[Shen Cai Fei Yang] The journey through wind and snow is never easy; who has not traveled the road?

　　Every year when we come to Shiheng Special Steel (Shandong Shiheng Special Steel Group Co., Ltd.) for the audit, it is always winter. This year was even more severe, coinciding with a heavy snowstorm, resembling the scene in "Water Margin" when Instructor Lin faced the snowy Mountain God Temple, giving our audit team an experience of "walking through wind and snow, feeling both hardship and joy."

　　Shiheng Special Steel is located in Shiheng Town, Feicheng City, Tai'an, Shandong Province. There is no public bus service here, no high-speed rail or bullet train, only a single road accessible by car.

　　Teacher Duan in our group was worried about the audit trip days in advance because the meteorological station had already issued a heavy snow and temperature drop warning, saying Shandong was experiencing a once-in-a-century snowstorm and cold weather.

　　Minister He from the Technical Supervision Department of Shiheng Special Steel also suggested that we come later.

　　But the plan had long been set; everything was fixed and could not be changed even by a day. Each person had their assigned role, and the audit schedule was arranged half a month in advance. Changing it would be too troublesome, like a group run—if one step is off, the whole team is disrupted.

　　Moreover, for people in our industry, regardless of wind, frost, snow, or rain, even if travel is difficult, once the time is set, we must "complete the mission without fail."

　　There were three people in the group: Teacher Duan drove himself, and I drove to Jinan West Station to pick up Teacher Chang.

　　When I arrived at Jinan West Station that day, snowflakes were fluttering everywhere, covering the entire city in white. Looking up, all the buildings and streets looked the same, and visibility was completely blocked. Even though Teacher Chang and I were less than five meters apart, almost face to face, we spent a long time on the phone trying to find each other.

　　The snow was several feet deep, roads were blocked everywhere, wheels rolled on as if walking on thin ice. I drove with eyes wide open and focused, while Teacher Chang in the car was anxious and cautious. The seventy-plus kilometer journey took more than two hours.

　　The wind and snow blocked the way forward but did not stop our determined steps.

　　At 9:20, the three members of the audit team arrived at the meeting site on time. At 9:30, the first meeting proceeded as scheduled.

　　Shiheng Special Steel endured the harsh economic winter of 2023. Despite the market downturn, they used the energy management system as an effective energy-saving management tool, continuously increasing investment in technological transformation, reducing energy costs, and gradually lowering the comprehensive energy consumption per unit of output and per unit of value added, reaching the lowest energy consumption levels in the steel industry. Their energy-saving potential has continuously reached new heights.

　　During the energy management system audit, the auditors braved the wind and snow to go to the grassroots, visit workshops, and inspect sites, gathering one piece of evidence after another of energy performance implementation and making one discovery after another in energy implementation, contributing their efforts to continuously improve Shiheng Special Steel's energy management level.

　　When the final meeting proceeded as scheduled, heavy snow began falling outside the window again.

　　Minister He said the snow was about to get heavier and urged the teachers to set off home quickly.

　　I said we needed to clock out at "certification arrival" as planned. This is a principle insisted upon by our United Intelligence auditors. Auditors must guard their posts like PLA soldiers guarding border checkpoints—no less than perfect!

　　After the final meeting, we went out and continued to split into two groups to brave the snow. When Teacher Chang got into the car, one foot stepped into the snow water, soaking his shoes completely.

　　Our car was blocked on a steep slope by a car that had slid down near a river. The road was wide enough, and everyone took turns trying to get up the hill. Some succeeded, with tires spinning like the wind and leaving dust behind; others failed, sliding down in circles from the top.

　　I spat twice with my hand, and Teacher Chang shouted encouragement beside me. The car's rear emitted a puff of black smoke as it slowly climbed. I lightly pressed the accelerator and shifted to first gear, finally reaching the top. Suddenly, a black car came from the right side. I sharply turned the steering wheel, the vehicle skidded severely and lost control, sliding toward the riverbank. I gently applied the brakes and corrected bit by bit. Finally, the vehicle returned to the correct position, avoiding an accident of taking a cold winter bath.

　　When we reached Changqing, Teacher Chang needed to go to Taiyuan, but all train tickets were suspended, so he had to stay in Jinan.

　　The journey through wind and snow is never easy. Who hasn't walked such a path? Whose life hasn't been walked through wind and snow? Moreover, who dares say that walking on a snowy road is not the beginning of another opportunity?

　　On the road of life, wind, frost, snow, and rain are only temporary obstacles. There will be various setbacks along the way. Once we get through them, the road ahead will be smooth. This is true for us auditors and for everyone chasing their dreams.