69: Cui Guangsheng was confused when the tool couldn't cut the parts

“Hello, Master Cui.”

In the lounge.

Li Mubai looked at the old man who stood up and introduced himself as an Eight-Grade Fitter, extending a hand with a smile.

“Master Cui, this is Boss Li, our Steel Factory’s owner, his name is Mu Bai.”

Old Xiao introduced him from the side.

“Hello, Boss Li.”

Cui Guangcheng also smiled and extended his hand, their hands clasped in the air for a moment before parting.

“Master Cui, please sit down and talk.”

Li Mubai gestured for Cui Guangcheng to sit.

Old Xiao, being perceptive, brewed a pot of tea for the two of them, poured it into teacups, and placed them on the coffee table in front of each man.

“Boss, you two talk, I’ll head out first.”

After finishing his task.

Old Xiao directly left the lounge.

Inside the lounge, only Li Mubai and Cui Guangcheng remained, the buzzing sounds of machinery and the steel furnace outside still audible.

Silence.

Still silence.

Both wanted to say something, but neither wanted to speak first, causing the originally harmonious atmosphere to suddenly become awkward.

“Master Cui, please try the tea. This tea comes from the tips of a hundred-year-old tree; its taste is quite good.”

Li Mubai spoke, breaking the awkward silence.

Hearing this.

Cui Guangcheng nodded, then picked up the celadon teacup from the coffee table.

As soon as he brought it below his nose.

A strong, refreshing tea aroma wafted into his nostrils, making him feel completely at ease.

This piqued his interest, and he took a small sip.

Immediately.

A faint bitterness lingered on his taste buds. After swallowing the tea, a subtle sweetness rose in his mouth.

“Good tea!”

Cui Guangcheng’s eyes lit up, he exclaimed in admiration.

Saying this.

He took a few more sips before setting the teacup down.

In truth, he didn't understand tea, he simply found the taste genuinely good. Compared to plain water, this tea had much more flavor.

Coupled with Li Mubai saying it was good tea, he let out such an amazed compliment.

“As long as it suits Master Cui’s taste.”

Li Mubai smiled faintly.

Like Cui Guangcheng, Li Mubai also didn't understand the quality of tea.

He knew nothing about aftertastes or rich tea aromas.

It was just that his father at home always drank this tea, and it wasn’t cheap, so he brought it to the factory to drink.

He simply thought that tea was better than plain water, as it had an acceptable taste.

As for tea tasting?

That wasn't his thing.

Usually, after brewing tea, he would wait for it to cool down, then gulp it all down to quench his thirst, with no other purpose.

Once the awkwardness was broken, the atmosphere in the room began to warm up.

To avoid further awkwardness, Li Mubai had to create a topic:

“Master Cui, how long have you been in this line of work?”

Cui Guangcheng smiled faintly, his eyes showing a hint of recollection.

At this moment.

Memory pierced through the confines of space and time, seemingly returning once more to days long past.

His voice, filled with nostalgia, rang out:

“Me? I was already in the factory when I was fifteen or sixteen.”

“At thirty, I got my Eight-Grade Fitter certificate. When I was fifty-eight, after my wife passed away, I retired. I’m sixty-two this year. I’ve earned a good amount of money over the years, and my children have successful careers. By all accounts, I should be enjoying my retirement.”

At this point.

Cui Guangcheng let out a bitter laugh:

“When you get old, you’re useless, and people dislike you. My children are married and have moved to other cities; now I’m the only one left at home. They asked me to move in with them, but I couldn’t get used to it, so I came back.”

“I don’t have hobbies. After decades of work, I just love dealing with machine tools and steel. They are my friends.”

“Especially these past few years since retiring, I’ve felt completely out of sorts. I spend my days at home in a daze, like I’ve lost my soul.”

Hearing this.

Li Mubai couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.

From this confession, he heard the boundless loneliness of an empty-nest elder.

However… sympathy was one thing.

He wasn't Maitreya Buddha; he didn't have the ability to save the other person.

Furthermore.

With his experience and qualifications, what right did he have to advise others?

Every family has its own difficulties.

Everyone faces different circumstances, different choices, and different conditions to consider when making those choices.

Whatever choice they ultimately make is simply their own destiny.

And what he needed to do now was to make up for the regrets of Rabbit Country in his previous life, which was his biggest goal.

