Courtyard House: The Road to an Industrial Power

The news of Lin Weidong's resignation from the steel rolling mill quickly spread throughout the entire courtyard, becoming the talk of the town in just one day.

The oppressive atmosphere of the past was completely swept away in the deaf old woman's small house.

She huddled in the corner of the kang (a heated brick bed), listening to the murmurs outside: "Good! Good! Lin Weidong is down! That eyesore of a brat is finally out of the steel mill!"

She recalled the humiliation she had suffered these past few days, the arrogance of Widow Li, and the fact that after Lin Weidong lost power, no one could hinder her plans anymore. She couldn't help but chuckle softly, her laughter filled with schadenfreude.

Yi Zhonghai sat in his house, his hand gripping the teacup tightly, his hands trembling with excitement.

Upon hearing the news, he almost jumped up. "Lin Weidong, you've finally met your match!"

He roared inwardly, a long-lost smug smile spreading across his face.

"Without your job at the steel mill, you're just an ordinary person! Let's see how you still act all high and mighty in the yard, let's see if you can still be so arrogant."

He felt that his chance to regain control of the courtyard house had finally arrived.

The other people in the courtyard had different thoughts.

When Liu Haizhong got home, he was so happy he danced with joy: "Give me two extra eggs today! Today is absolutely wonderful!"

Liu Haizhong's wife took out two eggs and cracked them into the oil. "The Liu family is probably doomed now."

"Hmph, how good could that be? We'll deal with those two little bastards in the west courtyard later!"

"Now that Lin Weidong is down, I want to see how they'll fight his father."

Jia Zhangshi stood at the door, cursing, "I told you he wouldn't be so smug for long! Young people who are too arrogant never end well! Now look what happened, he's lost his job, serves him right!"

While Zhao Xiulan was handling some business at the neighborhood office, she overheard the news of Lin Weidong's resignation. Her heart sank, and she lost all interest in her work. She hurriedly gave a few instructions and rushed home.

Yan Bugui had been waiting at his doorstep for a while, his eyes fixed on the gate, calculating whether he could get some advantage from his neighbors.

Seeing Lin Jianjun rush back, he immediately put on a big smile and went up to him: "Jianjun, I heard Weidong resigned? What exactly happened?"

Lin Jianjun was in a bad mood and had no intention of paying attention to him. He didn't even glance at him and walked straight towards his own home.

Yan Bugui's smile froze on his face, and he cursed his bad luck inwardly.

Not long after, Zhao Xiulan returned, and he hurriedly went to greet her with a fawning smile: "Xiulan, I heard Weidong resigned? Is there some misunderstanding?"

Zhao Xiulan was preoccupied with her son's affairs and had no time to deal with him. She simply gave him a cold glance and quickened her pace to go home.

After being rebuffed twice, Yan Bugui's face darkened instantly. He stood there resentfully, muttering sarcastically, "What's so great about him! He's just a lousy engineer. Now he's lost his job, and he's still putting on airs! He doesn't know the rules, he's rude, he deserves his bad luck!"

As evening fell, Lin Weidong and Su Wanqing walked into the courtyard house side by side.

Upon seeing them, Yan Bugui immediately spoke in a sarcastic tone: "Oh, isn't this Chief Engineer Lin? What brings you back to the courtyard house? I heard you resigned? Young man, you should be down-to-earth, respect your elders, and not be so arrogant, or you'll stumble sooner or later!"

Lin Weidong kicked Yan Bugui out of the courtyard gate, and Yan Bugui groaned, clutching his chest.

"Lin Weidong, how dare you hit me!"

"Yan Bugui, if you want to continue being a liaison officer, you'd better behave yourself, otherwise Yi Zhonghai will be your role model."

After saying that, he and Su Wanqing headed straight for the Lin family's house.

Yan Bugui was so angry he jumped up and down, yelling at their retreating backs, "Hmph! What's with the attitude! You've lost your jobs and you're still so arrogant. Let's see how you're going to live from now on!"

Back home, Lin Weidong explained the whole story to his parents in detail.

The story recounts how the Ministry of Industry forcibly seized technology, how he argued his case, his eventual resignation, and his impending transfer to the weapons research institute.

After listening, Zhao Xiulan's eyes reddened: "These people have gone too far! Wei Dong, you did the right thing! Why should they take your hard work for nothing? The weapons research institute is a good place; no one will dare to bully you there!"

Lin's father nodded, his tone heavy: "What the Ministry of Industry did is utterly disheartening. Son, don't be afraid. Whatever decision you make, your parents will support you. Go to your new workplace, work hard, achieve results, and let them see!"

Meanwhile, at the state-owned automobile factory, Liu Zhiqiang stood confidently in the conference room, announcing something to a group of veteran workers and technicians.

"Comrades, our factory has officially taken over the heavy truck project! This is a sign of the higher-ups' trust in us, and also a great opportunity for our factory's development! I demand that you produce a prototype within five months!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the conference room erupted in chaos.

An elderly technician with graying hair stood up, frowned, and said, "Factory manager, we've looked at these technical drawings; they're far too difficult!"

"Many of the design concepts are too advanced; we've never encountered them before. Furthermore, the factory doesn't have the necessary materials, and even the engine doesn't meet the requirements of the blueprints!"

"Yes, factory manager, five months is far too short; it's simply impossible to finish!"

Another technician chimed in, "The parameters on these blueprints are far superior to those of the trucks we produce now; we can't even meet many of the manufacturing processes!"

Liu Zhiqiang's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a grim expression: "Impossible? Nothing is impossible! If others can design it, we can build it!"

"I don't care what methods you use, you must produce a prototype within five months! That's an order!" After saying that, he ignored everyone's objections, turned around and left the conference room, leaving behind a group of helpless technicians.

"This is simply asking the impossible!"

"Exactly, the technology is too advanced; the materials and equipment can't keep up. How can we build it?"

"Sigh, the factory manager doesn't understand technology at all, he just gives orders blindly. This project is doomed to fail sooner or later!" The technicians discussed among themselves, their faces full of despair.

Meanwhile, in the steel rolling mill, the eight-cylinder engine that Lin Weidong had once placed high hopes on now sat quietly on the control panel.

Without Lin Weidong's guidance, the factory was unable to advance mass production. No one could solve the technical problems in each stage, and this engine, which once represented the pinnacle of steel rolling mill technology, could only become a decoration, quietly gathering dust.

At the Liu family's old house, Liu Jie told the old man about Lin Weidong's resignation.

Upon hearing this, the old man's face turned ashen, and he slammed his fist on the table: "Hmph! This Lin Weidong is a complete individualist! He completely disregards the big picture and is utterly selfish!"

"It's just asking him to hand over some technology, and he dares to resign. He's hopeless and has no future!" He didn't realize that the problem lay in the Ministry of Industry's extortion and instead pushed all the blame onto Lin Weidong.

As night deepened, in a quiet alley near the courtyard house, a bearded man and several of his men were crouching in the shadows, observing the movements of the courtyard house.

They've been scouting this place for days, and they know exactly what Widow Li's routine is like. She goes out to buy groceries every morning, so this is the perfect time to make their move.

"Boss, we've figured it out. That woman will definitely be leaving first thing tomorrow morning," one of his men whispered.

The bearded man nodded, his eyes fierce: "Alright! We'll do it first thing tomorrow morning! Be clean and efficient, leave no trace!"