radiothebook Chapter 16 Xu Damao's Rumors: Ironclad Evidence Breaks the Stalemate and Reveals His Brilliance
Chapter 16 Xu Damao's Rumors: Ironclad Evidence Breaks the Stalemate and Reveals His Brilliance
The Hongxing Courtyard was a bit more lively than usual on Saturday. In the front yard, Yan Bugui's clothesline was piled high with faded work clothes. In the middle yard, Jia Zhangshi was directing Jia Geng to turn over and dry pickled radishes. From the back yard, Liu Haizhong's shouts could be heard intermittently—most likely he was reprimanding the Liu Guangtian brothers again. Lin Chen had just returned from the steel mill, carrying a Xinhua Dictionary for He Yushui. This was a rare item he had redeemed with system points, which he had promised to give to the girl yesterday while tutoring her.
As soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw a group of neighbors gathered around the communal water feature. Xu Damao stood in the center of the crowd, his slicked-back hair and powdered face beaming with smugness. He was shaking a tin megaphone—a piece of junk he'd smuggled from the factory's projection room, which he'd managed to patch up and still work. "Listen up, folks," Xu Damao's voice shrilly came through the megaphone, "Lin Chen, the new guy in our courtyard, looks all respectable, but back when we were working in the Great Northern Wilderness, he stole corn from the collective granary! If the team leader hadn't caught him and run away so fast, he'd be sent to labor camp long ago!"
The crowd erupted in an uproar. Yan Bugui adjusted his reading glasses, his abacus clicked rapidly in his hand, and stepped forward to ask, "Master Xu, you can't just say things like that. Stealing from the collective granary is a serious crime. Do you have any evidence?" Xu Damao glanced at him sideways, patted his chest, and said, "My cousin works as an accountant in that production team in the Great Northern Wilderness. He told me himself! More than two hundred catties of corn were missing from the granary, and it turned out to be Lin Chenqian. He just ran away overnight and wasn't caught!"
Jia Zhangshi immediately chimed in, hands on her hips, shouting towards Lin Chen's house, "I knew this kid's background was questionable! He was stealing grain from my son when he first arrived; he's a thief at heart! Uncle Yi, you have to uphold justice! Letting someone like that live in our yard will only lead to him stealing everything from our house sooner or later!" Yi Zhonghai stood at his door, holding an enamel mug, his eyes gleaming, but he didn't speak immediately—he was hoping something would happen to Lin Chen so that Qin Huairu could take the opportunity to win over Ma Weiguo and snatch the order from the Shanghai Machine Tool Factory.
Lin Chen frowned, about to step forward, when Sha Zhu pulled him back. "Brother Lin, don't be impulsive," Sha Zhu said in a low voice. "Xu Damao is deliberately picking a fight. He's jealous that you're valued in the workshop and stole Qin Huairu's thunder. Arguing with him now won't help; we need to find evidence to refute him." Lin Chen nodded. He naturally understood Xu Damao's intentions—last week, the factory commended key technical personnel, and he won first prize, while Xu Damao had his bonus deducted because of a projector malfunction. He clearly wanted to vent his anger on Lin Chen.
"What? You're too scared to say anything now that I hit the nail on the head?" Xu Damao became even more arrogant when Lin Chen didn't react. "Let me tell you, Lin Chen, you have to give the whole neighborhood an explanation today! Either produce evidence that you didn't steal the grain, or pack your bags and get out of the courtyard, and compensate us for the reputational damage—at least fifty catties of grain coupons!" Yan Bugui's eyes lit up, and he quickly chimed in, "That's right, reputational damage has to be compensated! Counting by the number of people, there are seventeen people in our courtyard, three catties of grain coupons per person isn't much, is it?"
Lin Chen slowly walked to the center of the crowd, his gaze sweeping over everyone: "Xu Damao, you said I stole from the collective granary. I have three questions for you. First, what was the name of the production team I was assigned to? Second, who was the granary manager? Third, what variety of corn was stolen? Your cousin is the accountant; he should know these basic details, right?" Xu Damao's smug expression instantly froze, and he stammered, "I... my cousin didn't go into details, but anyway, that's what happened!"
