Love in the Courtyard: Starting with Engineers

Three months after the Zhenhai departed from the naval port, news came again from the southern waters that the US destroyer Liberty was using the same trick again, attempting to intrude into my country's waters under the guise of "freedom of navigation".

This time, the first ship to appear on its route was the silver-gray "Zhenhai".

On the radar screen, the captain of the "Statue of Liberty" looked at the suddenly appearing new destroyer and a sneer curled at the corner of his mouth.

The intelligence report said this was a newly commissioned Chinese ship, but in his view, it was nothing more than a pile of scrap metal.

He ordered, "Maintain course, full speed ahead, and teach them a lesson!"

On the bridge of the "Zhenhai" ship, Captain Zhao Yong gripped the command console tightly, his eyes blazing.

The voice of Vice Admiral Qin Zhengguo came through the communicator, calm yet powerful: "Captain Zhao, the armor of the 'Zhenhai' can withstand direct fire from its 250mm main gun, and its main gun has a range 3 nautical miles longer than theirs. Trust it."

Zhao Yong took a deep breath and ordered into the microphone: "Hard to right! Take firing positions! Warm up the main guns, fire warning shots!"

The 150mm main gun roared to life, and the shell grazed the bow of the Statue of Liberty before falling into the sea, sending up a towering column of water.

The captain of the Statue of Liberty was stunned.

This caliber, this range—it's definitely not the 50mm small water pipe the intelligence said! His expression changed drastically; just as he was about to order a turn, Zhao Yong's voice suddenly came through the communication channel:

"This is the Chinese Navy's 'Zhenhai' ship. Your vessel has entered our territorial waters. Please change course immediately, or we will take further action!"

The Statue of Liberty's radar was alarming rapidly.

The main guns of the Zhenhai have locked onto its bridge.

The captain stared at the dark gun barrel on the screen, recalling the Chinese frigate sunk three months ago, then looked at the new ship before him, exuding a cold, metallic aura. Finally, he gritted his teeth and ordered, "Hard to port! Retreat!"

As the Statue of Liberty slunk off the horizon, thunderous cheers erupted from the deck of the Zhenhai. Zhao Yong stood on the bridge, gazing in the direction of his motherland, and gave a crisp military salute.

When the news reached Longxing Machinery Factory, Li Yu was in the workshop debugging the engine of the second destroyer. Zhou Qiming rushed in with a telegram, his voice trembling: "Chief Engineer Li! It's done! The 'Zhenhai' has forced the M country's warship to retreat!"

The workshop fell silent for a moment, then erupted in deafening applause.

The veteran steelworker wiped away his tears, muttering, "It hasn't been easy! We finally have a ship that can stand tall!"

Li Yu took the telegram, his fingertips tracing the words "forced to retreat," his eyes burning with emotion.

He thought of the soldiers who went missing at sea, the furnaces that burned all night in the workshop, and the words "Defend the Homeland" affixed to the parts sent by suppliers from all over the country.

This is not a victory for one ship, but a confidence built by the sweat and faith of countless people.

"Pass the word down," Li Yu said, raising his head. His voice was tinged with amusement but unusually firm.

"Speed ​​up the second 'Weihai' ship. Also, get the blueprints for that anti-aircraft gun; we should start thinking about our next target."

Zhou Qiming paused for a moment, then nodded emphatically: "Yes!"

After returning to Beijing from the launch of the "Zhenguo" ship, Li Yu immediately exchanged his ship for a shipborne anti-aircraft gun. He knew that the next ship to arrive might not be a warship, but more likely a carrier-based aircraft.

While he was working day and night in Longxing, Li Huaide rushed to the workshop.

Upon seeing Li Yu still giving technical instructions, Li Huaide quickly came to his side, grabbed him, and pulled him outside, saying as they walked, "Stop busy, Bai Ling is about to give birth. Your father-in-law just called me."

Bai Ling had returned to the Bai family home because she was busy, and her mother had been taking care of her daily life during that time.

Upon hearing this, Li Yu and Li Huaide quickly went to the parking spot, and as soon as they got in the car, they stepped on the gas and sped off.

Li Huaide watched the car rushing straight towards the gate, feeling a little disoriented standing in the cold wind.

"I haven't even gotten on the bus yet!"

After saying that, Li Huaide walked to his car, opened the door, and drove off.

"Screech~" Li Yu slammed on the brakes and drove straight into Union Hospital.

Li Yu quickly grabbed a nurse and asked, "Where is the maternity ward?"

"Just turn left up ahead."

Li Yu rushed over and saw Bai's parents standing at the door of the delivery room.

How are Mom and Dad doing?

Seeing Li Yu's travel-worn appearance, Bai's mother said, "She just went in, but it shouldn't be a big problem. Their head of obstetrics here is very skilled; I think her name is Lin Qiaozhi."

Upon hearing that it was this "master healer," Li Yu's worries lessened somewhat.

Mr. Bai, standing to the side, frowned deeply and remained silent.

Half an hour later, the sound of a baby crying came from the delivery room.

A short while later, Bai Ling and the child were brought out together.

Bai Ling was wearing a hat, her face was covered in sweat, and her fingernails were bloodshot from gripping the bed sheet.

Congratulations on the mother and daughter's safe arrival!

"Who is the child's father? Come and sign here."

Li Yu hurriedly went over and said, "I...I...where should I sign?"

After signing the papers, Li Yu took the baby from the nurse's hands, looked at the baby with its eyes closed, and then looked at Bai Ling, whose face was full of exhaustion.

Li Yu was both happy and heartbroken.

"Okay, now the new mother can go back to her ward."

After saying that, he took the child from Li Yu and pushed Bai Ling into the special care ward.

For the next few days, Li Yu took care of Bai Ling. Although Bai's mother and father asked him to go back to work, Li Yu felt that a few more days wouldn't make a difference.

He's been so busy with work lately that he hasn't spent much time with Bai Ling, and it's unclear how busy he'll be next.

"Li Yu, why don't you go back? Your parents are here now."

"What are you saying! I'm not going anywhere until you're discharged from the hospital."

Bai Ling felt helpless yet touched, because she could sense that Li Yu loved her very much.

After staying in the hospital for several days, Bai Ling was discharged, but she did not return to the courtyard house. Because Li Yu would not have much time to take care of Bai Ling for a while, Bai's parents asked her to return to the Bai family first.

During the few days Li Yu was away, the research project progressed smoothly. Any obstacles were simply skipped over, to be resolved when Li Yu returned.

So, as soon as Li Yu returned to Longxing, he stayed up for several consecutive nights.

But no matter how late it was, Li Yu would always return to the Bai family home to keep Bai Ling company.