Chapter 31: A Broken Pot on a Rainy Night and the Rescue of the Wounded

The autumn rain fell incessantly, lingering from the afternoon well into the dead of night. It drummed rhythmically against the asbestos roof of the pharmaceutical factory, sounding like countless tiny pebbles bouncing above. Su Yao had just lulled her twins to sleep and was sitting on the edge of the *kang*, mending the cuffs of Lu Zhanye’s military overcoat, when a muffled "boom" suddenly echoed from outside the window, followed by Xiao Wang’s shrill cry, piercing through the clamor of the rain.

The needle and thread slipped from her fingers onto the *kang*. Ignoring the fact that she hadn't put on a coat, she grabbed a kerosene lamp and rushed into the courtyard. The rain felt like needles against her skin, and the yard was a muddy mess; she hadn't taken two steps before her pant legs were splattered with muck. Most of the lights in the workshop were out, leaving only the flickering beams of emergency flashlights cutting through the darkness. Steam billowed from the door gaps, mingling with the rain to form a white mist that shrouded the workshop in a gloomy haze.

"Director Su! Hurry! Xiao Wang has been scalded!" Xiao Zhang’s voice was laced with tears as he emerged from the workshop, his flashlight beam trembling violently.

Su Yao pushed aside the door curtain and rushed in. A wave of scalding steam hit her, making her cough uncontrollably. The safety valve of the sterilization pot had been knocked askew, and steam hissed sharply from the connection. Xiao Wang sat on the floor, his right sleeve rolled up to the elbow; the light blue fabric of his work clothes was scorched black, and his skin was red and swollen with several large blisters. Blood and water pooled in a small, reddish puddle on the floor.

"Don't move." Su Yao crouched down and placed the kerosene lamp on a wooden crate nearby. In the light, his wounds were clearer; the largest blister was the size of a thumbprint and quivered at the slightest touch. She thought of the spiritual spring water in her space—she had used it before to treat Uncle Wang’s leg injury, and it was effective for pain relief. Pretending to reach into her pocket for a handkerchief, she secretly poured a bit into her palm, dampened a clean piece of coarse cloth with it, and gently applied it to Xiao Wang’s wounds.

"Hiss—" Xiao Wang gasped in pain, but his brow soon relaxed slightly. "Director Su, why does this cloth feel so cool? It doesn't seem to hurt as much now."

"It's a herbal infusion I had someone bring from the county seat, specifically for burns," Su Yao replied vaguely, pouring a little more spring water onto the cloth. "Keep it applied for now. We’ll send you to the health clinic once the rain lets up."

At that moment, Lu Xingchen ran in holding another kerosene lamp. The child’s little jacket was soaked through, and his hair was plastered to his forehead, yet he held the lamp high, pointing toward the sterilization pot’s piping. "Mama, look here!"

Su Yao followed his finger and saw a fresh scratch on the safety valve’s nut. It didn't look like the wear and tear of aging equipment; it looked as though it had been pried by something. Her heart skipped a beat. Just as she was about to ask more, footsteps sounded behind her—Zhang Cheng, draped in an old raincoat and clutching a wrench, came in panting. "What’s going on? Such a commotion—how did the sterilization pot explode?"

Zhang Cheng was a veteran researcher from the county research institute. He had never been happy about Su Yao becoming the deputy director, often remarking that young people were rash and couldn't handle serious matters. Before Su Yao could speak, he leaned over the pot, examining it thoroughly, then picked up the equipment log and flipped through a few pages, his brow furrowing deeply. "Director Su, you didn't pay attention to the pressure gauge while operating it, did you? The parameters were fine yesterday; how did they exceed the limit today?"

Su Yao was stunned. She had been staring at the pressure gauge all afternoon, following every procedure to the letter. How could it have over-pressurized? She reached for the log, but Zhang Cheng pulled it behind his back, his tone stiff with seniority. "Young people are prone to carelessness. This sterilization pot is precision equipment, not farming. It’s fortunate that nothing major happened, otherwise, the responsibility..."

"Uncle Zhang, didn't you come to the workshop yesterday evening?" Lu Yuxuan’s voice suddenly came from the doorway. The boy was clutching a small ledger—the one he used to help the factory track shipments. "I remember when you left, you stayed by the sterilization pot for a while. I asked if you needed help, and you said no."