Recruiting talent and creating Advanced CNC Machine Tools was his most pressing concern!

...Cui Guangcheng’s voice continued to speak in an orderly fashion.

“When you get old, you like to reminisce.”

“So… recently, my hands have been itching, and I plan to work as a Fitter again, to touch a machine tool once more, to feel steel parts again.”

A nostalgic smile appeared on his face, accompanied by a hint of… relief?

Li Mubai didn't want to know about Cui Guangcheng’s personal history.

He just wanted to know.

Whether Cui Guangcheng’s craftsmanship was useful for the manufacturing of Advanced CNC Machine Tools.

So.

He asked very directly:

“Master Cui, I wonder if you could do some work for me to see?”

After all, he had been retired for several years and hadn't touched a machine tool, so he didn't know if his skills were still there.

If not, then he would have to ask Old Xiao to recruit new people.

The Numerical Control Machine Tool task could not be delayed.

This was crucial for the later manufacturing of aircraft engines, tanks, and various military-industrial weapons.

The longer the delay, the more detrimental it would be to the development of Rabbit Country.

After all, the System Store still contained many technologies beneficial to people's livelihoods.

For example, quantum information transfer, or the manufacturing technology for advanced artificial intelligence systems, and the production technology for advanced chips.

These technologies.

They almost covered all industries and were very beneficial to social development.

However.

To realize these technologies, a lot of basic technological support was needed, which is what is called a raging storm starting from a small breeze.

“Of course, I can.”

Cui Guangcheng agreed with a smile.

Soon.

Li Mubai led Cui Guangcheng to the vacant workshop.

This workshop, apart from a few various machine tools, had nothing else, appearing quite spacious.

This was specially built by Li Mubai for hand-crafting parts.

And Cui Guangcheng.

Upon seeing the machine tools arranged in the workshop, a smile immediately appeared on his face.

This smile was different from the one in the lounge.

At this moment, the smile.

Li Mubai could feel that it was genuine happiness coming from him.

He first led Cui Guangcheng to familiarize himself with the machine tools, then placed a part in front of him.

This was a screw blank, without threads yet, requiring a Fitter to develop.

After Li Mubai explained the requirements, he quietly observed from the side.

Whether an Eight-Grade Fitter, retired for several years, could successfully hand-craft this part, he didn't know.

This would need to be verified by the outcome later.

Cui Guangcheng, upon receiving the part, did not immediately begin grinding it. Instead, he inspected the machine tool and sharpened his tools.

When he saw this scene.

Li Mubai understood that the other party was definitely an experienced Fitter.

However, the requirements he had just stated were quite strict. Could a Fitter, retired for several years, really grind out the part in one go?

Li Mubai thought it was unlikely.

Just then.

Li Mubai suddenly heard a crisp click.

He immediately looked over.

Only to discover that Cui Guangcheng had carelessly dropped a tool on the ground.

This was a trivial matter.

But he quickly noticed something amiss.

As Cui Guangcheng bent down to pick up the tool, he suddenly realized that the other man’s hand was trembling slightly!

For precision part processing, with such trembling hands, how could it work?

“Master Cui…”

Li Mubai was about to advise him to give up, but Cui Guangcheng turned his head and pleaded:

“Boss Li, can you give me this one chance, just one. If I can’t make the part this time, I won’t bother you further.”

Seeing him like that.

Li Mubai said no more.

Giving him one chance wouldn't take much time.

So.

He watched Cui Guangcheng sharpen his tools and then begin to grind the part.

Cui Guangcheng, upon receiving the part, instantly seemed like a changed man. His previously trembling hands became steady as a mountain at that moment.

He fixed the part onto the machine tool, then, holding the tool in his hand, began to grind.

The next moment.

The confidence on his face froze.

“This… this… what’s going on? Why can’t a tool that cuts iron like mud easily cut this part?”

Cui Guangcheng was filled with astonishment, mixed with confusion.

The moment the tool touched the part, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

The imagined scene of flying iron shavings did not occur.

Instead, the sharp edge of the tool became blunt, as if it had been worn down by the part.

In his surprise.

He stopped the machine tool and then inspected the part.

Upon seeing it.

He widened his eyes again, his face full of disbelief, exclaiming:

“Why is this happening? This piece only has surface scratches!”

The part’s surface only had a few shallow scratches, but the tool’s blade had already become blunt.

This result was unacceptable to Cui Guangcheng.