Grinding drill bits is much more difficult than filing a flat surface; it requires keen eyesight and skillful handling, and there is no room for carelessness.

Master Wang led Liu Li to the old grinding machine in the corner of the workshop. The gray-green grinding wheel spun, producing a loud "hum" that made one's ears ring. He held a dull, old drill bit in his hand, but didn't rush to start. He began by saying, "Sharpening a drill bit is crucial in three places—the two back angles and the cross-cutting edge. If the angles are wrong, you won't drill through iron and will burn the drill bit; if the two sides are asymmetrical, the hole will be either too large or oval; if you don't wet it in time, the drill bit will be ruined by annealing."

As he spoke, he gently twisted his wrist, bringing the drill bit close to the grinding wheel. With a hiss, sparks flew high into the air. After only a dozen seconds, he withdrew his hand, and the drill bit plunged into the bucket of water beside him with a "sizzle," sending up plumes of white steam. When he took it out again, the drill bit's cutting edge was very shiny, and the cutting surface was even and sharp.

"Do you understand?" Master Wang asked.

Liu Li shook her head honestly: "The movement was too fast, I didn't see the angle clearly."

Master Wang didn't say anything, but handed over another old drill bit: "Don't turn it on yet, practice with your hands and get a feel for it."

Liu Li gripped the drill bit, mimicking her master's posture by swinging it in the air, but her wrist was stiff and she couldn't find the right angle. "Your wrist needs to be flexible, not like it's welded shut," Master Wang advised from the side. "Think of the drill bit's center line as the axis, and rotate around that axis."

She practiced for a while until her arms ached, and then Master Wang nodded: "Try turning it on."

As the grinder spun, the airflow sent her hair flying. Liu Li took a deep breath and slowly brought the drill bit closer—"Sizzle!" Sparks flew all over her face, and she almost pulled the drill bit out of her hand! She quickly pulled her hand back, her heart pounding. Just now, she hadn't even found the right angle.

"Hold on tight! Don't let your hands shake!" Master Wang's voice rang out again.

Liu Li gritted her teeth and tried again. This time she gripped the drill bit tightly, staring intently at the cutting edge, but the noise and sparks made her dizzy, and she withdrew her hand after less than five seconds. After soaking it in water, she saw that the drill bit was worn crookedly, with one back angle larger than the other, and the cross-edge was almost worn away—purely a waste of time.

Over the next few days, Liu Li devoted herself to the grinding machine. The water stains on the ground accumulated more and more, the water in the bucket turned black and murky, her face and arms were covered with metal shavings, and a small pile of worn-out drill bits was accumulated, but there were hardly any decent ones. Master Wang stood by and watched, never uttering a sound unless the operation was drastically wrong; his strictness was as cold as iron.

Just as she was struggling with the drill bit, the factory paid out wages.

When the clerk brought the payroll to the workshop and read out "Liu Li, eighteen yuan," the older workers next to her laughed and teased, "Little Liu, this is your hard-earned money, you'd better keep it safe!" Liu Li signed the payroll and took the stack of money—mostly small bills of one or two mao, and a few cents in coins. It was a thin layer in her hand, but it felt heavy.

Eighteen yuan! These days, a pound of rice costs 13 cents and a pound of pork costs a little over 70 cents. That's enough to feed the family for more than half a month.

On her way home from get off work, the setting sun cast long shadows, and Liu Li, carrying money, walked with a light step. Instead of returning to her dormitory, she went to the cooperative, where she bought five white flour steamed buns with two ounces of grain coupons plus one cent, and then spent one yuan and twenty cents to buy a pound of chicken cake that didn't require coupons. The paper package was heavy and exuded a sweet aroma.

When he got home, Wang Guifen was stirring vegetable soup on the stove. A few vegetable leaves floated in the pot, not a drop of oil in sight. Liu Xiaofeng was doing his homework at the table. As soon as he saw the paper package in her hand, he jumped up immediately: "Sis! What delicious food did you buy?"

Wang Guifen came over, wiping her hands, smiling but with a hint of reproach: "You spend your salary recklessly? Don't you need to eat and wear clothes at the factory?"

Liu Li placed the steamed buns and sponge cake on the table, took out a handkerchief pouch from her inner pocket, opened it layer by layer, and pushed the remaining money and food coupons in front of her mother: "Mom, this is my salary for this month, eighteen yuan, please keep it. I eat in the factory canteen, it doesn't cost much. Xiaofeng is still growing, and we need to buy some things for the family."

Looking at the pile of money, Wang Guifen's eyes instantly reddened. She reached out and hugged Liu Li, her voice choked with emotion: "My daughter... she's grown up, she can take care of things for the family now..."

Liu Li felt a warmth in her heart, and only then did she understand what responsibility meant—before, she was a child protected by her parents, but now she could shelter this family from the wind and rain. All the hardship of grinding drill bits and the exhaustion of filing surfaces felt worthwhile now.

When Liu Weiguo returned, he saw the things on the table and heard Wang Guifen explain the whole story. This usually taciturn man didn't say a word, but he patted Liu Li's shoulder heavily with his calloused hands, his eyes filled with relief and a little bit of unspeakable bitterness.

At dinner, the table was set with steamed buns, egg custard, and a pot of vegetable soup. Liu Xiaofeng munched on a bun, his eyes crinkling with laughter. Liu Li drank the soup with her bun, finding it more delicious than any delicacy.

While it may be heartwarming, we still have to face the challenges.

The next day, as soon as Liu Li arrived at the workshop, she stood in front of the grinding machine again. Several more drill bits had been worn out. Master Wang still had a cold face, only occasionally running his finger across the protective cover when she ground the wrong angle, as a reminder.

As he was grinding, Li Weidong, who was working on the drilling machine next to him, suddenly threw his drill bit on the table in frustration, sweating profusely. He was drilling the center hole of a small shaft, but the drill bit was too dull and he had to replace it after only a few passes, making the process incredibly slow.

Liu Li watched for a while and noticed that the back angle of the drill bit that Li Weidong had sharpened was too large—it looked sharp, but it wasn't durable, no wonder it had to be replaced so often. She hesitated for a moment, then walked over and whispered, "Master Li, isn't the back angle of your drill bit too large? It might not last long."

Li Weidong was annoyed when he looked up and saw it was her. He pouted and said, "Big hind legs mean you can crawl fast!"

“But it needs replacing so often, which wastes even more time.” Liu Li picked up his worn-out drill bit and pointed to the cutting edge. “Look, it’s all chipped here. The angle was too sharp, so it’s not strong enough.”

Li Weidong was skeptical. Liu Li simply picked up a new drill bit, walked to the grinder, took a deep breath, recalled the key points Master Wang had mentioned, and slowly began grinding. This time, she didn't pursue speed, only focusing on finding the right angle and grinding both sides evenly. After grinding, she soaked it in water and handed it to Li Weidong: "Would you like to try this?"

Li Weidong loaded the drill bit and turned it on to test it—he drilled more than a dozen holes in a row, and the drill bit was still sharp, showing no signs of dulling! He picked up the drill bit in surprise and looked at it, then looked at Liu Li, and suddenly raised his voice: "Hey! Little Liu, your skills are amazing! Much better than mine!"

These words drew the attention of the other workers, and even Master Wang, who had been silent, stopped what he was doing. He looked at the drill bit and then at Liu Li—this little apprentice who was working hard in silence seemed to have more than just a bit of tenacity.

Liu Li felt both nervous and excited; her palms were sweating. She hadn't expected that her bold attempt would actually be of help. But she also noticed that some of her coworkers looked at her with a mixture of surprise and something else—she couldn't quite tell if it was envy or something else.