Fusion System: Rebirth in a Courtyard - Bird Fighting Chronicles

Chapter 122 Ironclad Evidence Breaks the Impasse, Revealing Original Aspirations; Inheritance of Cra

Morning light streamed through the high windows of the steel rolling mill workshop, casting dappled shadows on the ground. Lin Chen had just finished putting away the notebook of forging notes left by Yi Zhonghai the night before when he heard dragging footsteps coming from the workshop door—Yi Zhonghai, leaning on a cane, looked more haggard than usual, the dark circles under his eyes indicating he hadn't slept all night. He clutched an oil paper package in his hand, and the moment he saw Lin Chen, his previously tense shoulders relaxed slightly, but he quickly straightened his back, adopting the posture of an eighth-level fitter.

"Xiao Lin, about last night..." Yi Zhonghai's voice trembled slightly as he began to speak. He cleared his throat and reorganized his thoughts. "I've thought about it carefully. It is indeed a violation to privately copy classified blueprints. This is my written self-criticism, along with a copy of the confidentiality regulations." He handed over an oil paper package containing ten neatly folded, yellowed sheets of paper. Although the handwriting was somewhat messy, each stroke showed seriousness, and a bright red fingerprint was pressed at the end.

Lin Chen accepted the self-criticism, his gaze sweeping over the words, "I wish to pass on my life's skills to future generations to atone for my past mistakes," and a warmth welled up in his heart. Before he could speak, he saw Zhou Jianguo lead two factory officials into the workshop, followed by Yan Bugui, whose face was ashen, carrying his signature abacus. "Lin Chen, Yi Zhonghai, come to the office with me. The factory is going to formally investigate what happened in the archives last night." Zhou Jianguo's voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.

Liu Guangtian had just adjusted the annealing furnace temperature to 600 degrees when he saw this and quickly stepped forward: "Director Zhou, Grandpa Yi was just confused last night. He has already admitted his mistake and even shared his forging experience with us..."

"Passing on technical skills is a good thing, but violating regulations is violating regulations." Zhou Jianguo patted Liu Guangtian on the shoulder. "Don't worry, the factory will handle this impartially." He turned to look at Yi Zhonghai, his eyes filled with regret—this old technician was once a top technical expert in the factory, and had personally forged military parts to support the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea. He never expected that he would fall into the trap of fame and fortune in his old age.

In the factory office, Yan Bugui rushed to the desk, placed his abacus on it, and fiddled with it for a few moments. "Director Zhou, I can testify that last night, Lao Yi not only climbed over the wall into the workshop, but also copied classified blueprints in the archives. If this gets out, our steel rolling mill's military orders will be affected! According to factory regulations, he should be dismissed from the factory in this situation, and the security department should be notified!" As he spoke, he pulled out a small notebook from his pocket. "I've written it all down. I saw Lao Yi climb over the wall at 9:45 pm last night, entered the archives at 10:03 pm, and when I went in at 10:18 pm, he was copying blueprints. The time and place are all clear."

Yi Zhonghai trembled with rage, slamming his cane on the ground with a loud thud: "Yan Bugui, don't make baseless accusations! I was copying the blueprints to improve the process, not to leak secrets! Besides, what are you doing in the workshop in the middle of the night? Maybe you were trying to steal the blueprints, and you only called for help because I was there!"

"I got up in the middle of the night and saw the lights in the workshop. I was worried a thief was breaking in, so I went over!" Yan Bugui retorted stubbornly. "If you weren't up to anything, why didn't you go check the data during the day? Why did you have to climb over the wall in the middle of the night?" The two argued back and forth until their faces were red. Zhou Jianguo frowned and tapped the table: "Shut up! Let Lin Chen speak!"

