The Funeral of the Wind Turbine

Lao Li stood before the wreckage of the giant wind turbine, his heart utterly calm.

He had worked at this wind power plant for twenty years, starting as the most junior inspection worker. He was diligent and conscientious, yet he remained "Old Li." He watched those fresh college graduates, addressed as "Little Wang" and "Little Zhang," who within a few years became "Manager Wang" and "Director Zhang." He'd felt resentment, but mostly resignation.

The day the wind turbine collapsed, Lao Li was on annual leave. He had planned to take his wife to the beach, but she, complaining about the cost of travel, dragged him into spending the day watching short videos at home.

"Lao Li, something big happened!" The call was from the plant manager, his voice tinged with anxiety. "Come back quickly!"

When Lao Li arrived at the scene, the wind turbine had already been reduced to a pile of twisted metal. The massive blades lay broken on the ground, like a giant bird with a broken wing, pointing powerlessly at the sky. A cordon was set up around the area, and the onlookers were buzzing with discussion. Some said it was too much wind, others blamed poor quality, and still others claimed it was a "shoddy construction project."

Lao Li silently walked forward and carefully examined the wreckage. He saw the cracks at the root of the blades, the broken bolts, the metal fatigue. He knew in his heart that this accident was bound to happen sooner or later.

"Lao Li, what do you think?" The plant manager walked over and handed him a cigarette.

Lao Li took the cigarette, lit it, took a deep drag, and slowly said, "Manager, this wind turbine... it's time for it to retire."

The manager was stunned for a moment, then smiled wryly and shook his head. "Yeah, it's time to retire. But, nobody expected it to retire this way."

The accident investigation team quickly arrived at the plant. As the most experienced inspector, Lao Li was required to fully cooperate with the investigation. He handed over his years of inspection records and maintenance reports to the investigation team. He knew that these records contained many problems, many hidden dangers, but they had all been covered up with "temporarily," "later," and "we'll see."

The investigation results were released, and as Lao Li expected: multiple factors led to the collapse of the wind turbine. Among them, equipment aging and improper maintenance were the main reasons.

The factory held a "celebration banquet," claiming to celebrate the fact that "no casualties occurred" in the accident. Lao Li was also invited, and was even seated next to the plant manager.

"Lao Li, we owe you a lot this time. You discovered the problem in time and prevented greater losses." The manager raised his glass, his face beaming with a smile.

Lao Li also raised his glass, a faint smile on his face, but his heart was filled with mixed feelings. He didn't know whether he should be happy or sad.

At the banquet, everyone toasted each other, and the atmosphere was lively. The manager announced that in order to commend Lao Li's "outstanding contribution," it had been decided to promote him to "Special Advisor for Production Safety."

"Lao Li, from now on you are the 'anchor' of our factory!" The manager patted Lao Li on the shoulder and said loudly.

Lao Li smiled mechanically and nodded in agreement. He looked at the group of jubilant people in front of him and suddenly felt a sense of unfamiliarity. He thought of the collapsed wind turbine. It had once been so tall, so majestic, but now, it was just a pile of scrap metal.

He silently took a sip of wine, the spicy taste burning his throat. He looked up at the window. There were no stars in the night sky, only a few lonely streetlights swaying in the cold wind.

After the banquet, the manager called Lao Li to his office and took out a contract.

The manager said with a smile, "Lao Li, this is your new contract. Take a look, any problems?"

Lao Li took the contract and glanced at it briefly. The consultant's monthly salary was three times that of the previous inspector. He was stunned for a moment, and then signed it.

A month later, Lao Li received his first consultant's salary and invited a few old colleagues to dinner at a restaurant.

After a few rounds of drinks, an old colleague asked him, "Lao Li, you've been promoted now. What are your plans for the future?"

Lao Li smiled bitterly: "What other plans can I have? Continue to 'slack off.' But now, I'm not slacking off, I'm 'reaping the rewards'." He pointed to the top of his head, "This 'anchor' is actually a 'lightning rod'."

The old colleagues were stunned, and then burst into laughter. Lao Li also laughed, but as he laughed, his eyes became moist.

He suddenly remembered that his wife was waiting for him at home. He had to hurry back and buy her some of her favorite crispy pork. After all, life had to go on, didn't it? It's just that he never wanted to see those wind turbines again.