Having mastered the intricacies of speed, feed, and depth of cut, Liu Li's enthusiasm for practicing lathe work intensified. Several new columns were added to her notebook, the pen scratching away—she meticulously recorded how sharp the tool was when it was freshly sharpened, how many small nicks appeared on the tool tip after machining three workpieces, and how much the workpiece shrank after cooling at different speeds. Sometimes, before the final cut in finish machining, she would hold the edge of the workpiece for half a minute, ignoring the numbness in her fingertips from the heat, just to allow the workpiece to cool completely before adding a few more threads, trying to get the dimensions as precise as possible.

Progress was slow, but it was tangible. Scrap pieces were still piling up, but the number of qualified pieces was increasing. More importantly, she could anticipate how much the dimensions might deviate and try to adjust the compensation accordingly. When the first piece's dimension steadily fell within the negative fifteen mark, she held that still-warm iron cylinder for a long time, her fingertips tracing its smooth surface, feeling as if she held a warm piece of candy in her heart—this wasn't ordinary iron; it was the precision she had painstakingly honed over several days.

Master Wang simply grunted after checking the drawings, offering no further praise. But the very next day, a new drawing was issued—the tolerance requirement was plus or minus ten. The pressure doubled, but Liu Li felt more at ease than before, knowing she hadn't gone astray. All that remained was practice, honing that vague "feeling" into an accurate "skill" that she could master immediately.

That afternoon, the machines in the workshop were humming loudly. Liu Li stared at the stepped shaft in front of her, sweat dripping from her forehead onto her work clothes. Just as she stopped the lathe and picked up a micrometer to measure the crucial middle section, she caught sight of Director Zhao walking this way with a stranger.

The man who arrived was a middle-aged foreman, ramrod straight, wearing a slightly worn blue Zhongshan suit, the top button fastened tightly, and a matching worker's hat. His face looked simple, but his eyes shone like knives, and he walked steadily, each step exuding strength. Director Zhao followed beside him, his back slightly bent, speaking a beat slower than usual, revealing an unusual respect, pointing and introducing things as they walked.

The experienced worker's eyes swept across the workshop like searchlights. He would nod to several other workers as he passed their stations. When he reached Sun Peng's lathe, Sun Peng was changing a workpiece in a flurry of activity, and the chuck wrench clattered onto the guide rail. The experienced worker's eyes caught sight of the wrench, and his brow furrowed so deeply it could trap a mosquito. He didn't stop walking, but his spirit noticeably cooled.

They quickly arrived at Liu Li's workstation. She hurriedly put down the micrometer and stood up straight. Just as Director Zhao was about to introduce her, the experienced worker waved his hand, his gaze falling on the stepped shaft that hadn't been removed, then glancing at the notebook she had spread out on the table—covered with dense numbers and sketches—which made his eyes flicker.

Liu Li's palms were sweaty, soaking the micrometer handle. The old master's imposing presence was different from Master Wang's strictness; it was the old-fashioned authority that came from being a manager in the factory for a long time.

Master Wang put down his work and came over, wiping his hands on his trouser leg before nodding: "Engineer Zhou."

The master craftsman, Zhou Gong, finally looked away and smiled at Master Wang. His smile wasn't fully open, but it was more amiable than before: "Jianguo, training an apprentice?" His voice wasn't loud, but it could drown out the noise of the machine tools next to him, and it had a solid, metallic quality to it.

"Yes, I've only been learning for a short time." Master Wang was still the same as always, not saying much.

Engineer Zhou then looked at Liu Li, his gaze lingering for a moment on her sweaty face: "Did you machine this axle? How's the fit?"

Liu Li took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice steady: "I'm measuring, Engineer Zhou." She picked up the micrometer, her fingers trembling slightly. After taking the measurement, she breathed a sigh of relief: "Twenty-five millimeters, negative eight, within tolerance."

