Chapter 64: Yi Zhonghai Injured

Yi Zhonghai's mind was full of his own retirement problems, and on top of that he hadn't rested well the previous night, so his attention was definitely not focused.

"Master Yi, what's wrong with you?" Workshop Director Guo Dazhi saw Yi Zhonghai's dazed look, walked over and asked with concern. Since Guo Dazhi is left-handed, everyone gave him the nickname Guo Da Piezi.

Due to the country's Third Front construction in recent years, many senior technicians and engineers had been drafted to participate, so Yi Zhonghai is now a Level 8 fitter; in fact, judging by his skill level he would only qualify for Level 7, but many factories lack senior technicians, so the evaluation is not as strict as before, and Yi Zhonghai was lucky to catch a good opportunity and barely passed the Level 8 Worker assessment.

Even so, there are hardly any Level 8 Workers in the entire steel mill, so both the Factory Director and the Workshop Director give him some face.

"It's nothing, I just didn't rest well last night," Yi Zhonghai said lightly. Since becoming a Level 8 Worker, Yi Zhonghai has gotten conceited; he doesn't take this Workshop Director seriously, and despite the factory repeatedly asking him to take on more apprentices, he has refused each time on the grounds of insufficient income. In the steel mill, besides taking Jia Dongxu as his sole apprentice, he has never taken another, and Yi Zhonghai is extremely selfish, believing in the idea that teaching apprentices will starve the master; even when teaching Jia Dongxu, who is his chosen support for old age, he holds back, otherwise Jia Dongxu would not have remained only a Level 2 Worker after all these years.

Yi Zhonghai does this far worse than Liu Haizhong. Liu Haizhong is now a Level 7 forger; although his rank is lower than Yi Zhonghai's Level 8 fitter, Liu Haizhong truly has no equal in teaching apprentices—not only has he taken on several apprentices, but he teaches them wholeheartedly, and among his apprentices the highest rank is Level 6 Worker, with several Level 3, 4, and 5 Workers as well. Liu Haizhong's weakness lies in his education: having only finished primary school, reaching Level 7 Worker is already impressive, because senior technician evaluation requires not only skill but also the ability to read drawings, and Liu Haizhong's educational foundation is weak, so he struggles with drawings. Yet he is also very conscious of face: although he only finished primary school, he constantly claims to have finished middle school, and some say his earnest teaching of apprentices is related to his vanity; what he enjoys most is having a large group of apprentices surrounding him, calling him "Master," and even though he never became a leader, wherever he goes people call him Master, which also satisfies his vanity.

Regardless of Liu Haizhong's motives for teaching apprentices, he has indeed trained many talents for the steel mill, which is the main reason his relationships there are better than Yi Zhonghai's.

"How about giving you a day off today to go home and rest?" Guo Da Piezi, although he also dislikes Yi Zhonghai, is the most skilled master in his workshop, and many parts still need his processing; even knowing that Yi Zhonghai looks down on him, Guo Da Piezi finds it hard to say anything. In fact, Yi Zhonghai looks down on Guo Da Piezi also because Guo Da Piezi, a mere Level 6 Worker, dares to be Workshop Director, while Yi Zhonghai, a Level 8 Worker, isn't even a small group leader—his mind could hardly balance that. This also reflects, from another angle, that Yi Zhonghai truly cannot handle interpersonal matters. The steel mill's leaders are no fools; the fact that they won't let a Level 8 Worker become even a small group leader shows how great their opinion of him is.

Although they also didn't let Liu Haizhong become any kind of leader, the main reason is that everyone knows his educational level is limited, and second, and most importantly, everyone clearly knows Liu Haizhong's character; not making him a leader allows him to satisfy his vanity by teaching more apprentices, but once given a leadership position, even just a small group leader, he would likely get carried away and would no longer teach apprentices so earnestly, instead spending all day pointing and directing to indulge his leadership cravings.

In China, whoever can become a leader is a shrewd person; their control over subordinates' psychology is very strong. They also count as making the best use of everyone, arranging different positions according to each person's situation.

"No need, I'll rest when I'm tired," Yi Zhonghai said lightly. Taking a day off would mean losing a day's wages, and he still often has to support the Jia family, so he can't bear to have his wages deducted. Anyway, his skills are the best in this workshop; even if he slacked off a bit, others saw it but dared not say anything.

"Alright, then pay more attention to your health," Guo Da Piezi saw Yi Zhonghai's indifferent attitude toward him, so he wouldn't rush to put a warm face on a cold backside; after saying that, he turned and left.

Watching Guo Da Piezi's back, Yi Zhonghai's eyes revealed a cold expression.

"Ah," Yi Zhonghai felt a sudden sharp pain in his hand, then let out a loud shout.

"Master, what's wrong with you?" Jia Dongxu heard Yi Zhonghai's shout and hurried over.

"Nothing, just a scratch from the machine," Yi Zhonghai said with a painful expression, covering his right hand with his left hand; blood kept flowing from between his fingers, and large beads of sweat kept rolling down his forehead.

"How are you, Master Yi?" Guo Da Piezi heard the scream and also hurried over.

"I accidentally got scratched by the machine," Yi Zhonghai said painfully.

"Jia Dongxu, quickly take Master Yi to the infirmary for a check-up," Guo Da Piezi ordered at once. Although he also doesn't like Yi Zhonghai, Yi Zhonghai has indeed been injured now. The steel mill often has such safety accidents, after all its machines are old Soviet-era equipment that was phased out; sometimes maintenance is poor, machines break down, or safety accidents occur—this is common. But since Yi Zhonghai is a Level 8 Worker, he still needs to show sufficient concern, and this is also his way of showing it to the workers and leaders.

"Master, let me help you to the infirmary," Jia Dongxu supported Yi Zhonghai as they walked out; at this moment Yi Zhonghai felt much better inside, feeling that his efforts toward Jia Dongxu were not in vain, and seeing Jia Dongxu's anxious expression made him even more determined to let Jia Dongxu support him in old age.

"Doctor, doctor, please come help my master quickly," Jia Dongxu supported Yi Zhonghai to the infirmary. As a factory of ten thousand people, the steel mill is like a small society, with an infirmary, school, etc.; Red Star Primary School, where Yan Butgui works, belongs to the steel mill.

"Don't worry, let me take a look first," a male doctor in a white coat walked out.

He first gently removed Yi Zhonghai's right-hand glove, but what appeared before the doctor was Yi Zhonghai's right hand, completely bare, with the thumb missing from the root; the doctor picked up the removed glove and poured out the blood-soaked thumb from inside.

"This injury is too serious for us to handle; we must send him to the hospital," the doctor said after looking at Yi Zhonghai's right hand. Medical technology in the 1950s–60s was not great anyway, and the steel mill's infirmary only deals with headaches, fevers, colds, and minor wounds that just need bandaging; for something like Yi Zhonghai's entire thumb being cut off, they really can't treat it.