The news that the precision grinding machine had been repaired spread like wildfire throughout the Hongxing Factory overnight. This wasn't just a simple machine repair—it was an imported piece of equipment that even veteran mechanics couldn't fix, and a newly promoted young woman had managed to tidy it up perfectly. Everyone who heard about it was amazed.
The next morning, Liu Li arrived at the workshop fifteen minutes early as usual. She was stunned as soon as she opened the door—the usual sounds of machine tools warming up and the chatter of the workers were suddenly gone, and several pairs of eyes turned to look at her. Some were from her own shift, some from the milling machine shift next door, and a few unfamiliar faces, seemingly from other workshops who had come to "observe," their eyes filled with curiosity and admiration.
"Liu Li, you're amazing!" Xiao Chen from the female workers' group was the first to rush over, grabbing her arm. "Even Master Zhou couldn't figure out that foreign gadget, how did you know it was a gear deformation? And you even managed to adjust the gap to fix it?"
"Tell me quickly, were you particularly nervous when you were adjusting yesterday?"
"I heard the accuracy is even better than before? Is that true?"
Liu Li was surrounded and couldn't turn around. Her face was burning. Just as she was about to explain, she heard Director Zhao's loud voice: "What are you all doing crowding around? Aren't we cleaning the machine tools and checking the cutting tools?"
Everyone quickly dispersed, but Director Zhao walked up to Liu Li and patted her shoulder hard, so hard she almost stumbled: "Good girl! You've made our workshop proud! You've made the whole factory proud!" He then turned to the crowd, raising his voice: "You all know, right? That precision grinding machine, Liu Li led the repair! Not only can it work, but its precision is even higher than when it left the factory! What does this mean? We can continue producing the military parts that were our bottleneck! We don't have to spend foreign exchange and wait for months to buy parts! Liu Li used her skills and her brain to save the factory a lot of money and buy back time!"
As soon as she finished speaking, applause erupted in the workshop, even more lively than a typical commendation meeting. Liu Li watched as the foremen smiled and nodded, and her younger colleagues gave her thumbs up. Her heart warmed – this work wasn't just hers alone; it was overseen by Master Wang, with Engineer Fu calculating the data and the machine repair team lending a hand. No one could be missing.
Throughout the morning, people kept "passing by" in the workshop. People from the technical department came with notebooks to ask about details, directors from other workshops came to check out the grinding machine, and even the factory office clerk came, saying he was "getting a feel for things," but his eyes kept drifting towards Liu Li. Liu Li ignored them and continued machining her parts, her hands working without the slightest carelessness—she had to be steady, especially at times like this, to avoid giving people cause for gossip.
At lunchtime, Liu Li had just found a seat in the canteen with her lunchbox when several people from other workshops gathered around her. Old Li from the forging team, who was usually quiet, also came over today: "Comrade Liu Li, could you tell us about your method for adjusting gear phase? Our forging machine sometimes shakes, maybe we can learn from it."
Zhang Shulan, standing beside her, enthusiastically explained, "Yesterday I heard that Liu Li can tell what's wrong just by sticking a stethoscope on her, just like a doctor taking a pulse! When adjusting the gap, even the slightest deviation is unacceptable, and Master Wang personally helps her tighten the wrench!"
Liu Li was both amused and exasperated, and quickly interrupted, "Don't talk nonsense. It was Engineer Fu who calculated it accurately, and the other workers helped out. I just took the lead and did some work."
As they were talking, Fu Jingchen came over with a lunchbox, and the people around him automatically made room for him. He sat down and smiled, "The technical department and the chief engineer's office are both talking about you. Several senior engineers want to talk to you about that compensation plan."
"What are we talking about? I just happened to think of it." Liu Li lowered her head and ate her rice.
“It’s no coincidence.” Fu Jingchen’s voice softened a bit. “Your idea of adjusting the gap in the reverse direction is brilliant. I’m currently compiling a technical report, and I can refer to it when I encounter similar problems in the future.”
The afternoon was even livelier. Xiao Wang from the publicity department arrived with a camera, saying he wanted to take photos of Liu Li at work for the factory newspaper and bulletin board. Liu Li stood in front of the lathe, unsure what to do with her hands. Master Wang chimed in, "Just do what you normally do! Don't be like a block of wood! Just do your job the way you normally do it!"
Liu Li took a deep breath, picked up the wrench to adjust the tool holder, and focused her attention, just like she always did when she worked. Xiao Wang snapped several photos, then spent a long time taking pictures of the repaired grinder, muttering, "Now that's what you call an advanced deed! Pictures don't lie!"
Not long after, the factory's public address system came on, and the female announcer's voice was energetic: "Red Star Machinery Factory Broadcasting Station is now broadcasting! Comrade Liu Li, a young female worker in our machining workshop, dared to think and act, overcame difficulties, and successfully repaired an imported precision grinding machine under the guidance of experienced workers and with the cooperation of technicians! This method not only saved foreign exchange and time, but also secured a military order! Comrade Liu Li is a role model for our factory's young employees, and the entire factory should learn from her!"
The broadcast rang out over the factory area, and everyone in the workshop stopped to listen. Afterwards, they smiled at Liu Li. Master Wang leaned against his workbench, a file in his hand, listening to the broadcast and watching Liu Li working with her head down. A slight smile crept onto his lips. He didn't say anything, but nodded gently—his apprentice had truly made it. From now on, no one would dare say, "Female workers can't do technical work."
Liu Li kept working, but she knew in her heart that this was just the beginning. After repairing the grinding machine and receiving the honor, she needed to be more grounded and refine her skills even further. She looked up at the window; the sun was shining brightly on the factory roof, just like her life, which was becoming increasingly hopeful.
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