Fusion System: Rebirth in a Courtyard - Bird Fighting Chronicles

Chapter 161 The Spring Breeze of Reform and the Budding of Entrepreneurship

In the winter of 1980, the cold wind carried the dampness from the riverbank through the streets and alleys of Zhangcheng, but it could not dispel the restlessness surging in the air. Lin Chen had just put the last bag of desiccant into the corner of the cellar when Old Chen's excited shouts came from outside the workshop. The sound, carried by the wind, penetrated through the window and startled the sparrows perched on the windowsill.

"Technician Lin! Accountant Su! Great news!" Old Chen rushed into the workshop, his oil-stained work clothes clinging to ice crystals on the cuffs. He clutched a crumpled newspaper, the smell of ink mingling with the chill of the air. He slammed the newspaper onto the machine tool table, pointed to the headline on the front page, his voice trembling with excitement, "Look! The central government's document has come down! Individual businesses are allowed! From now on, ordinary people like us can open factories and be our own bosses!"

Lin Chen and Su Qing exchanged a glance, then simultaneously put down their work and moved closer. On the yellowed newspaper, the eight bold characters "Emancipate the mind, seek truth from facts" stood out prominently, while the articles concerning relaxing restrictions on the individual economy were densely circled in red pencil by Old Chen. Lin Chen's fingertips traced the printed words, his heart pounding uncontrollably—he had waited eighteen long years for this day.

In his previous life, he wasted half his life in a traditional courtyard house, watching as waves of people seized opportunities and rose to prominence after the reform and opening up, while he could only sigh in vain due to his background and the limitations of the era. Now, reborn at this crucial juncture, the technical abilities granted by the system, coupled with his foresight, instantly ignited the seed of entrepreneurship in his heart.

"Uncle Chen, is the news reliable?" Su Qing picked up the newspaper and studied it carefully, her fingertips repeatedly tracing the clause "allowing employees to operate businesses." As someone with an accounting background, she understood better than anyone the weight behind those few words—it meant that the long-suppressed private productivity was finally about to be released.

"How could it be unreliable!" Old Chen patted his chest, spittle flying with each movement. "My nephew works as a messenger in the commune. He just picked up some documents from the county this morning and was telling me that Zhangcheng is going to select a few pilot areas! Our farm implement factory has been so lucky these past six months thanks to Technician Lin's threshing machine, otherwise it would have gone bankrupt long ago. Now that the policy has been relaxed, why don't we do it ourselves?"

Old Chen's words were like a spark, instantly igniting the atmosphere in the workshop. Several veteran technicians who were tidying up parts gathered around, chattering amongst themselves. "Yes, Technician Lin, we feel safe working with you!" "Before, we were afraid of being accused of speculation if we wanted to make any technical improvements, but now we can finally act freely!" "I think we should make hardware accessories; the farm tools in the nearby communes wear out quickly, there's definitely a market for that!"

Lin Chen gestured for everyone to be quiet, his gaze sweeping over his old buddies who had worked alongside him through thick and thin. He felt both moved and confident. He walked to the open space in the center of the workshop, picked up a piece of chalk, and began to draw on the cement floor: "Listen to me, everyone. If we're going to do something, let's do something we're good at. Right now, rural areas need durable farm tool parts, and machine factories in the city are also lacking high-precision parts. We have the technology and experience, so let's start with hardware manufacturing."

He drew a simple flowchart on the ground, annotating as he explained: "I'm in charge of technology research and development and production management, Su Qing is in charge of finance and sales, and Uncle Chen will lead a few technicians to manage production. We have a clear division of labor. Initially, we'll produce thresher parts and plowshare wear parts. These are products we're familiar with, so the risk is low and the market is stable."

"But what about the funding?" Su Qing asked the most crucial question. She pulled a report from the ledger. "Our combined savings are less than two hundred yuan. Renting a factory, buying equipment, purchasing raw materials—all of that costs money!"

The atmosphere in the workshop instantly fell silent. Everyone looked at each other, their brows furrowed. Old Chen touched the few dozen yuan of retirement money he had in his pocket and lowered his head in embarrassment: "My little bit of money is only enough to buy a few bags of cement." The other technicians also shook their heads. In this era when wages were only a few dozen yuan, no one had any spare money.

Lin Chen was prepared. He took out an alloy sample fused with the system from his toolbox and placed it in front of everyone: "This is a wear-resistant part that I fused with scrap steel and chromium alloy. It is three times harder than the original parts, but the cost is half that. We can make a batch of samples first, find orders from supply and marketing cooperatives and agricultural machinery stations, and then purchase the equipment after receiving the advance payment. In addition, I have some private property that I can sell."

That evening, Lin Chen returned to his small shop facing the street and retrieved the wooden box he had treasured for many years. Inside were two items: a 1958 Shanghai brand watch, a memento he had saved up to buy in his previous life; and a brass military compass, which he had obtained from an old soldier during his time working in the countryside. Both items were rare at the time, and if sold, they could probably fetch a considerable sum.

