Bird on Fire Chapter 1

Not long after the Dragon Boat Festival, and not even July yet, the weather seemed to have entered the hot summer.

The sky was cloudless and a huge sun hung in the sky, pouring heat into the city.

The two-way four-lane Changjiang Road is an asphalt road that was just completed less than half a month ago. It is also the first asphalt road in Longfan City. Asphalt roads are good, unlike cement roads, which need to be cut into pieces and bicycles will bump constantly when riding on them.

Of course, Grant Gu still doesn't have his own bicycle. When he first learned to ride a bicycle, he borrowed a 28-inch bicycle from his father's comrade-in-arms.

(1)

He rode on the rugged cement road in front of his house, and he fell many times before he learned how to ride. It was his father who ordered Grant Gu to learn how to ride, but he was not responsible for teaching because he didn't know how to ride. His father said that when they fought the Japanese, they only had millet and rifles.

(2)

, those who could ride a bicycle were all traitors, so no one would take the initiative to learn. When the new China was established, he was old and became a cadre. The government had cars to use, so he didn't need to learn to ride a bicycle. But there must be someone in the family who can ride a bicycle, so it is convenient to go out and buy soy sauce. Grant Gu learned to ride a bicycle, but every time his father was given a bicycle ticket,

(3)

, all given to subordinates, until now Grant Gu has not been able to ride his own bicycle. Of course, Grant Gu did not dare to say anything more.

Asphalt roads also have their disadvantages. For example, under the scorching sun, the black ground appears even darker and greasy, and it seems that if you step on it, you will sink into it, making people afraid to stretch their feet out.

After walking along the brick sidewalk on Changjiang Road for a while, they arrived at the general merchandise purchasing and supply station. Grant Gu originally wanted to look at the bicycles inside the glass window, but he accidentally saw his own reflection in the glass.

The white long-sleeved uniform, blue police pants, and a red national emblem on the white wide-brimmed hat sparkled in the sunlight. The pair of red collar badges on the collar added the finishing touch. Under the brim of the hat was a young and handsome face with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and sharp edges. Under the high nose bridge, the bright red lips and red collar badges complemented each other.

Unfortunately, Grant Gu, who is only 1.73 meters tall and weighs just over 110 kilograms, knows that his body shape is not considered tall and handsome, let alone manly.

Although the clean white police uniform can give him some masculinity, when he went to the Public Security Bureau to report for duty and receive the police uniform, he was dressed as a

(4)

The old policeman said that it was the first time that such a small-sized police uniform was issued. There seemed to be some joking in his words, which made Grant Gu, who was waiting, feel uneasy. As soon as he got the police uniform, he fled from the Public Security Bureau without looking back.

However, Grant Gu was quite satisfied with this police uniform. Compared with the factory work clothes or the green military uniform he had worn for two or three years, it was still quite refreshing. He subconsciously adjusted his cuffs, and then he found that the sleeves of the police uniform had been firmly stuck to his skin by sweat, which made him feel uncomfortable. He subconsciously took off his hat and fanned his face, but felt that this might affect the image of the people's police, so he quickly put the hat back on his sweaty hair.

Walk another two kilometers and you will reach the gate of my mother's factory across Changjiang Road. Today is Wednesday and I haven't seen my mother for two days. My mother works at the Magang Steel Factory. According to the factory's rules, she can only go home on Wednesday and Saturday nights every week. She has to go back to the factory to work at other times. Since 1949, my mother has worked so hard at the Magang Steel Factory that she is only 45 years old this year and already has a lot of problems. The pain tortured her and made her want to retire due to illness.

The mother originally thought that after Grant Gu graduated from high school, he could come to the Magang factory to work and take her place, so that she could retire with honor and Grant Gu could get a job instead of being unemployed at home. But unexpectedly, the father firmly opposed Grant Gu to work at the Magang factory. In his father's words, Grant Gu was the only son in the family, and he had to take over the gun in his father's hand and defend the country to be a good man.

Grant Gu certainly didn't think so. He believed that the working class was the most glorious. Moreover, with his physique, it was not suitable for him to be a soldier or a policeman. However, he did not dare to disobey his father's wishes and did not dare to express his great ideal of becoming a worker.

But my mother said it.

Although no one in the family dared to challenge his father's authority, his mother still had a fierce argument with his father over Grant Gu's life-long event.

