Volume 2: Tempest Chapter 68

  "For working hours, I suggest adopting a weekly system. Seven days a week, with one day off each week. Everyone has worked for six days, and tomorrow is a rest day." Chen Ke put forward his own suggestion for the work schedule. All matters in the factory were discussed collectively, and all systems were handled transparently. For a project that was destined to fail, Chen Ke didn't have high expectations. He applied advanced management experience from later generations here, also with the intention of doing social practice.

  "Let's vote." Qin Tongren said calmly. After six days of work, the young man's calm expression also revealed fatigue. The voting result was unanimous. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. With such high-intensity work, everyone was really tired. If it weren't for this collective discussion mode, many people would have started slacking off long ago.

  "Everyone is new, and morale is unstable. My suggestion is that we use the weekly wage system for these two months. Pay wages once a week. Let's vote." Chen Ke threw out his "dry goods".

  Everyone was delighted to hear this suggestion. It was immediately passed unanimously. The agreed-upon wage is now 8 taels per month, which means 2 taels per person per week. Everyone put the silver into their pockets, and their joy was beyond words.

  They also made a hygiene duty roster, as well as several shift systems that must be present in the factory. Two simple honeycomb coal briquettes have been made, and Chen Ke repeatedly reminded them to pay attention to the problem of carbon monoxide poisoning after the democratic life meeting was dismissed. Chen Ke was about to leave with Xie Mingxian and Chai Qingguo when Qin Tongren came over and asked, "Is Wenqing preparing to return to his residence?"

  Qin Tongren was a typical old-fashioned person who never discussed private matters in public. This question made Chen Ke feel somewhat curious. "Yes, I'll go back to my residence now."

  "Let's go together, I just happen to have an appointment with Mr. He." Qin Tongren looked quite spirited.

  Chen Ke did not dare to neglect this Mr. Qin, and in fact, he had a certain degree of respect for Qin Tongren. He saw that Qin Tongren was highly respected among his colleagues at the Tianjin Machinery Bureau. Chen Ke secretly inquired about Mr. Qin's background. Yin Ergou and Shen Songwen, because of their outstanding performance in the construction project, naturally became the first to join Chen Ke. The two men told Chen Ke about Qin Tongren's experiences.

  Tianjin Machinery Bureau is a state-run military enterprise. It was established in Tianjin by the Three Ports Commercial Minister Chonghou in 1867, the sixth year of the Tongzhi Emperor's reign. Initially named "Military Fire Machine General Bureau", it had an initial investment of over 200,000 taels and a scale second only to the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau. In the ninth year of the Tongzhi Emperor's reign, it was taken over by Li Hongzhang, Governor-General of Zhili Province, and renamed Tianjin Machinery Manufacturing Bureau. This enterprise can be said to be the headquarters of the Northern Foreign Affairs Group.

  During the Eight-Power Allied Forces' invasion, they had to destroy Asia's largest military-industrial enterprise. Qin Tongren, as a technical personnel, volunteered to fight in this war under the command of Nie Shicheng. The specific situation is not clear, but according to the factory workers, Qin Tongren defended the factory until the very end before withdrawing.

  After the war, it was followed by a man-made disaster. After the factory lost its defense, except for Japan, other countries were not interested in the equipment of Tianjin Manufacturing Bureau. The Japanese rushed to grab the equipment. Not only the Japanese, but also many local people in Tianjin pulled things from the manufacturing bureau to their own homes. As a result, the good manufacturing bureau was completely destroyed, leaving nothing behind. However, many private factories and workshops emerged in Tianjin afterwards.

  Chen Ke believed that everyone was telling the truth, and the manufacturing bureau belonged to the imperial court. If the equipment of the manufacturing bureau was taken home, it would become one's own. It didn't need to be said who was more important or less important in this matter. Yin Er Gou also privately told Chen Ke that Qin Tongren had led a group of people to protect the manufacturing bureau years ago, but not only did they fail to protect the factory, Qin Tongren even got his arm broken by someone.

  After hearing this introduction, Chen Ken couldn't help but feel a deep respect for Qin Tongren. In these times, there are still people like him; it's even harder to find than digging out a small white rabbit from a coal heap.

