Master, That's My Wife and My House! - Chapter 8

Chen Feng nodded slightly. That’s how it is these days. Whichever state-owned factory is seriously damaged, that person becomes powerful and wealthy, and acts all high and mighty.

Although Section Chief Lin is a bit old-fashioned, he’s good to his own people. He knows to give young people a word of advice. Some good-for-nothings would be happy to see you make a fool of yourself.

However, such leaders are often disliked by young people. They speak too bluntly and sound a bit preachy, unlike those scoundrels who speak tactfully and often get away with things, leaving you with nothing but thanks.

There’s no way around it. As the saying goes, good medicine tastes bitter but is good for the disease, and honest advice is hard to hear but beneficial to conduct. Even emperors can’t guarantee their own wisdom, let alone ordinary people. Who doesn’t like to hear a few pleasant words?

“Section Chief, you sit in the back, I’ll ride!” Chen Feng took the lead and grabbed the handlebars as Lin Xiaoyi unlocked the bicycle.

Lin Xiaoyi asked in surprise, “You’re riding it?”

Chen Feng chuckled and said, “Please let me try. I can’t afford a bicycle anyway, so just let me have some fun.”

Lin Xiaoyi glanced at Chen Feng thoughtfully, then chuckled and nodded. “Okay, ride slowly. Have you ridden like this before?”

Chen Feng nodded. “I learned to ride when I was in school, and I’m pretty good at it. Do you want to ride a dead one or a live one?”

On the way, Lin Xiaoyi nodded silently. He used to be most afraid of taking young people out. Some young people were simply clueless. When they went out with their boss, they would let their boss ride the bike while they watched the scenery from behind. What kind of behavior was that?

Looking at the back of Chen Feng’s head, Lin Xiaoyi chuckled and said, “Xiao Feng, you rode well. It’s good to be young. If it were me, I would have had to rest several times along the way.”

Chen Feng said happily, “Section Chief is giving me a chance. Otherwise, by the time I have the money and ration coupons to buy a bicycle, I would have long forgotten how to ride. In the future, if you go out, just call me. It will save you the trouble, and I will practice riding. It’s a win-win situation for both of us.”

“Win-win? That’s a good term!” Lin Xiaoyi nodded repeatedly.

Chen Feng was also pleased. There’s a saying that no one gets up early without a reason. He remembered that Wanhuai Coal Mine was about to make some adjustments to its subordinate units. He wanted to make his presence known to Section Chief Lin first so that things would be easier to handle later.

State-owned enterprises in the 1970s were like different rivers and lakes.

A person’s level of achievement and the quality of their treatment largely depend on the type of organization they work for.

The Wanhuai Machinery Factory is a relatively large enterprise, and because it provides supporting services to coal mining companies, the benefits are quite good in all aspects.

These days, with the country’s vigorous development, coal can be said to be one of the most important resources. Generally speaking, anything that can be traced back to coal is not bad.

However, the biggest problem with Wanhuai Machinery Factory was its small size. It was a supporting manufacturer and could only produce the equipment needed by Wanhuai Coal Mine in a step-by-step manner. It had no technology of its own, which was a fatal flaw.

So the Wanhuai Machinery Factory is like a lake, and the fish in the lake… how big can they get?

In comparison, the Wanhuai Coal Mine was completely different; it was like the sea. Once Chen Feng could transfer the connections there, it would be like a fish leaping freely in the vast ocean.

The so-called advancement, using the Wanhuai Coal Mine as a springboard, is a good starting point even if one pursues a career in politics.

If you want to quit, that’s even simpler. Cultivate good relationships in the coal mines, and once the restrictions on individual businesses are lifted, you can easily become a coal mine owner by leveraging your connections.

Furthermore, once he finds an opportunity to kill Zhou Zhenglong, he’ll need to move his master’s wife to a new living environment. The family housing at Wanhuai Coal Mine is… big and beautiful.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the Wanhuai Coal Mine, it was immediately apparent that it was quite different from the Wanhuai Machinery Factory. Its imposing gatehouse would not be outdone even decades later.

