Chapter 47

At her machine, she changed a spindle with practiced ease and made a snide remark.

She did not speak loudly, but she made no effort to lower her voice, either.

Chen Xiuhong's temper flared.

What was Zhang Xing'er's problem?

It was one thing for her to mutter a few complaints in their own workshop, but the maintenance staff were here now.

If word of this got out, their workshop would be a laughingstock again.

Liang Ying ignored her and asked Master Wu and Master Cheng, "Doesn't this machine seem to be turning out cloth faster than before?"

Master Wu took a close look and felt the bit of cloth coming out. "I think it is."

"Master Wu, Master Cheng, Liang Ying—what are you all doing here?"

Deng Mei had been passing the door. When she saw people gathered around several machines in the Third Workshop, she hurried over to see what was happening.

She was afraid trouble had broken out in the Third Workshop.

"We just had the machines repaired, team leader," Liang Ying said. "We're checking whether they've improved."

"How could they have improved? They've been broken for years."

Zhang Xing'er could not help chiming in.

Liang Ying ignored her. She picked up a piece of defective cloth from the basket on the floor and said to Deng Mei, "Team leader, I took a close look at this cloth this morning and found sticky patches on every piece. I think the oil we added to the machines might be what's ruining the cloth."

Deng Mei immediately took it seriously. She picked up the cloth, examined it closely, and felt it.

"It really is a little sticky."

"So I asked the two masters to take the machines apart and wipe away the oil. I wanted to see if that was the cause," Liang Ying said. "Plenty of other machines in the factory turn out defective cloth, too. If we can find the cause, we'll save the factory a lot of losses."

"Good, good."

Deng Mei praised Liang Ying again and again.

She was about to compliment Liang Ying on her careful eye when she noticed Zhang Xing'er looking indignant beside them. She changed tack. "You've really put your heart into this. That's how we team leaders should be—thinking ahead for our coworkers and the factory. You haven't eaten yet, have you?"

"No."

Liang Ying shook her head, looking a little embarrassed. "I was so eager to see the results that I figured I could eat afterward."

"Go eat right now. I'll keep an eye on the cloth for you. Finish your meal in the changing room and come straight back." The moment Deng Mei heard she had not eaten, she sent Liang Ying off.

Liang Ying could not argue with her. She quickly asked Chen Xiuhong to help change the spindles. Chen Xiuhong agreed, proud to be involved, and shot Zhang Xing'er a smug look.

Zhang Xing'er gritted her teeth in anger. In her mind, Liang Ying was being unbelievably petty.

She had only said a few things about her. Did Liang Ying have to make such a fuss?

Liang Ying hurried to the changing room for lunch.

Her mind was nowhere near her food. She barely knew what she ate, swallowing it in a rush. Just as she was leaving, she ran into Lin Lianhua.

Lin Lianhua seemed to have just returned from lunch. Seeing Liang Ying in such a hurry, she smiled and asked, "Liang Ying, what's got you rushing around like that?"

She glanced toward the Third Workshop. "Oh, look at that crowd. Are your people arguing again?"

Liang Ying shot her a look. "Lin Lianhua, can't you wish us well for once? Our workshop is doing fine. When have we been arguing?"

It was true that the Third Workshop had its share of troublemakers and slackers. But that was something its own people could say; Liang Ying was not about to let an outsider take shots at them.

That would be turning her back on her own people.

"Team leader! Team leader! It worked!"

Chen Xiuhong had just stepped out of the workshop when she spotted Liang Ying. She beckoned urgently. "Come quick!"

At those words, everything else flew from Liang Ying's mind. She left Lin Lianhua where she stood and ran into the Third Workshop.

Lin Lianhua watched her suspiciously, then said to Xu Wen and the others, "Why don't we go see what all the fuss is about?"

"Sure. There's quite a commotion over there. I wonder what happened," Xu Wen said softly, sounding as though she was concerned for Liang Ying.

