Chapter 123

The other one has achieved many R&D results and even developed a world-leading hydraulic excavator.

In fact, many engineers came to Li Jiandong just for his name, hoping to learn something from him.

This is just the area around the north city. Engineers from more distant places have not had time to report yet.

Li Jiandong did not let everyone sit idle. A week later, he began to prepare for the second research and development project, which was the research and development of a hydraulic forklift.

With the previous successful example of hydraulic engines, making forklifts is much easier.

Some of these technologies can be shared, and some accessories only require adjustments to the models of the production line.

And one day a week later, Li Jiandong's car finally arrived.

That day, Li Jiandong had just returned from inspecting the hydraulic production line workshop when he saw a brand new jeep parked in front of the office building.

There were red ropes tied to the two rearview mirrors of the jeep, connecting to the front of the middle windshield, with a big red flower tied on it.

"Deputy Director Li is here."

Someone saw Li Jiandong and shouted to the others around him.

A man in military green overalls stood in front of the crowd and waited for Li Jiandong to approach before saying,

"Deputy Director Li, hello. I am Cao Xiaogang, a driver at the Shanghai Automobile Factory. This is the car that your superiors have arranged for you. Here are the car keys. Please take them."

Li Jiandong took the key and said in a good mood:
"Thank you, Comrade Cao."

Cao Xiaogang also smiled and said, "You're welcome. This is what I should do. Leader Li, please sign this."

Li Jiandong quickly wrote his name on the receipt.

After receiving the receipt, Cao Xiaogang said goodbye and left.

There was a new car in the unit, and people in the office building all ran out to admire it. Even Director Yang came down from the second floor.

"Great, this new car is so beautiful. Even if I clean my car now, it's not as bright as this one."

Director Yang looked at the new car and felt a little envious.

Every level has things that it appreciates. For someone like Director Yang who has no worries about food and drink, naturally he pays attention to more high-end things.

"Director Yang, how about we switch?"

Li Jiandong didn't mind whether the bike was new or not. Didn't he ride his old bike pretty well before?

However, the car that he, the deputy factory director, rides is better than that of the factory director. It would not sound good to say this out.

"How can that be possible? This car is registered, so it's one carp one pit. But when my daughter gets married, I can borrow your car for a while."

Director Yang laughed.

The assigned car is not a private car. Even if it is given to you to use, you cannot just exchange it with others.

Of course, there is no problem in lending your car to others for temporary use.

These days there is no such thing as not being able to use public buses for personal purposes, and it is normal for leaders to drive home.

Li Huaide used this excuse to mess with Xu Fugui before, and it was also intentional to disgust him.

Now that he has a new car, Li Jiandong must drive it for a test drive first.

I have to say that today's cars are really difficult to drive. There is no hydraulic steering power, no hydraulic shock absorbers, no air conditioning, and even no seat belts.

But compared to a sedan, a jeep is more comfortable.

"Deputy Director Li, how is this car? How does it feel to drive?"

Cao Dazhuang from the Political Affairs Office asked enviously.

Li Jiandong jumped out of the car, shook his head and said, "It's just so-so. I'll spend some time to modify it so that we can also lead the world in small cars."

If someone else said this, they would have been laughed out of their wits.

But when Li Jiandong said this, everyone just felt very hopeful.

Director Yang advised: "Jiandong, this is a new car. If you want to modify it, try mine first. If it succeeds, then we can talk about it later."

It would be a shame if such a new car was damaged by Li Jiandong's modification.
Everyone laughed. It was the first time they saw Director Yang being so cautious.

But everyone can understand it, after all, this is a jeep.

Now is a difficult period, and in order to carry out construction, even the production of bicycles has been reduced.

Many of the cadres who have been promoted in recent years have not bought bicycles.

And Li Jiandong can now ride in a jeep, how can they not be envious.

In the next half month, Li Jiandong managed production while imparting knowledge about hydraulics to the Mechanical Engineering Society.

The knowledge reserves in this area in China are very insufficient.

If Li Jiandong is included, it will immediately become a world leader.

