Chapter 1290
Li Aiguo Promoted to Chief Engineer, Rolling Mill Successfully Completes 10,000-ton Mil
The meeting ended quickly.
After leaving Director Teng's office, Section Chief Xing felt completely dizzy.
The First Ministry of Machine Building made a big move this time, not only establishing a "strategic partnership" with the Ministry of Railways to jointly build an electric heating workshop, but also providing manpower and materials as needed.
Li Aiguo was promoted to chief engineer?!
This is the chief engineer!
In this era where technology reigns supreme, countless veteran craftsmen have toiled away until their hair turned white.
There is a huge gap between an ordinary worker and an engineer, and the goal of becoming a chief engineer is the ultimate destination that many skilled workers dream of.
But Li Aiguo, on the other hand, rose through the ranks without any problems and skipped over the entire process.
Not only was Section Chief Xing dizzy, but Li Aiguo, a key figure in this meeting, was also in a daze.
It was evening.
Li Aiguo's hands nearly trembled as he received the letter of recommendation from a senior leader of the Ministry of Machine Building.
It says:
[Recommendation for the promotion of Comrade Li Aiguo to Chief Engineer]
Chief Engineer!
This was something Li Aiguo never expected.
After all, there are strict regulations on the process and standards for engineer promotion, and there is an insurmountable gap between worker and engineer.
But what happened to him? He rose through the ranks rapidly, becoming the chief engineer.
It has to be said, this reward is incredibly valuable.
Even Li Aiguo himself found it hard to believe: "Boss, is this for me?"
"Of course, Comrade Aiguo, your contributions over the years have long met the standards for promotion to chief engineer."
Considering your situation, we also consulted with higher authorities, and the superiors personally approved it—it's a special case handled specially.
Li Aiguo then noticed that there were approval procedures following the recommendation letter.
From being in charge of the Cadre Department of the First Ministry of Machine Building, to the Political Department, and then to leaders of various ministries and commissions...
The red seals of signatures and stamps formed a long string.
On the last page, there was a line of familiar penmanship.
Comrade Li Aiguo established himself through his technical skills and made significant contributions, making him a capable leader.
I agree to promote him to chief engineer, in order to encourage his work and inspire future generations.
Special approval!
This assessment carries immense weight.
Seeing that he had calmed down a bit, the senior leader smiled and said, "The higher-ups have high expectations for you. Especially after learning about the electric blanket, they asked you to manufacture one as soon as possible so that the leader can personally test its effectiveness."
"Don't worry, I'll do it as soon as possible!" Li Aiguo's suppressed passion was boiling again.
These days, even though the Spring Festival has passed, the late spring chill in Beijing is still biting.
My superiors often work late into the night, so this electric blanket helps them stay warm.
After explaining the future improvement and mass production plans for electric blankets and immersion heaters, the top leader of the Ministry of Machine Building left in a hurry.
No sooner had he left than the group of technicians and researchers from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop crowded around him.
"Patriotism? What's going on? Why is a high-ranking leader from the Ministry of Machine Building coming in person?"
Li Aiguo didn't hide anything, after all, the studio is a collective, and everyone usually supports each other as comrades-in-arms.
The technicians and researchers were all somewhat surprised to hear that Li Aiguo had been promoted to chief engineer.
However, upon closer reflection, Li Aiguo does indeed deserve the title of chief engineer.
After all, the achievements of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop over the years speak for themselves.
Compared to those chief engineers who rose through the ranks by seniority, Li Aiguo was more qualified.
Chief Engineer Qi, Chief Engineer Liu, along with Zong Xianfeng, Zhou Gaoyuan, and their group, were so excited that their faces turned red.
With the title of chief engineer, Li Aiguo's research will be greatly enhanced.
It must be said that people in this era have very simple minds.
There aren't many people who are envious.
Yes, there is unity.
Suddenly, Zong Xianfeng shouted, "Congratulations, Comrade Aiguo! This time, it's the real Chief Engineer Li!"