Zhang Cheng’s face darkened instantly as he glared at Lu Yuxuan. "Why is a child keeping such detailed track of things? I was inspecting the equipment to ensure you wouldn't have problems due to improper operation. Everything was fine when I checked it; how did it explode under Director Su's watch?" He took advantage of the distraction to quickly make two marks in the log, blurring the day's operation records.

Lu Yuxuan handed the ledger to Su Yao, pointing to a line. "Mama, I recorded the equipment usage time. Uncle Zhang entered the workshop at 6:20 PM yesterday and left at 6:40 PM. He was the only one who touched the pot during that time." He had even drawn a small circle next to the entry, marking it "suspicious" in pencil; the strokes were crooked, but the meaning was clear.

Su Yao took the ledger, her fingertips brushing the rain-dampened wrinkles on the paper, and she quickly grasped the situation. Zhang Cheng was trying to shift the blame onto her; the scratch mark was likely his doing. But without concrete evidence, and on a night of torrential rain, arguing was useless. Suppressing her anger, she said to Zhang Cheng, "Uncle Zhang, let's not talk about responsibility for now. Let's fix the equipment first so we don't delay tomorrow's production. Xiao Wang is injured and needs to be taken to the clinic immediately."

Seeing that Su Yao wasn't pressing the issue, Zhang Cheng’s expression softened slightly, though he remained stubborn. "Fine, I'll see if it can be repaired. But this needs to be reported to the commune. Improper operation is no small matter; we need better training in the future."

***

Su Yao didn't respond and turned to bandage Xiao Wang. Xiao Zhang brought over Vaseline and gauze—the most common wound care supplies in the rural areas of the 1970s. Though not as effective as the spring water, they would protect the wound for the time being. Xiao Wang gritted his teeth, allowing Su Yao to wrap the gauze. "Director Su, don't listen to Researcher Zhang. I watched you; you were very careful. It must be a problem with the equipment."

"I know," Su Yao patted his shoulder. "Don't worry. I will get to the bottom of this; I won't let you be wronged."

Outside, the rain continued to fall, and thunder rumbled in the distance. Occasionally, a flash of lightning tore through the night sky, illuminating the workshop. Lu Xingchen crouched on the ground, using the kerosene lamp to examine the scratch mark carefully. He measured it with his finger and whispered to Su Yao, "Mama, this scratch looks like it was made by a wrench. It wasn't natural damage."

Su Yao nodded, a plan forming in her mind. Lu Zhanye had served in the military and knew technicians who understood equipment. She would have him help her contact them in the morning and use military-grade tools to test the tension of the nut; perhaps she could find evidence. She glanced at Zhang Cheng, who had his back to them, fiddling with his wrench. His shoulders were tense—he was clearly not as calm as he pretended.

"Director Su, this safety valve needs to be replaced. There are no spare parts right now, so we have to shut down the machine and wait for parts to be shipped from the county tomorrow," Zhang Cheng said, turning around. His tone was milder than before, but he didn't mention the nut.

"Fine, we'll do as you say," Su Yao didn't argue. "Xiao Zhang, accompany Xiao Wang to the clinic. I'll have Xingchen call Erzhuzi to take you with his cart. Be careful on the way."

Xiao Zhang nodded and helped Xiao Wang stand up. Lu Xingchen took off his own jacket and draped it over Xiao Wang. "Brother Wang, wear this so you don't catch a cold."

Xiao Wang’s eyes grew moist. He took the jacket, his voice hoarse. "Thank you, Xingchen. And thank you, Director Su. I owe you both today."

After they left, only Su Yao, Lu Yuxuan, and Zhang Cheng remained in the workshop. Zhang Cheng packed his tools and took one last look at the equipment log before saying to Su Yao, "I'm heading back now. I'll be here first thing in the morning. Don't take this too much to heart; young people are bound to make mistakes. Just be more careful next time."

Su Yao didn't answer. She watched his back disappear into the rain before picking up the equipment log to flip through it. The places where Zhang Cheng had made changes still showed faint traces of the original writing, revealing that the parameters had been normal before he changed them to "pressure exceeded." She tucked the log away and said to Lu Yuxuan, "Put the ledger away safely. When your father comes back tomorrow, we'll figure out what to do together."

Lu Yuxuan tucked the ledger into his shirt and nodded firmly. "Mama, I knew Uncle Zhang did it on purpose. He doesn't want you to be the deputy director."

"Don't talk nonsense," Su Yao stroked his hair. "We can't make guesses without evidence. We must let the facts speak for themselves."

