Wen Chang heard his wife crying and felt a twinge in his heart.
After a moment of silence, he lifted the blanket and tried to get up.
When Wen Jing saw this, he hurriedly supported him with his own thin body.
It had been a long time since Wen Chang had been so close to his son, and when he put his hand on his son’s shoulder, all he felt were bony and dry bones.
The man, who had never teared up despite all his suffering, immediately felt his eyes well up.
"...Dad has dragged you all down," he said with trembling lips.
Upon hearing this, Wen Jing’s face turned stern as he looked at Wen Chang and said seriously, "Dad, I don’t like to hear you talk like that.
You are a hero who has helped build our country. My sister and I are proud of you. Don’t talk about dragging us down."
"As long as you’re here, our family is complete. Wen Xue and I, we both feel secure. If you were... our family couldn’t even imagine what it would be like."
Whether his dad was sick or disabled, he hoped his dad would always be there.
Waiting for the day he would get married, waiting for Wen Xue to get married, always there!
Wen Chang felt a jolt in his heart, and a flame to live on ignited in his eyes.
He patted his son, who had matured a lot compared to before, and said, "...Dad will keep going, striving to stay with you all."
Even though night after night he struggled to breathe and thought about ending it all,
for the sake of his wife and children, he had to live.
Until the very last moment, he would not close his eyes in death.
Wen Jing didn’t know how much Wen Chang was suffering, but seeing his father’s promise, he smiled broadly.
He stretched out his fist, scrawny as a chicken claw, imitating his childhood gesture, wanting to bump fists with his father.
Wen Chang cooperated, extending his fist, and father and son made a pact.
"Dad will do everything to live on," he said after.
Supporting each other, father and son walked out of the room.
Ling Lei glanced at them, quickly looking away.
Wen Chang could tell his wife was still angry and showed a bitter smile on his face.
She’s really got a temper!
Wen Xue waved at her dad and brother, her face full of longing, "Daddy, brother, hurry up, we have meat today."
When Wen Jing heard about meat, his hungry stomach growled again.
With a gulp, he swallowed his saliva.
"Meat? Mom, did you buy meat?" he said in shock.
When could their family afford to eat meat again?!
Talking as they walked, father and son approached the dining table.
Indeed there was meat, and several other decent dishes too.
"Mom, did you strike it rich?" Wen Jing asked with a raised voice.
Wen Chang also looked at Ling Lei with a puzzled expression.
Ever since his accident, other than on holidays when they would cut some meat, the family rarely touched any flesh.
Only he, the patient, was forced by his wife to eat an egg every other day to nourish his body.
The dining table had always featured the same old carrots, cabbage, and potatoes.
Today’s feast was comparable to the days when the family was doing well.
Ling Lei felt a tinge of sourness in her heart seeing her family’s reactions.
Life had been hard, and the children suffered.
She explained, "This was given to me by a new colleague in the Technology Department as a thank-you. Sit down now, or it’ll get cold."
Everyone took their seats in turn.
The braised pork with radishes didn’t have many slices, and it was gone with a simple division.
Wen Jing and Wen Xue, the brother and sister, squinted as they savored a slice each, then collectively picked up the largest slice for Wen Chang.
"Dad, eat the meat, you’ll have strength after eating it."
"Right, my brother is correct. You need to eat more, Dad."
Wen Chang felt warmly content inside.
Ling Lei glanced at her husband and said discontentedly, "Tell your dad to stop thinking about work, just rest and take care of his health."
A slice or two of meat wasn’t going to make up for it all.
Seeing that his wife was talking to him again, Wen Chang couldn’t help but be cheerful,
Touching Ling Lei’s hand, he said with a laugh, "Don’t worry, I want to be with you for a few more years. I won’t mistreat my body."
These were true words.
If it weren’t for his wife and children supporting him, he would have already given up.
Ling Lei struggled to pull her hand away, failed to do so, and finally gave in,
"As long as you’re aware."
Watching their parents being affectionate, Wen Jing and Wen Xue wore faces full of disgust, yet their eyes brimmed with laughter.
This was happiness!
After a while, when the atmosphere returned to normal,
Wen Jing curiously asked, "Mom, does your new colleague come from a well-off family? Treating you to meat, are they always this generous?"
With such generous colleagues, he too wanted one.
A dozen of them wouldn’t be too many.
Ling Lei thought of the young girl Lin Tang and her smile deepened,
"They shouldn’t be lacking in anything, I guess. She’s still a young girl, in charge of an old and young family, with strong abilities and a high salary, indeed living a better life than most."
"But, the comrade is very outstanding, and she deserves it all."
Wen Chang, hearing his wife mention a young girl, showed a bit of surprise on his gaunt, pale face.
"A young girl can enter the Technology Department?"
Ling Lei nodded, "Yes, Comrade Lin Tang is different. The girl is genuinely smart, the kind that even Master Yang praises for her exceptional intelligence."
Wen Chang knew Master Yang, and the praise he gave affirmed Lin Tang’s intelligence for him.
But that name?
"Lin Tang? I feel like I’ve heard this name before," he murmured.
Ling Lei replied, "Of course, it’s familiar. Wasn’t it in the newspaper before, the young girl who turned the county upside down?"
The one who managed to shake up the entire county with just one article, something not just anyone could do.
Wen Chang exclaimed, "Heroes emerge from youth!"
Smart and resilient people could always make their way, no matter where they were.
Wen Xue, having swallowed the vegetables in her mouth, solemnly retorted, "Dad, she’s a female comrade..."
So, talking about heroes emerging from youth might not be quite right?
-
Lin Tang quickly got to know her colleagues in the Technology Department, so she integrated very quickly.
She soon became one of the gang.
With the support of a close sister and the protection of Master Yang, she felt as comfortable in the Technology Department as a fish in water, living quite freely and confidently.
The first thing Lin Tang did when she joined the Technology Department was to tackle the ongoing challenge of the automatic shuttle weaving machine: solving the problem of the reciprocating cam.
With her sharp mind, calculating various data was a breeze for her.
It only took her half a day to crunch all the numbers.
The Textile Factory prioritized production and only did research on the side; there was a severe shortage of various machinery parts.
Seeing that the factory didn’t have what she needed, Lin Tang immediately took the blueprint to Master Yang.
Master Yang gave Lin Tang a kind look, as if he were the benevolent old man at the village gate.
"Comrade Xiaolin, what brings you here? Facing any difficulties?"
This was the darling of the Technology Department; she needed to be well-cared for.
They couldn’t let the young comrade feel stifled.
Lin Tang, unaware of Master Yang’s thoughts, extended her hand and passed over the blueprint.
"Master Yang, I’ve calculated all the details for the dimensions of the reciprocating cam. The blueprint is here; please take a look," she said.
Master Yang was surprised, "Oh? That fast?"
He then took over the blueprint and began to examine it.
A Technician beside him couldn’t resist peering curiously at it.
Although Master Yang was a technical person, he had the heart of a true craftsman, focused and attentive.
Picking up the blueprint, he became entirely engrossed, taking a pen and paper as he sat down at the adjacent desk and started calculating.
In those days, calculations relied first on the brain and second on the hand; the idea of using any high technology was just wishful thinking.
Once started, it took at least two to three hours.