"If they didn't go into details, they're making it up." Lin Chen's voice wasn't loud, but it had a penetrating quality. "I was sent to the Third Production Team of Hongxing in the Great Northern Wilderness in 1965. The granary manager was Uncle Wang Tiezhu. Back then, the team grew 'Longdan No. 3' corn, which was drought-resistant but had a low yield. In the autumn of 1967, some corn did go missing, but the thieves were two educated youths from a neighboring team. After they were caught, they were sent to labor reform. The whole commune knew about it. If you don't believe me, I can write a letter and have Uncle Wang testify."
A murmur arose from the crowd. Old Wang from the front yard stepped forward and said, "My nephew was also sent to the countryside in Hongxing Commune. I heard about the grain theft back then, and it seems it wasn't Xiao Lin." Xu Damao became agitated, pointing at Lin Chen and shouting, "You're talking nonsense! How could my cousin lie to me? You must have done your research beforehand!" Lin Chen sneered, "Your cousin's name is Xu Erzhu, right? He was dismissed from his post in 1968 for embezzling public funds and is now undergoing labor reform at the commune's brick kiln. If you dare bring him to confront me, I'm ready anytime."
Upon hearing this, Xu Damao's face turned deathly pale—his cousin's labor camp experience was a family scandal, something he had never told outsiders. How could Lin Chen know? Actually, when Lin Chen scanned Xu Damao's house with the system last night, he happened to see the correspondence between him and his cousin, which detailed the process of his dismissal. But Lin Chen didn't expose it, and simply continued, "Even if I really did steal grain, you used a broken factory loudspeaker to spread rumors, violating factory rules; you publicly framed someone, violating public order regulations. If I report this to the factory security department, you'll probably lose your job as a projectionist."
Xu Damao's legs went weak with fear. His job as a projectionist, though not prestigious, at least provided a special allowance. If he lost it, his whole family would starve. But relying on the number of people around him, he stubbornly insisted, "You...you're trying to scare me! Look everyone, he's just trying to threaten me out of anger!" Just then, He Yushui ran over with an envelope, panting, and said, "Comrade Lin, this is the letter you asked me to mail. The commune replied!"
Lin Chen took the envelope and opened it in front of everyone. Inside was a certificate from the Hongxing Commune, stamped with a bright red official seal. It stated, "This is to certify that Lin Chen, a youth from the Third Production Team of Hongxing Commune, behaved well during his time as an educated youth in the countryside, and had no misconduct such as theft. The theft from the granary in 1967 was unrelated to this comrade." He Yushui added, "I picked it up from the post office this morning. The commune also said that if anyone falsely accuses Comrade Lin again, they can send cadres to testify."
Faced with overwhelming evidence, Xu Damao panicked completely and turned to run away, but Lin Chen stopped him: "Master Xu, spreading rumors isn't something you can just dismiss with a 'mistake.' You just said you wanted me to pay for the grain coupons, now it's your turn to apologize to me, return this loudspeaker to the factory's projection room—and explain to the leaders why you took public property home without permission." The neighbors also criticized Xu Damao. Seeing the situation was turning bad, Yan Bugui quietly retreated home, but Lin Chen caught a glimpse of him.
"Master Yan, you just said that grain coupons are calculated per person. Shouldn't we settle the accounts now?" Lin Chen looked at Yan Bugui. "Xu Damao spread rumors, and you joined in to fan the flames. Shouldn't you apologize? Also, you lent me half a bar of soap last time, promising to return it in three days. It's been a week now. If you've forgotten, I can show you the account book—after all, you're the one who values 'clear accounts even between close brothers'."
Yan Bugui blushed deeply and quickly said, "It was my fault for talking nonsense. I'll bring you the soap tonight." He then hurried home. Xu Damao had no choice but to bow and apologize to Lin Chen in front of everyone, muttering, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have spread rumors." Lin Chen nodded: "An apology must be sincere. Return the loudspeaker to the projection room before work tomorrow, and write a self-criticism for the factory management. That'll be the end of it."
After the crowd dispersed, Yi Zhonghai walked over and said insincerely, "Xiao Lin, it was really a misunderstanding just now. Xu Damao is just a gossip, don't take it to heart. We're all neighbors, harmony brings wealth." Lin Chen looked at him and said, "Master Yi is right, harmony brings wealth. But next time someone spreads rumors, I won't let it go so easily—after all, spreading rumors is easy, but debunking them is difficult. If it affects the workshop's orders, no one can bear the responsibility."
