The Fiery Era: Becoming an Industrial Giant

Chapter 12 Finding Someone to Endorse You
Zhou Zhiqiang received a salary of fifty yuan this month, put ten yuan in his savings account, and used the rest for household expenses.

Zhou Zhiqiang gave five yuan to his family, but he felt they would probably make a big fuss and refuse it, so he could save the five yuan.

Zhou Zhiqiang spent seven yuan and fifty cents exchanging meat coupons and grain coupons, and now he can still manage twenty-seven yuan and fifty cents for his and his wife's monthly expenses.

As long as you don't buy large items like clothes and furniture, you won't spend all your money on food and drinks alone.

In Beijing, the ration coupons were all allocated to everyone, and the amount of supplies they could use each month was planned out for them. Even if they used all the coupons, they would only spend a maximum of five or six yuan.

The couple seems to have high expenses, but they also save 50 yuan more each month, which adds up to 600 yuan a year, which is quite a lot.

Even if they have two more children in the future, Zhou Zhiqiang, with both parents working, will be able to support them.

Zhou Zhiqiang can't be stuck at the level of thirteen technician. He can easily be promoted to level eleven or ten in the future.

Even for an engineer, Zhou Zhiqiang felt it wouldn't be difficult, since he had assistance that ordinary people didn't have.

On Saturday, Dafeng Machinery Factory was in full swing with production.

Even though tomorrow is a rest day, the workers' enthusiasm remains high today.

Labor and construction are the main themes now, and workers are treated so well, much better than when they were exploited by capitalists.

At the beginning of the year, the public side took the lead, while a deputy factory director and manager from the private side of Dafeng Machinery Factory have not shown up for several months.

I guess they won't take a salary anymore, just dividends.

After touring the workshop today, Zhou Zhiqiang returned to the technical department and began other work.

However, as he was working, Zhou Zhiqiang suddenly stopped. He had just received a notification from the [Collection and Deduction Assistant] that the technical deduction of the new steel process had ended.

"Adding other elements to alloy it increases tensile strength and suppresses brittleness. Does the smelting process need such a big change? That requires a lot of theoretical support. I need to find a cover-up."

The new materials and processes involve significant changes, and relying solely on a finished product technology is certainly not enough.

Sufficient theoretical support is needed to convince others, but Zhou Zhiqiang already has enough theoretical conclusions to convince others, after all, they were provided by the deduction assistant.

However, he was originally a mechanical engineering major, so his sudden emergence of innovative technologies in materials alloys requires a plausible and appropriate excuse.

Zhou Zhiqiang suddenly thought of Guo Linhua. Now, whenever he encounters a problem, he can think of his father-in-law and teacher, which can be considered another "golden finger" for him.

A level four professor is the highest-ranking person Zhou Zhiqiang can currently access.

"My teacher mentioned that Beijing Institute of Technology is also researching materials science and technology. I could go and explore that area, and it would be best if I could use my father-in-law's connections to find some support."

Zhou Zhiqiang pondered this in his heart.

He only needs to get a little involved in this kind of thing; there's no need for him to take it all at once.

Even if he takes all the credit, under the main theme of public ownership and the glory of labor in construction, Zhou Zhiqiang will not be allowed to rise to the top overnight.

When Zhou Zhiqiang first planned to develop the new material process, he thought that the credit for this achievement would be enough to get him promoted to a permanent position ahead of schedule and receive a raise.

If we could also promote him to deputy head of the technical department, that would be even better. After all, he is the only college graduate in the technical department of Dafeng Machinery Factory, and according to the rules, he is eligible for promotion.

Having made up his mind, Zhou Zhiqiang quickly began searching his memory.

The original owner had spent four years at the Industrial University of Beijing. It wasn't that he didn't know anyone there; it's just that very few of his classmates stayed in the city, and most of them went to other places.

Now, the department assigns students to jobs after graduation. It's impossible for everyone who goes to university in Beijing to stay there. Those who perform exceptionally well are sent abroad for further studies. "Professor Zhang seems to be a materials science major. He usually lives in the dormitory arranged by the university. I'll go ask him after get off work."

As for now, Zhou Zhiqiang plans to first write down the proportions of material elements, the complete process innovation technology, and all theoretical achievements.

Zhou Zhiqiang also made some revisions to make the work more befitting of a 'college graduate'.

After starting work in the afternoon, Zhou Zhiqiang toured the workshop, checked the production tasks, and then returned to his office to continue his work on new material process innovation.

With such clear and undeniable results, Zhou Zhiqiang only needed to make a few modifications.

After finishing work in the afternoon, Zhou Zhiqiang had already written out the entire first draft of the new material process innovation.

He plans to visit Professor Zhang, but he needs to talk to Guo Yuting first.

Guo Yuting is now very clingy to him. If she doesn't see him when she gets home from get off work, she probably won't be able to sit still.

In fact, if he went directly to Section Chief Lü and then went with him to persuade Deputy Factory Director Liu, he could basically facilitate the innovation of new material processes in the steel plant.

But this would require him to use his father-in-law Guo Linhua's connections, and also required Deputy Factory Director Liu to spend a lot of effort to persuade the steel plant to accompany them in the experiment.

If a university professor were to endorse this technology at this point, it would carry a lot of weight.

Nowadays, even slightly important projects involve technical intellectuals, who often hold positions of overall leadership.

If Guo Linhua were to transfer to a technical position after going to the Northwest, he would likely be promoted one or two levels, and in a few years or even a decade or more, he might even become the chief engineer.

I rode my bicycle home, just as Guo Yuting arrived home.

If she didn't work overtime, she would get home earlier than Zhou Zhiqiang, since the hospital was much closer to the courtyard house than to the Dafeng Machinery Factory.

When Guo Yuting saw Zhou Zhiqiang return, she immediately stepped forward and said with a smile, "You're back? What would you like to eat tonight?"

"Yuting, I have to go out for a bit, so dinner might be a little late."

Zhou Zhiqiang said, "I have a research idea that I need to visit Professor Zhang Deli of Beijing Institute of Technology and learn from him."

You cook for yourself first, just leave some for me.

Now Guo Yuting has been taught to cook by him, but her cooking skills are very average, barely edible.

"Going now? Then wait for me a moment."

After Guo Yuting finished speaking, she turned around and went back into the house. Not long after, she came out and handed over a snack coupon, saying, "Go to the supply and marketing cooperative and buy two boxes of snacks. You can't visit empty-handed. I'll leave you some food at home."

Oh, right, I have something to tell you later, let's talk about it when you get back.

"Okay, I'll rest tomorrow. I'll listen to you no matter how late it is tonight."

After putting the snack tickets in his pocket, Zhou Zhiqiang pushed the cart and said, "I'm leaving now, Yuting."

"Be careful on the road."

After saying hello, Zhou Zhiqiang got on his bicycle and left home. This time, he brought his old student ID so that no one would stop him from entering the school.

(End of this chapter)