bayedsolid Chapter 7: Observations in the Workshop, Initial Signs of Scheme
Chapter 7: Observations in the Workshop, Initial Signs of Scheme
As dawn broke, the first crow of a rooster outside pierced the morning mist, and Lin Chen sat up on the hard kang (a heated brick bed). The biting chill of early winter in the north seeped in through the window, and the frost flowers that had formed on the glass gleamed coldly in the dim light. He reached for his blue overalls on the kang, his fingertips instantly enveloped by the piercing cold. His mental energy, depleted last night while fusing the chisel, had not yet recovered, and his temples throbbed. But remembering that today was his reporting day to the steel mill, he gritted his teeth and got up, pulling half a hard, coarse grain cake from a faded storage box and swallowing it with difficulty, along with some cold water from the jar.
Tucked away the crumpled acceptance letter and the chisel he'd hastily assembled overnight, Lin Chen pushed open the wooden door to the side room. By the communal pool in the central courtyard, Qin Huairu was squatting on a flagstone, washing clothes. Jia Huaihua, wrapped in a patched swaddle, her little face purple from the cold, was nestled in her arms. Seeing Lin Chen emerge, she paused, looking up and forcing an awkward smile—the embarrassment of yesterday's ration coupon ordeal still lingered in her eyes. Her hands were red, swollen, and cracked, the fissures smeared with black soot—clearly a deliberately contrived pitiful appearance.
"Good morning, Comrade Lin. Are you heading to the factory to report for duty?" Qin Huairu's voice was extremely low, as if afraid of waking the child in her arms. Lin Chen glanced at the clothes in her basin; most were the old clothes of Jia Geng's brothers, and there was also a thick cotton-padded coat belonging to Jia Zhangshi—not exactly strenuous work. He nodded, not wanting to linger: "The sooner you go, the sooner you'll get used to the environment." He turned and left, ignoring the comment she made. Behind him came soft sighs and the faint cries of a baby, but Lin Chen didn't stop—he had seen enough of this woman's "virtuous" act in his previous life.
The dirt road three stops away was uneven, and the cold wind whipped up sand and dust that stung their faces. Along the way, there were already many workers wearing the same work clothes, hurrying towards the factory in twos and threes, chatting about workshop anecdotes and complaining about the food shortage. Lin Chen blended into the crowd and observed them discreetly. The faces of these people were etched with the weariness of life, but when they mentioned wages and food coupons, their eyes would light up with hope.
From afar, the iron gate of the steel rolling mill came into view. The rusted gate panels were at least two people high. The five bright red characters "Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill," though faded, still exuded the majesty of heavy industry. Two guards wearing red armbands were checking identification and sternly reprimanding latecomers. Lin Chen handed over his notification, and the short-haired guard glanced at it before pointing to the east: "Forging workshop, Liu Haizhong's group, hurry up! Find Director Zhou to handle the formalities; he won't forgive you for being late."
Stepping into the factory, the deafening roar of machinery instantly enveloped him. The massive factory buildings stretched endlessly, and the black smoke from the chimneys carried the acrid smell of rust and coal. Workers pushing steel carts and technicians hurrying by—everyone was in a rush. Lin Chen took a deep breath; the pungent smell strangely made him feel grounded—in his previous life, it was the technology of this steel mill that allowed him to survive in a chaotic world; in this life, he would rise again from here.
Inside the forging workshop, the atmosphere was bustling with activity. A dozen forging presses operated simultaneously, the clanging so loud it made your eardrums tingle, sparks flying with each swing of the hammers. Most of the workers were shirtless, their bronze skin covered in sweat and grease, yet radiating a vibrant energy. In a corner office, Zhou Jianguo, dressed in a grey Zhongshan suit, was reviewing reports. His neatly combed hair and black-rimmed glasses gave him an air of competence. "Come in, Lin Chen, right? I'm Zhou Jianguo." He took the notification letter, glanced at the file, and said, "You have a fitter's background after your time in the countryside, not bad. Forging is tough, but the prospects are good. You'll be assigned to Liu Haizhong's group, a level six forging worker. Learn from him well."
