Liu Li got involved in the technical department's improvement efforts, and within two days, the dust settled everywhere in the workshop, like iron filings.
At first, it was just people secretly glancing at her. She returned from the technical department, and as soon as she draped her work jacket over the back of her chair, she felt several eyes glued to her. Going to the tool room to get her drill bits, the storekeeper, Old Li, slowly asked while marking things up in his notebook, "Little Liu, I heard you're going to invent something?" Liu Li mumbled "Just some random thoughts," and hurried away with the drill bits, feeling the probing gaze on her back.
The real gossip started the next morning. Liu Li was machining a batch of bearing sleeves when Sun Peng strolled up to her machine, put his arm around the machine bed, and spoke in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for a few of her coworkers to hear: "Some people, they haven't even gotten comfortable with the lathe yet, and they're already thinking about getting into the technical department. Whether they can even do their job properly is another matter."
Xiao Wang, who was next to him, immediately chimed in: "Brother Peng, you don't understand. That's called 'technological innovation,' which is different from us guys who are just burying our heads in screws." The sarcasm in his words was quite sarcastic.
Sun Peng scoffed: "Innovation? What if the innovation fails and ends up delaying your own work? That would be quite a sight."
Liu Li tightened her grip on the feed handle, her knuckles turning white. The tool tip moved steadily across the workpiece, making a "sizzling" cutting sound. She forced herself to stare at the metal filings and remain silent—arguing with them at this moment would only lead to more gossip.
During lunch break, Zhang Shulan found her with her lunchbox and said angrily, "Lili, Sun Peng is just jealous! Don't pay any attention to him!"
Liu Li took a bite of rice and shook her head: "Let him say what he wants."
“But now it’s not just him,” Zhang Shulan lowered her voice and whispered in her ear, “my roommates are all asking me if you’re going to be transferred to the technical department and don’t want to work in the workshop anymore.”
Liu Li paused, her chopsticks still in her hand. She had never considered leaving the workshop—the roar of the machine tools sounded reassuring, the smell of metal shavings was comforting, and she remembered every technique Master Wang had taught her. The workshop was her home; how could she leave?
The difference was even more noticeable in the afternoon. She went to borrow a micrometer, and Old Zhou, who was usually quite amiable, not only made her write down its purpose in her notebook stroke by stroke, but also repeatedly reminded her "not to bump or knock it." She asked Zhao, who was next to her, for a chamfering technique. Although Zhao gave her the answer, his tone was indifferent, lacking his usual enthusiasm.
What weighed heavily on her mind was that Sister Li, who was in the same group, whispered to her when no one was around, "Lili, yesterday Director Zhao asked Master Wang if you've had less work lately."
These words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the enthusiasm in her heart. She then realized that her "neglecting her duties" by doing design work had already reached the ears of her superiors.
After get off work, all her coworkers had left, but Liu Li remained standing in front of the lathe. She reached out, her fingertips brushing against the cool guide rail—this C616 lathe had witnessed her journey from someone who couldn't even straighten the handle to someone who could now machine parts with a tolerance of 0.02 millimeters. Every scratch on the guide rail was left from her practice sessions, a testament to her hard work and sweat.
What are you standing there for?
Master Wang's voice came from behind her. Liu Li turned around and saw that Master Wang was wiping the oil stains off his hands with cotton gauze, with black oil still stuck between his fingers.
"Master, I..." She opened her mouth, but didn't know how to express the grievances in her heart.
Wang Jianguo walked up to her and glanced at her neatly organized workbench and the measuring tools arranged in an orderly fashion: "Have you finished all your work for today?"
"It's finished. Everything was done according to the requirements, and there were no defective products." Liu Li nodded quickly.
"That's fine then." Master Wang picked up the notebook she had placed on the table and flipped through a couple of pages—it contained records of the daily processing quantities and dimensional errors. He closed the notebook and put it back in its place. "I haven't neglected my job. Don't take what others say to heart."
"But master, everyone in the workshop is saying..."
"Is it because you're daydreaming? Is it because you're not doing your job properly?" Wang Jianguo interrupted her, his tone calm. "In the workshop, people may talk, but whether you can shut them up depends on your work. No matter how fancy the blueprints are, they're not as useful as turning out a qualified part."
These words were like a ray of light shining into Liu Li's heart, instantly dispelling the tightness in her chest. She raised her head, her eyes brightening again: "I understand, Master."
“Starting tomorrow,” Wang Jianguo said again, “you can move the afternoon’s work forward. As long as it doesn’t delay production, you can use the rest of the time to work on the design.”
Liu Li was both surprised and delighted, her eyes lit up – her master not only didn't blame her, but was also willing to give her time!
"Thank you, Master!"
Wang Jianguo waved his hand, turned to leave, then stopped and looked back at her: "As for Technician Fu, let's discuss it. Don't back down just because others are gossiping."
Watching her mentor walk away, Liu Li felt a warmth in her heart. With so many people gossiping, her mentor's trust was more valuable than anything else.
The next morning, as soon as Liu Li arrived at the workshop, she sensed something was wrong—her tool cabinet seemed to have been tampered with. The wrenches and screwdrivers were out of place, and even her lunchbox inside had been moved. What alarmed her even more was that the design sketches locked in the drawer had creases along the edges, indicating they had been moved, and were stained with oil.
Who moved her closet? Why were they looking through her blueprints?
A chill ran down Liu Li's spine. She remembered seeing Sun Peng loitering near the workshop entrance when she left work last night. She hadn't paid much attention at the time, but now the more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt…
She knew that innovation wasn't easy; it required figuring out the technology and revising the blueprints. But she hadn't expected that someone would sabotage her from behind. Liu Li gently smoothed out the creases on the blueprints, her fingers clenching tightly—the more others tried to prevent her from succeeding, the more determined she was to make this device and show it to everyone.
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