Chapter 31: Undermining the Socialist Wall (Wishing Everyone a Prosperous New Year)

Chen Geng was the typical figure that the sentimentalist party members believed should be burned to death. He once owned a "pure" 1979 212 Jeep, and his professional convenience allowed him to modify it according to his own ideas. He designed a suspension structure similar to the Jeep Wrangler's link-type suspension, replaced the shock absorber system with advanced long-stroke electromagnetic shock absorbers, and installed a 3.0-liter V6 engine with both mechanical and turbocharging, a 5-speed manual transmission with a low-speed torque amplifier, and three mechanical differential locks in the front, middle, and rear...

His "black hand" on the 212 Jeep would undoubtedly be seen as a great betrayal by the sentimentalist party members in the future. In their eyes, the 212 Jeep should be so rigid that it could shake a man's testicles, and it should be so drafty in the cold winter that it lets in the wind and cold air. Only such a 212 would be the 212 in their hearts. Could a 212 Jeep without leaf springs still be called a 212 Jeep? What does it mean to change the suspension structure to something like the Jeep Wrangler's? If the tires aren't hard, how can you have the face to go out?

You are a heretic!

You should be burned alive!

However, people in the mid-1980s clearly did not consider the sentiments of future sentimentalist party members. They had no qualms about Chen Geng making the 212 more comfortable, and they even preferred it to be as comfortable as possible, ideally as comfortable as a sedan.

After his emotions finally calmed down a bit, Liu Qianjin asked again, "So, the reason you invited those skilled technicians from the factory is..."

Although he had already guessed Chen Geng's intentions, he still wanted a definitive answer from Chen Geng.

Chen Geng replied, "The young people in the Third Industry Office can do some welding and machining of simple parts, but the processing precision required for this suspension structure is quite high, and the young people in the Third Industry Office can't handle it. We still need to rely on our experienced masters."

Although the Third Armament Repair Factory was only a military equipment repair unit, it had the capability to repair and produce small batches of parts and modify vehicles to a certain extent, considering military and logistical support needs.

It could be seen as a small automotive parts factory, with a full range of machining equipment such as lathes, milling machines, planers, and grinders, as well as a considerable level of heat treatment capability for parts. Except for parts with very high precision or process requirements like pistons, cylinders, crankshafts, and radiators, most simple parts could be produced in-house. Otherwise, how could the Third Armament Repair Factory have obtained the complete set of blueprints for the 212 Jeep from Beijing Auto?

It seemed that he had discovered a huge gold mine! Liu Qianjin was deeply moved. He originally only planned to let Chen Geng transition through the Third Industry Office, and once the carburetor project officially started, Chen Geng would have enough experience to be transferred over. But he never expected that the Third Industry Office, which no one paid much attention to, would be turned into such a significant operation by this young man!

However, while he was excited, Liu Qianjin also felt uneasy and hesitated, "Chen, since this project is so profitable..."

Was it really a good idea to put such a profitable project in the Third Industry Office?

Chen Geng suddenly interrupted Liu Qianjin and asked seriously, "Director, I understand your concern, but can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead."

"If this project is placed in the repair factory, how much of the profit will the factory and its employees ultimately keep? If it's placed in the Third Industry Office, how much will the factory keep?"

As a direct enterprise of the East China Military Region, the Third Armament Repair Factory had no right to retain its profits. According to regulations, all the money they earned had to be handed over to the military region in full. If they needed to spend money, they had to apply to the military region. However, the Third Industry Office, or the Labor Service Company, was a large collective enterprise. After paying a certain percentage to the parent factory, the rest of the profits could be retained.

In other words, if this project was handled by the parent factory, the Third Armament Repair Factory, no matter how much money they made, it would have little to do with the factory, as all the profits would go to the military region. At best, they might get a bit more bonus money and better food in the canteen. But if the Third Industry Office handled the project, the Third Armament Repair Factory would benefit greatly, as 70% of the profits would be retained.

It was only at this moment that Liu Qianjin understood why Chen Geng insisted on going to the Third Industry Office. This was the most profitable part, and the carburetor project was just a cover to silence everyone... Who would have thought this young man could see so far ahead?

Although he knew Chen Geng's approach was the most beneficial for the factory, it still went against the old education he had received, and Liu Qianjin felt somewhat uncomfortable. After hesitating, he said, "Although this is the most beneficial for our factory, what about the military region..."

