Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 450 Make three of each

1978 1 Month 1 Day.

Finally, it's 78!
Although it's a holiday today, all the workers in the auto repair team at Yunhu Machinery Factory still came to work overtime without missing a single one.

Chen Fan squatted on the ground, fished out a part from the kerosene basin, wiped it clean with a rag, and examined it carefully.

It has to be said that it is indeed a product of the old Su brand that has been used for half a century; it is sturdy and durable.

These scrapped car parts, apart from being a bit less precise, are incredibly durable. No wonder you can still see unmodified original GAZ-69s in some countries 50 years later; these things are truly sturdy.

The reason for scrapping it was because some of the more delicate parts had problems, and the engine was aging and malfunctioning, requiring major repairs before it could be used again, but it had almost no impact on the overall structure.

If it weren't for Mr. Chen's desire to use these cars as a reference for research and development, the cars could still function perfectly well simply by replacing the damaged parts.

After confirming that the main components were all in good working order, Chen Fan did not rush to reassemble them. Instead, he polished and refurbished all the parts, even a single screw.

The most important step is to first soak the steel components in kerosene to completely remove the oil and rust from the surface before polishing and even coloring them.

The experienced mechanics at the auto repair shop were happy to play along with him.

Repairing cars is nothing compared to building them!

Normally, they would only repair small parts or replace a machine; they would never have the opportunity to dismantle the entire vehicle.

This is similar to how many young boys in later generations like to take apart bicycles and radios. Taking things apart is a kind of romance for men, something ingrained in their bones, let alone taking apart cars!
Of course, it's impressive if you can put it back together after taking it apart; otherwise, you'll end up like a kid, with a bunch of parts that you can't put back together, and you'll just get a beating.

Although Director Yang wouldn't beat them up, seeing this scene still made his teeth ache.

I had been in meetings for two days, arranging a pilot program for the "Five Basic Principles of Factory Management," and then, thinking that today was New Year's Day, I came to take a look, only to see this scene.

Four vehicles?! They were all dismantled?!
Not only was it completely disassembled, but there were also many newly made parts on the shelf next to it.

He went over to take a look, picked up a wooden ring, and asked curiously, "What's this for?"

Ding Guangsheng, the foreman of the auto repair team, glanced at Chen Fan not far away and said with a smile, "This is a steering wheel. It still needs to be sent to the paint shop to be painted, colored and waxed, just like the panel on a sewing machine. It will look good after it's painted."

Xiao Fan said the old steering wheel was too thin and made of metal, making it uncomfortable to grip, so they replaced it with this one.

He pointed to a few pieces of wood next to him, "These too, will be assembled later, and with the addition of iron parts, it will be a complete steering wheel."

Luckily, the factory had experience manufacturing sewing machines and had specialized machines for processing wood; otherwise, it would have been a real hassle.

He didn't know that Chen Fan only went to the trouble of using this machine because he saw it; otherwise, he would have just refurbished an old one.

Chen Fan really made the most of the machinery factory's resources this time. In his plan, he would definitely need the help of several level-eight workers, otherwise he couldn't stand the rugged style of the original model.

Factory Director Yang clicked his tongue, turned to look at Chen Fan, and his expression was somewhat strange.

We agreed to spend the night in Lujiawan.

He spent two or three days straight at the factory and never went home.

They even dragged Lao Zhou to various workshops to test-produce parts. The material costs were several hundred yuan each. Some of these parts were obviously meant for use in cars, but others were so obscure that even experienced workshop directors and skilled workers couldn't figure out what they were for.

What on earth is this kid doing?
Just as he was pondering silently, Ding Guangsheng whispered again, "Factory Director, don't underestimate Xiao Fan just because he's young. He's probably even more capable than Engineer Chen."

He was referring to Chen Fan's father.

In factories, skill is king. Whoever is more capable is respected by everyone. So some veteran workers have more influence in the workshop than the foreman.

At first, everyone was polite and let him do whatever he wanted, out of respect for Old Chen and because Chen Fan himself was a celebrity.

But after a day, everyone was completely obedient. They did whatever Chen Fan asked them to do, including Master Zhou. They didn't ask any questions and would only humbly ask for advice in their spare time.

Chen Fan was generous; he gained a lot of experience points from these workers and integrated the theories he had learned from books, as well as his knowledge and experience from before his transmigration, with the practical skills he learned from the workers, making them truly applicable to the current situation.

Now he can be considered a car expert, able to answer everyone's questions fluently and explain things in a simple and easy-to-understand way, making it understandable even for people with low levels of education, which naturally earns everyone's respect.

Factory Director Yang hadn't been here for two days, so he naturally didn't know any of this. He couldn't help but widen his eyes and exclaimed, "Old Ding, you're not kidding me!"

