Eternal madness

Chapter 69 The Charming Lady of the Bamboo Grove
The next morning, Zhang Laifu went to Nanzhugang with Li Yunsheng.

Nanzhugang is a mountain, not very steep, but the bamboo on the mountain is particularly dense, and the path is a bit difficult to walk.

Li Yunsheng repeatedly instructed Zhang Laifu: "No matter how difficult the road is, do not cut down the bamboo, and do not break a single bamboo branch. The bamboo bosses on Nanzhugang are particularly fierce, so do not offend them."

The two walked through the bamboo forest for half a day. Zhang Laifu's cotton-padded coat was torn all over, and cotton was sticking out in many places.

After walking halfway up the mountain, they finally saw an open space. Li Yunsheng said, "My new friend lives here."

"Here?" Zhang Laifu looked up and saw a familiar group of buildings in the open space.

There are chimneys, factory buildings, water towers and water tanks, as well as material storage tanks.

Zhang Laifu had worked in a factory and was familiar with these landmarks: "Wanshengzhou has a factory?"

This was the first time he had seen a factory since he arrived in Wansheng State.

Li Yunsheng shook his head: "This place doesn't count as a factory."

Upon closer inspection, Zhang Laifu discovered that there was also a boiler room, which was indeed quite unusual.

"Is this a thermal power plant?"

Li Yunsheng still shook his head: "This is not a power plant. Wansheng Prefecture cannot use electricity. The spiritual conflict prevents the normal transmission of electricity."

This boiler is the factory's power source; this factory is steam-powered, but even so, I still don't consider it a factory.

Zhang Laifu thought the factory was quite decent, only the equipment was a bit old. The water mist spraying from the gate valves, the exposed crankshafts and connecting rods, allowed Zhang Laifu to appreciate a unique mechanical beauty.

"Ah Sheng, why do you always say this place doesn't count as a factory?"

"Because this factory simply can't produce any products." Li Yunsheng led Zhang Laifu through the factory area.

The bamboo along the way encircled different areas of the factory. From a distance, there seemed to be no road, but upon closer inspection, a small path appeared, as if the bamboo had deliberately made way for Li Yunsheng.

Ahead was a white two-story warehouse. A woman was standing on the first floor, holding an account book, checking materials with several workers.

Upon seeing Li Yunsheng arrive, the woman handed the ledger to the worker beside her: "Dr. Li, aren't you busy with your business? How come you have time to come here?"

The woman was tall and slender, wearing a light blue stand-up collar coat that cinched her waist. She had fair skin, long, delicate eyebrows with slightly upturned arches, a straight nose, and well-proportioned lips; she was very pleasing to the eye.

The woman was beautiful and had a pleasant fragrance, but her sharp demeanor made her seem unapproachable.

Li Yunsheng took out a gold hairpin from his sleeve and handed it to the woman with both hands: "I have something to discuss with you."

The woman pointed to her helmet and asked, "Do you think it's appropriate for me to wear a hair ornament?"

Li Yunsheng put away the hairpin and took out a box of high-quality rouge: "I have a friend who works in the same profession as you, and he would like you to give him some pointers on some things."

The woman looked at the rouge: "I feel nauseous as soon as I smell rouge."

Li Yunsheng was also helpless. This new friend's temper was not easy to understand. He took out a handkerchief from his sleeve: "Lingluo City's cloud silk and soft satin, paired with the embroidery of Xue Niang Pavilion, this is a rare treasure!"

The woman took a towel out of her pocket: "I feel much better wiping my sweat with this!"

Li Yunsheng turned around and looked at Zhang Laifu: "I don't know what to do either."

Zhang Laifu asked, "Just tell me directly, what do you want?"

The woman was quite satisfied with Zhang Laifu's attitude: "I want the factory blueprints."

What type of factory?

"A factory that can operate normally in Wansheng State."

Li Yunsheng sighed: "We've said this many times, there's simply no factory that can operate in Wansheng Prefecture!"

The woman's eyebrows shot up immediately: "Isn't this my factory? Aren't I in Wansheng Prefecture? Can't my factory operate?" Li Yunsheng didn't speak, and Zhang Laifu looked at the materials in the warehouse.

Bamboo strips, paper, bamboo poles...

The materials looked familiar, so Zhang Laifu asked, "What industry are you in?"

“Lanterns!” The woman picked up a handful of paper lanterns. “Didn’t Li Yunsheng tell you? We’re in the same trade. I’m a paper lantern maker, and my factory makes paper lanterns too.”

Li Yunsheng chuckled from the side: "Your factory has never made a single paper lantern."

The woman protested, "That's because there's a problem with the process."

Zhang Laifu said from the side, "You should first clarify which process is problematic. It's just a few steps: material selection, processing, and assembly."

"Are you from out of state?" The woman noticed that Zhang Laifu's way of speaking was different.

Zhang Laifu puffed out his chest: "I received higher education in another state and have worked in many companies, all of which were paid internships."

Li Yunsheng advised, "Brother Laifu, don't speak too definitively."

"Your name is Laifu? Nice to meet you!" The woman became much more polite. "My name is Zhu Shiqing, and I'm a three-tiered paper lantern maker."

Zhang Laifu clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Your surname is Zhu? That's a rather uncommon surname."

Zhu Shiqing smiled and said, "I am Zhu Laoda, so of course my surname is Zhu."

Zhang Laifu suddenly realized: "Boss Zhu is..."

“Brother Laifu, Boss Zhu is the factory manager here.” Li Yunsheng was really worried that Zhang Laifu would say the words “Bamboo Demon” out loud.

What Zhang Laifu wanted to say wasn't about the bamboo demon: "The bamboo boss must be the master of Nanzhugang, no wonder he built the factory here."

Bamboo Girl smiled and said, "Nanzhugang is not just my territory. There are thirty-six Bamboo Bosses in this factory, and they all share the same ambition as me. We will definitely be able to build the first factory in Wansheng Prefecture."

Zhang Laifu straightened his chest: "I'm willing to help you!"

Zhu Shiqing showed Zhang Laifu around the factory. Zhang Laifu was experienced in this area. He was a regular at the factory in his spare time. He had tightened screws, put on labels, and installed sealing strips. He had accumulated a wealth of experience in the assembly line. If there was a problem in any link, it would definitely not escape his eyes.

However, after the visit, the situation was different from what Zhang Laifu had expected.

There were no problems with the material selection process; the bamboo strips were of consistent material and size, and any substandard bamboo strips were removed.

There were no problems with the processing; the length and curvature of the bamboo strips met the requirements for paper lantern making.

The assembly process was even better. Although it was a steam engine-driven device, it was flawless in terms of precision. Pasting paper and threading rods were all done smoothly.

However, the factory couldn't produce lanterns. Some lanterns had broken frames, some couldn't fit bamboo rings, and some had crooked wires that couldn't be attached to lantern poles.

There were no major deviations in the production process; the problems were all minor. However, these problems accumulated and prevented the production of a single qualified product.

Zhang Laifu was dumbfounded; he couldn't figure out what the problem was.

Li Yunsheng sighed: "Miss Zhu, how many times have I told you, I don't want to make lanterns for you with these machines."

Zhu Shiqing disagreed: "I will continue to adjust the process and procedures. If you can give me some technical assistance..."

"No amount of help will help!" Li Yunsheng shook his head repeatedly. "These machines haven't been properly trained. Unless you can grow a factory out of a bowl!"

Hearing these words, Zhang Laifu gained a deeper understanding of Wanshengzhou.

The bowl is surprisingly important in Wan Sheng Zhou.

(End of this chapter)