Courtyard Houses: Starting with Li Yunlong's Comrades-in-Arms

Liu Yuheng stood up, picked up his notebook and documents, gave Minister Song a slight bow, turned and left the small conference room, walking back to his office along the corridor. He pushed open the office door, walked to his desk, sat down, placed the documents on the table, leaned back in his chair, and gazed at the bright sunlight outside the window, a smile slowly spreading across his face.

August. He silently repeated the date to himself. Minister Song would leave in August, and he would take over in August. This timing was better than he had anticipated. The matter that had been weighing on his mind finally had a clear resolution.

He composed himself and temporarily put those thoughts aside. The most important thing right now was choosing the right people. He summoned his secretary, Xiao Wei, a young man in his mid-twenties who had been working for Liu Yuheng for over a year.

"Xiao Wei, have the people in the General Office immediately draft an order for the assessment of temporary workers and send it to all factories under the Second Ministry of Machine Building. Also, send a copy to the First Ministry of Machine Building so they can refer to it and implement it. The assessment time is set for the next two days. The content will focus on practical skills, with an emphasis on assessing high-precision machining capabilities. After each factory completes the assessment, compile the list of workers at level seven and above and their assessment results as soon as possible."

Liu Yuheng spoke concisely, and Xiao Wei quickly wrote it down in his notebook. When he had almost finished, he looked up to confirm the details, then turned and left the office.

After Xiao Wei left, Liu Yuheng picked up the phone on the table, shook the handset twice, and said a number into the receiver. The call was transferred twice, and after a moment, a steady "Feed" came from the other end.

Liu Yuheng chuckled into the microphone, his tone casual, like that of an old acquaintance: "Old Huang, it's me, Liu Yuheng."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a chuckled reply: "Hey, Lao Liu, what brings you to call me? Did the sun rise in the west today?"

Liu Yuheng chuckled and cut to the chase: "Old Huang, you've received the orders from above, right? Regarding the 596 matter, our two ministries need to coordinate. The selection of senior workers needs to be arranged in the next couple of days. And when it comes to this selection, you in the First Ministry of Machine Building shouldn't be reluctant to give up your positions. Minister Song said that the First Ministry of Machine Building is the elder brother of our Second Ministry of Machine Building, a large and powerful entity, so you should give us your full support."

The man on the other end of the phone, Old Huang, was an old acquaintance of Liu Yuheng. Huang Zhenguo, the vice minister of the Ministry of Machine Building, was in his fifties, a straightforward man, and had dealt with Liu Yuheng several times, maintaining a good relationship. Upon hearing Liu Yuheng's words, he immediately laughed and scolded on the other end of the phone: "You old Liu! You're tearing a piece of my heart out! Do you know how we train those senior workers? Each one is a master craftsman with over ten years of experience, their work is more accurate than the blueprints. You just open your mouth and want to pick a whole bunch off, how am I, the vice minister, supposed to explain this to my subordinates?"

Liu Yuheng leaned back in his chair with a smile, his tone half-joking and half-teasing: "Old Huang, what are you saying? The First Ministry of Machine Building is a huge enterprise, these people are just a drop in the ocean for you, right? You have a solid foundation and recover quickly. I didn't hold it against you for transferring a few machine tools from our Second Ministry of Machine Building, did I? This time it's a mutual help. I'll treat you to drinks later, and there'll be plenty of Moutai."

He paused, then added, "By the way, I'm going to visit each factory in person tomorrow. Old Huang, don't hold back any good candidates for me. If you hide them from me, I'll settle the score with you later."

Old Huang snorted on the other end of the phone, his tone a mix of exasperation and amusement: "Your wine, Liu Yuheng, is really expensive! You think you can trade so many of my skilled workers for just one meal of wine? You're making a really good deal. Besides, with you, Liu Yuheng, coming down to inspect in person, what can I possibly hide? You have such sharp eyes; you can spot good talent and bad talent at a glance. I can't hide it anymore."

"Alright, alright, I can't argue with you. I'll issue the order shortly, and all factories will be assessed simultaneously tomorrow. Call ahead before you come, and I'll have someone accompany you."

Liu Yuheng smiled and replied, "Alright, thank you very much, Lao Huang. I'll definitely keep my promise about the wine later, don't worry."

At noon, during the lunch break in the steel rolling mill's fitter's workshop, all the machine tools stopped, the buzzing noise subsided, and the workshop became much quieter.

The workers were scattered in twos and threes in various corners to rest. Some were drinking water from enamel mugs, some were dozing off next to the machine tools, and some were chatting casually together.

Liu Erhe sat next to Liang Cheng's workstation, leaning against the tool cabinet, holding an enamel mug in his hand. The mug was mostly empty, the tea leaves sinking to the bottom, unfurling like a few curled-up little leaves. Liang Cheng sat on an iron stool opposite him, twirling an unlit cigarette between his fingers. Three young men, all apprentices Liang Cheng had taken on a few years ago, surrounded him.

Master Zhao sat on his toolbox not far away, surrounded by his apprentices, who were chatting idly. Lunch break in the workshop was always like this: everyone gathered together to chat about everyday things, factory news, and occasionally crack a joke—a rare moment of relaxation amidst their busy work.

As they were talking, the large wired loudspeaker in the corner of the workshop suddenly blared. First came a crackling sound of electricity, then the announcer's distinctive factory office accent, repeating three times: "Attention all workshops! Attention all workshops! Following orders from higher command, an additional worker qualification exam will be held over the next two days. All workers are requested to prepare diligently and strive for excellent results. To reiterate, an additional worker qualification exam will be held over the next two days..."

The broadcast echoed through the workshop three times before stopping, leaving a brief silence. Then, as if something had ignited it, buzzing discussions arose simultaneously from every corner.

Some people were jolted awake from their naps, some put down their jugs and sat up straight, and some whispered something in the ear of the person next to them. The lunch break atmosphere in the entire workshop was suddenly broken, replaced by a heat that was both tense and expectant.

Liang Cheng tucked the unlit cigarette behind his ear, turned to look at Liu Erhe, and asked with the concern and assessment of a master towards his apprentice, "Erhe, you should have passed level seven in this temporary grading exam, right? You just passed level six at the end of last year, and half a year has passed since then. Are you confident that you can move up another level?"