During their time at school, Zhang Tianxing and his classmates went to the school factory for practical training.
Upon seeing the state of the school-run factory, Zhang Tianxing furrowed his brow.
He had initially assumed that a school factory would be a cut above the rest, but the reality was different from his imagination.
The school factory was just like any other factory outside, with dilapidated machinery and uneven, bumpy ground.
Zhang Tianxing was astonished. How could the school's factory have fallen into such disrepair?
Seeing Zhang Tianxing's surprised expression, the counselor Ma Qiang pulled him aside.
"As a class representative, why are you standing here dazed? We're here for practical training and operation. This is the biggest difference between engineering and liberal arts. We emphasize practice and theory; practice yields true knowledge."
Zhang Xiaohao wore a look of utter misery. "Teacher Ma, can I go back? My stomach hurts, and I'd like to ask for leave."
"You may. You're granted leave, but you'll have to retake this course next semester. Classmates, whether you go back or stay here for practical training and complete your workload, it's your freedom. However, I can tell you this: if you complete the workload, you'll pass this course. If you don't, you'll report back in the second half of the year. It's that simple to pass." Ma Qiang said earnestly.
These youngsters were only thinking of slacking off. As their counselor, Ma Qiang made the situation clear beforehand. He didn't have the final say on this course; he was merely a counselor.
Hearing Ma Qiang's words, a chorus of wails erupted. This university was too inhumane, exploiting students' cheap labor like this.
However, Zhang Tianxing found something else strange. There were quite a few machines, but why couldn't he see any workers?
The machines were still usable, and it was evident that someone had maintained them.
"Brother Qiang, what does this school-run factory do? Why aren't there any workers?" Zhang Tianxing was very curious. The place was not small and had machines, but no workers.
"It used to be a processing plant, specializing in mold production. Later, with the rise of mechanization, the efficiency of this mold factory declined, and it was downsized by the school leadership," Ma Qiang said in a low voice.
"Why not do something like parts processing? That should be profitable, right?" Whenever Zhang Tianxing visited a factory, he would always think about its development and how it could carve out a path to survival.
Ma Qiang shook his head. The decisions of the school leadership involved many things he couldn't explain clearly. In his opinion, Zhang Tianxing was simply asking questions out of boredom. Zhang Tianxing was busy enough, and he probably only asked these questions casually.
In fact, Ma Qiang had an emotional attachment to this school-run factory. However, he was just a minor counselor and couldn't change much of the current situation.
"You all work hard here. I'll look around," Ma Qiang instructed them a few times and then walked away.
Zhang Tianxing operated a machine tool for a while, sighing inwardly. No wonder some people said that after four years of university, they only came out as welders.
What they learned in university was related to this field, but they learned it more deeply and professionally.
Others learning in a factory could only reach the level of ordinary workers or technicians.
But university graduates were expected to be at the level of assistant engineers.
The paths were completely different, and so were the salaries and benefits.
After working for a while, Zhang Tianxing suddenly remembered something he needed to ask Ma Qiang, and he wanted to ask for leave again.
He had some money in his pocket recently and wanted to spend it again. Zhang Tianxing realized he couldn't keep money in his pocket; as soon as he had it, he wanted to spend it.
As Zhang Tianxing walked to the door, he suddenly saw Ma Qiang talking with Dean Hou, and they were arguing.
What was going on? Zhang Tianxing's gossipy soul immediately stirred. To be honest, Ma Qiang had always been known as a good-natured person, so why was he arguing with Dean Hou here?
"Dean Hou, I disagree with your view. It's very convenient for our department's students to intern at this school-run factory. Moreover, they will all go into technical positions after graduation and will be future engineers. If this factory closes, our department's students will have no convenient place for internships," Ma Qiang said earnestly.
"Little Ma, you need to support the department's decision. We have no choice. There are no workers, no orders, and so many machines that need maintenance. The parts completed by students are not even enough to cover the material costs," Dean Hou said helplessly. He also had no choice; the school's budget was limited, and essential research projects couldn't be cut.
They could only find ways to cut less important things and deal with them later.
Ma Qiang was very disappointed upon hearing this because he knew clearly that the school's finances were tight, and once something was cut, there was essentially no possibility of restarting it.
"Dean, what if I find someone to contract this place?" Ma Qiang said after some thought.
He wanted to try and see if he could find someone to cooperate with.
"You can, but it's very difficult. We tried to get orders before, and by chance, it ended up like this. You shouldn't have too many expectations. I have a meeting with someone later, so I'll be leaving now," Dean Hou said casually, offering Ma Qiang some comfort before turning to leave. A big shot like Dean Hou was rarely seen at other times.
Ma Qiang stood there, lost in thought. In reality, this school-run factory wasn't of great importance to him, but he cared that his students couldn't learn real skills.
Knowledge gained from books is superficial; true understanding comes from practice.
Without practice, how can one master a craft? Becoming a master technician requires practice, and insufficient practice is not enough.
Seeing this, Zhang Tianxing coughed lightly and walked out. "Brother Qiang, I'd like to ask for leave in a couple of days."
"Alright, come back quickly and don't delay your studies." Ma Qiang readily agreed, but he still looked worried.
Seeing this, Zhang Tianxing blurted out, "Brother Qiang, just tell me what's on your mind. Perhaps I can help."
"It's like this: the school leadership is either going to close this factory or contract it out. I was thinking that if it closes, our department's students will have fewer opportunities to practice. I'm trying to see if it can be contracted out," Ma Qiang said, his brow furrowed.
Was this matter worth such a worried expression? To Zhang Tianxing, this was a simple issue.
"Brother Qiang, why don't you contract it directly? Then you'll be a small boss. It'll also be convenient for you to report research projects. It's killing two birds with one stone!"
A mold factory, with some modifications, could certainly survive by processing parts these days. If that didn't work, making mobile phone accessories could make one incredibly wealthy.
From Zhang Tianxing's perspective, this was just a burgeoning opportunity. Engaging in manufacturing offered significant potential for profit.