Mechanical Processing Workshop

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Half a month later, Zhang Yi's father, Zhang Ming, was finally able to leave the hospital. However, according to the doctor, Zhang Ming's leg would still need a considerable period of recuperation. Moreover, because of the car accident, his future life would be affected to some extent. Walking normally would not be a problem, but he would no longer be able to do heavy labor.

"Mom, I'm going to take a look at the shop. It's been closed for so long—it's time to reopen it. With Dad like this, I'm not planning to go out and find work anymore. I want to keep our family's shop running." Early the next morning after returning, Zhang Yi said this to his mother after breakfast.

Zhang Yi's father had originally worked at a machinery factory in Xian County. Later, the factory where his father worked went bankrupt, so he opened a mechanical processing plant of his own. However, calling it a processing shop or mechanical workshop would have been more fitting. It was only because his father had registered it as a processing plant at the time.

Zhang Yi's mechanical processing plant covered roughly a hundred square meters. There was only one lathe in the entire workshop, and it was a product from the seventies or eighties. After the machinery factory where his father had worked went bankrupt and could not pay wages, it had been used to settle part of the debt owed to him.

Zhang Yi's workshop usually handled scattered processing jobs, such as making urgently needed auto parts for the repair shop across the street or machining components for various machines.

Naturally, a workshop like this generally could not land large orders. It only took on private jobs. Fortunately, there were not many places in Xian County that accepted private processing work, so Zhang Yi's processing plant had managed to survive tenaciously.

After all, with the widespread use of agricultural machinery, it was not as if they could not make a living. But limited by technology, capital, and other factors, it was utterly impossible for their workshop to grow into a giant of the machinery industry.

Therefore, Zhang Yi's workshop had no workers. All previous orders had been completed by his father, Zhang Ming, alone, and they did not make much money over the course of a year.

Before long, Zhang Yi arrived at his family's mechanical processing workshop. Just as before, nothing about it had changed at all.

Zhang Yi opened the door and entered the workshop. The first impression the hundred-square-meter space gave him was old. All the equipment inside was quite outdated. The only lathe was older than Zhang Yi himself. Fortunately, its precision was still fairly good, and with his father's skills, it could still machine some relatively precise parts.

Of course, that lathe was not the only piece of processing equipment there. Besides it, there was a small drill press and some cutting and grinding equipment.

Compared to that old lathe, though, this equipment was much newer. Most of it had been made within the past few years.

After all, compared with lathes that could cost tens or even hundreds of thousands, these pieces of equipment were quite cheap and could be bought for only a few hundred or a thousand.

His second impression was that it was messy. Unprocessed raw materials and scrapped parts lay everywhere, the floor was filthy, and Oil Barrels were scattered all over the place.

In truth, Zhang Yi's workshop was not particularly old. It only looked run-down because things inside had been left in disarray, compounded by the age of the lathe and other equipment. Their workshop had been built less than fifteen years ago, on their family's homestead.

After entering, Zhang Yi frowned, then picked up a broom from the side and began cleaning the workshop. It had been closed for so long that dust covered everything. Mixed with engine oil and the like, it had turned black and looked especially dirty.

Just as Zhang Yi was tidying up the workshop, someone walked in from outside.

Seeing Zhang Yi cleaning, he immediately said, "Xiao Yi! When did you get back? I heard your dad had an accident. Is he all right now?"

"Uncle Zhang! Thank you for your concern. My dad is doing all right. He's already been discharged and is recuperating at home. Uncle Zhang, is there something you need?" Zhang Feng knew this man well. His name was Zhang Zhuo, the owner of the auto repair shop across the street and also one of Zhang Yi's family's major clients.

But when Zhang Zhuo heard that Zhang Yi's father was recuperating, his expression visibly changed. It looked like he had something urgent to deal with.

"Uncle Zhang, do you need something machined? If there are any parts you need made, just give them to me. You know my skills.

"I may not be at my dad's level yet, but ordinary parts won't stump me." Zhang Yi could tell from Zhang Zhuo's expression that he must have urgently needed some part machined, so he spoke up.

After hearing Zhang Yi's words, Zhang Zhuo thought for a moment and said, "All right! I'll go get the sample. Once I bring it over, we'll see whether you can handle it!" Clearly, he did not have much faith in Zhang Yi's skills.

Although he knew Zhang Yi had some ability in this area, he did not think Zhang Yi's skills could be all that good. But the customer was in a great hurry, and with no other choice, he could only let Zhang Yi give it a try first.

After saying that, Zhang Zhuo hurried back to get the sample.

Soon, Zhang Zhuo returned with a sample of the part he needed machined. This time, he needed a main shaft.

Zhang Yi examined it carefully. It appeared to be the main shaft of an agricultural harvester, but it had broken into two pieces and needed to be remade.

After all, although Zhang Zhuo's repair shop also repaired agricultural vehicles and agricultural machinery, aside from some common standard parts, they generally did not keep other parts in stock.

Besides, Zhang Yi's workshop was right next door, so there was no need to stock things like this. Whenever they needed one, they could simply have Zhang Yi's father turn one out on the lathe.

Zhang Yi looked it over and found that machining such a main shaft would not be difficult. He felt that he should be able to make it with his own skills, so he said, "Uncle Zhang, I can machine this main shaft, but you'll have to come pick it up tomorrow." As he spoke, Zhang Yi pointed at the dust and mess in the workshop. Clearly, this was not a suitable place to begin machining right away.

"All right! Xiao Yi, Uncle Zhang believes in you. I'll come pick it up tomorrow morning." After saying that, he walked out. The worried look on his face had not eased much, and it was obvious that he still did not trust Zhang Yi's skills.

In fact, Zhang Zhuo was not the only one without confidence. Even Zhang Yi himself was unsure. He had not touched a lathe in so long that his skills had definitely grown rusty. But he had no choice. Given the circumstances, he could only grit his teeth and do it.

Zhang Yi did not immediately start machining the main shaft. Instead, he continued cleaning the workshop. Just as he was about to move an angle iron from the floor to one side, he discovered that there was a burr in the middle of it. He was not wearing gloves, and his finger was instantly cut open.

But Zhang Yi did not care. In this line of work, bumps and scrapes were perfectly normal. He had experienced them countless times in his family's workshop ever since he was young.

So he merely shook his hand and paid it no mind, continuing to clean and organize the workshop. The wound was not large, and it was nothing to him.

However, he failed to notice that when he shook his hand, several drops of blood landed on the bracelet around his wrist and were absorbed by an object on it that resembled a small copper coin.