  Qin Tongren was normally taciturn and even when he spoke, his voice was not loud. His demeanor was calm and composed, giving the impression of a scholar. Yet, in the past, he had personally taken up arms to resist the Eight-Nation Alliance and defend the factory. These two vastly different images couldn't be reconciled in Chen Ke's mind. However, regardless of what kind of enigma Qin Tongren was, since he expressed his desire to travel together, Chen Ke naturally wouldn't refuse. As they set off on their journey, everyone chatted idly. Qin Tongren didn't pry into personal matters, and the conversation remained simple and pleasant. When they parted ways at Chen Ke's doorstep, Chen Ke opened the gate.

  Compared to the past few days, it's now quiet in the courtyard. Pang Zhuo and others set off two days ago, Wu Xingchen and Chen Tianhua returned to Nanjing County with Pang Zhuo, while the brothers from Shandong went back to their hometown. Xie Mingxian and Chai Qingguo stayed in Beijing and are currently living in a factory dormitory with Chen Ke. Only Wang Bin is temporarily staying here, and compared to before, it's not just a little bit quieter.

  "Wen Qing, you're back!" Seeing Chen Ke, Wang Bin was quite excited. "Want to go to the German Embassy's cocktail party?"

  "Huh?" Chen Ke was able to understand the sentence, but couldn't grasp its meaning. The German Embassy's cocktail party was a high-level diplomatic gathering. That a foreign firm employee like Wang Bin could attend was already unexpected, and being able to bring friends along was even more puzzling.

  Noticing Chen Ke's confusion, Wang Bin smiled and said: "My invitation is universal, it's okay to bring a few people. I couldn't find anyone else, so Wen Qing, you come with me."

  Foreign invitations are generally like this, except for a few cases. Those parties usually don't welcome single young people. Chen Ke did have the idea of going to see the world, but after thinking about it, he still felt that it was not suitable. As he hesitated, he suddenly thought of something and asked: "Brother Wang, do you still remember Qin Tongren? It is said that he also graduated from Humboldt University in Berlin, a few years older than you."

  "Hmm... Ah! I remember now, it was that thin guy, from Tianjin." Wang Bin exclaimed excitedly.

  "That's right, it was him."

  "How did you know?" Wang Bin asked hastily.

  "I know him through Mr. He who lives in that house. Now he is inside Mr. He's house."

  "Brother, take me to see him, it's been a long time."

  Chen Ke originally wanted to find He Ruming, but last time he offended He Ruming's face, and the relationship between the two began to cool down. Although Chen Ke sold the medicine to He Ruming at a price of 12 taels, He Ruming was clearly still angry. But Chen Ke really felt that this old brother was his benefactor, even if it was just through He Ruming that he got to know Qin Tongren, Chen Ke thought it was very valuable. Hearing Wang Bin say so, Chen Ke stood up and said: "Let's go now."

  He Ruoming still looked indifferent after seeing Chen Ke. On the other hand, Qin Tongren looked at Wang Bin with a hint of surprise, then stood up and slowly said in his signature calm tone: "Is this Wang Bin?"

  "Brother Qin, it's really little brother." Wang Bin saw that Qin Tongren had recognized him and hastily stepped forward a few steps, grasping Qin Tongren's hand. "After parting for many years, Brother Qin is still as elegant as ever."

  He Ruoming stared blankly at the scene, although he was extremely dissatisfied with Chen Ke, but he couldn't help but admire him. Chen Ke's extensive connections were truly breathtaking.

  Not as enthusiastic as Wang Bin, but absolutely not cold. Qin Tongren was also very happy to meet this old friend here. He introduced Wang Bin to He Ruming, and everyone simply started talking at He Ruming's house. Wang Bin was very excited, chatted for a while, and then invited Qin Tongren to join him in attending the German Embassy's cocktail party. Wang Bin was quite clever, since he was at He Ruming's home, he naturally wouldn't neglect He Ruming either, and also invited He Ruming's family to attend the cocktail party.

  Chen Ke stood quietly beside, Qin Tongren didn't seem to have much interest in the invitation. He Ruoming was shocked after hearing the invitation, and then couldn't help but show his joy. Wang Bin explained clearly that this banquet was a reception for the wife of a foreign ambassador who had arrived in China, and it was an occasion for socializing. Not only were foreign diplomatic missions invited, but also some Chinese officials. He Ruoming couldn't help but ask: "But I didn't receive an invitation from the German Embassy?"