Perhaps because my mother had never been so determined, my father actually gave in. He just gave in, not approved. My father said that he would let Grant Gu, who had just graduated from high school and turned 19, work in the factory for a year. If Grant Gu could endure the hardship, he would let him continue to work and take his mother's place.

Grant Gu was so happy at that time. His dream of becoming a glorious worker was realized so easily. Although he had no worries about food and clothing among his peers since he was a child, he was never afraid of hardship. Even though he was assigned to the most difficult position in the Magang Factory (which might be a special invitation from his father) - furnace worker, he never thought of giving up.

Making malleable steel is to use a blast furnace to mix pig iron and scrap steel together to smelt a metal between steel and iron. Blast furnace smelting is the key process. It took Grant Gu a whole year to learn how to judge the temperature of the molten iron; at the cost of many red spots and blisters on his face and neck from the red coke particles, he learned how to clear the furnace eye; he also learned how to put the right amount of molten iron in the casting ladle, so that it would not be too much or too little and would not splash outside. In short, Grant Gu worked as a furnace worker in the most difficult and tiring position of the malleable steel factory for a whole year and enjoyed it very much.

He himself didn't feel how tired he was, but his mother couldn't stand it anymore. Every night, his mother, who applied medicine on his face and body, finally took the initiative to find her husband last Saturday, when her one-year commitment was up, and gave up the plan to let her son take over. And it seemed to be God's will that June 20, Sunday, happened to be the day when the Public Security Bureau was recruiting, and Grant Gu caught up.

Why did my mother change her mind about something we had clearly agreed on?

Of course, Grant Gu didn't dare to ask his mother, let alone his father. Maybe his parents were doing it for his own good. On the way to the Public Security Bureau to participate in the recruitment, Grant Gu still had a fluke. He had so many classmates who were unemployed at home, all of them were tall and strong. The Public Security Bureau was only recruiting two people this time, so there was no way he would be the one. If the Public Security Bureau didn't recruit him, he could naturally go back and be the furnace worker he was doing well.

As expected, dozens of tall and strong boys had arrived before Grant Gu at the small square in front of the Longfan Public Security Bureau, waiting eagerly. Grant Gu secretly rejoiced and stood at the end of the line.

"What's your name?" When it was Grant Gu's turn, an old comrade in a public security uniform sitting behind the desk asked, poking the letter paper on the table with a pen.

"Grant Gu." Grant Gu finished speaking and looked up at the old comrade's expression. The old comrade was still poking at the letter paper, without raising his head, and without any tacit expression. It seemed that his father had not given him a heads-up for this job recruitment.

"Age, education." The old comrade seemed to be interrogating the prisoner.

"20, graduated from high school." said Grant Gu.

The old comrade raised his eyebrows and seemed somewhat happy. It seemed that among the young men who came to participate in the recruitment today, not many had this academic qualification.

"Family background and political status." The old comrade raised his head and looked at Grant Gu for the first time.

"Well, the military is retiring.

(5)

Family, I am a member of the Communist Party of China. "Grant Gu seemed a little reserved when the old comrade looked at him, but fortunately he managed to answer the questions calmly.

"Party member, good, it's you." The old comrade laughed, picked up a pen and quickly wrote a few lines on the letter paper, then tore it off and handed it to Grant Gu, saying, "You will report to the bureau tomorrow. First, go to the clothing department to get the police uniform, and then go to the criminal investigation department to find Lao Mu, ah, find Mark Chief."

Grant Gu was immediately confused. Didn't the old comrade look at him and not feel dissatisfied with his thin body? There were so many tall and handsome guys in front of him, why did he decide to recruit him? Just after asking a few questions, he was recruited? Grant Gu didn't react for a while, and even forgot to reach out to take the piece of paper.

The old comrade seemed to see through Grant Gu's thoughts, and laughed again, saying: "The Communist Party of China serves the people, and the public security police also serve the people. The public security is loyal to the party, do you understand?"

To be honest, Grant Gu didn't quite understand. But he still took the letter from the old comrade with trembling hands. It was a letter of introduction for him to claim his bedding and report for duty tomorrow.

Just like that, I became a police officer? After walking out of the police station, amid the envious eyes of many young men, Grant Gu still had a buzzing head and was confused.

Back home, my mother prepared a sumptuous dinner. There was probably 8 taels of meat in the cabbage stew. My father even took out the old wine he had collected for many years and drank a few glasses. Grant Gu felt that since he could remember, his father's smiles were not as many as that night. Grant Gu didn't know whether he should be happy or sad, but seeing his parents so happy, he really couldn't feel sad.

