dkrc Chapter 5 Accident
Chapter 5 Accident
"Why are you here?" Jiang Cheng asked, somewhat surprised.
Zheng Yanxi, carrying a lunchbox, asked, "I heard there was an accident in your workshop. Didn't you have dinner?"
Jiang Cheng took the lunchbox, a warmth spreading through his heart: "Thank you. Have you eaten?"
"I've eaten." Zheng Yanxi stood at the door, showing no intention of coming in. "I heard that the imported rolling mill broke down, and the foreman is very worried?"
"Hmm." Jiang Cheng opened the lunchbox, which contained steaming hot dumplings. "Did you make these?" As soon as he said it, he realized he had said the wrong thing.
"Of course not," Zheng Yanxi paused, "I don't know how to wrap them."
Jiang Cheng smiled and said, "Why don't you come in and sit for a while?"
Zheng Yanxi hesitated for a few seconds before walking in. The dormitory was small, with only a bed and a table. Jiang Cheng told her to sit on the bed, while he sat on a stool.
"Ah~ open your mouth." Jiang Cheng used chopsticks to pick up a dumpling and stuff it into his own mouth, leaving half of it sticking out, and then Zheng Yanxi's mouth was forcibly stuffed with half a dumpling.
"Sweetie, give me a kiss."
"Tch, you're so irresponsible." Two blushes had already appeared on Zheng Yanxi's cheeks. Her already fair skin made her look even more like a budding flower, which made Jiang Cheng's little brother "stand tall and puff out his chest" for a while.
"I don't know much about what's going on in your factory," Zheng Yanxi said softly, "but if there's anything I can help with, just let me know."
Jiang Cheng looked at her. Under the lamplight, her face remained aloof, but her eyes held a hint of gentleness. He knew that this "help" referred to more than just the rolling mill.
"Okay." Jiang Cheng nodded. "By the way, what about your parents...?"
"I wrote to them and told them. I said we got married." Zheng Yanxi lowered her head.
Jiang Cheng was taken aback: "What did they say?"
"I haven't received a reply yet." Zheng Yanxi's voice was even lower. "My dad... he's very traditional, he probably won't agree."
Jiang Cheng put down his chopsticks: "Whether they agree or not, we're already married. I'll try my best to get your dad's approval."
Zheng Yanxi looked up at him but didn't say anything. But there were complex emotions in that glance.
The two were silent for a moment. Zheng Yanxi stood up: "I should go back. You should get some rest."
"I'll see you off." Jiang Cheng stood up.
"No need, it's in the building next door." Zheng Yanxi pushed open the door, then turned back and said, "Don't push yourself too hard with the rolling mill. Safety first."
Jiang Cheng nodded and watched her disappear at the end of the corridor.
Back in his room, Jiang Cheng couldn't sleep. He took out paper and pen and began to draw a structural sketch of the rolling mill from memory. Although he couldn't completely recreate it, he could draw the key parts. After finishing, he made markings in several places.
The next morning, Jiang Cheng went to the machine repair workshop. Huang Deqing was already there, staring blankly at several instruction manuals.
"Master, take a look at this." Jiang Cheng handed over the sketch.
Huang Deqing took it and stared in disbelief: "This is... the structure of that rolling mill?"
"I observed all day yesterday and roughly sketched it out," Jiang Cheng said. "It may not be accurate, but it can be used as a reference."
Huang Deqing carefully examined the sketch, gesturing with his finger: "Here...here...you drew it in great detail. Is this the bearing housing?"
"Yes." Jiang Cheng pointed to one of the markings. "Master, I suspect the problem is with the roller, not the bearing housing."
Huang Deqing looked up: "Rolls? What could be wrong with the rolls?"
"You see, if the bearing seat shifts, there should be a gap between the roll and the bearing, which would produce abnormal noise. But when we listened to the sound yesterday, there was no obvious abnormal noise, only a dull sound when tapped. This indicates that the roll itself may have micro-cracks, leading to a decrease in rigidity, and the sound is not right when tapped," Jiang Cheng explained in layman's terms as much as possible.
Huang Deqing frowned: "Micro-cracks? You mean the rolling mill is broken?"
"It's not necessarily broken, it might be damaged," Jiang Cheng said. "If we can disassemble it and inspect the surface of the roll, we should be able to find it."
Huang Deqing pondered for a moment: "But the factory doesn't agree to demolish it. Experts from the province all say we have to wait for foreign experts."
"Master, even if foreigners come, they might not fix it right away. They also need to inspect it. Let's figure out the problem first, so we'll be prepared when they arrive," Jiang Cheng advised.
Huang Deqing looked at him, his eyes filled with complex emotions: "Chengzi, when did you learn all this?"
Jiang Cheng was prepared: "I...I'm reading. My dad left me some books on mechanics, and I flip through them when I have free time."
That reason is barely acceptable. Huang Deqing nodded: "Okay, then we'll find an opportunity. But we can't dismantle it openly; it'll be difficult to explain to Director Zhou."
"Let's sneak a peek into the workshop during the lunch break when no one's around," Jiang Cheng suggested.
At noon, the workers went to eat. Huang Deqing and Jiang Cheng sneaked into the steel rolling workshop. The machines were still there, and the area was cordoned off. The two crawled inside, and Jiang Cheng took out his flashlight and carefully shone it on the surface of the rolls.
Sure enough, near the edge, there were several very fine cracks, almost invisible without close inspection. Jiang Cheng asked Huang Deqing to take a look.
Huang Deqing examined it for a long time before finally noticing. He gasped, "It really is a crack! If this were to run, the rollers might break, and that would be a disaster!"
"Master, the problem now is, why did the cracks appear?" Jiang Cheng said. "I think it might be due to insufficient estimation of rolling force in the design. Sometimes the temperature of our steel billets is uneven; when the temperature is low, the hardness is high, and the rolling force is exceeded."
Huang Deqing seemed to understand something: "You mean, it's not a problem with our operation, but a problem with the machine itself?"
"You can't say that," Jiang Cheng shook his head. "The machine was designed according to standards, but our raw materials and operating conditions may be different from those abroad. So you can't completely blame the machine, nor can you blame us."
Huang Deqing patted him on the shoulder: "Chengzi, you've hit the nail on the head. Let's go find Director Zhou."
"Now?" Jiang Cheng hesitated. "Is Factory Director Zhou in a meeting?"
"We have to go to the meeting too." Huang Deqing pulled him along.
The two arrived at the factory manager's office, where Manager Zhou was present. Huang Deqing explained the situation, and Manager Zhou stared at Jiang Cheng: "Jiang, are you sure?"
Jiang Cheng nodded: "Factory manager, I saw it with my own eyes. If it's just a bearing problem, it can be repaired when the foreigners come. But if it's a cracked roller, it could break at any time, and then the whole machine will be ruined."
Factory Director Zhou pondered for a moment: "You mean we must deal with this immediately?"
"Yes, at least we need to remove the rolls first to check the depth of the cracks," Jiang Cheng said.
"But the experts from the province said we have to wait," said Director Zhou, somewhat troubled.
"Factory manager, the expert's opinion is just to be on the safe side, but we can't wait. If the crack widens, the losses will be even greater," Huang Deqing chimed in.
Factory Director Zhou stood up and walked around the room twice: "Okay, I agree to your demolition. But you must be careful. Take photos and keep records during the demolition so that we can explain it to the foreigners in the future."
"Okay!" Huang Deqing readily agreed.