Zhou Jianguo led Lin Chen to a forging press and called over a burly man who was in charge of directing the apprentices. This man was forty-seven or forty-eight years old, with a towering, mountain-like build, a face full of fleshy muscles, and a long scar running from his brow to his temple that made him look particularly fierce. "Liu Haizhong, I'm here to train a new apprentice for you," Zhou Jianguo instructed. "Teach him well, no tricks. Lin is a good prospect." Liu Haizhong sized Lin Chen up and down, noticing his pale skin reminiscent of someone returning from the countryside, his eyes filled with disdain: "Yes, Director Zhou." Even Zhou Jianguo could hear the perfunctory tone in his voice, and he immediately frowned and warned, "If you ruin him, you'll be held responsible!"
As soon as Zhou Jianguo left, Liu Haizhong's face darkened. He pointed to the scrap pile in the corner of the workshop: "Your job is to remove the rust from this scrap iron. There will be an inspection tomorrow." Lin Chen looked at the waist-high pile of scrap iron, covered with a thick layer of rust—it was an impossible task. He deliberately asked, "Master Liu, I'm afraid you can't finish it in one day." Liu Haizhong leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, his scars contorted with smugness: "If others can do it, why can't you? If you can't handle hardship, don't come to the forging workshop!" He then changed the subject, his eyes carrying a hint, "If you know the rules, you can find a way to work around it."
Lin Chen sneered inwardly; this was a "becoming an apprentice" ceremony. In his past life, he hadn't understood these "rules" and had been bullied and had his food rations deducted by Liu Haizhong. He pretended not to understand: "I'll do my best." Liu Haizhong's face darkened further, and he said, "If you dare to slack off, you'll regret it," before going to the rest area to smoke, occasionally glancing back at him with smug satisfaction.
Lin Chen crouched down to examine the scrap iron, mostly unfinished products from failed forgings, with inconsistent material quality. He took out a chisel from his pocket and gently pried at the rust; the rust layer peeled off like tree bark, revealing the black steel underneath. This fused chisel was far harder than ordinary tools, making it perfect for removing rust. Just as he was about to start, laughter came from the other side of the workshop. A group of workers surrounded Qin Huairu, who was carrying a baby on her back, pointing and whispering. She clutched a file, looking helpless, her oversized work clothes swaying back and forth, while Jia Huaihua slept soundly on her back.
"Qin Huairu, you can't even hold a file right, and you dare say you learned it from Master Yi?" The tall, thin apprentice, Wang Erlengzi, deliberately raised his voice. "Master Yi is blind, ignoring us and taking on a widow instead." Qin Huairu's face flushed red, tears welling in her eyes. She awkwardly adjusted her posture, her arms trembling from weakness. Lin Chen could see clearly that her fingers were slender, and her body hadn't recovered from childbirth; she was definitely not cut out for rough work.
Yi Zhonghai walked in, his face darkening. "Wang Erlengzi, if you're so bored, go do some work!" After dispersing the workers who were watching the commotion, he patiently taught Qin Huairu, "Clasp your fingers tightly, use your wrist to generate power." His patient movements concealed a sense of helplessness. Lin Chen noticed that although Qin Huairu seemed to be learning diligently, her eyes kept glancing towards the workshop door—sure enough, not long after, Sha Zhu came in carrying a lunchbox. Seeing Qin Huairu, his eyes lit up: "Sister Qin, what's up?"
"Brother Shazhu, I can't learn it, and they all laugh at me." Qin Huairu's eyes reddened, and she deliberately showed the bruises on her wrists. "I have three children to support. What will I do if I lose my job? Huaihua will suffer too..." Shazhu immediately panicked and shoved the lunchbox over her: "There's braised pork and steamed buns inside. Eat first! With me here, no one will dare to bully you!" Qin Huairu declined a few times but then took the lunchbox. The moment she opened it, the aroma of the meat made the surrounding apprentices swallow hard.
