Sold into a ghost marriage? Four-year-old and his thuggish father go on a killing spree.

"Comrade Gu Yanqiu, from today onwards, this place is in your hands!"

Cheng Tiezhu solemnly handed a brand-new brass key to Gu Yanqiu.

With spring plowing just around the corner, the agricultural technology extension station in Chengjiawan officially opened at the most crucial time!

The so-called promotion station was actually a newly built brick and tile bungalow next to the brigade headquarters.

The room was empty, except for three pieces of equipment that had been transferred from the county—something that was neither new nor old.

A lathe, a drilling machine, and a welding machine.

In addition to Gu Yanqiu, the station chief who was all alone, the brigade also assigned him two strong young men as helpers.

One of them was named Gu Xiaodong, a distant nephew of Gu Yanqiu.

Honest and hardworking.

Another one was named Ma Shuan, who was quick-witted.

She just likes to use her cleverness a little.

Three people—that's all the resources the promotion station has.

The equipment was old, and the environment was simple, but Gu Yanqiu's heart was burning with passion.

This small brick house was his battlefield, his world!

The first thing he did after taking office opened the eyes of the entire Chengjiawan community.

Instead of rushing to repair the equipment, he locked himself in the room for two whole days.

On the third day, he took out a thick stack of booklets printed on wax paper and distributed them to the team leaders of each production team.

The booklet's title is quite straightforward—"Daily Use and Simple Maintenance Manual for Dongfanghong Tractors".

These days, there aren't many literate people.

Not to mention, they can't even understand those dry, official instruction manuals.

But the handbook compiled by Gu Yanqiu is completely different.

It's all written in plain, easy-to-understand language.

"If the car is emitting black smoke from the front, it's most likely because it's consuming too much fuel. The fuel pump needs to be adjusted."

"You can't coast downhill in neutral, or you'll be like a wild horse that you can't control."

What's most ingenious is that each explanation is accompanied by a simple and clear diagram.

A circle represents a wheel, a square represents a cargo box, and a few arrows indicate the direction of operation. With just a few strokes, the complex mechanical principles are drawn as if they were in a comic book.

These drawings were naturally created by Gu Niannian.

Using the engineering drawing fundamentals she learned from Su Xueqing, she transformed all the key points her father dictated into the most intuitive images.

Cheng Tiezhu held the manual, flipping through it over and over, clicking his tongue in amazement.

"Good heavens! Yanqiu, what's wrong with your brain?! This thing, let alone us, even an illiterate old farmer could understand most of it just by looking at the picture!"

This little manual became a "treasure" for every tractor driver in Chengjiawan overnight.

That's when everyone understood what "technology promotion" meant.

This is not just about knowing how to repair machines, but about turning technology into knowledge that everyone can understand and use!

Gu Yanqiu's first move was brilliant!

The second thing he did brought his prestige in the entire brigade to its peak.

On the western edge of Chengjiawan, there is a water pumping station that has been abandoned for almost two years.

The diesel water pump in the station was purchased by the brigade two years ago with funds raised together. However, it broke down in less than six months. Several "mechanics" were invited to take a look, but they all shook their heads and said that it could not be repaired and could only be sold as scrap metal.

Without the water pump, during droughts, everyone has to rely on manpower to carry water from the river to the fields, which is time-consuming and laborious.

This broken water pump became a major worry for all the members of the brigade.

After taking office, Gu Yanqiu immediately took two helpers and plunged into the water pumping station, which was covered with cobwebs.

He spent the entire day working on that rusty behemoth.

I checked it thoroughly, inside and out.

"How's it going, Yanqiu? Any chances?"

Cheng Tiezhu squatted to the side and asked nervously.

Gu Yanqiu patted the oil off his hands and smiled confidently.

"It's not a big problem, just a few parts are missing, and one of the bearings inside is burnt out."

"Then we'll have to go to the county to buy it, right? It'll cost a lot of money, won't it?" Cheng Tiezhu asked with some worry.

"No need!" Gu Yanqiu waved his hand. "I'll figure something out."

For the next week, Gu Yanqiu practically lived and worked at the promotion station.

He and his two apprentices turned those old pieces of equipment at the promotion station into something amazing.

Missing parts?

He found some scrap iron, opened a lathe himself, and managed to make parts that were exactly the same shape and size!

Is the bearing broken?

He disassembled the burnt bearing, used rudimentary steelmaking methods to re-quench and polish it, and managed to restore it to 70-80% of its performance!

The entire process, apart from consuming some electricity and coal, was almost zero cost!

The two young men, Ma Shuan and Gu Xiaodong, were dumbfounded and full of admiration for the newly appointed station chief.

Only then did they realize that those scrap metal pieces could truly be turned into gold in Gu Yanqiu's hands!

A week later, in front of the entire village.

Gu Yanqiu personally tightened the last screw, then took a deep breath and gripped the water pump starter handle.

He shook it hard!

"Thump...thump...thump thump thump..."

After two years of silence, the diesel engine first emitted a muffled gasp, and then burst into a powerful roar!

Immediately afterwards, a stream of murky water gushed out from the pumping station's outlet with a "plop."

Immediately, the clear river water gushed out like a water dragon, flowing into the dried-up irrigation canal!

"Water's coming out! Water's coming out!"

The crowd erupted in thunderous cheers!

The villagers rushed excitedly to the irrigation ditch, cupped their hands in the cool river water, splashed it on their faces, and smiled even more happily than during the New Year.

With this water pump, we won't have to worry about irrigation this spring! The harvest will be much more secure!

All eyes were focused on the man standing next to the water pump, covered in grease but with a bright smile on his face.

"Thanks to Gu Yanqiu!"

At this moment, no one doubted that this former "lazy man" had now become the most indispensable and capable person in Chengjiawan!

Inside the promotion station, Gu Niannian was standing on tiptoe, carefully wiping the machines with a damp cloth.

She even made a small ledger for herself, recording how many screws she used and how much machine oil she used each day.

He looked exactly like a little housekeeper.

When some commune members came to the station to ask Gu Yanqiu for help, they couldn't help but laugh and tease her when they saw this hardworking young girl.

"Hey, isn't this our little stationmaster?"

"Niannian, where's your dad? Which team is he working on solving another problem?"

That's how the nickname "little stationmaster" spread.

Gu Niannian listened, feeling a sweet warmth in her heart.

She loved this place, loved the smell of engine oil, and loved watching her father turn a pile of scrap metal into a treasure that could benefit everyone.

This is their new home, the starting point of their struggle.

Just then, an uninvited figure blocked the light from the doorway.

It was his uncle, Gu Yanchun, who hadn't shown up for several days.

He wore an overly enthusiastic smile that Gu Niannian had never seen before, and walked straight toward Gu Yanqiu, who was engrossed in drawing.