A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

Chapter 135 Small Innovations Under Macro Trends

Oh my goodness, the whole pot is smoking!

Turn off the power immediately, or it will catch fire.

What happened?

Everyone busied themselves around the pot again.

"Snap!" Ma Zhendong snapped his fingers. "The problem is with heat insulation; steel conducts heat too easily!"

Li Tiejun smacked his lips and said, "Simple. How about we use some heat-insulating asbestos? Wrap it around the inner wall?"

"We just received a new batch of furnace materials. I reckon we won't need that many of these pots; some scraps will suffice."

Jiang Xia wanted to smash his head against him to death. What an idiot! This stuff goes into your mouth, and you're using asbestos cloth? Do you want to die even faster?

Asbestos cloth already existed in China during the Zhou Dynasty.

Because it can be burned clean after being stained, it is called fire-resistant cloth or fire-resistant cloth. There are related records in the book of Liezi.

But this stuff is carcinogenic! One kilogram contains a million "needles," and that's no joke.

"No, no. Asbestos can't be used. Let's use refractory bricks! The kind used in small blast furnaces," Jiang Xia retorted.

"Why? Asbestos is lighter, isn't it?"

Jiang Xia was about to refute the claim that this stuff causes cancer, but then he thought, the theory that asbestos causes cancer wasn't proposed until the early 21st century. What's the point of him saying it now?

"Uh... adding fireproof bricks makes it look heavier, and don't the older brothers all like heavy things?"

Upon hearing this, everyone thought, "Hey, that makes perfect sense. Didn't you see that the older brother's things are all big and thick?"

Yes! Since we're going to sell there, we should do as the locals do.

By the way, is Junichiro still in Beijing?

Xiaobenzi likes delicate things, should we try to promote the asbestos version of the air fryer?

Jiang Xia stroked his chin, which was just starting to sprout stubble, and smiled in a somewhat eerie way.

……

The next day, at a timber yard outside Beijing.

Factory Director Liu had just made a phone call, and his face was full of distress.

There were already whispers from above that cadres needed to be transferred to rural areas to support agricultural production. His timber factory was the most likely candidate to be the first to implement this system.

Ah, come to think of it, my timber mill is only good for making sleepers for the railway department. When they were building blast furnaces, it did enjoy a bit of glory by supplying charcoal to various communes.

Now, they're so bored they're practically rusting; the large saw under the open-air shed is almost completely dead.

The railway construction also slowed down, and the required amount of sleepers was completed in just two days.

Sitting in his office, Director Liu watched the workers outside the window chatting and loitering about, seemingly doing nothing.

Listening to the workers talking about who had taken on a side job and earned some pocket money, Factory Manager Liu sighed heavily.

is there any method?

Without work orders, all subsidies have been reduced significantly. Although the wages are still good, who doesn't lack food? The price of flour on the black market has doubled again!

Forget it, I'm going to be sent to the countryside anyway, why bother with all that!

Just as Director Liu was thinking of finding a quiet place to stay for a while, the phone rang again.

Factory Director Liu suddenly realized: "Could the demotion notice have arrived so quickly?!"

He answered the phone: "Ministry of Machine Building? Oh, hello leader. Okay, okay. We'll make sure to take good care of the comrades from the steel rolling mill!"

After saying that, Director Liu hung up the phone without a care in the world.

Reception? What's there to receive? They're just here to find some timber to pave steel plates.

Factory Director Liu straightened the bedding, intending to wake up naturally on the recliner.

"Factory Manager! Two colleagues from the steel rolling mill have arrived. They said they were notified of you from above!"

Factory Director Liu glanced lazily at his office manager and waved his hand impatiently.

"Those who come to haul timber, there's a bunch in the backyard. Let them choose whichever they like."

The office director got anxious and immediately pulled the blanket off him.

"No! They came with orders to fulfill! Look!"

A red-headed document from the Ministry of Machinery Industry was presented to Director Liu: "Hereby, coordinate with the timber factory to produce a batch of wooden carriages for the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill."

The requirements are as follows: High-quality wood, such as oak, must be selected, and the wood must be polished and then coated with tung oil.

To ensure production, Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill will provide an additional subsidy of 60 cents per vehicle.

There's work! A legitimate job!

Factory Director Liu didn't even bother to put on shoes; he went barefoot, revealing a pair of socks covered in patches, and ran straight to the factory gate to greet Jiang Xia and his entourage.

Jiang Xia didn't understand why the factory director was so excited, acting as if Cai Yong had turned his back on his shoes to welcome him. Li Huaide, who accompanied Jiang Xia, however, remained completely calm.

Once inside the factory manager's office, Jiang Xia explained his requirements and handed over the blueprints.

Factory Director Liu examined it carefully and exclaimed, "Hey, isn't this just a flatbed truck with a metal frame? At best, it looks like a Liberation truck, with guardrails added on three sides."

He immediately thumped his chest loudly and ran off to call for help.

Before long, the assembly whistle blew, and about a hundred people stood in the middle of the courtyard. Director Liu waved the official document and spoke animatedly at the front.

After a round of slogans, the once lifeless lumberyard seemed to wake up, and the creaking of the large saws began to echo.

The shouts and footsteps of the workers instantly echoed throughout the small factory.

After finishing his work, Director Liu came over again.

My hair was combed again, the eye discharge was gone, and I put on a pair of suede work shoes.

Upon meeting, he immediately reached out his hands towards Li Huaide.

Unexpectedly, Li Huaide quietly stepped back, giving Jiang Xia the seat of honor.

Factory Director Liu was taken aback, but being an experienced man, he shook hands with Jiang Xia, who was not at all intimidated, for a while.

"Comrade, don't worry about this task. The weather's been unusual lately, with strong sunshine. But that's perfect; polishing and oiling will be done in a day. We guarantee it won't delay your work!"

Jiang Xia nodded: "Then I'll trouble you. Please try to choose the best quality wood. And also..."

Jiang Xia pulled out another drawing: "You're an expert in wood, do you have any heat-resistant wood that can be used as a handle and knob, and that looks nice?"

Factory Director Liu took the blueprints and looked at them. Instead of answering Jiang Xia directly, he gestured with his hands and asked, "How high is the temperature?"

"Uh, around 180 degrees."

"Oh, what a coincidence! We happen to have a batch of red sandalwood. Please wait a moment, I'll bring it over to show you!"

When Jiang Xia took a look at the wood, he exclaimed, "Wow, it's beautiful! It's all red, and the grain is gorgeous!"

We immediately asked him to make dozens of sets of each item according to the blueprints.

Now that this matter is settled, let's head back home.

Before leaving, Director Liu insisted on giving Jiang Xia a round ball about the size of an adult's palm, saying it wasn't anything special, just a little toy for Jiang Xia's younger siblings to play with.

Li Huaide, who was driving, glanced at the sphere: "It's a 'ghost craft sphere,' the carving is quite good, but it's a pity it's made of wood."

Jiang Xia curled his lip, as if he didn't know.

He wouldn't dare accept it if it were made of jade!

"Deputy Factory Director Li, where is my house?!"

"Call me Uncle Li! I'll take you to see a three-unit apartment!"

Jiang Xia began inspecting Li Huaide's watch: "Hey, this commander doesn't take care of his things either, the clasp is all worn out!"

"Tsk, little brats aren't cute at all!"