Courtyard House: The Road to an Industrial Power

"Lin Weidong!"

Factory Director Yang's face darkened. "Don't act rashly! Yi Zhonghai is a veteran worker in the factory; he's worked hard, even if he hasn't made any great contributions! Can't you give him a chance for my sake?"

"Your face?"

Lin Weidong stood up, his eyes icy cold. "Your 'face' means making rules and favors yield? It means letting hard-working people suffer while letting saboteurs go unpunished?"

After saying that, Lin Weidong turned and left, leaving Director Yang alone in the office, trembling with anger.

When he got home that evening, Director Yang slumped into a chair and poured out his grievances to his wife.

"That deaf old woman is absolutely despicable! She's using something from back then to blackmail me; it's outrageous!"

He paused, then continued cursing, "And that Lin Weidong! So young, yet so immature! All I did was ask him to loosen his grip, but he insisted on holding onto it, showing me absolutely no respect!"

Factory Director Yang's wife sighed and handed him a glass of water: "Alright, don't be upset. It's all for work, just bear with it."

Factory Director Yang took a sip of water, but his heart felt heavy. He knew that after this incident, the rift between him and Lin Weidong was now irreparable.

Meanwhile, in the courtyard, Yi Zhonghai stared at the blueprints on the table with a sinister look in his eyes.

He knew that since Director Yang had already intervened, even if Lin Weidong was tough, he would still have to give the director some face.

He murmured, "Lin Weidong, you wait, we'll settle this score slowly."

That day, Lin Weidong carried the test record sheet and walked straight into the machining workshop.

The workshop was filled with the roar of machines, and Yi Zhonghai was hunched over, struggling with the spindle of a C620 lathe.

His eyes were dark and bloodshot, filled with exhaustion. In three days, he had only managed to calibrate two machine tools, and the accuracy error of both exceeded Lin Weidong's requirement of 0.02 millimeters.

"Master Yi, I've already reviewed the calibration data for these two machine tools."

"The errors are 0.035 mm and 0.04 mm respectively, both of which fail to meet the standards. According to the new regulations, your entire performance-based salary for this month will be deducted. In addition, the task of completing the eight machine tools that was not completed will be postponed to next week. If it is still not completed, your basic salary will be deducted proportionally."

Yi Zhonghai suddenly sat up straight, his oil-stained hands gripping the calipers tightly, his knuckles turning white.

"Lin Weidong! You're deliberately making things difficult! I've been a fitter for thirty years, and I've never seen such a demanding standard!"

"harsh?"

Lin Weidong raised an eyebrow, picked up a finished shell casing, and said, "In military production, even the slightest error can lead to disastrous consequences. If this shell casing has uneven wall thickness due to insufficient precision in the machine tool, it will be a dud on the battlefield and could kill our soldiers! Master Yi, do you think this standard is too strict?"

Yi Zhonghai opened his mouth, but could not utter a single word in rebuttal. He could only glare at Lin Weidong resentfully, swallowing his resentment.

That afternoon, the factory meeting was held as scheduled.

Factory Director Yang sat in the main seat, his face so dark it seemed to drip water. He tapped the table and said in a deep voice, "I think the new regulations for performance evaluation of technical personnel can be adjusted appropriately. The older workers are getting on in years, their physical strength isn't what it used to be; shouldn't the evaluation standards be relaxed a bit? For example, Comrade Yi Zhonghai, he's a veteran of the factory; even if he hasn't made any major contributions, he's certainly worked hard..."

"Director Yang, I object."

Lin Weidong stood up abruptly and pushed a document issued by the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense to the center of the table. "This is a notice we just received last week, which clearly requires military supporting enterprises to control the machining accuracy error of parts within 0.03 millimeters. Our current standard has already been adjusted based on the actual situation in the factory. If we relax it further, we will be playing with the national interest."

He paused for a moment: "The new regulations were jointly approved by the factory management, and they are not personal attacks. Whether a worker is older or younger, everyone should be treated equally. If standards can be lowered simply because someone is older, then who among the young workers in the workshop will be willing to hone their skills?"

Li Huaide suddenly spoke up, "Chief Engineer Lin is right!"

"Military production cannot tolerate any personal relationships. If Comrade Yi Zhonghai cannot complete the task, he can apply to be transferred to a logistics position. There is no need for him to occupy a technical position and delay the production schedule."

