Jinxiu

Li Tie

Chunfeng Literature and Art Publishing House

December 2021

45.00 (CNY)

Li Tie

Li Tie is a novelist whose works have entered the Chinese Fiction Institution’s yearly ranking of top novels， the Beijing Literature magazine’s yearly ranking of China’s top new novels， and many other significant lists multiple times. Many of his works have been adapted into television dramas. He is also a recipient of the inaugural Literature Award for Young Adults， The Short Story Magazine’s Hundred Flower Award， Beijing Literature magazine’s Monthly Novella Award， Novella Selection magazine’s Award of the Year， the Shanghai Literature Award， etc.

This book tells the story of Jinxiu Construction Company， founded in 1949， and one of its workers， Zhang Dahe. It describes how Zhang Dahe， with his expert smelting skills and perseverance， becomes a model worker after selflessly giving his all to ensure the best quality in everything he puts out. With the efforts of Zhang Dahe and many other outstanding workers， Jinxiu Construction Company takes on part of the arduous task to build up industrial infrastructure in the country. After 1978， the company faces fierce competition， and it is during this time that Zhang Huaiyong， the son of Zhang Dahe， steps up and takes on corporate social responsibility while protecting the rights of his workers.

Zhang Dahe was working in front of a furnace when Liu Yinghua ran over and shouted， “Great news， Zhang Dahe!”

At this， everyone around looked their way. Liu Yinghua wiped the sweat off her forehead with her arm and said while panting， “You’re finally a model worker of the country， Zhang Dahe.” A little dazed by this sudden news， he replied， “So what if I am?” To which Liu Yinghua said， “You’re the first model worker of the country from our company， and therefore this honor doesn’t just belong to you. It belongs to our team， to our company， understand? It belongs to our entire company.” After a brief moment of silence， everyone around started clapping.

Zhang Dahe suddenly felt his face heat up， and through the applause， he subconsciously glanced at Jiang Lianzi， who was standing behind him. An unspeakable sense of guilt rolled through his heart.

The news that Zhang Dahe would go to Beijing for his award ceremony travelled really fast through the entire workplace， the workers’ dormitories， as well as the entire Guhe District. Everyone was talking about Jinxiu Construction’s Zhang Dahe becoming a model worker of the country jubilantly， almost like they themselves have shared in the honor. Zhang Dahe himself has also changed， both on the outside and on the inside. The changes on the outside started with his image， as he didn’t like cutting his hair before， often leaving his sideburns growing past his ears and his beard unshaven. Now， however， he has had a haircut， and his sideburns have become short， with his black oily hair flowing to the right as if he had waxed it. His beard was shaved off， and his chin was now clean and free of any hair. His cloth uniform had also been washed to fade， making it look almost brand-new. Everyone was shocked that he seemed to have become someone else completely. Because of this， Niu Hongbo specially talked to him and reminded him that he shouldn’t forget his roots after becoming a model worker of the country and should continue his honest efforts. At this， Zhang Dahe laughed and said， “I know where I’ve come from， and I’ll never forget my roots. I only tidied myself up because I want to be a better role model for the other workers and not disgrace the company.” Niu then patted his shoulder， nodded， and replied， “That’s reassuring to hear.”

On the day Zhang Dahe left for Beijing， many people went to the train station to see him off. Someone even made a banner saying， “Happily Sending Off Model Worker Zhang Dahe to Beijing”. When Zhang Dahe saw this， he felt a lump in his throat and almost teared up.

Gu Xiaoxian was also there， and she tried her best to stay at the back of the crowd. Every time people pushed her forward， she moved back again. She avoided eye contact with Zhang Dahe the entire time， trying not to let him notice her presence， as she knew that her expression wasn’t compatible with the smiles and laughter of the crowd. She said deep down to herself， “Let go of the past， Zhang Dahe has nothing to do with you now， and you’re here as a worker of the company to see off a model colleague on his trip to receive his award.”