The sadness came back on Monday night.

When Grant Gu received the police uniform and reported to Section Mark Chief, whose face was full of wrinkles, Section Mark Chief told him to go home and pack his luggage, because on Wednesday afternoon, he would meet the man who had been recruited with him to join the police force.

(6)

The young man took a train to Shenyang, not to investigate a case, but to attend an eight-month training course at the Police Cadre School of the Ministry of Public Security.

Shenyang is 1,500 kilometers away from home.

The reason for his sadness was that he was going to Shenyang, after all, Grant Gu had basically never appeared in a dragon movie since he was 20 years old. But the main reason for his sadness was that he finally came to his senses and found that he was not having a nightmare, but was really far away from his ideal of becoming a worker and became a public security officer.

It was not until he saw himself in the police uniform in the window that the sadness was slightly alleviated. After putting on the police uniform at home, he did not even look in the mirror.

Unconsciously, he had walked to the other side of the road from the Magang Factory. In the middle of the road, a traffic policeman dressed the same as him was standing on the command platform in the middle of the intersection, holding a red and white baton and directing traffic. When he turned around and saw Grant Gu standing at the intersection, he stood at attention and saluted.

Grant Gu was startled and immediately panicked. He was at a loss, holding tightly to his green schoolbag. He had not received any military or public security training, and did not even know that he had to return the gift.

The traffic police smiled, turned around, waved his baton, and signaled Grant Gu to cross the road. Grant Gu lowered his head, blushed, clutched his bag, and walked past the command platform in two steps. He hoped to get there as soon as possible and hide behind the gate of the Magang Factory to ease his embarrassment.

He thought that the gate guard, Mr. Hank, should still be sitting lazily in the gate room, listening to the shabby semiconductor

(7)

, seeing Grant Gu, he must have smiled kindly, took out the registration book and asked him to register before entering. The management of Magang Factory is very strict. All employees entering the factory area must sign and register. If they are not employees of the factory, they are not even allowed to enter. Now that I am no longer an employee of Magang Factory, I wonder if Uncle Hui can still let me in? If he is not allowed to enter, can I ask Uncle Hui to ask my mother to come out? After all, I will take the train to Shenyang in the afternoon. I will be away for eight months. My mother will definitely miss me very much, and she must sue me.

Feeling anxious and organizing his words repeatedly in his mind, Grant Gu walked to the door of the guard room. To his surprise, the small door next to the guard room leading into the factory area was open, but Uncle Hui was not in the guard room.

This is strange. Uncle Hui has hardly left the guard room for a year. Why is he away from his post today? This is not Uncle Hui's style. However, it is very awkward now. Since Uncle Hui is not here, should he go in or wait here? Not knowing what to do for a moment, Grant Gu looked up at the factory area and happened to see people from several workshops running to the third workshop where his mother worked. Obviously, this is not normal.

Did something happen? Grant Gu thought about it, but he didn't dare to go into the factory without registering according to the rules. As he was looking around, two young men from the same workshop who looked familiar happened to pass by the guard room and saw Grant Gu. They pulled Grant Gu from the left and right and walked into the factory.

"Hurry up, hurry up, public security comrades, someone has died in workshop three." said one of the young men.

"No, no, no, I, I..." Grant Gu knew that he was mistaken for a police officer and wanted to explain quickly, but he didn't know how to explain.

The two young men didn't care about anything else, and pushed and pulled Grant Gu to the door of Workshop 3. When they got here, Grant Gu realized: Someone died in Workshop 3! My mother worked in Workshop 3!

Thinking of this, Grant Gu's legs were a little weak, but fortunately two people carried him and walked into the third workshop. There were already many people gathered in the northeast corner of the third workshop, and it was difficult to see what was going on in the crowd. However, Grant Gu knew the layout of the workshop very well. In this northeast corner, there was a technologically innovative machine that was custom-made by his mother from a friend's machinery factory. The so-called technologically innovative machine is a large box more than one person tall, with two large rollers full of hooks running in opposite directions. On both sides of the box are two conveyor belts that keep rolling. Simply put, the working principle of this machine is to transport coke blocks of different sizes from one belt to the box, and the larger coke blocks will be crushed by the roller hooks and become coke blocks of similar sizes, and then transported out from the other belt. This ensures that the coke blocks burning the furnace are of uniform size and can be fully burned. It is said that after my mother introduced this technologically innovative machine, the amount of coke saved was the largest in the entire factory.