unspoken rules
The delicate evening meal ultimately ended on a seemingly "joyful" note, thanks to Chen Xueping's leadership and Zhang Xiao's reassurance. Chen Xueping's witty remarks flowed, and Zhang Xiao gradually relaxed, even chatting with Lan Tongtong about the customs and people of her hometown. Lan Tongtong forced a smile and mechanically agreed, but the guilt and uneasiness within her only snowballed.
Chen Xueping paid the bill, and the three of them walked out of the porridge shop together. Lan Tongtong shivered as the cold night wind blew, and she felt the alcohol and warmth dissipate, leaving only a chill deep inside.
"Let's go, I'll take you back to the project department." Chen Xueping seemed in a good mood and opened the car door.
"No need, Manager Chen," Zhang Xiao waved his hand. "My car is parked nearby, I can drive back by myself. Xiaolan, what about you? Do you want to go back with Manager Chen or should I take you back?"
"I... Manager Chen and I will drive back. It just so happens that... we may need to take a look at the beam yard." Lan Tongtong made an excuse. She still had a trace of unrealistic fantasy in her heart, hoping to confirm the situation on the scene with her own eyes.
"Okay, be careful on the road." Zhang Xiao didn't doubt him, gave a reminder, and walked towards his car.
Lan Tongtong got into Chen Xueping's car, which was still filled with a depressing gloom. Chen Xueping said nothing more, just focused on driving. The car quickly returned to the project office and headed straight for the beam yard.
The closer they got to the beam yard, the faster Lan Tongtong's heart beat. As the car turned the final corner and the lights of the beam yard came into view, her heart sank. The previously idled pump truck was gone. Inside the massive formwork, the concrete surface had been preliminarily smoothed and finished, glistening wetly under the light. Several workers were doing the final cleanup.
The pouring...is done.
Chen Xueping stopped the car, rolled down the window, and called out to Foreman Wang, who was in charge of the shift outside: "Old Wang, how's it going? Is everything going well?"
Foreman Wang trotted over, his face showing the relief of having completed a task, mixed with a subtle hint of complexity. He nodded and said, "It went smoothly! Manager Chen, the watering is done, and we're preparing for maintenance!"
"Well, good! Thank you for your hard work!" Chen Xueping nodded with satisfaction and closed the car window.
He turned to look at Lan Tongtong, who was pale and biting her lip tightly in the passenger seat. A mixture of pride and warning appeared on his face, and his tone was flat but meaningful: "Xiao Lan, look, the matter has been resolved. The progress of the project has not been delayed. This is the best outcome. Some things are better left in the past. It's better for everyone. We must learn to look forward."
Lan Tongtong stared blankly at the finished beam, Chen Xueping's earnest admonitions echoing in her ears. She felt that all her persistence and struggle seemed ridiculous and powerless in the face of the fait accompli. The bottom line she thought she had maintained was easily crossed by the manipulation of power and the forces of reality.
She didn't answer Chen Xueping, but simply opened the car door and stumbled out. The cold night wind blew on her face, but she didn't feel the slightest bit of coldness, only a numbness and despair spreading from the bottom of her heart.
The next morning, Lan Tongtong arrived at the office with a hangover-like headache and a heavy heart. Everything that had happened at the beam yard the previous night replayed in her mind like a nightmare. She sat at her workstation, staring blankly at the computer screen, unable to read a single word.
Deputy Minister Feng Chang strolled over, teacup in hand. He seemed to have heard about what happened last night, with a look of someone who had experienced it all, a look of knowing everything. He pulled a chair and sat down next to Lan Tongtong, lowering his voice:
"Xiao Lan, I heard there was a little incident at the beam yard last night?" He spoke in a relaxed tone, as if he was chatting about family matters.
Lan Tongtong's heart tightened, she nodded and said nothing.
Feng Chang took a sip of tea, smacked his lips, and said in a sincere tone, "Xiao Lan, you have good skills and a strong sense of responsibility, which are your strengths! But when it comes to engineering, these are not enough. You have to be able to adapt."
He leaned closer, his voice lowered. "Let me be clear, the design specifications we're using are very conservative! Everything we design has a very generous safety factor! Forget even a slight segregation of a truckload of material. Even if it's more serious, the bearing capacity of this beam is absolutely sufficient. Nothing will happen! It's called 'design redundancy,' understand?"
Lan Tongtong looked up at Feng Chang in shock. She knew that the design had a safety factor, but she never thought that this would become an excuse for some people to ignore quality issues.
Feng Chang saw her expression, smiled, and waved his hand: "Don't look at me like that. This is an open secret in the industry, and everyone knows it tacitly. The deadline is so tight, and the cost is so strict. If we really follow the textbook so meticulously, we won't be able to do the job!"
He paused, his tone becoming serious. "But, this principle, we just need to understand in our hearts. Especially, we can't bring it up publicly, and certainly not let a stubborn tech geek like Mr. Zhang know about it. If he knew, he'd insist on following the regulations, and the losses would be huge!"
"So," Feng Chang concluded, as if imparting valuable experience, "Manager Chen's approach last night was correct! Making a small matter go away and maintaining progress is the way to be responsible for the overall project. You should also learn to be more tactful in the future. When you encounter similar situations, know your limits and handle them quietly. Don't make a fuss. Alerting the higher-ups won't benefit anyone."
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