Transmigration: Flirted with My Childhood Sweetheart
Chapter 458 - 457: There Can Only Be One Rong Zhiguo!

Chapter 458: Chapter 457: There Can Only Be One Rong Zhiguo!

"Master, did you bully the Factory Director? When I first arrived, he was crying."

In the workshop, Lin Nianhe quietly asked Rong Zhiguo.

Rong Zhiguo had long given up being angry about Lin Nianhe insisting on calling him master. He lit a cigarette, his voice somewhat muffled: "What could I possibly do to him? He scared himself silly."

"Eh?"

Rong Zhiguo glanced at her, his eyes carrying equal parts disdain: "You’ve brought such a huge problem to us, even the Foreign Trade Department has been alerted. If we fail to produce the thing you want us to make, won’t the higher-ups scrape our mechanical factory clean?"

Lin Nianhe: "..."

She really hadn’t considered this.

For her, asking Uncle Huang to connect her with the mechanical factory was the fastest and easiest way, but she had overlooked the factory’s perspective.

Imagine, you’re sitting in the office, drinking tea and reading the newspaper, when suddenly a superior several ranks higher than you calls to inform you that another high-ranking leader’s precious daughter wants something made that no one has heard of or seen before, asking you to cooperate...

Who wouldn’t curse on the spot!

Lin Nianhe slapped her forehead, muttering with annoyance: "I really deserved to be taught a lesson for handling this matter!"

Rong Zhiguo didn’t expect Lin Nianhe to come to such a realization so quickly. The disdain in his eyes lessened somewhat, and looking at the slight redness on Lin Nianhe’s forehead, he said with some reluctance: "You’re so young, it’s normal to not understand these things. Old Chang just doesn’t have the backbone; pay him no mind."

Lin Nianhe shook her head: "A mistake is a mistake—I didn’t think it through."

Having said that, she walked towards Chang Jinzhong, who was busily husking corn cobs.

Rong Zhiguo didn’t follow. He lit a cigarette and watched Lin Nianhe’s retreating figure with a smile.

"This girl is quite interesting," he murmured softly.

His senior apprentice didn’t hear what he said and leaned in to ask, "Master, what did you say?"

Rong Zhiguo: "I said if you don’t smarten up soon, I might just transfer you to another workshop."

Senior Apprentice: "...!"

Lin Nianhe approached Chang Jinzhong, waited for him to stop what he was doing, and then said: "Uncle Chang, I’m sorry."

"Eh?" Chang Jinzhong was a bit slow to react, looking at her with confusion.

Lin Nianhe smiled apologetically: "I didn’t realize that asking Uncle Huang for help would cause trouble for you and the mechanical factory. I’m truly sorry." With that, she gave Chang Jinzhong a formal bow.

Chang Jinzhong was even more dazed. He looked at Lin Nianhe then at Old Rongzi, who was rarely seen smiling nearby, and after understanding the situation, he couldn’t help but give a bitter smile.

That old rascal, pulling a fast one on him when he wasn’t looking!

"It’s not your fault; it’s mine." Chang Jinzhong really couldn’t face admitting his cowardice to someone younger, so he changed the subject, "The corn husking machine is ready. You can take it back."

Lin Nianhe, sensing there was something Chang Jinzhong didn’t want to delve into, did not press further nor did she take the husking machine.

She said, "Uncle Chang, I’m not making this for myself only. You know more than I do; is it possible to arrange for mass production of this husking machine? Of course, if it’s too difficult, you don’t have to feel any pressure; I’ll tell Uncle Huang it was just a personal favor."

"The difficulty is there, of course. Setting up a new production line isn’t that easy." Rong Zhiguo came over with his hands behind his back, stood beside Lin Nianhe, and said to Chang Jinzhong, "Factory Director, it’s your call."

Chang Jinzhong looked at Rong Zhiguo, and the words he had just said to him echoed in his ears.

To do, or not to do?

