Courtyard House: Initial Donation of 50 Million

In late 1958, in Beijing, the north wind, carrying the smell of coal smoke, swept across the gray-tiled roofs of No. 95 Nanluoguxiang, but could not dispel the orange light emanating from the study in the west wing. Wang Huanbo was hunched over his drawing board, his fingertips dancing across the keyboard of the Longteng-2 electronic computer—this domestically produced second-generation small vacuum tube computer, which he had led the development of, was currently projecting a 3D model of a US Army M35 military truck onto a projection screen on the wall through the HarmonyOS operating system. On the screen, every tooth of the meshing gears, every weld of the steel plates, was clearly visible, and even the thermal diagram of stress distribution was clearly marked in red, yellow, and blue. Six students gathered around the screen. Chen Zhiyuan pushed up his glasses and used a pencil to record parameters in his notebook. Su Xiaomei stared at the CAD software interface, her fingertips simulating the parts assembly process on the virtual keyboard. In the experimental workshop behind them, several technicians were using the drawings output by Longteng II to debug machine tools. The hum of metal cutting and the sound of the computer's cooling fan intertwined to create a unique industrial symphony.

The development of Longteng-2 was Wang Huanbo's most "reckless" decision after returning to China. Returning from the United States in 1955 with a doctorate in mechanical engineering, he also brought back a forward-thinking understanding of "computer-aided design." At that time, the domestic industrial sector was still using ruling pens to draw blueprints, and the drafting cycle for a complex part could take up to half a month; a slight mistake meant starting all over again. Wang Huanbo, however, believed that "without computers, there is no modern industry." He and a few technicians set up a temporary laboratory in an abandoned warehouse at the Hongxing Factory. Lacking readily available electronic components, they dismantled old radios and repaired discarded telephone exchanges; lacking programming manuals, they relied on their notes from their studies in the United States and the English textbook "Principles of Electronic Computers" to learn them. During the most difficult period, the arithmetic unit of Longteng-2 kept malfunctioning due to the substandard voltage rating of Soviet-made capacitors. Wang Huanbo stayed up for three days and three nights straight, checking each vacuum tube with a multimeter. When the first "beep" of a successful calculation sounded, the technicians hugged him and cried. This "iron cabinet," covering 30 square meters and containing more than 3,000 vacuum tubes, would completely change the R&D model of Hongxing Factory. The HarmonyOS operating system was an innovation he developed by drawing on the instruction set of the Soviet M-3 computer and incorporating human-computer interaction. It allowed Longteng-2 to input commands via keyboard and display a graphical interface on a CRT monitor. The CAD software also allowed designers to say goodbye to manual drafting. They could draw a part and generate a 3D model with a few clicks of the mouse, automatically calculating material usage and load-bearing limits. Su Xiaomei used CAD to draw gears, completing what used to take two days in ten minutes, with an accuracy an order of magnitude higher.

The neighbors in courtyard number 95 were already used to these "mysterious visitors." Every day after finishing his medicinal stew, Sha Zhu would bring a clay pot to the west wing to watch Wang Huanbo and the others tinker with their "iron lumps." "Huanbo, can this thing calculate how much sugar to put in braised pork so it's not too greasy or salty?" He squatted next to Longteng No. 2, his greasy fingers tapping on the keyboard, only to be pushed away by Chen Zhiyuan with a laugh: "Brother Zhu, this is a computer, not an abacus." Lou Xiao'e stood under the eaves, holding her one-month-old daughter Yan Yan. Her premature constitution was gradually improving under Wang Huanbo's nurturing with the energy of light. At this moment, Yan Yan was babbling and reaching for the paper strips on Wang Huanbo's table. He would occasionally look up at her and give her a tired but gentle smile—this family needed him, but the country's industry needed him even more. Xu Damao's new house frame was erected, the sound of trowels striking bricks mingling with shouts of "The balcony must be half a meter wider than Sha Zhu's!" He glanced at the light in the west courtyard and said sourly to his fiancée Qin Jingru, "Look at Engineer Wang, he lives in a courtyard house and can still invent things." Qin Jingru rolled her eyes at him: "He's working on national affairs, what you're doing is just trying to keep up appearances." The most leisurely was Yan Fugui, who squatted at the gate of the courtyard, fiddling with his gleaming abacus. "The Longteng No. 2 abacus is expensive and uses too much electricity, my secondhand bicycle is much more reliable." He wiped his bicycle every day, which rattled everywhere except for the bell. When a neighbor wanted to borrow it to carry coal, he didn't even look up: "Fifty cents a day, I'll pay for any damage." When Yang Ruihua cooked porridge, there were only a handful of grains of rice. She secretly stuffed half a cornbread into Yan Jiecheng's mouth: "Don't get angry with your dad's temper." Yan Jiecheng munched on the cornbread, his gaze falling on the light in the west courtyard—he thought, how wonderful it would be if he could get into the technical department of the Red Star Factory.