"Director, with the nationwide military downsizing, our unit is unlikely to be spared, right?" Chen Geng suddenly spoke up.

Liu Qianjin was taken aback, and his expression changed rapidly.

Currently, everyone in the Third Armament Repair Factory, from the leadership to the front-line workers, was still in the military. However, according to the central government's instructions for this downsizing, military enterprises on the downsizing list could only retain the leadership, while middle and lower-level leaders and soldiers would all have to be retired and re-employed locally.

This was a matter of life and death!

Previously, the salaries of officers and the allowances of soldiers were all covered by the state. Although the Third Armament Repair Factory had little work, it could still support everyone. But after these people were re-employed locally, the factory would have to bear the cost of their salaries.

Saying it was simple, but for the Third Armament Repair Factory, numerous challenges lay ahead: how to bear the cost? What business could support it? Even if it were 600 pigs, the daily food and drink would not be a small amount, let alone 600 people. With the current business, they couldn't even support 600 cats!

This had been a source of great worry for Liu Qianjin, causing his hair to turn white.

But now, Chen Geng had not only found a way for the Third Armament Repair Factory to produce carburetors but also come up with a way to retain the profits. With this method, they could not only support 600 people but also help other units.

As the factory director, the pressure of supporting 600 people made Liu Qianjin quickly make up his mind, "Let's do it this way. I'll talk to Old Peng... Are you really confident?"

"I guarantee that the comfort level on paved roads will be comparable to that of a Volga sedan," Chen Geng said straightforwardly, knowing what Liu Qianjin was asking.

"I'm relieved," Liu Qianjin sighed with a bitter smile, "I joined the army at 16 and have been in the military for 30 years, dedicating my heart to the party, but I never expected..."

Chen Geng consoled him, "We are still contributing a portion of the profits to the military region, and our approach will greatly help stabilize the downsizing. The leaders will definitely support us, even if not openly, at least tacitly."

"I hope so..."

"Director, I have another idea."

"Go ahead."

"The name 'Third Armament Repair Factory Third Industry Office' doesn't sound grand enough. I plan to change the name of the Third Industry Office."

"Change the name? Good, the name 'Third Industry Office' does sound a bit small-time," Liu Qianjin also felt that the name "Third Industry Office" was a bit embarrassing and could make it difficult to conduct business. "You must have a name in mind, right? Tell me."

"Nothing can escape your keen eyes," Chen Geng smiled. "Huarun, full name Huarun Development Co., Ltd. What do you think of this name?"

"Huarun? Hua, for China and East China; Run, for nourishment. A great name! It sounds both grand and impressive. Excellent!" Liu Qianjin's eyes lit up, and he nodded in satisfaction. "From now on, your Third Industry Office will be called Huarun Development Co., Ltd.!"

"Thank you, Director!"

With the support of the top and second-in-command, all of Chen Geng's ideas were implemented without reservation. Various processed parts were continuously gathered in Chen Geng's hands...

"Who made this connecting rod? It's one centimeter too long, remake it!"

"The quenching on this connecting rod wasn't done properly, redo it!"

"Who inspected this batch of flanges for the tires? What are you eating?"

"Didn't you do the pre-treatment before welding this part? Remake it..."

Remake!

Remake!

Remake!

"Remake" almost became the main theme in the workshop. No one could have imagined that the usually smiling and amiable Deputy Director Chen Geng would be so strict at work. Parts that everyone thought were fine were all rejected by Chen Geng without exception.

They didn't understand. What's the big deal if the connecting rod is one centimeter too long? It's not like it won't fit. Even if the quenching wasn't done properly, it would be fine as long as it wasn't used for continuous, high-intensity off-road driving. Rejecting such parts was just being picky...

For a time, not only the Third Industry Office... oh, now it's called Huarun Development Co., Ltd., the workers of Huarun Development Co., Ltd. were full of complaints. Even some of the younger masters were resentful: Was Chen Geng just making a fuss over nothing?

Numerous complaints flooded to Liu Qianjin and Peng Guangming, including those who said Chen Geng was getting too big for his boots. But in the face of these complaints, Liu Qianjin and Peng Guangming's attitude was firm: support Chen Geng! Unconditionally support Chen Geng!

...

PS: Today has been so busy that I'm almost exhausted. I hope you all can understand and accept this chapter update. On this New Year's occasion, I wish everyone a prosperous Year of the Monkey, a house full of gold and jade, a life of comfort, and a happy family. Happy Year of the Monkey!

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