Chapter 32: The Ledger Confronts the Old Guard

The rain had stopped and the sky was just beginning to brighten, but the commune courtyard was already packed with people. The long wooden table in the gray-brick meeting room had been wiped until it shone. At the corners of the table sat several enamel mugs printed with the words "Serve the People," and the slogan "Grasp Revolution, Promote Production" on the wall was illuminated by the morning sun. Commune Secretary Liu sat at the head of the table, his brow furrowed as he gripped the pharmaceutical factory’s incident report so tightly the paper was nearly crumpled.

Zhang Cheng was the first to speak. He wore a faded blue Mao suit, and tucked into his chest was a red silk bundle. As soon as he sat down, he placed the bundle on the table, his voice tinged with deliberate indignation: "Secretary Liu, fellow villagers, it’s not that I, Old Zhang, am looking for trouble, but the sterilization boiler explosion really isn't my fault. I’ve worked in the research institute for fifteen years. The steam engines at the county farm machinery plant, the water pumps at the commune—haven’t I been the one to fix them all? I was even named a model worker five years ago. How is it that under Director Su, it suddenly becomes my operational error?"

As he spoke, he opened the red silk bundle. Inside was a tattered model worker certificate, its gold-lettered cover worn smooth. With his knuckles white from gripping the certificate, he pushed it toward Secretary Liu. "Look, this was issued by the commune. Back then, they called me the 'living dictionary of equipment.' Yesterday, I went to the workshop specifically to check on things because I was worried the young people lacked experience. How did it end up being my fault?"

Across from him, Su Yao did not rush to speak. Her fingers tapped unconsciously against the edge of the table, her gaze fixed on the ledger by her feet. She hadn’t slept well the night before, but she had already sorted things out—what Zhang Cheng wanted wasn't justice, but face; he was afraid that she, the "parachuted deputy director," would overshadow him. But now was not the time to argue over hierarchy. She needed concrete evidence; otherwise, no matter how much she talked, some people would still think a young person was bullying a veteran.

"Researcher Zhang, you can't say it like that." Young Zhang suddenly spoke up, his voice trembling. "I was right next to Director Su when she operated the equipment yesterday. We followed every step of the procedure, and I was watching the pressure gauge. It didn't exceed the limit."

"You’re just a fresh graduate, what do you know about procedures?" Zhang Cheng interrupted immediately, his tone dripping with disdain. "Pressure gauges sometimes have errors; you have to rely on experience. Director Su is young and hasn't seen how equipment ages. It’s normal to misread it, but you can’t push the responsibility onto someone else."

As soon as these words were out, the villagers below began to whisper. Several of the older ones did indeed feel that "the ginger is spicier when it's older," and their gazes toward Su Yao grew increasingly skeptical. Lu Yuxuan, sitting beside Su Yao, suddenly tightened his grip on the rough-paper ledger, its corners fraying. Before Su Yao could speak, he hopped off his stool and, standing on his tiptoes, handed the ledger to Secretary Liu. "Grandpa Liu, I have evidence."

Every eye turned toward the child. Lu Yuxuan’s hair was unkempt, and he wore a faded little jacket, but he held the ledger high, his tone incredibly earnest. "Uncle Zhang entered the workshop at 6:20 yesterday evening and left at 6:40. He was the only one who touched the sterilization boiler during that time. I recorded the equipment usage hours. When he left, I asked if he needed help shutting down the machine, and he said no."

Zhang Cheng’s face darkened instantly, and he reached out to swipe the ledger aside. "Does what a child writes count for anything? Maybe he got the time wrong."

"I didn't get it wrong!" Lu Yuxuan hugged the ledger to his chest and flipped to a page, pointing at the handwriting. "I write in it every day—first in pencil, then traced over in pen so it doesn't rub off. Look, I even drew little circles here, marked 'suspicious'—the machine wasn't touched after you left, and as soon as we turned it on today, it exploded."

The writing in the ledger was crooked, but each stroke was clear. The time slot from 6:20 to 6:40 was circled in red pencil, with a small wrench drawn next to it. Secretary Liu took the ledger, squinted at it for a long time, and handed it to the technician beside him. "Take a look, is this record standard?"

The commune technician flipped through two pages and pointed to the entry, nodding. "This is even more detailed than our commune’s own logbook. Equipment time, operator, and any anomalies are all recorded."