Lin Chen took a palm-sized wooden box from his briefcase. Inside was a miniature recording device made from radio parts and a roll of film. "Director Zhou, this is the recording device I placed at the entrance of the archives last night. It recorded the conversation between Grandpa Yi and Grandpa Yan. Also, I installed a simple camera in the ventilation vent of the archives; this is the surveillance film from last night." He paused, then added, "I was originally worried about the safety of the military blueprints, so I took these security measures in advance. I didn't expect it to capture what happened last night."

Zhou Jianguo instructed his clerk to load the film into the projector, and the image of the archives immediately appeared on the office's white wall. Yi Zhonghai was carefully copying drawings, his face a mixture of anxiety and excitement. Yan Bugui entered, his gaze first falling on the drawing paper, then sweeping around, his fingers unconsciously tracing the lock of the filing cabinet. When the scene showed Yan Bugui reaching for the drawings in Yi Zhonghai's arms, Yan Bugui's face paled instantly, and he hurriedly protested, "I was just curious, wanted to see what he was drawing, nothing more!"

The recording equipment played clearly, including not only the conversation between the two men, but also the scratching sound of Yi Zhonghai's charcoal pencil across paper as he copied something, and the slight clinking of Yan Bugui's abacus beads—clearly, he had brought his abacus with him when he entered the workshop, intending to find something to use against him. After listening to the recording, Zhou Jianguo's expression grew increasingly serious: "Yan Bugui, you broke into the workshop late at night and attempted to spy on confidential information. According to factory regulations, you must be punished!"

Yan Bugui slumped into his chair, the abacus in his hand falling to the floor with a clatter, beads scattering everywhere. He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word of defense—the evidence was irrefutable, and his calculations seemed utterly ridiculous in the face of the irrefutable proof. Yi Zhonghai looked at himself on the screen, lowered his head in shame, his cane handle clenched so tightly it turned white: "Director Zhou, I accept the punishment. I'm willing to donate my improved forging process to the factory free of charge, and then work with my apprentices to increase the pass rate of precision gears to make up for my mistake."

Lin Chen spoke up at the opportune moment: "Director Zhou, although Grandpa Yi violated the rules, his original intention was to improve the process, and he has a lot of valuable forging experience. I suggest that Grandpa Yi serve as a technical consultant to specifically guide apprentices in practical skills and pass on his craft. As for Grandpa Yan, he has strong arithmetic skills, and our workshop happens to be short of a cost accountant. Letting him be responsible for calculating raw material consumption will also make good use of his expertise."

Zhou Jianguo's eyes lit up. He was worried about how to deal with these two veteran employees—dismissing Yi Zhonghai would be a waste of his skills, while punishing Yan Bugui might give rise to accusations of "suppressing veteran employees." Lin Chen's suggestion both complied with factory regulations and made the best use of their skills—a perfect solution. "Let's do as Lin Chen says!" Zhou Jianguo decided. "Yi Zhonghai's qualification for technical backbone assessment will be revoked, and he will be demoted to technical consultant, responsible for apprentice training; Yan Bugui will be transferred from logistics to work as a workshop cost accountant, with a three-month probationary period. Both of them must write profound self-criticisms and publicly admit their mistakes at a factory-wide employee meeting!"

As Yi Zhonghai walked out of the factory office, he stopped and bowed deeply to Lin Chen: "Xiao Lin, thank you. I've lived most of my life, yet I'm not as insightful as you. If you don't mind, I'll explain the key technologies in the notes I gave you last night to you in detail."

"Uncle Yi, you're too kind. Let's learn from each other." Lin Chen quickly helped him up. "This afternoon, I'll have Guangtian organize our improved waste heat utilization forging method. Let's discuss how to combine it with your old skills to further improve efficiency."

Yan Bugui followed behind, his face flushing red and then pale. After hesitating for a long time, he finally stepped forward and said, "Xiao Lin, thank you for not making things too serious about me spying on the filing cabinet in the office earlier." He paused, then took out a small notebook from his pocket. "This is the raw material consumption table for the workshop that I calculated last night. I found that our scrap steel utilization rate is only 65%. If we use the secondary smelting method for scrap that you mentioned before, we can raise it to at least 80%, which will save a lot of money every month."