Therefore, the top priority at the moment is to popularize hydraulic knowledge, including the key points and precautions in manufacturing hydraulic equipment.

After all, the application level of hydraulics in mechanical equipment is still very high.

It is impossible for Li Jiandong to do everything himself every time. Leaving it to other talents can better promote the country's industrial development.

Li Jiandong's selflessness made the engineers respect him even more. You know, during this period, there was a saying that teaching apprentices would lead to starvation to death of the master.

Li Jiandong has such an important thing in his hands, but he is willing to share it with others. This kind of vision is really admirable.

Little did they know that Li Jiandong was just afraid of trouble.

end of September.

The weather has gradually become cooler, and good news has finally come from the leader.

The steel rolling mill is about to add another deputy director, and the position of deputy director will of course be held by the former director of the Political Affairs Department, Cao Dazhuang.

However, the position of Cao Dazhuang requires a team meeting to select someone.

In the end, Chen Qizi, the former director of the production department, was elected director of the political office, while Jia Dongxu was promoted from deputy director to full-time and joined the team, directly becoming the head of the production department, the second largest department of the steel rolling mill.

With a new deputy factory director, Li Jiandong's work became much easier.

However, he did not work with the people from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers to research forklifts. It was not because he was too arrogant, nor was it because he was afraid that if he researched too quickly, his superiors would think the research was simple and thus reduce the credit that should have been given to them, just like the previous development of self-service equipment.

It’s just that Li Jiandong wanted to give other engineers more opportunities.

If, even these relatively simple engineering machinery have to be developed by him alone.

Then when more advanced things come in the future, won’t there be no talents available?

So Li Jiandong deliberately was lazy and did not do any serious research and development, but instead focused all his energy on the Jeep.

Power steering, power brakes, hydraulic shock absorbers, seat belts and other things are simple.

Li Jiandong completed the research and development in just a few days, and then conducted experiments on Director Yang's car.

Director Yang's driver followed Li Jiandong the whole time nervously. He was afraid that Li Jiandong might damage the car. What if the brakes failed while driving?
"Deputy Director Li, what are these rubber bands for? There won't be any problems without the brake lever, right?"

The driver knew a little bit about maintenance, and when he saw Li Jiandong used a "rubber band" instead of the brake rod, he had no doubt in his mind that it was fake.

Li Jiandong asked Yan Jiecheng to load the car while explaining to him:
"This is not a rubber band, it's a hydraulic pipe. With this, braking will be much easier. Even a child can stop a large truck."

Yan Jiecheng said:
"Master, if this thing is really useful, can we install it on our trucks as well?"

Yan Jiecheng was a truck driver before, so he naturally knew how heavy the truck’s brakes were.

Especially when carrying cargo downhill, the weight is too heavy to step on.

The same goes for the steering wheel. Being a driver these days is not an easy job. Every time you turn the steering wheel, it feels like you have a ten-pound sandbag tied to your arm.

This is also the reason why the steering wheel of a large vehicle needs to be turned more circles after it is turned all the way, because if you turn it less circles, it may become even more difficult to turn.

"Of course it can be installed, but the model used on large vehicles is different from that used on small vehicles. We will study it separately later."

While Li Jiandong was speaking, Yan Jiecheng saw that all the screws had been tightened.

Li Jiandong opened the car door and prepared to test drive the car. Yan Jiecheng quickly stepped forward and said,

"Master, let me do it. Your body is precious. How can you do such a thing as testing the car yourself?"

Yan Jiecheng was afraid that Li Jiandong would get into an accident, so he rushed to test drive the car.

Li Jiandong didn't want to let his filial piety down. Since he knew there would be no problems, he let Yan Jiecheng try.

Yan Jiecheng got in the car, started it, and began to accelerate. When passing the gate of the machine repair workshop, he steered slightly, but because he steered too lightly, he almost missed and hit the gate.

"Oh my god, why is it so light? Is the steering traction line broken?"

Yan Jiecheng was startled and quickly kicked the brake.

