Carefree days

  Lin Zhenhua is now living a very carefree life, with the Xinxin store generating 300,000 to 400,000 yuan in profit every month. All of this money is managed by Xiong Lijun, who deposits it into several different banks on his behalf. At that time, there was no real-name system for bank accounts, and banks only recognized deposit slips and seals. Lin Zhenhua used several different fake names to have Xiong Lijun deposit the money, and then he would take possession of the deposit slips himself. After operating the Xinxin store for several months, Lin Zhenhua's savings had already exceeded 1 million yuan, but this number was only known by Xiong Lijun and Lan Wufeng - not even Xiaofang knew about it.

  Lin Zhenhua had a secret that even Xiong Lijun and Lan Wufeng didn't know, which was that he also had a sum of US dollars in a Swiss bank, totaling as much as $200,000. However, under the current circumstances, it was impossible for Lin Zhenhua to withdraw this money for use. At present, he hadn't given any special consideration to how to use this money; he thought that if all else failed, he could just leave it for his sister to use for studying abroad in the future.

  Despite having a six-figure fortune, Lin Zhenhua still goes to work every day with ease. He has been formally appointed as the deputy director of the technical department, and his salary has increased to 43 yuan per month, equivalent to being promoted ahead of schedule.

  Lin Zhenhua's work in the technical department was also easy. Most of Hanhua Machinery Factory's products were already standardized, and the technical department did not need to do product design, mainly just designing product processes. Occasionally, some users would put forward special requirements, and the technical department would make some minor adjustments to the existing products. This kind of work, the current staff in the technical department could also handle with ease, and Lin Zhenhua didn't need to do anything.

  Lin Zhenhua's only task was to be in charge of CNC machine tool operation training. He spent several weeks translating the English version of the operating manual into Chinese and added annotations based on his own understanding, so that workers with lower cultural levels could also understand it.

  Under Lin Zhenhua's guidance, Peng Gang and Yang Xin's operating skills improved very quickly. They can basically process workpieces independently using CNC milling machines. Peng Gang has a low level of cultural knowledge, but he has a high degree of mechanical intuition. The concept of CNC was completely unfamiliar to him, but he grasped the basic principles almost without any twists and turns. As for Yang Xin, her progress can only be explained by a very common saying: the power of love is infinite.

  Lin Zhenhua's repeated high-profile performances have made his stock rise in the factory, and there are already more than two people who have directly or indirectly asked him to marry. Yang Xin is well aware of this matter, although she is shy as a girl, she doesn't dare to express her feelings to Lin Zhenhua directly, but in specific actions, she has become more and more proactive.

  After entering the first semester of high school, Lin Fanghua's studies became busier, and she also had to attend evening self-study sessions. Sometimes after school was dismissed in the afternoon, she would simply not go home and eat dinner at the school cafeteria instead. When this happened, Yang Xin would take the initiative to run to Lin's house to help Lin Zhenhua with cooking. At first, she felt a bit embarrassed, but gradually it became a habit, as if it was only natural that things should be done this way.

  When Lin Fanghua didn't come back to school, there were only two people left at the dinner table in Lin's house: Lin Zhenhua and Yang Xin. The relationship between the two had not yet developed to a romantic stage, so the conversation at the dinner table was divided into two halves: one half was about CNC machine operation, and the other half was Lin Zhenhua teaching Yang Xin general knowledge. Yang Xin only had a junior high school education level, plus the information blockade of that era, so her knowledge base was very narrow. Lin Zhenhua, on the other hand, was from the internet age and knew everything under the sun.

  Apart from the development of his relationship with Yang Xin, Lin Zhenhua's relationship with Hu Yang also became increasingly close. The two had already broken through the ice, and Lin Zhenhua knew that Hu Yang was no ordinary person. Of course, what Hu Yang's true identity was and why he ended up at Hanhua Factory, Lin Zhenhua still didn't know.

  Huyang devoured the original English books brought by Lin Zhenhua like a starving man, and he didn't care about professionalism at all. He read every book very carefully and even made detailed notes. After reading some of his notes, Lin Zhenhua found that they were Huyang's thoughts on some problems. Some of Huyang's ideas coincided with the research results of later academic and engineering circles. Lin Zhenhua knew that what Huyang lacked was only sufficient experimental conditions. If conditions permitted, he might be able to solve many problems before foreign scholars.