  "Don't worry about this, I'm fine with whoever comes and there's no limit on the number of people."

  "If I go, who will I take with me?"

  "Just bring your wife and young masters and misses along."

  "Oh?"

  "But I suggest that those little kids shouldn't be brought along."

  "Oh. When will the wine be served?"

  "It starts tomorrow afternoon and ends in the evening. Let's have lunch together at noon. If Mr. He is willing, let's go together."

  He Ruoming said that he would reply to Wang Bin early tomorrow after learning that Wang Bin was now living with Chen Ke. Wang Bin also invited Qin Tongren to come over to Chen Ke's place if he had time, and then bid farewell to Chen Ke.

  That night, Qin Tongren did not come, which made Wang Bin somewhat disappointed. The next morning, He Ruming sent a butler to say that he was willing to go together.

  And no matter how others looked at it, in Chen Ke's eyes, the wine party was not very good. Groups of foreigners came and went, Wang Bin was initially with Chen Ke, but then started to play hide-and-seek. The food was also not good, compared to high-end buffets, it was much worse. Chen Ke ate a few bites and lost interest. He Ruoming saw this scene, originally a bit nervous, but soon saw several Qing officials. He Ruoming was from the Ministry of Rites, these people should be his superiors. So Mr. He smiled and chatted with his superiors. Germany is a latecomer in Europe, there were quite a few people who came, listening to a group of birds chirping in various accents, Chen Ke felt a bit drowsy. He hid in a corner, holding a piece of bread and nibbling on it listlessly.

  It is said that the great mentors Marx or Engels thought German women should go to farms. The appearance of German women ranks second to last in Europe. After the hostess of this wine party appeared, Chen Ke thought this friend of Wang Bin's would be an ordinary German female dragon knight, but unexpectedly she didn't look bad. When the emcee introduced her, he used French, which Chen Ke couldn't understand. The hostess toasted everyone, and Chen Ke followed at the end of the line, took a glass, raised it together with everyone else, then drank the wine. Then continued to be bored.

  But opportunities will come as long as you wait. Chen Ke seems bored, but he has been waiting for an opportunity all along. Now the opportunity has finally arrived. He Ruoming brought his two daughters this time. The girls have always followed He Ruoming, and now Old General He has finally left with Shangguan. Chen Ke hurried over.

  Today, He Qian's outfit is quite different from the last time I saw her. Although this dress is not a Western-style evening gown, it is also not in the style of the Manchu people. Now that it is winter, this dark blue silk suit is somewhat similar to Hanfu. Moreover, both girls simply braided their hair and didn't have so many accessories on their heads, looking quite elegant.

  "Hello, Miss He," Chen Ke said.

  He Qian did not expect Chen Ke to come over and greet her, and a sense of vigilance immediately appeared on her face. "Hello Mr. Chen," He Qian said indifferently.

  "Last time I discussed business with Miss He, it was really enjoyable. But I don't know if Mr. He has any other ideas for cooperation?" Chen Ke didn't want to get entangled with He Ruoming's beehive coal business. Even though He Ruoming had helped Chen Ke with many things, Chen Ke still didn't want to discuss trade with He Ruoming. It was too exhausting.

  He Qian did not expect Chen Ke to say this. Her beautiful big eyes stared at Chen Ke for a while, as if trying to see through his thoughts.

  "Don't worry, I didn't mean anything else. Mr. He is a good partner for business. As for you, I'm actually willing to cooperate."

  Hearing Chen Ke speak ill of his own brother, He Qian felt both angry and amused. She looked at Chen Ke with a disdainful gaze, "Mr. Chen, don't you think it's inappropriate to say such things?"

  Such doubts had no effect on Chen Ke, who smiled and said: "Business is business. I hope to negotiate with the most suitable person. It's convenient and quick. I'm a lazy person."

  He Qian listened to Chen Ke's serious praise, and couldn't help but reveal a hint of a smile on her lips. However, the smile was fleeting, and she said seriously: "In my family, my older brother is in charge. Mr. Chen came to discuss business with me, but he found the wrong person."

  Chen Ke stared at He Qian for a while before responding, "Yes." After that, he looked at the little girl who was half hiding behind He Qian's back, but she was looking at him with curious eyes. The little girl was about 15 or 16 years old, wearing silk clothes similar to He Qian's, but in a dark green color.

