“Don’t worry, educated youth Lin, we won’t use your drawings in vain,” the factory director assured him.
“Director, you’re too kind. We are all building the country. If my drawings can be useful, it is my honor!” Lin Yan actually didn't have many material needs at the moment. After all, with the original body’s personality, she wouldn’t have prioritized such things.
Of course, everything she was doing now was to achieve some success faster, so she could enter the eyes of those in power more quickly, and then the original body’s parents could return sooner.
“Educated youth Lin has such great awareness!” the factory director’s voice was filled with satisfaction. He was a soldier, and the kind of patriotic youth he most wanted to see!
And so, Lin Yan was kept on at the machinery factory. With Director Li’s help, Accountant Zhang managed to buy a secondhand tractor and happily returned to Zaolin Village.
However, he also admired Lin Yan even more. Now, Lin Yan was staying at the machinery factory as a consultant, and it was said that the machines Lin Yan designed would be available for free use by their village.
It’s good to study. Educated youth Lin is so capable precisely because she has a good education! He had to make sure his own children studied hard, whether they were boys or girls!
When Accountant Zhang brought the tractor back to the village, it again drew a crowd. But amidst their excitement, they were also curious why Lin Yan hadn't returned with him.
After Accountant Zhang explained that Lin Yan was working as a consultant at the machinery factory, everyone marveled again.
“Educated youth Lin is truly amazing!”
“Indeed, no one among these educated youths can compare to her!”
“The Wu family is so lucky, having relatives in the city and such a capable relative like educated youth Lin. They’ll definitely be able to become workers in the city in the future!”
“I don’t envy city workers anymore. People in the city don’t live as well as we do! With educated youth Lin here, we’ll all be able to become workers too! Workers right here in our own village!”
“I wonder when educated youth Lin will return?”
“Maybe she won’t come back. After all, who would want to return if they can go to the city? Look at those educated youths, they’re all thinking about returning to the city every day!”
“Educated youth Lin is different, though. She’ll definitely come back, after all, the Wu family is still here.”
Over at the Wu family’s, Accountant Zhang handed Lin Yan’s letter to Third Grandfather. “Educated youth Lin has been kept on at the provincial machinery factory as a consultant, to help them design machinery. She’s receiving a salary and subsidies, so you don’t need to worry, Elder!”
Accountant Zhang spoke of Lin Yan with immense pride, as she was a youth from their Zaolin Village!
“Yan Yan didn’t even bring many clothes to change into. She’ll be gone for a long time!” Third Aunt, being detail-oriented, expressed some worry.
“Yes, will Yan Yan eat well outside?” Wu Xiu was also concerned.
“Don’t worry, that machinery factory is huge! And they have work uniforms, so educated youth Lin won’t be short of clothes. Besides, the factory has a canteen, and they even have meat dishes. She certainly won’t be mistreated,” Accountant Zhang described his two days at the machinery factory to the Wu family, trying to reassure them.
After hearing Accountant Zhang’s words, the Wu family finally felt a little more at ease. But then they began to feel proud again.
Their Yan Yan was truly amazing, going to the provincial machinery factory as a consultant. They didn’t know what a consultant did, but it sounded very impressive!
Meanwhile, Lin Yan, over the course of a few days, had drawn out the machines she desired and those that were currently feasible to build with high practical value.
The rice transplanter she initially drew had already begun production. As it was a new machine, the process was still relatively slow. It took three days to produce the rice transplanter, after which the factory director took the new machine to a nearby village for testing.
Upon use, it was found to be extremely effective, catching the eye of the nearby commune secretary. He immediately grabbed the factory director’s hand, not wanting him to leave, insisting on purchasing several units.
After all, he had been watching from the side, and the operation was simple, convenient, and fast. In just a short while, the rice seedlings for an entire mu of land were transplanted.
He even had experienced old farmers examine it, and they found it excellent. Therefore, he had to inquire about the price of the machine. If it wasn’t too expensive, their commune would definitely procure several units.
With this machine, they could cultivate more land and harvest more grain.
“We’ve only just started producing this machine. We just came here to test it today, it hasn’t officially entered production yet!” the factory director did not make any commitments.
“Then, by the time it’s in production, the planting season will be missed!” the commune secretary grew a little anxious.
“It won’t be. We will resume production immediately upon our return. It will be available for sale in at most five days. You can come and buy it then. And this machine isn’t very expensive. Your commune can definitely afford to purchase several units, and it certainly won’t delay the planting season!”
After quickly saying this, the factory director winked at his subordinates to load the machine onto the vehicle and leave quickly.
The first batch of two rice transplanters was sent back to Zaolin Village just as it was time for transplanting.
Based on their trust in Lin Yan, everyone immediately put them to use. Although they consumed some fuel, it was indeed very fast. Work that used to take several days in previous years was completed in just three days this year.
Most importantly, people weren’t tired. When there wasn’t much land left in the village, the two rice transplanters were borrowed by other brigades in the commune. Thus, the two rice transplanters were only returned after the transplanting season had concluded.
Zaolin Village had made a name for itself in the commune, having already gained recognition for rabbits and vermicelli previously.
Thanks to the help of the rice transplanters, everyone had some spare time. The team leader gathered the young and strong men to prepare to repair the road from the village to the commune, which would make it more convenient to transport their produce.
Although the weather was a bit hot, everyone worked with great enthusiasm. After all, with a brighter future and hope, everyone’s drive was exceptionally strong.
Lin Yan, wearing her work uniform, was watching the production of a new machine with people from the workshop when suddenly the lathe stopped working.
“Why did it break down again? It’s broken three times this month, and it’s a newly purchased machine!”
“Yeah, it’s a foreign product, how can it be so unreliable!”
Hearing the discussions, Lin Yan looked at the lathe in front of her with some confusion.
“Educated youth Lin, the lathe is broken, and production has to be paused. But it’s okay, it’ll be fixed soon. However, this is an imported product from abroad, so we’ll have to wait for someone from there to come and repair it,” an experienced master worker said with a hint of sadness in his voice.
“If you don’t mind, could I take a look?” Lin Yan asked.
“Educated youth Lin, what do you mean?” Engineer Xu asked in surprise.
Did Lin Yan mean she could fix it? If she really could…
“Yes, I’ll give it a try. I don’t have a hundred percent certainty, of course. Without seeing the problem, I don’t know if I can fix it myself.”