The Fiery Era: Becoming an Industrial Giant

Chapter 36 New Security Personnel
At Zhou Zhiqiang's suggestion, Guo Yuting quickly compiled a list of recommendations on saving medicines, combining emergency rescue methods, and commonly used Chinese medicine prescriptions.

It was roughly equivalent to suggesting the publication of a barefoot doctor's manual, a book that wouldn't be available for another ten years or so.

If they had come out a year earlier, they could have saved many lives. After all, hospitals are only available in towns now, and it's good enough if there's even a doctor in the countryside.

If a barefoot doctor's manual were available, and after a period of training, the number of doctors in the country could increase by dozens or even hundreds of times. Although these doctors would only know how to treat some simple illnesses and provide first aid.

However, it is sufficient for rural areas. In case of emergency, patients can be sent to towns for treatment, which can greatly alleviate the current shortage of medicines.

After Guo Yuting finished writing, her excitement subsided, and she immediately felt tired.

Just now, Guo Yuting heard that her husband's mission was almost over, and she was thinking about doing some marital intimacy tonight, since she hadn't done it for almost a month.

However, her thoughts and reality did not quite match. After Guo Yuting finished writing her report on drug conservation, promotion of commonly used prescriptions, and first aid manuals, she was extremely sleepy.

Pretending to have forgotten what she had said to Zhou Zhiqiang, she lowered her head, finished washing up, and quickly went to bed.

Seeing the ostrich's behavior, Zhou Zhiqiang could only laugh helplessly, and then he washed up and went to bed.

The next morning, after the couple finished breakfast, they went to work.

Zhou Zhiqiang has been rarely eating breakfast at home lately. For the past few days, he's been busy giving Guo Yuting food coupons so they can each buy their own food outside.

Now that the new alloy smelting process is nearing completion and the workload isn't too heavy, Zhou Zhiqiang has started cooking for himself again.

This can save a lot of food coupons.

Although the couple had no shortage of money or food coupons, two or three years later, food shortages began to occur all over the country, so Zhou Zhiqiang always had to plan ahead.

After arriving at the factory, Zhou Zhiqiang parked his bicycle and walked towards the workshop.

Two days ago, he developed a composite alloy steel formula. Although its strength and durability are not as good as the first alloy steel he manufactured, it is at least better than carbon steel.

Moreover, its advantage lies in its low cost, making it suitable for trial production and use in agricultural tools and some small parts.

However, Zhou Zhiqiang was stopped by two security guards as soon as he arrived at the workshop entrance: "Comrade, wait a minute, you can't just come and go here."

Upon closer inspection, he discovered that there were four security guards on duty at the workshop entrance alone.

Zhou Zhiqiang then showed his identification and said, "Hello comrade, I am the project team leader. What happened inside?"

The security guard took the ID and glanced at it. Before he could say anything, Bai Shaokang ran out of the workshop.

While jogging, he waved and said, "You've misunderstood, Team Leader Li. This is Zhou Zhiqiang, the team leader of our project team. He's a member of the project team."

Upon hearing this, the security guard immediately returned the identification to Zhou Zhiqiang, then saluted and said, "Excuse me, Team Leader Zhou, I just arrived at the factory today."

"It's alright, Team Leader Li, this is your duty."

Zhou Zhiqiang waved his hand and said, "It's just a question, it's not like I'm going to lose a piece of my flesh."

After the misunderstanding was cleared up, Zhou Zhiqiang walked into the workshop, but as he walked, he pulled Bai Shaokang aside and asked, "Director Bai, what's going on? Why are there new security guards standing guard outside our workshop?"

"I arrived early this morning. I only received the factory manager's notice this morning that our factory needs to coordinate the protection of the project team both inside and outside."

Although Bai Shaokang's voice was very low, the excitement in his tone was impossible to suppress.

"It seems the higher-ups are quite satisfied with the alloy steel we produced last time, Team Leader Zhou. They've even sent people to protect our workshop from sabotage." Zhou Zhiqiang nodded, then added, "But I remember the security department of the Second Steel Rolling Mill has quite a few people. Why did they need to bring in people from outside?"

The armed forces department assigned personnel to various important factories with different ranks. For example, the Dafeng Machinery Factory had a security section, while the Second Steel Rolling Mill had a security department, with a considerable number of personnel and weapons.

Bai Shaokang shook his head and said, "I don't know, but they're probably here to help. Although we have a lot of people in our factory, there are also many places to patrol."

Furthermore, the security department also needs to work in shifts, so it's impossible for so many people to be patrolling 24 hours a day. So, in reality, there aren't that many people."

Zhou Zhiqiang stayed at the No. 2 steel rolling mill for several months, and Bai Shaokang became very familiar with him. After they left the factory, they almost called each other brothers.

Back in the factory, the way people addressed him was quite formal. Although Zhou Zhiqiang had only been in this era for a few months, he had already developed a cautious personality.

Now Bai Shaokang is always referring to Zhou Zhiqiang as "our factory," completely treating him like an outsider.

Zhou Zhiqiang laughed and said, "It looks like the test will be over soon, Director Bai. I'll have to congratulate you then."

"Perhaps the task of overhauling your factory's production line will be assigned to you. In a few years, I'll be calling you Deputy Factory Director Bai."

"Hey, Engineer Zhou, it's still early, really still early. I just need to do my job well until the very end."

Bai Shaokang couldn't help but grin and say, although he said it was still early, he was already calling Zhou Zhiqiang "Engineer Zhou".

Normally, only engineers have "engineer" in their surname. Although Bai Shaokang was joking when he called him that, he was convinced that Zhou Zhiqiang would definitely become an engineer in the future.

After joking around for a while, Bai Shaokang asked again, "Team Leader Zhou, are you really unwilling to come to our factory? Director Chen said that if you come, he will immediately give you a substantive cadre position and make you the deputy head of the technical department."

The position of deputy head of the technical department at the Second Steel Rolling Mill was far more prestigious than that at the Dafeng Machinery Factory.

The ministerial-affiliated large factory is one level higher than Dafeng Machinery Factory, and it also promised to provide cadres with positions, which sounds very tempting.

"Director Bai, if it had been any earlier, I would have hesitated for a long time."

Zhou Zhiqiang sighed and shook his head, saying, "But I've already been promoted to a permanent position, so it's too difficult to transfer to another factory now."

"You've been promoted to a permanent position? You've only been working here for less than a year, how come it's happened so quickly?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Shaokang asked in surprise, then realized in his heart that it was unlikely.

If it's just a college student internship, then they can try to find a way to get it done, but if it's to be offered a full-time position, then it'll be too much trouble.

Upon hearing this, Bai Shaokang knew it was hopeless and sighed, saying, "What a pity. It was quite pleasant working with you, Team Leader Zhou. I wish we could continue."

It seems your factory leaders also recognized your talent, Team Leader Zhou; otherwise, they wouldn't have acted so quickly.

Zhou Zhiqiang smiled but didn't say anything. He was referring to his boss, so it was best not to get involved.

After chatting for a while, all the workers from the project team arrived one after another. At this time, Zhou Zhiqiang took out the alloy steel formula he had recently researched and said to Bai Shaokang...

"Director Bai, I've been secretly researching a new alloy steel formula these past few days. Let's start trying to refine the new steel today."

This application is different from that of previous alloy steels, but if we can successfully produce it, it will greatly benefit our country's industrial development.

(End of this chapter)