Chapter 37: The Unmovable Master
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Zhang Guohua could only say, “He never even attended high school. I wanted to observe him for a while before deciding whether to invite him over.”
The leader snapped, “He repaired the machine tools and has been supplying you with so many parts on a steady basis. What else is there to observe?!”
Zhang Guohua said, “That young man is proud and stubborn. Even if we invite him, he may not be willing to come.”
“Even if he refuses to work at the automobile plant, you can still invite him to repair the machine tools. Do I really have to point out something so simple? I was waiting for you to go to him yourself, but you haven’t done a thing. It seems you never intended to solve this problem at all. The automobile plant’s shutdown has put me under tremendous pressure as well. If you still don’t actively find a solution, then before the ministry takes action, I’ll have to find a way to remove you myself.”
The automobile plant’s prosperity or decline was tied to the province’s economic indicators.
If the plant remained shut down, with production so low, the provincial leadership’s record would look terrible.
Besides, provincial leaders were replaced every five years. He would not be responsible for what happened to the automobile plant after he left office.
But while he was still in office, he absolutely could not allow anything to happen to it.
Zhang Guohua hurriedly said, “Understood. I’ll personally go and invite him today.”
After hanging up, Zhang Guohua gritted his teeth and had someone buy fruit, malted milk powder, and other gifts. Then he drove Zhang Ziqiang to Cheng Shi’s home.
Cheng Shi had told Cheng Yongjin to take the day off, saying that he needed to use the machine tools.
Instead, Cheng Yongjin had gone out under the blazing sun to the steel mill to buy raw materials.
He had even said he wanted to visit the scrap-collection station to see whether they had any suitable stainless-steel ingots. Buying some back to test the machine and practice on would be useful.
Cheng Shi could not stop him and had no choice but to let him go.
By the time Zhang Guohua arrived, it was nearly lunchtime. Quite a few residents were in the building, and they all came out to watch the spectacle.
“Hey, why’s it a man? I heard it was an old lady.”
“What are you talking about? That’s Director Zhang of the automobile plant—the one that’s always in the newspapers.”
“Tsk, tsk. Looks like we misunderstood Cheng Shi. He’s really made something of himself.”
Hearing people calling from outside, Cheng Shi walked out in confusion. When he saw Zhang Guohua and Zhang Ziqiang holding gifts, he immediately understood what was going on.
Zhang Guohua naturally knew that if one was putting on a show, one had to commit fully. The moment he got out of the car, he hurried straight to Cheng Shi and extended both hands.
“Ah, Comrade Cheng Shi, I’ve come especially today to invite you back to help us repair our machine tools.”
Cheng Shi should have simply said, “I can’t repair it,” and gone back inside to continue his work.
But Zhang Ziqiang had come with Zhang Guohua.
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Cheng Shi did not want his friend to lose face, so he could only say, “Come upstairs and sit down. We’ll talk there.”
He went inside, picked up the finished parts, locked the door of the storage room, and led Zhang Guohua and the others upstairs.
Zhang Guohua was panting heavily by the time he reached the top. After sitting down, it took him quite a while to catch his breath.
He turned his head and surveyed the furnishings in the room and the corner where Cheng Shi usually slept. Then he said meaningfully, “Comrade Cheng Shi certainly lives simply.”
What he meant was: You only came to extort us because you’re poor.
Cheng Shi could not be bothered with his veiled sarcasm. He nodded toward the parts on the table.
“These are twenty bearings and twenty connecting-rod journals. Twenty thousand yuan.”
Zhang Ziqiang immediately placed the money on the table and took the parts.
Zhang Guohua said, “I came today to ask Comrade Cheng Shi to help us repair the machine tools.”
Cheng Shi shook his head. “I already told Comrade Zhang Ziqiang that I can’t repair it. The part you need is broken.”
Zhang Guohua could only humble himself and plead. “Comrade Cheng Shi, please help us. Name your price.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to help. It’s that there’s truly nothing I can do.”
“How about coming to work at our plant, Comrade Cheng Shi? I’ll give you the salary and benefits of our highest-level technical personnel. I’ll even assign you a brand-new three-bedroom apartment with two living rooms.”
Zhang Ziqiang’s eyes widened in delight. If that happened, he could see Cheng Shi every day.
He gazed at Cheng Shi expectantly.
Cheng Shi said, “I’m sorry, but for the time being, I don’t want to work at any factory.”
Even the automobile industry, now at the height of its glory and designated by the state as a key sector for development, would eventually suffer from losses and overcapacity, ushering in painful restructuring, industrial upgrading, and waves of layoffs.
It was merely that the wave of layoffs would come a little later than at other enterprises.
Cheng Shi remembered clearly that, during those years, several thousand people had been laid off from Xiangdong Automobile Plant.
Zhang Guohua grew anxious. “Come on, young man, don’t be so stubborn. I know my attitude toward you wasn’t very good before. I apologize. Just tell me what conditions you want.”
“It’s not that Director Zhang’s offer isn’t good enough, nor that I have any grudge against you. I’ve decided to work for myself. Let me make this clear: no matter which factory comes to recruit me, and no matter how high an offer they make, I won’t go.”
He had worked enough jobs in his previous life.
In this life, he had skills, time, and knowledge of the development trajectory of the next thirty-odd years. He was practically born to be an entrepreneur. Why would he willingly walk into someone else’s hands and let himself be exploited?
Most importantly, once he entered a factory, he would be bound by all kinds of rules and regulations and forced to deal with office politics. How could he devote himself to technological innovation?!
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Zhang Guohua had thought that as long as he lowered himself and sincerely begged Cheng Shi, Cheng Shi would certainly agree, and all their problems would be solved.
Now, that hope had been utterly shattered. There was no other way.
They could only rely on Cheng Shi to keep producing parts and somehow muddle through one day at a time.
Zhang Guohua lowered his head and walked out, his shoulders slumped.
Zhang Ziqiang grew desperate. He clasped his hands toward Cheng Shi.
“Please help us.”
Cheng Shi shook his head and pointed at the gifts. “I truly can’t do anything. Take these things back with you.”
Zhang Ziqiang looked as though he was about to cry and hurried after Zhang Guohua.
Cheng Shi waited for a while, judging that they should have gone some distance already, and prepared to go downstairs.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps came pounding through the stairwell.
Cheng Shi frowned. Judging by the sound, someone was running up to the seventh floor. Who could it be?
Zhang Ziqiang rushed in and dropped to his knees with a heavy thud.
Cheng Shi recoiled in fright and stared at him. “What are you doing?”
“Cheng Shi, I’m kneeling before you. Please save the automobile plant. If the plant goes under, tens of thousands of employees will lose their livelihoods. My father will be finished too.”
Cheng Shi was both exasperated and amused. “It isn’t that I’m being heartless. I genuinely can’t help. A key component inside the integrated circuit board of your machine tool has failed. I can’t make that by hand.”
Zhang Ziqiang looked up. “What if those foreigners deliberately said that to force us to buy an entire integrated circuit from them?”
Cheng Shi frowned.
He had actually considered that possibility.
After all, those foreign companies were shameless enough to sell an ordinary sheet of iron as if it were gold.
What worried him was that if the machine tool were dismantled and he ultimately failed to repair it, Director Zhang might pin the entire blame on him.
The machine was worth tens of thousands of dollars even after depreciation. He was not about to become the sucker who paid for everyone else’s mistake.
He had dared to dismantle the machine downstairs because he already knew where the problem lay—and because it belonged to him. He had no such concerns in that case.
Zhang Ziqiang rose to his feet. “What exactly are you worried about? Tell me, and I’ll solve it.”
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