"Are you really going to sell all of these?" Su Qing walked in carrying a bowl of hot porridge, and asked softly as she watched Lin Chen stroking the watch. She knew the significance of that watch to Lin Chen; it was a testament to his struggles in his past life.

Lin Chen put the watch into his cloth bag, looked up and smiled, "A watch can be bought again, but an opportunity missed is never coming again. Besides, if we succeed in our business, we can buy a better one later." He paused, then took out a wad of cash from his pocket and handed it to Su Qing, "This is the money from selling the remaining grain in the cellar, plus the money I got from selling the watch and compass. That should be enough to raise the start-up capital. What about you?"

Su Qing took out a red cloth bag from the bottom of the wardrobe. Inside were a pair of silver bracelets and a jade hairpin: "These were passed down from my ancestors. I went to the pawnshop yesterday and asked. The bracelets can be pawned for 300 yuan and the hairpin for 200 yuan. With my savings, I can make a total of 600 yuan."

"That's enough!" Lin Chen excitedly grabbed Su Qing's hand. "We'll go sell our stuff first thing tomorrow morning, then find a factory and get the paperwork done. By the way, you're familiar with Sister Zhang at the supply and marketing cooperative, could you help me ask if there are any vacant factory buildings?"

Su Qing nodded, her cheeks flushed with excitement: "I'll go ask first thing tomorrow morning. By the way, have you decided on a name for the factory?"

Looking at the moonlight outside the window, then at Su Qing in front of him, Lin Chen blurted out, "Let's call it Chenqing Hardware Factory! We'll use characters from both of our names, symbolizing that we'll create light together!"

The next morning, while the flea market in Zhangcheng was still shrouded in a light mist, Lin Chen took his watch and compass to the largest pawnshop. The pawnshop owner, an old man with a goatee, took the watch and examined it for a long time, then used a magnifying glass to look at the military-grade markings on the compass. He slowly said, "The watch is genuine, but the strap is worn. I'll give it to you for two hundred and eighty yuan. The compass is a good item, military-grade, I'll give it to you for three hundred and twenty yuan, six hundred yuan in total."

"Boss, add another fifty dollars," Lin Chen said calmly. "This compass is a military product from the Korean War. Look at this dial, it uses luminescent material, which you can't find on the market now. If I take it to the military compound, I can sell it for at least four hundred dollars."

The shopkeeper paused for a moment, then looked up and sized up Lin Chen again. Seeing his confident expression, he knew he had met someone who knew what he was doing, so he had no choice but to agree: "Okay, six hundred and fifty yuan, that's the most I can offer."

At the same time as receiving the money, Su Qing also brought good news. Sister Zhang from the supply and marketing cooperative told him that there was an abandoned old farm tool factory in the suburbs that had been idle for many years due to disrepair. The commune was looking to rent it out for only two hundred yuan a year. Lin Chen and Su Qing rushed over immediately. The factory covered an area of ​​about two hundred square meters and had three workshops and an office. Although the roof was leaky and the walls were dilapidated, the main structure was intact. There was also a well in the yard, making it very suitable as a start-up factory.

"Technician Lin, Accountant Su, this factory building is indeed dilapidated, but it's cheap and close to the highway, making transportation convenient." Wang, the commune's rental officer, led them around to look at the place, pointing to several old sycamore trees in the yard. "These trees can provide shade in the summer, and their fallen leaves can be used as fuel in the winter. If you rent it, the commune can also help coordinate water and electricity connections."

Lin Chen squatted down to inspect the foundation and found it to be compacted rammed earth, very solid. Only the roof tiles needed to be replaced and the walls repainted. He calculated in his mind: after renting the factory building, he would use some of the money for repairs, then buy a few used machine tools, and use the remaining money to purchase raw materials. That should be just right.

"Officer Wang, we'll rent it!" Lin Chen decided on the spot. "However, we'd like to pay the rent every six months, and could you also give us a one-month grace period for renovations?"

Wang, who was worried that no one would want the vacant factory building, quickly nodded and agreed: "No problem! You can come and complete the formalities tomorrow. There will be no rent during the renovation period."

That same afternoon, after completing the leasing procedures, Lin Chen brought eight experienced technicians, including Old Chen, to the factory. They divided the work clearly: some climbed onto the roof to replace tiles, some cleaned the workshop, some mixed cement to repair the walls, while Su Qing led two female workers to clean the office and install new glass in the windows.

"Technician Lin, what do you think of this machine tool?" On the third day, Old Chen brought Lin Chen to the scrap yard and pointed to two old lathes covered in dust in the corner, saying, "These are discarded equipment from the Hongxing Machinery Factory. I know Old Wang at the scrap yard well, and he said he'll give us 800 yuan, including transportation."

Lin Chen circled the machine tool twice, scanning it with the system. He found that the main components were intact, but a few small parts were missing, and the precision was insufficient. He calculated in his mind that with the system's fusion technology, the precision would definitely meet the requirements. "Uncle Chen, let's try to bargain with Old Wang again, get it for seven hundred yuan, and also have him deliver a few bundles of scrap steel as raw materials."

