Chapter 258

"... What is this?"

Winter clouds, cold wind blowing.

Ji Jue stood in front of the desolate and dilapidated factory area, still holding onto that tiny glimmer of hope, and mustered the courage to ask.

"Factory area." The middle-aged man answered immediately.

"What area?"

"Factory."

The middle-aged man smiled honestly, just like a foreman on an assembly line facing new cattle and horses, telling them, welcome to the factory, the factory is like this.

People always have to accept reality; have you finished accepting it?

Once you've finished accepting it, let's start happily tightening screws!

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He is actually still a first-level mechanical engineer!

The only copycat small bread van that Coastal Automobile can still circulate in the market is the one he presided over the "development" of back then.

Only the back that had just straightened up gradually hunched down.

Or rather, there was still a glimmer of expectation in his heart.

Or even, a helpless, numb sigh.

Yan Jian was sluggish, "Then why did you..."

Even if the hope was extinguished, he didn't give up on himself.

Along the way, Ji Jue touched this and that under his nose, jumping up and down from time to time, finding everything novel.

Ten minutes later, the elite backbone of the current Coastal Automobile Factory gathered in the drafty office to complete the assembly.

Yan Jian's smile stiffened for a moment, and he coughed, "Before that..."

He originally thought the Coastal Automobile Factory would be very bleak, but he never expected it to be bleak to this extent.

It can be reopened.

Only his face gradually turned red, his expression twitched, as if he were furious, but he didn't know who to get angry at. In the end, all that came out of his mouth was silence.

Maybe the difficulties are only temporary? Maybe if you endure, you can see hope? Maybe the pie drawn by the leader can really be eaten? And, maybe the damn leader's whole family will die tomorrow? Now, waiting for the stars and the moon, waiting for a phone call notifying that it will restart operation and the god-sent great man Ji Jue, it would be fake to say he wasn't excited.

Thoroughly!

"Arranged by my teacher, internship."

Over these years, if he hadn't occasionally maintained it, I'm afraid even this last batch of equipment and machines would have been scrapped or resold long ago, and not even a hair would be left.

Unfortunately, good times didn't last long; life became harder and harder, the factory became more depressed day by day, and there were no screws to tighten. Yet, for various reasons, he had to pretend to be doing something to deceive himself and others, retaining a certain number of personnel and establishment. Thus, Yan Jian's positions became more and more concurrent, and in the end, he became the last remaining cattle and horse in the empty shell who could tighten screws.

Beside the coal stove, everyone was blowing the fire with gray faces, lit the coal, and after boiling the water, held enamel mugs or tea in disposable paper cups to hold the first reorganization meeting.

Ji Jue looked at the documents displayed on the middle-aged man's mobile phone screen in disbelief, dumbfounded, "Why didn't you leave?"

Yan Jian revealed a smile that was not much better than crying.

After the brief meeting, Yan Jian took the initiative to lead the way, wanting to invite Ji Jue to inspect his loyal production department. Along the way, there was a continuous stream of flattery and praise, and he felt that he was probing Ji Jue's situation and background in a roundabout way, but it was actually very obvious.

"Come, come, come, please come in."

What the hell, first-level...

The automobile factory has fallen into this state; those who really do the work don't worry about finding another job and have long since found another way out. Those who could leave and those who could go can be said to have left decades ago.

From the production and assembly of the car chassis, the processing of the frame and sub-frame, to the stamping, welding, painting, electrophoresis, and final assembly of the car body... all can make people feel that this corpse was once quite beautiful before it died.

The middle-aged man Yan Jian smiled as if an old chrysanthemum was blooming on his face, every wrinkle overflowing with joy and expectation, "Mr. Ji is here, the future is here; Mr. Ji is here, the way out is here!"

Moreover, many key pieces of equipment are still there. Although they are broken or scrapped, at least they can be used after repairs. At least he didn't really give Ji Jue a piece of wasteland and let him hand-rub it out of thin air...

But his look of half-understanding didn't look like it was acted out at all.

Wanting to figure out exactly what happened.

Do I not want to leave?

"Follow me."

"Minister... Minister Yan, there's no need for this."

The dust-covered, silent press, the long-stagnant conveyor belt, the equipment that couldn't be put back together after being disassembled, and the hoisting racks and assembly facilities that couldn't move, made anyone with common sense of modern industry shed a few little pearls.

Sitting on a "luxury office chair" with cracks and peeling all over the cushion, Ji Jue held a disposable tea cup and looked at the Crouching Dragon and Phoenix Chicks in front of him, his tears almost flowing down.

They are the new acting factory manager Ji Jue, the Coastal Automobile Factory security guard, gatekeeper, caretaker, and farming old farmer Liu Jinzhu, the personnel, finance, and boiler heating manager Wang Haichuan, and the most important of them all, Yan Jian, the Minister of the Technical Department, Equipment Department, Assembly Department, and Production Management Department of the Coastal Automobile Factory.

"Never done it, never seen it, and have no experience."

It's just like visiting a body at a funeral home.

And the temporary worker, Liu Jinzhu's nephew Liu Xiaobao, who was burying his head in his elementary school homework at the small table next to him.

