Love in the Courtyard: Starting with Engineers

The hands of time have quietly passed another year.

Throughout the year, the plane trees in Beijing turned green and then yellow, but the fire at Longxing Factory never went out.

Ten short-range tactical drones have already been deployed, and even the second-generation drone developed under the leadership of Li Yu has entered the final wind tunnel testing phase.

Meanwhile, the southeastern sea, thousands of miles away, is no longer as peaceful as it once was.

Under the guise of "freedom of navigation," destroyers from Country M frequently traversed the waters surrounding the southern islands, with the roar of carrier-based aircraft repeatedly shattering the tranquility of the sea.

Patrol boats from Country R, ​​along with some unidentified vessels, patrolled near the affiliated islands, occasionally releasing jamming signals in an attempt to disrupt our radar monitoring.

What's even more infuriating is that the separatist forces on the southern island have openly colluded with the countries of M and R, not only opening the port for their ships to dock but also allowing them to build a so-called "joint observation station" on the island, attempting to use external forces to divide the territory.

When the news reached Beijing, the atmosphere in the conference room of the National Defense Industry Office was so heavy it could be squeezed out of the water.

On the wall, several key areas of the southern island were circled in red pen, and a general's finger landed heavily on the island's command center.

"The separatist forces have colluded with foreign enemies, crossing a red line! A year of forbearance was not cowardice, but rather a preparation to sharpen the sword in our hands! The plan to retake the southern islands must be put on the agenda immediately!"

As instructions were relayed down the chain of command, the roar of machines working non-stop once again filled the workshops of Longxing Factory.

This time, the workers no longer needed the sound of cannons from the sea frontier to be the loudest clarion call; the expectations of their compatriots were their firmest belief.

At the same time, in the gray brick alley of the courtyard house, a dispute over "money" was causing a great uproar.

Recently, Liu Haizhong's posture has become much straighter than before.

At the end of each month, he would stroll leisurely to the bank at the street corner, carrying a blue handkerchief. When he returned, the handkerchief would be bulging, and his face would be filled with undisguised pride.

This was all witnessed by Yan Bugui, whose eyesight was as sharp as a sieve.

That evening, Liu Haizhong had just come out of the bank when Yan Bugui blocked him at the entrance of the alley.

Yan Bugui rubbed his hands together, a fawning smile plastered on his face: "Old Liu, off to withdraw money again? Your son in Hong Kong is really something!"

Liu Haizhong loved hearing this, so he raised his chin and deliberately showed off his blue handkerchief.

"That's right! The money they send me every month is enough for me to live a life of luxury!"

Yan Jiefang, who happened to be passing by, overheard these words.

That evening, in the Yan family's small house, the kerosene lamp flickered. Yan Jiefang pushed his rice bowl aside and cut to the chase: "Dad, I'm going to Hong Kong!"

Yan Bugui, who was shoveling corn porridge into his bowl, nearly choked when he heard this: "Are you crazy? Hong Kong is a place you can go to! A ferry ticket costs tens of dollars, do you have that kind of money?"

"If Liu Haizhong's son can go, why can't I?"

Yan Jiefang stiffened his neck and raised his voice eight octaves, "I wanted to go back then, but you broke my leg. If I had gone back then, things wouldn't be like this now!"

Yan Bugui slammed his fist on the table. "Bullshit! If you leave and starve to death over there, who's going to care?"

Yan Bugui was calculating. Yan Jiefang was the family's strong laborer, and after he got married, he could help the family.

If he went to Hong Kong, it would be like spilled water; how could someone who's been stingy his whole life possibly agree to that?

"I don't care! I'm fed up with eating cornbread every day! If Liu Haizhong can get his son's address, so can I!"

"You dare! I'll break your legs today before you stop causing trouble!"

Yan Jiefang, young and strong, shoved Yan Bugui aside and roared, "You're just a cheapskate! All you care about is money! I'm telling you, I'm going!"

The father and son were arguing fiercely, dishes were smashed all over the floor. Yan Bugui looked at the mess and his heart ached. "You've gone too far! You've gone too far! How could I have raised such an ungrateful wretch!"

Yan Jiefang ignored him. He knew Liu Haizhong loved to show off, and if he just kept pestering him, he could definitely get the address.

