Chapter 2

"Rumble... rumble..."

The deafening noise of several old, blackened machine tools, which looked as if they had been dug up from World War II battlefields, made the small workshop, less than fifty square meters, seem incredibly busy.

"Master, could you please tell me if your boss is here?" A child's loud voice cut through the din of the lathe and gearbox, reaching the ears of Zhou Jianguo, who was focused on his work. After completing a cut, he stopped the lathe by pressing the control lever and looked up, only to find that a teenager, about fifteen or sixteen years old, wearing a tattered floral shirt, oversized shorts, and worn tennis shoes, was standing beside his lathe, offering him a cigarette.

Zhou Jianguo took the cigarette and was surprised to see that it was a pack of Hongtashan, which cost over ten yuan.

"Kid, what do you need from the boss?" The lathe had stopped, but the noise in the small workshop did not diminish.

Zhou Jianguo, curious, took the cigarette and wondered how a kid dressed in rags could afford Hongtashan. It was unlikely that he had business with the boss, and even less likely that he was responding to the job posting outside.

"You're hiring lathe and milling operators, right? I'm here to apply." The teenager lit a cigarette for Zhou Jianguo and then lit one for himself, blowing out a smoke ring before answering Zhou Jianguo's curious look.

Zhou Jianguo was taken aback. He carefully examined the teenager, trying to discern any signs of skill, but was disappointed. The teenager, dressed in rags, smoked with a maturity that belied his age, waiting for Zhou Jianguo's response.

Perhaps this kid wants to be an apprentice, Zhou Jianguo thought.

The small workshop, with only three old lathes, two milling machines, and one drilling machine, had recently seen a surge in business. The boss had to post job ads everywhere to hire skilled workers.

However, in Shenzhen, with the workshop's conditions, it was almost impossible to hire skilled workers. Zhou Jianguo knew his own limitations; he could handle ordinary parts, but anything requiring higher precision or more complex designs was beyond him.

Otherwise, a man in his forties like Zhou Jianguo wouldn't have been laid off.

Skilled workers were unwilling to come, and young people thought being a machine operator was dirty, tiring, and not well-paid, with a long apprenticeship. So, after posting the job ad for over ten days, the boss hadn't hired a single worker. If it weren't for a few old friends helping out, the workshop might have had to close.

If this kid could work as an apprentice, doing odd jobs and moving things around, it would ease the burden on them. If he had a good aptitude, he could learn a skill and have a future.

"The boss is out on business, but he'll be back soon. You can wait here." Zhou Jianguo finished his cigarette and resumed his work.

Seeing Zhou Jianguo get busy, the teenager began to examine the workshop's environment.

A few old machines were haphazardly placed in the cramped space, with raw materials scattered on the ground, metal shavings everywhere, and the floor covered in oil. It was a mess!

The teenager shook his head repeatedly.

The workshop's environment was visible from the doorway. After finishing his inspection, the teenager watched the workers process parts with interest. Within five minutes, he shook his head and went outside to smoke while waiting for the boss.

"Mr. Wang, this is our factory. It may not look big or have modern equipment, but our processing capabilities are among the best in Longhua. Few small factories can match us."

Soon, a Santana car stopped at the workshop's entrance. A middle-aged man in a blue work uniform, about the same age as Zhou Jianguo, got out of the car with a pot-bellied man in a suit and a thick gold chain around his neck, and a young woman dressed provocatively, carrying a black leather bag. As they walked, the middle-aged man introduced the situation.

"Mr. Liu, you're exaggerating! I've heard that your workshop can't even make some parts from samples!" The young woman's voice made Zhou Jianguo shudder.

"Ms. Zhang, those parts are made with CNC machines. How can we do it with ordinary equipment?" Although Liu Yushui disliked the young woman, he had to smile and explain.

"Let's show the drawings to the masters first. We'll see what they say." Mr. Wang said.

The group entered the workshop, and no one paid attention to the teenager waiting by the door.

The teenager, not bothered by being ignored, followed them into the dirty and messy workshop.

At Liu Yushui's signal, the deafening noise in the workshop stopped. The young woman took out a drawing from her bag, and several middle-aged workers gathered around, discussing it in low voices.

Within five minutes, they stopped discussing, handed the drawing to Liu Yushui, and shook their heads in unison.

Seeing all his workers shake their heads, Liu Yushui's face fell. Although he and his laid-off colleagues had started this small factory, which seemed to have a lot of business, the profit margins were low. He had been running around looking for high-profit business, and now that he had found one, he couldn't do it.

It was like a person who hadn't eaten meat for months seeing a large plate of meat but being unable to eat it.

Seeing the workers shake their heads, Mr. Wang's expression also darkened. He hadn't told Liu Yushui that this was an export order. If they could complete it, they wouldn't have to worry about future business. However, like Liu Yushui, he lacked skilled masters. Although his factory was ten times larger, focusing on parts with low precision requirements and low profit margins, he had run all over Shenzhen and couldn't find a factory that could handle the job. Foreign companies could, but their prices were too high for Mr. Wang to accept. Today, he had come to Liu Yushui with a last-ditch hope. If Liu Yushui's workshop couldn't do it, he would have to give up the order worth tens of thousands of yuan.

"Can I see the drawing?" As everyone fell silent, the teenager couldn't help but speak up.

The group, who had been silent, looked at the source of the voice.

Liu Yushui looked at the drawing, then at Mr. Wang.

"Let him see it. It's good for young people to learn and gain experience." Mr. Wang, despite his appearance as a nouveau riche, was actually very kind.

With their permission, the teenager approached, took the drawing from Liu Yushui, and laid it out on the fitter's workbench.

As soon as he unfolded the drawing, the teenager's face broke into a smile, which made Mr. Wang's hopes rise again.

However, the smile quickly faded, and his brow furrowed.

"This part is complex but not too difficult. It would be best with a CNC lathe, but if we don't have one, a conventional lathe can do it, though it will be more troublesome. Do you have a blueprint? Let me see it." After a while, the teenager looked up and said seriously to Liu Yushui and Mr. Wang.