Zhou Yi howled the moment he heard the news.
“If I had known, I wouldn’t have told you what the prize was!”
Now it was too late!
Since Lu Beizhen was entering this competition, he was bound to win first place.
Say goodbye to the TV.
Lu Beizhen, however, didn’t react much. After saying his words, he simply strode away.
Zhou Yi, sniffling and crying, went to register him for the competition.
Only Jiang Xiaoyu remained, standing there with her heart racing.
A TV ticket!
This morning, she had vaguely overheard her mother talking with Lu Beizhen.
They had mentioned that the bride price would include a television.
So was Lu Beizhen entering the competition just to earn enough for the bride price?
He really was good to her.
But why hadn’t he stood up for her just now?
Jiang Xiaoyu thought for a moment, then quickly understood.
After all, they were in the same unit. If news of their marriage spread now, many people would start asking questions.
Lu Beizhen hated trouble and didn’t like being disturbed.
Yes, it must be that!
At the machinery factory.
Song Tian had little work to do today, so she went to the production workshop.
She told Tian Dali that she wanted to make a part using the machines.
Without a word, Tian Dali agreed.
The steel coil production line was empty anyway, so if Song Tian wanted to make something, it wouldn’t affect production.
Song Tian thanked him repeatedly and went to work on the part.
After finally finishing it according to the blueprint, she stepped out and noticed smoke curling up from the grass not far away.
Was there a fire?
Near the production workshop, flammable materials were sometimes stored, so a fire there could cause huge damage.
Song Tian quickly grabbed a basin of water from the cooling pool and poured it over.
“Ah!”
A scream came from behind the grass.
Someone stood up, holding the extinguished smoke, soaking wet and looking completely miserable.
Song Tian was stunned.
“Factory director, are you okay? I didn’t mean it. I saw smoke and thought there was a fire.”
The director waved his hand, brushing the wet hair off his forehead.
“It’s fine. You were just thinking about safety.”
His gaze then fell on the part in Song Tian’s hand.
Song Tian felt a bit embarrassed.
“This is the part I just made. My bicycle was broken and happened to need this piece, so I drew a blueprint and made it myself.”
“You made it yourself?” The director was shocked. “Let me see.”
Song Tian handed it over immediately.
Seeing the director examining it repeatedly, she grew nervous.
“Director, I used scrap steel coils for this. I didn’t dare use the qualified ones.”
What if he thought she was just trying to take advantage of the factory and fired her?
But the director was excited.
“You mean… you drew the blueprint yourself and actually made this?!”
“Yes.”
“Do it again. Make another one in front of me.”
Without further explanation, the director dragged Song Tian into the production workshop.
Although confused, Song Tian obediently complied.
As she worked, she felt a shiver down her back.
The director stood behind her like an owl, eyes shining like torches!
The closer she got to finishing, the brighter the “torches” seemed, like two lasers almost burning holes into the back of her head.
The pressure was immense, but fortunately, she had made so many small parts before that she could do it almost blindly.
She worked smoothly and completed the second part.
The director held both parts, compared them, and looked at Song Tian’s hand-drawn blueprint—he almost cried.
“Director, it really is scrap steel. Don’t cry. If there’s any loss, can you deduct it from my salary?” Song Tian wanted to cry too.
Her hard-won job—was it about to be ruined over a single part?
“No, I won’t deduct your pay,” the director shook his head like a rattle. “Song Tian, I want to ask you one thing. If you can do it, I’ll give you a raise. Deal?”
Song Tian rubbed her hands eagerly.
“I’m not doing it for money. As a member of the factory, I should contribute. Director, just tell me what you need.”
The director waved and pointed at the mountain of scrap steel behind him.
“Turn all of this into parts.”
“Ah?” Song Tian was stunned.
The director sighed.
“I’ve been worrying about this batch of steel coils for days.”
There were hundreds of tons of defective steel coils.
The army helped with some, but 80–90 tons were still in the warehouse.
No one wanted scrap steel, so it could only be sold as scrap iron—but the price was too low, barely covering the cost of the steel itself.
The loss to the factory would be enormous.
Plus, because of this, the third workshop had stopped, and production lagged. By year-end, they’d be at the bottom.
They might even be shut down.
If the factory closed, over 200 workers and families would be affected. What would happen to them?
“Song Tian, you’ve given me a new idea. We might be able to request a new production line for parts from the higher-ups. If the parts are good, we could recover these losses before year-end.”
Recover the losses, and the factory wouldn’t have to close!
Song Tian nodded without hesitation.
“If I can help the factory, I will!”
She was good at drawing part blueprints.
“Then, can you draw some blueprints and make a few sample parts so I can submit the request?” the director said.
“No problem!” Song Tian said eagerly.
This couldn’t be delayed; every day mattered.
She called Fang Shuqin to let her know she’d be working overtime in the factory dormitory for the next few days.
Then she went into full-on blueprint mode.
Song Tian stayed up three nights straight, producing over a dozen blueprints and making the corresponding parts.
The director took the blueprints and parts straight to the city.
After the city-level meeting, they couldn’t wait to return and called the factory to have Song Tian come over.
“It worked, Song Tian! The higher-ups approved a new production line. They even sent professional inspectors. They said our parts are precise and even meet export standards!”
If the parts could be exported, their price could double. With fame, it would attract domestic factories for collaboration.
In just three months, the factory’s finances could turn from loss to profit!
“The details will be arranged when I return from the city. Song Tian, you’ve worked hard these days. Take a break; go home and rest.”
Song Tian didn’t refuse.
She had truly been running herself ragged, feeling almost weightless as she walked.
Clutching the bicycle part, she took the bus back to the residential compound.
Just as she reached the gate, someone stopped her.
Before she could react, they shoved her into a nearby bus.