1950s: After transmigrating into a capitalist, I relied on military industry to achieve a comeback.

That evening, in the Lin family courtyard.

A steaming pot of mutton sat on the table, bubbling and emitting a fragrant aroma. White steam swirled under the light, blurring the faces of the three people.

"To Beijing?"

Lin Hongsheng's hand, holding the wine glass, froze in mid-air.

This tycoon, who once held sway over Shanghai's bustling streets, now had white knuckles, and the wine in his glass trembled violently, spilling a few drops onto the back of his hand, which were chillingly cold.

After a long while, Lin Hongsheng tilted his head back and downed the strong liquor in one gulp. The spiciness burned down his throat and into his stomach like a fire, forcefully suppressing the tears that were about to well up in his eyes.

He slammed his wine glass down with a sharp "crack," his eyes instantly sharpening with the decisiveness and ruthlessness he displayed during his business days.

"Great! This is fantastic news!"

His voice was a little hoarse, yet it carried an undeniable air of pride: "Our Lin family's daughters are not caged canaries. Since they possess such extraordinary talent, they should be on the biggest stage! This is a matter of bringing honor to our ancestors, and I, Lin Hongsheng, will be the first to object to anyone who dares to stop them!"

"You agreed so easily!" Su Wanqing's eyes reddened, and tears streamed down her face like a broken string of pearls. "Is it cold over there? Can you get used to the food? I heard the wind and sand are strong there, and it hurts your face..."

She suddenly stood up and rushed into the inner room in a panic, muttering incoherently, "No, I have to find that tiger-skin rug that's been stored away in the trunk, and I also have to make two more pairs of thick cotton shoes tonight. I heard that it gets so cold in the capital that your ears can freeze off, and Jiaojiao is most afraid of the cold..."

"Mom, please slow down."

Lin Jiaoyue quickly stood up, smiling as she pressed her mother's flustered hand and helped her back to her seat. She pointed to her chest, her tone carrying a touch of girlish charm and a hint of smugness:

"Have you forgotten? All our family's wealth is in my spatial storage! Forget the tiger-skin rug, the silk quilts, rice, flour, and oil we stored in Suzhou are piled up like mountains. Your daughter is going to school with a mountain of gold; even if anyone else suffers, your daughter won't!"

As she spoke, she flipped her hand, and as if by magic, a box of fresh meat mooncakes from Shanghai Laoda Fang, Su Wanqing's favorite, appeared out of thin air in her palm, still steaming hot.

Su Wanqing was taken aback, looking at her daughter's determined eyes and the mooncake in her hand, then burst into laughter through her tears, gently slapping her forehead: "Oh dear, look at my brain, I forgot everything in my panic. Yes, yes, our Jiaojiao is a little fairy, how could she go hungry or cold?"

Although she had reassured her parents, Lin Jiaoyue did not rest.

Over the next few days, she worked like a diligent and clever little hamster, taking advantage of the quiet of the night to carry out a "major renovation" of the cellar.

The once empty cellar was quickly filled by her.

Against the wall, there were neatly stacked 50-pound bags of flour, made from refined wheat produced in the space, the flour as white as snow; next to them were two large vats, one filled with crystal-clear Northeast rice, and the other full of soybean oil.

The roof beams were covered with dried bacon, ham, and sausages, their oily sheen incredibly tempting under the dim light. In the corner, Su Wanqing's favorite brown sugar and red dates, Lin Hongsheng's indispensable premium Longjing tea, and several packs of sought-after "Dashengchan" cigarettes were all neatly stored in desiccant boxes.

They didn't dare keep too many things, for fear of attracting attention, but it was enough for the elderly couple to live comfortably and decently for half a year—after all, they could send things through the post office later, this was just for emergencies.

The main event is money.

Lin Jiaoyue was well aware of the principles of "not flaunting wealth" and "having three burrows" in chaotic times.

She pried open a loose floor tile at the foot of her parents' bed and stuffed a metal box inside. There were two hundred yuan in the box. This was her family's trump card. Her father had a monthly salary, and this money was not to be used unless absolutely necessary.

