NovelsAlex Chapter 88 True skill is revealed through measurement, and clumsy technique cannot mask a virtuous r
Chapter 88 True skill is revealed through measurement, and clumsy technique cannot mask a virtuous r
In the technical department's calibration room, sunlight streamed obliquely through the high windows, casting rectangular patches of light on the terrazzo floor. On the inspection platform in the center of these patches, twenty gear blanks were neatly arranged. Ten of them were finished products processed by Lin Chen's team using the new forging die, while the other ten were the "assessment samples" submitted by Qin Huairu a few days prior—it was thanks to these samples that Yi Zhonghai secured a "qualified" rating for her in the quarterly assessment. Although she wasn't promoted, she retained her apprenticeship in the fitter's workshop.
Lin Chen stood on one side of the platform, a micrometer with an accuracy of 0.001 millimeters between his fingertips, his gaze calmly sweeping over the two rows of workpieces in front of him. Liu Guangtian stood beside him, holding a test record book, pen tip hovering above the paper, ready to record data at any moment. Qin Huairu stood in a slightly further corner, her hands unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes. Her brows, which had relaxed yesterday due to her participation in the forging die development, were now furrowed again, and the stray hairs at her temples were damp with sweat, sticking to her cheeks.
"Let's begin," Wang Haitao, the head of the technical department, broke the silence in the room. He held the evaluation form submitted by Yi Zhonghai in his hand; the ink on the comment "Exquisite craftsmanship, meets requirements" was still wet, but after seeing the test data for Lin Chen's team's batch of gears, a big question mark appeared on his face. Yesterday, when Lin Chen submitted the new forging die process report, he mentioned that Qin Huairu's evaluation samples differed from the actual operational level. Adhering to the principle of rigor, Wang Haitao immediately decided to re-evaluate the process.
Lin Chen first picked up Qin Huairu's sample and gently placed the micrometer's anvil at the root of the gear teeth. The micrometer's thimble slowly rotated, emitting a faint "click" sound, a signal of precision calibration. "The root circle diameter deviation is 0.03 millimeters, exceeding the tolerance range by two times," he reported the data, his voice calm and even, yet it was like a pebble thrown into Qin Huairu's heart, causing her shoulders to tremble violently.
Liu Guangtian quickly made a note, the pen tip leaving clear marks on the paper. Wang Haitao leaned closer to examine it; the micrometer's reading window clearly displayed "φ25.030," while the standard dimension required by the drawing was "φ25.000±0.015," indicating that it was indeed outside the acceptable range. "Measure the tooth profile error again," Section Chief Wang gestured.
Lin Chen switched to the gear profile analyzer and fixed the sample on the worktable. After the instrument was started, the probe slowly slid along the tooth surface, and the outline curve of the tooth immediately appeared on the screen. After comparing it with the standard curve, the deviation value was clearly displayed as 0.022 millimeters. "The second critical error, the substandard tooth profile accuracy, will lead to increased noise during gear meshing and a shortened service life," Lin Chen explained while bringing up the standard parameter page. "Gears with this level of precision are simply unsuitable for use in the precision transmission systems of military factories."
Qin Huairu's face turned deathly pale instantly. Her lips trembled as if she wanted to defend herself, but no sound came out. She remembered the sample that Yi Zhonghai had secretly given her before the assessment. At the time, he said, "This is what I corrected for you overnight. Just submit it according to this." Although she had doubts, she was blinded by the thought of "keeping her job." Now that the truth had been exposed, she felt utterly ashamed.
"There's a third one." Lin Chen didn't pause, picking up the third sample. This time, he checked the end face runout of the gear. When the dial indicator's pointer stabilized at 0.04 millimeters, Wang Haitao finally couldn't help but frown: "The end face runout is so far out of tolerance. There will be axial movement during assembly. This is a basic process issue. How could such a mistake be made?"
At that moment, the door to the testing room was pushed open, and Yi Zhonghai walked in with a gloomy face. He had just heard in the workshop that the technical department was re-verifying the samples, so he rushed over immediately and happened to hear Section Chief Wang's questioning. "Section Chief Wang, this may be a testing error. Although Qin Huairu's skills are not top-notch, she can still guarantee basic accuracy." He tried to smooth things over, but he dared not look directly at Lin Chen.
