Chapter 39: Chapter 39: Chuncheng Machine Tool Factory: First in Skills! First in Theory

Beautiful!

That backhand weld, in particular, was truly stunning!

The senior welder scribbled furiously on his paper. Clearly, he thought very highly of the welders in Xie Changning’s group and gave them a high evaluation.

Xie Changning’s group started the repairs late, but they finished around the same time as everyone else.

When the assessment time was up, Xie Changning’s team members were already packing up. They wiped their tools clean, returned them to their original places, and arranged them neatly.

This care for their tools also greatly pleased the senior engineers.

Group: +5 points.

A glimmer of a smile appeared in Xie Changning’s eyes as she watched the senior engineers.

’It’s just like keeping an exam paper neat,’ she thought. ’If the paper is tidy, the teacher finds it pleasing to look at and can’t help but give a few extra points for presentation.’

By organizing their tools and showing they cared for them, the judges couldn’t resist giving them a few extra points for it.

While Xie Changning was lost in thought, the judges had already left. The teams from the various factories stood in place, awaiting the results.

Since this was the first-ever skills competition, the preparations had been thorough and there was plenty of staff. The results were calculated in less than ten minutes.

The president of the industrial and commercial fair walked to the front of the stage. Holding a microphone, she looked down at the workers with a cheerful smile.

"You are all truly worthy of being the next generation of technicians for our Chinese factories! Your skills have amazed and impressed me. The young workers from certain factories, in particular, were a wonderful surprise..."

The president of the fair continued with her words of praise.

The praised workers stood tall, chests puffed out, like triumphant heroes.

As the president praised them, smiles of validation appeared on their faces. Their smiles were radiant, and they were filled with high hopes for the future.

They were the successors of the future! They would be even better than their parents’ generation!

This praise meant the world to them!

After a moment of praise, the president got to the point. "Without further ado, let’s announce the maintenance results for each factory." She held up a sheet of paper and addressed the crowd. "Right here, I have the competition scores for every factory’s team!"

"Do you want to see them?"

"Yes!" the young people answered in unison.

The president was infected by their enthusiasm. She clutched the results sheet and announced, "First, the theoretical assessment!"

"Third place, the Jiangcheng Machine Tool Factory!"

The team from the Jiangcheng Machine Tool Factory, having been called, happily spun around in circles. As the person in charge, the director of the Jiangcheng Machine Tool Factory stood up at this moment.

"Hello everyone, I am Yue Shan, the director of the Jiangcheng Machine Tool Factory. You are all welcome to place orders with us!"

"Yeah!"

As the director of the Jiangcheng Machine Tool Factory finished speaking, a wave of boisterous cheers erupted.

The president of the fair gestured with her hands for the crowd to quiet down. "Now, I will announce first and second place. Are you curious to know which factories they are?"

"Yes!"

"As you should be!"

The president held up two result sheets, unfolding them for everyone to see. "The Chuncheng Machine Tool Factory and the Huai City Machine Tool Factory! Who do you think is number one?"

The Chuncheng Machine Tool Factory?

Everyone’s gaze involuntarily fell upon Xie Changning and her team members.

As the head of the Chuncheng Machine Tool Factory, Director Li straightened his clothes and slowly rose to his feet. "Hello everyone. I’m the director of the Chuncheng Machine Tool Factory, and my name is Li Fuzeren. If you have any needs, you’re welcome to come to our factory and see our products! Our Technician Xiao Xie is outstanding, and the technicians she leads will certainly not disappoint!"

With Director Li having spoken, the director of the Huai City Machine Tool Factory was naturally not one to be outdone.

Amid the commotion, everyone was curious about who had actually taken first place.

No one wanted to say anything that might offend, so only the young people were discussing it animatedly.

"I was next to the Chuncheng Machine Tool Factory’s station. I’m guessing it’s them! The technicians from their factory are incredible, outstanding in every way!"

"I think it’s the Huai City Machine Tool Factory!"

After a long and lively discussion, everyone’s eyes finally turned back to the president of the fair. "Ma’am, just tell us already! Don’t keep us in suspense!"

They were dying of curiosity!

Seeing how curious everyone was, the president didn’t drag it out any longer. "First place is... the Chuncheng Machine Tool Factory!"

As the president’s voice faded, a strange silence fell over the venue, followed by a thunderous, excited round of applause.

The few technicians behind Xie Changning were completely stunned.

Just making it into the top two had been thrilling enough, but now that they had taken first place, they were like deer in headlights, completely forgetting how to react.

Li Minghe stared blankly and pointed at himself. "First place? Me?"

Zhu Yuhong jumped for joy. "AHHH! I knew it! Our Technician Xiao Xie is the best! With her guidance, I knew we could get first place!"

They held hands, jumping up and down with joy, celebrating their victory.

A hint of delight appeared on Xie Changning’s face as well.

"To the factories that didn’t place as high, don’t be discouraged. The main purpose of this competition was to establish a baseline for everyone and facilitate future exchanges and learning. For example, the maintenance techniques of the Chuncheng Machine Tool Factory seem to be far ahead of the rest of you."

When one factory had superior technicians, the leadership was inclined to have them help the factories that were lagging behind.

As soon as they heard that the Chuncheng Machine Tool Factory’s skills were superior to the others, people started getting restless.

"Ma’am, can we go take a look at the machine tool they repaired?"

"Of course!"

With the president’s permission, everyone eagerly left their seats and went down to crowd around the machine tool that Xie Changning’s group had repaired.

As they gathered around, a few of the judges also came over to explain the reasons for the Chuncheng Machine Tool Factory’s high score.

There were some techniques that most had not yet fully mastered.

"The Chuncheng Machine Tool Factory’s team was very thoughtful in their repairs. They were repairing with a clear plan and purpose. Look here..." As the senior technician explained, some of the factory heads who hadn’t quite understood began to nod slowly.

They understood now. The team had incorporated their own ideas into the repair process.

More importantly, they had even used some Western techniques that China had not yet adopted.

This point was crucial!

Western technology was superior to China’s and was the main object of their study. Now that the Chuncheng Machine Tool Factory possessed such skills, everyone looked at Li Fuzeren as if he were a hot commodity.

Their gazes were incredibly fervent.

Director Li felt a bit unnerved by their stares. "Old Wang, what are they planning? I feel like a lamb to the slaughter, about to be eaten at any moment."

But as he said this, he was grinning from ear to ear.

It made Wang Lisheng not even want to acknowledge him. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

’That old rascal,’ Wang Lisheng thought. ’He can just enjoy it in secret.’

"Director Li, you’ll have to look after us in the future!"

"Director Li, is your Technician Xiao Xie available for loan? We’d like to borrow her for a while..."