"Yes, yes, from now on we can't call him Comrade Patriot, we have to call him Chief Engineer Li."
"Chief Engineer Li, from now on we're on the same level. When it's time to eat meat, I can't let you have to go easy on me anymore."
"Ha ha ha ha."
A joyful atmosphere filled the air.
Li Aiguo was already used to these people's jeers.
"Everyone, please be quiet. The Ministry of Machine Building hasn't officially approved it yet, so let's not call me 'Chief Engineer' for now. I still prefer you all to call me 'Patriot'."
Upon hearing this, Chief Engineer Qi and Chief Engineer Liu exchanged a glance, both understanding Li Aiguo's thoughts.
Since arriving at the Qianmen Maintenance Depot workshop, they have found that the working atmosphere here is very different from that at the aircraft factory.
The boundaries between superiors and subordinates are very blurred; even a junior engineer can offer suggestions directly.
"Good, patriotic comrade, good!" The researchers and technicians in the workshops also applauded.
There are many Chief Engineers like Li, but there is only one Patriotic Comrade.
"Patriotic comrade, shouldn't you treat us to dinner tonight as a token of your appreciation?" Zong Xianfeng shouted again.
"Please, you must. Everyone will be at the canteen tonight. Xiao Yi's family just sent over a few camels, so I'll treat everyone to camel meat." Li Aiguo nodded emphatically.
Li Aiguo felt an indescribable sense of identification with this vibrant era.
That evening, Section Chief Xing specifically instructed the canteen to prepare a large table of dishes.
Besides camel meat, there was also beef and mutton, all served in enamel basins.
If you were to calculate the cost of this meal, the meat ration coupons alone would have to be dozens of kilograms.
Of course!
Now the Qianmen Locomotive Depot is fully reimbursing the expenses.
Everyone ate with gusto, their mouths greasy with oil.
Some of the researchers who recently joined the locomotive depot's workshop have become much closer to Li Aiguo.
For example, Lao Kong had already raised his glass and toasted Li Aiguo.
After the transistor radio was successfully developed a while ago, according to the plan, Lao Kong, Zhang Ze, and Liang Tao, the three researchers who were temporarily transferred to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop, were to be transferred back to their original units.
However, Lao Kong volunteered to stay and work as a researcher in the Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop.
He felt that he had made the right choice.
How many chief engineer-level leaders are there in a railway technology research institute?!
After the meal, everyone went their separate ways and home.
Li Aiguo rode his mountain bike slowly home; the capital city was exceptionally quiet at night.
As soon as I arrived at the entrance of the courtyard house, I saw the Third Uncle squatting under the eaves, tending to the flowers and plants.
The old man is very busy with work now. He has to go to class during the day, and after class he has to collect recyclables and go fishing. He only has some free time in the evening.
"Oh, Aiguo is back? That's quite late today." The third uncle pushed up his glasses, his face full of smiles.
"Uncle, there's a lot going on at the station, so I worked overtime for a while," Li Aiguo said with a smile as he stopped his car.
Li Aiguo had no intention of revealing his promotion to chief engineer.
Some things are best kept to yourself.
In this courtyard house, talking too much isn't necessarily a good thing; just look at Xu Damao and you'll see.
Although Li Aiguo didn't care about these things, he still found the buzzing of flies annoying.
The third uncle leaned closer mysteriously and whispered, "Aiguo, Lao Yi called me in tonight and announced that from today onwards, only he can convene the general meetings in the compound."
"What do you mean?" Before Li Aiguo could ask, Xu Damao suddenly appeared from behind.
The third uncle blinked: "You still don't understand? Old Yi is going to make a comeback."
I heard Lao Yi is getting promoted to deputy head of production. Da Mao, did you know about this?
Xu Damao frowned: "I think I've heard that the 10,000-ton rolling mill is about to be inspected. If it passes, a veteran like Yi Zhonghai will definitely get a reward."
