Siheyuan: I just came across and wanted to chase me away

Chapter 1029 Repairing Machines

Gu Nan stood up, picked up the safety helmet from the table, and put it on his head: "Let's go take a look."

Upon arriving at the workshop, Gu Nan indeed found several young engineers huddled around the brand-new boring machine, their faces etched with worry. Disassembled parts and unfolded blueprints lay scattered around the machine. Some were fiddling with it, others were pointing at the blueprints, but none could offer a clear explanation. Gu Nan glanced around, not seeing Engineer Liu, who was in charge of the technology, and his face immediately darkened: "What's going on? Why are there only a few of you? Where's Engineer Liu? He's responsible for overseeing this boring machine; isn't he here?"

The young engineers looked at each other, heads bowed, not daring to speak. After a long while, one of the engineers, wearing glasses, pushed up his glasses that had slipped down to the tip of his nose and whispered, "Deputy Factory Director Gu, Engineer Liu... he said he had a stomachache this morning and asked for leave to go home and rest. We called him, but he didn't answer."

Gu Nan instantly understood—Engineer Liu was someone Deputy Factory Director Li had personally promoted. His sudden feigned illness at this crucial juncture was clearly a slap on the wrist, an attempt to create a production mishap using a machine malfunction as leverage for Deputy Factory Director Li. He lightly tapped his fingertips on the cold boring machine casing, a flash of coldness crossing his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure: "Alright, move aside, let me take a look."

At this point, there's no use saying anything more. The most urgent thing is to fix the machine and not delay the production schedule. As for Engineer Liu's underhanded tactics and Deputy Factory Director Li's scheming behind the scenes, they'll figure them out eventually. He squatted down, picked up the blueprints and carefully compared them, then reached in and touched the transmission gears inside the machine. He quickly discovered the problem—the gear meshing angle was off during installation. It seemed like a small matter, but it was enough to paralyze the entire machine.

Gu Nan crouched down, the knees of his work pants scraping against the cold cement floor with a slight rubbing sound. His fingertips gently moved the gears inside the boring machine, his gaze as focused as if solving the most intricate arithmetic problem, oblivious to the beads of sweat trickling down his chin. The whispers of the surrounding workers were like distant mosquitoes, completely inaudible to him—at this moment, his eyes were only on the misaligned parts. With his years of familiarity with mechanical structures, he carefully put the scattered springs and pins back into place, his movements slow but precise, as if the cold metal was meant to be at his command.

Yi Zhonghai, standing nearby, frowned as he turned the wrench in his hand. He couldn't help but mutter to a bespectacled technician next to him, "Although he's the deputy factory director now, his professional title is only that of a division-level engineer. This imported boring machine is delicate. Several senior engineers spent an entire afternoon trying to figure it out the other day, but they couldn't. Can someone who was promoted halfway through his career really handle it? I doubt it."

The old worker next to him, wearing a hard hat, nodded in agreement, his voice filled with certainty: "That's right. The internal structure of this kind of precision boring machine is more complex than a clock. Even a half-millimeter difference in gear meshing is unacceptable. How can it be repaired so easily? In my opinion, we should ask Engineer Liu for help. After all, he is the technical authority in the factory. He was the one who helped install this machine back then."

Yi Zhonghai immediately put on a fake smile, his wrinkles at the corners of his eyes crinkling into a knot. His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for everyone around to hear: "Who knows? Maybe Engineer Liu isn't feeling well today and can't come, or maybe... Deputy Factory Director Gu has offended someone and they're unwilling to come out and help?" These words seemed like casual chatter, but they were actually like a soft thorn, subtly implying that Gu Nan was unpopular and couldn't even mobilize a key technical person, let alone keep the situation under control.

Yi Zhonghai had worked at the steel rolling mill for nearly thirty years and knew its ins and outs inside and out—Engineer Liu was a distant cousin of Deputy Director Li, and he openly and secretly sided with Deputy Director Li. Today's "sudden machine malfunction," timed so precisely, was clearly a deliberate attempt by Deputy Director Li to trip up Gu Nan, to let him know that without Deputy Director Li's approval, even the machines in the steel rolling mill might not obey him.

Although Gu Nan didn't turn around, he heard everything clearly in the workshop. He was putting a small bearing onto a shaft when he heard this. His hands didn't stop, but when he looked up, his gaze swept lightly over Yi Zhonghai. There was no anger in his eyes, but rather a calm that seemed to see through everything. It was like a bucket of cold water poured on boiling oil, making Yi Zhonghai swallow back the second half of his sarcastic remark that was on the tip of his tongue, feeling as if he had a fishbone stuck in his throat.

But Yi Zhonghai still harbored a burning desire. His eyes darted behind his glasses, secretly hoping that Gu Nan wouldn't be able to fix it—then he'd see how Gu Nan would embarrass himself in front of all the factory workers. He could then take the opportunity to say a few sarcastic remarks like, "Young people need more experience, don't always think about getting rich quick." That would definitely make Gu Nan lose face, and it would also be a way of giving Vice Director Li his pledge of allegiance.

Gu Nan carefully inserted the last bearing into the slot with a soft "click," ensuring a perfect fit. He patted the oil and metal shavings off his hands, stood up, and said to Xiao Xiang, the operator waiting beside him, "Alright, try starting it up."

Just as Xiao Xiang was about to respond, Yi Zhonghai suddenly stepped forward, spreading his arms to block the machine like a protective mother hen: "Wait! This won't do!" He stiffened his neck, his tone hard, "After all, it wasn't Engineer Liu who handled it. Who knows if there are any hidden problems? If something goes wrong when it's turned on, damaging parts is a minor issue, but what if flying metal filings injure someone? Who can bear that responsibility?"

Gu Nan looked at him, a faint smile playing on her lips, her tone calm yet undeniably firm: "Don't worry, Master Yi, if this machine really breaks down, all the losses will be deducted from my salary, and the factory will not be implicated in the slightest. If anyone is injured, I will take full responsibility."

Yi Zhonghai wanted to say something more, but Xiao Xiang ignored him. Anyone who had worked in the steel rolling mill knew that Yi Zhonghai was just coasting along because of his seniority. He was only a level 5 fitter. In terms of rank and authority, how could he be qualified to boss the deputy factory director around? Xiao Xiang simply walked around him, went to the control panel, took a deep breath, and pressed the start button.

The machine remained silent for a moment, and the workshop fell into a deep silence. Even the lingering hum of the cooling gears could be heard; the air seemed to freeze. Yi Zhonghai's eyes suddenly lit up, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips as he mentally calculated: "I knew it! Deputy Factory Director Gu, this machine…"

Before he could finish speaking, a low hum suddenly rang out, and the boring machine's spindle slowly began to rotate, gradually increasing in speed. The sound of the gears meshing was crisp and smooth, without the slightest hesitation. Coolant dripped down the metal pipes, splashing tiny droplets on the smooth worktable, and a white mist of oil slowly seeped from the lubrication system. Everything was operating normally, even more smoothly than before the malfunction.