The excitement of the emergency repairs dissipated with the closing bell. The day shift workers left, filled with admiration for Liu Li, and the workshop quieted down again, with only the smell of machine oil mixed with cutting fluid lingering in the air. The newly repaired C620 lathe stood there, like a resting old friend, exuding a sense of peace.
Liu Li didn't leave. She polished her and Master Wang's lathes until they gleamed, swept the metal shavings into the metal dustpan, and even arranged the wrenches by size when putting the tools away—only after finishing all this did the excitement in her heart slowly subside. Just as she was about to go to the changing room to change into her work clothes, a deep voice came from behind her: "Finished?"
Looking back, Liu Li saw Master Wang standing in the shadows, clutching his old, worn-out cooking pot, without a cigarette. The dim light shone on him; his back was slightly hunched, but still sturdy. "Master, why haven't you left yet?" Liu Li quickly asked.
"Hmm, I'm still not entirely at ease. Let me take another look." Master Wang walked over and stopped beside the C620 lathe, touching the machine bed as if it were an old friend. Liu Li knew her master had something to say, so she stood obediently to the side without saying a word.
"You did a good job today," Master Wang said, his voice carrying clearly through the empty workshop. Just five words, nothing more, but coming from the mouth of this usually critical and taciturn master, it carried more weight than anything else. Liu Li's nose twitched, and her eyes welled up with tears—compared to the foreman's praise or her coworkers' compliments, this one sentence from her master was a true recognition of her abilities.
"It's all thanks to your excellent teaching, Master, and the mechanics in the machine repair class..." Liu Li wanted to say a few polite words.
Master Wang waved his hand to interrupt her: "It's fine to say polite things outside, but here it's just the two of us, master and apprentice, so let's not do that." He turned to look at Liu Li, his eyes shining brightly under the light, "If it's your ability, you should acknowledge it. Being too modest isn't being honest; it's disrespectful to yourself and to the person who taught you."
Liu Li was stunned for a moment, then quickly nodded: "Master, I understand."
Master Wang touched the lathe again and asked, "Do you know what was the hardest part for you this time?"
Liu Li thought for a moment: "Was it because you accurately diagnosed the fault and your hand was steady when adjusting the precision?"
"Yes and no." Master Wang put his pipe to his lips and took a sip, but didn't light it. "As long as you put in the effort to practice, you'll be able to master the skills sooner or later. Your greatest strength is your composure—you don't panic when things happen."
He stared at Liu Li, his tone becoming a bit harsher: "The machine broke down, the order was urgent, and there were people gossiping and waiting to see you fail. With so many things piling up, you didn't panic. You investigated when you needed to, found the parts when you needed to, and got to work when you needed to. Your mind was completely on the job, and you weren't distracted by the noise. That composure is more important than whether you know how to fix machines."
Liu Li was shocked—her master had seen all of this. She hadn't really thought much about it; she just felt the machine had to be fixed and the order couldn't be canceled. But in her master's eyes, that had become her "compassion." She honestly said, "Master, at the time, I was just thinking about fixing the machine as quickly as possible; I didn't think about anything else."
"That's right!" Master Wang raised his voice slightly. "Those who work in technical fields must have pure hearts. Seniority, connections, and gossip are all superficial. What matters is doing a good job and solving problems. Remember, in the workshop, your skills are your backbone. If you stand tall, others will respect you."
"I've got it all figured out, Master." Liu Li kept those words in mind.
Master Wang sighed, his tone softening slightly: "You've improved faster than I expected. From trembling hands when sharpening drill bits to now being able to lead the repair of machines and achieve above-standard precision... Liya, you were born to do this."
He was silent for a moment, as if he had made up his mind. He lowered his voice, but each word was clear: "What I taught you before was 'craft,' the skill of the hands. Judging from your attitude today, I should teach you something else."
Liu Li's heart tightened; she knew her master was about to fax something.
"Just knowing how to repair machines makes you a 'craftsman,' but understanding why machines are built the way they are and how to prevent them from malfunctioning makes you a 'master,'" Master Wang said, pointing to the lathe. "Why are all the parts on this machine so big and made of this type of steel? Why does it get hot during operation and how can we prevent it? These are the fundamentals. From now on, when you come with me for inspections and maintenance, I will not only teach you how to do it, but also why you do it that way. There are many old machines in the factory, and the blueprints are incomplete, but the underlying principles are still there. Once you understand them thoroughly, you can apply what you've learned to other situations and detect problems in advance, instead of waiting until they break down before you can fix them."
This isn't just teaching techniques, it's teaching the "ins and outs"! Liu Li was so excited she could hardly speak, she could only nod vigorously.
“And another thing,” Master Wang added, “Technique is static, but people are dynamic. How to deal with people, how to get others to believe your ideas, how to get things done within the rules—I’ll teach you these things slowly later, and you’ll gradually come to understand them.”
This was tantamount to saying that she was to be groomed as his successor. Liu Li felt a lump in her throat, wanting to say "Thank you, Master," but felt that those three words were too weak.
Master Wang waved his hand: "Alright, it's getting late, go back. Keep these words in mind and think them over slowly. The road ahead is long, take it one step at a time."
"Yes! Thank you, Master!" Liu Li bowed deeply.
The master and apprentice walked out of the workshop one after the other. The moon hung quietly above the factory eaves, and the streetlights cast long shadows on them. Master Wang wrapped his work clothes tighter and walked towards the residential area, his figure slowly disappearing into the darkness.
Liu Li stood at the doorway, glancing back at the workshop—the lathes inside were quiet, yet seemed to hold countless things to learn. She knew that before, she had learned to "do the work," but now she would learn to "understand the work." This path was difficult, but she was not afraid.
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