Chapter 158: Education Limits Us

Inside the workshop.

Seeing that Liu Xing had fiddled with the wiring and motor of the bottling equipment for just a moment and actually fixed it, Kang Fuchuan stood frozen in utter astonishment. "Little Xing, are you just pulling this off by sheer luck?"

"What are you saying? Why don't you give it a try and rely on luck?" Seeing that the startup jamming issue of the bottling equipment was resolved, Liu Xing sat down to rest. "To be precise, the problem with this second-hand bottling equipment wasn't very serious. Once you find the exact fault, it's very easy to fix."

"No... It seems you've never studied how to repair bottling equipment before, right? How... how could this possibly be easy?" Kang Fuchuan refused to believe a word Liu Xing was saying.

Because different trades are worlds apart, and while it looked easy, there were actually countless intricacies involved!

As a teacher, although he didn't know how to repair bottling equipment, he understood the underlying principles. If it were that simple, after reading so many books, he wouldn't just be a teacher—he would have gone out and become a big boss long ago.

Liu Xing looked at Kang Fuchuan's expression and smiled. "I haven't studied it professionally, but the knowledge is introduced in books! I didn't spend three years in junior high school for nothing. Plus, I once read a journal about repairing bottling equipment, so I understand a thing or two."

This latter remark was obviously just a brush-off to appease Kang Fuchuan. Of course, back in the cafeteria of the Hengshui Winery, when Director Zhang got him drunk and asked about this, he had given the exact same explanation. His purpose was to maintain a consistent story and cover up the secret of his rebirth.

"Then where is this journal of yours now?" Kang Fuchuan instantly became interested.

"It was long ago torn up by Liu Ye to fold paper airplanes and thrown away. How could it possibly still exist?" To avoid further trouble, Liu Xing killed the conversation completely.

Not realizing he was being deflected, Kang Fuchuan was quite irritated. "That Liu Ye! When I get back, I'm going to give him a sound thrashing. Such a good repair journal—how could he just tear it up like that!"

"He's just a child and doesn't know any better. It's normal." Liu Xing pointed to his head. "Uncle, if you want to know some basic knowledge about repairing bottling equipment, I can teach you."

"I'm not learning. I don't have your kind of talent." Kang Fuchuan glanced out the window. "I just don't understand: such a seemingly simple minor problem—why couldn't Old Wang who just walked out, along with a dozen other repairmen, fix it?"

"First, they simply didn't care. Second, their educational background limits their learning capacity." Liu Xing pointed to the motor wiring nearby. "Generally speaking, wire splices must be wrapped in electrical tape, but look at these dozen wires. Which one of them was wrapped in tape before I just did it?"

"Even without tape, it wouldn't affect the motor's operation in the short term, let alone the operation of the entire bottling equipment," Kang Fuchuan asked, spreading his hands.

He wasn't talking nonsense. As a teacher, he had a very clear grasp of the basics of electrical work.

Hearing this, Liu Xing smiled and picked up the burned-out capacitor from the workbench. "It might not affect the motor's operation initially, but how do you explain the positive and negative wires of this capacitor being wired backwards?"

"No... Are these repairmen's skills really that terrible?" Kang Fuchuan was quite shocked. To be honest, even if it were him, he probably wouldn't make such a low-level mistake.

Liu Xing tossed the capacitor aside. "Like I said, they just didn't care. Anyway, they've got an iron rice bowl; there's no difference between working more or working less every day. That's the biggest drawback of working in a state-owned enterprise. As a teacher, Uncle, you should understand this feeling."

"Indeed, there are plenty of people muddling along in state-owned enterprises." Kang Fuchuan had to agree with this statement. At school, there were even quite a few teachers who were just coasting. In a nutshell: work well and you get this little pay; work poorly and you get the exact same little pay. The result is always the same.

