A Warm Love Story
The winter sky in Chengdu was always gray and cloudy, with no sign of the sun all day. Zhao Gang glanced at his watch; it was already past nine, yet the view outside remained a depressing gray, sapping his spirit.
He licked his dry lips, parched from a hangover, and sighed. Warm white vapor escaped his mouth, nearly freezing in the frigid indoor air. He reached for his cup and drank half of the cold tea left from last night, feeling a chill spread through his body.
Zhao Gang curled up in his quilt, silently reflecting on everything he had experienced in the past six months, feeling utterly lost.
Half a year ago, Zhao Gang graduated from university with a degree in mechanical engineering. Fresh out of school, he had been confident that his knowledge and skills would quickly help him establish himself and achieve success. Reality, however, often has a way of disappointing.
No ideal job with good conditions awaited him. His university wasn’t prestigious, mechanical engineering wasn’t in demand, he lacked work experience, and he came from a farming background.
He didn’t despise his rural roots; on the contrary, he was proud of his hometown’s beautiful scenery and simple customs. He couldn’t forget the warm send-off from his village when he first went to university. It was this support that motivated him to excel in his studies and determined him to make a name for himself before returning home.
In the past six months, he had worked as a salesman, sold insurance, peddled pirated VCDs, distributed flyers, and even carried bags at the train station. The pressures of life gradually eroded his dignity.
Fortunately, his university friend Liu Quan provided him with this small room, preventing him from becoming homeless. He learned to numb himself with alcohol. Countless times, he and Liu Quan, who wasn’t much better off, drank heavily and dreamed of a brilliant future. But after sobering up, he found that nothing had changed except for his headache and emptiness.
Where were his cigarettes? He craved them especially during cold, lonely times. Trembling, Zhao Gang reached out from his quilt towards the cluttered table by the bed, fumbling through a pile of newspapers, old disks, and waste paper until he finally found a half-smoked cigarette under his messy graduation thesis.
He quickly lit it. His hands quickly grew cold, so he grabbed a coat to throw over himself and continued staring blankly at the ceiling.
Zhao Gang remembered that there was a small shop outside that sold cigarettes, alcohol, and possibly newspapers with job advertisements. Gathering his courage, he left his warm bed. After getting dressed and freshening up a bit, he took half a broken mirror from the table to comb his hair and then left his small room, heading to the shop diagonally across from him.
The shop was quiet inside and out, so quiet that a bird trap could probably be set up at the door without any problem. The shopkeeper was a girl younger than him, engrossed in reading a newspaper due to the lack of business, not noticing him.
Zhao Gang looked over the cigarette counter. A fiery red package caught his eye, warming his heart.
“Can I have a pack of these?” Zhao Gang pointed at the “A Blaze.”
“Five Bulls?” The shopkeeper also pointed at the “A Blaze” package.
Zhao Gang nodded.
“Is it okay if I read the morning paper here?”
The shopkeeper glanced at him, nodded, and pointed to a chair by the stove.
“Thank you.” Zhao Gang took a newspaper and sat by the stove, opening the cigarette pack. He realized he didn’t have a lighter.
“Could I borrow a light?”
The shopkeeper courteously handed him a lighter. Zhao Gang lit his cigarette, feeling a warmth spread through him. In this cold and unfortunate time, perhaps only the cigarette could provide some comfort. He exhaled, and the smoke filled the small shop. The shopkeeper, pausing from her newspaper, watched Zhao Gang reading while smoking. Did he look cool? Perhaps, with a manly charm.
Zhao Gang sensed something, quickly asking, “Is it okay to smoke here?”
The shopkeeper waved her hand, indicating it was fine. Zhao Gang suddenly felt the shopkeeper was very easygoing, which made him feel good about her. He took a closer look.
She had dyed hair, which if not tied back, would likely fall over her shoulders. Though not particularly beautiful, she had a certain charm. They both noticed each other’s attention and quickly lowered their heads to focus on the newspaper.
“Business isn’t too good,” Zhao Gang broke the awkward silence.
“Yes, it’s too remote here. This little shop is too inconspicuous. Do you live nearby?”
“Yes, in the small room diagonally opposite.”
“Oh, we’re neighbors then. I haven’t seen you before.”
“I just moved in.”
Zhao Gang noticed a job advertisement, a mechanic position at Feiteng Machinery Factory. He decided to check it out and returned the newspaper to the shopkeeper.
“Sorry for the disturbance.” He got up to leave.
After taking a few steps, he heard the shopkeeper’s voice: “Sir.”
“Is there something?” He remembered he hadn’t paid, “Oh, I haven’t paid yet.” Embarrassed because he was broke, he asked, “Can I put it on credit? I live right across, I won’t run away.”
The shopkeeper smiled, “Okay, but can I have your name? I’m Zhang Yufei.”
Zhao Gang took another look at her. “Zhao Gang.”
At the machinery factory, Zhao Gang learned it was a near-bankrupt factory struggling to survive, much like himself, down on its luck. Sharing the same fate, it wasn’t hard for Zhao Gang to find a job as a mechanic there, although the pay was pitifully low. The work was simple: processing parts from 8 to 11 in the morning and 1 to 4 in the afternoon. The rest of the time was off. This idle work seemed pointless.
