Rebirth: Fan Debiao rises from the Liaobei land

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the construction site's prefab house erupted in chaos.

"Three days? Twenty sites?!" Gangzi slammed his helmet on the ground. "Is that guy surnamed Zheng deliberately trying to make things difficult for us? This is just making things hard for us!"

Fan Debiao, wrapped in a cotton-padded coat, squatted by the stove warming himself, not even lifting his eyelids: "It's tough, but we have to do it. Where's Liu Tiezhu, the new guy from the engineering company?"

"They're inspecting the insulation sheds outside," Gangzi said, panting. "Brother Biao, this job is impossible! Twenty points, three days to finish, and we still have to run around in those crappy places like the basement and the elevator—"

"We have to do it even if we can't." Fan Debiao stood up, picked up the black signal tester from the corner, and said, "Gangzi, go drive the construction vehicle over. Tiezhu!"

Liu Tiezhu lifted the curtain and came in. He was in his forties, with a dark red face. He was an old electrician whom Fan Debiao had recently recruited into the engineering company. He had a high-altitude work permit and was an honest man.

"Boss Fan."

"Do you know how to use this thing?" Fan Debiao handed over the testing device.

Liu Tiezhu took it and weighed it in his hand: "I've measured carrier signals before at the power bureau, but I've never worked with communications. But the principles are pretty much the same; it's all about reading the waveform."

"That's fine then." Fan Debiao unfolded the map and spread it on the table. "The three of us will split up. I'll measure six points to the east, Gangzi six to the west, and Tiezhu eight to the north. Awei—"

Awei looked up from the ledger, her eyes slightly dark, clearly indicating she hadn't slept well the night before.

"Keep an eye on the construction site; the coal supply to the insulation sheds can't be cut off. Also," Fan Debiao paused, "the 80,000 yuan payment from the branch office must be credited to your account today. Once the money arrives, pay the workers half a month's wages first."

"Don't worry, Brother Biao." Awei closed the ledger. "The office just called and said the payment has been made and it should arrive this morning."

Fan Debiao felt a weight lifted from his heart: "Okay. Gangzi, drive there!"

The gray van left two tracks in the snow. Besides the testing equipment, it was loaded with a ladder, toolbox, and other gear. Gangzi gripped the steering wheel, grumbling, "If this snows any more, the roads will be impassable."

On the first day, they worked until 7 p.m. When the three of them returned to the construction site, their eyelashes were covered in frost.

Gangzi gulped down two large mouthfuls of hot water before recovering: "Brother Biao, we've finished testing the six points on the west side. The signal in the department store elevator and the basement of the old cotton mill is so weak it's like a mosquito's hum; it doesn't even meet the standard."

Fan Debiao jotted down in his notebook: "What's the reading?"

"In the elevator -102dBm, in the basement -108dBm." Gangzi handed over the test records. "The old man who operates the elevator said that once you go down into the elevator, you lose all signal. Unless you build a base station in the elevator shaft."

Liu Tiezhu came in rubbing his frozen hands: "Of the eight points to the north, three failed. It's all because of the buildings blocking the signal. There was an old lady on the balcony of one of the residential buildings who absolutely refused to let us test it, saying that this thing emits radiation that could kill all her flowers."

Fan Debiao looked at the five red crosses on the notebook and lit a cigarette.

The phone rang. It was Chen, an engineer from Motorola: "Boss Fan, regarding the feeder issue, Xiao Liu has come up with a temporary workaround. We'll use a copper pipe connector for hydraulic crimping, which should last for a while. But this requires specialized hydraulic pliers, which we don't have on hand."

Where can I find it?

"The Shenyang office has them," said Engineer Chen, "but it takes at least three days to process through normal channels."

"I can't wait three days," Fan Debiao said firmly. "Engineer Chen will need your help again. Here's what I'll do—I'll send a car to Shenyang now to pick up the people and tools. You can have your colleagues in Shenyang prepare so the car can pick them up directly when it arrives. I'll cover all the expenses, and you can get extra payment for your trouble."