Now he finally understood the meaning behind Liu Xing's previous words. The repairmen at Hengshui Winery weren't lacking in skill; they simply lacked any drive to progress. If they treated many of these problems as if they were their own household matters, it probably wouldn't take much time at all. Yet a piece of bottling equipment at Hengshui Winery couldn't be fixed for half a month. Aside from a lack of ambition, it was mostly reluctance to study and accept new things. Over time, it would be a miracle if such damaged bottling equipment ever got fixed.

"Of course, what I just said shouldn't be generalized. For instance, Old Wang whom we met earlier, and Old Yu who is still hospitalized—their repair skills are actually quite good, and they truly treat Hengshui Winery like their own home." Liu Xing gave a soft sigh and added, "So why couldn't the bottling equipment still be fixed? That comes down to a matter of technical capability."

"That makes sense." Kang Fuchuan listened with bated breath.

Liu Xing continued, "Take the bottling equipment we just fixed, for example. Actually, connecting the capacitor wires backward is a minor issue; Old Wang certainly could have spotted it at a glance. But why didn't he correct it?"

Saying this, Liu Xing walked over to the integrated circuit box of the bottling equipment and pointed to a row of English words on it. "Uncle, can you read this?"

"This... I really can't." Kang Fuchuan hesitated before replying.

"That's just it. Even as a teacher, you can't read English, so how could repairmen like Old Wang read it?" Liu Xing smiled. "They definitely can't. That's how their education limits their learning ability. According to domestic wiring practices, the capacitor I mentioned earlier was wired correctly by Old Wang and the other repairmen, but according to the instructions on this integrated circuit box, they wired it backward."

"Wait... You mean you can read the English on this?" Kang Fuchuan was startled, staring wide-eyed at Liu Xing.

"Ahem... I know just a phrase or two. Didn't we learn it in junior high?" Liu Xing gave a light cough. "Uncle, stay calm. This isn't some earth-shattering matter."

"Sigh! To me, this is an earth-shattering matter." Kang Fuchuan let out a soft sigh. "What a pity, truly a pity. If you had been able to go to high school, your second older sister wouldn't even be in the picture."

Now he finally realized that Liu Xing was an absolute monster. The repairmen at Hengshui Winery like Old Wang didn't lose unjustly at all. If you can't even read the English instructions on the integrated circuit box, what kind of repairman are you anyway?

"Why are you bringing that up again?" Knowing exactly what was on Kang Fuchuan's mind, Liu Xing gave a wry smile and stood up. "Alright, no more bragging. Let's hurry up and finish assembling this bottling equipment so we can have a meal and head back."

"Right!" Kang Fuchuan nodded in agreement.

"Actually," Liu Xing reached out to turn off the power switch of the bottling equipment, then picked up a wrench to assemble the pipes that Kang Fuchuan had taken apart earlier. "The main malfunction of this bottling equipment wasn't in the capacitor at all, but in these pipes. They were connected backward during the original assembly, which is what caused the startup jamming."

"So that's how it was." Kang Fuchuan nodded in sudden realization.

No wonder Liu Xing had asked him to take apart those pipes and then tinkered with the machine for a bit—how had it been fixed so easily? It turned out the problem was right here in the pipes. What seemed irrelevant was actually the exact location of the fault.

Just as he was about to ask Liu Xing how he had spotted it immediately, the workshop door was pushed open, and Li Dawei walked in followed by Secretary Yan, Zeng Dezhi, and other leaders of Hengshui Winery. Old Wang and more than a dozen other repairmen followed behind, though their expressions looked rather unsightly.

Seeing this, Liu Xing paused, handed the wrench to Kang Fuchuan, and walked up to them. "Didn't I say not to come in for two hours? Why are you all so impatient?"

"Well, aren't you done fixing it?" Li Dawei said with a sheepish grin.

Secretary Yan also wore a trace of a smile on his face. "Child, don't be upset. We just wanted to come in and see if this bottling equipment of yours is repaired."

