Fast-forward five years in time, back to 1975.
In those days, Hou's mother was a manufacturing worker at the County Second Light Industry Factory. The factory had only been converted from an arsenal a few years prior, and skilled lathe operators were still scarce. Almost every newly recruited worker started with some foundational knowledge in mechanics.
The factory operated on a system where one master worker took on dozens of apprentices, who in turn took on their own apprentices, passing down the craft bit by bit.
Chapter 61