Zhou Yi’s voice choked, instantly sending a pang of anxiety up Fang Shuqin’s throat.
“What’s wrong with Beizhen? Don’t scare me!”
Zhou Yi continued, “Beizhen isn’t hurt at all. He led the team into the mountains for a field training exercise and won’t be back for a few days.”
“…You unlucky kid, can you talk without making me panic?” Fang Shuqin muttered, finally letting her heart settle back into her chest.
It was just a field training exercise—why did he make it sound like something had gone wrong? She nearly died of fright!
Zhou Yi explained, “Auntie Fang, you won’t believe how unlucky I was today. I was supposed to lead the team, but I tripped while jogging this morning and hurt my leg—it hurt so much I couldn’t even stand.
But the army doctor said there’s no bone injury, and a few days of rest will do the trick. Auntie Fang, don’t worry.”
Fang Shuqin replied, “I wasn’t worried in the first place.”
Now Zhou Yi felt a bit embarrassed and quickly changed the subject. “Oh… then, Auntie Fang, if you have anything to tell me, you can tell me first. I’ll pass it on to Beizhen as soon as he’s back.”
Fang Shuqin felt annoyed. “No need.”
How could she share something like this? And Zhou Yi was such a chatterbox—what if it spread everywhere?
After hanging up, Fang Shuqin turned to Song Tian.
“Xiao Tiancai, as soon as Beizhen returns to the unit, I’ll deal with him. Don’t worry—I’m always on your side!”
But Song Tian knew the truth in her heart.
In marriage, the real decision-makers are the couple themselves.
So if Lu Beizhen was determined to be with Jiang Xiaoyu, no one could stop him.
As for her, the nominal wife, she might as well find a job and earn some money. Once the six months were up, she would pack up and leave immediately!
After three days of rest, Song Tian felt her stomach wasn’t as uncomfortable and went out to find work.
Fang Shuqin had told her that right now, all the major factories were ramping up production. As output increased, so did the workload.
But there were only so many workers in the factories, so there were always times when they couldn’t handle everything.
That’s when they hired extra help from outside—though these temporary workers were paid less than regular staff.
Song Tian thought: something is better than nothing. She’d work first and worry later!
The town had three factories in total: the textile factory, the machinery factory, and the food factory.
Since Song Tian had a background in mechanical energy research, she chose the machinery factory.
She took the bus there and, just as she arrived at the entrance, heard a loud rumble followed by a commotion of shouting.
Judging by the sound, it seemed like something had gone wrong.
Without thinking, Song Tian ran straight inside.
From a distance, she saw a massive factory building made of fire bricks. On the red walls, white lime paint spelled out: “First Production Workshop.”
Below that, a slogan read: “Be determined, fear no sacrifice; overcome all obstacles, and strive for victory.”
A crowd of people was gathered under the slogan, faces tense, yet no one was making a move.
Song Tian pushed through and gasped at the sight before her.
A huge steel coil was pressed tightly against the wall, and beneath it, a half sleeve of a worker’s clothing was visible.
A man wearing a yellow safety helmet and gray work uniform stood beside it, frantically explaining:
“This isn’t my fault! The steel coil just suddenly fell off the forklift. I told him to move out of the way, but he didn’t listen and even tried to stop it with his hand.”
Steel coils like this are over three meters wide, hollow in the center. They look light but actually weigh several tons!
Anyone trying to stop it by hand would be crushed instantly.
Song Tian silently mourned him in her heart—but then noticed a small gap between the coil and the wall, where a hand waved weakly, calling out, “Hot!”
Song Tian immediately realized: the coil was round and curved, so it couldn’t fit completely against the wall.
The person had squeezed into the gap and was lucky to survive.
She shouted, “He’s still alive! Quick, someone save him!”
The crowd rushed to help, trying to move the coil together.
But the moment they touched it, they recoiled.
It was hot!
The steel coil, after being rolled tightly, retained its heat. Though it had been produced two days ago, touching it felt like pressing against a blazing iron pot.
No one dared to get too close.
Song Tian’s forehead was beaded with sweat.
If they didn’t rescue him quickly, he’d be burned alive.
“The forklift operator! Hurry, move the coil!” Song Tian yelled, looking at the man who had been speaking.
He shook his head anxiously. “I’m the safety officer. The one trapped under the coil is the forklift operator.”
Song Tian: “…”
The others exchanged helpless looks—there was nothing they could do.
Song Tian looked up at the forklift.
It was an old heavy-duty model with a thirteen-ton counterweight, operated by hydraulic rods and auxiliary gears. Not difficult to drive, but extremely precise.
Even a slight misalignment—or an unbalanced rear counterweight—could cause the load to fall or the forklift to tip over.
“How heavy is the steel coil?” she asked the safety officer.
“3.7 tons… Wha—hey, what are you doing?!” The officer hadn’t finished speaking when he saw Song Tian already climbing single-handed into the forklift cab.
She grabbed the steering wheel with one hand and drove straight toward the coil.
As she lifted it, the forklift swayed, and everyone held their breath.
But Song Tian quickly stabilized it.
With fierce precision, she finally moved the coil enough to reveal the trapped forklift operator.
Half of his body was scorched red, eyes rolling, barely breathing.
If Song Tian hadn’t moved the coil, he would have been cooked alive.
Some workers brought a metal sheet, placed him on it, and carried him to the hospital.
Song Tian reset the forklift counterweight and climbed out of the cab.
At that moment, another group of people hurried toward them.
The safety officer froze in terror, collapsing to the ground.
“I’m finished… I’m done for! The factory director is here, I’m finished!”
Song Tian had wanted to ask him if the factory hired temporary workers.
Hearing this, she straightened and looked at the approaching people.
In the center was a slightly balding man, dressed in a blue Zhongshan suit, with thick round glasses and a very stern expression.
“What on earth is going on?!” The factory director demanded angrily.
The safety officer stammered, “Director, I don’t know! I did the safety check. Everything was fine at first. Master Xie came down for a drink of water, and then the coil just fell!”
“This is such a serious safety incident. The impact is extremely negative,” the director said with disappointment. “The factory has decided to suspend your pay. Go home and rest!”
What?!
“Director, I really did the safety check! This has nothing to do with me! Don’t suspend my pay! My mom relies on my salary for her medicine!”
The director replied, “I’ll personally donate eight yuan for your mother’s treatment, but this decision cannot be changed. There are so many workers in the factory; I need to give them accountability.”
Otherwise, they’d think the safety officer was useless and refuse to take on dangerous work.
The safety officer wanted to argue further, but under the director’s stern gaze, his spirit faded.
Just then, Song Tian spoke up, “This has nothing to do with him. It’s the steel coil that was manufactured incorrectly.”