  "Hello." Chen Ke greeted her.

  "Hello." The little girl replied politely.

  "Have you eaten enough? The food here is self-service, not served by others. So don't be polite, just take whatever you see on the table." Chen Ke said warmly to the little girl.

  "Thank you for your guidance." The little girl, although shy, was not timid and replied very seriously to Chen Ke. Chen Ke had thought that the little girl would be nervous, but it turned out to be completely different. He couldn't help but take a closer look at her, her skin was relatively dark, but it was shiny and smooth, with deep facial features, which didn't resemble He Ruming much. Chen Ke's gaze made the little girl slightly lower her head. Wow, this is really a talented young lady. Chen Ke thought to himself, although He Ruming wasn't great, his sister and this little girl were truly exceptional. The yin is flourishing while the yang is declining.

  "Does Mr. Chen have anything else?" Seeing Chen Ke sizing up his niece, He Qian asked bluntly. This was a clear dismissal, and Chen Ke understood, hastily responding: "Then everyone can play well and eat well. I'll just go over there first."

  Sat back in the corner, Chen Ke looked at the two young ladies of the He family again. He saw He Qian looking around, probably searching for He Ruo Ming. The little girl was still standing quietly on the spot, her eyes slightly cast down. She was quite far away, and from a distance, she looked like an exquisite porcelain doll. Chen Ke suddenly thought to go over and say: "Little loli, Uncle will take you to catch goldfish."

  As he was lost in thought, Wang Bin suddenly appeared before Chen Ke. Although he tried to force a smile, a kind of irrepressible anger only made it more obvious.

  "What's wrong? Who upset you?"

  Wang Bin did not utter a word.

  "If you're not happy, then let's go. This wine will come and go freely." Chen Ke smiled.

  "Hmm, okay." Wang Bin nodded heavily.

  The two found He Ruming, who was standing carefully beside several officials. One of them, who was talking loudly, should have a high official position. No wonder He Ruming didn't even take care of his own wife, he had to serve the superior well. Seeing Chen Ke waving at him, He Ruming apologized and came over. He seemed to have gained face, as he was very cold to Chen Ke a few days ago, but now looked excited. When he learned that Chen Ke and Wang Bin were leaving, He Ruming looked somewhat embarrassed.

  "It's all right, Lord He. This wine comes and goes freely. We'll leave if we want to, you can stay here without any trouble." Chen Ke hastily explained.

  Learning that he didn't have to go with them, He Ruoming immediately became happy again. Everyone bid each other farewell, and Chen Ke and Wang Bin set off on their journey home.

  "What's wrong, did your friend's husband say something unpleasant?" Chen Ke asked with a smile.

  "How did you know?" Wang Bin was startled.

  "It's obvious at a glance. What's going on, tell me about it." Chen Kekuan comforted Wang Bin.

  Humboldt University of Berlin was one of the centers of world academia before World War II. Many famous scholars and politicians left their mark here, producing 29 Nobel laureates in fields such as chemistry, medicine, physics, and literature, with remarkable achievements.

  Such a school naturally had many German noble sons studying here, and Wang Bin met a lady named Johanna von Wittbach here, and the two fell in love.

  "Wait a minute, von Wittbach? She's Bavarian?" Chen Ke interrupted Wang Bin.

  Such profound knowledge of genealogy startled Wang Bin, and he nodded his head in astonishment.

  "Brother Wang, you really know how to pick people." Chen Ke said with admiration.

  Von Wittelsbach is a royal family in Bavaria, Germany with an 800-year tradition. Several members of this family have been kings of some smaller European countries.

  "Now there's only this one name left in Joanna's family." Wang Bin said with a hint of regret, "I didn't know her family background until I had known her for a year."

  Joanna's family was not the one that inherited the family business, but only a standard side branch. However, in Germany, this name is already very famous, and there are many wealthy young men who pursue Joanna, hoping to associate their own names with the illustrious von Wittbachs. It is clear that Joanna's father also has this intention. Marrying into a rich family is an excellent choice for a family that only has a noble title but no wealth.

