Chapter 24 The Menacing Technician Ning Weidong thought about many things and didn't really go to the cafeteria, so he just wandered around the streets. About an hour later, it was almost seven o'clock, and he slowly returned to the west gate guard room. As I reached the door, I heard the sound of a radio coming from inside. I didn't know what channel it was, but it was playing crosstalk. Ning Weidong opened the door and went in. Wang Yong heard the noise and turned his head: "Dongzi is back~" Ning Weidong nodded and stamped his feet on the ground: "It seems to be getting colder. It might snow tonight." "Yeah~" Wang Yong stretched his neck and glanced out the window. Ning Weidong poured himself a cup of hot water. After traveling through time, he could feel that his physical fitness had greatly improved, but he was still afraid of the cold in winter. He had just been wandering outside for nearly an hour, and he was still freezing even though he was wearing a cotton coat. After sipping a few gulps of hot water, Ning Weidong warmed up his stomach. He yawned, sat down on the chair next to Wang Yong, and glanced into the inner room: "Is the squad leader still asleep?"

Wang Yong nodded and whispered, "I'm drunk~" As I recall, Xu Jinshan could drink quite a bit, and he was asked to accompany us in the afternoon, mostly because they valued his drinking ability. The two of them chatted idly, and no vehicles came in or out. It was almost eight o'clock, the crosstalk on the radio ended, and other programs began to play. Wang Yong's interest waned, and he suggested, "Play two games?" Speaking of the day shift, mid shift and night shift, the mid shift is the most comfortable. There are many people on the day shift, and it is uncomfortable not to sleep in the middle of the night after the night shift. Ning Weidong was also free, so he said "Come on" and took out the chess set from the drawer. No one knows who this chess set belongs to, but it has been kept in the guard room. The packaging cardboard box was rotten, so I used the factory's electrical tape to glue it together again. The plastic chessboard he brought with him was gone, so Wang Yong pulled out a piece of wood from the side of his desk, on which was drawn the Chu River and Han River boundary with a black pen. The two men placed their chess pieces and started playing slowly. Wang Yong's chess skills are average, and Ning Weidong is not much stronger either. He learned it from his father when he was a child. So the two can be said to be evenly matched. You come and I go, the noobs are pecking at each other. Just when we were having a great time, a man suddenly rushed in from outside. With a "bang", the man came in very rudely. The door of the guard room was originally pulled by a spring, and was slammed hard by this man, making an even louder noise. Ning Weidong and Wang Yong were both startled and looked at the man. Ning Weidong looked unfamiliar, but Wang Yong recognized him at a glance and immediately stood up and said, "Hey, isn't this Technician Liu? What happened?" Technician Liu glanced at him and said with a gloomy face, "Where's Xu Jinshan? I'll look for him."

Ning Weidong watched from the side without saying anything. No one knew where the other party came from, but he came to Xu Jinshan in a threatening manner, and it was obvious that he had no good intentions. Wang Yong frowned, feeling very unhappy. Although technicians are the backbone of the factory and not only have high salaries but also cadre status, they have no control over the security guards. Who the hell are you turning your face to? But he only cursed in his heart. He really didn't dare to confront the other party head-on. He laughed dryly: "Our squad leader is in there~" As he said this, he glanced at the door of the middle room. The meaning was obvious: if you have any problems, go find them yourself. Technician Liu snorted softly and walked in. Wang Yong curled his lips, gave Ning Weidong a look, and whispered, "Weidong, accompany me outside to smoke a cigarette." Ning Weidong responded, and was even more curious about who this technician Liu was, what business did he have with Xu Jinshan, and why he needed to get out. When they got outside, Wang Yong took out a cigarette and handed it to Ning Weidong, cursing, "What the hell, he really thinks he's a cadre, spit~" Spitting on the concrete steps at the door, Wang Yong did not hide his emotions. Ning Weidong took the cigarette and lit it, following Wang Yong's mood, he pointed to the room and said, "Brother Wang, who is this? So aggressive~" Wang Yong took a deep puff of his cigarette, calmed down, and raised his eyebrows: "You don't know him? Liu Xinwen, a technician from the second workshop." Ning Weidong nodded, but he had no idea what was going on. Although he had worked in the factory for more than a year, the original owner's understanding of Red Star Steel Plant was superficial. Not to mention technicians like Liu Xinwen, even the people in charge of several important departments cannot be named. Ning Weidong felt helpless and could only curse the fool again in his heart. Although I was curious about how this technician Liu Xinwen was related to Xu Jinshan and why he came to me in the middle of the night with a grudge and hatred, could it be that Xu Jinshan had cheated on me? Considering Xu Jinshan’s tetracycline-infected teeth, it shouldn’t be possible! In the guard room, through two doors, one could faintly hear the quarrel between Xu Jinshan and Liu Xinwen. Unfortunately, the two seemed to have their own concerns and did not shout loudly without restraint, so it was impossible to hear what they were arguing about. After about ten minutes, Liu Xinwen was still angry and his expression was grim. Xu Jinshan followed him out. He had been drinking to begin with, and now his face was red. He gritted his teeth and said, "Mr. Liu, don't go too far!" Liu Xinwen turned around and glanced at him: "I should be the one saying this, you really pushed me into a corner..." Having said that, he seemed to realize that something was wrong. He quickly glanced at Ning Weidong and Wang Yong beside him, and stopped the second half of the sentence. He glared at Xu Jinshan, snorted, and turned away. Xu Jinshan's face was as gloomy as water, and he stared at the other party with a sinister look as he walked away. He turned to look at Ning Weidong and Wang Yong, laughed dryly, raised his hand, and cursed: "Fuck, you are a complete psychopath." Wang Yong said nothing, and Ning Weidong did not interrupt rashly. Xu Jinshan talked to himself, hiding his emotions. The three of them returned to the guard room together. Xu Jinshan did not go back to the inner room to sleep. He sat outside for a while, smoking with his eyes lowered, and no one knew what he was thinking. He smoked several cigarettes in a row, then suddenly stood up, put on his coat, said "I'm going out for a while" and left.

Ning Weidong and Wang Yong looked at each other without saying anything. After this episode, the two lost interest in playing chess and just started wasting time. Xu Jinshan didn't come back until midnight. After completing the handover with the night shift, Ning Weidong came out, separated from Wang Yong, and headed straight for the South Gate. Wang Yong's home is in the nearby family quarters, so he walks home directly after get off work. Ning Weidong had to catch the night commuter bus. When we arrived at the south gate of the factory, we saw six or seven large buses parked in a row. Most workers prefer to ride bicycles, and not many people take commuter cars, so these few cars are enough. Ning Weidong took his time and got on the third car. These buses take different routes, and it would be troublesome if you get on the wrong one. There were still many seats left when Ning Weidong came up. He found a place to sit down, tightened his cotton coat, and thought that he needed a bicycle, otherwise it would be inconvenient to go anywhere. A moment later, the workshop workers came out and quickly filled the commuter car. Some people who had no seats stood in the aisle. At 12:15 in the morning, the car started and set off on time. (End of this chapter)