Xu Damao's mood immediately soured. If Yi Zhonghai became the deputy head of production, his days in the compound would probably be difficult again.
Li Aiguo just smiled, didn't say anything more, and went back inside.
Tomorrow, experts from the Ministry of Machinery Industry will come to the studio to help optimize the design of electric blankets and immersion heaters.
Then mass production will begin.
Too busy.
Oh, and that electric blanket for the higher-ups also needs to be manufactured as soon as possible.
Technical tasks like heating elements are not difficult for Li Aiguo; the key is the blanket itself.
If you're giving this to a leader, the style and materials must be carefully chosen. What style should you go with?
As Li Aiguo was pondering this, he looked up and saw Chen Xueru sitting in front of the sewing machine, busy at work.
Her long legs moved rhythmically up and down with the pedals, leaving Li Aiguo momentarily stunned.
Chen Xueru noticed the gaze, turned around and smiled sweetly: "Brother Aiguo, what are you looking at? Do I have flowers on my face?"
Li Aiguo suddenly slapped his forehead.
That's right! Doesn't a top-notch tailor sit right in the house?
Asking Chen Xueru to help make the blankets would be a perfect match for her expertise!
He walked over quickly, closed the door behind him, and explained the situation to Chen Xueru in a low voice.
"You mean... the blanket I designed can be sent into the lake?!" Chen Xueru's beautiful eyes widened in surprise.
"That's the current plan. So this blanket, in terms of both materials and design, must be of the highest quality, exuding a sense of stability and grandeur."
"Don't worry, Aiguo-ge!" Chen Xueru nodded heavily, her pretty face full of seriousness.
This was the highest honor for a tailor, so Miss Chen immediately focused her attention and began to conceive various elegant patterns in her mind.
After handing the task over to Miss Chen, Li Aiguo went into his study to continue improving the electric blanket and the immersion heater.
At this moment, Yi Zhonghai, who usually kept to himself and rarely appeared in public, made an unprecedented appearance by the pond in the courtyard.
"Old Yi, I heard you've done a great job this time and are going to be promoted to deputy head of the production department?"
"Keep a low profile. I only contributed a little bit and made a tiny contribution during the research and development of the 10,000-ton rolling mill."
Yi Zhonghai spoke modestly, but his voice was so loud that he seemed afraid the residents of the compound wouldn't hear him.
These words immediately attracted the attention of many residents.
"The deputy head of the production department! That's a mid-level manager in the steel rolling mill, someone who holds real power."
"This level is much higher than that of Liu Haizhong, the workshop director!"
"That's absolutely right!"
The residents were talking about it, and inevitably compared Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong.
Yi Zhonghai was already a level seven worker. If he were to become a deputy section chief, he would definitely be able to outrank Liu Haizhong in the factory and the institute.
More importantly, Yi Zhonghai had a good relationship with Director Yang.
From now on, this compound will be run by Uncle Yi Zhonghai again.
"What are you all doing gathered here?!"
Seeing that the atmosphere was quite right, Yi Zhonghai straightened his collar, cleared his throat, and exuded an air of leadership authority.
"Our working class should be judged by our skills, not by our words. Some people think they can rise to prominence by flattering others and taking shortcuts, but that's just asking for trouble."
Please don't follow those kinds of people; you won't go far down that crooked path.
"It's all gone."
Liu Haizhong and Li Aiguo were not mentioned at all, yet they were mentioned in every sentence.
How could the residents not understand?
The group exchanged glances, knowing full well what was going on but saying nothing, and shook their heads with smiles before dispersing.
Yi Zhonghai hummed a little tune, leaning on his crutches, and limped out of the courtyard.
Upon seeing Yi Zhonghai emerge, Jia Zhangshi, who had been lying in ambush for some time, immediately approached him, her face crinkling with laughter.
"Old Yi, I heard you're going to be a big leader?" "Ahem, Jia Zhangshi, your information network is quite impressive." Yi Zhonghai felt his legs ache as soon as he saw her.
