Chapter 87: Huanhuan, Don’t Cry—Daddy’s Here

“I get it now—you’re a true master of chess. But your way of playing is too utilitarian, not the proper path!” Zhang Weimin finally understood; Chen Huajiang’s strategy was swift and decisive, every move targeting the Grand Marshal directly.

“What is the proper path? Friendship first, competition second?”

“If that’s the case, then I certainly do not follow the proper path.” Chen Huajiang smiled faintly, set down his chess piece, and stopped resetting the board.

Clearly, his opponent would not play with him any longer, likely realizing he couldn’t win.

“Chess evolved from an ancient game once known as ‘General Chess.’ It was originally a rehearsal for deploying troops in battle. Just like your first game—when you lost your chariots, horses, and cannons to me, even if you captured my General, would you truly have won?”

“Even if you did win, you’d be left with a one-man army. What kind of ‘proper path’ is that?” Zhang Weimin shook his head, pointing out the flaws in Chen Huajiang’s style.

This argument would gain much traction in the future as well, but Chen Huajiang had no interest in debating victory or defeat on this point.

It was pointless—everyone played chess for different reasons.

“I play chess to win,” Chen Huajiang said with a laugh, helping his opponent pack away the chess pieces.

“At least you’re honest. With that attitude, your approach is indeed formidable.”

“In fact—I think your style could pioneer a whole new school of play.”

Seeing Chen Huajiang’s straightforward response, Zhang Weimin, though dissatisfied, could say no more. He shifted his focus back to the game itself, nodding in admiration.

“I never realized you were so skilled, Mr. Chen. Why haven’t I seen you in any chess tournaments before?”

“You really shouldn’t be modest. Chess is honed by facing strong opponents. The New Year is coming, and the Nanming City Chess Tournament is open for registration—you should enter!” Niu Quan interjected, steering the conversation from the outcome back to the tournament.

Chen Huajiang smiled, set the chess box aside, and said, “Chess is just a hobby for me. I never planned to make it a profession—otherwise, the joy might be worn away.”

“Well said—a hobby is a hobby, a profession is a profession. They shouldn’t be confused,” Zhang Weimin agreed, nodding in approval.

The two prepared to take their leave when suddenly, there was a loud crack, and a commotion drifted over from the hotel.

Snatches of conversation could be heard—“The power’s out!”

“Not again! Must be the third line acting up. Damn it, I’ve said all along it’s too long. Power’s sent all the way from the Xiage Village plant, but the substation can’t keep up with the voltage drop,” Zhang Weimin’s expression soured. He immediately guessed the problem; the third supply line had caused endless trouble.

He’d opposed building the thermal plant in Xiage Village from the start—too far away, too much energy lost in transmission, and unstable voltage kept causing problems at substations.

In the past two years, rather than helping the city’s power supply, the third unit had become a burden.

“That’s probably it—the voltage must have dropped,” Niu Quan agreed. Though he was the hotel manager, he belonged to the power department.

“Why not use high-voltage generator units? I’ve heard the ultra-high voltage thermal units in Harbin are very stable, and the transmission losses are minimal,” Chen Huajiang wondered aloud. This was something he couldn’t understand.

After all, Harbin had installed ultra-high voltage units in the seventies, but it wasn’t until the nineties that they became common across the country—a full twenty-year gap!

“I’m surprised you know about power generation. You think we don’t want to? High-voltage units were developed over a decade ago, but mass production is still very difficult. Auxiliary machines, boilers, control systems, key components—many factors limit large-scale manufacturing of advanced thermal units,” Zhang Weimin explained with a glance at Chen Huajiang.

“And then there’s the issue of who gets them first. Our Nanming City Power Bureau has applied many times, but we’ve never been approved. You, as an outsider, wouldn’t understand.”

With a frustrated wave, Zhang Weimin turned to head back.

“If high-voltage generators aren’t feasible, why not add a substation along the line?” Chen Huajiang suddenly recalled that in the future, substations were everywhere. If unstable transmission was always causing issues, wouldn’t a substation solve it perfectly?

Many factories in the future would have their own substations because of their large power needs. Low and fluctuating voltage could ruin factory equipment without a substation.

“Easier said than done. If you’ve got the money for a substation, why not just build another generator unit? Wouldn’t that be better?” Zhang Weimin scoffed, thinking Chen Huajiang was clueless.

But Chen Huajiang just smiled—he had already grasped the problem of the era.

“I understand now. Manager Zhang considers building a substation a waste of resources compared to adding a generator.”

In theory, that was true, but there was a catch—sunk costs. The generator at Xiage Village was already a sunk cost; if a substation could bring it back to usefulness, then the cost isn’t just the substation, but also the investment in the generator.

“Moreover, looking to the future, high-voltage generators are clearly the trend. In a few years, Nanming City will certainly have them. If you go with this plan, when Xiage Village upgrades to high-voltage units, won’t you still need a substation? If so, you’ll have to plan for it anyway—so what difference does it make to build it now?” Chen Huajiang smiled as he spoke.

At his words, Zhang Weimin’s eyes suddenly lit up.

Chen Huajiang had made him see the light—he had always yearned for high-voltage generation.

“Incredible, truly incredible that you’d have such insight.”

“Excellent, I’ll draft a report for the bureau right away. This way, we can recover the loss from the Xiage Village generator, and lay the foundation for future upgrades. Well done, Xiao Chen, very well done.”

Excited, Zhang Weimin nodded and smiled at Chen Huajiang before hurrying off.

He was a man of action—now that he saw the solution, he had to report it immediately and push for the substation as soon as possible.

“I didn’t expect you to know so much about power generation, Mr. Chen—impressive!” Niu Quan lingered, offering praise.

“Oh, not at all, I just like reading. I know a little here and there, but compared to you professionals, I’m not even close,” Chen Huajiang replied modestly. It was true—he was simply taking advantage of his knowledge of the future.

In time, China’s power industry would lead the world in every respect; it simply hadn’t developed yet.

“Mr. Chen, you’re quite something. Let’s keep in touch,” Niu Quan said with a smile, patting Chen Huajiang’s arm before strolling away with his hands behind his back.

Originally, he’d thought Chen Huajiang was just a fool for taking over the restaurant, but now the restaurant was thriving, and with Chen now winning Zhang Weimin’s favor, Niu Quan considered him a worthy acquaintance.

That evening, when Chen Huajiang returned home, he found Lin Jiayin throwing Huanhuan’s schoolbag on the floor in a fit of anger, while their daughter Huanhuan sat at the table, lips pursed and eyes brimming with tears.

“I told you not to show off, not to show off! Just go to school quietly, but you never listen!”

“What’s going on? You’re a grown woman—why get angry at our daughter? Don’t cry, Huanhuan, come here to Daddy.”

Unhappy, Chen Huajiang hurried over and scooped Huanhuan into his arms.

At the touch of her father’s embrace, all of Huanhuan’s pent-up grievances burst out and she began to wail loudly.