“Hello comrade, we are from Wanhuai Machinery Factory, and we have been invited to attend this meeting.” Lin Xiaoyi took out a letter of introduction, which was stamped with the official seal of Wanhuai Machinery Factory, proving their identities.

This is the only trouble these days: you need a letter of introduction everywhere you go. Without one, you can’t even stay in a guesthouse. If you end up sleeping on the streets, well… if you get caught as a vagrant, you’ll be in big trouble.

“Okay, don’t wander around after you go in. Head west, the second office building is it.” The security guard glanced at the letter of introduction, casually clipped it to a wooden board, and waved his hand to indicate that the two could leave.

Passing through the gatehouse of the security department, the first thing that comes into view is the main building of Wanhuai Coal Mine, and behind the main building stands the main hoisting headframe, which is where the hoisting winch is located. In addition to providing access for workers to go up and down the mine, it is also responsible for transporting equipment used underground.

Section Chief Lin led Chen Feng westward and soon they saw the so-called office building. It was a three-story cement building. Although it didn’t look very big, in this era, it was perfectly legitimate to call itself an office building. After all, you might not be able to find many buildings more impressive than this in the entire Anhui and Huaihe River region.

After entering the office building, I asked for directions all the way up, and stopped in front of an office on the third floor.

Section Chief Lin straightened his clothes before knocking on the door. After hearing a “Come in” voice from inside, he slowly pushed open the office door and went in.

Chen Feng followed him into the office and saw a man in his thirties sitting there. He looked almost too young.

“Who are you?” The man looked up at the two of them, clearly not recognizing them.

Section Chief Lin quickly said, “Hello, Section Chief, we are from the Technical Department of Wanhuai Machinery Factory. We came here as soon as we received your notice.”

Upon hearing that the two men were from the Wanhuai Machinery Factory, the man immediately greeted them with a smile and invited them to sit down.

“Please have a seat, both of you.” Section Chief Wu introduced himself with a smile: “Let me introduce myself. I just returned from military service and am now in charge of the electromechanical department of Wanhuai Coal Mine. My surname is Wu, Wu Wenhua.”

Lack of culture?

Chen Feng’s expression remained unchanged, but inwardly he was already complaining: What were these parents thinking? How could they name their son something so uncultured?

This person must be very bold, after all… uncultured, unaware of fear, uneducated, and shameless.

Judging from the age, it’s unlikely that the name was given during that particular revolutionary period.

During that period, intellectuals were considered “stinking ninth category” members. Even university admissions were not based on grades, but on social class, which was a recommendation system, similar to the ancient system of recommending filial and incorruptible individuals.

Speaking of the college entrance examination, it was only recently reinstated. The events at the beginning of this year were like a thunderbolt to the land of China, marking the beginning of the reform.

“Hello, Section Chief Wu. I am Lin Xiaoyi, the head of the Technical Section of Wanhuai Machinery Factory. This is Comrade Chen Feng, a key member of our section,” Lin Xiaoyi said with a smile.

Chen Feng secretly gave Section Chief Lin a thumbs up. As the saying goes, when you’re out in the world, you give yourself your identity. Section Chief Lin probably hadn’t heard this saying before, but that didn’t stop him from figuring it out himself.

When Wu Wenhua heard that Chen Feng was a key member, his eyes lit up. As everyone knows, the leaders of a unit may be incompetent, but the key members are usually really capable.

“Good job, key personnel!” Wu Wenhua quickly grabbed Chen Feng’s hand and said, “Comrade Chen Feng, to be honest, I just took over the work of the mobile electronics department and have many ideas, but I… am a retired soldier, and my professional skills… haha, please excuse my poor performance.”

“In short, I need someone with excellent mechanical and electrical engineering skills to help me design a complete solution!” Wu Wenhua said solemnly.

Chen Feng suddenly realized who this person was in front of him. In his previous life, this person… died young.