Major Heavy Industry: Starting with a Fake Marriage

Chapter 53 I Kneeled to Him

Spring arrived hesitantly in 1981, and seemed stingy.

In Shenyang in March, the wind was still harsh, stinging the face. The bare branches of the poplar trees swayed in the wind, like the withered fingers of an old man. Half of the snow on the ground had melted and then frozen again, crunching underfoot and leaving a trail of footprints of varying depths. On the gray brick walls of the factory area, frost still clung in the morning, melting into water as soon as the sun came out, trickling down the cracks and forming a thin stream at the base of the walls.

When Jiang Cheng returned from the academy, it was already dusk. He was carrying a canvas bag containing several textbooks he had just borrowed from the library, and a bag of milk powder—bought with his writing fees, imported, costing eight yuan. He couldn't bear to drink it himself; he was bringing it for Zheng Yanxi and the baby.

As he walked downstairs, he habitually looked up at the fourth-floor window. The light was on, and the curtains were half-drawn, revealing Zheng Yanxi's shadow moving around inside. The potted plant on the windowsill had been replaced—the one that had died in the winter last year had been replaced by a new clivia, its leaves broad, glossy, and shimmering with a dark green light under the lamp.

He went upstairs and pushed open the door. The room was warm and cozy, the stove was burning brightly, and the iron kettle sat on top, bubbling and steaming. There was a faint smell of milk and the scent of sunshine on the diapers in the air—Zheng Yanxi must have hung the diapers out to dry during the day, and when she brought them back, they still carried the dry scent of spring.

"You're back?" Zheng Yanxi poked her head out from the kitchen, holding a spatula and her apron stained with oil. Her hair was cut short, ear-length, and clipped behind her ears with two black clips, revealing her fair neck. She had lost some weight after giving birth, but her complexion was good, with a rosy glow on her cheeks.

"Hmm. Where's Jiang Yuan?"

"He's asleep. I just got him to sleep, don't wake him up." Zheng Yanxi lowered her voice and gestured towards the bedroom.

Jiang Cheng put down his bag, tiptoed to the bedroom door, and peeked inside. On the small bed, Jiang Yuan was fast asleep, his face up, mouth slightly open, his little hands raised to either side of his head in a gesture of surrender. The blanket had been kicked to his feet, revealing a pair of chubby little feet with five round, peanut-like toes.

He knelt down and gently pulled the blanket up to cover the child's belly. The little one whimpered, turned over, and fell into a deep sleep again.

"Have you bought the baby formula?" Zheng Yanxi asked from the kitchen.

"I bought it." Jiang Cheng walked over, took the bag of milk powder out of his bag, and placed it on the table. "It's imported; they say it's nutritious."

Zheng Yanxi picked it up and looked at it, then frowned slightly: "How much?"

"Eight pieces."

"Eight yuan?" She put down the formula and looked at him. "You only get a little over forty yuan a month in subsidies, and you spent eight yuan on formula. Don't you care?"

Jiang Cheng smiled and said, "It's worth it to spend money on the child."

Zheng Yanxi glared at him, but didn't say anything more. She put the milk powder in the cabinet, took out a tin box, opened it, and found half a box of homemade rice cereal inside.

"Don't buy such expensive things anymore. Rice cereal is fine too. My mom fed me like this when I was little." As she spoke, she scooped two spoonfuls of rice cereal into a bowl, mixed it with warm water, and stirred it. "See, the consistency is just right. Jiang Yuan loves it."

As a descendant of the future, Jiang Cheng didn't bother explaining the nonsense about nutrients to Zheng Yanxi. He simply looked at the little life that was the continuation of his bloodline, and as a father, he wanted to do everything he could to give it the best.

Jiang Cheng looked at the bowl of rice porridge, white and thick, with a faint aroma of millet. He reached out to take a bite, but Zheng Yanxi slapped his hand away.

"What are you tasting for the children?"

Jiang Cheng withdrew his hand and smiled.

The two sat at the table for dinner. Zheng Yanxi cooked two dishes—stir-fried cabbage with vinegar and eggplant with garlic, along with a side of pickled vegetables. The portions weren't large, but the food tasted delicious. Jiang Cheng ate two bowls of rice and cleaned the plate completely.

"Is graduation coming up soon at the academy?" Zheng Yanxi asked.

"Yes. I graduate in June, so there are still more than two months left."

"What after graduation? Go back to the factory?"

Jiang Cheng put down his chopsticks and looked at her. "Not necessarily. The provincial government wants me to stay in the promotion office, and Director Zhang also wants me to go to Beijing. But I think..." He paused, "I want to go back to the factory."

Zheng Yanxi was taken aback: "Why?"

"Because things at the factory aren't finished yet," Jiang Cheng said. "The technical innovation team is just starting out, and a lot of equipment needs to be modified. If I leave, my mentor won't be able to handle it all by himself."

Zheng Yanxi didn't speak, and kept her head down eating. After a while, she said softly, "You can be wherever you want, I won't interfere. But if there's a bigger stage, you should seize it. Don't worry about me. You can't bury your talents. What's that saying again? It's a waste of talent."

Jiang Cheng looked at her, wanting to say something, but didn't say anything. He just reached out and took her hand.

He knew that Zheng Yanxi wanted him to stay in Shenyang, at least the living environment was familiar. She grew up here, her parents were here, and her roots were here. But she never said it, always saying, "Don't worry about me."

After dinner, Jiang Cheng went to wash the dishes. Zheng Yanxi sat at the table, opened a book on internal medicine, and began to read. She passed her nursing license exam last year and was preparing for her medical license exam this year. She worked during the day, took care of her child at night, and only studied after the child fell asleep, so she could only get five or six hours of sleep a day.

"Yanxi, don't overwork yourself." Jiang Cheng came out of the kitchen wiping his hands. "It's okay if you don't pass the exam."

Zheng Yanxi didn't even look up: "It's related."

Jiang Cheng didn't try to persuade her further. He sat down next to her and opened a book as well. They each read their own books, neither speaking. The fire in the stove crackled, and the water in the kettle bubbled and bubbled. Occasionally, a dog barked outside the window, then silence returned.

These quiet nights are the times Jiang Cheng cherishes most.

Days passed by like this. Jiang Cheng attended classes at the college during the day, handled affairs at the promotion office in the afternoon, and went home in the evening. Zheng Yanxi worked at the medical station during the day, went home at noon to feed the child, and read books in the evening. The two of them were like two meshing gears, each turning its own way, but neither could function without the other.

In early April, the promotion office received a new task—a large imported ball mill at Shenyang Mining Machinery Factory had broken down and had been out of production for half a month, causing the factory to panic. This ball mill, imported from Sweden, was over three meters in diameter, six meters long, and weighed tens of tons; it was a core piece of equipment in the ore dressing workshop. Its shutdown meant the entire workshop had to stop, resulting in daily losses amounting to tens of thousands of yuan.

The factory manager of the mining machinery plant, surnamed Sun, was a man in his fifties from Northeast China. He had a loud voice and a fiery temper. He personally came to the promotion office, slammed his fist on the table, and said, "Didn't you say you could modify old equipment? This ball mill isn't old, it's only been used for five years, but it's broken and nobody can repair it. The Swedes said they need to replace the main shaft, and ordering it from abroad will take six months. I can't wait six months! If anyone can repair it, I'll kowtow to them!"