I Was Alive in 2008

Chapter 1 The molten steel is not cold yet On the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, a small year, the north wind was like a worn-out file, blowing against the rusty iron gate of the old steel factory. Jiang Mucheng stood outside the factory gate, with the collar of his dusty down jacket standing up, but it still couldn't stop the cold air that penetrated his neck. He had just returned from college in the provincial capital, carrying two bottles of Shaodaozi that he bought for his father. On the cement doorpost on the right side of the gate, there are seven large cement characters "Northeast Second Steel Plant". The gold characters of "number" and "steel" are missing, leaving only some mottled remnants, like teeth that have been hollowed out by moths. Several pieces of glass were broken on the bulletin board on the left, and the paper stuck inside was yellowed and curled. The top one was last year's production safety notice, and underneath it was vaguely visible the "Advanced Producer" red list from earlier. The faces on the photo had long since faded, leaving only blurred white spots. The gatekeeper, Old Sun, leaned half out of the reception room. His nose was red from the cold, like a ripe hawthorn. He squinted his eyes for a while and then shouted in a hoarse voice: "Wu Cheng? Is Mu Cheng back?" "Uncle Sun," Jiang Mucheng took two steps quickly, "It's so cold, why don't you light a stove?" "What's the stove for?" Lao Suntou waved his hand, and the old cotton-padded jacket on his body made a rustling sound with the movement. "The factory hasn't produced coal for half a year. I picked up some branches to burn for a while and then it was gone. Your dad is in the workshop and said that the last batch of steel ingots is about to come out." Jiang Mucheng nodded and looked beyond the old sun's gray head towards the depths of the factory.