First encounter on the bridge
Across the Dongjiang River, a bridge is quietly rising. At 6:30 a.m., the construction site is already bustling with activity. The roar of concrete trucks, the clatter of steel bars, and the shouts of workers blend together, heralding the official start of a new day of construction.
Lan Tongtong tightened her hard hat, but sweat still trickled down her forehead into her eyes. She'd only been assigned to the Blue Sky Group project department for two weeks, but she'd already felt the stark difference between a construction site and university. The mechanical formulas and construction specifications she'd learned in textbooks paled in comparison to the real world of a construction site.
"Xiao Lan, go to the beam yard and help. The first box beam will be cast today, and leaders from all units need to come and inspect it." The voice of project manager Liu Chao came from the intercom with an unquestionable urgency.
"Got it, I'll go right away." Lan Tongtong wiped the sweat off his forehead and trotted towards the beam yard.
At the beam yard, workers were making final preparations. This 30-meter-long prestressed concrete box girder is a critical component of the entire bridge, and its quality is crucial to the smooth progress of subsequent construction. When Lan Tongtong arrived, workers were adjusting the steel reinforcement. She picked up the blueprints and carefully checked every detail.
"Worker Lan, is there a problem with the spacing of the steel bars here?" shouted an old craftsman.
Lan Tongtong walked over and carefully observed the rebar arrangement, quickly recalling the specifications, but she was unsure of the standard value. She hesitated for a moment and said, "Follow the drawings. The drawings indicate a spacing of 15 centimeters."
"But the position of the bellows here is a bit conflicting. Do you want to adjust it?"
Just as Lan Tongtong was feeling embarrassed, a deep voice came from behind her: "The longitudinal reinforcement spacing can be appropriately adjusted to within 20 cm to meet the regulatory requirements. The positioning of the corrugated pipe is key and cannot be moved at will."
Lan Tongtong turned and saw a tall, middle-aged man wearing a white hard hat. "Chief Supervisor Engineer" was prominently labeled on the helmet. She immediately recognized him as the legendary "Mo Zhichi" of the project department—the Chief Supervisor Engineer of Anfang Supervision Co., Ltd., known for his rigor and even harshness.
"Mr. Mo." Lan Tongtong greeted him softly, feeling a little nervous.
Mo Zhichi simply nodded, his eyes scanning every detail of the steel frame with a fiery gaze. He then pulled out a ruler and began measuring the thickness of the protective layer. Lan Tongtong noticed that his movements were extremely precise, and each measurement point was accurate and consistent.
"Who is the quality inspector from the construction unit? The thickness of the protective layer here is not thick enough." Mo Zhichi's voice was not loud, but it made the air around him freeze instantly.
Lan Tongtong hurried forward to check, secretly thinking that something was wrong. Due to the loose reinforcement frame and insufficient number of concrete pads, the thickness of the protective layer in some places was indeed not up to standard.
"Correct it immediately." Lan Tongtong said with a red face, and then organized the workers to add pads.
Mo Zhichi said nothing more and turned to walk towards the next checkpoint. Lan Tongtong watched him disappear into the distance, feeling relieved but also ashamed of her own negligence.
At 9:00 AM, leaders from various parties arrived at the site one after another. Zhang Ping, the owner's representative of Tianma Investment Co., Ltd., Zhang Liang, director of the Yundu Quality Supervision Station, and heads of the supervision and construction units gathered at the beam yard to witness the pouring of the first box girder.
Lan Tongtong, a technician at the construction company, stood nervously behind Manager Liu Chao. She noticed that Mo Zhichi was chatting and laughing with the other leaders, a stark contrast to the serious demeanor he had displayed during the inspection just now.
"Manager Liu, your new college student is quite good. It's not easy for a girl to endure hardships and stay on the construction site." Stationmaster Zhang Liang said to Liu Chao with a smile, but his eyes fell on Lan Tongtong.
Liu Chao smiled and said, "Yes, although Xiaolan just graduated, she is diligent and studious. She is a good seedling."
Zhang Ping took over the conversation, "Young people nowadays have a good theoretical foundation. It all depends on accumulating field experience. Xiao Lan, tell me, what is the standard thickness of the steel bar protective layer on our box girder?"
The sudden question made Lan Tongtong's mind go blank. She had clearly reviewed the relevant regulations, but now she couldn't even name a single number. Sweat streamed down her temples. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
Liu Chao's expression was slightly awkward. Just as he was about to speak up to help, Mo Zhichi suddenly spoke:
"According to the Technical Specifications for Highway Bridge and Culvert Construction, the minimum thickness of the C50 concrete cover is 30 mm, with an allowable deviation of plus or minus 5 mm. Our on-site control is 35 mm, taking into account the impact of construction errors and concrete shrinkage."
Mo Zhichi's answer was professional and precise, instantly defusing the awkward atmosphere. He continued, "The standard spacing between rebars is 15 cm, with a maximum of 20 cm. That's why I allowed the workers to adjust the spacing to within 20 cm during my inspection."
Zhang Ping nodded with satisfaction: "Mr. Mo is still so professional and rigorous."
The topic then turned to other technical issues. Lan Tongtong looked at Mo Zhichi gratefully, but found that the other party didn't care about her at all. He was concentrating on discussing the pouring plan with other leaders.
After the pouring officially began, Lan Tongtong was assigned to the vibrating station to supervise the compaction of the concrete. She did not dare to slack off and paid close attention to every detail.
"There are bubbles here, hurry up and revitalize them!" Mo Zhichi's voice suddenly rang in her ears. Lan Tongtong was startled to find that he had stood behind her without her noticing.
Lan Tongtong hurriedly instructed the workers to perform the re-vibration, but due to her nervousness, her instructions were unclear, and the workers hesitated. Mo Zhichi stepped forward, grabbed the vibrating rod, and personally demonstrated the correct method and timing for re-vibration.
"See? You have to insert it quickly and pull it out slowly to ensure that the bubbles are expelled." Mo Zhichi's tone was stern, without any politeness.
Lan Tongtong bit her lip and nodded, taking note. She secretly studied Mo Zhichi's profile. His serious face was etched with the marks of time and the rigor of his profession. She thought, although this man may be demanding, his professional skills are indeed strong.
The pouring process lasted six hours. When the final cubic meter of concrete was poured into the formwork, enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience. The successful pouring of the first box girder marked a significant milestone for the project.
After the leaders left one after another, Lan Tongtong dragged her exhausted body back to the project department. When she passed the supervisor's office, she unexpectedly found Mo Zhichi still looking up documents under the lamp.
"Mr. Mo, thank you for today." Lan Tongtong mustered up the courage to knock on the door and express her gratitude.
Mo Zhichi looked up, his expression still serious. "You're welcome. You're new here, so you can learn if you don't understand, but don't pretend to know. A construction site isn't a school, and every mistake could cause irreparable damage."
He handed Lan Tongtong a manual: "This is the key points of bridge construction quality control that I compiled myself. Take it and have a look. I hope you can answer the owner's questions next time."
Lan Tongtong took the manual and found it densely covered with notes and various measured data. A warm feeling welled up in her heart: "Thank you, Mr. Mo. I will definitely work hard."
Walking out of the office, Lan Tongtong opened the handbook. On the title page was a line of vigorous words:
“When you measure a project with a ruler, you are also measuring people’s hearts.”
She glanced back at the figures still busy beneath the lights, and gained a new appreciation for this seemingly unapproachable chief engineer. The construction site remained brightly lit under the night sky, the outline of the bridge looming in the gloom, much like her newly begun career, vague yet full of possibility.
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