There was a two-second silence on the other end, followed by a faint whisper from Xiao Liu beside him: "Engineer Chen, Boss Fan's matter is urgent..."

"Okay," Chen agreed. "I'll have Old Zhao from Shenyang prepare. But Boss Fan, this is against the rules. What if the higher-ups find out..."

"I'll hold the sky up even if it falls." Fan Debiao hung up the phone and shouted to Gangzi, "Go, have Engineer Wang drive his Santana to Shenyang to pick them up right now. Drive slowly on the road, it's slippery in the snow."

The next morning at six o'clock, while it was still dark, the three of them set off again.

At exactly eight o'clock, Team Leader Zheng called right on time: "Boss Fan, the testing points need to include all the difficult locations. Basements, elevators, underground parking garages, the shaded sides of buildings—all of these need to be tested—and they must meet the standards."

Fan Debiao sat in his van, hurrying towards the post office staff quarters: "Don't worry, Team Leader Zheng, everything that needs to be tested will be tested."

"Light measurement alone won't do," Team Leader Zheng said slowly and deliberately. "If the difficult parts aren't handled well, the whole report is useless. This is for your own good, to identify problems early and rectify them in advance."

After hanging up the phone, Gangzi slammed his hand on the steering wheel: "That old bastard, it's easier to see the King of Hell than to deal with his underlings! Brother Biao, he's clearly trying to trip us up!"

"We still have to pass," Fan Debiao said, looking at the snow falling outside the window. "He sets the questions, and we answer them. We only find out if we're right or wrong after the exam."

The test was even more difficult that day.

The department store elevator went up and down more than twenty times, driving the old man operating it crazy: "Comrades, are you guys obsessed with the elevator? I'll have to ask you to reimburse my electricity bill this month!"

Fan Debiao handed over two packs of Hongtashan cigarettes: "Grandpa, do the last three tests. After that, I'll give you a month's electricity bill."

"Oh, that's great!" The old man smiled and took the cigarette. "Go ahead and test them, you can test them all night long!"

The signal in the underground parking garage was completely dead. Liu Tiezhu climbed into the ventilation duct and fiddled with it for half an hour. When he came out, he was covered in dust: "Brother Biao, this place is hopeless. The reinforced concrete is fifty centimeters thick; the signal can't penetrate it at all. Unless we bury a base station antenna inside the garage."

Fan Debiao wrote in his notebook: Underground parking garage, signal strength -110dBm, seriously substandard.

When I returned to the construction site that evening, the people from Shenyang had arrived.

Old Zhao, in his forties and wearing glasses, unloaded a silver-gray toolbox from his pickup truck. Young Liu greeted him, "Mr. Zhao, thank you for your hard work!"

"I heard you're in a hurry here." Old Zhao opened his toolbox, inside was a set of gleaming hydraulic pliers and crimping molds. "German-made, one set is worth half a year's salary for us."

Fan Debiao handed over a cigarette: "Engineer Zhao, you'll be staying at Victoria tonight. Food and drinks are all prepared. Let's eat first, then get to work!"

"Let's get to work." Old Zhao was quite honest. "We brought all the tools; we need to get it up and running tonight. Don't you guys have to test it tomorrow?"

Gangzi and Liu Tiezhu assisted, while Lao Zhao and Xiao Liu operated the equipment. Inside the insulated shed, the fire burned bright red, but the snow outside continued to fall heavier and heavier.

Engineer Wang squatted at the shed entrance, smoking a cigarette: "Boss Fan, judging by this, the snow won't be light tomorrow. The last measurement point is on the rooftop, how are we going to do it?"

Fan Debiao stared at the heavy snowfall: "Even if it's snowing heavily, we still have to take measurements."

At 1 a.m., the feeder cable was connected.