"Sorry, I have never managed it; this is my first time in an automobile factory in my life." Ji Jue told the truth, "I don't have any other automobile factory investments behind me, let alone any financial group support. Even this factory manager was forced to take the position, and it's just an acting one." Ji Jue decisively extinguished his last glimmer of hope, "As for myself, I haven't graduated from university yet, I'm a graduate student. Reaching the sky with my hands has nothing to do with me, and having billions in family assets is only in my dreams."

This ghost place can still keep a first-level one?!

And Ji Jue's expression suddenly became as unspeakable as all the cattle and horses.

Silence, in the long silence, Yan Jian looked at him sluggishly, as if some shattering sound had started.

When the years were better, he was still enthusiastically leading everyone to do business, organizing all this from nothing. It can be said that even if he couldn't be the biological father, at least he was half the cheap foster father of the Coastal Automobile Factory.

"Parents died early, took out loans to go to school."

A lonely roll of dust-covered rusted steel, a dozen bundles of cables scattered into a ball, seven or eight boxes of screws, and two hardened tires—this is the raw material reserve that would make even a rat shed tears.

"..."

He really hasn't seen it.

He was too happy too early. When building the factory, he was greedy for that signing fee and signed a fifty-year contract in one breath, almost bound for life.

It's the kind that had to be put back together after being smashed to pieces at a car accident scene because of the family's request.

Ji Jue said decisively, "If you have to say, does working in a car repair shop count? I often repair that model of car; its stability is actually better than the original, it's just that the engine loves to leak oil."

Ji Jue answered straightforwardly, raised his hand, and pointed to the giant press covered in dust in the opened factory building, "Can you trouble yourself to introduce what that is for? I haven't seen this model; how many tons is it?"

Don't know if it's a fluke or the disillusionment of hope.

Although it has long been outdated and worthless, at least it exists, just like Yan Jian who was abandoned here, no one cares, no one asks.

The only one who is still somewhat reliable is the bald middle-aged Yan Jian who ran to the front to lead the way for him.

It can be vaguely seen that the founder back then was still very ambitious and idealistic, and all the processes were once complete.

"Come, come, come, Mr. Ji, please follow me, oh, be careful, there is more dust over there."

He lowered his head and walked in front listlessly.

Ji Jue coughed, "I'm just here to take a look."

First material storage, then production workshop, and then the empty finished product warehouse.

Can be used, can be operated, can be started.

Over these years, watching the wind rise and fall, buildings rise and collapse, receiving a dead salary without performance, even if he wanted to run away, he couldn't. Every day, besides drinking tea and smoking, when he was bored, he could only open an online store to develop a side business.

Yan Jian's expression twitched, still holding onto a glimmer of hope, "Then you..."

"Must be, it's rare for you to come here once, come, drink tea, drink tea, please go this way."

"..."

Yan Jian also wants to, but he can't run...

After all, having been stifled for so many years, if he were going to go crazy, he would have gone crazy long ago, and if he were going to be numb, he would have been numb long ago; it's nothing more than another destruction.

Yan Jian is still somewhat reliable, dutiful and responsible.

Every part seems to be there, but it seems to be missing something, nothing is quite right, the only similarity is that it is almost dead.

It's better to be direct, starting with a bowl! Among this pile of Crouching Dragons and Phoenix Chicks, the gatekeeper old man Liu Jinzhu heard that helping people watch the gate would get him four hundred yuan a month, and the land inside was free for him to farm, so he came to work part-time, buying one and getting one free, bringing his nephew, one responsible for farming during the day, one responsible for sleeping at night. Its importance is self-evident, simply indispensable.

"..."

Occasionally he would interject to chat about parameters and details. If it weren't for seeing Ji Jue's student ID, Yan Jian almost thought it was a peer from somewhere teasing him.

Anyway, there is money to be made, although not much, but it's stable, isn't it?

Amidst the harsh friction, he struggled to pull open the iron door and enthusiastically welcomed Ji Jue into the factory, "Old Liu! Old Liu!! Where the hell did you die? Hurry up, someone is here, hurry up and boil water..."

Just treat it as being a tour guide for the newcomer in the pit.

Yan Jian was stunned for a moment, then waved his hand, becoming more enthusiastic, "Mr. Ji, what are you saying? What our automobile factory lacks is you and the advanced management and work experience you bring."

From the time the factory was built until now, he has stayed here for so long; no one knows the tragic situation of the coast better than him. Wanting to truly turn over overnight is just wishful thinking.

Life is hopeless.

Finance and personnel Wang Haichuan is over sixty this year, has early dementia, can't even press the calculator, doesn't know what to ask, doesn't know what to say, and is about to retire this month, just waiting to go home to collect his pension.

Feeling that life is already over.

Here, if you don't believe me, this is my student ID."

Until Ji Jue sighed helplessly, "Minister Yan, don't be like this, we are all brothers in trouble, if things get messed up, we might have to take the blame together."

Give up hope, accept reality.

It's just that, when he laughs, it's the same as himself back then.

When touching the machine and talking about details, his eyes shine.

Yan Jian sighed silently and withdrew his gaze.

No longer looking.

(End of chapter)