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

As dawn broke in the east, only dark red embers remained in the furnace after a whole night's work.

Lin Jiaoyue was holding the still-warm lab report in her hand. Just as she was about to straighten up and catch her breath, the two heavy iron doors of the workshop were pushed open.

Director Zhang of the Ordnance Bureau walked in, wearing a wrinkled military overcoat. He hadn't slept a wink all night; his stubble had grown, his eyes were sunken, and he was clutching a telegram tightly in his hand.

When he saw Lin Jiaoyue, and then saw the few young people around him with their faces covered in soot and their eyes bloodshot from exhaustion, his hurried steps suddenly slowed down.

His gaze fell on the mold that had just cooled down, and then he looked at the "qualified" report with a red stamp in Lin Jiaoyue's hand. His eyes instantly reddened.

He strode forward and firmly grasped Lin Jiaoyue's hand, which was covered in engine oil.

"Lin, well done. You guys are great."

Director Zhang's voice was terribly hoarse and trembling. He looked around at the workers in the workshop, then suddenly straightened up and gave a standard and solemn military salute to all the workers in the workshop.

"On behalf of the 38th Army on the front lines, and on behalf of those children being bombed in the snowdrifts... I salute you all!"

That shout shattered his voice.

"What you've forged through this night isn't just steel, it's the lives of frontline soldiers! It's the backbone of the Chinese people!"

The workshop was deathly silent.

The only sound was a soft "crackling" as the slag cooled.

next second.

"Whoosh!"

Gao Jianguo and Chen Mo straightened their backs almost reflexively, tapped their heels together, and returned a standard military salute. Despite their faces being covered in grease, their eyes shone like molten steel at that moment.

Song Siming panicked. He was a scholar and wanted to return the gift, but he felt it was inappropriate. He awkwardly pushed up the black-rimmed glasses that Lin Jiaoyue had given him, and finally could only nod hard. Under the guise of wiping sweat, he wiped the little bit of dampness from the corner of his eyes onto his greasy cuffs.

The old fitters around him, who had worked their whole lives, were grinning foolishly. As they laughed, tears washed away the black ash on their faces, leaving two white streaks.

Some tried to wipe their hands clean on their clothes before returning the gift, only to find that their clothes were dirtier than their hands. They could only straighten their hunched backs, as if they had instantly become ten years younger.

In this era of pure to the point of naivety, this gift carries more weight than any amount of gold.

Lin Jiaoyue stood at the very front.

In her past life, she had seen too many faces that stayed up all night for KPIs, and too many eyes that schemed and plotted for year-end bonuses.

It can be found here.

Every piece of data she typed out, every piece of scrap metal she melted, could truly become a shield, protecting the chests of those warriors.

It felt like a ball of fire had been stuffed into my chest, burning my heart with pain.

She took a deep breath, the weariness in her eyes fading, replaced by an unprecedented seriousness: "Director, this is what we should do."

"There's no such thing as 'should'!"

Director Zhang took a sharp breath, forcefully suppressing the tears welling up in his eyes. His tone suddenly hardened, and he reverted to his decisive and efficient commander demeanor.

"Lin, leave the remaining rough work to the early shift workers! Factory Manager Yang!"

"Here!" Director Yang, who had been hiding to the side wiping away tears, suddenly jumped out.

"Is the best south-facing room in the guesthouse available? And hot meals? Don't let our heroes go cold or hungry! I'll hold you responsible if even a single ounce of meat is missing!"

"It's all ready! Pork stew with glass noodles, plenty!"

The energy that had been held so tightly finally began to wane upon hearing the words "pork stew with vermicelli." A wave of exhaustion, almost to the point of being drained of all life force, washed over him.

Lin Jiaoyue nodded and turned to walk towards the corner. There was a huge dark green canvas parcel there, which Professor Sun had brought in during the chaos last night as a "cover."

"Mr. Lin, I'll do this rough work!"

Gao Jianguo reacted quickly, snatching the package and hoisting it onto his shoulder. He stumbled and nearly fell to his knees. "Whoa! What's this? It's incredibly heavy! Is it filled with a box of mortar shells?"

Lin Jiaoyue's heart skipped a beat.

She had taken advantage of the chaos to stuff a lot of supplies into her spatial storage, including plenty of food. On the surface, however, she remained calm, even smugly raising her chin: "These are local specialties sent from home. Northeasterners are so generous, they give a lot. Come on, I'm starving!"

……

The guesthouse of the Red Star Factory is located behind the factory area. It is a typical Soviet-style red brick building with thick walls and small windows, providing excellent insulation.

The four of them entered Lin Jiaoyue's room, and once the door was closed, the cold wind was kept out.

On the table were four large, chipped enamel mugs. Lifting the lids released an irresistible aroma—stewed pork with vermicelli and frozen tofu, juicy and flavorful, accompanied by a basket of soft, fluffy steamed buns made from a mixture of wheat and tofu.

"Close the door, extra food."

Like a thief, Lin Jiaoyue winked at Gao Jianguo and pulled an oil paper package out of the heavy parcel.

"Rip—"

The oil paper was torn open, and several wrist-thick, dark red Qiulin sausages rolled out.

The rich and unique aroma of fruitwood smoked wood instantly overwhelmed the fragrance of the pork stew with vermicelli.

"Harbin red sausage?!" Song Siming's eyes widened, and he swallowed hard. "This is a rare item; the supply and marketing cooperative only sees it a few times a year."

"Let's give everyone a mental boost."

Who would bother looking for a knife at a time like this? Lin Jiaoyue, through the oil paper wrapping, used a little force with both hands to break the dark red sausage in two.

She moved swiftly, breaking the sausage into several large pieces in no time, and generously distributed them into the enamel mugs of the group.

"eat!"

"Then I won't be polite!" Gao Jianguo's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. He grabbed the piece and stuffed it into his mouth, his cheeks puffed out like a hamster's. "Mmm! This garlic flavor is strong! Much better than the canned meat from the meat processing plant! It's alive again, really alive again!"

Song Siming adjusted his glasses, took a refined bite, and his eyes lit up: "The meat is firm, the smoky flavor is deeply ingrained, authentic!"

Chen Mo ate quietly to the side. The red sausage was slightly warm when he put it in his mouth, obviously because it had been left in the high-temperature workshop overnight and had been dried until it was a little oily.

He didn't think anything was wrong, but as he chewed, his gaze lingered on Lin Jiaoyue for a moment.

Lin Jiaoyue was stuffing the last piece of steamed bun skin into her mouth, her cheeks bulging. Noticing the gaze, she asked indistinctly, "What are you looking at? There's more if you're not full."

His eyes were clear and open, without any flaws.

"No, that's enough." Chen Mo withdrew his gaze, lowered his head, and swallowed the last bite of sausage.

These days, postal routes are slow. Even express mail from Harbin to Beijing takes several days. Normally, dried sausages would have wrinkled by now, but these red sausages have a tight, shiny skin. One bite reveals juicy meat, making them look as fresh as if they were just baked.

However… perhaps Engineer Lin's family has some special preservation methods? Chen Mo didn't think much of it; after all, having spent a night in that high-temperature workshop, any frozen goods should have thawed by now. He dismissed that fleeting thought and lowered his head to eat heartily.

The meal was devoured in a flash. With their stomachs full, drowsiness became even more overwhelming. Without saying another word, they all went back to their rooms and fell asleep immediately.

I slept soundly for a long time.

……