“Old Guo, you're being too reckless! You dare let an apprentice who's been in the factory for less than three months operate the machine?” Director Guo was also angry.
Zhou De Min was not in a hurry: “Yi Zhong Hai, you're waiting for this, right? Director Guo, if this batch of defective parts was indeed processed by my apprentice, I'm willing to take full responsibility and pay for the losses. But you can't just say that any defective parts found in the workshop were processed by my apprentice, can you? Yi Zhong Hai's apprentice also started working on parts today. Everyone in the workshop knows that although Qin Huairu has been an apprentice for three years, every time she operates the machine, the workshop's scrap rate skyrockets. Everyone is afraid of offending the eighth-level fitter, so nobody dares to say anything.”
Yi Zhong Hai roared: “Your apprentice was the only one working today, and so many defects appeared. You still dare to deny it?”
Qin Huairu wouldn't be outdone: “I've been in the factory for three years and been an apprentice for three years. Even if I'm stupid, I'm still better than a new apprentice.”
The workers around started to whisper among themselves.
“An apprentice who's been here for less than three months operating the machine, that's just reckless. Today's parts processing is simple, but it's not something a three-month apprentice can handle well. In my opinion, these defective parts must be Yang Xuan's fault.”
“Zhou De Min always seemed like a reliable worker. I never thought he would do something like this.”
“Master Yi is taking charge this time, Zhou De Min and his apprentice are in for trouble.”
“But I saw Qin Huairu operating the machine earlier. Doesn't she always produce defects whenever she works? I think these defective parts might not all be Yang Xuan's work.”
“Actually, I know who processed those defective parts.”
“How do you know?”
“I moved those parts to the warehouse. As soon as I put them there, the inspector checked them. How could I not know?”
“Then tell us, who is it?”
The person was about to speak when they heard Yi Zhong Hai roar: “Stop gossiping behind people's backs! This is a serious matter. It seriously lowers our group's passing rate and needs to be dealt with severely! Director Guo, if this continues, our workshop's passing rate won't improve.”
“It needs to be dealt with severely!” Director Guo said heavily.
“Wait!” Zhou De Min said.
“Zhou De Min, it's too late for you to regret it now,” Yi Zhong Hai said.
Zhou De Min smiled: “Master Yi, I was worried that Yang Xuan's processed parts would be defective and lower our workshop's passing rate, so I specifically made a mark on every part he processed. If any of Yang Xuan's parts have problems, then I, as his master, am responsible. But if someone wants to pin the blame on me, I have no reason to accept it.”
Yi Zhong Hai and Qin Huairu were both stunned.
Qin Huairu was a little panicked. She actually knew the parts were defective as soon as they were processed, and she deliberately sabotaged Yang Xuan. Last night, after He Yu Zhu came out of Yang Xuan's house, she saw him carrying a lunchbox and thought he was taking food from Yang Xuan's house back home. She wanted to ask for some.
But unexpectedly, He Yu Zhu asked her coldly: “Sister Qin, why do you always go to my house every time I go on a blind date? Don't you know that others will think too much?”
Qin Huairu's heart sank. She couldn't possibly not realize that she had deliberately ruined He Yu Zhu's blind date.
Although Qin Huairu claimed that she just wanted to help He Yu Zhu and considered him family, and had no other intention, she even acted pitiful and shed a lot of tears, assuring him that she wouldn't appear at his blind dates anymore.
But she didn't win He Yu Zhu over. He told her at the time: “Sister Qin, you're a widow, and I'm not married. This is a bit too close for comfort. Let's try to avoid each other in the future.”
Qin Huairu realized that He Yu Zhu was suddenly not so easy to fool. Someone must have warned him. He Yu Zhu had just saved Yang Xuan, and he must have heard something from Yang Xuan's family while having dinner at their house.
Hence, this whole situation today. Originally, Qin Huairu's skills were not that bad. Many of those defective parts were deliberately processed by her.
But she didn't expect Yang Xuan and Zhou De Min to be so cunning, and they even marked the parts they processed.
“Are you sure you made a mark on every part you processed?” Director Guo asked solemnly.
“Of course. Yang Xuan processed a total of 25 parts today, and every single one has a mark. It's easy to tell which ones he processed,” Zhou De Min said.
“How do we know you didn't erase the marks after you found the parts were defective?” Qin Huairu said.
Zhou De Min scoffed: “I just need to find those 25 parts. Ask Lao Yi, how many parts can he process in a day.”
Director Guo said: “Then go to the warehouse and find all the parts Yang Xuan processed.”
Director Guo was also promoted from the production line, so he naturally knew that even the most skilled fitter, if he could process 25 parts and they were all qualified, that would be considered a good worker. Most people could only process ten to fifteen parts. The slower ones, even less than ten.
They arrived at the warehouse.
The parts processed by Workshop 1 were piled in a corner.
“All the parts processed by Workshop 1 today are here. The defective batch is over there. Director Guo, your workshop has a bit too many defective parts today.” The inspector in the warehouse shook his head.
Director Guo was a bit embarrassed, but he didn't say anything.
Zhou De Min quickly found 25 parts from the pile. The marks were all exposed on the outside.
“This is the mark I specifically made,” Zhou De Min said.
“Yes, I recognize Old Zhou's mark,” an older worker from Workshop 1 said.
The dozen defective parts were also laid out.
One master craftsman picked up a defective part and looked at it: “This part's defect is a bit strange. It feels like it was deliberately damaged.”
Hearing this, the fitters from Workshop 1 picked up the defective parts to look at them.
“Couldn't someone have deliberately sabotaged it? This operation is so simple, how could it be so off? Look at this place, it's dented so much, how much force would it take to chisel it like that?”
Director Guo frowned, picked up a part, and took a look. It was indeed strange.
“Could someone be trying to frame Yang Xuan?” Zhou De Min glanced at Yi Zhong Hai and Qin Huairu.
Qin Huairu was a little flustered: “I didn't deliberately frame him. I just saw that Yang Xuan had only been in the factory for less than three months, and he was already operating the machine. Later, I heard that the factory had a lot of defective parts, so I thought maybe it was Yang Xuan's lack of experience that caused him to process the parts wrong.”