The rain continued to fall, and the steam in the workshop gradually dissipated, leaving only the kerosene lamp's light swaying in the darkness. Su Yao looked at the cold, silent sterilization pot and then thought of Xiao Wang’s injured arm, her heart feeling heavy. She had been in the countryside for so long, striving to do good work and lead everyone to prosperity, never expecting to face such sabotage. But she didn't intend to back down. If someone was playing dirty, she would find the evidence. She couldn't let the factory she had worked so hard to build fail, and she certainly couldn't let down the villagers who followed her.

Lu Xingchen walked over and tugged on her hem. "Mama, don't worry. Papa will definitely have a way. We still have the spring water. If someone tries to sabotage us again, we'll use it..."

"Xingchen, you mustn't tell anyone about the spring water," Su Yao interrupted, crouching down to look into the child’s eyes. "This is our secret. If others find out, it will bring us trouble."

Lu Xingchen nodded, understanding only half of what she meant. "I know, Mama. I won't tell anyone."

***

Su Yao stood up and blew out the kerosene lamp, leaving only the flashlight for illumination. She locked the workshop door and walked home with the two children. The rain had eased slightly, and the sound of frogs could be heard along the way, mingling with the rain to create a sense of autumn tranquility. Lu Yuxuan walked in front, guiding the way with the flashlight, while Lu Xingchen walked beside her, his small hand gripping her hem tightly.

"Mama, will Papa be able to come back tomorrow?" Lu Xingchen asked softly.

"He should be able to. He said he would try to find time to come back and check on us in the next couple of days," Su Yao said, though she felt uncertain. Lu Zhanye was busy at the Armed Forces Department and might not have time, but she desperately needed to discuss this with someone. Especially with equipment testing involved, Lu Zhanye’s connections could be a huge help.

When they returned home, the *kang* was still warm. The twins were sleeping soundly, their little mouths slightly parted, occasionally murmuring in their dreams. Su Yao changed into dry clothes, wiped the children’s faces and hands, and sat back down on the edge of the *kang*. Lu Yuxuan brought out the ledger and placed it on the *kang* table. "Mama, I’ll double-check the time from yesterday one more time to make sure it's correct."

Su Yao looked at the child’s serious expression, her heart warming. These children had never known luxury with her, yet they always stood up to support her when she was in trouble. She touched the small circle Lu Yuxuan had drawn on the ledger and suddenly felt that no matter what difficulties she encountered, as long as she had her children and her home, she had the courage to overcome them.

The rain outside hadn't stopped, but the distant thunder seemed to have quieted—dawn was likely approaching. Su Yao put the ledger away and took one last look at the sleeping twins, determined to get to the bottom of this tomorrow. She couldn't let anyone destroy the factory, and she certainly couldn't disappoint the children. She picked up her needle and thread to continue mending the military coat, her stitches finer and tighter than before, as if she were sewing all her worries into the fabric.

I don't know how much time had passed when a familiar sound of footsteps echoed outside. Su Yao looked up, and Lu Zhanye stood in the doorway, draped in his military overcoat, splattered with rain. His face was weary, but he smiled and said, "I'm back. I heard from Xingchen that something happened at the factory?"

Su Yao’s heart relaxed, the composure she had been forcing herself to maintain wavering. She told Lu Zhanye about the sterilization pot and showed him the ledger and the equipment log. Lu Zhanye listened with a furrowed brow, flipped through the log and ledger, and his expression darkened. "This Zhang Cheng is out of line. Tomorrow, I'll bring the electrical maintenance team from the unit. They have military-grade torque wrenches; they can measure the tension of the nut. We'll know immediately if it was tampered with."

"Can they really measure it?" Su Yao asked, a spark of hope igniting in her heart.

"They can," Lu Zhanye nodded, reaching out to pat her head. "Don't worry, I'm here. How is Xiao Wang? Is the wound serious?"

"I applied the spring water to it. It shouldn't be anything major; Xiao Zhang is taking him to the health clinic," Su Yao said.

Lu Zhanye didn't ask further about the spring water; he knew Su Yao had her own secrets, and as long as she was safe, that was all that mattered. He sat on the edge of the *kang* and pulled Su Yao toward him, whispering, "You must be tired. Get some sleep; there’s plenty to do tomorrow."

Su Yao leaned against his shoulder, breathing in the familiar scent of his military coat, her taut nerves finally relaxing. The rain continued to patter against the window, but she knew that when the sun rose tomorrow, everything would be better. Looking at the sleeping children beside her and then at Lu Zhanye, her heart was filled with a sense of stability—this home was her firmest foundation.