He Yushui, who was delivering work shoes, witnessed this scene. Her face was icy as she walked up to Qin Huairu: "My brother earns thirty-seven yuan and fifty cents a month. He has to support your whole family and send money to Mom. You're eating cornbread by yourself. How can you eat that?" Qin Huairu's face turned deathly pale. He Yushui shoved the cloth bag into Shazhu's hands: "Brother, these are work shoes I bought for you. Don't give your food rations to others!" She turned and left, tears welling up in her eyes.
Sha Zhu stood there, looking embarrassed, surrounded by whispers. Qin Huairu's tears turned into embarrassment as she looked pleadingly at Yi Zhonghai, but Yi Zhonghai turned his face away—he knew that Sha Zhu was the person he had chosen to take care of in his old age, and He Yushui's words had hit a nerve: if Sha Zhu were to be worn down, his retirement plan would be ruined.
Lin Chen observed everything, and Qin Huairu's schemes became clearer to him. She used the "widow with a child" tactic as a weapon, feigning weakness to gain sympathy, a tactic that repeatedly worked on soft-hearted people like Sha Zhu; Yi Zhonghai, on the other hand, indulged her for the sake of his retirement, even sacrificing the interests of his apprentices. The scheming in this courtyard even spread to the workshop.
At noon, Lin Chen squatted beside the scrap heap, munching on a coarse grain pancake. Liu Haizhong sat down beside him, taking a bite of his steamed bun. "Kid, got it? The workshop is like a courtyard house; you can't survive without cunning." He pointed to Qin Huairu, who was secretly eating braised pork. "That woman is a bottomless pit; Sha Zhu will be dragged down sooner or later." Seeing Lin Chen remain silent, he lowered his voice further, "Yi Zhonghai isn't a good person either. Last year, when distributing benefits, he gave all the good work gloves to Qin Huairu, and we got the substandard ones. He even withheld materials for the Jia family, all for their retirement."
Lin Chen's heart skipped a beat—Yi Zhonghai valued his reputation above all else. If they could find evidence of the withholding of materials, they could deliver a fatal blow to this "moral saint." He feigned doubt: "Master Liu, is this reliable? Master Yi doesn't seem like that kind of person." Liu Haizhong sneered: "You'll find out later. He has no children and is desperately trying to win over Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu, afraid that no one will take care of him when he gets old." There was a probing and a hint of recruitment in his words—Yi Zhonghai had a lot of influence in the workshop, and winning over Lin Chen, a newcomer with a foundation, would be beneficial to him.
In the afternoon, Lin Chen sped up the rust removal process. The fusion chisel proved effective, and he finished most of the work before 3 PM. He took the opportunity to rummage through the scrap heap and found several pieces of chromium-manganese alloy scraps, which he carefully hid in his pocket, planning to fuse them into more practical tools that evening. During this time, he noticed that Qin Huairu wasn't focused on learning the technology at all; she was constantly secretly observing Sha Zhu, rummaging through his workstation for food when he was away, and even stealing half a bag of brown sugar that Sha Zhu had bought for He Yushui.
As evening fell, a commotion suddenly broke out in the workshop. Zhou Jianguo led the technical team in, his face grave: "Urgent task! A batch of precision gear forging nuts are rusted, and the original wrenches can't tighten them. A reward of half a jin of grain coupons will be given for fixing it!" The workers gathered around, all frowning. Several experienced foreman strained with all their might, even bending the wrenches, but the nuts remained unmoved. Liu Haizhong tried, his face turning red with frustration, but to no avail. Frustrated, he slammed down the wrench: "This piece of junk is useless!"
