Chapter 19: Jia Zhangshi Wants to

"Alright, alright, go back and do your old jobs properly," Li Mingyuan said lightly, passing between the three of them.

"I'm going to trim the thirty people down to fifteen tomorrow; with you lot around, I might not even be able to keep ten."

After saying this, he leisurely pushed open the gate of the small courtyard, leaving the three of them in the yard fuming with rage.

He Yuzhu poked his head out from the kitchen, a steamed bun still hanging from his mouth, and chuckled, "The new uncle is too amazing! He left them speechless!"

Yi Zhonghai glared at He Yuzhu resentfully: "What do you know, kid? Get back to cooking!"

Jia Dongxu walked home with his head down, his heart in a state of agitation.

If his mother found out about this, she would definitely fly into a rage again.

Sure enough, Jia Zhangshi was sitting on the threshold counting on her fingers; seeing her son return dejectedly, she immediately narrowed her eyes.

"What is it? Did you go find that pretty boy to settle the score? What did he say?" Jia Zhangshi grabbed her son's arm and asked eagerly.

Jia Dongxu repeated Li Mingyuan's words one by one, his voice getting quieter as he spoke, until it was almost a mosquito's hum at the end.

"What?" Jia Zhangshi stood up abruptly, snapping the chopsticks in her hand, "That little brat, he dares to talk about my son like that?"

Jia Dongxu shrank his neck in fear: "Mother, calm down. Chief Engineer Li makes sense, too; we really haven't learned those new technologies..."

"Slap!" Jia Zhangshi smacked her son on the back of the head, "Useless thing! You've been bullied and you're still speaking up for him?"

Suddenly, Jia Zhangshi's eyes rolled, and she revealed a sinister smile: "Doesn't this kid ride a bicycle to and from work?"

Jia Dongxu felt a chill in his heart; he knew this expression of his mother's all too well. "Mother, what are you planning? Don't do anything reckless!"

"Tomorrow morning, I'll wait at the courtyard gate," Jia Zhangshi said sinisterly, "When he rides out, I'll throw myself in front of his bike and let him hit me!"

Jia Dongxu was so shocked his eyes almost popped out: "Mother, isn't this 'touching porcelain'? What if you actually get hurt?"

"Fool!" Jia Zhangshi lowered her voice and said triumphantly, "I definitely won't let him actually hit me, but I can extort a sum from him, and then make him lose face in front of everyone in the courtyard!"

Jia Dongxu was sweating with anxiety: "Mother, this is illegal! Besides, Chief Engineer Li is so sharp, will he fall for it?"

"Hmph!" Jia Zhangshi was dismissive, "What's there to fear? At worst, I'll take a tumble. Anyway, Director Han from the Street Office listens to me the most. When it comes time to judge, let's see how Li Mingyuan explains himself!"

……

At the same time, in Yi Zhonghai's home, Long Laotai was sitting by the eight-immortal table, and Yi Zhonghai was whispering his grievances.

"Old lady, this Li Mingyuan is going too far," Yi Zhonghai poured a cup of tea and handed it over, "He's specifically making things difficult for the three of us, and he's so self-righteous about it!"

Long Laotai took the teacup, took a sip, and said slowly, "This kid has some tricks up his sleeve; he's not simple."

"What's not simple about him?" Yi Zhonghai said indignantly, "Relying on having a bit of ability, he looks down on everyone. Can a person like that achieve great things?"

Long Laotai narrowed her eyes, her voice low: "The more a person is like this, the harder they are to control."

Yi Zhonghai was stunned, then immediately understood: "Then, about the retirement plan..."

"Walk on two legs." Long Laotai smiled sinisterly, like an old fox, "Don't let up on He Yuzhu, and keep attacking Li Mingyuan's side."

"Zhuzi is honest enough," Yi Zhonghai mused, "it's just that he's useless, with limited prospects."

"The old lady is still the wise one! I'll go make arrangements right now..."

Long Laotai continued: "As for Li Mingyuan, I think this kid has secrets deep in his heart; we must find a way to pry them out."