"差不多了，就差组装管道了。"刘星见严书记都发话了，当下也没有在去追究李大伟的责任，而是问道：“我这都忙活了大半天了，之前要你们准备好的酒菜准备好了没有啊！”

"Almost done. Just need to assemble the pipes." Seeing that Secretary Yan had spoken, Liu Xing decided not to pursue Li Dawei's responsibility for now and instead asked, "I've been working hard here for the better part of a day. Is the food and wine I asked you to prepare ready yet?"

"Rest assured, as soon as this bottling equipment is fixed, we can head to the cafeteria to eat," Li Dawei said quickly.

"Alright then." Liu Xing retrieved another wrench from the toolbox and assembled the pipes right in front of Secretary Yan and Li Dawei.

Old Wang and the dozen or so repairmen crowded closer to watch. Seeing how seasoned Liu Xing looked with the wrench and how fast his assembly was, they couldn't help but be deeply shocked. After all, if it were up to them, they wouldn't necessarily be able to pull it off.

Yet an even greater shock awaited them. After assembling the pipes, Liu Xing actually poured a small amount of engine oil directly into the filter inlet—a practice that used to be considered a serious violation at Hengshui Winery. Because if anything went even slightly wrong, it would ruin the filter.

However, Liu Xing didn't care about any of that at all. Seeing that Kang Fuchuan had moved away from the equipment and no one else was standing near the motor, he reached out and pressed the operation switch of the bottling equipment.

A humming roar echoed through the room.

The motor was operating normally; the integrated circuit box was running smoothly. The seal on the pipes was also exceptional; when a cup of water was poured in, not a single drop leaked from any of the joints.

"It's done!" Liu Xing walked up to Old Wang with a teasing smile on his face. "Why don't you inspect it and see if there's anything else that needs perfecting?"

"I... I..." Old Wang was so embarrassed he couldn't utter a word.

If he tried to find faults in such a flawlessly running piece of bottling equipment, he would simply be picking a fight. Therefore, the only way he could dissolve his awkwardness right now was silence. If he dared to talk nonsense, his iron rice bowl really might be lost for good.

Yet Liu Xing didn't let him off the hook. "Since you have nothing to say, shouldn't you fulfill our previous bet? Pack up your apprentices and leave Hengshui Winery for good?"

As soon as these words were spoken, all the repairmen present, including Old Wang, lowered their heads in shame.

Realizing the atmosphere was getting awkward, Secretary Yan quickly stepped forward to play the peacemaker. "Liu Xing, Liu Xing! Don't be like that. Everyone was just joking earlier; you can't take it seriously."

"And if I had lost, do you know what the outcome would have been?" Liu Xing retorted with a faint smile.

"This..." Secretary Yan was left utterly speechless.

If Liu Xing had lost, the twenty thousand yuan he had taken earlier would probably have had to be returned. After all, today's repair of the bottling equipment was just a touchstone to test Liu Xing's capability. If it succeeded, the previous promise would naturally hold; if it failed, it certainly would have presented a completely different picture.

Seeing this, Liu Xing decided not to continue giving Old Wang and the other repairmen a hard time—after all, it's best to be forgiving where possible. Of course, he knew that trying to push Hengshui Winery to take harsher disciplinary action against Old Wang and his crew would probably be very difficult anyway. He wasn't foolish; in the 1980s, firing someone without them having committed a massive, undeniable offense was practically impossible.

Realizing that the purpose of his trip to Hengshui Winery had been achieved, he took the lead and walked out of the workshop. "Old Li, go check on the materials you purchased for repairing the bottling equipment, and then let's go eat."

"Right! Right!" Li Dawei quickly gestured for Kang Fuchuan to follow.

Secretary Yan and Zeng Dezhi didn't join the crowd; instead, they exchanged glances and began examining the bottling equipment Liu Xing had just repaired. When they discovered that many parts of the assembly were actually superior to the original factory setup, they couldn't help being profoundly astonished.

"Secretary Yan, it seems Liu Xing and his uncle truly possess genuine skill," Zeng Dezhi said admiringly as he watched the operating bottling equipment.

