Chapter 21: Ten Claw Hammers

Opposite Yan Jiecheng stood Old Shen from the maintenance fitter workshop, his face a dark shade of iron blue. He was a level-five maintenance fitter, a seasoned veteran who had trained many apprentices. Unexpectedly, Yan Jiecheng showed him no respect today and spoke so bluntly and directly.

In the rolling mill factory, most fitters were maintenance fitters, combining mechanical and electrical skills, often teamed up with welders to ensure the normal operation of machinery across various workshops.

In Duan Chengliang’s courtyard lived Elder Yi Zhonghai, one of the few professional level-seven fitters in the rolling mill. He wasn’t responsible for machine maintenance but specialized in processing molds and spare parts—a true technical master.

Duan Chengliang watched curiously as Yan Jiecheng threw a hammerhead carelessly at Old Shen’s feet and said, “Old Shen, I won’t waste time talking now. My master is waiting for me to get back to work. If you have patience, it’s best to wait a bit longer. Once we finish this batch of work, we’ll definitely get it done for you.”

Yan Jiecheng didn’t even glance at Duan Chengliang. After speaking, he waved dismissively at Old Shen and turned, running toward the forging workshop.

Duan Chengliang was puzzled. As an apprentice in the forging workshop, where did Yan Jiecheng get the confidence to talk to a level-five maintenance fitter like that? Clearly, this wasn’t Yan’s personal attitude but reflected the stance of the forging workshop.

Considering this, it made sense why the usually timid Yan Jiecheng spoke so firmly today and seemed so confident.

At that moment, Duan Chengliang had no time to ponder Yan Jiecheng’s thoughts or the grudges between the forging workshop and Old Shen. His attention was fixed on the hammerhead at Old Shen’s feet.

He felt a stir in his heart and smiled as he approached the grim-faced Old Shen, initiating conversation. “Master Shen, what’s wrong? Why the long face? Someone as skilled as you—what could possibly trouble you? In our rolling mill factory, I don’t think there’s anything you can’t handle.”

Old Shen looked up at Duan Chengliang. They knew each other; maintenance fitters roamed the factory all day. Wherever machinery broke down, they appeared. They were also responsible for patrol maintenance, making this trade arguably the most socially connected, knowing the most people in the rolling mill.

Old Shen replied in a faint tone, “You’re flattering me too much. There are plenty of things that stump me. Right here, see this claw hammer? It’s driving me crazy.”

Duan Chengliang looked at the claw hammer head Yan Jiecheng had just tossed at Old Shen’s feet and asked curiously, “Master Shen, this hammerhead looks fine to me, nothing wrong with it.”

“Of course it looks fine. I took it to the forging workshop as a sample and asked them to forge ten like it. But they said they can’t spare the time and refused to help.”

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Duan Chengliang bent over, picked up the claw hammer head, and examined it carefully.

Old Feng, who was standing nearby and growing a bit bored, said to Duan Chengliang, “Why don’t you chat with Old Shen a bit? I’m going back to prepare and take a short break. There’s a meeting at the factory this afternoon I have to attend.”

Duan Chengliang smiled and nodded but said nothing more; his focus remained on the hammerhead. Old Feng greeted Old Shen and left.

Duan Chengliang thought the claw hammer head in his hand wasn’t very refined; it didn’t resemble the claw hammers sold at familiar hardware stores. It felt more like a piece of rebar, one end shaped into a hammer and the other into a claw—a relatively simple claw hammer.

He had a rough idea of the situation and looked up at Old Shen, asking, “Master Shen, what do you need this hammerhead for?”

“I don’t know what’s going on, but lately, everything’s in short supply. Even when we go to the warehouse for tools, there are no claw hammers left. We urgently need them here, but the warehouse won’t restock until next month, right before the New Year. I can’t wait, so I tried to get the forging workshop to make a few for me, just to get by. I’m not asking for durability, just something usable for about a month. But they said they can’t spare the time and want to finish their current tasks first. I don’t understand their meaning. Even if I’m a fool, it’s obvious they don’t want to help me. Just wait; they’ll always have batches of work coming in, and they’ll never free up time.”

Duan Chengliang sensed Old Shen was so angry he wanted to curse, but he couldn’t openly complain. He had to swallow his anger and endure the loss silently.

At that moment, Duan Chengliang wrestled with himself. He wanted to take on this job but felt uncertain. After all, he was only a mediocre blacksmith; although the forge in his space was decent, his skills were lacking.

After much thought, he wasn’t willing to give up this opportunity. Gritting his teeth, he asked Old Shen, “Master Shen, you said it doesn’t need to be very sturdy or last too long, just enough for a month or so, right?”

“That’s right. Once the warehouse stocks new claw hammers, we’ll just get them. I only want to fill the current shortage so we have tools to work with and don’t delay our jobs.”

Duan Chengliang said seriously, “Master Shen, I can try to find someone to forge the hammers. But there’s one thing—I don’t have the materials. From what I see, your sample is made from rebar, probably grade 2 steel. If you want someone to help forge the hammers, you have to provide the rebar. It doesn’t need to be new, just scrap pieces about 25 centimeters long will do.”

Old Shen looked at Duan Chengliang strangely, somewhat incredulous. “You say you can help me find someone to forge these claw hammers?”

Faced with the situation, Duan Chengliang had no choice but to push forward, nodding seriously.

Old Shen’s face clearly showed happiness. He scratched his head and said, “If you can find someone to forge the claw hammers, I’ll find the right rebar for you. You can have as much as you need.”

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Duan Chengliang felt a surge of joy and casually asked, “Can you get coke?”

“Yes. As long as someone can forge them, we have all the fuel and materials, just not in huge quantities. When can you start?”

“As soon as we have the materials and fuel, we can start.”

Old Shen studied Duan Chengliang carefully and said earnestly, “I’m not joking. We urgently need these claw hammers. The sooner, the better. At least six, ideally about ten.”

Duan Chengliang hesitated briefly, then nodded decisively. “No problem. The latest we meet again at the first canteen is by noon tomorrow.”

Old Shen asked, “Do you want to call your master now, and I’ll take him to pick the rebar, or how do you want to arrange it?”

Duan Chengliang said, “I’ll pick it out for him.”

“I’ll warn you in advance: although it’s scrap and offcuts, don’t even think about taking it out of the rolling mill factory.”

Duan Chengliang smiled, “No need. I’ll have the hammers made right here in the factory. Don’t worry.”

Old Shen glanced at Duan Chengliang again but didn’t ask more. He patted his shoulder. “Come on, follow me to select the materials.”

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This highlights the difference between trades. Fitters are known as versatile workers who can craft all sorts of things. But before crafting, most of the time, they need the forging workshop to first shape the materials. Having a solid basic forge operation is essential to fully utilize their skills.

Moreover, Old Shen was only a maintenance fitter, so when it came to using claw hammers, he truly had to rely on the forging workshop for help.