Then he heard a thump, and the tire locked and slid forward two or three meters. Fortunately, he was not driving fast, otherwise he would have hit the door. Director Yang's driver ran over quickly.

Asked: "Director Yan, what's wrong? Is there something wrong?"

Yan Jiecheng looked at the nervous driver and laughed, "What a ridiculous problem! How could there be any problem with something my master made?

Damn, the steering wheel and brakes are too light, I almost thought I was stepping on cotton."

Yan Jiecheng is a man with unique skills after all, but being an expert in trucks doesn't mean he is also an expert in jeeps.

But he can feel the car's operating conditions better than ordinary drivers.

Now he understood that the reason why the steering was so light just now was not because the steering traction wire was broken, but because the power steering device that Li Jiandong had just replaced worked.

Therefore, normal steering can be completed with only a fraction of the usual effort.

The same goes for the brakes under your feet.

In a hurry, Yan Jiecheng stepped on the pedal quickly as he normally would when driving an ordinary car, but he was almost shaken because the brake pedal was too light.

Now he understood what his master had meant when he said that even a child could drive a truck.

With such light steering and brakes, even a child can drive it.

Director Yang's driver didn't believe it and wanted to try it himself. After the try, he was even more shocked than Yan Jiecheng.

He has been driving for his boss for so many years, but he has never felt that a car was so easy to drive.

At this moment, he finally understood why engineers were so respected. Something like this could not be figured out even if he had a hundred brains.

It’s so easy to use.

Li Jiandong handled two sets of hydraulic equipment at once, and the other set crashed into his own car.

After replacing the hydraulic power steering, the jeep became much more comfortable to drive. Li Jiandong also installed a set of hydraulic shock absorbers, which made it even more comfortable.

Factory Director Yang sat in the new car and admired it. He said with a smile: "Jiandong, if the senior leader knew that my car is so comfortable, would he try to steal my car?"

Li Jiandong thinks this is possible.

He nodded and said, "Why don't I hand these pieces of equipment over to the car factory and have them replace them on the leaders' cars. That way, we don't have to worry about the big leaders getting jealous."

"I can see it."

Director Yang nodded in response.

Li Jiandong did what he said and delivered the hydraulic power steering equipment to Beicheng Automobile Factory after returning.

Also sent was a large model of the truck he designed.

The top leaders have developed resistance to Li Jiandong's invention.

After seeing the report, he gave instructions directly, agreed and urged the people below to promote it quickly.

On the other hand, excavators also began to be shipped in batches.

Several excavators were dispatched to each area around the northern city to dig reservoirs and ponds in the villages.

Although the excavator arrived a little late, it has solved the water difficulties in many places.

The key is that there will be another severe drought next year, and then these reservoirs and ponds will come in handy.

In a blink of an eye, another two months passed.

Late October of the lunar calendar.

On this weekend, Li Jiandong just got up in the morning and heard excited voices coming from the front yard.

When I went out, I saw that it was Xu Damao who came back.

"Master, I'm back."

Xu Damao was surrounded by Yan Bugui and others in the front yard, who were asking him all kinds of questions. When he saw Li Jiandong, he quickly squeezed out of the crowd.

"Well, you've worked hard outside this year."

Li Jiandong held Xu Damao's arm and squeezed it gently. It seemed that he was thinner than last year.

Xu Damao grinned and said:
"It's OK. It's not too hard. At least we have enough food. You don't know that we have traveled to many places in the past six months. People in some places are really hardworking."

Xu Damao was smiling at first, but when he talked about those hard-working people, his expression became lonely.

Li Jiandong knew that he must have seen some people who were starving or even waiting to die. Although he had not seen it with his own eyes, he felt pity for them just thinking about it.

Patting Xu Damao's arm, he said:

"Okay, don't feel bad. It's because of these people who can't get enough food that you have to work harder. Once we develop hybrid rice with higher yield and better taste, these difficulties will become a thing of the past."

Xu Damao nodded vigorously.

At this time Xu Fugui also heard the news and ran over from the backyard. Seeing his son so dark and thin, he went forward and hugged him with heartache.