Yi Zhonghai's expression changed, realizing Lin Chen was warning him to stop his underhanded tactics, and he left dejectedly. Sha Zhu patted Lin Chen on the shoulder and laughed, "Brother Lin, that was brilliant! It was so satisfying to watch! Come to my house tonight, I'll make you braised pork knuckle to celebrate your exoneration!" Lin Chen smiled and agreed, then turned to see He Yushui standing to the side, still clutching the Xinhua Dictionary. He quickly said, "Yushui, here, take this dictionary. Let's start the tutoring we talked about last time tonight."
That evening, after having dinner at Sha Zhu's house, Lin Chen returned to his room when he heard a knock at the door. Opening it, he saw Lou Xiao'e, Xu Damao's wife, holding a cloth bag and looking flustered. She said, "Comrade Lin, please help my Damao. If he writes a self-criticism to the factory, he'll definitely be fired. We have elderly parents to support; we really have no other choice." Lin Chen invited her in and poured her a cup of hot water. "Sister-in-law Lou," he said, "it's not that I don't want to help, but Master Xu spread rumors first; violating factory rules is a fact."
Lou Xiao'e, her eyes red, said, "I know Da Mao was wrong. He was just jealous of your skills and acted rashly. Actually, he regretted it and cried for a long time at home. Comrade Lin, I heard you have a good relationship with Director Zhou in the workshop. Could you please put in a good word for him and not make him write a self-criticism? I have two jin of brown sugar here, sent by my family. Please accept it." As she spoke, she was about to hand over the cloth bag.
Lin Chen quickly declined, "I can't accept the brown sugar. However, if Master Xu really wants to make amends, there is a way." Lou Xiao'e's eyes lit up, "What way? We'll do anything to keep our jobs!" Lin Chen pondered, "The projector in the factory's projection room often malfunctions. I repaired it once and found that the core component was worn out. If Master Xu can fix the projector and then voluntarily apply to the factory to work overtime to screen technical instructional films, he might be able to make amends."
He paused, then took a part from his toolbox: "This is a wear-resistant gear I fused using the system; it fits the projector perfectly. Have Master Xu install it tomorrow, and then tell the leadership that the equipment improvement was inspired by me. This way, we can both make up for the mistake and demonstrate initiative, and the factory should not pursue the matter further." Lou Xiao'e took the part, tears welling up in her eyes: "Comrade Lin, you're such a good person! I'll go back and have Da Mao thank you right away!"
After Lou Xiao'e left, Lin Chen opened the system panel and looked at the newly added 200 points. He understood immediately—when he scanned Lou Xiao'e earlier, he discovered she was pregnant, but Xu Damao didn't know yet. The reason he helped Xu Damao was twofold: first, he didn't want to push him too far; second, he valued Xu Damao's connections within the factory—although the projectionist's position wasn't high, he had access to the leaders of various workshops, which might come in handy in the future.
Just as he was about to study the order drawings from the Shanghai Machine Tool Factory, he heard a knock at the door. This time it was He Yushui. She walked in carrying her homework, a shy smile on her face: "Comrade Lin, I've finished all my homework. Could you check if it's correct? Also, my brother said that if I have late tutoring sessions in the evenings, he should let you know so he can come pick me up." Lin Chen took the homework and carefully corrected it. He found that she had only made a mistake on one word problem and patiently explained it to her.
After finishing his tutoring session, Lin Chen saw He Yushui off and bumped into Xu Damao standing at the courtyard gate. Xu Damao's face flushed red when he saw Lin Chen, and he stammered, "Brother Lin... thank you for the gears. Lou Xiao'e told me everything; it was my fault. I'll never spread rumors again. If you ever need anything from me, just let me know!" Lin Chen patted him on the shoulder: "Master Xu, focus on fixing the projector. Living a peaceful life is more important than anything else."
