After Xia Wan spoke, the surroundings fell completely silent. The only sound left was the steady, rhythmic hum of the machines nearby.
Lu Hongmei cried out in shock, “I think you’ve really gone crazy!”
Su Lijuan forced an awkward smile. “Xia Wan, we know you’re eager to stand out and prove your abilities. Fine, you can say your English was taught by your father but repairing machinery? Even the factory’s technicians are at a loss. How could someone like you, who’s never even touched these machines, possibly know how to fix them?”
Xia Wan looked at her calmly and shrugged. “It’s true I haven’t handled them much, but I’ve long memorized the theoretical knowledge.”
Su Lijuan curled her lips in a mocking smile. “Xia Wan, are you saying the technicians in our factory don’t even know as much theory as you do?”
Xia Wan nodded firmly. “That’s right.”
As soon as she said this, the technicians nearby showed looks of indignation.
They had worked here for several years. Even if they couldn’t diagnose problems just by listening to the sound like Engineer Xia, over the past year it had been them who fixed every machine issue.
Seeing their unconvinced expressions, Xia Wan turned to Director Liu and said, “Director, I mentioned earlier that my father taught me a lot about the factory’s machinery. He was actually preparing me to take over his work someday. As for skills that truly rely on real ability, he taught me everything he knew without holding back.”
“So just by listening to the sound, I already know where the problem is. Once we open it up and take a look, our technicians here will be able to handle it.”
The factory technician did have real skills and had worked with her father for some time, learning quite a lot. But he lacked the ability to diagnose faults, and the machine was extremely expensive. Afraid of dismantling it recklessly, he had no choice but to call in experts.
“Take it apart?”
The director hesitated.
Even the technicians didn’t dare touch it casually, afraid that when they put it back together, a few screws might be left over.
Yet Xia Wan dared to say this outright wanting to dismantle such an expensive machine the moment she stepped in.
Whether or not her skills were real was unknown, but her courage was undeniable.
Seeing the appreciative look in the director’s eyes, Lu Hongmei panicked, afraid he might actually agree.
“Xia Wan, if you break this machine, you won’t be able to afford it! You can’t even fix a radio—how could you possibly fix something this big? Don’t think about breaking it and making our Lu family pay for it!”
Director Liu also spoke up cautiously. “Comrade Xiao Xia, I truly admire your courage. But you really don’t have repair experience. Let’s wait for the experts to arrive and observe and learn together.”
Xia Wan looked at him confidently. “Uncle Liu, don’t worry. I know every single part of this machine by heart. Even if I took it completely apart, I could put it back together. If I really break it, I’m willing to pay.”
Su Lijuan stared at her in disbelief. “With what money? I heard this machine costs eighty thousand! Xia Wan, stop pretending to be tough. Let’s apologize properly to the director. When the experts arrive, don’t talk nonsense anymore. Listening to you, I’m starting to think your translation work is probably exaggerated too.”
The other employees nearby nodded in agreement.
If her English really came from her father, they could believe that somewhat.
But fixing machines?
No one believed Xia Wan had that ability.
Even if Director Liu wanted to believe her, he didn’t dare gamble such an expensive machine.
Seeing the director’s hesitation, Xia Wan quickly said, “The experts will be here soon anyway. If I manage to fix it, it’ll be like we invited them here for a vacation, and we won’t have to pay that high fee. If I can’t fix it, the experts can still clean up after me, and the cost won’t increase. Isn’t that right?”
“And I don’t mean to say our technicians are bad. Normally, it’s an experienced worker guiding a newcomer, but my father passed away unexpectedly, and the new technician isn’t familiar enough with the machine yet. Isn’t this a good chance for everyone to get familiar with it together?”
Hearing this, the technician stepped forward excitedly. “Director, that actually makes sense. I followed Uncle Xia for two years, and the machines rarely broke down, so I never really had the chance to dismantle and repair them. That’s why I didn’t dare touch it this time. Since the experts are coming anyway, why don’t we take a look first?”
The director’s eyes darted around as he thought.
When foreign experts came to repair machines, they usually didn’t let anyone watch, so the factory’s technicians never learned anything.
But to learn real skills, you had to be bold and try.
“Alright! Let Xia Wan give it a try!”
The director clenched his teeth and shouted, startling everyone around.
What shocked them even more was that the director had actually agreed to let Xia Wan dismantle the machine.
Xia Wan told someone to start the machine. With trembling hands, the person turned it on.
The machine began running, and soon the strange noise returned.
She looked at the technician. “Can you hear where the problem is?”
The technician’s face turned red as he shook his head. “The noise is too loud it’s hard to tell.”
“You can also judge the fault by looking at the products it produces.”
As everyone watched Xia Wan guide the technician like a teacher, explaining in detail and casually using professional terminology, they really began to feel that she knew what she was doing.
Lu Hongmei rolled her eyes and muttered quietly, “She just picked all that up from her dad. Throwing out a few words no one understands is enough to scare everyone.”
But Su Lijuan clenched her fists nervously as she watched Xia Wan inspect the products with the technician, then walk to a certain spot with her tools.
Even though they couldn’t understand what was happening, the change in the technician’s expression made it clear Xia Wan might really be able to fix it.
Xia Wan took her tools and began dismantling one corner with the technician.
As soon as they saw the internal structure, the technician suddenly understood. “I get it! It’s right here! This is it! You’re incredible!”
Hearing the technician’s excited shout, the director rushed over with the others.
“Are you sure it’s here?” the director asked anxiously.
“Yes!” the technician said excitedly. “As long as we replace this gear, the machine will work again! Comrade Xiao Xia is really better than me!”
Xia Wan smiled modestly. “You’re too kind. You’re a college graduate, after all I’m still just a high school student. I still have a lot to learn. It’s just that my father gave me special training on this machine before he passed, so I understand it a bit better than you.”
The director smiled with satisfaction. “Good. If you really fix this machine for me, not only will I count your translation fee, I won’t short you on the repair payment either!”
Xia Wan beamed. “Thank you, Director Liu!”
She quickly picked up a wrench and started dismantling it, with the technician helping beside her. After comparing the removed gear, he went to find a replacement.
But in his excitement, his hand slipped and the gear fell to the ground.
As he hurried to pick it up, his foot caught on the machine, and he fell headfirst to the floor.