I painted an aircraft carrier on the courtyard house for Dongda University.

Old Chen explained, "It's not that I'm biased. I just invited him to the Ministry of Machine Building, but this kid said he wanted to build guns. I didn't make that up."

Minister Song asked curiously, "Comrade Weiguo, you want to build guns? What kind of guns?"

Uncle Zhang spoke first, "Minister Song, let me tell you about this. This kid is really..." Then, he recounted the whole story of how Zhou Weiguo was introduced to the factory.

Minister Song asked in surprise, "Xiao Zhou, are you confident? The AK47 is currently the most advanced firearm. Can you do even better?"

Zhou Weiguo said somewhat shyly, "Leader, I dare not say that I can do better, but I personally think that my design concept should be more advanced." As he spoke, he even gestured.

Minister Song said with satisfaction, "Good! If our country had more young talents like you, how could we not stand among the world's powerful nations! Xiao Zhou, should I find you a place with more complete equipment to slowly carry out the design? This is just a steel rolling mill after all."

Zhou Weiguo quickly shook his head: "No need, leader! It's very nice here. Chief Engineer Song takes good care of me, and my family is here. I like it very much."

Chief Engineer Song nodded: "Alright, young people should follow their hearts; that way, their creativity won't be stifled. If you need any equipment or support here, just ask. I believe that whether it's the First Ministry of Machine Building, the Second Ministry of Machine Building, or the Ministry of Metallurgy, they will all fully support talent like you! Don't you all agree?"

Minister Li pointed at Minister Song and laughed, "You're such a good guy! But even if you hadn't said anything, we would have helped. By the way, Xiao Zhou, do you have the blueprints for the machine tool you improved? If it's convenient..."

Zhou Weiguo quickly explained, "Director Li, the inspiration for this machine tool came to me when I was repairing machine tools with the experts at Harbin Institute of Technology. School equipment can't be disassembled casually, and the blueprints I drew back then were all burned before I returned. The blueprints were numerous and large, impossible to bring back. Besides, at the time, we weren't even sure if it would be successful. If you need it, I can redraw it."

Uncle Zhang was so anxious he jumped up and down: "You brat! How many blueprints did you burn after coming back from Harbin Institute of Technology?"

Everyone looked surprised upon hearing this.

Minister Li quickly smoothed things over: "It's not Zhou's fault. Who would have thought that a casual attempt would actually succeed? This just proves that Comrade Zhou is exceptionally talented! There's no rush with the drafting; take your time. The First Ministry of Machine Building and the Second Ministry of Machine Building will jointly conduct reverse engineering on this machine tool. We'll work on both sides simultaneously."

Zhou Weiguo nodded hurriedly, promising firmly, "Don't worry, leader, I will finish the drawings as soon as possible."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Uncle Song hurriedly emerged from the side room, his face showing some difficulty: "Minister Li, Minister Song, we were supposed to be assigning grades to the engineers and fitters who serve the country today. But this kid's actions today have really put us in a bind; we don't know how to assign them appropriately. Since both of you are here, could you help us come up with a decision?"

Song Bu smiled and looked at Uncle Song: "Are you worried that we'll fail to appreciate the contributions of our comrades who served the country? Let's discuss this together. All the engineers who participated in the grading observation should share their opinions."

Engineer Chen immediately stood up, his tone full of admiration: "Based on my observation and assessment, Zhou Weiguo's fitter skills are absolutely top-notch. I've never seen anyone with such skill at such a young age in all my years in the industry. I think he's perfectly qualified to be classified as an eighth-grade fitter."

As for his engineering skills, I tested him on quite a few technical questions, and his theoretical knowledge was probably between level 7 and 8. But the fact that he could upgrade and modify the machine tool so thoroughly is a skill that's difficult to measure using simple current standards.

After in-depth discussions among the engineers, a consensus was reached: Zhou Weiguo was assessed as a Level 8 Fitter; his engineer title was initially set at Level 8 Mechanical Engineer, and would be adjusted based on the actual situation after the machine tool modification effect was verified.

On the other hand, Zhou Weiguo was unaware that he had completely ruined the steel rolling mill's grading assessment for the day.

Fortunately, the ratings of Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong were only postponed, but for Jia Dongxu, it was a bolt from the blue.

He waited anxiously in the examination room for several hours, and Yi Zhonghai was on the verge of finally being able to show his skills.

To secure his apprentice's future, he constantly offered cigarettes and spoke favorably to the engineers and technicians in charge of the assessment.

However, if Zhou Weiguo were present, he would definitely recognize that these people were the same ones who took the written test with him. Everyone was already furious because Zhou Weiguo had repaired all the testing tools for everyone, which forced them to postpone the practical test. They were not willing to make an easy exception.

With Yi Zhonghai's guidance, Jia Dongxu had finally completed most of the work when a sudden change occurred.

The security personnel were on high alert, rushing around outside the workshop.

Jia Dongxu, whose skills were already lacking, lost focus and the workpiece in his hands was instantly ruined.

He looked at Yi Zhonghai with a face full of despair, hoping that his master could help him plead for mercy.

Unexpectedly, before Yi Zhonghai could even speak, he was immediately berated by Xiao Wangba: "Master Yi, isn't Jia Dongxu your apprentice? The factory has a clear rule that masters and apprentices cannot proctor exams, and we usually turn a blind eye. But today, with so many examinees, you've been standing right next to Jia Dongxu the whole time. Do you think we're blind? I'm telling you right now, no matter how Jia Dongxu does, his results are invalid! You two, leave the exam room immediately!"

With a bitter expression, Yi Zhonghai had no choice but to pull the unwilling Jia Dongxu out of the examination room.

As soon as they left the examination room, they saw that the security department had surrounded a workshop.

Yi Zhonghai glanced at Zhou Weiguo in the workshop. He was covered in dust and dirt, and the people around him were pointing and whispering. He looked extremely disheveled.

Seeing this, Yi Zhonghai was secretly delighted and pulled the still-unresponsive Jia Dongxu home. Since they couldn't take the exam today and didn't have to work, they might as well go home early and tell everyone the "good news".

As soon as the two entered the courtyard, they ran into Yan Fugui, the gatekeeper. Yan Fugui greeted them with a beaming smile: "Uncle, Dongxu, judging by your appearances, your ranking assessment is sure to go smoothly today!"

These words were like a bucket of cold water, causing Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu's expressions to change drastically. Yi Zhonghai was far more shrewd than Jia Dongxu. He immediately retorted, "Third Uncle, how do you know Zhou Weiguo was arrested by the Security Department? Who told you? Could it be Second Uncle?" After saying that, he walked straight into the courtyard.

Yan Fugui was completely bewildered, staring blankly at Yi Zhonghai's retreating figure.

Just then, Uncle Liu Haizhong rushed over. Seeing Yan Fugui, he was about to speak when Yan Fugui preemptively asked, "Zhou Weiguo has been arrested by the security department?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Haizhong was stunned: "Third Uncle, how do you know Zhou Weiguo was arrested by the security department? Who told you? Could it be First Uncle?"

Now, Yan Fugui was completely dumbfounded. What exactly were these two up to, acting in concert?

Thus, the news that Zhou Weiguo had been arrested by the security department spread quickly throughout the courtyard.

Within just half an hour, everyone in the courtyard knew about it.

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