novelsite Chapter 9 Chen Yishang
Chapter 9 Chen Yishang
At 1:10 p.m., in the backyard shed of "Old Chen's Tool Repair Shop" in the Weiding Industrial Area.
Even before you get close, you can hear the symphony of metalworking coming from the workshop: the sharp hiss of the angle grinder, the deep rumble of the bench drill, the dull thud of the hammer striking the steel plate, and the occasional short and powerful command.
When Wang Zhengyang pushed open the creaking rusty iron door, the workshop was bustling with activity. Two secondhand Miller TIG welding machines hummed in the corner, their blue arcs flashing intermittently, illuminating Zhang Haitao's face behind his dark mask. The air was filled with the unique smell of metal cutting fluid, ozone, and welding fumes, but for these craftsmen, it was the most familiar "work smell."
Chen Yishang and his four apprentices were gathered around a massive, 30-millimeter-thick steel workbench in the center. Five or six detailed A1-sized machining drawings were spread out on the table, held in place by magnets. The densely packed dimensions and cross-sectional symbols on the drawings revealed the complexity of the design. Next to them were a dozen or so pre-cut steel plate components, their cut surfaces neat and smooth, gleaming with a fresh metallic sheen—the result of a morning's work by a CNC plasma cutting machine.
"Dr. Wang, you've come at the perfect time!" Chen Yishang was the first to spot Wang Zhengyang, putting down the calipers in his hand to greet him. Today, he was wearing a dark blue overall, with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, and he was wearing work gloves. There were a few specks of oil on his face, but he looked energetic.
"Master Chen, how's the progress?" Wang Zhengyang nodded, his gaze sweeping across the entire work area. His mechanical affinity silently unfolded, like an invisible scanner sweeping over every part being processed.
"Look at this." Chen Yishang led him to the workbench and pointed to an L-shaped connector that had already been drilled and chamfered. "According to the drawings, this is the connection point with the original beam of the front of the car. Four through holes with a diameter of 22 mm need to be drilled. The positional tolerance requirement is ±0.1 mm, and the perpendicularity requirement is within 0.05 mm. Xiao Liu used a bench drill with a self-made drill jig and got it right in one go. I just measured it, and even the most off-center hole has a deviation of only 0.08 mm, which is completely up to standard."
Liu Qiming was operating the old but well-maintained German-made bench drill. He wore protective goggles, and sweat beaded on his forehead, but his movements were extremely steady: his left hand held the drill jig, while his right hand pressed down the feed handle at a steady pace, coolant flowing down the drill rod, carrying away chips and heat. His breathing was synchronized with the feed rhythm, demonstrating a high degree of focus and body control.
On the other side, Li Zhenhua and Zhang Haitao were welding a complex base assembly. Zhang Haitao squatted beside the workpiece, his welding torch steady as a rock, the arc burning steadily, the weld bead even and delicate like fish scales, with almost no spatter—a level of control only a master could possess. Li Zhenhua, standing nearby, used C-clamps and angle iron clamps to hold the workpiece in place, occasionally tapping the edge of the newly completed weld bead with a small hammer to release welding stress. The two didn't exchange words, but their seamless cooperation was clearly the result of long-term collaboration.
Wang Jianguo stood at a makeshift workbench in the corner of the shed, a pile of hydraulic pipe fittings, quick-change valves, and pressure sensors spread out in front of him. These were all "spare parts" or "factory clearance items" that he had obtained through his previous work channels. They showed some signs of use, but their key functions were intact, and their prices were only a quarter or even less of the new ones. He was carefully inspecting the internal flow channels of a multi-way valve body with an industrial endoscope equipped with an LED light source, and the image on the screen clearly showed the internal structure.
Wang Zhengyang didn't disturb anyone's work and quietly observed for five minutes. His senses were simultaneously collecting data:
The hole that Liu Qiming is drilling has an actual verticality deviation of 0.047 mm, a diameter of 22.01 mm, and good hole wall roughness. Excellent.
