Courtyard House: The Road to an Industrial Power

He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but couldn't utter a single word.

"You can leave now."

Lin Weidong waved his hand, "My words won't reach Director Li's ears. What you did back then was your own choice, and you should bear the consequences yourself."

Liu Haizhong swayed, his face ashen.

He wanted to plead a few more times, but looking into Lin Weidong's cold eyes, he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

He knew that Lin Weidong was determined not to help him.

Liu Haizhong picked up the cloth bag from the ground, looking dejected, and staggered towards the door. Reaching the gate, he paused, glanced back at Lin Weidong, and a flash of resentment crossed his eyes.

He made a note of this debt.

But he knew in his heart that he was no match for Lin Weidong at the moment.

Lin Weidong was a big shot in the factory and a technical hero recognized by the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, while he himself was just an ordinary blacksmith who had been demoted and had little influence.

Fighting Lin Weidong now is like throwing an egg against a rock.

He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms.

Liu Haizhong lowered his head and slunk out of the Lin family's gate.

The courtyard gate slammed shut, separating the two worlds inside and outside the courtyard.

Lin Weidong turned around and went back into the house, picked up the drawings on the table, and his gaze fell back on the fine lines.

As Liu Haizhong walked out of the Lin family's house, he ran into Yan Bugui, who was returning from buying groceries, just as he turned the corner.

Seeing his distraught appearance, Yan Bugui immediately approached and asked, "Old Liu, did you come from the Lin family? How did it go? Did Chief Engineer Lin agree to help you?"

Liu Haizhong glared at him fiercely, said nothing, quickened his pace, and walked away without looking back.

Yan Bugui watched his retreating figure, pursed his lips, hummed a little tune, and went home happily.

The steelmaking workshop of the steel rolling mill has been having a particularly tough time lately.

More than a year ago, Lin Weidong proposed a top-and-bottom combined blowing converter solution. At that time, the factory's technical staff did not have a thorough understanding of the core process, and the materials were also insufficient, so only a half-baked project was completed, which was barely usable.

The bottom-blowing gas supply components and pressure control were riddled with flaws. This resulted in the steelmaking furnace not only failing to increase its output, but also experiencing frequent malfunctions, such as unstable furnace temperature or excessive steel composition. Sometimes, while steelmaking was underway, the bottom-blowing pipe would become completely blocked, forcing the entire furnace of molten steel to be scrapped.

Acting factory manager Li Huaide was so anxious his mouth was covered in blisters. He held meetings for three days straight, finally slamming his fist on the table: "We still have to get Lin Weidong here! He's the one who developed this converter; only he can save the day!"

Upon receiving the news, Lin Weidong immediately went into the steelmaking workshop with the original design drawings in his hand.

The workshop was sweltering, and the flames from the steel furnace made people's cheeks burn.

Lin Weidong circled the half-finished converter three times, then pulled out the thick production records, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

"The problem lies with the bottom blowing system."

"The refractory bricks you used are of poor quality and cannot withstand the scouring of molten steel at high temperatures. Moreover, the gas supply pressure is not properly adjusted, and the rhythm of top blowing and bottom blowing is completely out of sync. How could you possibly produce good steel?"

"Chief Engineer Lin, how should we make the changes?" The workshop director was so anxious that he kept rubbing his hands.

"Two steps. First, refire the refractory gas-fired bricks, adjust the aggregate ratio, and improve their high-temperature resistance and erosion resistance."

"Secondly, an automatic pressure regulating valve is installed to synchronize the rhythm of the top-blown oxygen lance and the bottom-blown air supply, achieving true top-bottom combined blowing."

Without hesitation, Lin Weidong led the technical team into the battle of technological upgrading.

Half a month later, the modified top-and-bottom blown converter finally ushered in its first trial production.

In front of the steelmaking furnace, everyone held their breath. As the top-blown oxygen lance fell, the bottom-blown pipe sprayed out a uniform airflow, and the molten steel churned violently inside the furnace, the flames illuminating half the sky.

Two hours later, the first batch of qualified molten steel was produced, and all composition tests met the standards!

In the following days, several converters were started up in succession, the failure rate dropped to almost zero, and the output increased tenfold.

Although the theoretical maximum efficiency of the top-and-bottom combined blowing converter was far from being achieved due to limitations in materials and processes, this was still a leap forward in steelmaking efficiency since the establishment of the steel rolling mill.

The news spread, and the entire steel rolling mill was in an uproar.

The factory held a special commendation meeting, beaming with joy: "Comrade Lin Weidong is truly our steel rolling mill's precious gem! This technological upgrade has made a great contribution to our factory!"

The radio also began broadcasting Lin Weidong's deeds every day.

The announcer, Yu Haitang, spoke in a clear and pleasant voice: "...Comrade Lin Weidong, with his spirit of overcoming difficulties, broke through technical barriers and brought about a revolutionary improvement in our factory's steelmaking production. He is a role model for all our employees to learn from!"

Yu Haitang had long admired this young chief engineer who had made numerous outstanding achievements, and she took the initiative to visit him.

That afternoon, Lin Weidong had just returned from the workshop when he saw Yu Haitang holding a notebook, standing at the entrance of the technical department with a shy smile on her face: "Chief Engineer Lin, I would like to interview you and write about your technological improvements so that more people can learn from you."

Lin Weidong couldn't refuse, so he could only invite her into his office.

Yu Haitang sat down, but instead of asking about the technical upgrade, she blushed and whispered, "Chief Engineer Lin, I've always admired you. You're so young, yet you've made so many contributions to the country. Every time I hear people talk about you, I feel... I feel you're incredibly remarkable."

These words were direct and passionate, and Lin Weidong was stunned, not knowing how to respond for a moment.

This scene was witnessed by He Yushui, who came to deliver documents to Lin Weidong.

In the original drama, He Yushui went to work in a factory far away after graduating from vocational school because of Sha Zhu. Now, however, she has come to a steel rolling mill.

She cleared her throat and pushed the door open: "Chief Engineer Lin, here is the steel test report you requested."

When Yu Haitang saw He Yushui, the smile on her face instantly froze.

Lin Weidong took the report and thanked him.

He Yushui didn't leave immediately. Instead, she stood aside and chatted with Lin Weidong about the parameters in the test report. Her tone was natural and familiar, and every sentence was about work. However, she occupied the space and didn't give Yu Haitang a chance to speak again.

Seeing this, Yu Haitang said, "Chief Engineer Lin, I'll come back to interview you another day."

After she left, He Yushui put down the folder in her hand and said casually, "Announcer Yu seems to be quite free today. Instead of going to the radio station, she came to visit the technical department."

Lin Weidong simply nodded: "She said she wanted to write a report to promote the converter upgrade."

He Yushui said "Oh" and didn't say anything more, but she secretly made up her mind.

From now on, she'll have to use the excuse of delivering lab reports to visit Lin Weidong's office more often.