dilemma
After leaving Mo Zhichi's office, Lan Tongtong shivered at the night breeze, but her mind remained remarkably clear. Mo's criticism was like a bucket of cold water, waking her from the muddle she had been in for the past few days. Amidst the shame and remorse, a powerful thought surged through her: I must return all the things I had accepted that shouldn't have been accepted! Now! Right now!
She didn't go back to the dormitory, but went straight to the construction team's living quarters. At this time, the team leader, Wang, and several key personnel would usually drink tea and review the day's work in the prefabricated house.
Sure enough, Foreman Wang and his men were sitting around a small table. Seeing Lan Tongtong walk in with red and swollen eyes and a serious expression, everyone was stunned for a moment, and the atmosphere suddenly became a little tense.
"Worker Lan? It's so late, is there something wrong?" Foreman Wang stood up with his habitual smile on his face, but there was a hint of vigilance in his eyes.
Lan Tongtong didn't beat around the bush. She pulled out the envelope that had previously contained red envelopes and shopping cards, which she had been carrying like a hot potato, and placed it on the table. Her voice was quiet but remarkably firm: "Captain Wang, I'm here today to return the gifts you gave me. I can't accept these things, and I feel guilty about them. Please take them back."
Silence fell in the prefabricated house. The several responsible persons looked at each other, and finally their eyes fell on Foreman Wang.
The smile on Foreman Wang's face froze, then melted into an exaggerated look of surprise and grievance. "Engineer Lan, what are you doing? This... this is just nonsense! It's just a small token of our gratitude to you, brothers, for your support and hard work! We have absolutely no other intentions! You're being too distant, you don't even consider us one of your own!"
He said as he pushed the envelope back.
"Captain Wang, this isn't a matter of being polite," Lan Tongtong insisted, pushing the envelope over again. "This is a matter of principle. Work matters should be handled the way they should be handled, not in this way. Please be sure to take it back."
"Oh, Lan Gong!" Foreman Wang spread his hands, looking helpless. "You're really putting me in a difficult position! How can we take back what we've given away? If this gets out, where will I, Old Wang, put my face? What will the brothers think? They'll think we've offended you in some way!"
Another person in charge chimed in, "Yes, Mr. Lan, it's just a small gift, not worth much. If you're like this, how can we have the nerve to talk to you about work in the future? Wouldn't it be like we're alienated?"
They exchanged words with each other, their attitudes extremely sincere and their words flawless, subtly twisting the "refund" into a form of "disrespect" and "creating estrangement." They refused to accept the money, not because they were reluctant to part with it, but because they couldn't afford it. If they did, the previously established "tacit understanding" would be broken, and they would no longer be able to "accommodate" in this way.
Lan Tongtong was young after all, and faced with this old-school, soft-pedaling attitude, she was speechless and didn't know how to respond. She couldn't just force the money into the other person's pocket.
After a few minutes of stalemate, Foreman Wang saw the right moment, sighed, and said in a sincere tone, "Mr. Lan, I know you're a picky person. Let's put it this way. We definitely can't take the things back. That's the rule. If you feel bad about it, you can be strict where necessary in the future. We will absolutely cooperate! But this is just a small token of our friendship. If you refuse, you'll be looking down on us, the laborers who do rough work!"
At this point, Lan Tongtong knew that further insistence was futile. She stared at the glaring envelope on the table, feeling like a clown. She'd thought returning it would clear the stain, but she hadn't expected that getting into this quagmire was so easy, but getting out cleanly would be so difficult.
A deep sense of powerlessness washed over her. She silently took the envelope, stuffed it back into her pocket, and whispered, "...Well, I'm leaving now."
"Goodbye, Mr. Lan!" The enthusiastic voice of Foreman Wang came from behind.
Lan Tongtong fled the prefab house. On her way back to the dormitory, the night wind chilled her whole body.
Lan Tongtong was determined to return to strict management. She was like a completely different person, picking up the blueprints and specifications again, demanding meticulous attention to every process and insisting on rectifying any non-compliance, without compromise.
Initially, the construction team seemed caught off guard by her sudden change. Although they complained, they still cooperated and made several corrections. But soon, they figured out Lan Tongtong's "new" ways and began to adopt a new response strategy.
They no longer directly gave Lan Tongtong red envelopes or said nice words as before, but instead adopted a more "clever" and more tiring method - coaxing and "arguing with reason".
When Lan Tongtong pointed out that the spacing between the steel bars exceeded the standard, the foreman would throw up his hands in embarrassment and say, "Lan, it's not that we don't want to change it. Look, the corrugated pipe is stuck and the steel bars can't be moved! How about we see that it's slightly oversized? It won't have much of an impact, right? We guarantee that the next beam will be constructed according to the drawings!"
When she demanded smooth seams on the formwork, the workers would complain: "Worker Lan, this old formwork has been used so many times, it's inevitable that it's a little deformed! We've been grinding it for a long time, and if we grind it any further it will become thinner and something bad will happen! This slight misalignment can be completely covered up when we plaster!"
When she insisted that the concrete slump must be controlled within the specified range, the mixing station dispatcher would yell over the intercom: "Worker Lan, you're too strict! The weather is so dry, and a smaller slump will make pumping difficult, and the pipe will be blocked and the loss will be even greater! It's okay to relax it by a centimeter or two. We have experience!"
Each time, they presented countless seemingly "reasonable" objective difficulties, using "experience" and "real conditions" to challenge the "rigid" norms that Lan Tongtong adhered to. Instead of direct confrontation, they used endless explanations, complaints, and bargaining to wear down Lan Tongtong's will.
Lan Tongtong found herself caught in an even more draining tug-of-war. She had to spend considerable time and energy refuting their every excuse, consulting regulations to justify her demands, and even personally demonstrating or overseeing the rectifications. She felt less like she was managing than engaging in miniature debates and struggles.
After a few days, Lan Tongtong was exhausted, both physically and mentally. Progress was indeed impacted, and rumors began to circulate within the project department, accusing her of "making a mountain out of a molehill," "being unreasonable," and "impeding progress." Even Deputy Director Feng Chang privately spoke with her, gently reminding her, "Xiao Lan, it's good to stick to your principles, but you also need to be flexible and avoid making things too awkward."
Lan Tongtong felt a deep sense of powerlessness. She was clearly doing the right thing, so why did she feel so isolated and helpless? Why was following the rules considered "unreasonable"? She felt like she was rowing against the current, trying her best but barely holding on. If she relaxed even a little, the construction team would quickly find a way to "return to normal."
She began to understand why so many technicians had become so "flexible." Strict management requires not only strong technical skills and unwavering principles, but also strong mental resilience, excellent communication skills, and unwavering support from superiors. All of this was too difficult for a fledgling technician like her, with little influence.
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