Chapter 11: The Problem of Skirting the Edge

Seeing Zhao Guoyang and Liu Linzhi enter the technical department, chatting and laughing together, the most senior technician, Hua Guosheng, felt a bit awkward. Zhao Guoyang’s selection as one of the factory’s only two reserve cadres was something Hua Guosheng could accept; after all, Zhao had made tremendous contributions to the rework of the Four Sheep Group’s chassis—a major event for the factory.

But when he considered that he, a man in his forties, might soon have to address a young man in his early twenties as his leader, he found it difficult to adjust his mindset. While Hua Guosheng remained silent, the other colleagues in the office were already greeting Zhao Guoyang cheerfully.

“Guoyang—ah, no, no, it’s our future Section Chief Zhao. Congratulations!” Xu Dongfeng, his roommate, was the first to greet him.

“Come on, Dongfeng, don’t jinx it—it’s not settled yet!” Zhao Guoyang laughed, giving Xu Dongfeng a friendly punch, then turned to the other colleagues in the technical department.

“Don’t worry too much about the factory’s announcement; just call me Guoyang as always. It sounds more natural, doesn’t it? What do you think, Master Hua?”

Hearing Zhao Guoyang say this, Hua Guosheng felt much more at ease. After careful consideration, he had to admit that Zhao’s technical skills were indeed impressive, fully qualifying him as a reserve cadre. Now that Zhao had achieved success but hadn’t grown arrogant and maintained such a humble attitude, it seemed wrong for Hua to keep acting reserved.

“I think everyone should listen to Guoyang. Titles aren’t that important, but there’s one thing: from now on, we in the technical department must work together and learn from Comrade Guoyang,” Hua Guosheng said solemnly.

“Master Hua, you can rest assured—we guarantee to work hard!” Several of the younger technicians nodded eagerly.

After chatting with everyone for a while, Liu Linzhi finally shared the reason for his visit. He explained that, after hearing Zhao Guoyang talk about methods to eliminate weld porosity, he realized Zhao was a true expert in welding. Coincidentally, Liu had encountered a problem while welding parts and hoped to consult Zhao Guoyang.

“Guoyang, here’s the situation. Our welding team has been busy working on a batch of ‘Runfa’ generator frames. But during welding, we keep running into edge biting problems. I’d like your help to see if there’s a solution,” Liu Linzhi said, looking at Zhao Guoyang with anticipation.

Upon hearing Liu’s words, Zhao Guoyang grasped the issue immediately. In this era, mechanical factories like Hongda Machinery, which were not very large, relied on manual welding; automatic welding had not yet been introduced.

Compared to automatic welding, manual welding was more challenging and prone to issues, with edge biting being one of the most common problems. Seeing Zhao Guoyang’s silence, Liu Linzhi felt uneasy, worried that he might refuse or claim he couldn’t help.

But Zhao’s next words put him completely at ease.

“Master Liu, though edge biting is common, it’s relatively easy to resolve. Let’s go take a look,” Zhao Guoyang said, raising his head with a smile.

“Great, let’s head over to the welding team,” Liu Linzhi replied, nodding repeatedly.

On the other side, Hua Guosheng waved to Xu Dongfeng and the others. “Let’s go, everyone—follow Guoyang and learn.”

“In welding, Guoyang is without question the most skilled in the factory. If you can pick up even thirty percent of his ability, that’s more than enough,” Hua Guosheng said, and he wasn’t exaggerating. He had participated throughout the previous chassis issue, and Zhao Guoyang’s guidance had left a lasting impression. At first, before the results were in, Hua Guosheng had doubts, but when the welding team, under Liu Linzhi, used Zhao’s method to effortlessly repair the batch of chassis for the Four Sheep Group, Hua became thoroughly convinced.

Zhao Guoyang and five or six colleagues from the technical department followed Liu Linzhi to the welding team, where a female welder was working on a generator frame.

Their arrival did not draw her attention. She wore a welder’s mask, held her welding torch, and continuously welded along the base material beside the weld toe. After a minute, she finished welding the bottom of the generator frame and put down her torch.

Removing her mask, the female welder—Zhou Jingfang—was startled to see so many people around her.

Zhao Guoyang quickly smiled and said, “Sister Zhou, we’re just here to observe. Don’t be nervous.”

By then, Liu Linzhi had already put on asbestos gloves, picked up the generator frame, and pointed helplessly at the cracked weld seam on the bottom. “Guoyang, look—it’s still showing edge biting.”

Zhao Guoyang glanced at it and said, “Yes, I noticed it just now. In fact, Sister Zhou’s welding skills are fine; it’s just that the operating method isn’t optimal, which causes the edge biting.”

Seeing Zhou Jingfang’s puzzled expression, Zhao Guoyang continued, “Sister Zhou, when you were welding just now, you held your hand flat, which caused the welding torch to linger too long on both sides of the groove, resulting in edge biting.”

“In truth, if you save some energy and move your hand more side to side while welding, this problem is easily solved.”

After finishing, Zhao Guoyang decided to demonstrate. He took the gloves, welding torch, and mask from Zhou Jingfang, adjusted the welding current, and picked up an unworked frame to begin welding.

“For welding the roots of tubular materials, you don’t need too much welding current. Short arc welding works better.”

“Also, move the rod a little slower on the sides of the groove, and a bit faster in the middle of the weld. Basically, you won’t run into any issues.”

As he spoke, Zhao Guoyang began his demonstration, and soon the generator frame in his hands was welded.

He removed the welder’s mask and carefully examined the smooth root of the welded generator frame, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.

In his previous life, though Zhao Guoyang had studied welding techniques in depth, he rarely operated personally. Especially after his reputation grew, he seldom handled the work himself. Just now, on a whim, he wanted to demonstrate for Zhou Jingfang and Liu Linzhi.

When he picked up the welding torch, he realized that, combining both lifetimes, he hadn’t handled the equipment for nearly fifteen years. Fortunately, after watching Zhou Jingfang use the torch, he understood the basic principles, so he managed not to embarrass himself.

After Zhao Guoyang finished welding the generator frame, Liu Linzhi’s eyes widened.

He gently stroked the bottom of the generator, feeling the flawless, tight weld seam, as if he were dreaming.