Chapter Fifty-One: Rotation

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At the entrance of the fertilizer factory.

Early morning. Stirring music blares from the loudspeakers as a tide of workers surges into the factory, ready to begin another busy day.

Standing by the gate, Cui Yue watched the bustling crowd, hoping to spot the color that lingered in his heart. He searched for quite a while, but saw nothing. He muttered to himself, wondering why she hadn’t arrived yet.

As his mind wandered, suddenly he caught sight of Yang Liu riding her bicycle, her braided hair swinging as she sped past him without so much as a glance.

Cui Yue, seeing Yang Liu approaching, pretended to look elsewhere, his gaze drifting away.

Once Yang Liu had gone far enough, Cui Yue stealthily stared at her retreating figure, unable to get his fill.

"Hey, Cui Yue, stop looking—she's gone," Zhang Hu sidled up to Cui Yue’s ear, snickering mischievously.

Cui Yue quickly snapped back to reality, his ears flushed red.

"I—I wasn’t looking."

"Oh, sure, you weren’t looking. It was me peeking, then," Zhang Hu teased.

"Heh, Cui Yue, you’re on the outs with that Yang family girl, aren’t you? Don’t worry, it’s normal for young couples to have a spat."

Cui Yue had no words for his troubles and simply kept silent.

"Oh, right, enough joking, I almost forgot the main thing," Zhang Hu shook the red-topped document in his hand and continued, "The factory just issued a notice. The three-month probation period for this batch of workers is up, and it’s time for rotation. You’re assigned to Production Workshop One. Report there this afternoon."

"Production Workshop One?" Cui Yue frowned. Wasn’t that the workshop run by Feng Tao, that rat? He hadn’t expected his rotation to land him there.

Without saying much more, Cui Yue glanced at the red-topped document and went to the security room to gather his things.

"Cui Yue, you’re really going to Production Workshop One?" Zhang Hao, upon hearing of Cui Yue’s reassignment, grew anxious.

"Yeah, it’s written on the document. It’s just a rotation, right? Everyone has to go somewhere."

"No, Cui Yue, the issue is you’re going to Production Workshop One—Feng Tao is there."

"So what? I’m not afraid of him."

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"You’ve forgotten the last time you suffered? That guy’s especially nasty. You need to watch out for him."

"Alright, alright, Zhang the housekeeper, I got it. Why are you nagging so much? You’ll drive me crazy one of these days."

Truth be told, with Cui Yue leaving, Zhang Hao felt reluctant—he’d have no one to banter with anymore.

Seeing Zhang Hao’s gloomy mood, Cui Yue tried to comfort him.

"Come on, don’t act like it’s some tragic farewell. I’m not gone for good; we’re still in the same factory. I’ll even help you keep an eye out for the ladies and plan a few moves for you."

"You’ve got the desire but not the guts," Zhang Hao grinned.

At the entrance of Production Workshop One,

Four or five young men lounged about, cigarettes dangling from their lips as they chatted idly.

Cui Yue, dressed in his work uniform, spotted from afar the leader in a striped sailor’s shirt—Feng Tao, of course.

Cui Yue approached the workshop entrance, locking eyes with Feng Tao, tension palpable.

"Well, well, look who’s graced us with his presence! Our little security guard has arrived. What a small world," Feng Tao mocked, coldly eyeing Cui Yue.

Cui Yue gave as good as he got.

"So, are you welcoming me or not? I’m here, regardless."

Feng Tao saw Cui Yue’s boldness and thought he clearly didn't know the meaning of fear.

"Alright, Cui Yue, you’ve got guts. We’ll see how things go—the days ahead are long," Feng Tao said, tossing his cigarette butt to the ground and grinding it under his heel. He called to his crew, "Let’s go, back to work."

Cui Yue watched their backs, a cold glint in his eyes.

Director Zhang Dehua of Production Workshop One, in his forties, was a good-natured man, married to Director Gao from Workshop Two. Zhang Dehua was easygoing, but soft-hearted. He had little control over the troublemakers in his workshop—especially at the mention of Feng Tao, which always gave him a headache.

The mess that was Workshop One—everyone avoided it if they could. Every month, their production targets ranked last, and meetings always brought criticism. But what could he do? Stuck with this mess, he had to endure, hoping for an early retirement to escape before the troublemakers gave him heart disease.

Cui Yue searched for Zhang Dehua with his assignment sheet, finally finding him beneath a machine, his face smeared with oil. Cui Yue quickly explained his arrival.

Zhang Dehua wiped his hands and smiled at Cui Yue.

"Little Cui, not bad, you look like a spirited young man. Zhang Hu already told me you’d be coming today. He asked me to look after you."

Cui Yue felt a warm glow inside—Zhang Hu truly was a good friend.

As he was thinking this, Zhang Dehua pointed to a dark-faced man beside him.

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"Little Cui, since you’re new, join Group Two first. Follow Master Qin and learn well, alright?"

Cui Yue nodded.

"Yes, Director Zhang."

He set down his things, rolled up his sleeves, and got to work.

He followed Master Qin, assisting and asking questions earnestly.

Master Qin was impressed—this young man really had spirit. Just based on his work ethic, he was a good kid.

Master Qin was all smiles, glad to have a diligent apprentice, a welcome change from the troublemakers, making work much smoother.

In three days, Cui Yue had mastered his tasks and could work independently, needing only occasional guidance from Master Qin.

Cui Yue was engrossed at the screening machine, unaware that a delicate face was watching him secretly from the window.

"This guy—after just a few days, he’s already working so well," Yang Liu murmured, her cheeks faintly flushed.

Though she’d quarreled with Cui Yue, she still cared about him. Whenever she had a moment, she’d sneak over to Workshop One to check on him, mostly out of worry—especially fearing that Feng Tao might harm him.

These days, despite feeling aggrieved over their quarrel, Yang Liu didn’t want to burden Cui Yue, but she couldn’t help worrying that Feng Tao and his crew would cause him trouble.

Thinking this, Yang Liu sighed and slipped away from the window.

Feng Tao was playing cards in the corner when one of his lackeys came to report that Yang Liu had secretly come to see Cui Yue.

Feng Tao’s temper flared instantly.

"Hmph, just a grasshopper after autumn—he won’t last much longer."

"Yeah, Brother Feng, you should deal with him. Look how enthusiastic he is, always working so hard—it’s irritating, as if he’s the only diligent one in the workshop."

The others echoed their agreement.

In the few days since Cui Yue arrived, he’d kept his distance from them, but his eagerness to learn and quick mastery had allowed him to grasp the production process in no time.