Old Zhao climbed down the pole, his hands frozen purple: "Boss Fan, this was a temporary job, it should last a month. But we need to replace it with a proper jumper cable as soon as possible, these things don't last long."

Fan Debiao clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Engineer Zhao, that's very kind of you. I'll remember this favor. Gangzi, quickly take the engineers to Victoria to rest!"

On the third day, the snow did not stop.

When I opened the door in the morning, everything was covered in white snow, which was ankle-deep.

Gangzi started the bread truck, but it only got going after three attempts: "Brother Biao, can this still be tested?"

"Test it." Fan Debiao tucked the testing device into his coat and wrapped it around his chest. "There's only one spot left on the roof of the post office staff quarters. Once you've tested it, you're done."

The car crawled along the snow like an old ox. When we got downstairs, we looked up and the seven-story rooftop was just a blur in the wind and snow.

Liu Tiezhu put on his safety rope: "I'll go. I'm used to climbing, I don't get dizzy from heights."

Gangzi, holding one end of the rope, said, "Brother Tiezhu, be careful."

Braving the wind, Liu Tiezhu climbed to the rooftop, the snowflakes stinging his eyes. He lay prone by the parapet, taking three readings before finally stabilizing his reading. He shouted down, "Finished! -87dBm, meets the standard!"

When he came down, Liu Tiezhu's cotton-padded trousers were completely soaked from the knees down, and he was shivering from the cold.

Fan Debiao took off his cotton-padded coat and draped it over Tiezhu, saying, "Tiezhu, I will remember this kindness for the rest of my life."

"Boss Fan, what are you saying?" Liu Tiezhu's teeth chattered. "You're so honest, we feel at ease working with you."

The test report was completed by Avi overnight.

Of the twenty points, six failed to meet the standard, and fourteen met it. The pass rate was seventy percent, barely passing.

At eight o'clock on the morning of the fourth day, Fan Debiao walked into the Netcom building with the report in his hand.

Team Leader Zheng's office was so warm it made one sleepy. He wore small glasses and meticulously flipped through the report, page by page. After a full twenty-five minutes, he finally looked up and said, "Boss Fan, the report is quite thorough."

"Of course." Fan Debiao stood in front of the desk.

"But—" Team Leader Zheng put down the report and leaned back, "there's another matter. Since the base station is being built in a residential area, we need proof of no radiation from nearby residents. Have you prepared that?"

Fan Debiao's heart sank: "Team Leader Zheng, we didn't mention needing this before."

"We need it now." Team Leader Zheng picked up his teacup and blew on it. "This is also for the health of the residents. Go to the street office to get a certificate, and then get twenty households to sign and leave their fingerprints. Prove that the base station radiation is within a safe range and that no one has any objections."

"How many days... will it take?"

"Three days, I guess." Team Leader Zheng took a sip of tea. "The proof and report must be submitted by Friday. If they aren't, the acceptance process will have to be postponed."

As I left the Netcom building, it was still snowing.

Gangzi sat in the bread truck, the engine still running: "Brother Biao, what do you say?"

Fan Debiao opened the car door and got in without saying a word.

The car's heater was on full blast, and a layer of fog had formed on the windows.

"Is that guy surnamed Zheng up to his old tricks again?" Gangzi asked.

Fan Debiao wiped his face: "We need proof of no radiation complaints from residents. Twenty households need to sign, and the street office needs to stamp it."

"Damn it!" Gangzi slammed his fist on the steering wheel. "Isn't this intentional?! Three days, twenty households signing, and the street office has to stamp it—"

"What's the point of cursing?" Fan Debiao lit a cigarette. "Let's go back to the construction site."

Gangzi gritted his teeth: "Brother Biao, we're really like a toad using a table leg—just barely hanging on."

"We have to hold on, no matter what." Fan Debiao exhaled a puff of smoke. "If we can't hold on, all the suffering we've endured will have been for nothing."