The grand commendation ceremony ended, and the noise and applause subsided like a receding tide. Liu Li carefully put away her certificate and bonus, politely declined her colleagues' suggestion to go to the cafeteria for a late-night snack, and returned to the machining workshop alone.

She didn't turn on the main light, but instead switched on the familiar old desk lamp at her workstation, which was barely held in place by wire. The dim, yellowish light cast a long shadow of hers onto the wall covered with tool marks. The air still carried the scents of machine oil, metal shavings, and the excitement left behind by everyone after the successful repair, but the workshop was unusually quiet at this moment, with only the faint hum of machines coming from afar.

She reached out and gently stroked the cold bed of the now-restored gantry planer. The cool touch sent a strange sense of peace through her fingertips. It was this behemoth that had guided her through a rollercoaster of emotions, from doubt to trust, from immense pressure to relief.

"Aren't you going back yet?"

A steady voice sounded behind her. Liu Li turned around and saw that Master Wang Jianguo had walked in at some point, holding his signature enamel teacup.

"Master," Liu Li quickly stood up straight, "I want to stay a little longer."

Master Wang said nothing, walked over to the toolbox next to her, sat down, unscrewed the lid of his teacup, blew on the steam, and took a sip of strong tea. The two, master and apprentice, sat and stood in the quiet lamplight, enjoying the tranquility after the hustle and bustle.

"Today, the event is quite grand." Master Wang put down his teacup, his voice low, breaking the silence.

Liu Li nodded, somewhat embarrassed: "It's all because the factory is so kind to me. I just did what I was supposed to do."

“Not everyone can do the things that need to be done well, nor does everyone dare to do them.” Master Wang’s gaze swept over the planer and then fell back on Liu Li’s face. “This time, you did very well. Not just in terms of technique, but here,” he stretched out his rough fingers and tapped his chest, “You held firm.”

Liu Li felt a warmth in her heart, and her nose tingled with emotion. The affirmation from her strict teacher touched her more than any certificate or applause.

“At first, I was scared too,” Liu Li said softly. In front of her mentor, she was willing to reveal her vulnerability at that moment, “I was afraid that if I made the wrong judgment, it would delay production and implicate you and Engineer Fu.”

“It’s normal to be afraid,” Master Wang said calmly. “But if you’re afraid and your hands don’t shake and your mind doesn’t go blank, that’s what it means to have practiced.”

He paused, looked at Liu Li, his eyes filled with an unprecedented clarity and solemnity: "You've completed your apprenticeship."

Those three simple words struck Liu Li like a thunderbolt. She looked up sharply at Master Wang. "Graduation!" In the artisan profession, where the master-apprentice system is highly valued, this meant the master believed the apprentice had mastered the core skills and was ready to work independently. It was the highest recognition for a craftsman.

“Master, I…” Liu Li didn’t know what to say for a moment, and only felt her eyes getting hot.

"There's no end to learning about skills," Master Wang continued, his voice deep and powerful. "Your current skills, your eye for detail, and your willingness to delve into and think critically when faced with difficult problems are already better than many of my former apprentices. From now on, you'll have to rely on yourself to explore and learn."

He picked up the scraper leaning against the toolbox and gently scraped the blade with his thumb, making a soft rustling sound: "Remember the feeling of repairing this machine. Don't be intimidated by the fact that it's 'foreign equipment,' or give up because of its complex structure. Grasp the fundamentals, find the key points, and keep up with your manual skills, and there's no obstacle you can't overcome."

Liu Li nodded emphatically, engraving every word her master said into her heart.

"Alright, honors are a good thing, but don't take them too seriously." Master Wang stood up, patted the dust off his work pants, and said, "The road ahead is long. Go back and get some rest. There's work to be done tomorrow."

After saying that, he picked up his teacup, his tall figure disappearing into the shadows of the workshop, his footsteps fading into the distance.

Standing alone under the lamp, Liu Li savored the weight of the words "You've graduated," her heart filled with mixed emotions. There was the joy of completing her apprenticeship, the anticipation for the future, and above all, a deep gratitude towards her master. She knew this was not the end, but a brand new beginning. The master led her through the door, but the journey was hers to take. She would carry her master's teachings and this profound recognition, steadfastly continuing on the path she had chosen.