That afternoon, Yang Zheng continued to shadow Liu Dabao to study the furnace temperatures.
The heating furnace workshop was scorching. Within a short span, Yang Zheng’s work clothes would be soaked through with sweat, baked dry by the intense ambient heat, only to be soaked and baked through all over again. By the end of the shift, he was drenched in sweat and reeking from top to bottom.
Fortunately, the workshop was equipped with a bathhouse where the bar soap and laundry powder were provided as shared public goods. Taking a quick shower and washing his clothes right there saved him the cost of buying soap.
Back at the dormitory, his roommate was nowhere to be found, reportedly away on a business trip.
Hanging his freshly washed clothes out on the open-air balcony, Yang Zheng collapsed onto his bed in sheer exhaustion and instantly drifted into a deep sleep.
“Lu Han, are you back?”
Amidst his dreams, a series of heavy knocks on the door jolted him fully awake.
It was already pitch black outside. He had slept with remarkable heaviness.
Scrambling out of bed in a panic, Yang Zheng flicked on the light and pulled the door open.
Standing in the doorway was a young woman wearing a long-sleeved white dress, with pretty, refined facial features and two thick, dark braids resting over her shoulders.
“U-um, who are you looking for?”
Faced with an unfamiliar girl for the very first time, Yang Zheng stammered awkwardly, losing all clarity of speech.
The girl’s large, dark eyes flickered with clear disappointment. “I saw clothes hanging on the balcony and thought Lu Han must have come back.”
“N-no, he’s not back.”
“I know, he went to Shanghai on a business trip. Who are you?” she asked.
“I’m Yang Zheng. I just checked in at the machinery plant yesterday.”
“Ah, I see. I’m Kong Xiange, from the plant’s propaganda department. When Lu Han gets back, tell him I stopped by to look for him.” She flashed a bright, poised smile.
“Got it!”
“Sorry to disturb you. You go back to rest.” Kong Xiange blinked playfully and flitted away like a graceful butterfly.
As Yang Zheng came back to his senses, he realized this must be his roommate Lu Han’s girlfriend. How pretty she was—so much more confident and poised than the girls back in Big Willow Village.
Just now, she had mentioned that Lu Han went to Shanghai. Shanghai—such a familiar, poignant word. That was the city where those motorized prosthetic limbs came from.
Suddenly remembering the time, Yang Zheng grabbed his lunchbox and meal tickets and hurried off toward the cafeteria.
By the time he got there, it was pitch black, and the canteen had long since closed down for the evening.
There were state-run eateries just outside the factory gates, but a single bowl of shredded chicken noodles cost a full yuan. Unwilling to spend that much, Yang Zheng figured he would just tough it out through the night and eat an extra steamed bun in the morning.
Dejectedly walking back toward the dormitory, a familiar voice called out to him: “Yang Zheng? Missed the mess hall hours?”
Turning around, Yang Zheng saw it was Liu Dabao.
“Hehe, I fell asleep and missed dinner time. It’s fine, I’ve got biscuits back in my room,” Yang Zheng said with a self-conscious laugh.
“My place is just up ahead. Come over, I’ll have someone whip up a bowl of noodles for you,” Liu Dabao said generously.
“No, no need. I’ll just eat my biscuits,” Yang Zheng demurred. Materials were tight everywhere, and nobody had it easy.
“Look at you—we work the same shift, we’re colleagues, and a bowl of noodles is nothing. Come on, my mom will pull you a nice bowl of shredded pork noodles.”
Throwing a casual arm around Yang Zheng’s neck, Liu Dabao towed him along toward home.
The plant’s dormitories and the dependents’ housing area were situated close together, and they reached their destination in ten minutes or so.
Liu Dabao’s family lived in a communal corridor-style building. A family of five, they occupied three main rooms plus a kitchen.
The restroom was a shared facility down the hall.
“Dad, Mom! This is my colleague, Yang Zheng. He missed the mess hall hours—mind tossing together a bowl of noodles for him?”
Liu Dabao hollered as he stepped through the front door, prompting two elderly residents inside to stand up. “Ah, come on in and sit down, come on in.”
Nervously, Yang Zheng greeted them, “Hello, Uncle. Hello, Auntie.”
Mother Liu immediately headed for the kitchen, while Father Liu warmly poured a cup of water.
“You’re with the machinery plant too?”
“Yes, sir. I just joined recently.”
“Good. Being a worker at the machinery plant is a fine life—good pay, great benefits. Getting hired on here these days isn’t easy at all,” Father Liu remarked approvingly.
“Dad, Yang Zheng is actually Master Chen’s apprentice!” Liu Dabao chimed in proudly.
“You don’t say—Chen Yan? Incredible! That old stubborn mule actually agreed to take an apprentice?”
“Yeah. Fang Guangming practically begged to be his student, but Master Chen wouldn’t budge no matter what.”
Father Liu patted Yang Zheng on the shoulder. “Good lad. Any junior worker who catches Chen Yan’s eye has got to be something special.”
Yang Zheng’s face flushed a deep crimson. His master hadn’t chosen him out of fondness; he had simply been strong-armed into it as a favor to Division Commander Zhou.
“Relax, Yang Zheng. My dad’s a retired veteran worker from the plant; he knows your master well,” Liu Dabao said comfortingly, noticing how uneasy Yang Zheng looked.
