Returning to 1949, I decided to hand it over to the state.

As soon as I sat down, I felt completely relaxed. My shoulders slumped slightly, and the tension that had been building up all day finally eased.

He placed his hands on his knees, his back slightly hunched, then pulled a pipe from his pocket and a small paper packet, slowly stuffing tobacco into the pipe.

The courtyard fell silent for a moment.

The last rays of sunset were slowly fading from the horizon, and the firewood piled in the corner of the yard cast long shadows in the dim twilight.

In the distance, you could faintly hear a few barks of dogs, and further away, a muffled sound seemed to be coming from the direction of the factory area.

This is the sound of breathing in an industrial city.

In 1949, Anshan was just beginning to recover from the flames of war and ruins.

Many of the blast furnaces, equipment, and factory buildings in the steel plant had been damaged, and the workers had to clean, repair, and rebuild them bit by bit with their bare hands.

For this city, steel is not just a production figure, but a source of strength, the confidence to stand up again.

Jiang Fan sat down not far away and quietly watched Meng Tai light a cigarette.

The match was struck with a "snap," leaving a small spark.

Meng Tai leaned in and took a deep drag; the cigarette butt flickered and glowed.

Perhaps he was exhausted, or perhaps he just wanted to take a moment to calm down, Meng Tai didn't speak immediately. He just stared at the woodpile in the corner of the yard, silently smoking, as if he was thinking about something.

Jiang Fan turned his head and looked at him from the side.

The person in front of you is Meng Tai.

That name that was later remembered by the people of the whole country, that person who led his fellow workers to salvage parts from the ruins, repair blast furnaces, and maintain production during the most difficult time for Ansteel.

In many later historical records, when he is mentioned, he is always described with an almost legendary quality.

But at this moment, he was just an ordinary worker who had just finished get off work and was going home.

But it was precisely this ordinariness that touched Jiang Fan's heart even more deeply.

It turns out that those people who are engraved like bronze statues in history books were just like that when they were really alive, living their lives day by day and struggling forward step by step.

After a moment, Jiang Fan took the initiative to break the silence.

"Uncle Meng, I heard from Comrade Song that the furnaces in the steel plant are almost all up and running now. So what are we mainly busy with now? I'd like to find out more about the situation at the plant."

He said this with an air of seriousness, as if he genuinely cared about the work arrangements.

But in reality, he did have a little scheme in mind.

I only have two and a half days left.

If one could hear any firsthand information about the state of Anshan Iron and Steel in 1949 from Meng Tai, even just a few words, it would be explosive material for future generations.

He's almost come up with a title.

Meng Tai's firsthand account of the state of Anshan Iron and Steel in 1949

Just thinking about it would cause a surge in online traffic.

Meng Tai turned his head, removed the pipe from his mouth, and smiled slightly.

"Comrade Xiao Jiang, you're quite enthusiastic. You've only just arrived and you're already thinking about things at the factory."

He said this with a slightly teasing tone, but it didn't sound disrespectful.

Instead, it reveals a sense of closeness between an elder and a younger generation.

Jiang Fan's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and he quickly followed up, his expression becoming even more serious.

"Of course I'm thinking about it. Now that I'm back, I can't just settle in and not think about working, can I? Besides, I'm genuinely curious about Ansteel."

He paused here, then added:

"It must be quite an achievement for such a large factory to get back in operation."

Upon hearing this, Meng Tai's smile faded slightly. He looked up at the sky and slowly exhaled a puff of smoke.

"It's not easy."

Meng Tai gently tapped the ash out of his pipe, casually put it back in his pocket, then turned around to face Jiang Fan, speaking slowly but steadily.

"We've managed to produce molten steel, and the No. 1 blast furnace has been back in production for several days now. We have molten iron, but that's not enough."

"The country has asked us to resume production, not just to produce steel and leave it there to look at, but to turn it into products that can be put to use. That's the top priority for the factory right now."

"Over at the No. 2 blast furnace, we mainly make shovels, bullet casings, shell casings, and the like for the soldiers on the front lines."

"These things are important, of course, but they are not enough. For the factory to move forward, it can't just produce iron; it has to produce finished products. And it can't just produce finished products; it also has to keep the accounts afloat."

As he spoke, his brows furrowed involuntarily, clearly indicating that this matter had been weighing on his mind for more than just a day or two.

Jiang Fan listened and nodded slightly.

Upon hearing these words, almost all the background information about Ansteel in his mind immediately came flooding back.

In 1949, Anshan Iron and Steel Group appeared to have restarted its machinery, but in reality, its industrial system was still far from complete.

The factory had been severely damaged by years of war, with many pieces of equipment either being dismantled or destroyed, and most of what remained was incomplete.

There was a lack of blueprints, parts, and technical personnel, so many processes had to be pushed forward by workers and technical staff who had to figure things out and make repairs as they went.

In order to restore Anshan Iron and Steel, the central government transferred a large number of cadres, technicians and workers from various places to support Northeast China.

Because everyone knows that steel is the backbone of the entire country's industrial system.

Steel is needed for fighting on the front lines.

Steel is needed for railway repairs.

Bridges, machinery, mines, factories, and even many utensils used in people's daily lives all rely on steel.

In those days, Northeast China was one of the most important heavy industrial bases in the country.

Whether Ansteel can bounce back is, in a sense, related to the pace of industrial recovery in the entire new China.

However, resuming production is always only the first step.

To truly go far, steel must be transformed into valuable products, into a real force that can support national finances and subsequent expansion and construction.

To put it bluntly, I need to make money.

And it's not making money in the usual sense.

At that time, the national finances were already strained. The war on the front lines had not yet ended, and the rear was in dire need of reconstruction. Every penny had to be spent carefully.

If Ansteel can quickly produce products that have market demand and supply, it can "infuse blood" into the entire country.

No wonder Meng Tai was so worried.

Just then, Meng Tai glanced at him again and continued:

"Now that you've returned from abroad, you've seen and experienced a lot, so you might be able to offer some assistance."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Fan was taken aback for a moment, then immediately waved his hand.

"I don't deserve it, Uncle Meng, you're really flattering me. I only took a few glances from outside, how can I compare to you veterans who have been working on the front lines?"