The design of the Red Star Bus marked the "debut" of Longteng II and CAD software. The prototype was the West German Mercedes-Benz O302 bus, which Wang Huanbo modified based on his memories of later generations. At the time, no one in China had even seen such a bus. He and six students disassembled every component of the O302: the streamlined design of the front, the independent suspension system of the chassis, the energy-saving layout of the engine, and even the ergonomic simulation of the seat curvature using CAD. "The logo needs to be changed," Sha Zhu said, wiping his spatula as he approached, pointing to the Mercedes-Benz trident on the design drawing. "How can we use a foreign logo to represent the face of our Red Star factory?" Wang Huanbo smiled, picked up a pen, and drew a red five-pointed star on the drawing: "Let's call it 'Red Star,' to match the Hongqi sedan." Chen Zhiyuan immediately used CAD to embed the five-pointed star into the front of the bus, and Su Xiaomei adjusted the angle of the star's rays to make it aerodynamic. This detail later became the Red Star Bus logo. The two-week R&D cycle was achieved with the help of Longteng-2: what used to require thousands of hand-drawn blueprints can now be generated in half a day using CAD; the differential parameters, which had been repeatedly tested, can be optimized through computer simulation. On the day the prototype rolled off the production line, the experimental workshop was in an uproar—two brand-new Hongxing buses were parked in the center, the red star emblem on the front of the buses gleaming under the lights, and the blue paint on the bodies emitting the smell of tung oil. Yao Jianghe led the factory leaders on a tour, reaching out to touch the steel plates on the bus body: "Engineer Wang, is this thickness sufficient? Winters in the north are snowy and slippery..." Wang Huanbo patted the front of the bus: "Don't worry, our Hongxing factory uses specially supplied high-strength steel; it won't deform even at minus thirty degrees Celsius." Yang Weimin climbed into the driver's cab and pressed a button: "The instrument panel is even more advanced than Soviet-made buses! Can the CAD software be rolled out factory-wide?" Li Huaide circled the bus three times: "What's the passenger capacity? How many people can it carry for commuting?" Su Xiaomei pulled up the calculation results from Longteng No. 2: "Maximum capacity of 52 people, 12 more than Soviet-made buses, and 20% lower fuel consumption!" Li Huaide slapped his thigh: "Great! Last time the workers complained about the difficulty of commuting when allocating housing, now we have a solution!"

At the end of the visit, Yao Jianghe pulled Wang Huanbo aside and whispered, "Engineer Wang, you've done a great job! It's been decided that our factory will be able to secure military truck orders next year." He pulled out a document, "This is an exchange agreement with FAW—we previously transferred a copy of the blueprints for the Hongqi Xingyao luxury sedan to FAW, and they gave us the production blueprints for the Jiefang truck." Wang Huanbo glanced at the document: "The Hongqi Xingyao is for export and foreign exchange earnings, while the Jiefang truck is for both military and civilian use... a reasonable arrangement." Yao Jianghe nodded, "The regulations stipulate that the Hongqi Xingyao is a vehicle for cadres only, and it's not allowed to be sold in the civilian market. FAW supplies vehicles to high-ranking leaders, and we focus on production and export." He paused, "FAW's Jiefang trucks have made contributions on the Korean battlefield, so getting the blueprints this time is a bonus." Li Huaide leaned over, "Can a copy of the M35 military truck compete with FAW's Jiefang?" Wang Huanbo smiled, "Each has its advantages. The Jiefang is rugged and suitable for complex terrain, while the M35 is highly mobile and suitable for rapid deployment. In the future, we can operate on two legs, without neglecting either military or civilian use." Six students surrounded him, their enthusiasm boiling. Chen Zhiyuan whispered to Su Xiaomei, "So, the trucks we design can go to the battlefield in the future?" Su Xiaomei nodded vigorously, "Optimized with the Dragon Soaring II, they'll definitely be stronger than the American M35!"

That evening, a celebratory banquet was held in courtyard number 95. Sha Zhu stewed braised pork, He Daqing made braised sea cucumber with scallions, and even Yan Fugui brought out half a bottle of his treasured Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor). Yi Zhonghai also raised a glass to Wang Huanbo, saying, "Engineer Wang, you've made us workers proud!" Wang Huanbo patted Yi Zhonghai on the shoulder: "It's the result of everyone's hard work." Lou Xiao'e held Yan Yan, watching her husband chat and laugh with the neighbors. Her daughter slept in her arms, a smile on her little face. She knew Wang Huanbo had many "secrets" because of his work, but she never questioned him. She only hoped her family would be safe and that Yan Yan would grow up in an era without special agents or hunger. Xu Damao, completely drunk, slammed his fist on the table and shouted, "If anyone ever says my house is small again, I'll run them over with a Red Star bus!" This drew laughter from the crowd. Yan Jiecheng silently ate his cornbread, listening to his father and neighbors talk. He thought of the light in the eyes of Longteng No. 2 and the six students in the workshop—he had to work hard, pass the senior worker exam after his apprenticeship, and leave this home where only the sound of abacuses could be heard.

Night deepened, and the celebration banquet ended. Wang Huanbo stood under the pomegranate tree in the west courtyard, gazing at the stars. The hum of the Longteng II still echoed in his ears, and the CAD software interface floated in his mind. He knew this was just the beginning; Hongxing Factory and China's industry still had a long way to go, but he wasn't afraid, because he wasn't fighting alone. Footsteps sounded behind him, and Lou Xiao'e came over carrying Yan Yan, draping a coat over him: "It's getting cold, don't get chilled." Wang Huanbo held her hand, the warmth of his palm seeping through the fabric, and kissed his daughter's forehead: "Yan Yan, when you grow up, Daddy will take you to see the trucks, buses, computers we made ourselves..." In the distance, the lights of Longteng II still shone, like an inextinguishable star, illuminating the smoke and fire of the courtyard, and also illuminating the golden steps of China's industry towards modernization.