The turmoil at the night school seemed to have passed, but Liu Li knew perfectly well that Sun Peng, with his temperament, would never give up so easily. She suppressed the inexplicable unease in her heart and focused all her energy on practicing drilling and tapping, wanting only to master the skills as soon as possible so that she could truly work independently in the workshop.

Master Wang became even stricter with her, no longer teaching her step by step, and mostly letting her figure things out on her own. When she made a mistake, he wouldn't say it directly, but would just watch her with his penetrating eyes until Liu Li figured out the problem and corrected her movements. "A feel for something is developed through practice, not by watching," Master Wang always said. "You have to understand the steps in your mind first, then your hands can keep up with the accuracy."

Liu Li absorbed knowledge like a sponge soaked with water. She practiced repeatedly with different materials—cast iron, low-carbon steel, brass—memorizing the appropriate feed rates for different speeds. She even meticulously studied the force in her hands when tapping—it was smooth at first, then she needed to apply more force in the middle, and then lighten her grip when almost through; these techniques were ingrained in her. The pile of qualified parts at her workstation grew higher and higher, with very few defective products. The experienced workers in the workshop, seeing this, privately remarked to Master Wang, "Old Wang, your female apprentice is truly dedicated and can really immerse herself in learning."

That morning, Director Zhao rushed to the fitter group, clutching a work order: "Old Wang, urgent work! The assembly workshop is waiting for assembly and testing, and we're short thirty connecting brackets! The drawings are here. It mainly involves drilling and tapping, and the precision requirements are quite high. Take a look..." He glanced around at the apprentices, his brow furrowed—the master craftsmen all had important work to do and couldn't spare the time.

Master Wang took the blueprints and glanced at them, immediately understanding their purpose. The workpiece wasn't large, and its structure was simple, but the position and perpendicularity of several threaded holes were precisely controlled, making it a tough nut to crack for a novice. His gaze swept over the apprentices, finally settling on Liu Li: "Liu Li."

The sound wasn't loud, but it instantly silenced the surroundings. "Master," Liu Li put down the file in her hand and quickly stood up straight.

“You’re taking this job.” Master Wang handed over the blueprints and work order, his tone leaving no room for discussion. “From material collection and marking to drilling and tapping, do it all yourself. You must hand it in for inspection before you leave work today.”

A murmur immediately arose around them—taking on official production tasks independently was a first for them, the apprentices! Sun Peng, standing to the side, immediately darkened his face. He had entered the factory a few days earlier than Liu Li, and had never had the chance to take on work independently. He felt both bitter and angry.

Liu Li's heart skipped a beat, a mixture of nervousness and excitement washing over her, her hands trembling slightly. She took a deep breath, her nails clenching so tightly they turned white, but her voice remained crisp and clear: "Don't worry, Master, I guarantee I'll complete the task!"

"Okay." Master Wang nodded, turned around and went back to his workstation—he didn't say a word more, and his silence was full of trust.

Liu Li didn't dare to delay. She grabbed the material requisition form and ran to the warehouse to collect a sufficient amount of raw materials. After returning to her workstation, she didn't rush to start working. Instead, she spent half an hour reviewing the drawings, memorizing every dimension and tolerance. She even drew the process flow on scrap paper, clearly indicating the order of each step, just in case she made a mistake later in the rush.

Next comes marking the lines, which is the most crucial step. She uses a height ruler to measure the dimensions accurately, then gently marks the lines with a marking needle, and finally uses a template to tap small indentations at key points—if the lines are drawn incorrectly, all the work afterward will be in vain.

With everything ready, she started the drill. The familiar roar sounded especially tense now. Following the procedure, she clamped the first workpiece securely, selected the drill bit, and adjusted the speed, her palms sweating profusely. She drilled the first hole exceptionally slowly, only relaxing slightly when she watched the drill bit steadily cut into the metal and the metal chips flow out smoothly.

One, two... She followed the procedure strictly, checking herself after each step. After drilling, she measured the hole diameter with calipers and checked the hole spacing with a height gauge; before tapping, she repeatedly confirmed that the diameter of the pilot hole was correct, and while tapping, she applied force with her hands, and did not forget to pull back from time to time to remove chips, and applied some vegetable oil to the tap for lubrication.

Everyone in the workshop was quietly watching her. Some were worried for her, some were curious about whether she could do a good job, while Sun Peng stood at a distance with a gloomy look in his eyes, hoping she would make a mistake.

Time flew by. Sweat streamed down Liu Li's forehead and cheeks, soaking the back of her work clothes, but she seemed oblivious, her eyes fixed only on the workpiece and tools in her hands. Her movements became increasingly skilled, her rhythm steady, as if the whole world consisted only of her and the work before her. At lunchtime, she finished eating in ten minutes, pushed her bowl aside, and ran back to the workshop. Zhang Shulan wanted to say a few words to her, but seeing her completely absorbed expression, she swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

In the afternoon, it was tapping time, the most grueling part. The tap may look insignificant, but it's very brittle. If you don't apply even pressure, or if it gets clogged with metal filings, it might break inside the hole, ruining the entire workpiece. Liu Li was extremely careful, turning and retracting the tap with utmost care, even holding her breath.

When the last threaded hole of the last workpiece was tapped, Liu Li used compressed air to blow away the iron filings and gently placed the workpiece in the inspection area. There was still half an hour before she got off work. She let out a long sigh of relief, feeling as if all her strength had been drained. Her arms and shoulders were sore and numb, but looking at the thirty neatly arranged, gleaming connecting brackets, she felt a sense of solid accomplishment.

Director Zhao arrived right on time, followed by Old Li from the quality inspection department. Old Li took calipers and thread gauges and inspected them one by one. Everyone held their breath and watched. Master Wang also stopped what he was doing and stood aside.

"Hole diameter is acceptable." "Hole spacing is acceptable." "Thread go/no-go gauge passes." "Perpendicularity is acceptable..." Old Li's voice, which had been calm at first, gradually turned to surprise as he reported the data. All thirty workpieces had been checked, and not a single one was defective. The critical dimensions were all within tolerance, and many were even within the acceptable range!

"Great! Excellent!" Director Zhao clapped his hands vigorously, his eyes narrowing with laughter. "Comrade Liu Li, well done! Zero defects on your first independent operation, you've brought honor to our workshop!"

A round of applause erupted around them, and the experienced craftsmen nodded in approval, their eyes filled with recognition as they looked at Liu Li. Liu Li's cheeks flushed red, and she was too excited to speak. She turned to look at Master Wang.

Master Wang's face was expressionless. He walked to the inspection area, picked up two workpieces at random, looked at the machined area, and then touched the threaded hole with his hand—no burrs, it was clean. He put down the workpieces, looked at Liu Li, and slowly nodded: "Next month, we'll start learning to use the lathe."

Lathe! That's the "mother machine" of machining, the most core and complex tool. Only by mastering it can you truly step into the world of machining! Liu Li's heart instantly warmed up, all her fatigue vanished, and she was filled with anticipation.

But she also noticed that Sun Peng's gaze towards her had changed. It was no longer simple jealousy, but rather a sinister, almost poisonous look—a look filled with resentment and bitterness, knowing that the gap between them was now insurmountable.

Liu Li's success this time was like a large stone thrown into the water, stirring up waves of praise, but also stirring up deeper undercurrents. She knew that the road to learning to use a lathe would never be smooth.