The next morning, before dawn, Yan Jiefang blocked Liu Haizhong's door.

He kept pestering him, offering cigarettes and saying nice things. Liu Haizhong couldn't stand it anymore, and also wanted to save face in front of his neighbors, so he scribbled down his son's address in Hong Kong on a piece of paper.

The moment Yan Jiefang received the address, his eyes lit up with an alarming gleam.

He clutched the note and ran home, quickly packed a couple of clothes, and slipped out of the courtyard house before dawn.

By the time Yan Bugui discovered his son was missing, the sun was already high in the sky.

He looked at the empty room, then saw the note with the address on it on the table, and instantly understood everything.

A few days later, the roar of ship horns at the Hong Kong pier still echoed in his ears. Yan Jiefang stood on the streets of Hong Kong, clutching the crumpled address, feeling dazzled.

High-rise buildings stand tall, traffic flows like a river, and stylishly dressed men and women brush past each other, while the cries of vendors in Cantonese mixed with foreign languages ​​rise and fall.

His faded blue cotton jacket looked out of place in this bustling city.

His initial enthusiasm before setting off was now chilled by reality – he had thought Hong Kong was a goldmine where he could easily make a fortune by finding any job, but after three days of searching, he was met with a cold shoulder.

He applied for a dishwasher job at a restaurant, but the boss thought he couldn't speak Cantonese and was clumsy.

He went to the docks to look for porter work, but the foreman, seeing his fair skin and delicate build, simply waved him away and told him to get lost.

To make matters worse, the few dollars he had on him were swindled out of him by a street thug.

On the fourth day, Yan Jiefang was so hungry that his vision blurred. He squatted at the entrance of an alley on the street, gnawing on half a loaf of bread that he had picked up from a trash can, and tears streamed down his face.

He remembered Yan Bugui's curses and the corn porridge in the courtyard, and he was filled with remorse.

But there was no turning back once the arrow was released. He gritted his teeth, pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket with the address of Liu Haizhong's eldest son, Liu Guangtian. The handwriting was messy, but it became his last straw.

Following the address, we arrived at a factory located in the suburbs, with a prominent sign hanging at the entrance: Longteng Electronics Processing Factory.

Yan Jiefang hesitated before walking in, and saw several workers in overalls busy loading boxes of electronic components onto a truck.

"Excuse me... is Liu Guangtian here?" he asked timidly.

A young man wearing a baseball cap, who was directing the people moving things, turned around, sized him up for a while, and then suddenly shouted, "Yan Jiefang!"

Yan Jiefang then realized that the person in front of him was Liu Guangfu, and tears instantly streamed down his face. "Guangfu, I've finally found you!"

Next, Yan Jiefang told Liu Guangfu about his experiences during this period. Liu Guangfu was surprised to find that Yan Jiefang had also run away from home, so he joked about it.

"To achieve great things, you have to forge your own path; the first step is to escape!"

A short while later, Liu Guangfu led Yan Jiefang into the office, where Liu Guangtian was writing and drawing on a pile of blueprints.

He was stunned for a moment when he saw Yan Jiefang's disheveled appearance.

After hearing about Yan Jiefang's story, he said, "Let's all work hard together from now on; the income here is much higher than over there!"

Then, I quickly asked the cafeteria staff to bring me a bowl of char siu rice.

While he was eating, Liu Guangtian told him about the situation in Hong Kong.

Yan Jiefang then learned that Longteng Electronics Processing Plant was an investment by Li Yu and Lou Bancheng in Hong Kong.

Suddenly, the office door was pushed open.

Lou Xiao'e walked in wearing a smart suit and high heels.

After listening to Liu Guangtian recount Yan Jiefang's background, she looked him over and said, "The factory is short of a warehouse manager. He'll be responsible for registering the entry and exit of materials. It's not too tiring, and he'll provide food and lodging. He can start work tomorrow."

Yan Jiefang could hardly believe his ears, and was so excited he almost knelt down: "I'm willing! I'm willing!"

Lou Xiao'e waved her hand: "Just do your job well first. But let me remind you, if you don't do anything clean, don't blame me for kicking you out."

Yan Jiefang nodded vigorously. Looking through the window at the busy workers in the workshop and at the intricate electronic components, he suddenly felt that this trip to Hong Kong might not have been so bad after all.