Siheyuan: Starting from the driver

Chapter 765: The Background is Shocking – Get Ready for the Show!

Back to the technical department.

With a slight smile on his face, Engineer Ling strode briskly towards Director Wang's office.

"Director Wang, Director Wang."

Ling's loud voice drew the attention of several technicians who were engrossed in drawing and researching, causing them to look up in surprise.

Ling, who is usually very strict, rarely shows this kind of emotion, so it must be something good.

Director Wang was frowning at the blueprints when he heard the sound. He looked up and saw Engineer Ling's joyful expression, and was slightly surprised and puzzled.

"What? Is there some great news? Has the problem of that lathe been solved?"

"It's solved! Haha!"

Ling burst into hearty laughter, which sounded particularly abrupt in the quiet department and attracted even more curious glances.

"Director Wang, you have no idea, we've really struck gold this time!"

Engineer Ling quickly sat down and explained to Director Wang, "The problem with the machine tool lies in the axial positioning and assembly accuracy of the drive shaft; the accuracy is off."

The reason was explained in just a few words.

"That kid Li Kailang is really something; he spotted the problem with the machine tool at a glance."

"The most amazing thing is that he personally repaired the machine tool!"

"That feel for it, that control over precision—let alone someone his age, how many technicians in our department who have been working for several years can do it so skillfully and accurately?"

Ling Gong recounted the events that unfolded in the workshop in rapid succession, speaking with great enthusiasm.

"Xiao Li's skills are definitely not limited to a level 5 fitter! His hands-on ability, theoretical foundation, and on-site adaptability are all top-notch!"

"This doesn't sound like a recent graduate; this is clearly a seasoned pro!"

Upon hearing this, Director Wang's face immediately showed surprise. "Is he really that capable?"

"What, would I lie to you? There were several people there who saw it."

"Good, good, good!" Director Wang nodded in agreement, not expecting to find a technician who was ready to be used immediately.

He thought he would need to train them for another three to five months before daring to make a move.

"You must take good care of him, give him more responsibilities, and help him grow as quickly as possible to become a backbone of our department!"

"Of course!" Engineer Ling patted his chest. "From today onwards, my business needs a capable assistant like this!"

After the initial excitement, Ling's curiosity was completely piqued.

"Hey, Director Wang, who's the person who recruited such a talented guy like Xiao Li? Was he a top student directly assigned by the ministry? Or was he recommended by some senior professor?"

"Without solid experience and a year or two of hands-on work in a factory, how old is he to dare to do anything?"

"He deserves to be praised, and it would be best to award him a medal."

Director Wang couldn't help but laugh when he saw Ling's eager eyes. He deliberately kept everyone in suspense: "An expert? Old Ling, you might not believe it, but the 'expert' who recruited Xiao Li into the factory is right here, even though he's far away."

"Huh?" Engineer Ling was taken aback.

"To be precise, he's a 'homegrown expert' trained by our own steel rolling mill!" Director Wang stopped teasing him.

"Xiao Li originally worked in the transportation department; he was a driver for our factory!"

"Driver?" Ling's eyes widened instantly.

How did a driver and a technician, who have absolutely no connection, end up in this relationship?

"real or fake?"

Director Wang nodded and continued to drop bombshells.

"That's unbelievable? What else? Just three months ago, he was the deputy head of the materials department!"

"what?!"

Seeing Ling Gong's dumbfounded and incredulous expression, Director Wang also found it amusing.

When he saw Li Kailang's file yesterday, he couldn't believe it either. How could someone be both a driver and a deputy section chief?

Although the highest level a driver can reach is Level 4, his job is not bad.

Although the deputy section chief position was temporarily filled, his achievements were evident, and he might even be transferred to another department.

It's not impossible to directly promote workers to cadres.

"If he hadn't received his night school diploma a couple of days ago, he might not have come to our technical department. It's all thanks to Director Yang's unintentional success!"

Ling Gong's mouth opened slightly as he listened, and he didn't close it for a long time.

Driver, Deputy Head of Materials Department, Night School Student, Technician
This series of identity changes is quite significant, and each identity seems to be handled with great flair.

This is simply unbelievable!

"This...this..." Ling Gong stammered for a long time before finding his voice. He let out a long breath, his tone filled with disbelief and heartfelt admiration.

"My goodness, Xiao Li, you really are a hidden talent!"
It's no wonder that Engineer Ling didn't know Li Kailang, after all, he was just a night school student, and it was still unknown whether he could graduate.

Li Kailang was only famous two years ago, when he first entered the night school. People in the technical department had heard of him, but after two years, they naturally forgot about him.