"I could tell from the start. This time, Li Dawei has rendered a massive service to Hengshui Winery!" Secretary Yan put his hands behind his back and looked at Old Wang and the other dozen repairmen standing behind him, a cold gleam in his eyes. "Do you all still have anything to say?"

Seeing that none of the repairmen uttered a sound, Secretary Yan's temper flared up. "In the past, when you slacked off and cut corners, I could pretend I didn't see it—after all, everyone needs to save face. But what about this time? When Hengshui Winery needed you most to tide over the crisis, what did you do? Instead of wholeheartedly helping Hengshui Winery get through its difficulties, you listened to the slanderous words of certain leaders and came to harass a capable, responsible young man like Liu Xing. Don't you feel ashamed? Even though I cannot fire you, I hope you all reflect deeply on yourselves."

Having delivered these heartfelt and stern words, Secretary Yan turned on his heel, put his hands behind his back, and strode out of the workshop with Zeng Dezhi, clean and decisive.

Old Wang and the other repairmen watched the two men walk away, looking at one another in dismay, standing frozen in place and unable to say a word for a long time.

...

After coming out of the warehouse, Liu Xing and Li Dawei headed straight for the Hengshui Winery cafeteria.

Along the way, he said to Li Dawei, "The materials in your warehouse are far from enough. Especially that kind of high-flexibility film—you need to personally oversee its purchase. If the quality doesn't pass muster later and the bottling equipment keeps leaking wine, don't blame me for not warning you."

"Rest assured! I won't do anything else these next few days; I'll stare right at the purchasing progress and quality of this film," Li Dawei replied quickly, showing his stance. "But what about the subsequent repairs? Don't tell me it's just going to be the two of you!"

"Of course not. I'll go back and recruit people; there will have to be at least a dozen." Liu Xing thought for a moment before answering. "You make sure everything that needs to be prepared is ready within this coming week. Don't bring my people over only to find out they can't get any work done."

"Wait, from the sound of it, you aren't coming to Hengshui Winery to help fix the bottling equipment for the whole next week?" Panicking, Li Dawei blurted out the question in his heart.

"You don't even have the materials, especially the film I requested—not a single sheet! How do you expect me to repair anything?" Liu Xing couldn't help rolling his eyes at Li Dawei. "This is not negotiable. As you know, I have other things to attend to; I can't just wait around for you to get your act together."

"Fine!" Extremely reluctant though he was, Li Dawei had no choice but to agree. After all, Liu Xing was right; he had only himself to blame for failing to prepare properly.

"There is one more thing I must warn you about in advance: if all the bottling equipment at Hengshui Winery is to be fully repaired, it's going to take two or three months. After all, this is a massive engineering project and cannot be rushed," Liu Xing said earnestly. "So before all the bottling equipment here is completely fixed, you'd better put away that old-fox mindset of yours and don't sell me out."

"What do you mean by that?" Li Dawei put on an aggrieved look.

"Are you truly stupid or just playing dumb? Don't you know Zhongyi Winery is also keeping their eyes on me?" Liu Xing reminded him impatiently.

"Look at my memory," Li Dawei smacked his head hard upon hearing this. "Rest assured, I will never commit that brain-dead mistake again. I promise."

"Alright then, let's go eat." Seeing that everything that needed to be交代 (addressed) had been handled, Liu Xing took the lead and continued toward the cafeteria.

Smiling as he walked alongside Kang Fuchuan, Li Dawei hurried to catch up.

However, before they had even gone ten meters, they ran into Director Wu, Ding Lan, and Niu Lianfang, who were walking in with hurried expressions.

"Uncle, why are you still at Hengshui Winery?" Seeing this scene, Liu Xing couldn't help asking.

Li Dawei was also somewhat surprised; he had assumed Director Wu had already left with Niu Lianfang and Ding Lan long ago.

"Don't even mention it. We wanted to sneak into Hengshui Winery to catch those five robbers, only to find the bird had flown—we arrived too late." Director Wu let out a soft sigh as he answered Liu Xing's question.

