I was married off to a disabled hero in lieu of marriage; my in-laws doted on me and I aspired to gr

The teacher's wife took Honghong to school. Gangzi was still working the night shift and hadn't returned yet. Chen Yan and Yang Zheng looked at the blueprints in the living room for an hour.

Seeing Chen Yan's furrowed brows, Yang Zheng cautiously asked, "Master, can you do it?"

Chen Yan nodded: "It can be done. The hospital has plaster, I can get it. The resin is a bit more difficult. Aren't you going to report to the factory? Go ask Tang Ping, he has a way."

"Can it really be done?" Yang Zheng asked, his face flushed with excitement.

"You have to trust your master. He's an eighth-level fitter, no joke. Casting is delicate work. We'll get started after the Mid-Autumn Festival."

"Okay, thank you, Master. Thank you, Master."

"Thank me for nothing. He's a hero, and we have an obligation to help him get back on his feet. Let's go, let's go to work. We're an hour and a half late. Leave the blueprints here for now, and we'll study them again when we get home tonight."

"Okay, Master, take these small bottles of pickled vegetables to the workshop. I'll go to the factory first."

"Those brats got off easy."

Tang Ping warmly received Yang Zheng, inquired in detail about his studies, and said, "Go to the finance office later to collect your two months' salary and travel allowance. Also, the shift leader of the third shift in the billet rolling workshop has been transferred to the converter steelmaking workshop as deputy director. You will take over the position of shift leader."

Yang Zheng was taken aback: "Director Tang, how can that be? I've only been working at the factory for six months."

"Your selection as class monitor wasn't a decision I made alone. I asked Master Chen, and he thinks highly of you."

Master Chen is Chen Yan, Yang Zheng's own master. How could he say it's not good?

"You haven't been with the factory for long, but you're eager to learn and hardworking. You even stay in the workshop on Sundays. Our factory needs hardworking and reliable young people like you. By the way, you've been promoted to foreman, and your salary has increased by ten yuan."

My salary went from 35 to 45, is that a lot?

Yang Zheng wasn't secretly pleased; instead, he felt a little guilty. There were so many young workers who were more capable than him, so how did he end up being the team leader?

Behind all this is still the power of Commander Zhou.

After finishing their business, Tang Ping brought up personal matters: "Have you visited your sister?"

"I went. I came back from my sister's house this morning."

"Oh, how is Wenhui?"

"My mental state has improved a lot. During my trip to Wuxi, I made a special trip to Shanghai and met Lu Han. He got me some design drawings for a prosthesis, and I'm thinking of getting a prosthesis made for Wenhui."

Tang Ping's expression changed drastically: "You can make it?"

"Master said it's possible, but we need resin."

"Resin? I'm going to the epoxy resin factory later; I know their leaders well." Tang Ping took the initiative to solve this problem.

"Director Tang, thank you so much."

"What are you thanking me for? Commander Zhou and I are classmates and old friends. His son is my son. This is a great thing. If I don't help, what's the point of Wenhui calling me 'Uncle'? Hey, Yang Zheng, hasn't Commander Zhou been home recently?"

"I've visited my sister several times, but I haven't seen Commander Zhou. He must be very busy."

"He's getting on in years, yet he's still working hard in the army. Once things calm down on the front lines, he should be able to transfer to a local area to help with construction."

"Well... I don't know anything about Commander Zhou's family."

"Okay, Yang Zheng, go to the finance office and collect your salary. Take a day off today, and go to the third shift to take over as shift leader tomorrow."

"Yes, thank you, Director Tang."

Yang Zheng got up to say goodbye and went to the finance office on the third floor.

Yang Zheng hadn't expected that his salary had already reached 45 two months ago.

I received a total of 90 yuan over two months, plus a 50 yuan travel allowance, for a total of 140 yuan.

The accountant handed Yang Zheng his salary and said, "The company has distributed five catties of mung beans, five catties of white sugar, and also soda coupons and popsicle coupons. They are with your workshop clerk. Go and collect them."

"Thank you, thank you."

Holding the huge sum of money, Yang Zheng's heart pounded wildly.