Lin Chen took the form; the numbers were dense yet clearly organized, with detailed calculations for each consumption item. He smiled and nodded, "Uncle Yan, your calculations are spot on! Let's go to the scrap heap this afternoon and check the utilization rate on the spot." Yan Bugui's eyes lit up, and he quickly nodded, "Okay! I'll go back and get a ruler and scale right away; I guarantee the calculations will be absolutely accurate!"

When they returned to the workshop, the courtyard was already crowded with people. Qin Huairu, holding Jia Huaihua, stood at the front and rushed forward when she saw Lin Chen: "Xiao Lin, how did the factory handle it? Is Uncle Yi alright?" Her sewing shop now relied entirely on the fabric suppliers that Lin Chen had helped her contact, and Jia Geng was about to enter the workshop as an apprentice, so she was naturally worried about offending the technical backbone.

"It's alright, Uncle Yi is going to be a technical consultant, and he'll be teaching apprentices the craft from now on," Lin Chen explained with a smile. "This afternoon, Uncle Yi will share his forging experience with us, and everyone can ask him any technical questions they may have." A cheer immediately erupted from the crowd, and several young apprentices rubbed their hands together excitedly—Yi Zhonghai's practical skills were renowned in the factory, but he had always kept them to himself and was never willing to teach them easily.

Sha Zhu ran over from the canteen carrying a lunchbox and grabbed Lin Chen: "Lin Chen, you're really something! I knew you'd have a solution last night. This is braised pork knuckle that I made especially for you, try it!" He was now a chef at the military region's guesthouse, and his treatment was much better than before. He was very grateful to Lin Chen for the recommendation.

The afternoon sun shone brightly. Lin Chen cleared a space from the scrap heap in the workshop, set up several tables to serve as a lectern, and Yi Zhonghai sat in the middle, a yellowed copy of his forging notes in front of him. The apprentices sat in a circle, Liu Guangtian and Jia Geng at the front, diligently taking notes. Yi Zhonghai cleared his throat and pulled a rusty mold from his pocket: "This was the first forging mold I made when I first joined the factory. To make it more wear-resistant, I tried the quenching process seven times. Finally, I discovered that controlling the water temperature at 80 degrees Celsius could increase the hardness by 30% after quenching." As he spoke, he picked up a hammer and demonstrated, his movements somewhat slow, but every force was perfectly controlled.

Lin Chen, standing to the side, added, "Uncle Yi's experience is crucial. The water-cooled quenching method we're using now is actually an improvement on this. If we combine waste heat utilization with segmented quenching, we can not only save fuel but also increase mold life." He took out a process diagram drawn by the system, which showed detailed temperature curves and time points. Yi Zhonghai leaned over to take a look, his eyes instantly lighting up: "Yes! That's exactly the point! Why didn't I think of segmented temperature control back then?"

Yan Bugui squatted beside the scrap pile with an abacus in hand, measuring the dimensions of the scrap steel while quickly calculating: "Xiao Lin, according to Grandpa Yi's quenching process, we can save 0.3 kilograms of steel for every gear we forge. Our workshop makes 5000 gears a month, so we can save 1500 kilograms of steel a month, which is 300 yuan at the market price! If we add the secondary smelting of the scrap, we can save at least 500 yuan a month!" He became more and more excited as he calculated, and the abacus clicked loudly.

Qin Huairu stood on the outskirts of the crowd, holding Jia Huaihua, looking at the scene before her, her heart filled with mixed emotions. She recalled the days when she had to feign pitifulness by the pond to get food coupons, and now, looking at the stable life she earned through her sewing skills, she couldn't help but feel more grateful to Lin Chen. Jia Dang quietly tugged at her sleeve: "Mom, I learned some simple mold drawing from Brother Lin Chen. From now on, I can make the presser foot molds for our sewing shop myself."