"Ah? Which five robbers?" Liu Xing blurted out.

Li Dawei was equally startled. Although the security at Hengshui Winery had been a bit chaotic lately, it hadn't descended into a haven for swarms of robbers, had it?

"The five repairmen who swindled forty-six thousand yuan from Zhongyi Winery last night." Director Wu put his hands on his hips, a look of helplessness in his eyes. "According to our tips, after escaping from Zhongyi Winery, they didn't leave HY City immediately; instead, they went into hiding right here at Hengshui Winery."

He had originally wanted to bring men to raid Hengshui Winery at the very first moment, but considering that while catching them would be fine, failing to do so would deal a terrible blow to the winery's reputation, he changed his strategy. He decided to act covertly by taking advantage of Liu Xing's entry into Hengshui Winery. Of course, it also had to do with a shortage of manpower; otherwise, he wouldn't have brought Ding Lan along just to make up the numbers today.

Yet the final result still failed. It was truly unexpected.

"Who did you hear from that these five repairmen were hiding at Hengshui Winery?" Liu Xing couldn't help asking. To him, that sounded like something only a brain-dead person would say. Any fool who had just robbed tens of thousands of yuan would leave HY City instantly! Hiding out in Hengshui Winery was practically asking for a death sentence.

Li Dawei was equally indignant. After all, the gates of Hengshui Winery were tightly shut; how could five grown men possibly have sneaked in?

Sensing there was no one else around, Director Wu thought for a moment before explaining, "Who else could it be? It was Lu Su's eldest nephew, Lu Jian! He was among the team pursuing those five repairmen last night, so the lead he provided shouldn't have any problems."

"I think the problem is huge." Liu Xing offered his own perspective. "Think about it: I seem to recall Lu Su telling us that his nephew was the one who found those five ace repairmen from Zhaoqing Machinery. We didn't know which specific nephew it was, but in any case, he's Lu Su's nephew. Under those circumstances, Lu Jian claims the five repairmen ran into Hengshui Winery—didn't you find anything suspicious about that?"

"Wait... What are you implying?" Director Wu seemed to have caught onto a crucial point. Frowning slightly, he followed Liu Xing's line of reasoning. "Are you saying Lu Jian is in cahoots with those five repairmen and deliberately used a diversion tactic with me to let them slip away?"

"I didn't say that." Liu Xing quickly denied it. He had no wish to become embroiled in the muddy waters of Zhongyi Winery; his kind reminder just now was simply something he couldn't hold back.

"Director Wu, there is something I must point out: those five repairmen from Zhaoqing Machinery brought in by Zhongyi Winery were actually introduced by Lu Jian in the first place." Niu Lianfang, who had remained silent until now, spoke up.

"Are you certain?" Director Wu widened his eyes.

"Abundantly certain," Niu Lianfang replied earnestly.

"If that's the case, then this Lu Jian really does have a problem!!!" Director Wu's eyes lit up in sudden realization, and all the lingering doubts in his mind fell into place. "Let's go! We're heading back to Zhongyi Winery to find Lu Jian."

"Yes!" Niu Lianfang and Ding Lan quickly followed Director Wu toward the main gate.

"Uncle, what's the use of going to find Lu Jian right now? I think you should go find Lu Su instead. After all, if the two uncles and nephews really are collaborating in this scam, Lu Jian would have run away long ago." Liu Xing kindly reminded them.

The reason he said this was because Lu Su was injured; even if he wanted to run, lying in the hospital bed made escape impossible.

Hearing this, Director Wu froze in his tracks. Recovering his wits, he turned his head to look at Liu Xing. "You brat's brain sure turns fast. If the Zhongyi Winery case really turns out to be just as you said, I'll definitely put in a request to commend you."

"Don't! Absolutely not! Everything I just said was just nonsense." Liu Xing had had enough of Director Wu's antics. Dropping those words, he hastily bolted away with Kang Fuchuan.

With a smile at Director Wu, Li Dawei hurried to catch up behind them.