Courtyard House: The Road to an Industrial Power

Suddenly, the system's familiar and crisp notification sound rang in Lin Weidong's mind.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, on successfully developing a man-portable air defense missile.]

[Shooting down an intruding US reconnaissance plane, safeguarding national airspace sovereignty, and completing a national milestone mission!]

[Task reward has been issued: Complete set of hybrid rice planting, cultivation, breeding, and disease resistance improvement technologies]

[Complete design drawings, production process, and core material formulas for an improved fully automatic grain harvester!]

A massive influx of technical information flooded into Lin Weidong's mind.

Before Lin Weidong could fully digest the technology in his mind...

A leader dressed in a dark gray Zhongshan suit, with a calm and composed demeanor, strode forward.

He grasped his hand tightly, his voice loud and solemn: "Comrade Lin Weidong!"

"You single-handedly developed a top-notch man-portable air defense missile, breaking the aerial threat from the United States."

"It has rendered a great service in ensuring that China's airspace is no longer subject to the wanton bullying of foreign enemies!"

"On behalf of the higher command, I hereby formally award you the First-Class Medal of Merit and the rank of Major!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire venue erupted in cheers once again!

The military leaders present applauded, their eyes filled with respect and approval as they looked at Lin Weidong.

The next day, Lin Weidong returned to the machinery factory, beaming with glory.

The factory workers lined the street at the gate to welcome him, with thunderous applause and cheers rising and falling.

Upon entering the machinery factory, Lin Weidong immediately convened a meeting of all technical staff.

The instructions from higher command were relayed: "The mass production of man-portable air defense missiles has been transferred to the Northern Military Industry Group for full responsibility. Our machinery factory must immediately embark on this new challenging task!"

Everyone turned their heads, full of anticipation, wondering what groundbreaking project this factory manager, who had repeatedly created miracles, would bring this time.

Lin Weidong surveyed the room, his tone firm: "We're going to build a fully automated grain harvester!"

These words immediately caused an uproar in the technical department!

"Director Lin, a fully automated harvester? That's way too difficult!"

"Yes, a prototype was produced domestically in 1955. It had a complex structure, ridiculously high costs, and a persistently high failure rate, making mass production and widespread adoption impossible!"

"The core drive system and the cutting platform power system are world-class challenges. We have no technical references whatsoever, so we simply can't solve them!"

Everyone chimed in with their own opinions, full of concerns, all feeling that the project was too far-fetched.

Lin Weidong smiled faintly.

He bent down and pulled out a thick stack of technical drawings from under the table, placing them heavily on the table. The cover prominently displayed the title "Complete Technical Solution for Fully Automatic Grain Harvester".

"Who says we lack technology?"

Everyone stared in astonishment at the densely packed, precisely marked structural lines and parameter tables on the blueprints.

One of the bolder technicians couldn't help but ask, "Director Lin, where...where did these blueprints come from? We've never dealt with this kind of technology before!"

Lin Weidong raised an eyebrow casually: "Of course, I designed it in my spare time. Did you steal it?"

Lin Weidong tapped the blueprints: "Now, with the complete technology in hand, and our machinery factory possessing precision machine tools and self-developed special steel, we have all the advantages. Can we do this project?"

"Capable! Absolutely capable!"

"Working under Director Lin will definitely lead to success!"

The technical staff cheered in unison, their eyes burning with enthusiasm.

In contrast to the impractical prototype from 1955.

Lin Weidong's harvester has reduced costs by 70%, tripled lifespan, and features a simple structure that is easy to mass-produce.

If this were built, the harvesting problem for hundreds of millions of farmers across the country would be solved!

Immediately afterwards, Lin Weidong convened a mobilization meeting for all the workshop workers in the factory square.

Thousands of workers stood in neat rows, their eyes fixed on Lin Weidong on the stage.

"Fellow workers! We build missiles to protect the country, and we build harvesters to protect the people!"

"Farmers across the country toil in the fields from dawn till dusk, harvesting grain entirely by hand—a laborious and exhausting task that also disrupts the farming season!"

"By developing fully automated harvesters, we are reducing the burden on farmers and contributing to national food security!"

Lin Weidong's voice, amplified through the loudspeaker, resonated throughout the factory: "Everyone will have to work hard on this project for a while. Once it succeeds, we'll reward everyone for their contributions—bonuses, honors, and benefits—you won't be shortchanged!"

"good!"

"Follow Director Lin!"

The workers waved their fists, cheering deafeningly, each one eager to get started, their enthusiasm soaring.

Inside the workshop, several young workers who had just been recruited surrounded Liu Haizhong, their faces full of curiosity, chattering and asking questions.

"Master Liu, I heard you and Director Lin work in the same compound. How come Director Lin is so capable?"

"Yes, yes, he turned a perfectly good steel rolling mill into a military factory."

"They've built missiles to shoot down airplanes, and now they're going to build harvesters? They're practically gods!"

"How exactly does he know so many cutting-edge technologies?"

Liu Haizhong deliberately straightened his back, adopted a seasoned official tone, and said with a smug look, "You young people are still too green!"

He then first talked about how good his relationship with Lin Weidong was, and then he talked about some of Lin Weidong's deeds.

Two months into production, an unexpected incident occurred.

The harvester's core transmission system malfunctioned.

The cutting table lifting mechanism jammed, the power transmission was disconnected, the gear set skipped teeth when running at high speed, and the machine came to a complete stop.

The entire technical team worked through three consecutive nights.

They disassembled and reassembled, changed the gear ratios and bearing models again and again, and revised the drawings dozens of times, but the problem still couldn't be solved.

The experienced technicians in the workshop also gathered around, repeatedly adjusting the device with wrenches and calipers, sweating profusely and even getting blisters on their lips from their anxiety, but the problem remained stubborn.

The entire technical department and workshop were in a state of chaos, as this transmission problem became a major obstacle to the project.

Left with no other option, Su Wanqing turned to Lin Weidong: "We're completely out of ideas. We've tried everything to solve the transmission system problem, but we just can't get past it!"

Lin Weidong put down the hybrid rice technical data in his hand and followed Su Wanqing quickly into the workshop.

Looking at the stopped harvesters in front of me, and listening to the problems reported by everyone.

Lin Weidong walked around the machine, tapped the transmission gearbox, looked at the power output shaft, and smiled slightly.

He casually picked up a wrench, unscrewed the gearbox cover, and fine-tuned the meshing clearance between the two sets of gears.

He then took out a specially made buffer bearing from the toolbox and gently inserted it into the drive shaft node.

The whole thing took no more than three minutes, the movements were fluid and effortless.

"Try turning it on."

The worker pressed the start button, and the machine roared to life! The cutting table rose and fell smoothly, the transmission system ran smoothly, and the power transmission was seamless.

The previous fatal malfunction has completely disappeared, and the harvester is operating perfectly!

The crowd gathered around, dumbfounded, and then burst into exclamations of amazement!

"My God! It was done in just two moves?"

"We couldn't fix it even after pulling several all-nighters, but Director Lin solved it in no time!"

The workers standing nearby exclaimed with admiration, "Director Lin, your skills are truly amazing!"