Engineer Ling rubbed his hands together vigorously, his excitement even greater than before. "Director Wang, you've really struck gold for our technical department this time!"

"No, I have to make arrangements right away. This afternoon, I'll have Xiao Li come with me to tackle a tough challenge!"

He stood up abruptly, eager to assign tasks to Li Kailang.

As soon as Li Kailang returned to his workstation by the window, Xiao Zhao immediately came over, his face full of curiosity.

"Brother Li, Brother Li! I saw Engineer Ling was so happy just now, and he was even shouting at Director Wang so loudly! What good news is it?"

"Engineer Ling is usually very serious. I've been in this department for two months now, and I've hardly ever seen him smile!" Xiao Zhao asked in a low voice.

Li Kailang smiled and said in a calm tone, "It's nothing serious. I just went to the workshop with Engineer Ling and took a look at the lathes."

"Huh? Just to look at machine tools?" Xiao Zhao was clearly skeptical; Ling Gong's excited demeanor didn't seem like he had merely "taken a look."

"So, has the problem been found? Is it fixed?"

“Hmm,” Li Kailang nodded and opened the blueprints that Engineer Ling had given him on the table.

"The problem has been found and resolved. Engineer Ling is highly skilled and experienced; he quickly located the issue."

He deliberately downplayed his personal role and attributed all the credit to Engineer Ling.

It wasn't that they were deliberately hiding it, but rather that they knew it was never a good thing for a newcomer to be in the limelight too early.

"Oh," Xiao Zhao nodded as if he understood, somewhat disappointed, but he didn't ask any more questions, since Li Kailang's attitude seemed quite normal.

He muttered, "Engineer Ling is really amazing," and then shrank back into his seat.

However, Li Kailang's calm reply and Xiao Zhao's conversation did not escape the ears of several other people in the department.

Those were the technicians who sat in the middle of the department and had joined the factory a few years earlier than Li Kailang.

They were all graduates of undergraduate or associate degree programs, including Chen Zhiyuan, Zhang's junior from university, and Liu Jianming and Wu Wei, who had been there for two or three years. They had noticed Ling's unusual excitement earlier, and upon hearing Li Kailang's nonchalant reply, they exchanged knowing glances and slightly smirked.

Although there was no particularly obvious expression on his face, there was an inescapable look of disdain and indifference in his eyes.

"Hmph, looking at a lathe? You make it sound so easy."

Chen Zhiyuan hummed softly, in a voice only the two people next to him could hear, and tapped his fingers unconsciously on the table.

"Engineer Ling personally took it to the workshop, and he came back so excited, even whispering about it with Director Wang for a long time. It can't be a small matter, can it?"

"It's probably just a lucky break. He did a little work under Engineer Ling's guidance, and then he blew it all away."

“Exactly,” Liu Jianming adjusted his glasses, his eyes scrutinizing behind the lenses. “A night school student, how many years has he been studying? Only two days of classes a week, how much can he possibly learn?”

"No matter how solid your theoretical knowledge is, without systematic training and spending a few years in the factory, how much can you really understand? At best, you're just a bookworm who talks the talk but doesn't walk the walk."

"Mr. Ling probably just flattered him because he saw his good grades and was just being novel."

The sense of superiority in his tone was self-evident.

“That’s right,” Wu Wei echoed in a low voice, with a hint of “experience” from someone who had been there before.

"The technical department is a deep and complex field. We studied there for three or four years back in school, handling all the equipment and drawing up all the blueprints. Can he compare? Not to mention our practical experience."

"When it comes to real technical work, complex system integration, design calculations, and on-site coordination, which one doesn't require real skills? I think it's risky."

They didn't have any deep-seated hatred towards Li Kailang personally, but rather a sense of superiority and exclusion based on his educational background and seniority.

In their view, after three or four years of university study and several years of experience in the factory, they are the backbone of the technical department and the reserve of future engineers.

Li Kailang, a newcomer who "came into the profession halfway through his career" and squeezed in with his night school diploma and so-called "hands-on skills," is like an intruder who took a shortcut.

The fact that Li Kailang was favored by key engineers like Ling Gong from the moment he arrived made them feel somewhat unbalanced.

Jealousy and contempt won't work on Li Kailang; a sly newcomer like him isn't worth their feelings.

Li Kailang heard everything clearly at his workstation, but he couldn't be bothered to pay attention.

Don't get angry and start arguing with someone just because they say a few sarcastic things.

Even if he leaves the technical department, he can still go back to the transportation team.

Now that the machine tool was sorted out, Li Kailang continued to look at other materials.

Soon, news of him being recruited by Engineer Ling spread throughout the department.