"This is a military order, due tomorrow. If we can't handle it, the entire workshop's bonuses will be gone!" Zhou Jianguo was sweating profusely. "Is there anyone else willing to try?" When the workshop fell silent, Lin Chen stepped forward: "Director Zhou, I'll give it a try." Liu Haizhong hurriedly stopped him: "Kid, don't be a show-off! I can't even handle it, how can you?" Lin Chen ignored him and, after careful observation, discovered that the nut was not only rusted, but also had iron filings stuck in its grooves.
He pulled out a chisel, quickly ground a small hook from a piece of iron, carefully removed the metal shavings, and then added a drop of machine oil for lubrication. He picked up a wrench, aimed it at the nut, and gently turned it. With a "click," the nut loosened! With a little more force, the rusty nut came off completely. A gasp of amazement immediately rose from the crowd. Zhou Jianguo's face lit up with joy: "Good lad! Besides the food coupons, I have one more request!"
"I want to get into precision forging chemistry," Lin Chen said calmly. Zhou Jianguo immediately nodded: "No problem! Go tomorrow and learn from Master Li!" Liu Haizhong stood aside with a livid face, but dared not say a word—he knew that Lin Chen had now firmly established himself, and it would be as difficult as climbing to heaven to make things difficult for him.
As they were leaving get off work, Sha Zhu patted Lin Chen on the shoulder: "Brother Lin, you're awesome! Come to my place for drinks tonight, I'll cook a couple of dishes!" Before he could finish, Qin Huairu grabbed his arm: "Brother Sha Zhu, Jia Geng wants meat today..." Sha Zhu looked embarrassed, but finally apologized to Lin Chen: "Sorry, Brother Lin, let's do it another time." He then followed Qin Huairu away. Lin Chen watched their retreating figures and shook his head helplessly. Sha Zhu hadn't seen through this woman's true colors yet; he could only wait for him to realize it himself.
Back in the courtyard house, Lin Chen had just entered the side room when he heard Jia Zhangshi's loud voice from next door: "My daughter-in-law is really capable! She got half a chicken from Sha Zhu again! Tonight we'll make chicken soup for Jia Geng to nourish him!" He walked to the window and saw Qin Huairu handing something to Jia Zhangshi through the crack—it was the lunchbox containing braised pork. Jia Zhangshi opened the lunchbox, her eyes crinkling into slits with laughter: "That Sha Zhu kid is so easy to fool. If we get closer to him in the future, our food supply will be secured."
"Mom, I feel uneasy about always scheming against him." Qin Huairu looked tired. "Uneasy about what?" Jia Zhangshi slammed the lunchbox on the table. "If he weren't stupid, we would have starved to death long ago! What's the point of keeping food coupons for a bachelor like him? It's his good fortune to use them to nourish Geng Geng!" Lin Chen closed the window, his eyes cold—next time he saw Qin Huairu scheming against Sha Zhu, he would never stand idly by.
Lin Chen pulled out a scrap of alloy from his pocket, sat cross-legged, and activated the system. A pale blue light enveloped the metal, and the smell of rust in the air grew stronger. He focused intently on controlling the energy flow, feeling the metal molecules reconstructing themselves through fusion. Half an hour later, the light faded, and a jet-black forging hammer appeared in his hand. The hammerhead was streamlined, its surface smooth as a mirror, heavier than an ordinary iron hammer, yet with an excellent feel.
A system panel popped up with a notification: "High-strength forging hammer, containing chromium-manganese alloy, 5 times harder than a regular iron hammer, with the 'Precision Strike' attribute, which can increase forging accuracy by 20%." Lin Chen swung it a few times with satisfaction, the hammer whistling through the air. With this hammer, he'd definitely perform well in the precision forging group tomorrow.
He hid the forging hammer in a secret compartment under his bed, and only lay down after checking the doors and windows. Moonlight streamed through the cracks in the window, illuminating his face with a composure beyond his years. In this life, he would not only rewrite his own destiny, but also tear off the masks of those hypocrites and make those who schemed against others pay the price. The precision forging group at the steel mill would be the first step in his rise; and the sordid affairs of the Red Star Courtyard should also be thoroughly cleansed up.