Xiao Fan can't possibly compare to his father! That's a joke!

Ding Guangsheng: "Why would I lie to you?"

He then glanced furtively at Chen Fan, who was still fiddling with the parts, and quietly took two pieces of paper from the side, handing them to Director Yang, saying, "Take a look for yourself."

Factory Director Yang looked at the blueprints, first frowning slightly, then after a few seconds his eyes almost popped out, "These are car design drawings?"

Back when Chen Fan's father was still alive, he often discussed with him how to build cars, so he had naturally seen many such design drawings.

These are two interior design drawings: one for the center console and the other for the seats.

The center console uses a combination of wood trim and leather. In addition to the instrument panel, there is also a clock embedded in the middle. There is a hidden storage box in front of the passenger seat. The whole thing is seamless. Even from a simple picture, you can feel what "high-end" means!
Compared to the drawings that Lao Chen had previously designed on his own, there are no obvious changes in terms of technology, but the visual appeal is vastly superior.

And the chairs are made to look exactly like sofas, with three adjustable positions and two sliding rails on the floor so they can move back and forth.

They even raised the seat, added a headrest, and a lumbar support.

Some functions that are very common and ordinary in later generations were not popular at this time, or rather, they were not yet popular in China.

Even high-end cars like Hongqi and Shanghai didn't start incorporating similar design elements from foreign luxury cars until the late 70s, which were then used in their own models.

One of these is adding a headrest to the seat.

Prior to this, designs were almost always based on GAZ and Volga, with seats only reaching the shoulders and no head protection whatsoever.

When Director Yang first saw this design, he naturally found it novel.

While Director Yang was coercing Ding Guangsheng to show him more blueprints, Chen Fan, after inspecting the main components, said to Master Zhou, "Let's call it a day. It's a rare day off, and it's the weekend. Let everyone go home and continue on Tuesday."

Master Zhou didn't even look up. "I'll leave it for a day and then repair it. If I don't touch this thing for two days, I can't sleep."

An older worker next to him laughed and said, “Consultant Chen, you young people have a lot to do, so go back and rest first. We old guys don’t have to work when we go home. We can take advantage of the factory’s two-day break to get a few level-eight workers in the workshop to make the key parts you need. By the time you come over on Tuesday, the main structure should be installed.”

Today is New Year's Day, which is also the weekend. According to regulations, we should take a day off on Monday.

These days there are no make-up days. Besides every Sunday, there are only 1 day for New Year's Day, 1 day for May Day, 2 days for National Day, and 3 days for Spring Festival, for a total of 7 days of holiday. If a day falls on a Sunday, the person takes a compensatory day off on the first working day after the holiday.

So this year we can have a two-day holiday for New Year's Day. For an average family, two days is barely enough time to do housework and visit the elderly, and it's gone in the blink of an eye.

However, most of the workers here are older workers. The oldest, Master Zhou, is over 50 and already has a grandson. The youngest is over 30. The children do most of the housework, so they have nothing to do on their days off and simply come to the factory to study the car designed by Chen Fan.

The situation is similar for those other level-eight technicians. Going home to rest is nothing compared to researching new gadgets! And it's not like their regular work at the auto repair shop. If they don't come, the auto repair shop will definitely find other level-eight technicians. How can they let that happen?

Of course, we will fully cooperate!
Seeing their resolute attitude, Chen Fan had no choice but to say goodbye to Director Yang and leave on his own.

As soon as Chen Fan walked out of the workshop, Factory Director Yang immediately called Master Zhou and Ding Guangsheng aside and said, "Make a copy of all of Xiao Chen's design drawings, and then make a set of spare parts based on them."

He coughed twice. "For backup."

Ding Guangsheng and Master Zhou stared at him for several seconds before Ding Guangsheng finally said, "It's a copy!"

Master Zhou said calmly, "I told the workshop to make three portions of each item!"

Factory Director Yang was slightly taken aback at first, then nodded with satisfaction, "Yes, not bad, not bad."

Ding Guangsheng's expression changed. He coughed twice, then pointed to the pile of Volga parts and said in a low voice, "Factory manager, this is what I'm thinking. Xiao Chen's car design drawings are obviously based on the GAZ, but we shouldn't waste these Volga parts."

Factory Director Yang's eyes flickered slightly. "What do you mean?"

Ding Guangsheng smiled憨厚ly, "I just thought, to avoid troubling two people at once, could you please ask him..."

Factory Director Yang nodded slowly, then patted him on the shoulder with a big smile, "Good idea, I'll leave this to you. I'll be waiting for the day you successfully complete the mission!"

After saying that, he put his hands behind his back and walked out with a limp.