Xu Damao nodded vigorously and turned to go home. Just as Lin Chen was about to enter the house, he saw a dark figure flash past in the courtyard. Upon closer inspection, it was Qin Huairu. She was carrying a lunchbox and walking towards Yi Zhonghai's house. The lunchbox was printed with the words "Shanghai Machine Tool Factory." Lin Chen immediately scanned it with the system and found that the lunchbox contained two cartons of cigarettes, a bottle of baijiu (Chinese liquor), and a note that read, "This is what Team Leader Ma likes; please pass it on to him."
"Looks like Yi Zhonghai isn't giving up and still wants to bribe Ma Weiguo," Lin Chen thought with a sneer, quietly following them. He saw Qin Huairu knock on Yi Zhonghai's door and whisper, "Master, these are some Yunyan cigarettes and Moutai I had someone buy. Team Leader Ma will definitely like them. As long as he gives me the order, I'll definitely treat you well in the future." Yi Zhonghai took the lunchbox and nodded with satisfaction, "Don't worry, Ma Weiguo and I are old colleagues, he'll have that much influence. But you need to hurry up and learn the forging technique, lest you give yourself away."
"I understand, Master," Qin Huairu hesitated for a moment, "but Lin Chen's skills are so good, I'm afraid..." Yi Zhonghai interrupted her, "What are you afraid of? He's a newcomer, how many connections can he have? Tomorrow I'll have drinks with Ma Weiguo and finalize this. By the way, how's Sha Zhu doing? Is he still in contact with you?" Qin Huairu's face darkened, "Ever since Lin Chen enlightened him, he hasn't paid much attention to me. Yesterday he even returned the insoles I gave him."
Yi Zhonghai frowned: "That silly Zhu, he's really blinded by greed! But it doesn't matter, once you get the order and become a key member of the workshop, do you think he won't fawn over you? It'll be a piece of cake to have him take care of us in our old age." Hearing this, Lin Chen turned around and went home—he didn't expect Yi Zhonghai to be so calculating, not only wanting to snatch the order, but also not giving up the idea of having silly Zhu take care of him in his old age.
Back in the side room, Lin Chen opened the system panel and began optimizing the forging scheme. The order from the Shanghai Machine Tool Factory required the machining of high-strength alloy steel gears with a tolerance of 0.01 millimeters, which ordinary forging presses simply could not meet. Although the precision angle gauge and valve core samples he had previously fused were useful, mass production required improvements to the heating system of the forging press. "Consuming 500 points, fusing to generate 'High-Frequency Induction Heating Device' blueprints." The system notification sounded, and a detailed blueprint appeared on the panel.
Lin Chen worked through the night drawing up the blueprints, finishing only in the early hours of the morning. The next morning, he took the blueprints to Ma Weiguo. As soon as he entered the precision machining group, he saw Yi Zhonghai and Ma Weiguo sitting to one side, drinking tea, while Qin Huairu stood beside them, holding a machining plan. "Old Ma, this is a machining plan made by my apprentice, Qin Huairu. What do you think?" Yi Zhonghai handed over the plan. "Although she's a fitter, she's very quick to learn. This plan is very detailed. Giving her the order from the Shanghai Machine Tool Factory will definitely be no problem."
Ma Weiguo took the proposal and frowned as he studied it. Lin Chen stepped forward and placed his drawings on the table: "Team Leader Ma, this is my optimized forging scheme. It uses high-frequency induction heating, which can control the temperature error within ±5℃, and the machining accuracy can reach 0.005 millimeters, twice as high as the order requirements." Ma Weiguo's eyes lit up. He picked up Lin Chen's drawings and examined them carefully, becoming more and more excited: "Xiao Lin, your scheme is too advanced! High-frequency induction heating—I've only ever seen it in foreign technical documents!"
Yi Zhonghai's expression changed, and he snatched the blueprints to examine them. The more he looked, the more alarmed he became—Lin Chen's solution not only solved the temperature control problem but also optimized the forging process, increasing production efficiency by 30%, far superior to Qin Huairu's textbook-based approach. "Old Ma, this solution is too complex; our workshop's equipment can't keep up," Yi Zhonghai tried to salvage the situation. "Qin Huairu's solution, while conservative, is reliable and less prone to problems."
