Life went on as usual. The machine tools in the workshop continued to rumble, and Liu Li was busy drawing and working in the workshop. The article she submitted was like a small stone thrown into a large pond. At first, she could still hear some noise, but after a while, she almost forgot about it.
That afternoon, she was huddled in a corner of the technical department, struggling with a tough technical problem, when Fu Jingchen rushed in like a gust of wind, holding a large kraft paper envelope in his hand, his face beaming with an uncontrollable smile.
"Liu Li! Look! She's here!" His voice was a few decibels louder than usual, causing everyone else in the department to look up.
Liu Li took the envelope in a daze, and when she saw the sender—the editorial department of *Mechanical Manufacturing*—her heart skipped a beat, and her hands trembled slightly. She tore open the envelope; inside were two brand-new copies of the journal and a thin acceptance letter.
She quickly flipped through the journal's table of contents, her eyes scanning downwards, her heart pounding. Suddenly, her gaze fixed on the article "Practice of Repairing Mechanical-Electrical Linkage Faults of Gantry Planers Based on System Analysis and Precision Compensation Technology," clearly printed in the middle of the table of contents, followed by her and Fu Jingchen's names.
"It's...it's really published?" Liu Li was still a little incredulous. Her fingers touched the printed words, which were cold but felt hot to her.
"Of course it's true!" Fu Jingchen also came over to take a look, grinning from ear to ear. "I knew our case would be a hit!"
The department suddenly became lively.
"Wow! Engineer Liu is amazing! His article has even been published in 'Mechanical Manufacturing'!"
"This is a core journal! Amazing!"
"Quickly show us what it would look like if printed in lead type!"
Everyone gathered around, passing the journal around and marveling at it. Liu Li, surrounded by people, felt embarrassed, but her heart was warmed as if she had a hot water bottle inside. She never imagined that her little "homemade method" would actually be put into print and published in such a major public publication.
The news spread like wildfire, and within half a day, even the experienced workers in the workshop knew about it.
Master Wang Jianguo picked up the journal, flipped to the article, and studied it for a long time while wearing his reading glasses. Although he didn't quite understand the complicated terminology, he knew it was something extremely important. He didn't say anything, but simply placed the journal back on Liu Li's desk and patted her shoulder forcefully. Liu Li understood the meaning in his eyes.
Zhang Shulan was even more direct, putting her arm around Lily's neck as soon as she got off work: "Great job, Lily! Now you're a real expert! Your name's even in the book! You have to treat us!"
What Liu Li didn't expect was that a few days later, people from other units started calling the technical department looking for "Comrade Liu Li". Some were technicians from sister factories who had read the article and called to ask about similar questions; others were people from research institutes who were interested in the "system analysis method" and "precision compensation" ideas mentioned in the article and wanted to exchange ideas.
On one occasion, she even received a call from a professor in the mechanical engineering department of a university in the provincial capital, who wanted to use her article as a case study in class and praised her for being "based on practice and very inspiring".
Liu Li answered the calls, initially stammering a bit, but gradually managing to chat a few words with people. Hanging up, she looked out the window at the rumbling factory buildings, a feeling she couldn't quite describe welling up inside her. She seemed to no longer just be Liu Li from the Red Star Factory; her name, along with that thin journal, had flown out of the factory area, becoming known to many more people.
Seeing her somewhat dazed expression, Fu Jingchen chuckled and teased, "How does it feel, Engineer Liu, to be a celebrity?"
Liu Li snapped out of her daze, laughed, and playfully punched him: "Get lost! You didn't miss a single drawing, you didn't miss a single trip to the workshop, and you still have to do what you're supposed to do!"
That's what she said, but she knew that some things were different after all.
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