Courtyard House: The Road to an Industrial Power

The next day after school, Lin Weidong clutched the optimized blueprints for the agricultural tractor in his system backpack, repeatedly pondering how to give his father a reasonable explanation.

The technical details marked on these drawings far exceed the current level. If you directly claim that you drew them yourself, not only will Lin Jianjun not believe you, but if word gets out, it will probably cause unnecessary trouble.

After dinner, Lin Jianjun sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), studying the newly issued agricultural machinery data from the factory by the light of a kerosene lamp, his brow furrowed.

Lin Weidong leaned closer and said casually, "Dad, I went to the scrap yard to collect old books the other day and found a tattered copy of 'Agricultural Machinery Modification Reference.' The tractors drawn in it look different from the ones in our factory. Would you like to take a look?"

As he spoke, he took out several copied drawings from his bag, deliberately aged the edges, and intentionally omitted a few "typos," making them look like tattered pages torn from an old book.

Upon hearing this, Lin Jianjun immediately put down the documents in his hand and took the blueprints to examine them carefully. The more he looked, the brighter his eyes became, his fingers repeatedly tracing the transmission system and engine structure on the blueprints, his breathing becoming rapid.

"Dongzi, these blueprints are brilliant! This optimization scheme will significantly improve the tractor's fuel efficiency and also enhance its maneuverability!"

"Really? I thought it looked fun, so I drew it. I even changed a few things, but I don't know if it's correct."

Lin Jianjun patted his head excitedly: "Yes! Absolutely right! You're a little genius! These changes are even more ingenious than the original drawings!"

He had no doubt about the origin of the blueprints, assuming that his son was exceptionally gifted and had figured them out from old books. He immediately decided to submit the blueprints to the factory's technical department the next day.

The next morning, Lin Jianjun went to the steel rolling mill with the blueprints in his hand.

The news spread quickly, and the factory director personally summoned him, praising the blueprints highly and immediately deciding to establish a special renovation team, with Lin Jianjun as the team leader.

Even more encouraging is that, taking into account Lin Jianjun's technical contributions and professional abilities, the factory director directly nominated him for promotion to assistant engineer, granting him the same treatment as technical cadres.

When the news reached the courtyard, Sha Zhu was the first to rush over to congratulate them, carrying half a pound of brown sugar: "Brother Jianjun, you're amazing! Assistant engineer! That's a technical cadre! Our institute will have a high-ranking official in the future!"

Qin Huairu laughed along, "Weidong is such a talented kid, he can't hide his abilities. Thanks to you, even Jianjun has become an engineer!"

As the two were talking, Xu Damao strolled past the doorway. Hearing the laughter from inside, his face darkened, and he muttered sarcastically, "It's just a few lousy blueprints. What's so great about them? They probably copied them from somewhere. You think you can be an engineer with that?"

Lin Weidong, who was just leaving, overheard this. He glanced at Xu Damao and said coldly, "Uncle Xu, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. My dad's skills are recognized by the entire factory's technical department, unlike some people who just talk the talk and get by."

Xu Damao was speechless with anger, and angrily flung his sleeves and left.

Sha Zhu laughed heartily from the side: "Wei Dong is right! Xu Damao is just jealous; he's destined to be a projectionist his whole life!"

Several days passed in a flash. Every day, Lin Weidong went to and from school, always keeping in mind the enemy intelligence tip he had received as a reward from the system. He memorized the characteristics described in the tip: left-handed, wearing a gray Zhongshan suit, and carrying a hard object at his waist, and kept a close eye on any activity near the steel mill.

That afternoon after school, Lin Weidong passed by the alley behind the steel rolling mill and saw a man in a gray Zhongshan suit furtively stuffing something against the wall. The man was holding a cigarette in his left hand, and his movements were very awkward—he was left-handed!

Lin Weidong's heart tightened, and he quietly hid behind a tree to observe. He saw the man finish stuffing the item, then touch his waist, where it was bulging, clearly containing a hard object. As the man turned to leave, Lin Weidong saw his profile clearly; it was the same unfamiliar face he had seen loitering near the factory gate a few days ago.

He didn't dare to delay and ran all the way home, where he bumped into his mother, Zhao Xiulan, who was coming home from get off work.

Lin Weidong grabbed his mother's hand and pulled her into the house. He lowered his voice and recounted everything he had seen, emphasizing the key details in the clues: "Mom, he's definitely an enemy agent! You're a street office worker, report him immediately!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xiulan's expression instantly turned serious.

Knowing the seriousness of the matter, she immediately put down what she was holding and ran to the neighborhood office. The neighborhood office, having received the report, didn't dare to delay and immediately contacted the police station and the factory's security department.

That evening, the man in the gray Zhongshan suit was arrested. Police found a dagger on his waist and also unearthed a encrypted intelligence file from under a wall. After an overnight interrogation, they were shocked to discover that this man was actually a long-time enemy intelligence chief who had been operating in the city and controlled a covert network!

Because of her meritorious report, Zhao Xiulan was promoted to deputy director of the subdistrict office, and her salary increased from 38 yuan to 52 yuan.

Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui huddled together, their expressions complex.

"I never expected Zhao's wife to be so capable. She became a deputy director so quickly, and her salary is higher than mine!" Liu Haizhong clicked his tongue. As a level five blacksmith, his salary was only 50 yuan.

Yan Bugui said sourly, "It's all because her son was lucky and ran into enemy agents. That's how he got lucky. I've been teaching for so many years and my salary is only 25 yuan. She, on the other hand, rose to the top in one step."

Yi Zhonghai didn't speak, but touched his cheek where he was missing two front teeth, his eyes filled with malice.

He was a level 6 fitter with a salary of 63 yuan, the highest salary in the institute. However, after Lin Jianjun was promoted to assistant engineer, his salary was set at 98 yuan, which was higher than his salary. Moreover, Lin Jianjun was a technical cadre, and his status was subtly superior to his. The fire of jealousy in his heart burned even more fiercely.

Inside the Lin family's house, there was already a joyous atmosphere.

Looking at his appointment letter as an assistant engineer, Lin Jianjun grinned from ear to ear: "Xiulan, you're really something! Now you're the deputy director, and I'm the assistant engineer. Our family is considered respectable among dual-income families! 98 yuan a month is enough for our whole family to live comfortably!"

Zhao Xiulan laughed and playfully punched him: "It's all thanks to Dongzi, that kid is our family's lucky star. If it weren't for the blueprints he found, you wouldn't have been able to become an engineer."

Lin Weidong stood to the side, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Just now, the system's mechanical voice sounded again: [Host assisted in capturing the enemy's intelligence chief and dismantling the infiltrative network. The reward is a complete set of the novel "Bright Sword," which has been added to the system's inventory.]

With a thought, the contents of the novel appeared in his mind. This novel, filled with the spirit of iron-willed soldiers, was undoubtedly a valuable spiritual treasure in this era.

He plans to submit an article to the newspaper in a few days.

Time flies, and before we knew it, it was time for the steel rolling mill's worker assessment.