"Equipment isn't a problem." Lin Chen took out the blueprints for the high-frequency induction heating device. "This device can be modified from our existing equipment. I've already calculated it; the modification cost will only be 200 yuan, and it can be completed in three days. Moreover, after the modification, it can be used to process high-strength alloy parts, which will benefit our group's long-term development." Ma Weiguo immediately approved: "Let's use Lin's plan! I'll report the equipment modification to Director Zhou immediately, and I'll apply for the funding!"
Qin Huairu's face turned deathly pale. She knew she had lost completely. She turned to leave, but Ma Weiguo stopped her: "Comrade Qin, there are several technical errors in your plan. For example, the forging temperature is marked as 800℃, while the optimal forging temperature for high-strength alloy steel is 1050℃. In the future, you need to consult more materials when making plans, instead of just relying on your mentor's guidance." Yi Zhonghai's face flushed red and then turned pale. He said awkwardly, "Old Ma, I have something to do, I'll be going now."
After Yi Zhonghai left, Ma Weiguo patted Lin Chen on the shoulder and said, "Lin, thank goodness we have you! If we had used Qin Huairu's plan, not only would we have lost the order, but we would also have had to pay the Shanghai Machine Tool Factory a penalty for breach of contract. I'll treat you to lunch, and we can have a good talk about the equipment modification." Lin Chen smiled and agreed, knowing in his heart that this time, he not only saved the order, but also firmly established himself in the precision group.
During lunch, Ma Weiguo told Lin Chen that Yi Zhonghai had just gone to Director Zhou to complain that Lin Chen was "dictatorial and disrespectful to senior colleagues," but Director Zhou had rebuked him—Director Zhou had already heard about Yi Zhonghai helping Qin Huairu snatch orders and had warned him that "if he forms cliques again, his level eight fitter allowance will be revoked." Lin Chen simply smiled faintly—in this era where skill speaks volumes, any schemes or tricks are utterly ineffective in the face of absolute strength.
In the afternoon, the equipment modification plan was approved by the factory management. Director Zhou personally inspected the workshop and praised Lin Chen's skills highly, promising to apply for the title of "Factory-level Technological Innovation Pioneer" for him after the modification was completed. Lin Chen led the precision group workers to start modifying the equipment. Master Zhang and others were convinced of his abilities and actively cooperated with the work. Xu Damao also came to help. After he repaired the projector, the factory management not only did not hold him responsible but also praised him. Now he is extremely grateful to Lin Chen and runs around handing him tools.
As the sun set, the first modified forging press was successfully tested. Lin Chen placed the alloy steel billet into the heating furnace, and the high-frequency induction heating device rapidly raised the temperature, the thermometer displaying 1050℃ with an error of only 2℃. After the forging press started, the hammer fell precisely, sparks flying rhythmically, and in less than ten minutes, a gear was completed. After measuring it with professional instruments, Ma Weiguo excitedly exclaimed, "Accuracy 0.004 millimeters! Perfectly met the standard!"
A round of enthusiastic applause erupted in the workshop as workers gathered around to congratulate him. Lin Chen looked at the gear in his hand, knowing this was only his first step in the steel rolling mill. Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu would never let things rest, and the turmoil at the courtyard was far from over. But he wasn't worried, because he knew that as long as he held onto his technical trump card, coupled with the system's assistance, he could overcome any difficulty he encountered.
By the time Lin Chen returned to the courtyard house, it was already dark. In the central courtyard, Madam Jia was cursing and smashing things, Qin Huairu was sitting on the steps crying, and Yi Zhonghai stood to the side smoking, his face gloomy. Lin Chen ignored them and went straight home. As soon as he entered the house, a notification popped up on the system panel: "Main quest 'Complete the Shanghai Machine Tool Factory order' progress increased to 50%, reward points 1000, unlocked the advanced skill 'Materials Analysis'."
Lin Chen smiled slightly, activated the "Materials Analysis" skill, scanned the alloy steel gear on the table, and the panel immediately displayed detailed composition data and performance parameters. He knew that with this skill, he would be much more confident in handling complex material processing in the future. Outside the window, Xu Damao was helping Lou Xiao'e hang up the clothes, humming a little tune, clearly in a good mood. Lin Chen picked up the order contract from the Shanghai Machine Tool Factory, a smile playing on his lips—in this game, he had only just gained the upper hand.