If it weren't for that old woman, Li Aiguo wouldn't have broken his legs.
Jia Zhangshi, however, was completely unconcerned about Yi Zhonghai's cold face: "Old Yi, if you become a leader, can you give me a hand and get me into the steel rolling mill?"
"You?!" Yi Zhonghai was so shocked by this line of thought that he almost dropped his cane.
At her age, what is Jia Zhangshi doing at the factory? Is she going to be the factory's prized possession?
"Old Yi, I'll take a temporary job. I heard they're short-staffed in logistics. I can manage with things like sweeping the floor or guarding the gate for a little over ten yuan a month."
Jia Zhangshi understood that marrying a leader was out of the question; securing a stable job was the real priority.
Yi Zhonghai was about to refuse outright, but Jia Zhangshi suddenly rolled up her sleeves and said, "Old Yi, just because I'm not showing my teeth doesn't mean I'm a pushover. You've experienced my methods firsthand."
Recalling the days when he was disciplined, Yi Zhonghai felt a chill run down his spine and quickly put on a smiling face: "Sister-in-law, what are you saying? We're old neighbors, how could I not help? I'll definitely do my best, okay?"
Yi Zhonghai also had his own ulterior motives.
If we get Jia Zhangshi into the factory, that old woman will definitely cause trouble for Li Aiguo.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if he could sit back and watch the tigers fight?
Besides, now that Jia Zhangshi has an income, she has no reason to borrow money from him anymore.
This is called a win-win situation; Yi Zhonghai won twice.
As for arranging a temporary worker, it's really no big deal for him, the soon-to-be deputy head of the production department and a close associate of Director Yang.
"Old Yi, you're definitely going to be number one in this compound from now on!"
"Keep it down, keep it down. Sister-in-law, I'm going to the factory to work overtime. See you later." Yi Zhonghai waved his hand reservedly, turned around, but couldn't help but smile.
“good good”
After seeing Yi Zhonghai off, Jia Zhangshi turned to look at the courtyard house. She longed to go in, but hesitated to take a step.
"It's all that wretched Li Aiguo's fault!"
"You wait, I'll be back sooner or later!"
The next morning, Li Aiguo arrived at the Qianmen Locomotive Depot early on his mountain bike.
Several experts from the Ministry of Machine Building had already arrived. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Li Aiguo spread the blueprints on the table.
The entire studio now revolves around Li Aiguo.
He was like an experienced helmsman, controlling the overall direction of research and development, while the experts fully cooperated.
Electric blankets and immersion heaters aren't particularly difficult to make; the key is proper temperature control.
In his previous life, these kinds of products often caused accidents, and Li Aiguo didn't want to repeat the same mistakes in this era.
The real challenge lies in the availability of raw materials in this era.
Take the materials for immersion heaters as an example. The nickel-chromium alloy used for the heating wire can be produced by Ansteel.
However, the insulating filler, magnesium oxide powder, needs to be of electrical grade, which was not yet available at that time and needed to be custom-made.
As for flame-retardant ABS engineering plastics, they can still be produced by Lanzhou Chemical Plant.
Zong Xianfeng and Zhou Gaoyuan were responsible for the electrical safety upgrades.
For the next few days, Li Aiguo spent all his time in his studio.
With the arrival of high-purity magnesium oxide powder from the southwest, mass production versions of electric blankets and immersion heaters were finally successfully manufactured.
Li Aiguo asked Section Chief Xing to report to the Ministry of Railways, while experts from the First Ministry of Machine Building were sent to make an appearance.
"Thank you, Comrade Aiguo." The expert leading the team, Zhao, understood that Li Aiguo wanted them to get some recognition.
"You're too kind. We're comrades who fought together."
Li Aiguo no longer cares about this honor.
Moreover, he had an even more important task to do: to bring back the specially made electric heating belt.
Chen Xueru returned home early at noon, but instead of cooking as usual, she placed a blanket on the table.