As expected, Old Chen not only bought two lathes for seven hundred yuan, but also brought back a truckload of scrap steel and several seamless steel pipes. Lin Chen used the system to analyze the machine tool structure overnight, drew up improvement drawings, and the next day he led the technicians to start disassembling, polishing, and assembling them.

"Everyone, pay attention. This spindle bearing needs to be replaced with our own fused alloy part. This will increase the rotation speed by 30% and improve the precision." Lin Chen taught the technicians how to operate it, turning the system fusion techniques into easy-to-understand instructions: "First remove the rust, then grind it. The alloy parts must be firmly clamped, and the gap cannot exceed half a millimeter."

Su Qing was busy running around the market looking for orders. She took the alloy wear-resistant parts samples made by Lin Chen and first went to the supply and marketing cooperative to find Sister Zhang, then visited the agricultural machinery stations in several surrounding communes. When Station Chief Li of the agricultural machinery station saw the samples, he exclaimed in surprise, "These parts are even more durable than the ones we buy from the state-owned factory! How much is one piece?"

"Station Manager Li, we're all acquaintances. Let me give you the cost price: 1.2 yuan per piece. If you order more than 100 pieces, we'll even deliver it to your door." Su Qing took out her ledger and showed Station Manager Li the detailed cost accounting. "Look, this is the cost of raw materials, and this is the cost of labor. We only earn 5 cents a month for our hard work."

Station Chief Li examined the samples and compared them with the state-owned factory parts in his hand. He immediately made a decision: "I'll order two hundred pieces first. If they work well, we'll get all our agricultural machinery station's parts from you from now on!"

When news of the successful first order reached the factory, everyone was thrilled. Lin Chen was especially enthusiastic, leading the technicians to work through the night to improve the machine tools. In just three days, they transformed two old lathes into semi-automated equipment, more than doubling production efficiency. When the first batch of defective wear-resistant parts came out, everyone gathered around, looking at the smooth, highly precise components, and giving them a thumbs up.

"Technician Lin, you're amazing!" Old Chen picked up a part, measured it with calipers, and found the precision to be an astonishing 0.01 millimeters—even better than the state-owned factory's products. "With this kind of technology, we're sure to grow and become a big company!"

On December 28, 1980, Chenqing Hardware Factory was officially established. There was no grand ceremony, only a wooden sign painted in red ink hanging at the factory gate, with the five characters "Chenqing Hardware Factory" written in a powerful and vigorous style. Lin Chen stood at the gate, looking at the eight employees standing neatly in the yard, and felt a surge of emotions.

"Comrades, today our Chenqing Hardware Factory is officially established!" Lin Chen held up an enamel mug filled with cheap sorghum liquor. "I know you all work with me because you trust me, Lin Chen. I assure you, as long as we work together and do our jobs well, not only will our wages double, but everyone will become a shareholder in the factory!"

"Great!" Loud applause erupted in the courtyard. Old Chen was so moved that tears streamed down his face. "Technician Lin, we believe in you! We'll work for you from now on!"

On the afternoon of the day the shop was listed, Su Qing delivered the first batch of two hundred wear-resistant parts to the agricultural machinery station. Station Chief Li personally inspected them, and after seeing the quality of the parts, he paid for them on the spot and even placed an additional order for three hundred more. The moment she received the payment, Su Qing excitedly gave Lin Chen a hug, then quickly and shyly let go, her cheeks flushed red.

"Lin Chen, we did it!" Su Qing handed Lin Chen a stack of crisp new banknotes, her voice trembling with excitement. "This is our first profit. After deducting costs, we made a net profit of 180 yuan!"

Lin Chen took the banknotes and counted them one by one, feeling a sense of accomplishment. He knew that this 180 yuan was just the beginning; in the spring breeze of reform and opening up, his entrepreneurial journey had only just begun. He looked at the busy employees in the yard and the setting sun in the distance, silently planning his future: first, to gain a foothold, expand production scale, then develop higher-precision products, strive to enter the market of urban machinery factories, and finally build his own precision manufacturing empire.

At dinner, Lin Chen ordered the canteen to prepare a table full of dishes and bought two cases of beer. Everyone sat around under the sycamore tree in the courtyard, raising their glasses in celebration. The laughter and clinking of glasses were particularly loud in the quiet suburbs. Old Chen, having drunk too much, grabbed Lin Chen's hand and said, "Technician Lin, I've lived for over fifty years, and I've never felt so hopeful! From now on, I'll dedicate my old life to Chenqing Hardware Factory!"

Lin Chen was also slightly tipsy. Looking at the simple and honest employees in front of him, and at Su Qing smiling beside him, he suddenly thought of the courtyard house in Beijing. He knew that the grudges there had long since faded away, and his future lay on this land of Zhangcheng, in the factory of Chenqing Hardware Factory, in the wave of reform and opening up, moving step by step towards a bright future.