Courtyard House: The Road to an Industrial Power

The day Lin Weidong received his admission notice to the Mechanical Engineering program at Harbin Institute of Technology, the kerosene lamp in the Lin family's home burned late into the night.

Zhao Xiulan sewed new quilts overnight, repeatedly reminding them: "It will be cold in Northeast China, remember to wear more clothes, don't stay up all night studying, and eat on time no matter how bad the food in the canteen is. Write home if anything happens."

Lin Jianjun then took out a fountain pen that he had treasured for many years and handed it to his son: "Mechanical engineering is the foundation of industry. With this pen in hand, you can concentrate on learning real skills in university and in the future be able to manufacture machine tools and modify equipment, contributing to the country's industry."

Lin Weidong took the pen, nodded, and said, "Okay."

Then he took out a thick notebook and handed it to his father.

"Dad, these are my notes on optimizing mechanical manufacturing processes, compiled by combining high school textbooks and technical data from the factory."

Lin Jianjun opened his notebook, which was filled with formulas and sketches, with a note in the crucial places indicating "adapt to existing machine tool parameters".

"Good lad, you're much more diligent than your dad was back then. This notebook will probably help the factory solve a lot of practical problems."

"Hahaha, Dad's already starting to reap the benefits of my son's success!"

On the other hand, after returning to the courtyard house, He Daqing had already made plans. Now that state-owned enterprises were the mainstream, opening a private restaurant would not only be difficult to obtain the necessary permits, but would also easily attract criticism.

Moreover, it just so happened that the state-run Hongguang Restaurant was recruiting a head chef, and He Daqing went to apply for the job with his certificate of working as a chef at Hongbinlou before liberation.

The company's manager and some shareholders tasted his "rock sugar braised pork knuckle," and found the meat tender and juicy with a perfect balance of sweet and salty flavors, praising it highly.

However, some people have raised questions: "Where have you worked all these years? Is your background clean?"

He Daqing calmly replied, "After liberation, I worked at Hongbinlou Restaurant. Later, I went to work at a small restaurant in Baocheng. My background is absolutely clean."

He then prepared a simple home-style dish, "Stir-fried Cabbage with Vinegar," which was sweet and sour and very appetizing, completely winning over the manager who was tasting the food. In the end, he was hired as a head chef with a monthly salary of 45 yuan, which was significantly higher than that of an ordinary worker.

When he got home, he told Sha Zhu about his job at Hongguang Restaurant. Sha Zhu was even happier than if he had been promoted. Every day after get off work, he would rush to Hongguang Restaurant to help his father chop vegetables and do other chores.

Hongguang Restaurant became famous because of He Daqing's culinary skills, attracting long queues of customers, including city officials.

This sight made Jia Zhangshi and Xu Damao restless.

Jia Zhangshi approached He Daqing with a smile on her face: "Daqing, my son Banggeng has been craving meat lately. You work at a restaurant, could you buy me two jin at a discount? Just to help out the neighbors."

He Daqing shook his head: "Mrs. Jia, state-run restaurants have clearly marked prices. I don't have the authority to make exceptions. If you want to eat meat, you have to follow the rules."

After being rejected, Jia Zhangshi's face darkened, and she grumbled, "Isn't she just a cook? Dressed so properly, who knows what she's up to by skimping on ingredients behind the scenes."

Xu Damao's intentions were even more sinister. He saw He Daqing wrapping a small amount of leftover food in the restaurant's oil paper several times when he left work.

So he secretly went to the neighborhood office to report him, exaggerating the situation: "He Daqing abused his position to steal supplies from the state-run restaurant and take them home. He used to cook for capitalists, and he's definitely thinking about restoring the old order!"

When the neighborhood committee staff came to investigate, they found that the kitchen accounts were clear, and the purchase and consumption of ingredients were recorded in detail. What He Daqing took away were only the scraps that could not be sold that day, not whole ingredients.

The investigators tasted his cooking and exclaimed, "This is real skill! It brings honor to state-run restaurants!"

Ultimately, the report was rejected, and Xu Damao was criticized for "maliciously reporting and disrupting the order of the unit." He went home in disgrace, which only made He Daqing's position in the hotel more secure.

Time flies, and before they knew it, it was time for Lin Weidong to leave for Harbin.

The day before his departure, He Daqing took half a day off and bought some braised beef and braised fish from a state-run restaurant, and set up a farewell feast at Sha Zhu's house.

Zhao Xiulan stewed chicken soup, and Qin Huairu stir-fried several simple vegetarian dishes. The small square table in the yard was filled with food, steaming hot and full of human warmth.

"Weidong, mechanical engineering is the backbone of industry. If you study it well, you can build machine tools, modify equipment, and contribute to the country's industry in the future!"

After saying that, He Daqing picked up the enamel mug, which was filled with bulk liquor, and drank it all in one gulp.

He Yushui took a notebook out of her bag and handed it to Lin Weidong.

He said in a muffled voice, "This notebook is for you."

Qin Huairu took a blue cloth bag out of the house and stuffed it into Lin Weidong's hand.

"It's cold in Northeast China in winter, so I sewed you a hot water bottle cover. You can put it in your bag and keep your hands warm when you're drawing or doing math problems at night."

Sha Zhu patted his chest and said, "Dongzi, if anyone bullies you at school, just write home, and I'll take my dad to stand up for you!"

He Daqing glared at him: "Don't teach the kids bad habits. In university, you have to follow the rules and let your knowledge speak for itself."

Lin Weidong accepted them one by one, his heart filled with warmth.

He raised his glass: "Thank you, Uncle, thank you, Brother, thank you, Yushui, Sister Qin. I will study mechanical engineering hard when I get to school, and build more advanced equipment in the future, so as not to let everyone down."

Although Lin Weidong is only twelve years old, everyone completely ignored this and didn't find it strange to see him drinking.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Lin Jianjun accompanied Lin Weidong to the train station.

As I was leaving, I passed by Jia Zhangshi's house. Jia Zhangshi was drying salted vegetables at the door, muttering something to herself.

Lin Weidong arrived at the train station soon. After a difficult journey, he squeezed onto the train, and soon the train slowly started moving. As Lin Weidong looked at the scenery rushing past the window, the mechanical voice of the system rang in his mind.

[The host is about to enter a top engineering university to study mechanical engineering. Rewards include "Mechanical Engineering Fundamentals Course Quick Notes Handbook" and "Machine Tool Operation and Maintenance Guide", and unlock "Course Assessment Assistance Permissions".]

After three days of bumpy travel, Lin Weidong emerged from the train station. This city was completely different from Harbin in later years, but it was not as desolate as he had imagined; on the contrary, it was exceptionally prosperous.

It was even more bustling than Beijing. Looking at the crowds of people coming and going and the cars on the street, Lin Weidong had a feeling of returning to the 1990s.

Just as Lin Weidong was in a daze, he caught a glimpse of red out of the corner of his eye. It was a group of college students holding a banner to welcome new students.

Lin Weidong strode over and asked, "Are you all senior students from Harbin Institute of Technology?"

The group of people laughed awkwardly and said, "We are from Harbin Engineering University, not Harbin Institute of Technology."

"Uh," Lin Weidong waved his hand sheepishly.

The group pointed to a Jiefang truck not far away and said, "Do you see that truck? That's where Harbin Institute of Technology welcomes new students."

Lin Weidong looked at the Jiefang truck not far away and thought to himself, "It seems that Harbin Institute of Technology still has the old tradition of spoiling its students."

After a brief thank you, Lin Weidong walked towards the Liberation truck.