Before leaving work, Liu Li carefully organized several technical improvement plans and materials that were being followed up and handed them to Zhang Shulan. She also pulled aside a few core members to give them some detailed instructions. As she left the activity room, she glanced back. The team members were still gathered together, discussing the optimization of a certain process, their expressions focused, as if she would be there on time again tomorrow.
At that moment, Liu Li felt completely at ease. A new mission was calling, and the small group she had fought for had not fallen apart because of her temporary departure. The brand-new certificates on the wall and the more independent and self-reliant flame burning in her partners' eyes were the best proof of that.
A light rain began to fall at night, pattering against the workshop windows. Liu Li was the last to leave, locking the door behind her. Without an umbrella, she strolled slowly back to her dormitory.
The cool raindrops clung to her face, but her mind raced through the events of the past two years like a movie. When she first arrived, she was terrified, afraid of being crammed onto a train and sent to the countryside. She spent all her time figuring out how to settle down in the city. The scramble to get a factory job, sleeping in an eight-person dormitory, her hands blistered from grinding drill bits, the bittersweet excitement of receiving her first paycheck… it all felt like yesterday.
She looked down at her hands. In the light of the streetlamp, she could see a small scar on the web between her thumb and forefinger, a burn she had gotten from iron filings when she first started learning to use a lathe. These hands, which used to type on keyboards and swipe on tablets in the 21st century, can now sharpen the sharpest drill bits, machine parts with micron-level precision, and even repair the gantry planer that even veteran craftsmen struggle with.
What a big change!
From a clueless apprentice to facing all sorts of doubts, Sun Peng's disdain, rumors, and framing, to finally fixing the machines Sun Peng was responsible for, leading a QC team, receiving awards, having her name printed in technical journals, and now being handpicked by the ministry. Every step felt like she was being pushed along by something, or like she was gritting her teeth and forging her own path step by step.
She remembered what Master Wang often said: "People have to be down-to-earth." And she was truly down-to-earth, her breath thick with the smells of machine oil, metal shavings, and sweat. She had endured disdain and gossip, but more than anything, she had experienced the clarity of understanding the ropes, the peace of mind that followed solving problems, and the warmth of receiving recognition.
Standing downstairs at the dormitory, she didn't rush inside. She looked back at the silent factory buildings shrouded in rain. The machine tools were quiet, but she knew that as soon as dawn broke, they would roar back to life, carrying the entire factory, and her along with them, forward.
No matter how strong an individual is, they cannot defy the times. But if one goes with the tide of the times, finds their place, and puts all their strength into it, then, as Master Wang said, they can "ride the east wind."
She was no longer the Liu Li who only thought about not going to the countryside and finding a job. In the 1970s, she truly took root, sprouted branches, and grew.
The rain seemed to have lessened a bit. Liu Li wiped the moisture from her face, turned, and went into the building. The confusion and panic she felt when she first arrived had long since dissipated, replaced by a heavy sense of security and a hint of anticipation for the future.
In this era of overwhelming currents, her small boat has finally found its footing and discerned its direction. Even greater storms lie ahead, but she is confident in her resolve.
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