I had just gotten off work when I saw Liu Guangtian waiting downstairs.
Okay, time to find your own.
After taking one look, Wang Shouren knew what was going on.
"What's wrong, Guangtian?" Wang Shouren asked as he walked over.
"Brother Shouren... this..."
Seeing Liu Guangtian's hesitant and stammering appearance, Wang Shouren said helplessly, "Let's go, we can talk as we walk. What's wrong? Just tell me what's wrong, and I'll help you if I can."
Upon hearing Wang Shouren's words, Liu Guangtian mustered his courage and said, "Brother Shouren, I want to ask you something."
Only after Liu Guangtian's description did he learn the cause of the matter.
It turned out that after this guy entered the steel rolling mill, he was lucky enough to find a master craftsman. The master craftsman wasn't very old, around forty years old, a bit younger than his father. He was a level five fitter. In those days, the master-apprentice relationship was extraordinary; you could say that the relationship between master and apprentice was the closest outside of family. Plus, his master was quite good, so they chatted for a while.
They started talking about Liu Guangtian.
After hearing about Liu Guangtian's situation, his mentor said that he didn't have any children and had a spare room in his house, which he could sell to Liu Guangtian. He didn't need Liu Guangtian to repay the money immediately; he could pay it back slowly. It was better than him having to squeeze into a toilet with his younger brother.
Upon hearing this, Liu Guangtian was deeply moved, but he also knew what it meant.
He was a little undecided for a moment, so he came to ask Wang Shouren.
Wang Shouren patted him on the shoulder: "Rights and obligations are always equal. What you gain means what you need to give up. Those who only crave enjoyment, even if they possess power, it won't last long. I'll ask you a question: what do you think of your master?"
“He’s a very good person!” Liu Guangtian said affirmatively.
"Are you willing to support him in his old age?"
"I'm willing..." he said without hesitation.
Wang Shouren pulled him out of the darkness, and his master was the one who gave him light. He wanted to repay both of them.
“Then there’s no problem! Go ahead and do what you want.” Wang Shouren said with a smile. He was happy for Liu Guangtian. Not everyone can have a happy childhood, nor can everyone heal from an unhappy childhood. Wang Shouren felt it was great that he had this opportunity.
"Yes!" Liu Guangtian nodded heavily.
————
Time always flies, and things have gradually become chaotic since the meeting in May.
October arrived in the blink of an eye, and the steel rolling mill's documents came down. Deputy Director Li Huaide was officially appointed as the director of the steel rolling mill's Revolutionary Committee, which meant that the transfer of power had come to an end.
In fact, Wang Shouren had already sensed that something was wrong with the atmosphere in the factory.
However, Director Yang was always one step behind.
With Director Li's order, the factory committee convened.
In the past, the meeting room would be filled with chatter and conversation before the leaders arrived. Even when the leaders came, there would be a few jokes. Today, the meeting room is completely different. It's extremely quiet, and everyone is sitting upright. The initial idea behind this storm was good, but it's like dropping a small pebble under a snow-capped mountain. This pebble has gradually formed a snowball, and it's likely unstoppable.
In the meeting room, there were excited voices and frustrated voices. This is always how the struggle between the two factions goes: someone wins and someone loses.
Wang Shouren and Shen Yuanliang watched coldly from the sidelines.
When the leaders arrived, there was a specific seating arrangement for the meeting. When Li Huaide plopped down in the head seat, everyone in the meeting room felt a jolt. Director Yang also arrived, sitting silently in an empty chair at the back with a livid face.
"Alright! Everyone's here. Today, I, Li Huaide, will be the one to chair today's meeting..."
The meeting was actually quite tedious, but for Director Yang's faction, Li Huaide's faction, and even the fence-sitters, it was a division-up meeting; some were the dividers, and some were the dividers. After announcing a series of personnel appointments, the matter was considered closed. Wang Shouren, however, was kept on by Li Huaide.
After leaving the office, Wang Shouren took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. The sky was foggy, and the weather wasn't very good.
The news of Director Yang's resignation didn't actually have a significant impact on the workers. Director Yang always aimed to emulate middle and upper management. While he did offer condolences and support to the workers, he didn't generally show much concern. To put it bluntly, he couldn't grasp the essentials.
When I got back to the office, I saw Shen Yuanliang smoking again, so I went over and swiped another pack.
"Sigh... Look at you, can't you do anything productive all day?"
"Alright, alright, don't take your anger out on me. You can't blame me for this." Wang Shouren rolled his eyes. He didn't know where his master learned this habit from, but whenever he was upset, he would take it out on him.
"What's wrong? What happened now?"
What did you say to Li Huaide?
"What's wrong? You already have a problem with someone as soon as you take office?"
“Yes, I have complaints. Look at what’s happened outside! Don’t you know what’s going on inside the factory? Absenteeism, early departures, everyone’s in a panic. Who’s still using the management system you proposed? The machines are working, the system is perfect, and well, people are quitting! Tell me, what kind of mess is this?” Shen Yuanliang said with great distress.
Startled, Wang Shouren quickly looked outside. Fortunately, there was no one there, just as he had said.
“I’m telling you, can you stop worrying about this? We should just follow the decisions made by the higher-ups. Besides, if you really want to express your feelings, think about your wife and children at home…” Wang Shouren advised.
Who can be blamed for this? Wang Shouren believed that "crossing the river by feeling the stones" was the most terrifying phrase in the world.
Shen Yuanliang sighed, then pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one: "Yeah, yeah, think about my wife and kids."
Shen Yuanliang's sigh contained a lot of emotions: helplessness, powerlessness, and compromise.
“I’ve thought it through. I’ll do whatever they say. I just want to see how they’ll explain the output of our steel rolling mill to their superiors if things continue like this.”
In his heart, he felt that this was perhaps only temporary; after all, everyone could see that it was probably a wrong decision. Once this matter was over and the reckoning was done, who could escape responsibility? Shen Yuanliang firmly believed this; he never imagined that he would have to wait ten years to achieve what he envisioned.
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