The technical exchange concluded as the sun set. Surrounded by his apprentices, Yi Zhonghai patiently answered their questions, a long-absent smile returning to his face. Lin Chen walked to the scrap heap, looking at the cost accounting sheet Yan Bugui had prepared. It not only included raw material consumption data but also a cost comparison of different processes. "Uncle Yan, this sheet is truly professional. From now on, our workshop's cost control will depend on you," Lin Chen sincerely praised.

Yan Bugui scratched his head sheepishly: "I used to be too calculating about personal gains and losses. Now I realize that using your skills in the right place is better than anything else. From now on, I will give everyone a cost analysis report every month, and we will work together to find ways to save money and improve efficiency." As he spoke, he put the abacus into his cloth bag, his eyes showing less calculation and more sincerity.

When Lin Chen returned to the tool shop, a notification suddenly popped up on the system panel: [The host has successfully resolved the conflict among key technical personnel, promoted the inheritance of craftsmanship, and unlocked the "Team Collaboration" skill, increasing team R&D efficiency by 30%. 2000 points have been earned, bringing the total points to 20100. New feature unlocked: Technical Diagram Drawing.] A detailed forging technical diagram appeared on the pale blue screen, integrating Yi Zhonghai's traditional techniques with Lin Chen's modern improvements, with optimization suggestions marked at key points.

"Brother Lin, what do you think of the mold drawing I made?" Liu Guangtian ran in with a piece of drawing paper on which was a modified gear mold. "Uncle Yi said that if the chamfer angle of this mold is reduced by 1 degree, material waste can be reduced."

Lin Chen took the blueprints and scanned them with the system. Optimization suggestions immediately appeared on the screen: [Adjust the chamfer angle to 30 degrees and adopt a one-piece molding process; this can increase mold lifespan by 50%.] He wrote the optimization suggestions on the blueprints and handed them to Liu Guangtian: "Tomorrow we'll try to build one according to this plan. If it's successful, we'll apply for a technological innovation award."

In the stillness of the night, Lin Chen sat under the lamp, flipping through Yi Zhonghai's forging insights. On the last page of the notebook, a line of crooked handwriting read: "Craftsmanship is skill; heart is virtue. Without virtue, one cannot stand; without skill, one cannot go far." Looking at this sentence, Lin Chen felt a sudden clarity—he had always thought the system was his greatest asset, but now he understood that true wealth wasn't the technology brought by superpowers, but the trust and legacy passed down between people.

The next morning, Lin Chen, along with Liu Guangtian and Jia Geng, began trial-making the new mold. Yi Zhonghai arrived at the workshop early to personally teach them the quenching process; Yan Bugui squatted to the side, carefully calculating the consumption of raw materials; Sha Zhu brought breakfast from the canteen, smiling and saying that they would celebrate properly once they made a qualified mold. The sound of forging hammers echoed in the workshop, mingling with the sounds of sewing and abacus work coming from the distant courtyard, creating a unique symphony.

As the first improved gear mold successfully rolled out, sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating it with a warm, metallic sheen. Yi Zhonghai picked up the mold, measured its dimensions with calipers, and exclaimed, his voice trembling with excitement, "It's up to standard! The dimensional error is only 0.01 millimeters, even more precise than the original mold!"

Looking at the cheering crowd, Lin Chen suddenly understood that the reason this courtyard, full of life and warmth, and this steel rolling mill that carried the dreams of countless people, could continue to move forward amidst the tides of time was not because of any one person's superpowers, but because of generations of craftsmen's dedication to technology and the inheritance of kindness. And his mission was to use his own strength to make this dedication and inheritance shine even brighter.

Upon hearing the news, Zhou Jianguo rushed over. After seeing the qualified mold, he immediately decided to apply for the Technological Innovation Award and promised to give the team a special bonus.