The bureau chief’s words felt like a heavy stone pressing down on everyone’s hearts.
Even the professional maintenance personnel from the Agricultural Machinery Bureau couldn’t fix this harvester.
What could they, as laymen, possibly do?
Some immediately wanted to back out.
Whether they could get the white flour or not didn’t matter—they were already people with tainted backgrounds, and they couldn’t afford to make another mistake!
“Bureau Chief, before I was sent down, I taught at a university. That was all theoretical—I’ve never actually repaired anything like this. Maybe I should go back first?”
The bureau chief gave Ge Guoqiang a look, signaling his men to block the doorway.
“What you did before doesn’t matter. What’s important is that you have knowledge, unlike us reckless folks who only know how to work blindly.”
“I believe that with your abilities, you can definitely come up with a satisfactory solution.”
“Xiao Ge, take these comrades to our canteen for a meal first. You need a full stomach to work!”
The intellectuals all looked pale and emaciated from hunger, and the bureau chief naturally understood the reason.
Now that they needed these people’s help, they had to show their sincerity properly.
Ge Guoqiang led them into the machinery bureau’s canteen, served them dishes, and gave each of them two large white steamed buns.
The delicious aroma made their mouths water.
When Su Jiaxuan received the white steamed buns, his Adam’s apple bobbed, but he still handed them to Shen Fujuan without hesitation.
Eating their fill was a luxury for them. Even though Shen Fujuan’s Dimensional Space held plenty of food, they were always on edge during meals, afraid of being discovered.
Now that they finally had a chance to eat openly and to their heart’s content, Su Jiaxuan would rather give it to Shen Fujuan.
Holding the warm white steamed buns, Shen Fujuan felt a warmth in her heart, but also a pang of bitterness.
“They’re asking you to work. Hurry up and eat.”
If they could fix that harvester, they could take a peck of white flour back with them.
And helping the county—what an honor that would be!
Ge Guoqiang stood to the side, watching the couple defer to each other for a long time. Unable to bear it any longer, he used his work ID to get two more steamed buns and a bowl of vegetables from the canteen.
After placing them in front of Shen Fujuan, Ge Guoqiang turned to all the technicians and said, “Everyone, rest assured. Our bureau chief said you can eat as much as you want—just eat until you’re full! As long as the job gets done in the end, our bureau chief won’t care how much you eat!”
Shen Fujuan broke off half a bun and slowly ate it with the vegetables.
Ge Guoqiang stood right beside her, and after finishing her meal, Shen Fujuan naturally struck up a conversation with him.
“Officer Ge, may I ask why there’s such urgency to fix the harvester?”
The machine was certainly valuable, but even if it couldn’t be used for a while, crops could still be harvested manually. It shouldn’t have such a huge impact.
Shen Fujuan guessed that there must be a situation where the harvester was absolutely necessary.
Ge Guoqiang glanced at Su Jiaxuan and sighed to Shen Fujuan.
“The comrades from the Meteorological Bureau said there’s going to be a major rainstorm in a week. That’s why the county leaders went to the city to get us the harvester and tractor—to harvest the crops before the rainy season hits.”
If they couldn’t finish harvesting before the heavy rain arrived, the crops they had worked hard to plant for a year would rot in the fields.
The county would face another famine, and who knew how many people would suffer from hunger and cold.
“With this harvester, it can do the work of ten people in a day. Most importantly, machines don’t get tired. Combined with our manpower, harvesting all the grain in the county is definitely not a problem!”
Ge Guoqiang had also grown up in a farming family, so he naturally understood how important crops were to farmers.
He spoke with some agitation, clenching his fists, which made Shen Fujuan feel his determination.
Those eating were also moved by Ge Guoqiang’s firm resolve.
The group strode confidently into the courtyard of the machinery bureau.
The massive harvester looked as tall as three people, and just its parts alone were daunting enough.
Su Jiaxuan wasted no time and directly turned his gaze to Ge Guoqiang, who was following them: “What exactly is broken?”
Ge Guoqiang patted the iron beast: “In theory, after the harvester cuts down the crops, it should separate the grain from the chaff. But now, good grain is being blown out along with the chaff. If we hadn’t discovered it in time, more than half of the fertile fields in Hongxing Commune would have been ruined!”
“Is there any land we can use for testing? I suspect the issue is with the size of the air vent, causing too much air to blow in and carry the good grain out with it.”
The university professor who had earlier volunteered to step down came forward, speaking in an orderly manner.
This wasn’t a major problem; it could be improved by simply adjusting the fan.
He suspected that the county’s repairmen were afraid to touch this giant machine, fearing they would be held responsible.
The others circled the harvester twice. Some nodded in agreement with the university teacher’s words, while others didn’t dare speak at all.
In those days, whoever spoke first would become the target.
If responsibility were to be traced later, they would surely be held accountable.
Ge Guoqiang’s expression turned slightly awkward as he shook his head at the technicians.
“Our county is famously the poorest in the entire city. Due to permafrost, there isn’t much arable land to begin with, so we can’t afford any waste. That’s why we called you here for repairs.”
If there were any experimental fields, they wouldn’t have needed to pull manpower from various communes.
“How confident are you that you can fix the issue you just mentioned?” Ge Guoqiang asked the university teacher.
The university teacher’s expression also stiffened slightly. He had only analyzed the harvester’s engine problem based on the most conventional reasoning.
“As I’ve already said, I’ve always worked in a laboratory doing research and have never been on the front lines. The problems I can point out are only based on my own conjectures. Whether repairs can proceed in this direction depends on you all…”
In just a few words, he shifted the problem away from himself again.
Now, the issue was: Who dared to open up the harvester’s engine to see what was really wrong inside?
If things went wrong, it could lead to a major disaster!
Who could bear the responsibility for the well-being of all the farmers in the county?
The university teacher also grew fearful and took two steps back: “This is my opinion. You can also inspect it further.”
“Officer Ge, I have just one question: If we break it while repairing it, who will pay for it?”
“This matter is unclear, and today no one dares to attempt repairs. We can’t shoulder such a heavy responsibility!”
Someone stepped forward, wanting Officer Ge to give them a clear answer.
In front of everyone, Officer Ge’s lips twitched slightly.
“I’m just following orders. I don’t know what the higher-ups intend.”