Time Travel: Volume 1! Starting from a Small Mountain Village

Upon hearing this, Long Lifan fell into deep thought. She understood the caution of Zhou Huiji and the others; after all, carrying a large sum of money would make anyone feel uneasy.

She recalled the payment tools of later generations—Alipay and WeChat Pay—when people almost no longer carried cash, and all transactions were completed through electronic payments, which was both convenient and safe.

The thought of having a system account brought Long Lifan a sense of relief. This account not only provided her with financial convenience but also gave her a greater sense of security in this era. She secretly rejoiced, thankful for the system account; otherwise, she too would have been like Zhou Huiji, constantly worrying about carrying large amounts of cash.

They got off the car with trepidation. As they passed the machinery factory, Long Lifan stopped and looked at them, saying:

"Captain, I need to speak with Director Xu. Are you coming in with me, or are you waiting here?"

Lin Guodong and the others decided to wait outside. Seeing this, Long Lifan didn't say anything and went into the machinery factory alone.

The gatekeeper at the machinery factory was the same young man as before, who immediately recognized Long Lifan as she walked over. He greeted her warmly with a big smile, opened the gate wide, and respectfully invited Long Lifan inside.

In stark contrast to the cold reception he received when Long Lifan first visited, how could he dare to make things difficult for her now? After all, Long Lifan was a favorite of the factory director, and offending her was tantamount to offending the factory director.

"You've arrived, Long Zhiqing! Please have a seat!" Xu Tiansheng rushed over as soon as he learned that Long Zhiqing had come to the machinery factory, and said with great enthusiasm, while also inviting Long Zhiqing into his office.

"Xiao Qiu, quickly pour some water. Long Zhiqing must be thirsty after rushing from the village to the county town."

The "Little Qiu" that Xu Tiansheng mentioned was Qiu Dongdong. Some time ago, when the machinery factory expanded its scale, Xu Tiansheng also assigned himself a secretary.

Thinking of Qiu Yuansheng's tireless efforts for the machinery factory, especially recently, as the production manager, Qiu was often working overtime. Moreover, Qiu Yuansheng was the one who introduced him to Long Zhiqing, so he specially recruited Qiu Dongdong as a reward for Qiu Yuansheng.

"Director Xu, take a look at these blueprints!" Long Lifan deftly pulled out a stack of carefully prepared blueprints from her handbag.

Seeing this, Xu Tiansheng was taken aback and thought to himself, "Long Zhiqing is really amazing; he always manages to come up with something new and interesting." In contrast, the people he had recruited were still completely clueless and couldn't even find a clear direction.

He quickly took the blueprints from Long Lifan, examined them carefully, and said with some surprise, "These are all..."

Factory Director Xu stared wide-eyed at the blueprints before him, his mouth slightly agape, seemingly speechless. Long Lifan simply smiled faintly, saying nothing more.

This time, the blueprints were not the simple mechanical designs of the past, but a complete equipment solution, including multiple functions such as rice milling and flour grinding. Moreover, the design concepts of these machines were ahead of their time, almost like technologies that would only appear in later generations.

Long Lifan was also unsure, wondering if the machinery factory's existing technology and equipment could handle such advanced production tasks. She looked at the stunned Factory Director Xu, her eyes filled with anticipation and trepidation, hoping the machinery factory could bring her some pleasant surprises.

Xu Tiansheng's gaze was fixed on the blueprints in his hands, meticulously flipping through each page, his brow furrowing slightly from time to time. Time passed quietly, and about three minutes later, he finally looked away from the complex lines and data, and looked up at Long Lifan:

“Long Zhiqing, I’ve looked at your blueprints carefully. Theoretically, it’s possible to manufacture them.” He spoke slowly, his tone carrying a hint of approval, but then he changed the subject, “However, the precision requirements for these parts you’ve specified are too high. With the current conditions of our factory, I’m afraid it will be difficult to manufacture them in a short time.”

After saying that, he sighed softly, his eyes revealing a hint of helplessness and worry.

“Director Xu, I have an idea,” Long Lifan said, looking at Xu Tiansheng with a determined glint in her eyes. “We can try contacting machinery factories in Beijing and ask them to help process these precision parts. I know that our county's machinery factory has limited resources right now, but the technology and equipment of those big factories in Beijing are top-notch. They can definitely make them.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Tiansheng frowned, a hint of hesitation on his face: "This...is it going to work? All those big factories in Beijing are so arrogant, would they be willing to help a small factory like ours?"

His tone revealed a hint of insecurity, clearly indicating that he was not optimistic about the prospects of cooperating with the major factories in Beijing.

"Director Xu, don't worry too much." Seeing Xu Tiansheng's troubled expression, Long Lifan quickly comforted him, "You can't go directly to those big factories in Beijing, but you can try through the provincial channels. Or, we can also start with the Ministry of Agriculture."

"Just think about it, once this machine is successfully produced, how much benefit will it bring to our rural commune members? This is not just a matter for our factory, but a great thing that benefits the country and the people! I believe that if the Ministry of Agriculture finds out, it will definitely give its full support. They will definitely spare no effort to help us coordinate resources and ensure the smooth progress of this project."

Long Lifan's words gradually eased Xu Tiansheng's brow, and hope rekindled in his eyes. Their previous successes had already attracted the attention of the Ministry of Agriculture; going to them now might actually work out.

He thought to himself, "No wonder it has to be Long Zhiqing! He's so quick-witted; he's already come up with this idea."

"By the way, Director Xu, I'd like to borrow your office phone for a moment." Long Lifan decided to tell her parents about her grandparents' situation so that her mother could feel at ease.

In recent years, with my maternal grandfather and others being sent to the countryside, my mother's smiles have noticeably decreased, even though she has never shown it in front of them.

But they were her biological parents after all, how could a child not worry? Long Lifan even saw her mother secretly wiping away tears in the kitchen during holidays several times.

“Okay, go ahead and use it. The phone is right there.” Xu Tiansheng pointed to the old-fashioned phone on the table, then turned and walked out of the office, gently closing the door behind him, leaving Long Lifan with a quiet space.

Long Lifan walked to the phone, picked up the receiver, and her fingers danced across the keypad as she dialed the number for the Shanghai Textile Factory. The phone rang several times before a gentle voice finally came through: "Hello, this is the Shanghai Textile Factory. Who are you looking for?"

Long Lifan quickly replied, "Hello, please help me find Ms. Zuo Shuli in the maternity department. I am her daughter, Long Lifan..."

"Okay, please wait a moment..."

"Hello, is this Er Ya?" After a few minutes, Zuo Shuli's voice on the other end of the phone carried a hint of surprise and disbelief.

Just now, while she was at work, she suddenly received a call from the publicity department saying that she had a phone call. When she asked, she found out that it was her second daughter, who was working in the countryside, calling. So she rushed over without stopping.

"Mom, it's me." Long Lifan's eyes welled up with tears when she heard her mother's voice. Her forced strength crumbled instantly at her mother's question, and her heart was filled with longing for her mother.