  So he learned that his daughter was in love with a Chinese exchange student, and the father was very unhappy. Unhappiness leads to unhappy consequences, Wang Bin was beaten up several times at school. Joana is actually from Bavaria, she had a big fight with her father about this. But the two really couldn't get along, so they broke up.

  Wang Bin originally wanted to stay in Germany for work and had found a job after graduation. Unexpectedly, Joana got married after graduation, and her husband's family had a deep connection with the company Wang Bin was working for, so Wang Bin was "sent back" to China by the company, and this engineering student became an employee of a foreign trading company.

  But fate played a trick on them, Joana's husband was a member of the German Foreign Ministry, and Wang Bin returned to China for less than a year, he was appointed as the Consul of the German Embassy in China, bringing his wife Joana with him to China.

  What was left unsaid by Wang Bin, Chen Ke could guess. It must be that Joanne's husband had said a lot of unpleasant words to Wang Bin, which made him leave in anger.

  "It's all right, Brother Wang. Once we drive the foreigners out of China, we'll make sure this gentleman becomes the German ambassador and hosts a banquet to entertain you. Let's see how arrogant he can be." Chen Ke'an comforted him. For some reason, he suddenly thought of He family's loli.

  "It's tough enough to drive the foreigners out of China." Wang Bin said regretfully, but a moment later, he deliberately spoke in a cheerful tone: "Right, after we drive the foreigners out, we'll let this bastard be the German ambassador."

  "It should be like this." Chen Ke also burst out laughing.

  After resting on Sunday, Monday continued to work. Qin Tongren was still his usual self. Not at all because of the encounter with Wang Bin two days ago did he have any intention of getting close to Chen Ke. Chen Ke didn't expect that much either, and the next step of work was even more cumbersome.

  First, the overall meeting was held to analyze the design of the honeycomb coal production line. Chen Ke had seen the steam honeycomb coal machine before and, being an engineering graduate, he still understood the principles inside. The most critical part is the linkage. The core of the honeycomb coal machine is that while automatically filling coal powder, the press hammer lifts up, fills the coal, and then falls down, knocking out 16 pieces of coal at a time. Repeating this process, in Chen Ke's impression, using the machine, one minute can produce 48 pieces of coal. Calculating based on the machine working 10 hours a day, it would be 28,800 pieces of coal per day.

  Tianjin Machinery Bureau is a military-industrial enterprise, and everyone's level is not low. Looking at Chen Ke finishing the entire machine design on the blackboard, no one spoke. After a while, Qin Tongren finally spoke up. "Are we going to manufacture the machine ourselves, or what?"

  "I don't know if Tianjin Machinery Bureau still has any remaining equipment that can be used. If these devices were made by ourselves, the steel materials and accessories used would also be a problem. What I mean is that it's best to use existing equipment from before."

  After listening to Chen Ke's suggestion, Qin Tongren no longer made a sound.

  "Mr. Chen, this set of things is not bad. But to be honest, the reciprocating equipment has too high requirements for steel materials. Think about it, with thousands of hammering times a day, how long can the parts last?" Xǔ èrbā spoke up.

  Xu Tianqi from the Steel Iron Car Factory spoke up, "I think it's not necessary to do it this way. Now that it's already winter, we'll need too much time to build a whole set of equipment. I think the basic principle is clear, let's just redesign it, mainly the lifting and lowering of the big hammer. Looking at Mr. Chen's design, the reliable part is the screw thread. This kind of screw thread is not easy to make domestically. I think we can use a stop-motion method instead, that way it won't be so troublesome."

  Chen Ke hastily gave up his position in front of the blackboard, "Come on, you two come and talk."

  As soon as the words came out, Xu Erba and Xu Tianqi immediately blushed. "With so many engineers around, we don't dare." Although they said this with their mouths, the two young people still looked eager to try.

  "I've told you the rules of our factory before, if anyone has something to say, let's discuss it together. Many hands make light work, and a real man shouldn't be afraid to speak in public?" Chen Kelian dragged and pulled the two men to the blackboard.

  Xu Erba hastily bowed his hands to everyone, "I was just talking nonsense. Don't laugh at me."