Are you kidding me? You want me to go find Chen Fan and ask him to design another car? I'd be skinned alive!
Hmm, let Lao Ding try it first, and we'll see if it works.

Ding Guangsheng stared blankly, his expression gradually contorting. Once he was out of sight, he put one hand on his hip and pointed at the empty workshop entrance with the other, angrily saying to Master Zhou, "Old Zhou, look at this! Is this how it works? Why should I be the one to negotiate? Who's the factory manager here?"

Master Zhou nodded indignantly, "That's right!"

After saying that, he turned around, put his hands behind his back, and went to study the new accessories.

Anyway, no matter who negotiates, he just needs to wait for the new blueprints; he feels no pressure at all.

……

The new house is very close to the machinery factory, separated from the factory gate only by a main road.

After passing through the T-junction in front of the gate, continue south for a short distance, then turn left onto a path lined with sturdy sycamore trees on both sides. After passing two houses, you will arrive at his home.

As I opened the gate and entered the courtyard, two raccoon dogs leaped out of the bamboo grove on the wall and landed on the ground, meowing twice.

In just two or three days, the two cats were quite different. Even though it was still daytime, their eyes were glowing green, with a sharp glint that appeared and disappeared. Their claws were hidden between their toes, with only the tips showing. Their bodies were always tense, as if they were ready to strike at any moment.

It's so great here! They can catch so many mice. Although there are cats from the neighborhood competing with them, those house cats are no match for them at all; they never win a fight for food.

Now, there isn't a single rat left in this yard, and they've almost disappeared from the surrounding area as well. The owner said that as long as they guard the yard, that's enough, so they don't dare to go far. They can only wait for rats from afar to come over; otherwise, the two of them could wipe out all the rats in this area.

Unfortunately, all those rats we killed had to eat outside, and we had to wash their paws and mouths before they could come back; otherwise, they weren't allowed into the yard. This meant we couldn't store food.

The two cats were looking a little resentful, but when they saw their owner's gaze sweep over them, they immediately lay down obediently, meowing softly...

Chen Fan nodded in satisfaction. "Continue the patrol and remain vigilant."

After saying that, he went inside.

As if they had received a royal decree, the two cats darted through the bamboo thicket, leaped onto the wall, and disappeared into the bamboo grove.

A moment later, they all stood up and looked towards the street corner.

Two girls walked briskly towards them, one carrying something in one hand and the other holding a small leopard cat in her arms. They arrived quickly.

The half-pound cat in Jiang Lili's arms glanced at the wall, a hint of disdain flashing in its eyes, before continuing to doze off with its eyes half-closed.

Hmph, none of them are any good fighters.

Jiang Tiantian walked to the front of the yard and was about to knock on the door when she saw that the door was unlocked and not bolted from the inside. So she pushed the gate open and called out, "Xiao Fan, we're here."

Hearing the sound, Chen Fan came out of the house with a bright smile on his face, "You're here, why did you bring anything?"

When Jiang Lili saw Chen Fan, she promptly threw half a jin of liquor on the ground and ran over excitedly, "Xiao Fan, Happy New Year!"

Jiang Tiantian smiled and turned to close the courtyard gate.

Half a catty was feeling a bit annoyed after being thrown on the ground, but it couldn't afford to lose its temper. Just then, it looked up and saw two oblivious creatures of the same kind laughing.

Hmph, I may not be able to beat my master, but I can beat you all?

He immediately darted onto the top of the wall, meowed at the two cats a few times, then leaped onto a tree branch and disappeared in a few flashes.

The two cats were instantly enraged. How dare you, little brat, start trouble? They immediately followed without hesitation.

The owner only said it wasn't allowed to run wild in the yard, but didn't say it wasn't allowed outside either. I've disliked this cat since the day before yesterday, and today I'm going to teach it a lesson!

Chen Fan ignored the three cats and greeted the two people, saying, "Happy New Year, Happy New Year."

He then took the net bag from Jiang Tiantian and led them inside, saying, "If you ask me, you should go and celebrate New Year's Day with your uncle and aunt. I'm fine on my own."

Jiang Tiantian followed him into the room, took off her scarf, and smiled, "We're all here, how could we let you spend the holiday alone?"

Jiang Lili laughed and said, "It's the same if we stay here in the morning and go home in the afternoon."

Chen Fan had a home in the prefectural committee, so naturally he wouldn't hide it from them. On the very night he arrived, he went to their place and told them the address of his new home.

The two sisters came to his door after work the next day, and because Chen Fan was busy at the factory, they waited for him at the door for a long time.

And since New Year's Day is just around the corner, they knew that Chen Fan was alone here, so they said they wanted to come and keep him company for the holiday.

If it weren't for this, Chen Fan would still be assembling parts in the factory.

(End of this chapter)