Chapter 21: Housing Allocation

Fang Yinnian tightened the final screw and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He signaled for Comrade Xiaoli, who was standing by, to engage the switch.

"Comrade Xiaoli, would you mind turning it on?"

"Is... is it ready?" Xiaoli asked. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked toward Fang Yinnian.

Fang Yinnian instinctively searched for Mu Wanguan. She had been assisting with the assembly, but toward the end, she had gone to help the other comrades at the machine factory organize the unused tools. She was currently positioned to his front left.

"Yes, it is ready," Fang Yinnian said, forcing himself to look away from her. "Go ahead and try starting it."

"Right, right away!" Xiaoli scrambled to his feet and hurried toward the wall where the switch was installed. He raised his hand, but it was trembling.

He had just witnessed a nearly impossible turnaround. Whenever machines suffered such internal explosion damage in the past, the master mechanics would simply replace them. Because the damage was so extensive and the components so numerous, the masters themselves often couldn't tell which parts were still salvageable and which needed to be discarded. To save time and avoid further losses, replacement was the standard procedure.

As an apprentice, Xiaoli had been at the farm's machinery repair shop for three years. He had seen dozens, if not hundreds, of repairs performed by the master mechanics. Yet, this was the first time he felt that repairing machinery could be so elegant, so captivating.

Xiaoli gripped the switch handle, his voice shaking. "I... I'm turning it on."

With all his strength, he pulled it down sharply.

For a heartbeat, time seemed to stand still. Everyone stared blankly at the massive engine. One breath, two breaths, three breaths—

*Chug.*

*Chug-chug.*

*Chug-chug-chug...*

As the engine engaged, it emitted the steady rhythm of rotation.

The generator was working!

"It's working! It's working!"

"Oh my god, the generator is fixed!"

"Scared me to death; I thought we were going to have to replace it."

"Tell me about it. When the generator broke a year ago, we went nearly a month without electricity. We had to rely on power from the county to keep the factory running, and we used oil lamps for our daily lives."

"You were lucky to have oil lamps. That month, I had sent all my money home and didn't even have enough to buy kerosene. I had to wash up in the dark every day; I fell in the washroom several times that month."

"That's still better than me. I almost fell into the latrine..."

"Comrade Fang, thank you, truly thank you." Zhu Weimin approached Fang Yinnian and grasped his hand. His eyes were moist with gratitude. "If it weren't for you, our power plant would have lost a huge sum of money, and the farm would have faced irreversible consequences."

"Thank you, I am so grateful to you."

"You are too kind," Fang Yinnian replied, his expression calm and indifferent. He didn't show the slightest hint of pride at being thanked by a leader, as if his actions today were merely a routine operation.

Mu Wanguan set down the last wrench and stood up to look at Fang Yinnian. Their eyes met in the air without a word.

The once-indifferent man’s eyes flickered with a sudden gleam, followed by his lazy, sleepy phoenix eyes lifting slightly. His sharp-featured face softened as if touched by something, and his handsome, elegant silhouette relaxed.

Fang Yinnian smiled. He was as gentle as jade, peerless and handsome.

***

It was evening by the time they returned to the square and headed toward the bulletin board. Yang Jinghua, the director of the Educated Youth Office, led the way with Fang Yinnian and Mu Wanguan, while Wu Siqi and her group—who had thought they caught them in a scandal only to be humiliated—trailed behind.

Wu Siqi was now filled with hatred and anxiety. She hadn't expected that even after the machine exploded, the man surnamed Fang would be able to fix it. And that woman, that hussy surnamed Mu—she never imagined that someone so delicate could actually keep up with Fang Yinnian and help him. She felt like she was going insane.

"Tell me, do you think we really have to go do deep plowing the day after tomorrow? Isn't there supposed to be an adjustment period for new arrivals at the farm?" Wu Siqi whispered to the others.

But no one wanted to talk to her, not even Liu Xiaoyan. If it weren't for Wu Siqi’s incessant pestering, this farce never would have happened. Now, they had offended the leadership, and no one had a graceful way out.

Huang Jian gritted his teeth and forced a smile. "Comrade Wu, why don't you go apologize to Director Yang? This whole thing started because of you. If you apologize sincerely, since he is a leader, he will surely forgive you." As for the rest of them, they were only dragged along; it wasn't a major issue.

"I won't—"

"Comrade Wu!" Liu Xiaoyan, startled, covered Wu Siqi's mouth. "Keep your voice down."

The others behind them looked up quickly. Seeing that the three in front didn't seem to notice them, they breathed a sigh of relief.

Ignoring the past favor of sharing eggs, Liu Xiaoyan grabbed Wu Siqi and hissed, "Stop causing trouble. If you keep this up, none of us will have a good outcome..."

Mu Wanguan’s ears twitched. She stepped quickly to Fang Yinnian, who was talking to Yang Jinghua, and tugged at his sleeve to make him look at the play unfolding behind them.

The moment her hand touched him, Fang Yinnian felt a tingle where she made contact. He reached his left hand back and caught her wandering hand. He fell a step behind Yang Jinghua.

"Don't," Fang Yinnian said, turning back with a helpless look.

Mu Wanguan widened her eyes, as if to say, "When was I causing trouble?"

Yang Jinghua, walking in the lead, had not noticed the young couple's interaction. After the generator incident, he held Fang Yinnian in high regard, clearly distinguishing him from the other educated youths who gave him headaches.

"...By the way, Director Feng of the machine factory is away in the capital on business. You should report to the factory the day after tomorrow and follow the two master mechanics. When Director Feng returns, he will arrange your work."

"Understood, thank you, Director Yang." Fang Yinnian held her hand firmly, feeling his cheeks burning.

"Think nothing of it," Yang Jinghua said dismissively. He seemed to recall something else and turned to ask Mu Wanguan, "And Comrade Mu, would you like to work at the machine factory as well? I saw how well you coordinated with Comrade Fang today, you—"

"I'm not going," Mu Wanguan said, suddenly pulling her hand away from Fang Yinnian and skipping to the front to face Director Yang. "I want to farm!"

"I think you just want to pull weeds," Fang Yinnian said, his mood souring as his hand went empty.

"Hmph. Pulling weeds is fine too. Either way, I'm going to farm!"

Farming was great. She could be around green plants every day and absorb life force to upgrade her abilities. Once her powers were restored, she would be invincible and could even save a weakling like him. Mu Wanguan glared indignantly at the oblivious Fang Yinnian.

Yang Jinghua sensed the tension between them but just chuckled, saying nothing. Young couples often bickered; it was just a way to grow closer. Remembering their status as a married couple, he clapped his hands. "I almost forgot, you two don't need to go to the dorms. Section Chief Guo spoke with Director Zhou of our farm; they’ve assigned you a small private room in the family quarters."

"Why!" Wu Siqi, who had just broken free from Liu Xiaoyan, shrieked at the news.