Siheyuan (courtyard house): My father, Li Yunlong!

Autumn, 1960, Beijing.

In a two-story Soviet-style cadre building with a small courtyard, the dinner table in the evening became a battlefield without gunpowder.

The food on the table was still steaming, but the air was very quiet.

Li Yunlong wearing a major general's uniform.

With a "smack," I slammed the chopsticks down on the table, making the sorghum rice in the bowl bounce.

Even though he was at home, his stubbornness and fiery temper remained unchanged.

"fart!"

Li Yunlong shouted angrily.

"My son doesn't want to join the army, what kind of worker does he want to be? Swinging a sledgehammer or operating a sewing machine? How could he even think of that! Where do you think I'm supposed to put my face?"

At this moment, the person sitting opposite him...

It was his son, Li Zhenhua, who had just turned eighteen. His face inherited the delicate features of his mother, Xiuqin, but his brow bone and tightly pursed lips looked as if they had been copied from Li Yunlong's face.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the world-weariness and insight that came with his age, brought by the time traveler within his soul.

He knew that the old man in front of him, with his puffed-up beard and glaring eyes, was a founding major general who was now serving as the commander of an important army.

He also knew that if nothing was changed, in a few years, this tough and resolute man would end his life in a storm in an extremely violent way.

He cannot join the army.

He couldn't let the inertia of history drag him into that inescapable vortex.

More importantly, three days ago, the mysterious "system" that accompanied him through his transmigration finally gave him a clear hint.

[Initial Task: Move into the courtyard house at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang. Task completed, system activated.]

Nanluoguxiang, courtyard houses...

According to his fragmented memories of his past life, that place seemed to be another "legendary" place.

Serving in the military means strict discipline and a closed environment. He has no freedom to choose where he lives, let alone change what is about to happen in the future.

Only by entering the factory and becoming a worker could one possibly live in that specific courtyard house through the company's housing allocation or by finding their own way.

Activating the system is his only hope to change the fate of his family, and perhaps the fate of many others.

"father!"

Li Zhenhua tried his best to keep his voice calm.

"In the construction of the new nation, workers and peasants are equally important forces. I went to the factory to contribute to social development, so why am I being given…?"

"What utter nonsense about adding bricks and tiles!"

Li Yunlong abruptly interrupted.

"Back then, I started the revolution, fighting the Japanese and Chiang Kai-shek. What was it all for? Wasn't it so that our descendants could stand tall and take up arms to defend our hard-won land? And you, you want to tinker with machines? Is that what a man should do?"

He grew angrier as he spoke, his chest heaving, and his hand pointing at Li Zhenhua trembled slightly.

"You're my only son! Your mother..."

He paused for a moment, his gaze unconsciously drifting to his wife, who had remained silent.

Xiuqin sat at the other end of the table, eating her meal silently.

The ravages of time and the severe injuries sustained at the foot of the town gate in Ping'an County have etched their marks on her face, making her appear older than her peers, but her eyes are exceptionally calm and resolute.

The world is a little different from the stories in movies and TV shows.

She miraculously survived that ordeal, but it damaged her very health, rendering her unable to conceive again after giving birth to Li Zhenhua.

Because of that experience and the trials she has endured over the years, she is no longer the rural girl from Zhaojiayu who only knew how to sew shoe soles.

Xiuqin is now an executive member of the All-China Women's Federation and serves as the deputy director of the office at the headquarters. She is a highly respected veteran revolutionary cadre.

"What's wrong with me?"

Xiuqin put down her chopsticks and bowl. Her voice was not loud, but it had its own power, which made the tense atmosphere at the dinner table pause slightly.

She picked up the enamel mug beside her, took a sip of water, and looked calmly at her husband.

"Yunlong, the child is grown up and has his own ideas."

"An idea? That's just plain stupid!"

Li Yunlong stuck out his neck.

"I think Zhenhua isn't confused."

Xiuqin spoke slowly, her tone leaving no room for doubt.

"The country is currently in dire need of reconstruction, and the second Five-Year Plan has just begun. This is precisely the time when a large number of skilled workers are needed for development. The working class is the leading class. Why isn't it honorable to be a worker and produce steel and machinery for the country? Does one have to be like you, wielding swords and guns every day to be considered successful?"

Li Zhenhua felt a surge of warmth in his heart and looked at his mother with gratitude.

In this family, the only one who could truly keep the father in line and was also reasonable was the mother.

Li Yunlong was speechless after his wife's words, his face turning bright red.

He was used to having absolute authority in the military and at home, especially with his son.

Xiuqin rarely interferes directly with his discipline of his son, but when she does speak, she often gets to the heart of the matter.

"Xiuqin! You... why are you joining in his nonsense?"

Although Li Yunlong was angry, he still tried to soften his tone.

"He's my son! He's got the makings of a soldier! I've already talked to Old Zhao, he'll go down to the front lines as a company commander to train him first..."

"Old Zhao is the political commissar, he listens to you, but you also have to listen to the child's opinion."

Xiuqin remained unmoved. She looked at her husband with understanding in her eyes, but more so with principle.

"Our revolution is precisely so that the next generation can live a better life and have the right to choose their own path, isn't it? How come, when it comes to your son, that right is gone?"

"That's not the same thing!"

Li Yunlong suddenly stood up, the chair legs scraping against the ground with a screeching sound.

"I've eaten more salt than he's eaten rice! I've crossed more bridges than he's walked roads! Would I harm him? Serving as a soldier to protect the country is my duty!"

There are many ways to protect our country.

Xiuqin also stood up. Although she was petite, her presence was no less imposing than that of her tall husband.

"Producing high-quality steel in the workshop, manufacturing tractors, cars, and even our own airplanes and cannons in the future, is also about defending the country! Yunlong, your thinking cannot be stuck in the war era."

"I……"

Li Yunlong pointed at Xiuqin, then at Li Zhenhua, his fingers trembling. After a long while, he managed to utter a sentence.

"Womanly compassion! You're all ganging up on me to make me angry!"

He kicked the chair behind him away with a sudden thud, the loud noise echoing throughout the room.

He looked around at his resolute wife and his son, who was bowing his head but refusing to back down, and a huge wave of disappointment and anger surged through him.

Does he no longer have the final say in this family?

"Good! Good! Good!"

He said "good" three times in a row, his face turning ashen.

"You two have a plan! You're great! I, Li Yunlong, am just a roughneck, unworthy to reason with you!"

After saying that, he didn't linger. He turned around abruptly, rushed to the door with a gust of wind, and yanked it open.

"Bang!"

With a loud bang, the door was slammed shut.

The heavy footsteps quickly disappeared outside the courtyard gate, leaving only the food on the dining table gradually cooling down and the silent oppression that permeated the house.