Love in the Courtyard: Starting with Engineers

The afternoon sun warmed the alleyways of Beijing. The little girl squatted in the courtyard, stroking the tin model warship with her tiny hands. Suddenly, she looked up and tugged at Bai Ling's sleeve: "Mommy, I want to go play with Sister Huaihua and show her my warship!"

Bai Ling was picking vegetables when she heard this and nodded with a smile. She took out two jin of cornmeal that she had exchanged with grain coupons from the cupboard, and then took out the old cloth jacket that her daughter had outgrown and stuffed it into the cloth bag.

"Come on, let's go see Sister Huaihua." Bai Ling took Nannan's hand and walked along the courtyard of No. 95 Gray Brick Alley.

Huaihua was playing in the yard when she saw the mother and daughter arrive. She quickly came to greet them with a genuine smile: "My dear, come in and sit down!"

Nannan broke free from Bai Ling's hand, held up the model ship, and ran to Huaihua. "Sister Huaihua, look! This is a warship we made to defend Hong Kong! Daddy said that warships made with the steel we smelted are really powerful!"

Huaihua squatted down, looked at the crooked red paper stars on the model ship, reached out and gently touched them, her eyes full of tenderness: "It's so beautiful. When the warship sails to Hong Kong, it will be very impressive."

Bai Ling handed the cloth bag to Huaihua, smiling as she said, "I didn't bring anything good. Keep this cornmeal for yourself, and wear the cloth jacket if it fits. Don't go hungry all the time."

Huaihua took the cloth bag, her eyes slightly red.

The mother and daughter stayed at Huaihua's house for half an hour before taking Nannan's hand and heading back.

Meanwhile, the Longxing factory workshop was already bustling with activity.

The No. 2 and No. 3 furnaces in the smelting workshop were burning red-hot, with waves of heat rolling in.

Wearing a heavy heat-resistant suit, Li Yu stood guard by the furnace, his eyes fixed on the temperature gauge dial, occasionally scooping out a spoonful of molten steel to observe the changes in the grains.

"Let the temperature drop another two degrees, and extend the insulation time by ten minutes!" His voice came through the heat-insulating mask.

The technicians were so busy that they barely had time to breathe, adding materials, measuring temperatures, and taking samples, with beads of sweat streaming down their faces.

In the welding workshop, Lao Wang was handing out the newly compiled "Thick Plate Welding Process Manual" to the welders one by one.

The manual was mimeographed on rough paper, yet every word was clear.

"Watch closely! After each layer is welded, the weld slag must be removed, and the interpass temperature must be carefully controlled! We're not welding ordinary steel plates; we're welding the deck of a warship protecting Hong Kong. There can be no carelessness whatsoever!"

Zhao Gang was the first to step forward and demonstrate. The blue electric arc lit up, and the welding torch in his hand was as steady as if it had taken root.

After welding, the inspector tested the impact resistance with an instrument, and it fully met the standards. Seeing this, the workers picked up their welding guns, and sparks flew everywhere in the workshop.

The assembly line in the light weapons workshop clattered along, and Zhou Qiming lay beside the mold, carefully adjusting the feeding speed.

The optimized mold clearance was just right, resulting in stamped parts with precise dimensions and no deformation whatsoever. "Speed ​​up another notch!" Zhou Qiming shouted to the operators, "The sooner these parts are delivered to the troops, the sooner Hong Kong will have more protection!"

A few days later, at dusk, a military train loaded with special steel and spare parts slowly pulled into a freight station on the outskirts of Beijing.

The vehicle was painted with the words "Defend National Defense, Support Hong Kong" in large red characters.

With a long whistle, the military train slowly pulled away from the platform, its wheels rolling into the distance.

Time flew by, and it was summer three years later.

In the smelting workshop of Longxing Factory, a voice shouted, "Comrades! We are now broadcasting some extremely good news!"

The announcer's voice trembled uncontrollably as he announced, "Today, the governments of Country Y and Country P officially signed an agreement, and the southern island is simultaneously returning to the embrace of China!!"

"boom!"

The workshop erupted in chaos.

The welding torch in Old Wang's hand fell to the ground with a "clatter," and the blue electric arc instantly went out.

He shouted at the top of his lungs, "Home! Home!"

Zhao Gang threw his safety helmet into the air, and the young workers gathered around, jumping and shouting, causing dust to fall from the roof.

Li Huaide shouted at the top of his lungs, "Factory notice! Work will be suspended for half a day! All employees, assemble in the factory square! Extra food will be provided in the canteen! Plenty of white steamed buns, braised pork, and egg drop soup!"

"good!"

The cheers nearly lifted the roof off the workshop.

A black-and-white television had already been set up in the factory square, and the screen was showing the celebration of the return.

As the red flag was raised, thunderous applause erupted in the square. The workers, holding their homemade little red flags, sang along to the music playing from the loudspeakers, their eyes shining with tears.

A People's Daily deliveryman arrived on a bicycle, and the front-page photo was particularly eye-catching. An armored vehicle carrying special steel from Longxing Factory was slowly driving through the streets of Hong Kong, with the words "Longxing Alloy" on the vehicle shining brightly in the sunlight.

"Longxing Factory has done a great job!"

"The steel we forge protects our country!"

The afternoon heat intensified, yet a serious atmosphere permeated the courtyard of the Longxing Factory office building.

Two military green Beijing 212 jeeps were parked at the entrance, with the words "General Logistics Department" printed on the body. Armed sentries stood straight beside the vehicles, their eyes sharp as eagles.

In the factory manager's office, the curtains were drawn tightly, and on the table was a red-headed document stamped with "Top Secret".

"Comrade Li Yu, Comrade Li Huaide."

The military representative's voice was steady and powerful, his gaze fixed on the two men: "Hong Kong and Macau have returned to China, and the Taiwan Strait is within reach. Now, the nation is giving you an urgent mission."

"Within one year, we must overcome the technological bottlenecks in high-temperature nickel-based alloys for fighter jet turbofan engine blades and in the coating materials for the combustion chambers of missile solid rocket engines! These two materials are core components of Taiwan Strait defense!"

Li Huaide slapped his chest and said in a loud voice, "Please rest assured, sir! Longxing Factory guarantees to complete the task! The entire smelting workshop will be designated as a national defense research and development line, operating on a three-shift system! I'll snatch the raw material quotas from the State Planning Commission, and I'll take care of all logistical support. We won't delay the project by a single day!"

"good!"

The military representative stood up, firmly grasped the hands of the two men, and said, "The nation believes in you, the people believe in you! This batch of materials is crucial to the success or failure of the reunification cause; it can only succeed, failure is not an option!"

Li Yu sat alone in his office, with wisps of smoke rising from the chimneys of the family compound outside the window.

He locked the door, opened the system store in his mind, and rows of military technology data came into view—precise proportion of nickel-based alloys for fighter jet engine blades, multi-layer coating process for missile combustion chambers... Each one is a key to breaking through technological barriers.

He took a deep breath and lightly tapped the screen with his fingertip.

Redemption successful, mood value reset to zero.

The moment the system notification sound faded, a thick technical manual appeared in his mind, its densely packed parameters and flowcharts as clear as if he were seeing it with his own eyes. Li Yu clenched his fist, a determined glint in his eyes.

Meanwhile, at Hongxing Primary School on the other side, the afternoon sunlight streamed through the classroom windows and onto the yellowish desks.