But Lin Lianhua looked her up and down and sneered to herself.

She usually acts so meek, but there's the fox's tail. She wants to see Liang Ying make a fool of herself just as much as I do.

Xu Wen grew uneasy under Lin Lianhua's scrutiny and turned her head away.

Lin Lianhua smiled. "Let's go have a look. We should show some concern for our coworkers."

A crowd had gathered inside the Third Workshop.

They were clustered especially thickly around Liang Ying's machines. The two masters held the newly woven cloth in their hands, studying it closely from one end to the other.

Master Wu clicked his tongue in amazement. "Well, I'll be. Would you look at that? They really are fixed."

"What's fixed?"

Lin Lianhua had barely squeezed through the crowd before she blurted out the question.

Master Wu pushed up his reading glasses. "These machines. Liang Ying, you're something else. They've broken down so many times, and no one on our side could fix them, but you spotted the problem."

Liang Ying remained modest. "You're too kind, Master Wu. I only found it by chance. I think we should check again—try the same thing on other machines in the factory and see if oil is causing their problems too."

"Yes, yes, exactly."

Liang Ying's words reminded Deng Mei of that.

Deng Mei was grinning from ear to ear. She clapped her hands. "Which other machines in our workshop are faulty? Let's get the masters to work on them."

"Mine! Mine!"

A woman in her thirties raised her hand at once.

Master Wu and Master Cheng went over and asked about her machines. They also produced defective cloth now and then, though not as often as Liang Ying's.

"One of them turned out bad cloth just a few days ago—this one here."

As she spoke, the woman suddenly clapped her hands. "Oh! The day before that happened, I remembered this machine hadn't been oiled in a while, so I added some. The cloth came out bad the very next day. Could that be why?"

"Possibly, but we'll have to test it before we know."

Master Wu and Master Cheng were delighted, too.

Defective cloth had been a stubborn problem at the factory for years. The leaders complained, the workers complained, and the maintenance staff were anxious about it as well.

If they could solve it, a great weight would be lifted from their minds.

The two masters set to work cleaning the machine.

Seeing the crowd grow larger, Deng Mei called out, "All right, move along. The repairs won't be done anytime soon. Don't you have work of your own? Get back to it."

With that, everyone had no choice but to leave.

Lin Lianhua, Xu Wen, and the others walked away, looking back every few steps.

All afternoon, Lin Lianhua and the others could hardly concentrate on their work. They kept listening for news from next door.

But with the looms clattering away, how could they hear anything from the Third Workshop?

The next day, Lin Lianhua was wheeling her bicycle into the factory when she saw a crowd around the honor board.

A suspicion struck her. She hurried over, parked her bicycle, and squeezed through. A sheet of red paper was posted on the board, commending Liang Ying, Deng Mei, Chen Xiuhong, and the two maintenance masters.

"The factory's being generous this time—ten yuan each," a woman beside her said, hands tucked into her sleeves and envy plain on her face. "I hear they'll get priority consideration for model worker at the end of the year, too."

"Really? Lucky them. Say, why didn't we think the defective cloth might be caused by machine oil getting on it?" a man asked, tilting back his head and rubbing his stubbly chin.

"It says right there: they paid attention to their work and thought about what was best for the factory. Xiao Zhang, I reckon all you think about is playing cards."

The woman seemed to know him and teased him with easy familiarity.

People all around them praised Liang Ying and the others, especially Liang Ying. The Third Workshop had a reputation, and when Liang Ying had first been assigned there, nobody in the factory had expected much from her.

The reason was simple: Liang Ying was too young. She had children already, but to the many factory workers old enough to be grandparents, she was still a greenhorn.

The Third Workshop was full of veteran workers whom even the factory director treated with a measure of respect. Liang Ying had no connections in the factory, and her class background was poor besides. Surely she would be eaten alive there.

Yet who could have expected this?

Liang Ying seemed to be making a decent job of something even Sister Deng could not straighten out.