The blanket's design was inspired by military blankets, but Chen Xueru embroidered five-pointed stars on it, along with longevity embroidery and cloud-riding embroidery patterns in the Han Dynasty style.
Li Aiguo originally wanted to create a "Five Stars Rise in the East, Benefiting China" project, but then he realized that the treasure hadn't been unearthed yet, so he had to give up.
However, Chen Xueru's design is beautiful and elegant, exuding a refined and sophisticated charm.
"Brother Aiguo, be careful."
Although Chen Xueru was familiar with Li Aiguo's skills, she was still somewhat worried.
"Don't worry." Li Aiguo had also worked in a textile factory and was already very familiar with how to sew electric blankets.
With the stitches, a specially made electric blanket was quickly produced.
After conducting the power-on test, Li Aiguo brought the electric blanket to the Ministry of Railways in the afternoon and handed it over to Leader Teng.
"Perfect timing, I need to report tonight."
When Leader Teng saw the electric blanket, he was in a good mood and offered Li Aiguo a cigarette.
"What are your thoughts on mass production? Hot water heaters are easy to handle, but how about we outsource the electric blankets to the Beijing Textile Factory?"
“Boss, the core of an electric blanket lies in its components, not the blanket itself. I think the blankets can be outsourced to textile factories, but the production of the heating elements and the final sewing and assembly must remain in our electric heating workshop to ensure quality.”
"Okay, we'll do it your way!" Leader Teng acted swiftly and immediately picked up the phone to contact the Ministry of Textile Industry.
The leaders of the Ministry of Textile Industry were also pleased to learn that the Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop needed a large quantity of blankets.
These days, with the widespread use of 32-axis textile machines, the output of textiles in China is rising steadily.
High production also has its downsides; textiles these days don't fetch good prices abroad, so you're basically just making a meager living.
But things are different now. Ordinary blankets have been transformed into "electric blankets," which are high-value-added export goods, with profits increasing at least several times over.
The leaders of the textile department were calculating their gains rapidly. This wasn't just a blanket; it was practically a gift delivered to their doorstep!
Once things were settled, Li Aiguo returned to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot workshop to arrange mass production.
Just as I finished my work, Expert Zhao from the First Ministry of Machine Building returned.
"Patriotism, hurry! Leader Song just called personally and specifically asked to see you. Come with me right away."
Li Aiguo was taken aback upon hearing this and asked in surprise, "Old Zhao, didn't we already hand over the report to you? Why do I still have to go?"
Expert Zhao chuckled and patted him on the shoulder: "Don't worry, the leader specifically asked to see you at this time, it's definitely not to hear your work report."
"Perhaps it was your chief engineer who approved it."
"So fast?"
Although Li Aiguo was confused, he still followed several experts to a conference room in the Ministry of Machine Building.
That's right, it's not the big boss's office, but a conference room.
Li Aiguo was somewhat puzzled, but it did not stop him from continuing.
At this moment, Expert Zhao was already preparing to knock on the door.
Suddenly, the conference room door opened from the inside.
The person who opened the door was Song Da's assistant. He smiled slightly and said, "Expert Zhao, Comrade Aiguo, you've arrived."
"The leaders are waiting, and several deputy leaders are inside as well."
"The deputy leader is here too?"
Even expert Zhao was stunned.
If it's just a work report, is such a big fuss really necessary?
Without a second thought, Li Aiguo didn't keep the leaders inside waiting and stepped into the meeting room.
Inside the meeting room, several leaders from the Ministry of Machine Building sat in a row. Li Aiguo only recognized Leader Song and another deputy leader; the other deputy leaders were unfamiliar to him.
On the table were an electric blanket and an immersion heater.
"Comrade Patriot has arrived."
Leader Song looked up and pointed to a seat opposite him: "Sit down and let's talk."
Li Aiguo sat down unhurriedly, and the leader Song spoke first: "Comrade Aiguo, you have given our Ministry of Machine Building a great gift."