"Secrets?" Yi Zhonghai asked curiously.

"Young as he is, he knows so much, has been to the Polar Bear country, and is now a favorite of the Military Industry Department..." Long Laotai said sinisterly, "Could he be a special operative?"

Yi Zhonghai's face changed: "You mean... a spy?"

"Shh!" Long Laotai held up a finger, "You can't just say things like that, but keeping an eye on him in secret is never wrong."

……

Li Mingyuan returned to the small courtyard, closed the doors and windows, and began his night work.

The wooden table under the lamp was covered with blueprints, and he held a pencil, drawing the design draft stroke by stroke.

"The current industrial conditions are indeed too poor," he muttered to himself with a frown, "there isn't even a basic Numerical Control System, let alone an automated Assembly Line."

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the quiet courtyard under the moonlight, his mind full of thoughts.

"I must find a way to use the simplest mechanical structure to replace the complex control system." A flash of brilliance crossed Li Mingyuan's eyes.

Returning to the table, he quickly drew a new design: "Human-machine collaborative semi-automated Assembly Line; workers are responsible for simple judgment and operation, while machines are responsible for precise positioning and processing."

On the blueprint, the Transmission System was significantly simplified, removing complex gear sets and replacing them with simple belt drives and clutch devices.

"Standardize the positioning devices; every process is fixed with pins, no fine-tuning is needed, and workers just need to operate according to standard procedures." He continued to add design details.

In this way, even workers without higher education could complete precision machining.

The midnight bell rang, but Li Mingyuan was completely unaware; he was focused on optimizing every production process, cutting out the complex and simplifying the simple.

"I'll discuss this plan with the Expert Group tomorrow," he rubbed his sore eyes, "If it goes well, the production line for the Type Weapon System will be settled."

……

Early in the morning, Jingcheng was shrouded in a light mist, and the brick walls of the Siheyuan were covered with a layer of crystalline dew.

Jia Zhangshi got up early and slipped out of the house without eating breakfast.

She looked around sneakily, and after confirming no one was paying attention, she squatted in the corner outside the gate of the Siheyuan.

"This time I must make that pretty boy suffer a big loss!" Jia Zhangshi rubbed her hands, a sinister light flashing in her eyes.

Yesterday's failure had left her both ashamed and annoyed.

The morning breeze was a bit cold; Jia Zhangshi shrank her neck, calculating her next plan in her head.

This time she didn't intend to fake a fall, but to have a real collision, to let Li Mingyuan actually hit her.

"I'm not even afraid of being hit to death, as long as I can get him into a lawsuit!" Jia Zhangshi thought through gritted teeth, having already calculated the follow-up plan in her heart.

Inside the gate, Li Mingyuan also got up very early and pushed his bicycle out of the small courtyard.

Some people in the yard were already up cooking; He Yuzhu was busy at the stove in the yard, and seeing Li Mingyuan, he greeted him foolishly: "Morning, new uncle!"

Li Mingyuan nodded, his expression relaxed and Nature: "Morning, little Zhuzi, what good food are you making today?"

"Steamed white flour buns with pickled vegetables." He Yuzhu smiled shyly, "Does the new uncle want to eat some? They'll be steamed in a moment!"

Li Mingyuan waved his hand: "No thanks, the factory has a canteen. Tell your father to rest more; don't let him get so tired all the time."

Mentioning his father, a trace of worry flashed in He Yuzhu's eyes: "My dad drank too much again last night and is still sleeping now."

Li Mingyuan nodded thoughtfully, said nothing more, and pushed his bicycle toward the main gate.

Seeing Li Mingyuan ride out, Jia Zhangshi's eyes lit up, and the muscles all over her body tensed, like a tiger ready to pounce on its prey.

Just as Li Mingyuan was about to pass through the gate, Jia Zhangshi suddenly darted out from the corner of the wall and lunged straight toward the front of the bicycle!

"Hey?! Jia Zhangshi?" Seeing the person before him, Li Mingyuan was startled, but then realized there was no one else around, so he pedaled hard and charged past.