She slipped fifty yuan into each of the old cotton shoes at the very bottom of the wardrobe. She even tucked a few ten-yuan bills under the pickled vegetable jar in the kitchen.

A cunning rabbit has three burrows; even if it is robbed, it won't be wiped out in one fell swoop.

After doing all this, she dusted off her hands and looked at her small home, which she had armed to the teeth, and finally felt relieved.

With the worries resolved, the second workshop of the Red Star Factory became a complete "hell" for the next month.

The little girl who always ate candy with a smile was gone, replaced by a "devil mentor" who struck fear into the hearts of all the veteran technicians.

"stop!"

A crisp reprimand rang out in the workshop. Lin Jiaoyue strode up behind Sun Weiguo, who was operating the quenching furnace, and, holding a piece of chalk, drew a circle on the temperature control gauge.

"Engineer Sun, how many times have I told you? The quenching oil temperature for high-manganese steel must be controlled between 60 and 80 degrees Celsius. Just now, it fluctuated to 85 degrees Celsius for a mere two seconds, but that's enough to reduce the core toughness of these gears by at least 10%! This means that on the battlefield, our tanks might break down gears while they're running! If the tank breaks down, it's a sitting duck, and the soldiers inside will die!"

Sun Weiguo, a technician in his forties, was sweating profusely from being scolded by a sixteen-year-old girl, but he didn't dare utter a sound, only nodding frantically as he took notes: "Yes, yes, Engineer Lin, I was careless, I apologize! I'll remelt this batch of steel!"

"And Master Liu," Lin Jiaoyue turned her head, her eyes fixed intently on another machine tool.

Master Liu, who was cutting, felt a chill run down his spine. Before he could speak, Lin Jiaoyue said, "The rake angle of the tool needs to be ground down another degree. You're an experienced craftsman; you should be able to feel the vibration during cutting is wrong. This one-degree deviation won't matter on ordinary steel, but on special steel, it will result in a substandard surface finish!"

Master Liu was stunned. He turned off the machine, touched the part he had just cut, and the slightly rough feel on his fingertips made him blush. He gave Lin Jiaoyue a thumbs-up, completely convinced: "Amazing! Absolutely amazing! Engineer Lin, your eyes and ears are even more accurate than German-made calipers! I, Old Liu, am utterly convinced!"

Holding the blueprints, she stood beside the machine tool, breaking down the knowledge in her mind and feeding it bit by bit to Sun Weiguo and the young people in the technical department.

At first, some people didn't understand these almost demanding requirements and thought it was making a mountain out of a molehill. But after Sun Weiguo strictly followed Lin Jiaoyue's parameters and independently produced a batch of special steel with a 98% pass rate, the entire workshop fell completely silent.

Immediately afterwards, thunderous applause erupted.

Before leaving, Zhao Weiguo treasured the "Special Gear Process Operation Manual," a thick book handwritten by Lin Jiaoyue and over a hundred pages long, and locked it in the factory's highest-level secure cabinet, which could only be borrowed by core personnel with their signatures.

The workers privately call it "Lin's Secret Manual," which is the true treasure of the Red Star Factory and the best gift Lin Jiaoyue left to her lovely colleagues.

At the same time, the Lin family's life also underwent earth-shattering changes.

Zhao Weiguo kept his word, and Lin Hongsheng thrived in the trade union.

His shrewdness and social skills honed in the bustling metropolis were a complete waste of his talents to deal with the mundane affairs of the workers.

Whenever a couple quarreled or the distribution of coal briquettes was unfair, Lin Hongsheng could easily appease them with just a few words, quickly becoming the respected "Officer Lin" among the workers.

Su Wanqing, on the other hand, became a celebrity in the family compound thanks to her exquisite pastry-making skills brought from Suzhou.

Wang Xiulian would pull her aside every day to sew shoe soles and chat about everyday things; the two were as close as sisters.

Those family members who had previously held prejudices against "country folks" all came to love the pastries Su Wanqing made after trying them a few times.

Seeing her parents settle down in this unfamiliar northern city, their eyes shining and their faces beaming with smiles, Lin Jiaoyue knew she could finally fly free.