Li Aiguo quickly replied politely, "You flatter me, leader. This is the result of everyone's hard work, especially Lao Zhao, who has been living in the studio these past few days. I have never seen anyone work so hard."
Old Zhao is a favorite general under Boss Song, praising Old Zhao is just a way of flattering Boss Song.
Li Aiguo was quite adept at understanding social etiquette, knowing that everyone would carry a sedan chair.
"You're not being modest," said Boss Song, pointing to the electric blanket and the immersion heater.
"We've already had our technical team test them, and both of these electric heating products are very safe."
"Especially this electric blanket, the three temperature settings on the control switch are cleverly designed."
At this point, Leader Song stood up, cleared his throat, and his expression became serious and solemn.
"Comrade Li Aiguo, the professional title evaluation committee has unanimously approved your application. From today onwards, you are a first-class chief engineer of the Ministry of Machine Building!"
Although he already knew the result, Li Aiguo was still somewhat excited.
Applause erupted in the meeting room.
The expert Zhao standing nearby finally understood: all this fuss was because the leaders were personally "endorsing" Li Aiguo and building connections for him.
He looked at Li Aiguo with envy in his eyes.
For a ministerial leader to attach such importance to something is the pinnacle that every technical professional dreams of.
After the applause subsided.
"Sit down and talk."
Leader Song gestured for Li Aiguo not to be reserved: "The official announcement of your title as chief engineer will be issued soon. Next, the ministry has an even more important task for you."
He took a document out of the drawer and pushed it in front of Li Aiguo.
"The 10,000-ton rolling mill project at the steel mill has been successfully completed. According to regulations, our Ministry of Machinery Industry should send an acceptance team to conduct the acceptance inspection."
"You also serve as an advisor to the steel rolling mill, so you have a good understanding of the situation there."
"After discussion, we have decided that you will serve as the leader of the inspection team, and Lao Zhao will serve as the deputy leader, leading the team to conduct the inspection."
"Do you dare to take on this responsibility?"
Li Aiguo was stunned. Good heavens, he had just put on the hat of chief engineer and tasks were coming one after another.
However, this job wasn't too difficult for him. He could tell at a glance whether a 10,000-ton steel rolling mill could run.
Besides, there are experts like Lao Zhao to help out.
Li Aiguo straightened his back and said firmly, "Please rest assured, leader, I guarantee to complete the task."
"Good good!"
Leader Song nodded repeatedly in satisfaction.
A 10,000-ton rolling mill is a rare find in China, and most of the experts in the ministry lack practical experience in operating it.
When I visited my older brother's house back then, he only allowed me to look, not touch, let alone study.
I was just wondering how to conduct the inspection.
With Li Aiguo, a technical expert, the problem was solved.
Leader Song felt that the title of chief engineer was well worth it.
After finalizing the acceptance of the 10,000-ton rolling mill, Leader Song asked again, "Now that electric blankets and immersion heaters are about to enter mass production, does your Qianmen Locomotive Depot need any support? Just let us know."
"That's great! The more materials and personnel, the better." Li Aiguo was overjoyed, but he was just wondering how to ask for more people.
"We had planned this all along. Shenyang Cable Factory, Harbin Electric Machinery Factory, Qiqihar Measuring Tool Factory, as well as Shanghai Light Bulb Factory and Tianjin Hardware Factory."
These units have already received the notification. A group of experienced technicians will be sent to support you soon.
This decision by the Ministry of Machine Building was not unexpected for Li Aiguo.
In those days, the First Ministry of Machine Building prioritized the transfer of electrical workers from the Northeast Electrical Engineering Base.
The old light industrial factories in Shanghai and Tianjin serve to supplement the light industrial manufacturing capacity.
The conversation ended.
When Li Aiguo came out of the conference room, he had a document in his hand containing materials for a 10,000-ton steel rolling mill.
"Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill 10,000-ton Rolling Mill Project"
Li Aiguo suddenly felt a sense of anticipation for the steel rolling mill's upcoming inspection.
(End of this chapter)