After working for more than half a year, he finally managed to save up more than thirty yuan, which he spent entirely on Zhou Wenhui's clumsy prosthetic leg.

With this money, I had a lot more money to spend on the resin prosthesis later on.

When I go home for the Mid-Autumn Festival, I need to buy some things for my parents and grandparents. Oh, and I need to buy Zhao Jintao a white shirt.

After thinking it over in my mind, I put my change of clothes in the dormitory and went to the workshop.

Fang Guangming and Yang Zheng went to Wuxi together. They reported to the factory yesterday and started work today.

Upon seeing Yang Zheng, he said meaningfully, "Yang Zheng, I heard you've taken over as the squad leader of Class Three?"

"Yes... Factory Director Tang just informed me."

"Wow, that's impressive. It took me three years to become class monitor, and you became class monitor in just six months," Fang Guangming said with a forced smile.

Yang Zheng understood the implication but didn't know how to respond. Chen Yan, who was drinking tea, chimed in, "I've worked my whole life and I'm still a worker, while Tang Ping became a factory director at 45."

Fang Guangming laughed heartily: "Master Chen, come on, Director Tang asked for your opinion on who should be the third shift leader, right?"

"Yes, he asked me, and of course I recommended my own apprentice. Could it be that an apprentice who is an eighth-level fitter can't even handle a lousy foreman position?" Chen Yan said shamelessly.

"Alright, alright, it won't be long before your little apprentice becomes the deputy director of the workshop, just like your eldest apprentice."

"You're not convinced? You're not convinced? Try comparing your skills with my eldest apprentice. The apprentices I, Chen Yan, train are no pushovers."

Yang Zheng had always heard of his master's eldest disciple, but had never met him.

"Okay, okay, I didn't say anything. I just envy Yang Zheng for having a good mentor and a good brother-in-law."

"What are you saying in such a sarcastic tone?"

"Master Chen, is it wrong for me to be envious or jealous? You're really meddling." Fang Guangming smiled disdainfully and went to inspect the workshop with his tools.

After Fang Guangming left, Chen Yan said to Yang Zheng, "Come, sit down."

The master and apprentice sat down, and Chen Yan said seriously, "Being promoted to squad leader in just six months is indeed a bit fast, no wonder Fang Guangming is not convinced. The steel mill is a place where you can hold your head high if you have the ability, but recommending you as squad leader is not because your master has any personal bias, but because you are capable of doing the job."

Your skills may not be as good as Fang Guangming's, but your tenacity and eagerness to learn are unmatched. Yang Zheng, when Tang Ping initially assigned you to be my apprentice, I disliked you too. But after six months together, I've found you to be reliable, sincere, hardworking, and eager to learn; your master is very moved. Don't worry about what others say; just do your job well, and if you can also be creative, you'll be an invaluable asset.

"Master, thank you." Yang Zheng found a glimmer of confidence amidst his dejection.

"Your senior brother Zhang Yuan is the deputy director of the converter steelmaking workshop. He's only thirty years old. Back then, many people were unconvinced, but now who dares to say a word? Zhang Yuan is also down-to-earth, but he's a little less bright than you. He's what people call stubborn."

When Zhang Yuan is mentioned, Chen Yan has mixed feelings of love and hate.

"Master, I will work hard and never let you down."

"If you don't understand anything, just come to your master. Whether it's the foreman or the workshop director, your master can take care of you."

"Master, your skills are so good, why have you always worked as a laborer?"

"Sigh, Master also had a chance, but he didn't want to. He's dealt with these screws his whole life, and to put me in an office would make me feel terrible. Now it's good, though. My salary isn't lower than an office worker's, and I'm in the workshop. If anything happens, I'm there anytime. Don't let Tang Ping's bureaucratic tone fool you, he doesn't live as freely as I do."

"Director Tang said that without you sitting in the workshop, he felt his office was trembling."

Yang Zheng smiled, revealing a row of white teeth.

"That's true. Even if it weren't for me, Tang Ping's position wouldn't be so secure. The steel plant had several major accidents, and the steel plates produced were substandard. It was Master who fixed them all." Chen Yan couldn't help but raise his eyebrows proudly.

"Master is amazing!" Yang Zheng felt inexplicably proud; this was his master.