate!"
Factory Director Chen gripped her hand tightly; his rough palm was warm and strong, and his eyes were full of expectation.
"Comrade Xu Zhili, I've placed all my hopes on you, and I'm just waiting to hear your good news!"
Xu Zhili withdrew her hand, her expression turning serious: "Director Chen, modifying this batch of old cars, especially to achieve the expected performance, will involve adjustments to many core components and technological innovations."
"It's not only inefficient for me to work hard by myself, but it's also not conducive to the promotion and application of subsequent technologies. I hope the factory can assign me two apprentices who are quick-witted, have agile hands and feet, and preferably have some mechanical background."
She paused briefly, observed Director Chen's reaction, and continued to explain, "Firstly, we can ask them to lend a hand with some basic work to speed up the process."
"Secondly, in actual operation, I can also guide them and pass on some new technologies and methods."
"After all, our ultimate goal is to revitalize these military vehicles and even improve their performance. In the future, we may also need to consider mass production or promoting the improvement experience. Cultivating our own highly skilled technical team is the long-term solution."
As Director Chen listened, his eyes grew brighter and his smile deepened.
He immediately approved: "No problem, Comrade Xu Zhili, your idea is excellent. You not only think about completing the task, but also about cultivating talents for the factory. Your ideological awareness is high. I will arrange this right away."
He turned to the factory office clerk who had been waiting beside him and said in a loud voice, "Xiao Li, did you hear that? Go and look through the files of the young technicians right now, pick two of the best ones, they must be quick-witted, willing to study, hardworking, and politically reliable."
"Tomorrow morning, have them report to Workshop No. 3. All actions must be under the command of Comrade Xu Zhili!"
"Yes, factory manager, I guarantee I'll complete the task." Officer Li nodded immediately and turned to run off to carry it out.
Factory Director Chen turned back with satisfaction and said to Xu Zhili, "Comrade Xu, I feel even more at ease knowing that you offered to mentor an apprentice. It shows that you are truly confident!"
Xu Zhili smiled modestly, but her eyes were clear and firm: "Factory manager, you flatter me. As long as we have the manpower and the necessary materials and parts, I promise to do my best to make the factory's wishes come true as soon as possible."
Factory Director Chen beamed with joy and said "good" several times. Then, as if remembering something, he added, "By the way, a batch of new parts just arrived in the warehouse a couple of days ago. Some of them have rather unusual specifications. I'll have the warehouse keeper take you to take a look. If there's anything you can use, we'll prioritize allocating it to you."
"Thank you for your support, factory manager." Xu Zhili nodded in thanks.
At this moment, she looked up at the window and saw that the afterglow of the setting sun had dyed the horizon orange-red, and the sky was obviously getting dark.
Remembering that her younger brother An'an was still waiting for her to pick him up from Secretary Liu, she stood up and said, "Director Chen, it's getting late, I should go back to pick up my brother."
"Oh dear, look at me, I lose track of time when I start talking about work."
Factory Director Chen also stood up, his face showing apology and an even wider smile. "Alright, alright, Comrade Xu Zhili, you can go back now. You can come anytime tomorrow; there's no need to rush. Everything will be arranged according to your convenience. If you need anything, just tell the workshop director or Cadre Li."
"Okay, thank you, factory manager."
Xu Zhili nodded in agreement, picked up her canvas handbag, turned around and left the office first.
As soon as she stepped out of the factory building, she saw the familiar military green jeep parked not far away, with Xie Yunze in the driver's seat looking at her through the half-rolled-down window.
Seeing her come out, he opened the car door and got out, but didn't come over immediately. He just stood there, as if he had just spoken a few words with Director Chen's driver or secretary, but his eyes were always on her.
Xu Zhili walked over, and Xie Yunze took two steps forward to meet her, his voice as deep and steady as ever: "Finished talking?"
"Yes, the discussion is over." Xu Zhili nodded. "The factory manager is very supportive."
"That's good."
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