  As soon as the voice fell, everyone had already burst out laughing. This made Xu Erba even more embarrassed. He glanced at Chen Ke and saw an encouraging smile. Only then did Xu Erba gain some courage. His suggestion was that it wasn't necessary to use such precise equipment, but rather adopt more rugged devices, which could guarantee the usage time. "When I was in the factory, every time I replaced parts, it took a very long time. At that time, I thought, why bother with such precise things? It's better to make something rough and ugly. Not good-looking, but durable. And besides, mining coal isn't making military weapons, no need to be so fine."

  After finishing his summary speech, Xu Erba looked at everyone without a word. He didn't know if what he said was right or wrong, and just stood there in front of the blackboard.

  "Is Mr. Xu finished?" Chen Ke asked.

  "That's all, that's all." Xǔ èrbā hastily replied.

  Chen Ke was the first to applaud, which left Xu Erba bewildered. "Mr. Chen, don't flatter me, what I said may not be entirely correct."

  "Right or wrong is not important, but you can stand up and say that's the attitude towards work, we should applaud to encourage him, shouldn't we?" Chen Ke said with a smile. "Comrades, please give applause to encourage Comrade Xu Erba's speech."

  Gao Huai De applauded, but only clapped a few times and found that no one echoed him, so he felt embarrassed. Unexpectedly, Qin Tongren continued to applaud. With his lead, everyone started to applaud. Xu Erba really didn't expect that his speech would receive everyone's respect, and tears came out immediately. While wiping away tears, Xu Erba bowed to thank everyone. Chen Ke pulled him back to his seat. Only then did Xu Tianqi continue to speak.

  Those who understand the work are frontline workers, they may not understand the purpose of production, this is the scope of engineers' work. However, after personally operating the machine, workers will definitely have their own ideas. Whether these ideas are correct or not, they represent the experience of time.

  Xu Tianqi is a technician, mainly engaged in steel casting. His views revolve around the bearing range. When he finishes speaking, everyone applauds together. Xu Tianqi also feels quite excited, his face turns red and his breathing becomes rapid.

  Next, everyone expressed their opinions on Chen Ke's design. The purpose was simple: to start working and making money as soon as possible. After two days of discussion, Chen Ke's exquisitely designed coal machine was transformed beyond recognition, and a new, rough, large, and ugly design took shape. Not only did it look bad, but its efficiency had also decreased significantly. However, the feasibility of this device had increased greatly. It could be manufactured using the materials currently available at the factory.

  After voting by everyone, a design team led by Qin Tongren was selected. Qin Tongren said that an overall design can be presented within two days.

  After the meeting, Chen Ke sincerely said to Qin Tongren: "Mr. Qin, the colleagues in the Mechanical Bureau really think they are not bad." Chen Ke originally thought that there would be too many excellent talents among these people. Unexpectedly, most of these people can be used.

  Qin Tongren replied calmly, "Those fellow workers who can still gather here are all genuinely fond of machinery. That's not surprising. What is surprising is you, Mr. Chen."

  "What's so strange about me?" Chen Ke was puzzled.

  Qin Tongren rarely showed some emotions, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, "Mr. Chen, I'm reading your masterpiece. The things discussed in it are really not ordinary. I thought Mr. Chen was a literary person, but these two days, seeing Mr. Chen discussing and making machines together, although not an expert, nor an outsider. What's even more surprising is Mr. Chen's design thinking, this kind of linked production is not something that ordinary people can understand. This really puzzles me. At Mr. Chen's age, I can only say, it's very unusual."

  "Excuse me, excuse me. I'm just a businessman now. Everything is for the sake of doing business well."

  "Now you're a businessman, what about in the future?" Qin Tongren asked.

  Chen Ke was speechless for a moment, he couldn't say that from then on I would be a professional revolutionary.

  Seeing Chen Ke not speaking, Qin Tongren said: "Mr. Chen, I think you're quite unusual in managing the factory. I have a suggestion, why don't you just bring out your own set of methods to use? These workers, oh, as Mr. Chen likes to say, are comrades who truly love the machinery industry. He Daren has gathered these people together with great effort. If this factory doesn't turn out well, I think it would only be a waste of everyone's efforts. I hope Mr. Chen won't hold back."

  This remark was reasonable and logical, but somehow it gave Chen Ke a strange feeling. He replied: "Of course."

  "Then I'll go design the drawings." Qin Tongren said, turned around and left, leaving Chen Ke stunned on the spot, not knowing what to say.

  No. 68