Li Huaide's words undoubtedly added fuel to the fire.

Director Yang's face darkened further, but he also knew that Lin Weidong had documents from the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, and Li Huaide had publicly supported him. If he forcibly modified the new regulations, he would be disobeying the instructions of his superiors.

Ultimately, the meeting ended in discord, and the new regulations were able to continue to be implemented.

Upon hearing the news, Yi Zhonghai's eyes turned completely red.

He knew that his position in the factory was in grave danger.

That evening, he sat under the old locust tree and made outrageous remarks to the neighbors who were enjoying the cool air.

"That Lin Weidong is just a hothead who got to where he is by relying on connections!"

"What technical skills does he know? He only got the chief engineer position because of his father's connections! Now he's wielding his power like a tyrant, forcing us old folks to work while he sits in his office drinking tea and reading newspapers. I heard he even embezzled the bonuses for technical improvements!"

These words immediately drew a chorus of agreement.

Yan Bugui squeezed into the crowd and added fuel to the fire, "That's right! I heard that he received a lot of rewards from the factory for modifying the machine tools this time, but he didn't give a single penny to the workers in the workshop. He's so selfish!"

Liu Haizhong sat to the side, squinting as he watched the spectacle.

He figured that if Lin Weidong and Yi Zhonghai fought to the death, it would only benefit him.

However, rumors are just rumors, and they are no match for real achievements.

Three days later, Lin Weidong, along with his technical team, optimized the processing technology for the shell casings by combining the core parameters for heat treatment of special steel awarded by the system.

After receiving the news, the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense issued a special commendation notice, stating that the steel rolling mill "made outstanding contributions to military production."

Factory Director Yang felt ashamed as he held the notice, but he could only publicly praise Lin Weidong and his team at the factory-wide meeting.

"The technical team led by Comrade Lin Weidong overcame the difficulties in processing special steel, significantly improved the product qualification rate, and brought honor to the factory!"

Factory Director Yang's voice was dry and monotonous: "I hope all employees will learn from Comrade Lin Weidong, delve into technology, and overcome difficulties!"

The applause of the audience was thunderous.

Yi Zhonghai's days were becoming increasingly difficult, but the deaf old woman refused to give up. Leaning on her cane, she barged into Director Yang's office again.

"Yang Weimin!"

The deaf old woman slammed a yellowed guarantee on the table. The handwriting on the guarantee was crooked and messy; it was written by Director Yang when he was young. "If that brat Lin Weidong isn't removed, Yi Zhonghai will never recover! If you don't remove him from his position as chief engineer, I'll hand this guarantee over to the higher-ups and let you taste the bitterness of utter disgrace!"

Factory Director Yang looked at the guarantee and his face turned ashen.

That was the biggest stain on his life. When he was young, his family was so poor that they couldn't even afford to eat, and then the family encountered a misfortune.

He stole factory documents to exchange for grain coupons, but was caught by the deaf old woman. He wrote this guarantee and was able to get away with it.

For so many years, he had always obeyed the deaf old woman's every word, just in case this matter was exposed.

"Grandma, please give me a little more time. Lin Weidong is the factory's chief engineer now; he's not someone I can touch!"

"I don't care!"

The deaf old woman glared angrily. "One week! I'm only giving you one week! If you can't get it done, we'll fight to the death!"

After the deaf old woman left, Director Yang slumped into a chair, feeling an excruciating headache.

Zhang Guilan, who lived in the courtyard house, also made up her mind.

She found Zhao Xiulan, her eyes red and swollen, and poured out all the grievances she had suffered in the Jia family over the years.

"Director Zhao, I really can't take it anymore."

Zhang Guilan choked up, "Jia Dongxu is bedridden, and Jia Zhangshi torments me every day. Yi Zhonghai is a scoundrel... I want a divorce, I want to leave the Jia family and live a few days in peace."

Zhao Xiulan looked at Zhang Guilan, her heart filled with sympathy.

She patted Zhang Guilan's hand and said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, sister, I'm determined to handle this! The neighborhood committee will help you coordinate. As long as you want a divorce, there's no reason why you can't get one!"

The news that Zhang Guilan wanted a divorce was like a bombshell, causing an uproar in the courtyard.