Leonard Miller said, "Harold is working as a statistician in the warehouse, living quite comfortably. By the way, Henry Carter, what kind of job were you assigned?"

"Foundry worker." Henry Carter spread out the letter of introduction in his hand for the two of them to see, then said, "The lady from the labor department told me to find Director Miller. Leonard, Director Miller is your dad, right?"

"Auntie? Hahahaha." Mark Newman burst out laughing, "Henry Carter, I have to say, you really have a way with words. You must be talking about Susan Luan from the labor department, right? She really is an auntie, always looking at everyone with a critical eye. Let me tell you, in the whole Qingfeng Factory, I'm most afraid of her, and only then my dad."

"If she can make you, fatty, feel afraid, then Auntie Luan's life is certainly colorful enough." Henry Carter replied with a smile, then asked Leonard Miller, "Leonard, where is Director Miller now? I'll go report to him first, then come back to chat with you guys."

"Section Chief King from the production department is here, my dad is talking to him right now. Look, aren't they coming over?" Leonard Miller pointed to the other end of the workshop. They saw two middle-aged men in blue work uniforms walking shoulder to shoulder in their direction.

Chapter 11: Struck Gold

"The one on the left is Leonard Miller's dad, and the one on the right is Section Chief King, George King." Mark Newman quietly introduced the two men walking over to Henry Carter.

Henry Carter nodded, stepped forward, and said to Frank Miller, "Director Miller, I'm a technical school graduate assigned here this year. I studied foundry work, and the labor department sent me to the foundry workshop as a foundry worker. Here is my letter of introduction."

As he spoke, Henry Carter handed the letter of introduction from the labor department to Frank Miller. Frank Miller took the letter, exchanged a subtle glance with George King, and then said, "Oh, your name is Henry Carter. Let me ask you, what did you learn in technical school?"

Henry Carter replied, "My main focus was foundry work, but I also learned a bit about heat treatment. Besides, I like reading in my spare time, so I have some understanding of material properties and related topics."

Henry Carter said this to leave himself some leeway. Yesterday, he had shown off in front of Donald Shaw, judging the quality of steel just by looking and listening—a skill that couldn't be explained by what he learned in technical school. By saying he liked to read and picked up extra knowledge, he could give himself an excuse for his wide range of expertise.

"Oh? Young man, you're not very old, but you sure talk big." George King interjected at just the right moment. He had come to the foundry workshop today specifically to find an opportunity to test Henry Carter's abilities. Now that Henry Carter was boasting, George King seized the chance to discreetly assess him.

"Uncle King, Dad, Henry Carter really is capable," Leonard Miller said to George King and Frank Miller. "He knows how to do quenching, and he does it really well."

Leonard Miller was eager to recommend Henry Carter to his father and George King, not realizing he was playing right into George King's hands. Following Leonard Miller's words, George King asked Henry Carter, "Is that so? You understand quenching?"

Henry Carter felt like he had boarded a pirate ship—thanks to Leonard Miller's big mouth, he was now on the spot. He had no idea what this expressionless production chief was thinking, so he could only answer vaguely, "Section Chief King, that's a tough question. The art of quenching is broad and profound; I wouldn't dare say I fully understand it. But I have learned a bit about the standard heat treatment of common steel grades. I just don't know which aspect Section Chief King is asking about."

George King looked around, then pointed to a piece of equipment nearby and asked Henry Carter, "Do you know what this machine is for?"

Henry Carter glanced at it and immediately replied, "I saw this at school. It's a high-frequency induction quenching furnace, used for surface quenching of parts."

"Mm, what does surface quenching mean?" George King asked again.

Such a question was no challenge for Henry Carter. Without a moment's hesitation, he answered fluently, "Surface quenching means only the surface layer of the workpiece is quenched, without affecting the core. Generally, the depth of surface quenching is between 0.5 and 2 millimeters, and it's used for medium-carbon steel and medium-carbon alloy steel."

"Then, why do surface quenching? Isn't full quenching better?" George King continued.

Henry Carter replied, "The depth of quenching depends on the use of the workpiece. Surface quenching is mainly for parts that work under dynamic loads and friction, such as gears and crankshafts used in agricultural machinery. These parts require high surface hardness and wear resistance, while the core needs to retain enough plasticity and toughness. Therefore, quenching must be limited to the surface and not applied throughout."

"Not bad!" A smile appeared on George King's face. As a production chief, he was naturally familiar with standard production techniques. However, he only knew the procedures, not the underlying principles. For example, he knew that surface quenching was a necessary process for gear-type parts, but he couldn't explain it so precisely. His job was to have the workshop follow the process designed by the technical engineers; as for the theory behind it, he never delved that deep.