"Da Mao, my good son, you are finally back."

Yan Bu came forward and said:
"Lao Xu, your son is finally back after a year away, how about we get together tonight?

Go catch some fish, and you can buy some meat and vegetables. How about we have a meal together tonight to celebrate?"

Li Jiandong was speechless, he knew that Yan Bugui wanted to celebrate when he opened his mouth.

However, he was quite generous in offering a fish this time. I just don’t know what to do if he doesn’t catch any?
Xu Fugui was very smart, he agreed as soon as he heard this:
"Okay, then I'll wait for your fish. If you don't catch it, you have to buy it back for me. It can't be less than three pounds."

"Ah? This..."

Yan Bugui was just talking. There has been a severe drought in the past few months. A lot of fish died due to lack of oxygen in the summer. Now all we can catch are small fish. Where can we find a big fish weighing three kilograms?
But the words have been spoken, and it is too late for Yan Bugui to regret now.

And if you calculate carefully, exchanging a three-pound fish for a sumptuous dinner doesn't seem to be a big loss.

After all, meat and vegetables are expensive now. Meat used to cost 50 or 60 cents per pound, but this year the price has risen to one yuan per pound. The price of meat tickets on the black market has also been driven up very high, with a meat ticket for two taels costing one cent.

A pound of meat costs only 1.6 yuan, which makes fish cheaper in comparison.

"Okay, I'll go fishing then, and we'll see you tonight."

After figuring it out, Yan Bugui left happily.

Xu Fugui invited Li Jiandong: "Deputy Director Li, how about coming over to eat tonight? I'll go buy some meat and vegetables, and then ask Daqing to cook a good meal."

"That's great, I'll go buy two bottles of good wine."

Li Jiandong has a lot of non-staple food coupons, so he is the one who buys wine at ordinary gatherings. Others don’t have the money to buy wine.

"Dad, I'll go buy some meat and vegetables. Our unit doesn't have anything else, but we get a lot of food coupons."

Xu Damao said with a smile, and casually took out a large number of tickets of various weights from his pocket.

He works at the Agricultural Research Institute. He usually hands over a portion of what he researches, and they deal with the rest themselves.

Many times when we couldn’t finish the food, we would exchange it for food coupons. The money had to be handed in, but the food coupons were no longer needed.

Xu Damao had several hundred kilograms of food coupons, including a few meat coupons, which he exchanged with others.

"Okay, Damao is a grown man now and can help mom and dad."

Xu Fugui looked at his son and felt more and more relieved.

After staying at home for a while, Li Jiandong went shopping for groceries with Xu Damao.

When Xu Damao was at the Agricultural Research Institute, he had ridden in a jeep before, but compared with Li Jiandong’s car, his master’s car was more comfortable.

"Master, what kind of car is this? Why doesn't it feel bumpy at all? I've ridden in our institute's jeep before, and it almost broke my butt into four pieces."

What Xu Damao said was not an exaggeration at all.

The cars at that time had poor shock absorption and the seats were relatively hard. In addition, they often drove on country roads, which were bumpy everywhere. Sometimes after a ride, their coccyx would be hurt a lot.

Li Jiandong smiled and said:
"The car is just an ordinary jeep, but I have modified it. I will go back next year if I have the chance.

You can ask your driver to drive the car to the Shanghai Automobile Factory and ask them to install hydraulic shock absorbers. It will be much more comfortable after the modification."

In fact, there is another reason why Li Jiandong drives comfortably, that is, he possesses the unique skill of "man-machine integration".

Therefore, the machinery in his hands is almost the same as using his own arms, so driving is naturally more comfortable for him.

The two of them went to the market and quickly bought all the vegetables, but they didn't buy any meat because it had been snatched away long ago.

Even though meat is expensive now, the more expensive it is, the less it is available to sell.

Nowadays, people start queuing up before dawn in the morning. If you wait until dawn to buy a few books, you won’t be able to buy any good stuff.

People like Li Jiandong arrived after ten o'clock, so there is no way they can expect to buy any good meat.

(End of this chapter)