sbdcsierra Chapter 20 Reporting to School
Chapter 20 Reporting to School
The next day, Chen Weiguo got up very early.
My luggage was packed last night.
There was only a military backpack containing a few changes of clothes, an enamel mug, a mess kit, a towel, and a mechanical manual.
It's very simple and practical.
After reminding his sister to take good care of herself again, he hopped on his old bicycle and set off.
Yanjing Industrial Vocational School is more than 30 kilometers away from the machinery factory.
I first rode my bike to the bus stop, then transferred to two buses, and it took me almost three hours to get there.
Standing at the school gate, Chen Weiguo looked around.
The school is not large. The main building is a square red brick building in the Soviet style, which looks quite impressive.
Next to him was a row of training workshops, filled with lathes, milling machines, and planers; he recognized the models at a glance.
They're all made in China, and they're in pretty good condition.
It seems the school values hands-on skills.
Quite a few students had already arrived to register, walking in twos and threes with their luggage toward the registration area.
The age range is quite wide, including young people in their twenties and middle-aged people in their forties.
Each of them is calm and confident, and they must all be capable leaders in their respective factories.
Chen Weiguo followed them to the registration desk and handed over his letter of introduction and recommendation to the window.
A bespectacled female teacher behind the window opened the materials and asked, "Are you a level six fitter from the Yanjing Machinery Factory?"
"Yes."
"You also won a second-class ministerial-level award for technological innovation?"
Chen Weiguo nodded again.
The female teacher remarked with emotion, "Your group of trainees, a total of forty-six people, come from eleven provinces and cities, and are all top-notch technicians recommended by various factories and regions. But among you, you are the only one who has won a ministerial-level award..."
Several students who were going through the procedures nearby heard this and turned to look at him.
Chen Weiguo smiled modestly and said, "I was just lucky."
The female teacher looked at him admiringly: "You're the first person I've ever seen who can describe a ministerial-level award as luck. Alright, all the paperwork is complete. Your dormitory is room 203 in building 3. Now go to the logistics department to get your bedding."
Chen Weiguo took the documents and walked towards the logistics department.
While queuing to collect bedding, I suddenly felt someone pat me on the shoulder.
"Comrade, when I was reporting for duty just now, I heard... you're Chen Weiguo, the one who makes coated cutting tools?"
Chen Weiguo turned around and saw a lean young man in his early twenties looking at him with great enthusiasm.
"I am. And you are?"
The young man grabbed his hand: "My name is Liu Changsheng, from the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai, a level 5 fitter. I've heard of you since I was in Shanghai! The veteran craftsmen in our tool group are all talking about your coating, saying it can extend the lifespan of domestically made tools several times over. You're really amazing!"
Upon hearing this, the students in line all looked over.
"Is he that amazing guy from the machine factory?"
"He looks quite young. He's already a level six worker at 23 and even won a ministerial-level award."
"That's amazing."
"..."
Chen Weiguo remained calm.
By now, he had gotten used to the feeling of being in the spotlight.
Chen Weiguo and Liu Changsheng both lived in dormitory 203. After collecting their bedding, they went to the dormitory.
At this time, three people had already arrived in the dormitory.
Chen Weiguo had just put down his bedding when the man on the opposite bed approached him warmly: "Hello, my name is Zhou Guoqiang, from Shenyang Heavy Machinery Factory, a level six fitter. What's your surname?"
"Chen Weiguo, Yanjing Machinery Factory, Level 6 Fitter."
Zhou Guoqiang looked at him incredulously: "A level six fitter? How old are you this year?"
"Twenty-three."
Zhou Guoqiang paused for a second, then turned to look at Liu Changsheng beside him: "Have you ever seen a 23-year-old level six fitter before?"
Liu Changsheng chuckled and said, "I've never met him. But I've heard of him. Brother Chen has become quite famous in our area lately."
Chen Weiguo greeted everyone in the dormitory.
