In 1986, Han Zheng stood in front of that punch press once again.
The purchasing department was urging him to sign off on the repair inspection form, while his coworker had already lifted his foot toward the pedal. He had remembered that scream from his previous life for most of his days.
This time, he pulled the man away from the workstation first, then stopped the machine.
But saving a pair of hands only got them through one morning shift. The fake replacement-parts form was still unexplained, the old pump kept leaking after repairs, and the factory's orders and wages couldn't wait.
Decades of machine-repair experience had returned to his young body, but he still had to work with the materials, measuring tools, and workers of that era. The first part came out wrong, the second attempt leaked, and the veteran mechanic had to measure it all over again.
From a few old parts to the first batch of complete repair assemblies, from the workshop to the fields, from wages paid on time to a good meal at home, Han Zheng wanted to turn his skills into something people could rely on to make a living.
He wanted to protect his coworkers' hands, and let his fiancee continue on her own path.
Stopping the machine was only the first step. What he had to do was help this old factory support its people again, and live the life he had been given a second chance to build.
