Chapter 103: Chapter 103: Building Connections

An Ning was happy with her decision and quickly finished her meal.

After eating, she washed her lunchbox and cleaned herself up.

Once she was done, she headed back to her dorm from the communal washroom.

However, just as she stepped out, she stopped in the hallway, staring intently at one of the dorm rooms.

One moment she was in a daze, the next she was as happy as a child, running back to her own room.

The moment she entered, she immediately found the light switch, flicked it down, and the room lit up.

"Electricity."

An Ning was like a child who had never seen electricity before, fondly watching the dim lightbulb above her head.

After closing the door, An Ning leaned against it.

’I’ve missed you so much.’

She truly missed the days of having electricity.

She had never experienced a life without power. In the interstellar era, she never had to worry about its usage.

There were endless methods of power generation, and several power companies would pull out all the stops every year to attract interstellar citizens to use their electricity.

An Ning savored the feeling of having electricity for a minute, then took out the books she had brought with her and continued to read.

She had found many books at the scrap collection station, but she also read through them quickly.

When An Ning reached the last page, she reminded herself to make another trip to the scrap station to find more books.

That night, An Ning read until eleven o’clock before turning off the light to sleep.

The next morning, after breakfast in the cafeteria, she joined Master Zhang to continue studying the machinery.

From one workshop to the next, from a single nut to an entire component, An Ning provided the most practical solution for everything.

She didn’t offer up wildly advanced, futuristic technology. Instead, she strove to align with this world’s capabilities, helping them take the next logical step forward.

’You can reach the summit, but every step leading up to it is crucial.’

That day, An Ning didn’t run into Wu Meie again, which saved her a lot of trouble.

An Ning had shut down Wu Meie’s pestering so bluntly that anyone else who might have had ulterior motives gave up.

An Ning stayed at the machinery factory for ten days.

In those ten days, all their technology was upgraded by a level, and the products they manufactured were also a step ahead. It could be called a technological reform.

In this era, what they lacked most was technology.

Most people, and most enterprises, looked abroad, spending vast sums of money to buy obsolete technology that others had discarded.

And now, An Ning, single-handedly, had not only upgraded the machinery factory’s products but had also developed an entirely new production line for them: bulldozers and various types of tractors.

The needle punching machine for the textile factory had also entered production and would soon be integrated into their textile manufacturing.

With this, the textile factory’s products would no longer be limited to simple civilian fabrics, which would be a huge boost for the development of the textile industry.

Of course, none of this had yet shown its true potential. Everything was still in its nascent stages.

But Master Zhang, Director Jin, and Director Li, along with some of the machinery factory’s master technicians, had already placed An Ning on a pedestal, seeing her as something akin to a goddess.

When An Ning had finished everything and was preparing to leave, Director Jin tried everything to persuade her to stay, but nothing worked.

She wouldn’t even accept his offer to host a thank-you banquet for her.

「Machinery Factory, Director’s Office.」

Director Jin stood in front of his chair, with Master Zhang beside him and Director Li on the other side.

The three of them were earnestly trying to persuade An Ning.

"An Ning, do you have any idea how incredible you are?"

Director Jin was so worked up trying to persuade her that he was practically steaming. He was genuinely anxious.

"Take the new bulldozer, for example! This is a brand-new technology that will have a huge impact on our industry and agriculture! That Jiang Dongcheng came swaggering over to show off, and he ended up getting it wrong."

"You finished it in just a few days! Do you have any idea how important a talent like yours is?"

An Ning, however, sat calmly across from the three men.

"I know I’m very capable. As for my role in all this, I don’t know."

"But—"

An Ning cut Director Jin off. "I have reasons why I must go back. As for what those reasons are, I’m not at liberty to say."

"I can come out to help. You pay me, I do the work. Isn’t that a good arrangement?"

An Ning had to go back.

The Klein Bottle in her spiritual power had vibrated.

But if she opened the Klein Bottle here, she had no way to restore her spiritual power.

Her connection to the land was unbreakable.

Director Jin’s renewed attempts at persuasion failed. He raised a hand to slam it on the desk, but after lifting it high, he brought it down gently, not wanting to startle An Ning. He just looked helplessly at Master Zhang.

"Alright, An Ning has said it before. Geniuses have their own way of thinking. We shouldn’t try to interfere with our methods."

Master Zhang Qihua had a more open-minded perspective. Sometimes, their way of doing things could interrupt a genius’s thought process.

"That’s right. An Ning has said so before."

Director Li, on the side, also spoke up. He was thinking about An Guoming back at his factory; that connection wasn’t going to be broken.

Thinking of this, Director Li made a mental note to show some concern for Comrade An Guoming when he got back.

"An Ning, here is three thousand yuan. This is the payment from our textile factory."

Director Li placed a wrapped, rectangular block of kraft paper on the table. It felt as large as two or three bricks.

This time, it was An Ning’s turn to look up.

"Director Li, I wasn’t charging for the machine I gave you. It was an exchange for your help."

"I know, I know. But the favor you did for me was much greater than the one I did for you. I should pay you, so just accept it."

Director Li was starting to get a feel for how An Ning’s mind worked.

Sure enough, hearing Director Li put it that way, An Ning accepted it without any hesitation.

"Thank you, Director Li."

"You’re welcome, you’re welcome."

Director Li, the one giving the money, looked even happier than An Ning, the one receiving it.

Director Jin, on the side, forgot all about persuading her. He immediately pulled a kraft paper package even larger than Director Li’s from his drawer, placed it on the desk, and pushed it toward An Ning.

"An Ning, this is five thousand yuan. There are also some ration coupons here. See what else you need, just tell me, and I’ll arrange it for you."

"Wasn’t it two thousand?" An Ning asked.

Across from them, Director Li instantly pursed his lips, unwilling to let Director Jin steal the show.

"Um, An Ning, your second brother is doing exceptionally well learning to drive. Once he’s fully recovered, I’ll arrange for him to start going out on truck runs."

Sure enough, as soon as Director Li spoke, An Ning’s attention was captured.

"Thank you."

"It’s nothing, nothing at all."

Hearing this, Director Jin beamed and asked, "An Ning, do you have any other brothers or sisters? Our machinery factory is also short-staffed."

"Really?"

An Ning thought back to what she’d heard around the factory these past few days. It didn’t sound like it was that easy to get a job there.

Director Jin immediately nudged Master Zhang next to him. Master Zhang quickly chimed in, "We’re short-staffed. I’ve been looking for an apprentice lately."

"Yes, yes, that’s right."

The three men had begun to vie with each other, both openly and subtly, to build a connection with An Ning.

The three of them all understood what was happening. Only An Ning was a little clueless, replying honestly:

"I’ll go back and ask."