  Lin Zhenhua would often run to the woodworking class to chat with Hu Yang when he had nothing to do. Since Hu Yang received that batch of original books, he rarely had time to chat with others, but for Lin Zhenhua, he was always welcome. The old and young duo always had endless topics to discuss, Hu Yang's thinking was very sharp, and he could put forward his own views on the development of technology. Lin Zhenhua, on the other hand, relied entirely on the golden fingers of a traverser, able to make appropriate comments on Hu Yang's ideas. Hu Yang learned a lot of new knowledge from Lin Zhenhua, and Lin Zhenhua also learned many problem-solving methods from Hu Yang.

  Lin Zhenhua's promotion made his original gang of friends extremely happy. Lin Zhenhua's previous incarnation, along with Peng Shaozhe, Chu Hongyang, Zhao Yongqun and others, had been a group of sworn brothers who skipped class and got into fights together. Although the soul in this body has changed to someone else, the friendship between them hasn't faded because of it.

  After work that day, several friends walked together again, discussing the issue of going to Lin Zhenhua's house to get something to eat. Peng Shaozhe and others were temporary workers with low wages, and their parents controlled their money, so they were embarrassed about their financial situation. Although Lin Zhenhua was not extravagant with his wealth, he was still very generous when it came to food and drink. It had become an unspoken agreement among the four brothers that Lin Zhenhua would always pay for everything.

  "Xiao Hua, you lucky kid, how did you suddenly become a cadre? From now on, among our group of friends, you're the most promising one." Zhao Yongqun said to him.

  Chu Hongyang also said: "Xiao Hua, we are still temporary workers now. You're a formal worker, that's fine, but you can even substitute for the boss. Do you know, my dad is using your story to educate me every day, telling me to make progress. Can't you just perform a little worse? This way, how can we mix?"

  The most bitter one was Peng Shaozhe, who didn't know what to say in front of Lin Zhenhua because his old man, Peng Xian Dao, was a technician in the technical department. This old fellow had once been very arrogant and lectured Lin Zhenhua several times, but now he had become Lin's subordinate, which was extremely embarrassing. The old man was embarrassed, and naturally, Peng Shaozhe, as his son, couldn't hold his head up either.

  "Alas, should I call you Xiao Hua now or Lin Kezhang?" Peng Shaozhe sighed.

  "Of course, we'll still call you Xiao Hua." Lin Zhenhua said with a smile.

  Peng Shaozhe said: "My dad said that now even he has to call you Director Lin, how can I still call you Xiao Hua?"

  "Should I go find the factory director and ask for resignation?" Lin Zhenhua asked a few friends.

  "No way!" The three of them said in unison.

  "Why?" Lin Zhenhua was somewhat bewildered. "You just said I got promoted too quickly and it made you unhappy, so why won't you let me resign now?"

  "You're silly," said Chu Hongyang. "Not only can't you quit, but you also need to think of ways to get promoted. When you become the factory director one day, giving your brothers a few formal job quotas will be just a matter of course."

  "You've been waiting for me here all this time." Lin Zhenhua sighed.

  "Alright alright, let's talk about Xiaohua becoming the factory director later. First, let's discuss what to eat today?"

  Peng Shaozhe sneered: "I heard that Xiao Hua is good at making a kind of Lin's called flower chicken, unfortunately we have never had the chance to see it."

  "Who told you?" Lin Zhenhua asked curiously.

  "You're such a philanderer," Peng Shaozhe said, "If you want to keep it from others, don't do it yourself. You've become a playboy and only invited your girlfriend, kicking us brothers to the side. Tell me, is this true?"

  "This... " Lin Zhenhua smiled reluctantly: "Actually, if you want to eat called flower chicken, it's very easy. I can just go back and make it for you now. What's the point of saying that I prioritize colors over friendship? If this gets out, it'll affect my reputation as a brother."

  Everyone was chatting and laughing, when suddenly a loud commotion broke out in the factory area, with women crying out and men shouting. Immediately, many people rushed towards a certain place in the residential area, while others ran wildly towards the car park. Before long, a Liberation-brand large truck roared out of the garage and charged towards the residential area.

  "What's wrong, Yang Xin?" Lin Zhenhua shouted as he caught sight of Yang Xin hurrying over.

  Yang Xin panted and replied: "Something big has happened, Peng Gang's eldest son Peng Jun drank pesticide and killed himself!"