Lin Chen turned to look at him, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable authority: "Master Yi, we have tested all ten samples submitted by Qin Huairu, and eight of them have these three key errors. The error values are basically consistent, so it cannot be a testing problem. Moreover, these errors are not accidental deviations caused by operational mistakes, but rather systematic deviations caused by insufficient process capabilities—for example, the tooth profile error is due to the inability to precisely control the angle during filing, a habit formed from long-term substandard technology."
To prove his point, Lin Chen asked Liu Guangtian to produce the practice pieces Qin Huairu had been working on. These pieces were ones he had collected from the workshop's scrap heap; their teeth were crooked and uneven, with jagged transition arcs at the tooth roots, perfectly matching the error characteristics of the test sample. "Master Yi, look at these practice pieces. The error pattern is exactly the same as the test sample. This shows that the test sample wasn't completed by Qin Huairu independently at all. Someone helped her correct the key parts, but it couldn't completely mask her technical shortcomings."
Cold sweat beaded on Yi Zhonghai's forehead. He hadn't expected Lin Chen to notice even these details. When he helped Qin Huairu revise the sample, he only focused on polishing the surface smoothness of the teeth, neglecting "details" such as the root diameter and end face runout. Now that Lin Chen had pointed it out in public, he could no longer deny it.
Wang Haitao's expression grew increasingly serious as he looked at the evidence before him. He picked up Qin Huairu's assessment file, which recorded that she had failed the assessment for two consecutive years, with the problems each time focusing on precision control. "Master Yi, as Qin Huairu's mentor, you should be well aware of her skill level. The assessment sample you submitted this time has clearly been modified, which violates the assessment rules."
Just then, Qin Huairu suddenly spoke, her voice trembling with tears yet unusually firm: "Section Chief Wang, it has nothing to do with Master Yi. I asked him for help. I know my skills aren't up to par, and I was worried about failing the assessment and being transferred out of the workshop. My three children are still waiting for me to support them, so I asked Master Yi to help me correct the sample." She raised her head, tears streaming down her cheeks, but her eyes were clear. "Before, Master Lin helped me find mending work, and I realized that earning a living with my skills is the only way to feel secure. I was wrong this time. I'm willing to accept punishment and start learning from the basics again. I'll never do anything like this again."
These words stunned everyone present. No one expected that Qin Huairu, who used to only feign pitifulness and scheme against others, would actually admit her mistakes. Lin Chen looked at her, a hint of approval in his eyes—after the collaboration on forging mold development, this woman had finally rediscovered her reverence for "craftsmanship."
Yi Zhonghai looked at Qin Huairu with a complex expression. He had originally thought that Qin Huairu would shift the blame onto him, but he hadn't expected her to take the initiative. Thinking back to how he had deliberately supported Qin Huairu for so many years in order to "retire," even at the cost of violating discipline, and then looking at this disciple who was willing to face her mistakes, he suddenly felt how ridiculous his scheming had been.
Wang Haitao was silent for a moment before finally making a decision: "Qin Huairu, given your proactive admission of error and sincere attitude, this assessment result is invalidated, and your transfer will be temporarily suspended, but you will be demoted to apprentice and retrain; Yi Zhonghai, as your mentor, failed to fulfill your teaching responsibilities and even assisted in modifying the assessment sample, so you will receive a public reprimand and have your monthly technical allowance deducted." He paused, then looked at Lin Chen, "Lin Chen, you promptly reported the problem and developed a new forging process for the workshop, so you will receive a major merit award and your bonus will be doubled."
After the results were announced, everyone left the testing room. Yi Zhonghai walked ahead alone, his back looking particularly lonely. Qin Huairu walked up to Lin Chen and bowed deeply: "Master Lin, thank you. If you hadn't enlightened me, I might still be getting by by feigning pitifulness, never knowing what I'm truly capable of."