Zhou didn't speak, but reached for the micrometer. Liu Li quickly handed it to him, watching him first turn the knob to zero it, making sure it was accurate before bending down to measure. He also checked the dimensions of two other steps. His movements were slow but steady; his fingers gripped the micrometer without even a wobble, clearly the work of a seasoned veteran who had dedicated his life to technology.

After taking the measurement, he handed the micrometer back and said only one thing to Master Wang: "Good job, girl, you can stay focused." Then he nodded to Director Zhao and continued walking forward, as if he had just casually glanced at an ordinary workpiece. Director Zhao quickly followed, glancing back at Liu Li before leaving, his eyes showing a mixture of surprise and contemplation.

As soon as they left, a few experienced workers nearby huddled together and whispered, "That's Engineer Zhou Zhenhua! What brings him here?" "He's an old expert from the Machinery Bureau! He's currently overseeing key technical breakthroughs at major factories!" "He just praised that girl for being 'calm and focused'? That's quite a compliment!"

Only then did Liu Li belatedly realize that her heart was racing—Master Wang had mentioned Zhou Zhenhua occasionally; he was a big shot in the city's machinery circle. To receive such praise from him filled her with both excitement and a little panic, making her feel an even heavier burden on her shoulders. Master Wang didn't say much, only telling her to "finish the work," before returning to his workstation.

But the matter wasn't over yet. The next day at work, Director Zhao, clutching a folder, rushed to find Master Wang, his face tense: "Old Wang, urgent task! It's from the bureau, they specifically requested our workshop to produce it!" He handed over the folder. "A batch of special alloy steel samples, only twenty sets, but the precision requirements are extremely high, with some dimensions having five tolerances! Moreover, this material is difficult to process, it sticks to the tools a lot, and it hardens easily!"

Master Wang flipped through the blueprints, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper: "How long will it take?"

"Just one week!" Director Zhao said in a low voice. "Zhou is personally in charge of the trial production for the new project above! He came yesterday, probably just to check out our workshop's situation!"

Master Wang closed the folder, tapping his fingers on the cover with a slow but deep rhythm. Five tolerances, and special steel required—this job was much harder than usual. The experienced craftsmen were skilled enough, but they all had other jobs lined up. If they took this time, their other tasks would be delayed; moreover, this kind of small-batch trial production required repeated parameter adjustments, which would be wasteful to have the experienced craftsmen do, and the efficiency might not be high.

His gaze unconsciously drifted towards Liu Li, who was practicing on the lathe—Zhou Gong's words from yesterday, "You have to calm down," were now ringing in his ears.

Director Zhao followed his gaze and immediately shook his head: "Old Wang, don't even think about letting her get involved! This isn't practice, it's a serious trial production task, related to projects for both the factory and the bureau! She's just an apprentice, she's only been working on a lathe for a few days! What if she messes it up?"

Master Wang was silent for a moment, his fingers still tapping on the folder: "Let her give it a try, as an assistant, to do the simplest procedures. If it doesn't work, we'll replace her."

Director Zhao opened his mouth, but seeing Wang's unwavering gaze, he swallowed back the words he was about to say and sighed, "Have you thought this through? This responsibility..."

The news spread faster than the lathe turned. When Liu Li heard from Zhang Shulan that Master Wang had recommended her for that trial production task that even the veteran masters dreaded, the calipers in her hand clattered onto the workbench. Her mind went blank—she was surprised, delighted, and a little scared; her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would jump out of her chest. She subconsciously looked at Master Wang, who nodded, his eyes seeming to say, "The opportunity is yours; whether you seize it or not is up to you."

At the other end of the workshop, Sun Peng's hand, gripping the wrench, had turned white, his knuckles cracking. He stared at Liu Li, his eyes filled with resentment and a burning anger at being ignored—such an important task, and they let a new female apprentice interfere? Why?

The workshop appeared calm on the surface, but beneath the surface, a fierce undercurrent was churning. Liu Li stood in front of the lathe, feeling as if she were stepping on a block of melting ice—was this opportunity a stepping stone to advancement, or would it drag her into a pit of trouble? She was uncertain, but she gripped the micrometer in her hand even tighter.