Courtyard House: The Road to an Industrial Power

Just then, Lin Weidong returned home from get off work.

As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he saw a crowd of onlookers, the weeping widow Li, and the pale-faced Jia Zhangshi.

Upon seeing Lin Weidong arrive, Sha Zhu, who was holding a child and eating melon seeds, briefly explained the whole story to him.

After listening, Lin Weidong looked at everyone and said, "Fellow neighbors, I don't think this is necessarily Aunt Jia's fault."

"When Widow Li went to Zhang's house, it was obvious that Widow Li started the trouble first."

"Besides, no real harm was caused, so the crime doesn't warrant this."

He paused, then continued, "How about this, let Jia Zhangshi clean the courtyard for a month, then there's no need to kick anyone out."

Upon hearing this, Madam Jia looked at Lin Weidong in disbelief, never expecting that he would actually speak to her.

The deaf old woman's face immediately darkened further: "Lin Weidong, what you're saying is wrong!"

"Jia Zhangshi is immoral and even physically assaulted someone; how can she not be severely punished?"

"If we don't get rid of her today, the yard will be in complete chaos!"

Widow Li quickly chimed in, "Yes, Madam Jia has gone too far; she must be driven away!"

Lin Weidong chuckled. "What? It's normal for Widow Li to have contact with Uncle He?"

"Isn't it strange that Jia Zhangshi, a widow, has been in contact with Uncle He for so long?"

The neighbors nodded in agreement when they heard him say this: "Chief Engineer Lin is right. It's normal for Jia Zhangshi, as a widow, to have contact with He Daqing."

The deaf old woman and Widow Li wanted to argue their case, but seeing the attitude of the crowd...

Knowing that persisting was futile, he could only angrily shut his mouth.

This farce ultimately ended with Jia Zhangshi being punished by having to clean the courtyard for a month.

Back inside, the deaf old woman slammed her fist on the table in anger: "I never expected Lin Weidong to help Jia Zhangshi! What is that kid up to?"

Widow Li gritted her teeth and said, "That kid is a complete scoundrel; we don't intend to mess with him."

"I didn't expect him to get so excited."

Widow Li then said, "The key now is to take down He Daqing as soon as possible, otherwise Jia Zhangshi will definitely snatch him away."

The deaf old woman nodded: "That's right. Jia Zhangshi was quite pretty when she was young. He Daqing definitely couldn't resist her seduction."

Meanwhile, Lin Weidong had just returned home when a system notification sounded in his mind:

[Ding! Host has thwarted the deaf old woman and widow Li's plan. Reward: +3 to Constitution, +3 to Intelligence, and one Advanced Medical First Aid Knowledge Pack.]

Looking at her son, Zhao Xiulan asked in confusion, "Weidong, why are you suddenly speaking up for Jia Zhangshi today?"

Lin Weidong smiled and said, "Mom, I just think it's fine to keep her around, and besides, I think today's incident was probably caused by Widow Li."

The next morning, as the workers were entering the workshop one after another, a clear electrical sound suddenly came from the factory's loudspeakers.

Then an announcement came over the loudspeaker: "Dear employees, we now have an important notice to announce!"

"Our factory director and chief engineer, Comrade Lin Weidong, led the technical team to complete the mass production of four-axis linkage machine tools, making a significant contribution to the steel rolling mill!"

"After deliberation by the factory's Party Committee, it has been decided to award Comrade Lin Weidong a reward of 500 yuan and a number of industrial vouchers."

"In addition, at the same time, Lin Jianjun was appointed as the director of the machine tool production workshop when the machine tool production workshop was established."

The announcement was broadcast three times in a row.

In the forging workshop, Liu Haizhong was processing the workpiece in front of him.

Upon hearing the announcement over the loudspeaker, he abruptly stopped, then grabbed the workpiece on the table and slammed it hard onto the control panel.

"What the hell!" he muttered through gritted teeth.

"That Lin Weidong kid is so arrogant because he's skilled; he even got his father a job as workshop foreman. This family is just too overbearing!"

"They have absolutely no respect for us old workers, showing no regard for the unity of the courtyard house. It's outrageous!"

Just then, footsteps sounded at the workshop entrance.

Li Huaide was accompanying Lin Weidong on a tour of the workshop when he overheard Liu Haizhong's angry outburst and witnessed him smashing a workpiece.

The workshop foreman, who was following behind the two, turned green the moment he saw the scene.

Seeing that Lin Weidong and Li Huaide only glanced at Liu Haizhong and walked away as if nothing had happened, the workshop director planned to deal with Liu Haizhong later.

Liu Haizhong also noticed the commotion behind him. He turned around and saw Li Huaide and Lin Weidong walking past him.

He pretended to hammer, muttering calmly, "This part is a bit deformed, I need to hammer it properly..."

Seeing that the two people had just walked away, he thought that was the end of it.

The announcement came over the loudspeaker again at noon: "This morning, in accordance with factory regulations, Comrade Liu Haizhong's wages were deducted by 5 yuan during work hours, and he was ordered to make a profound self-criticism."

At this moment, Liu Haizhong was eating in the canteen.

He was feeling down today, so he added an egg to his meal to cheer himself up.

Upon hearing the punishment announcement over the loudspeaker, the chopsticks in his hand fell to the ground with a "clatter".

Liu Haizhong's face flushed red and then turned pale. He, who usually prided himself on being a master craftsman, felt utterly humiliated after being publicly criticized by the entire factory.

After lunch, Lin Weidong went directly to Li Huaide's office.

He knocked on the door, and after hearing a "come in" voice from inside, he pushed the door open and went in.

Li Huaide was sitting at his desk reviewing documents when he saw Lin Weidong enter. He quickly put down his pen and said with a smile, "What brings you to my office today, Mr. Lin?"

Lin Weidong smiled, sat down in the chair opposite Li Huaide, took out a thick stack of technical documents from his briefcase, and handed them over.

"Director Li, I've come to see you today because I want you to take a look at this."

Li Huaide took the documents, looked at them for a while, and said in surprise, "Is this really possible?"

Lin Weidong didn't say anything, he just smiled and nodded.

Li Huaide said excitedly, "If we can really solve the converter problem completely, then our converter can be promoted nationwide as an advanced technology."

"Our steel production will need to increase more than tenfold by then!"

Then, Li Huaide, still a little embarrassed, said with a smile, "At that time, I can also take advantage of Chief Engineer Lin's influence to soar to great heights."

"Hahaha"

Lin Weidong also said with a smile, "Then we'll have to rely on Director Li's full support."

After Lin Weidong left the office, Li Huaide told Liu Jie, the Minister of Industry, about the matter. After hanging up the phone, Liu Jie was so excited that he almost jumped up in his office.

Seeing his father's reaction, Liu Yuanchao casually asked, "Dad, what good news have you heard?"

After coughing, Liu Jie said, "Lin Weidong from the steel rolling mill not only completed the mass production of four-axis machine tools, but also perfected the top and bottom blowing converter."

After hearing this, Liu Yuanchao immediately found a way to get back at them.