Lin Chen waved his hand: "You have to walk your own path. It's more important than anything else that you can recognize your own problems. If you have any technical questions in the future, feel free to ask me, or learn with Guangtian and the others." He pointed to Liu Guangtian next to him, "Guangtian and the others are making rapid progress in their skills. You can exchange ideas with each other."
Liu Guangtian nodded with a smile: "Master Qin, we'll practice our skills together from now on. The techniques Master Lin taught us are really useful; I guarantee you'll learn them well."
Qin Huai smiled gratefully; it was the first genuine smile she had shown since arriving at the steel mill. Watching Lin Chen and Liu Guangtian's departing figures, she clenched her fists—from this day forward, she would rely on her own hands to provide for the children.
The news quickly spread throughout the steel rolling mill and reached the Hongxing Courtyard. Everyone was astonished when they heard that Qin Huairu had voluntarily admitted to cheating on the assessment and was even willing to be demoted to an apprentice. Jia Zhangshi sat in the courtyard, muttering "foolish woman," but no one echoed her as before. Aunt Li, however, sighed, "This Qin family daughter-in-law has finally chosen the right path. You can get by with scheming for a while, but you can get by with skill for a lifetime."
Liu Haizhong slapped his thigh excitedly: "I knew Lin Chen was capable! Not only is he skilled himself, but he can also motivate others to learn! With Guangtian following him, I can finally rest assured!" He specially bought two catties of pig's head meat and invited Lin Chen and Liu Guangtian to his home for drinks. During the meal, he kept urging Lin Chen to give more guidance to the Liu Guangtian brothers, and said that if there was anything at home in the future, they could just ask him.
Meanwhile, Yan Bugui hid inside, fiddling with his abacus. He was calculating how much Qin Huairu's salary would decrease after being demoted, and how much bonus Lin Chen would receive after being awarded a major merit. After all that calculation, he finally sighed—he suddenly realized that all his calculations in his life had resulted in his children becoming estranged, while Lin Chen had earned everyone's respect through his skills and character. This was the most worthwhile "business" of all.
That evening, Lin Chen returned to his small house and opened the system panel. A new notification appeared on the screen: "The host guided Qin Huairu to face himself and complete the 'Humanity Redemption' side quest, rewarding him with 2000 points and unlocking the 'Skill Inheritance' function—allowing him to transform his skills into learning manuals to help others quickly master them."
Lin Chen's eyes lit up; this function would come in handy. He immediately spent 500 points to convert his summary of basic forging techniques and fitter precision control methods into two learning manuals. Looking at the manual icons on the panel, he recalled Qin Huairu's determined gaze during the day, the eager eyes of the Liu Guangtian brothers, and Sha Zhu's sincere and helpful attitude despite his rough and careless nature.
Since his rebirth, his mindset has undergone a complete transformation, from initially only wanting to protect himself and seek revenge to now leading those around him to progress together. He knows that in this era full of opportunities and challenges, it is difficult to go far by relying solely on one's own strength. Only by uniting more down-to-earth and hardworking people like Qin Huairu and Liu Guangtian can one gain a foothold in the tide of the times and create one's own glory.
Outside the window, the lights in the courtyard gradually went out, leaving only the public streetlights in the central courtyard still lit, their dim yellow light illuminating the blue brick ground. Lin Chen knew that tomorrow's sunrise would mark a new beginning—Qin Huairu would take her study manual to the workshop, Liu Guangtian and his brothers would continue to delve into the technology, and he himself would begin preparing for his next technological innovation project.
He took out paper and pen and began drawing new blueprints. This was a modification plan for the existing forging press in the workshop. Through system analysis, he discovered that by optimizing the transmission system of the forging press, production efficiency could be increased by another 20%. The lines on the blueprints were smooth and precise, and every parameter had been repeatedly calculated, just like his clear life plan at this moment—to establish himself through technology, treat people with kindness, and forge his own path to success in this turbulent era.
Night had fallen, but the light in the cabin remained on, illuminating Lin Chen's focused figure. The cold wind howled outside, but it couldn't dispel the warmth and hope within.