After the internal selection was completed, Liu Li didn't even get a break—representing the workshop in the city competition was a heavy responsibility, and she dared not slack off. Not to mention that Master Wang was also "keeping an eye on" her, which tightened her already taut nerves even more.
On the morning of the day after the selection, Liu Li arrived at the workshop just as dawn broke. The late autumn wind was chilly, but Master Wang was already waiting. He stood in front of the fitter's bench, on which were some strange things—a dark cast iron plate with shallow grooves carved on it, a wooden box of unpolished brass key blanks, and several old files with blades ground at different angles. Even the calipers looked modified, with the markings blurry and unclear.
"Good morning, Master." Liu Li quickly went over.
Master Wang grunted in agreement, holding the cast iron plate of the oilstone mill in his hand, without even looking up: "Starting today, until the competition, you'll have to stop half of your work." He pointed to the things on the platform, "Use the time you save to practice this."
"This is..." Liu Li didn't understand.
“There’s a test in the skills competition,” Master Wang said crisply. “Every year, the city’s fitter skills competition includes a ‘blind key duplication’ test. It tests your ability to feel the shape with your hands, think about the groove in your mind, and make accurate file cuts.” He picked up a key blank and pointed to the cast iron plate. “The groove on this plate is the ‘lock cylinder.’ You have to file the key within a specified time, without looking at the markings, just by feel, and insert it smoothly without any wobbling or jamming.”
Liu Li's heart tightened—this was much harder than usual! It relied entirely on her hands and brain; she couldn't even use the calipers properly. It wasn't going to be easy.
The training began immediately. During the day, Liu Li had to finish the remaining work, and do it even more carefully than usual; whenever she had a spare moment, she would squat in front of the fitter's bench to practice filing keys. At first, she was completely clueless. Holding the key blank in her left hand and the file in her right, she would file it a few times and then try to insert it into the "lock cylinder." Either it would wobble violently, or it wouldn't go in at all, making her palms sweat with anxiety. The blurry calipers drove her even crazier; she had to guess the readings, and the more she guessed, the more confused she became.
Master Wang stood nearby, either wiping his tools or fixing small parts, rarely speaking, but his eyes were always fixed on her. Only when Liu Li's movements became distorted, or when she filed too quickly, would he suddenly speak up: "Sink your wrist! Use the power from your waist! That's not filing, it's like tickling!" "Stop! Feel the file biting into the copper! Don't you know how to control the pressure?" "Don't stare! Close your eyes! Use your hand to 'feel' what it should look like!"
Every word struck like a hammer blow, making Liu Li's heart tighten, but her hands gradually became more accurate in their work. She forced herself to calm down, not looking at the key, but relying solely on the feel of her fingertips to judge the shape. The file was pushed steadily, and sweat dripped down her forehead, staining the workbench with a small wet patch.
Liu Li stayed late to practice as well. The workshop was very quiet, except for the "scratching" sound of her filing things. The incandescent light cast long shadows. Her arms ached, her back was stiff, and her fingers were sore from the key blanks, blistered, and formed thin calluses, but she didn't stop.
Fu Jingchen would sometimes come over, not disturbing her, and place the copied past competition questions or materials science notes next to her, along with a cup of hot water. While she caught her breath, the two would chat about theoretical questions. Fu Jingchen could always explain the complex principles clearly, which made things much easier for her.
Zhang Shulan also felt sorry for her, so she brought her food from the cafeteria every day and helped her apply hot towels to her arms when she returned to the dormitory at night: "Lili, don't push yourself too hard, you look so tired."
Liu Li smiled and said, "My master said that ten minutes on stage requires ten years of practice off stage. I can't let the factory down." She rubbed her eyes and picked up the file again. She knew that although Master Wang was strict, he taught her real skills, the hard skills that would help her compete.
After practicing for only a few days, Liu Li got stuck—no matter how she filed, the key was either difficult to insert or too loose. After failing more than ten times, looking at the pile of broken keys on the table, she felt frustrated. Her filing became unsteady; the more anxious she became, the worse she filed. She even wondered, "Am I really not good enough?"
Just as she was feeling down, an old cotton coat, still warm from being draped over her shoulders. Liu Li turned around, and there stood Master Wang behind her, holding a steaming enamel mug.
"master……"
Mr. Wang didn't look at the discarded keys, nor did he scold her. He picked up the file she had just used and found another discarded key blank. Without turning on the light, he sat down in the spot where she had been sitting, using the moonlight from the window and the distant streetlights as his light.
Liu Li held her breath and watched. In the darkness, she couldn't see her master's movements clearly, only hear a steady, rhythmic "rustling" sound, neither too fast nor too slow, as even as breathing, without the slightest hesitation. The sound didn't seem to be coming from the file, but rather from her master himself, blending seamlessly with his movements.
About ten minutes later, Mr. Wang stopped and handed her the key. In the dim light, Liu Li noticed that the previously crooked key was now straight and smooth. She tried inserting it into the lock cylinder—with a soft "click," the key slid in smoothly and fit perfectly!
Liu Li looked up at Master Wang; in the darkness, his figure looked remarkably steady.
“Remember this sound.” Master Wang’s voice was deep. “It’s not the sound of a file scraping against copper. It’s the sound that comes when your heart and hands come together. Skill can’t be rushed. The more you rush, the further you stray from it. Only when you calm down can you truly grasp it.”
After saying that, he picked up the enamel mug and left without saying another word.
Liu Li gripped the key, her agitation slowly dissipating. She sat down again, not rushing to file, but closing her eyes to recall her master's movements, feeling the even rhythm. After a while, she picked up the file, her movements slower, but her eyes brighter.
The road to preparation is long and arduous, but Master Wang's experience has taught her that to compete well and win, one must calm down and make every stroke of the file solid. She gripped the file tightly, her resolve strengthened: no matter how difficult, she had to persevere.
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