Zhao Gang, having studied mechanical engineering and being diligent during his internship, was familiar with the lathe. Seeing it again filled him with a sense of excitement. He took out the Five Bulls cigarette he bought on credit in the morning, lit it, and let his excitement dissipate in the smoke.
After work, Zhao Gang stopped by Zhang Yufei’s shop to share his joy of finding a job and learn more about his neighbor. Zhang Yufei was an orphan, her only relative, her grandfather, was in the hospital, nearing death.
She managed the shop during the day and cared for her grandfather at night but worried about leaving the shop unattended. Zhao Gang decided to help out as a neighborly duty. Grateful, Zhang Yufei wrote off his morning cigarette as a token of gratitude.
The small shop was much warmer and cozier than his tiny room. Zhao Gang was happy to help and pulled out the account book, writing under his name: “Zhao Gang owes one pack of Five Bulls cigarettes.”
Zhao Gang took another pack on credit.
He added, “Don’t mind if I take another pack. Don’t offer me cigarettes; you’re struggling too. Letting me take cigarettes on credit is already a big favor. I don’t have money now, but I will in the future.” These cigarettes seemed to open a broader world for him. “Feel your serenity with serenity, let your enthusiasm soar, and let your spirit fly higher.” Late at night, he lit a cigarette, sinking into deeper silence.
The next day, when Zhao Gang opened the account book to take another pack on credit, he found an additional line.
“I believe you can do it.”
He added, “You too.”
Zhao Gang’s familiarity with the lathe was akin to his forefathers’ bond with their plow oxen. At this moment, he was studying a shaper. In his spare time, he tinkered with various machines: lathes, milling machines, grinders.
He found that the principles and operations of these machines were simple. For instance, a shaper just moves the cutting head back and forth, a milling machine moves linearly in one direction, while grinders and lathes simply rotate. Although their functions differed, their operations weren’t complex.
He realized he could combine these functions into one machine with a multifunctional cutting head, like an all-around gymnast. This would vastly improve efficiency and reduce costs. Inspiration often favors the diligent, and Zhao Gang couldn’t contain his excitement.
After work, he stayed in Zhang Yufei’s shop, spreading out diagrams of various machines and studying them. He pulled several all-nighters, eventually designing a multifunctional cutting head and a “universal machine” that could perform various tasks like shaping, milling, grinding, turning, and knurling. It was a brilliant design. If the factory invested in it, it could replicate the turnaround of the Haier Group.
Zhang Yufei was happy for him.
“Didn’t I say you could do it?”
“Thank you for your encouragement. I’ll repay your kindness someday,” Zhao Gang joked.
Zhang Yufei smiled, gazing deeply at Zhao Gang.
Zhao Gang went to the factory manager’s office, explaining his idea and painting a rosy picture of the future. The manager wasn’t enthusiastic.
“Why change perfectly good machines? Besides, where’s the money to take such a risk?”
The manager’s words were a cold bucket of water, extinguishing Zhao Gang’s enthusiasm. It was as cold as the leftover tea he drank that morning.
Leaving the manager’s office, Zhao Gang walked through the spacious workshop, unable to see anything, only hearing his footsteps echoing through the workshop and in his heart.
Good horses are common, but discerning masters are rare. If Zhao Gang were a
good horse, he was one destined to die in obscurity.
Zhang Yufei handed him a Five Bulls cigarette and lit it with a “snap.”
“Don’t be discouraged. Gold will always shine.”
Grateful, Zhao Gang’s eyes welled up, and he hugged Zhang Yufei. At that moment, he needed a warm embrace.
“Yufei, thank you.”
“The manager of Feiteng doesn’t care. Feiteng is just a subsidiary. The headquarters is actually Feilong Group. Feiteng’s performance has been poor, and Feilong’s president, Wu Wenhai, has long wanted to sell it but couldn’t bear to see the factory he once fought for collapse. If anyone can revive Feiteng, the manager position will be theirs.
The current manager is likely afraid you’ll take his job, so he won’t support your plan. But you don’t need to worry about him. Go directly to Feilong Tower to see the president. He’ll support you.”
Zhao Gang felt a surge of excitement, pushing Yufei back to face him.
“How do you know this?”
“Well, it was in the newspapers before.”
“Really? Thank you so much, Yufei!” Excitedly, he hugged her again.
Indeed, with a discerning master, a good horse wouldn’t be buried. Zhao Gang’s plan quickly gained President Wu’s support and attention. With his authority, the president discussed it briefly at the board meeting, then decided to allocate funds to implement the plan. He wanted to see his old factory revived. Sentiment often makes people nostalgic.
He even dismissed the talent-burying manager and put Zhao Gang in charge, with commensurate benefits. Zhao Gang also patented his design.
Success came swiftly. With ample funding, the “universal machine” was soon installed in the workshop. Zhao Gang didn’t discard the old machines but repurposed them for auxiliary tasks.
Starting a business is tough, and time seems particularly short. Zhao Gang was indeed busy during this period, rarely returning to his small room. But he couldn’t stay away from Yufei’s shop because she had provided him with immense, albeit intangible, support. He had promised to repay his debt to her, which wasn’t just for the Five Bulls cigarettes but also for the emotional support.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