The weld that Zhang Haitao just completed has a uniform penetration depth, reaching 70% of the base material thickness, and contains only two pores with a diameter of less than 0.2 mm. Its non-destructive testing level reaches Grade B. A master's level.
The multi-way valve that Wang Jianguo inspected had a smooth internal flow channel, but there was an extremely tiny casting sand hole at the bend of one of the branches, about 0.3 mm in diameter and 0.5 mm deep. It did not affect the seal or flow rate, but it could become the starting point of fatigue under long-term high pressure. Wang Jianguo obviously noticed it as well; he circled the location with a marker and wrote next to it, "Usage pressure not exceeding 250 Bar".
His senses finally swept over Chen Yishang. The master craftsman didn't work himself, but instead patrolled and guided the three work points. But Wang Zhengyang noticed a detail: when Chen Yishang's fingers unconsciously brushed over the edge of a freshly cut steel plate that hadn't been deburred, his brow furrowed slightly, and he would then have his apprentice use an angle grinder with louvers to polish that area again. Wang Zhengyang's senses confirmed that the areas Chen Yishang pointed out needed further treatment did indeed have microscopic burrs (approximately 0.05-0.1 mm in height) or a slight work-hardened layer (approximately 10-15% harder than the base material). These imperfections might not have a significant impact on ordinary welding, but for welds in vehicle body structures requiring high fatigue strength, they could become crack initiation points.
Is this intuition about the state of metal... an almost instinctive experience accumulated over forty years of craftsmanship? Or an unconscious manifestation of a potential supernatural talent? Wang Zhengyang quietly noted down this phenomenon, preparing for continued observation.
"Dr. Wang, the materials outside have been delivered!" The roar of a diesel truck and the driver's shout came from outside the shed.
The first batch of materials ordered by Wang Zhengyang through legitimate channels from a qualified steel trading company consisted of two tons of Q235B ordinary carbon structural steel (mainly used for making tooling fixtures and auxiliary support structures), as well as a batch of standard tools and consumables (grinding wheels, drill bits, welding wire, personal protective equipment, etc.). This purchase was made through an escrow account, with a formal contract and invoice, making it a transparent transaction.
Everyone put down their work and went out to unload the goods. Wang Zhengyang took the opportunity to pull Chen Yishang to the innermost storage room of the work shed and closed the door.
"Boss Zhang has replied." Chen Yishang lowered his voice and pulled a crumpled note from his work pocket. A few lines of writing were on it in ballpoint pen. "My fellow villager went to see Boss Zhang's manager at noon. The manager said they do have the goods, and we can go see them at 3 pm tomorrow. The location is a warehouse near the old airport in the Tempelhof district. The address is here." He pointed to a handwritten address on the note.
"Price?" Wang Zhengyang asked.
"It's 42% cheaper than through regular channels. But it requires at least half upfront payment, all in cash, cash on delivery, no written agreement. And..." Chen Yishang hesitated for a moment, "My fellow villager hinted that Boss Zhang is short on cash lately and might be in a hurry to close this deal, so he told us to 'be careful,' meaning he might have some 'tricks' involved."
"Understood." Wang Zhengyang thought for a moment and told Chen Yishang, "I'll take care of the supplies. You can arrange for everyone to continue working later."
Wang Zhengyang took out a thick kraft paper envelope from his briefcase. "This is your salary for this week, as agreed, in cash. Distribute it to everyone. Tell everyone that if all the processed parts meet the target this week, you will receive a performance bonus starting next week, which will be 20% of your base salary."
Chen Yishang took the heavy envelope, weighed it in his hand, and a genuine smile spread across his face: "Thank you, Dr. Wang! Everyone is working very hard now, saying the work is enjoyable and the pay is fair!"
"You deserve it." Wang Zhengyang patted him on the shoulder. "Quality first, speed second. Go on."