At least, this was the first time in years that anyone from the Third Workshop had been commended.

Listening to everyone praise her, Lin Lianhua's eyes reddened. She lowered her head and left the crowd, her teeth grinding together.

She wanted to avoid the whole matter, but heaven seemed determined to work against her.

At noon, Deng Mei even called them together for a meeting to praise Liang Ying.

The Fifty-Fourth Day of Being Overheard

"I'm sure you all know that Liang Ying, the Third Workshop's team leader, made a major contribution yesterday." Sister Deng was in high spirits. She had not been the one to discover the machine problem, but she had recommended Liang Ying, and Liang Ying had spoken highly of her to the leaders yesterday. Sister Deng had received some credit as well.

"Our workshop's machines have had problems for years, and we could never fix them. Thanks to Liang Ying discovering that the oil was to blame, the factory can greatly reduce its losses from now on."

"Comrade Liang, that's impressive."

The team leaders from the other workshops praised her with smiles. Though there was some envy in their voices, they were grateful too.

After all, Liang Ying's discovery had solved plenty of their problems as well.

"Let's give her a round of applause," Sister Deng said, clapping. "Liang Ying, why don't you share some of your work experience with everyone?"

Liang Ying stood amid the applause and bowed with quiet confidence. Smiling, she said, "There isn't much to tell. I just try to think things through and consider the possibilities while I work, then test them out. Honestly, I stumbled onto the answer by luck. And the maintenance masters and Sister Deng supported me, so the credit isn't all mine. If anything, I still have a lot to learn from everyone here."

Sister Deng was not one to hog credit, but she still liked hearing that.

The other team leaders' smiles grew more genuine. "Comrade Liang, you're too modest. I'd say you're doing quite well in the Third Workshop. Maybe your production figures will catch up before long."

"I hope so."

Liang Ying smiled. "If that day comes, I'll have to treat everyone to a meal."

"That sounds good. We'll hold you to it." Sister Deng pointed at Liang Ying with a smile. "I have high hopes for you. Don't let us down."

"Liang Ying, don't get too carried away."

Lin Lianhua had sat beside them listening long enough. She finally could not hold back.

Her voice was gentle, but her words had an edge. "Your workshop's machines may be fixed, but catching up won't be so easy, will it? With those women in your workshop..."

She gave a light laugh and left the rest unsaid. Everyone knew what she meant.

The other team leaders exchanged glances, then looked at Liang Ying.

Liang Ying did not get angry. She gave a slight nod. "Team Leader Lin, I can't agree with that. If the women in our workshop put their minds to it, they can match any other workshop. We might even catch up with your First Workshop."

"Hah. You certainly talk big, Team Leader Liang."

Lin Lianhua scoffed. "The First Workshop has ranked first in production for years. How exactly will the Third Workshop catch us?"

"Then why don't we have a contest?"

Liang Ying blurted it out as though Lin Lianhua had provoked her.

"Liang Ying, Liang Ying, don't be rash!" Seeing Liang Ying start talking recklessly, Sister Deng hurried to stop her.

The Third Workshop's machines were fixed, but its workers were still the same people.

How could they possibly catch up with the First Workshop?

"Fine, let's compete. What happens if you lose?"

Lin Lianhua's interest stirred.

She was certain she would win this wager, so why not take it?

She could hardly stand the sight of Liang Ying looking so pleased with herself. Now Liang Ying had volunteered to embarrass herself. It was as though heaven itself was helping Lin Lianhua.

"If we lose, I'll pay ten yuan out of my own pocket to buy ice pops for everyone in your workshop."

Liang Ying did not hesitate for a second, as though she had truly lost her head. "If you lose, you buy ice pops for everyone in ours."

"Fine. Deal!"

Lin Lianhua could not help smiling.

She stood and said, "I'll look forward to those ice pops, Comrade Liang."

Zhang Tao'er smiled. "Lianhua,"