You're Even Scheduling Me?

By May, little of spring's chill remained in the capital. By midday, it was already somewhat hot.

Li Ye had spent half the day busy over at the leased workshop, resolving problems with two supplied parts before hurrying back to the First Branch Factory to have lunch with Lu Zhizhang.

The two had gotten into the habit of putting their heads together over meals, reaching a consensus on minor conflicts and little issues so they could resolve them cleanly and decisively as soon as work began in the afternoon.

But there were no particularly pressing problems today, so Lu Zhizhang kept his head down and rapidly shoveled food into his mouth.

He felt as though he had inexhaustible energy and endless work to do. Later, he still had to follow up on matters of expanding capacity and increasing production.

Li Ye's eyes shifted, and he asked in a low voice, "Old Lu, do you have anything important this afternoon? If not, I'll go take a look at the radiator department!"

Without even raising his head, Lu Zhizhang said, "Go do your thing. Nothing's happening this afternoon. If anything comes up, I'll page you."

Lu Zhizhang knew Li Ye was trying to slip away. Wen Leyu's due date was this month, and she was already resting at home awaiting delivery. Li Ye, that model husband, couldn't put his mind at ease, so he occasionally left early to go home and keep his wife company.

When two people worked as a team, if one slipped away, the other had to cover for him. It was like helping each other answer roll call in class—mutual help was what made good friends.

"A pager? Deputy Director Li, you've got yourself a pager?"

A female comrade walked over and sat beside them, asking Li Ye