“That’s right. When Chen Yan first started at the plant, he used to call me ‘Old Master’ too. In the blink of an eye, we’ve retired, and you lads have become the backbone of the factory.”
Whenever the subject turned to factory matters, Father Liu had no shortage of stories to share.
His generation held a fierce, burning passion for the enterprise.
“Back in fifty-two, when the plant was first built, we worked day and night without ever feeling a shred of fatigue. That bustling, electric energy feels like it was just yesterday, yet twenty years have flown by in a flash.” Reminiscing about the past, Father Liu beamed with pride.
Mother Liu walked out carrying a steaming bowl of shredded pork noodles, scolding playfully, “Look at you, bragging away until you’re fit to burst.”
“Little Yang, we didn’t have much shredded pork left, so make do with this for tonight. Next time you come over, I’ll go buy some pork ribs.”
Placing the bowl right in front of Yang Zheng, Mother Liu urged, “Eat up, while it’s hot.”
Giving a sheepish, honest grin, Yang Zheng said, “Thank you, Auntie. I won’t stand on ceremony then.”
“There’s no need for ceremony. You and Dabao are colleagues, which means you’re friends for life. Whenever you miss the mess hall, just come straight to our place,” Mother Liu said with a warm smile.
Starved to the bone, Yang Zheng picked up his chopsticks and dug in with gusto.
The pork tasted incredible, and even the savory broth was packed with flavor.
Exercising some restraint so as not to eat too frantically and shock his hosts, he still managed to inhale well over half the giant bowl within a matter of minutes.
Liu Dabao poured him another cup of water. “If that’s not enough, we can boil another round. It’s your first time visiting, so you can’t leave hungry.”
“It’s enough, truly enough! It’s so delicious—my belly’s full, but my mouth still wants more,” Yang Zheng chuckled, slurping down the remaining noodles and polishing off every last drop of soup.
“Are you genuinely full?” Mother Liu asked, still looking doubtful.
Giving a hearty burp, Yang Zheng replied, “I am stuffed, Auntie. Your noodles are the best I’ve ever had.”
Satisfied that he had eaten his fill, Mother Liu finally stepped over to clear away the empty bowl and utensils.
“Since you’re full, let’s head over to the sports field for a stroll to help digest everything,” Liu Dabao suggested.
Picking up his lunchbox, Yang Zheng stood up and said, “Uncle Liu, Auntie, thank you both so much for the noodles.”
Father Liu waved a hand. “Don’t mention it. Come back often.”
Pulling Yang Zheng along by the arm, Liu Dabao headed for the door, only to be blocked right in the threshold by a spunky young woman. “Big brother, are you heading to the sports field to walk off dinner, or are you sneaking off on a date?”
Liu Dabao’s face flushed red. “Liu Xiaocao, cut the nonsense! Where on earth would I have a girlfriend?”
“Oh, please. You’re just a toad trying to eat swan meat—dream on.”
“You—move aside! Come on, Yang Zheng, let’s go to the field…”
Shoving past his sister, Liu Dabao grabbed Yang Zheng and dashed off.
Back near the base of the dormitory building, several junior workers were playing basketball. Liu Dabao and Yang Zheng found a spot nearby to sit down.
“Liu Xiaocao is my younger sister; she works down at the textile mill. She’s the trickiest, most mischievous one around—nothing gets past her.”
“So… do you actually have a girl you like?” Yang Zheng asked.
“Don’t listen to her. If I had a girl I liked, wouldn’t I have already brought her home? Say, Yang Zheng, I heard people whispering in the break room today—are you really Director Tang’s man?” Liu Dabao veered off onto a different topic.
“I—”
“If it’s awkward, you don’t have to answer. Actually, even if you are Director Tang’s man, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. You’re young; spend a few years in the plant building up real skills, and who’s going to care whose person you originally were? A machinery plant isn’t like other units—here, competence is king,” Liu Dabao said encouragingly.
“Truth be told… I was brought in through a recommendation by Division Commander Zhou. He’s my younger sister’s father-in-law.”
Yang Zheng decided against keeping secrets. Liu Dabao had treated him with genuine sincerity, and he felt he owed him the same in return.
“Division Commander Zhou? Good grief, that’s an even bigger deal than Director Tang!” Liu Dabao’s jaw dropped in shock.
A military division commander wielded authority on par with a city mayor.
If he had actual combat honors to his name, even a provincial governor would have to treat him with cautious respect.
“Truth be told, I’m just a dirt farmer who used to till the fields, not some—Liu, brother… Even though I got in through the backdoor, I’m going to work harder than anyone else so I don’t let Division Commander Zhou down.”
There were many things Yang Zheng couldn’t bring himself to voice aloud, but he was determined to cherish this hard-won opportunity. He had to strive, and strive harder still, so he never brought shame upon his family or Commander Zhou.
“Ah, what’s with all this ‘Foreman this, Foreman that’? It sounds stiff—just call me brother. Call me Brother Liu, or Big Bao Brother, whichever you prefer,” Liu Dabao said warmly.
“Then I’ll call you Brother Liu. If I mess up anything on the work front, I’ll be counting on you to set me straight.” In his heart, Yang Zheng had already accepted Liu Dabao as his very first true friend inside the factory gates.
“Deal, we’ll make progress together. Though I’m just a regular worker, I’ve been in the plant three or four years now, so I’ve got a bit more hands-on experience than you,” Liu Dabao said heartily, slinging an arm across Yang Zheng’s shoulder.