Zhang Cheng began to sweat, never expecting a half-grown child to keep such precise records. Just as he was about to say something else, the meeting room door was pushed open. Lu Zhanye walked in with two soldiers in military uniforms, carrying a green tool bag printed with the words "Chinese People's Liberation Army."

"Secretary Liu, I’ve brought comrades from the army’s electrical squad." Lu Zhanye walked to the table and opened the tool bag. Inside was a set of gleaming tools, the most prominent being a silver wrench, significantly heavier than a standard one. "This is a military torque wrench. It can precisely measure the tightness of bolts. We’ll know if it was tampered with by measuring it."

Zhang Cheng’s face turned pale instantly, and he subconsciously shrunk back into his chair. "Is all that trouble really necessary? Maybe the equipment is just old, and we just need to replace a part."

"It’s no trouble, it’ll take a few minutes." Lu Zhanye didn't look at him, instead telling the soldier beside him, "Xiao Wang, go to the workshop and test the safety valve nut on the sterilization boiler."

The soldier named Xiao Wang nodded, picked up the tool bag, and walked out. Zhang Cheng tried to stand up, but was glared back into his seat by Secretary Liu. "Researcher Zhang, sit down and wait for the results."

***

The meeting room was so quiet you could hear the sparrows chirping outside. Zhang Cheng’s hands were clenched under the table, his nails digging into his palms. Su Yao watched him, sighing inwardly—she hadn't wanted to make a scene, after all, they were all working for the pharmaceutical factory, but since Zhang Cheng insisted on pinning the blame on her, she had no choice but to use evidence.

In the time it takes to smoke a pipe, the soldier Xiao Wang returned, holding a notebook with a string of numbers. He walked up to Lu Zhanye and saluted. "Report, Minister Lu. It’s been measured. The torque value of the safety valve nut is 18 Newton-meters. The safety rating for this model of sterilization boiler should be 30 Newton-meters. It’s exactly at the critical failure threshold. It wasn't a natural loosening; it was adjusted by hand."

"Are you sure?" Secretary Liu pressed.

"I’m sure." Xiao Wang handed over the notebook. "This is the testing standard for military equipment; the margin of error is no more than 0.5 Newton-meters. There are fresh wrench marks on the nut that match the model of the wrench Researcher Zhang used yesterday."

All the color drained from Zhang Cheng’s face. His lips moved, but he couldn't utter a word. The villagers below erupted. Widow Li was the first to slap the table, her voice loud enough for the whole building to hear: "Well! So you adjusted it on purpose! You wanted Director Su to be the scapegoat; you’ve got a heart as black as coal!"

"Exactly! Director Su didn't even finish her postpartum recovery before coming to oversee the factory, and you’re back here pulling dirty tricks!" Erzhu’s face turned red with agitation, his voice booming.

Zhang Cheng buried his head low, his hands wringing together on his lap. Secretary Liu slammed the notebook onto the table, his tone stern. "Zhang Cheng, what else do you have to say?"

"I... I didn't mean to." Zhang Cheng’s voice was as thin as a mosquito’s hum. "I just thought Director Su was young and was afraid she would break the equipment, so I wanted to help adjust it. I didn't think I’d set it wrong..."

No one believed him; even the old technician sitting next to him curled his lip. Only then did Su Yao speak, her voice calm but weighty: "Secretary Liu, fellow villagers, now that the truth is out, there’s no need to pursue further responsibility. What’s important now is to fix the equipment and not delay production. I have here a copy of the 'Military Equipment Maintenance Standards' that Lu Zhanye gave me, which outlines the maintenance procedures for precision equipment. I propose that from now on, the army sends a technician on the 1st of every month for inspection. After every inspection, both I and Comrade Zhang from the Armed Forces Department will sign off. No one is to change the equipment parameters alone."

She placed the green-covered manual on the table, the military insignia visible on the cover. Secretary Liu took it, flipped through it, and nodded. "That’s a good proposal! Military-civilian cooperation is professional and avoids disputes. Zhang Cheng, from now on, you will assist Director Su and learn properly from the comrades in the army. No more of these little tricks."

Zhang Cheng kept his head down and muttered a soft "Yes."

