Chapter 56: Sheltered by a Mighty Tree

With his patient and accessible explanations, Zhao Guoyang not only won over Workshop Director Zhang Fusheng and old Zhu, but also deepened the respect that the two technicians in the department, Zhang Chaoyang and Chang Yuan, felt for him. Zhao Guoyang’s abilities and modesty had already been acknowledged by everyone in the technical section, but since he was still relatively new at the factory, much of his talent had yet to be revealed.

Apart from Hua Guosheng, the technical backbone, the others still saw Zhao Guoyang mainly as someone who drew blueprints and talked theory. But as he gradually demonstrated his skills, the whole department’s recognition of him steadily grew.

Once the materials for the front frame tube were settled, the workshop resumed production according to the detailed diagrams Zhao had provided. That entire afternoon, Zhao Guoyang was almost constantly in the workshop. He had already discerned the level of the other technicians: Zhang Chaoyang and Chang Yuan, while diligent enough, were limited in capability—sometimes not even as effective as old Zhu, the seasoned technician in the workshop.

If Zhao Guoyang didn’t personally oversee things, many questions about the drawings would remain unresolved, and if old Zhu misunderstood anything, he’d have to fix the mistakes himself. In truth, manufacturing motorcycle frames was nothing new for Hongda Machinery Factory. The underbone frame might be more complex, but its fundamental elements didn’t differ much from the standard straddle-type frame. With Zhao Guoyang’s meticulous part diagrams and old Zhu’s experienced oversight, the workshop had essentially assembled the frame by the end of the afternoon.

Seeing the frame taking shape, Zhao Guoyang nodded to himself. At this pace, they’d be able to take it to Xiangyang Machinery Factory for additional welding by tomorrow morning. Zhao had already checked carefully—connecting the bent pipe at the spine of the underbone frame to the steel plate beneath required laser welding.

Since a trip to Xiangyang Machinery Factory was inevitable, Zhao decided to only tack weld the important joints on the frame for now, leaving the final welding to be done once they arrived at the other factory.

“Master Zhu, thank you for your hard work!” Zhao said, walking over as old Zhu wrapped up for the day, and politely handed him a cigarette.

Old Zhu now truly respected Zhao Guoyang. That whole afternoon, he’d experienced firsthand the young man’s technical prowess. Many welding details that old Zhu himself knew, Zhao Guoyang was perfectly clear on as well. In fact, apart from Director Wang Youchang, old Zhu had never really been convinced by anyone else from the technical department—Zhao Guoyang was the second.

“Ah, Section Chief Zhao, the frame’s pretty much assembled. But I heard you mention just now that we’re taking the frame to another factory for additional welding tomorrow. Will that risk leaking our product secrets?” Old Zhu asked, a bit concerned.

Zhao Guoyang smiled and waved it off. “Don’t worry, Master Zhu. The factory we’re taking it to also does machinery, but their products are mostly small items and farm equipment; there’s not much overlap with ours. Besides, an underbone motorcycle frame isn’t easy to copy. Even if they see the finished product, without the blueprints it would be hard for them to replicate it.”

Hearing this, old Zhu finally felt at ease, and as he smoked, he began chatting casually with Zhao Guoyang. The conversation inevitably turned to complaining about the outdated equipment and low productivity in the workshop, lamenting the lack of even a single laser welder and the need to borrow facilities from other factories.

Zhao Guoyang wasn’t irritated by the old man’s grumbling; on the contrary, he appreciated it. In this era, not many people saw these issues. Old Zhu, with his experience and skill, could go even further if given more exposure—perhaps even become a technical supervisor someday.

Although Zhao Guoyang had entrepreneurial ambitions, he also wanted to achieve something substantial at Hongda Machinery Factory. The reason was simple: with a large enterprise at his back, everything was easier. Hongda was one of the largest manufacturers in Ninghai City and a state-owned enterprise at that. Using this platform made it much easier to negotiate partnerships or recruit talent than it would be for a private company.

Take the Siyang Group, for example—if Zhao weren’t working at Hongda, he might never have had the chance to interact with such enterprises. As for talent like old Zhu, private companies in this era would find it nearly impossible to lure someone like him away.

For these reasons, Zhao Guoyang decided to continue working at Hongda Machinery Factory. Truthfully, with the knowledge and experience from his previous life, he could get by comfortably anywhere, never worrying about food or shelter. But as a former recipient of the state’s special expert stipend, Zhao Guoyang was passionate about advancing his country’s industry.

He saw Hongda Machinery Factory as a promising platform to realize his ideals, but a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step—he would have to take things one step at a time.

After work, just as Zhao Guoyang was about to go out for a bite, Houzi came looking for him. After a brief chat, Zhao suggested they treat themselves to a good meal, and Houzi readily agreed.

As the two were leaving the factory gate, they ran into Xu Dongfeng. Upon hearing they were going to eat, Xu insisted on joining. It wasn’t that he was taking advantage—he just saw Zhao Guoyang as a friend and not an outsider.

Without hesitation, Zhao Guoyang took Xu Dongfeng and Houzi to a restaurant for a good meal. With Xu present, Zhao couldn’t say much to Houzi, but as they parted he simply told him to keep an eye on the market and wait for further instructions.

The next morning, Zhao Guoyang arrived early at the office to see Director Mu Aijun and ask him to arrange a vehicle to go to Xiangyang Machinery Factory. Director Mu had been away at a city meeting these past few days, but fortunately he was in today.

When Zhao Guoyang knocked and entered, Mu greeted him with a smile. “Guoyang, I’ve heard all about it. You’ve done the factory another great service this time. Youchang reported to me last night that the underbone motorcycle frame has been assembled. You’re taking it to Xiangyang Machinery Factory for welding this morning, right?”

Zhao Guoyang was relieved to hear this—Director Wang had, as usual, prepared everything meticulously and informed Director Mu in advance. That saved Zhao the trouble of further explanation today.

“Yes, Director. I’m here to request a vehicle,” Zhao said.

Mu Aijun waved his hand expansively. “No need to request—permission granted!”

“But I have to go to a meeting in the city today and I need to take Xiao Qiang with me. As for the factory’s truck, you can find someone to drive it. If no one’s available, you might as well have Director Youchang do it himself—he’s quite the seasoned driver!”

Zhao Guoyang couldn’t help but laugh. “Director Mu, that’s hardly a problem—I can manage without troubling Director Wang!”