It was mid February of the ninth year of Chongzhen's reign.
At the main square of the Chang'an Automobile Factory, tens of thousands of workers stood in orderly formations. An award ceremony was being held.
Gao Yiyi, one of the original forty two villagers of Gao Family Village and now the director of the Chang'an Automobile Factory, personally presented a silk banner to Bin Sheng.
Behind Bin Sheng stood a large group of team leaders, quality inspectors, and worker representatives from the steam engine assembly workshop. Each of them wore a small red flower pinned proudly to their chest.
Cannons thundered from both sides of the viewing platform. Colorful paper scraps were blasted into the air and rained down, covering Bin Sheng and the others from head to toe.
With visible excitement, Gao Yiyi announced loudly, "Through hard work, perseverance, and meticulous research, the steam engine assembly workshop has raised the precision of steam engine production to a new level. After strict organizational testing, the malfunction rate of our new steam engines has dropped by fifty percent. A full fifty percent."
Thunderous cheers erupted from below the stage.
"The steam engine workshop is outstanding."
Gao Yiyi raised his voice again. "I hereby announce that the steam engine assembly workshop is awarded the title of Advanced Workshop. In addition, all workshop employees will receive a ten percent salary increase."
The representatives on the platform beamed with pride. Below them, the workers erupted into cheers, flinging their safety helmets high into the air.
In an instant, hundreds of yellow helmets soared skyward.
Gao Yiyi continued, "That was a collective honor. Next, Vice Director Qi Cheng will present Director Bin Sheng with his personal award."
Qi Cheng stepped onto the stage, smiling and waving, and handed Bin Sheng a certificate. "Congratulations on being awarded the title of Labor Model."
Bin Sheng accepted the certificate, completely bewildered. He could not help asking, "What exactly does a Labor Model do?"
Laughter rippled across the crowd.
Qi Cheng explained, "As a Labor Model, you will receive a special monthly labor allowance, along with higher medical subsidies. Also, the factory is currently building new housing next to the plant. When homes are allocated, Labor Models will receive priority."
At the mention of housing, Bin Sheng's thoughts raced.
Housing?
What use did housing have for a spy like him?
A dormitory was more than enough. Housing meant nothing. He could not take it with him when he returned to the Jin Kingdom.
With that in mind, Bin Sheng spoke earnestly, "There's no need to allocate housing to me. Please give it to another worker who truly needs it. Living in the dormitory keeps me closer to the workshop and makes work more convenient."
The moment those words fell, the entire factory went silent.
Utter silence.
Every face was filled with awe.
Such selflessness.
To give up allocated housing so casually. The weight behind those words was immense. Many people asked themselves whether they could do the same, and every answer was no.
The silence lasted a full ten seconds.
Then an even louder roar exploded from the crowd.
"Bin Sheng. Bin Sheng. Bin Sheng."
Someone shouted, "Bin Sheng, aren't you preparing a marital home for Yanzi?"
Another laughed, "Yanzi is going to be furious."
Amid the laughter, Yanzi suddenly rushed onto the stage. She snatched the metal loudspeaker from Qi Cheng's hand and shouted at the crowd, "Quiet. What nonsense are you all saying. I'm not angry at all. I already have allocated housing. Our marital home can be at my place. I support Brother Bin Sheng."
The crowd burst into laughter.
Bin Sheng gasped. "Huh?"
He froze for a moment, then joy flooded his heart. "Yanzi, will you marry me?"
Yanzi glared at him. "Idiot."
She jumped off the stage and vanished into the crowd.
Cheers continued endlessly.
Bin Sheng stared in the direction she had disappeared, his body stiffening.
Damn it. I'm a spy.
When I finish stealing the technology and return to the Jin Kingdom, will Yanzi follow me?
She definitely won't.
Then what should I do?
His mind fell into chaos. The cheers around him faded into meaningless noise. Like a walking corpse, he drifted off the stage, wandered through the crowd, and returned to his small dormitory room. He collapsed onto the bed.
His mind spun. The future in front of him had become completely blurred.
At that moment, a soft knock sounded at the door.
Bin Sheng opened it and saw one of his support team members standing outside.
He quickly pulled the man inside, poked his head out to check both sides of the corridor, then shut the door tightly.
"What is it?" Bin Sheng whispered. "We could have met in the cafeteria. Coming to my dorm alone is too obvious. It puts both of us at risk."
The man lowered his voice. "Boss, I came to report."
He took out a blueprint. It was a detailed drawing of the transmission shaft connecting the steam engine to the wheels.
Bin Sheng's eyes lit up instantly. "You copied this? How did you manage it?"
The man whispered, "I also received an internal commendation and was promoted to quality inspector in the bearing workshop. During inspections, I needed reference blueprints. I copied a bit each day until it was complete."
Bin Sheng was overjoyed. "Excellent. Outstanding work. This is a great contribution. When we return to the Jin Kingdom, I will report your merits to our superiors."
The man hesitated, then asked quietly, "Boss… when this is done, what kind of reward do you think we'll receive back home?"
Bin Sheng froze. After several seconds, he replied uncertainly, "At least… a hundred taels of silver."
"A hundred taels?"
A strange expression flickered across the man's face.
He turned and left.
Bin Sheng lay back on the bed, thoughts swirling.
When I return, what will I get?
Will they commend me before tens of thousands of people?
Will they pin a little red flower on my chest?
Will they give me a Labor Model certificate?
Allowances? Medical subsidies? Housing?
Will there be a girl like Yanzi?
"Enough. What nonsense am I thinking."
Just then, another knock sounded.
Bin Sheng opened the door.
No one was there.
Only a strange symbol etched onto the doorframe.
Bin Sheng's heart tightened instantly.
The contact from the Jin Kingdom had arrived.