At that moment, a thought suddenly flashed through Su Yao’s mind—the method for penicillin purification could be improved; it would increase efficiency and save electricity. She didn't dwell on where the thought came from, only that it felt perfectly clear. She immediately told the Secretary and the villagers: "By the way, I’ve thought of a way to purify penicillin that will save two units of electricity per hour. Our factory runs for three hours a day, so that’s six units saved daily. In a month, that’s sixty units, which is just enough to boil twenty pots of corn porridge—I miscalculated earlier, I overestimated the production time."

Lu Yuxuan, sitting beside her, quickly added, "Mom, one pot of corn porridge takes three units of electricity, so sixty units is exactly twenty pots."

Su Yao smiled and patted his head. "That’s right. We'll invite everyone to the factory to have porridge then."

As soon as she said this, the atmosphere in the meeting room immediately relaxed. Widow Li was the first to reply: "Then I’ll be waiting! I’ll come help you tend the fire, and I promise to make the porridge nice and thick!"

"I’ll chop the firewood! I’ll make sure there’s enough!" Erzhu shouted along.

Secretary Liu looked at the lively scene and smiled. "Good! Director Su not only solved the problem but is thinking of ways to benefit everyone—that’s the way to get real work done. From now on, our commune will rely on this pharmaceutical factory to drive our development!"

***

When the meeting adjourned, Zhang Cheng left quickly without looking back. Su Yao watched his retreating figure and said nothing—it is better to be forgiving when possible; as long as he does his job well and doesn't pull any more tricks, it would be fine. Lu Zhanye walked up to her and whispered, "You were quite cute when you miscalculated earlier."

Su Yao glared at him, then couldn't help but laugh. "That was thanks to your son’s reminder."

Lu Yuxuan heard this and tilted his head up to ask, "Mom, did I help a lot?"

"You helped a tremendous amount." Su Yao crouched down to stroke his hair. "Your ledger was more useful than anything else."

Lu Xingchen also ran over, holding a scrap of paper with a rough sketch of the sterilization boiler. "Mom, I want to install a little bell next to the safety valve. If anyone touches it, the bell will ring."

"That’s a great idea. Let’s go back and study it together." Su Yao took the paper, feeling a sense of warmth in her heart.

Walking out of the commune gate, the sun was bright, shining warmly on their bodies. The villagers walked ahead in twos and threes, some talking about the factory's future production, others looking forward to those twenty pots of corn porridge. Su Yao looked at Lu Zhanye beside her, and the two chattering children, and suddenly felt that no matter what troubles they encountered, with them by her side, there was nothing they couldn't solve.

Back at the factory, the soldier Xiao Wang had already repaired the sterilization boiler, and the new safety valve had been delivered. Su Yao had Young Zhang rewrite the equipment operating procedures according to the new maintenance standards and post them on the workshop wall. Lu Yuxuan handed the ledger to Young Zhang, telling her to record the equipment usage every day, with both of them signing off.

In the evening, Su Yao tried the penicillin purification method she had envisioned. To her surprise, it really worked; not only was the purification faster, but the electric meter was clearly spinning more slowly. She watched the liquid bubbling in the reactor, knowing clearly that this was an "accidental" bit of help, but she didn't overthink it—she just took it as a reward for all the time she had spent pondering the equipment.

Lu Zhanye returned from the Armed Forces Department, carrying a cloth bag containing brown sugar he had just bought. "Here, build up your strength; you were busy all day yesterday."

"You didn't have to go to such trouble." Su Yao took the bag, smelling the sweet aroma of the brown sugar.

"How is it trouble?" Lu Zhanye placed the bag on the table. "You are my wife, the mother of my children; you deserve to be taken care of."

Lu Xingchen and Lu Yuxuan were playing nearby, and Lu Shihan ran in holding a doll, holding it up. "Mom, look at the new clothes I made for my little sister."

Su Yao took the doll, which had a small skirt sewn from red fabric; the stitches were crooked but undeniably cute. She handed the doll back to Lu Shihan and smiled. "It’s beautiful. When your little sister grows up, we’ll get her a real floral dress."

The sunset outside the window dyed the courtyard in hues of gold, and faint smoke drifted from the factory chimney. Su Yao looked at everything before her and felt truly at peace—this life, this factory, and the people beside her were her most solid pillars of support. If she encountered any difficulties in the future, she had the confidence to face them together with them all.