Accompanying the challenge would surely be risks. Yesterday’s husking machine was purely handmade by Rong Zhiguo, and to transition to mechanical production would require a lot of work. An error in any part of the process could lead to wildly different results.

But, if we manage to pull it off, the vast corn-planting areas could significantly improve their production efficiency...

Chang Jinzhong had dodged responsibility his whole life and saw retirement approaching. Was he really ready to take on such an unpredictable responsibility?

If he succeeded, he would be able to retire in glory; if not, his late years would be tarnished.

Chang Jinzhong remained silent, pondering, wrestling with himself.

Lin Nianhe had countless arguments to persuade him, with a high chance of success.

Yet she did not utter a word, leaving the choice entirely to Chang Jinzhong.

She thought, if he decided to do it, then there would be no need to waste any more effort; if he didn’t want to risk it, then she would take the sample back to Hei Province. The steel and machinery factories in Hei Province were no worse than those in Beijing; she could surely find someone willing to take on the job.

Time ticked by, second by second, and Rong Zhiguo’s cigarette was finished.

He tossed the butt onto the ground and stamped it out with his foot.

"Girl, come with me; I’ll write down the component sizes and materials for you, and you go find..."

"Let’s do it."

Rong Zhiguo lifted his eyes to look at Chang Jinzhong: "What did you say?"

"I said, let’s do it."

Chang Jinzhong’s voice was a bit hoarse, he looked at Rong Zhiguo with a smile that didn’t look too good as his lips curled upwards.

"I’m already at this age; what’s there to be scared of?" Chang Jinzhong muttered to himself as if to hypnotize, then turned to Lin Nianhe, "Girl, you didn’t do anything wrong, truly."

He still didn’t voice his issues and didn’t want Rong Zhiguo to expose his weaknesses, so he simply said: "Old Rongzi, I’ll file a report; you organize the production."

Rong Zhiguo took out another cigarette pack, his hands trembling a bit.

He tossed a cigarette to Chang Jinzhong and said squinting: "Alright, let’s get down to it."

Chang Jinzhong caught the cigarette, laughing, a laughter exceedingly relaxed, as if a burden carried for many years was finally lifted off his shoulders.

Often, avoidance is more painful and exhausting than confrontation.

He had felt relief before, but more often, it was self-doubt and criticism that shrouded over him day and night like clouds and mist, because he knew he wasn’t always like this.

Chang Jinzhong looked at the cigarette in his hand, his eyes heating up.

Old Rongzi hadn’t given him a cigarette for over a decade.

Using the preparation of production as a reason, Chang Jinzhong asked Lin Nianhe to wait in the office first and sent her away, then he pulled Rong Zhiguo over, full of expectation and asked, "Old Rongzi, do you look down on me these years because you think I’m good for nothing and can’t handle responsibilities?"

Rong Zhiguo: "No, it’s mainly because your skills are not up to par, you’re a mechanic who only likes to read diagrams and make pretty but useless things, you’re overly generous with factory sweets, your way of handling things is wishy-washy like a woman... and you’re bald."

Chang Jinzhong: "..."

Him, him... how does his baldness affect anything!

"Straining the eyes."

"..."

Lin Nianhe initially thought that the two old men wanted to have a heartfelt chat, but when Chang Jinzhong returned to the office, his expression was so sorrowful it was as if he had just attended his own funeral.

Lin Nianhe: "Uncle Chang, what happened to you?"

"No, nothing," Chang Jinzhong rubbed his face, and after a moment of silence suddenly asked her, "Xiao Lin, do you really want to learn the fitter’s craft?"

"Mmm, I want to learn and understand some." His change of topic was too abrupt; Lin Nianhe was confused but still nodded honestly.

"Listen to me, you mustn’t learn from Old Rongzi!" Chang Jinzhong’s eyes filled with tears, "Our factory can’t have a second Rong Zhiguo!"

Lin Nianhe’s eyes inexplicably sparkled: "Sorry, Uncle Chang, I don’t quite understand what you mean... Could you please elaborate?"