Everyone was quite surprised that Li Kailang was called to do serious work after only a few days, while everyone else had been there for ten days or half a month before starting their work.

Nothing much happened all morning.

"Hmph, so be it if I'm following Engineer Ling." During his lunch break, Chen Zhiyuan sat with Liu Jianming and Wu Wei, carrying his lunchbox.

"Ling's work is all tough nuts to crack, repairing Soviet equipment, it's hard work and thankless."

"The drawings are all in Russian, and the translation is incomplete. We have to guess and make assumptions in many places. If something goes wrong, the responsibility will be huge."

"It's good to let that kid run into a wall, so he won't really think that the work in the technical department is as simple as sawing iron and filing blanks."

He described the project that Engineer Ling was in charge of as extremely difficult, as if Li Kailang was going to "step on a landmine" by going with Engineer Ling.

“That’s right,” Liu Jianming said slowly, picking up a piece of food with his chopsticks.

"Is it so easy to become an engineer? We've been working in this department for almost three or four years and have participated in quite a few projects, but we're still a long way from being promoted to engineer."

Getting promoted to engineer is no easy feat.

There are many types of jobs in a steel rolling mill, such as fitter, riveter, and forger. It's not necessary to know how to operate each of these jobs.

But at least they need to be familiar with the theoretical knowledge of their respective jobs; otherwise, how can people from different jobs create the design drawings?

Getting promoted to engineer is not an easy thing.

This set of theoretical knowledge alone is enough to keep everyone studying for several years.

Otherwise, why are senior technicians like Engineer Zhang, Engineer Li, and Engineer Chen, who are all quite old, still unable to get promoted?

Some things can't be mastered by simply waiting time; you also need a certain talent. Building up seniority isn't a viable path in technical jobs.

"The factory's promotion assessment has been suspended for several years, and we don't know when it will resume?"

He steered the conversation to a more realistic and frustrating point for them—the hopelessness of promotion.

The three men's faces fell when the topic of the stalled promotion assessment came up.

This was nothing short of a bucket of cold water for the young technicians who were eager to advance further.

Without a clear path for advancement, employees' enthusiasm for work is inevitably affected, and they are more likely to develop wariness and rejection of "newcomers."

"Sigh, don't even mention it," Wu Wei sighed. "There's no hope at all, and I can't muster the energy to do anything."

"But it's good that he started working under Engineer Ling right away, which is a high starting point. I just don't know if he can handle the big tasks."

"A high starting point doesn't guarantee a long journey." Chen Zhiyuan sneered. "When it comes to technology, there's no room for shortcuts."

"Let's just wait and see how long he can 'shine' under Engineer Ling. If he really runs into a problem he can't solve, let's see if he can still keep that 'humble' face."

"That's right, I want to see what's going on."

The initial disdain and indifference in their hearts had quietly transformed into anticipation of seeing them "make a fool of themselves."

Subconsciously, they were unwilling to believe that a night school student could truly gain a foothold in a complex technical field.

After lunch, the atmosphere in the technical department was even more subtle than in the morning.

After finishing lunch, Chen Zhiyuan, Liu Jianming, and Wu Wei returned to their workstations, their eyes occasionally glancing towards Li Kailang's corner by the window.

Li Kailang was engrossed in a pile of documents, seemingly oblivious to the undercurrents around him.

In his hands were several photocopies of Russian drawings with worn edges, translated text, and most importantly, a Russian-Chinese dictionary.

Although he had never studied Russian, his predecessor had studied it and he had some basic knowledge, though he wasn't very proficient.

"Tsk, putting on airs." Chen Zhiyuan lowered his voice and gestured towards Liu Jianming with his lip. "See? Really taking himself seriously, trying to understand Russian. Can you understand that stuff by cramming at the last minute?"

Liu Jianming pushed up his glasses, a hint of disdain flashing behind the lenses: "Those technical terms and symbols on the drawings are difficult to translate, let alone read the original text directly. Let him run into a hole."

Sure enough, Ling returned in a flurry of activity as soon as he started work in the afternoon.

He glanced around, his gaze settling on Li Kailang. He walked straight over and patted the blueprints on Li's desk.
"Xiao Li, get ready, come with me to the machine repair shop. That old Russian lathe needs to be 'operated' on today! Director Wang is urging us to hurry."

"Okay, Mr. Ling."

Li Kailang immediately closed the dictionary, carefully put away the important notes and drawings, his movements clean and efficient.

This composure, in Mr. Ling's eyes, added to his satisfaction.

The two left the office one after the other, followed by several pairs of gazes with complex meanings.

Chen Zhiyuan and his companion exchanged a knowing glance, a faint, cold smile playing on their lips.

(End of this chapter)