Everyone was quite enthusiastic, except for the middle-aged man on the bed near the door.
When introducing himself, he only said that his name was Song Jianping and that he was from Baotou, and then he lowered his head to continue looking at the documents.
Liu Changsheng leaned close to Chen Weiguo's ear and whispered, "Old Song hasn't said a word since he arrived. Yesterday, someone asked him what his factory did, and he just said it was a military factory. When asked anything else, he didn't say a word."
Chen Weiguo understood.
People working in military factories should have confidentiality agreements.
Moreover, judging from the Russian document in Lao Song's hand, it wasn't an ordinary process manual; it seemed to be about the processing of special materials.
People who have access to this kind of information are not ordinary workers.
This dormitory is truly a place where hidden talents abound.
Chen Weiguo felt a surge of emotion.
……
A few days before the start of the semester, Chen Weiguo took a stroll around the campus.
The training workshop is located at the east end of the playground.
The library is on the first floor of the office building.
The head chef in the cafeteria is from Northeast China. He steams cornbread for lunch and makes flatbread for dinner.
The taste was just average, but the portion was generous.
Studying at school generally doesn't require you to pay for your own tuition.
The school provides subsidies, and the factory also offers allowances.
Not only does he not spend the money, he can even save a little each month.
Classes will officially begin soon.
The classroom was already full before the school bell rang.
There were more than forty people, the oldest being in their forties and the youngest in their early twenties.
Chen Weiguo chose a seat by the window and sat down. Liu Changsheng sat next to him, opened his textbook and glanced at it, looking worried... Why is it all formulas?
Zhou Guoqiang sat in the back and had already started taking notes.
The bell rang, and a middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit walked into the classroom carrying lecture notes.
"Hello, comrades. My surname is Zheng, and I'm on loan from Tsinghua University. I'll be teaching you this course, 'Principles of Metallic Materials'."
Professor Zheng glanced around the classroom: "Before this class officially begins, I'd like to ask you all a question... Why do you think you're here to study theory? That student, you tell me."
Zhou Guoqiang was called upon. He stood up and thought for a moment: "Professor, I think that after learning the theory, I can definitely work faster. Before, I relied on trial and error, and if I made a mistake, I had to start over. After learning the theory, I can calculate how to do it first, so I don't have to try so many times."
Professor Zheng nodded in satisfaction: "Well said. Are there any other answers, you?"
Liu Changsheng scratched his head and stood up: "I think once I learn the theory, I'll be able to argue with the technicians. Before, they said I didn't understand, and I really didn't understand; I couldn't even argue back. Now that I've learned it, I can use the theory to argue with them and even win."
The whole class burst into laughter.
Professor Zheng smiled as well: "That's one reason. It's a bit off-topic, but it makes a lot of sense. Okay, any other ideas, student?"
Chen Weiguo was called out.
"Professor, I believe the core value of theory is not to help us explain what we already know, but to enable us to predict and control what we don't know."
Professor Zheng immediately became interested: "Oh? Tell me more."
Chen Weiguo said, "Practical experience tells us what parameters produce what effects. But experience has a limited scope. Once we encounter new materials or new processes, experience becomes ineffective. The role of theory is to provide a basic model. No matter how the materials change, we can derive reasonable process parameters from scratch without having to try and fail repeatedly."
A murmur rippled through the classroom.
Zhou Guoqiang stared at him in surprise. Liu Changsheng, standing beside him, gaped, unable to close his mouth.
Professor Zheng adjusted his glasses and asked, "What's your name?"
"Chen Weiguo".
Professor Zheng flipped through the roster, found his name, and suddenly looked up: "You're Chen Weiguo, the one who won the ministerial-level technological innovation award? The one about coating technology?"
"Yes."
A commotion immediately broke out in the audience.
What was just a curious glance has now turned into shock.
Ministerial-level Technological Innovation Award...
This isn't some kind of internal factory commendation.
It is a national-level honor officially awarded by the ministry.
There aren't many of them in the whole country.