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

Two days passed quickly amidst mountains of documents and a constant stream of coordination calls.

That morning, Secretary Wei walked into the office carrying a large stack of manila envelopes. He placed them on the desk and breathed a sigh of relief. "Minister Liu, the lists and detailed information of the seventh and eighth grade workers from all the factories under the First and Second Ministries of Machine Building have been submitted. This is a complete summary, packaged by factory, totaling twenty-seven documents."

He then pointed to the top few documents: "These were just delivered this morning, and the others arrived yesterday afternoon. The comrades in the General Office sorted them out overnight and filtered out those that did not meet the requirements."

Liu Yuheng put down his pen, picked up the top file folder, untied the string binding it, and pulled out the documents inside to look through them.

The pages were densely packed with names, employee grades, performance evaluations, years of service, technical skills, past awards and commendations, and factory recommendations. Each item was followed by supporting documentation or a summary of the evaluation records.

He finished reading one document, put it aside, and picked up the next one. He read through them one by one, and gradually the documents on his desk were divided into two piles: one pile that he had already looked at, and the other pile that he hadn't even opened yet.

By the time he finished reviewing everything, it was almost noon. Liu Yuheng straightened up, rubbed his slightly sore neck, and spread the important files out on the table again.

A rough count revealed that the various subordinate factories submitted several hundred reports of grade seven and grade eight workers. There were approximately one hundred grade eight workers, and even more grade seven workers.

These people are the top technical backbones in their respective factories. Each of them has accumulated more than ten or even twenty years of skills, and they are treasures in any factory.

But Liu Yuheng couldn't possibly remove everyone.

On the one hand, there are still production tasks in the factories, especially several factories that undertake routine military supporting tasks. If all the senior technicians are withdrawn, daily production will have to stop, the subsequent supply of supporting parts will be cut off, and the entire military industrial chain will be affected.

On the other hand, the first batch of Project 596 doesn't need so many people. The factory buildings at the Northwest base are still under construction, and the equipment hasn't been fully installed and debugged. For a long time after the technicians and workers arrive there, they will mainly be assisting with infrastructure construction and debugging. It will be some time before they can truly enter the large-scale production stage. Sending too many people there at once would be a waste of manpower, and logistical support would also be insufficient.

He weighed the options in his mind several times, then wrote a few lines of numbers on a piece of draft paper with a pencil, sketched and calculated for a while, and finally decided on a three-to-one principle: if there were three level-eight workers in each factory, one would be selected; level-seven workers would be selected in a similar proportion, but the ratio would be adjusted flexibly according to the personnel reserves of each factory. Factories with weak technical strength would select fewer or none, while factories with strong foundations would select one or two more.

Following this principle, he spent most of the afternoon sifting through hundreds of files one by one, comparing them repeatedly, and finally narrowed down the first batch of names: thirty-two eighth-grade workers and one hundred seventh-grade workers.

He copied the list onto a clean form, checking each household's factory, name, job grade, specialization, and performance evaluation. As he wrote the last few lines, his pen suddenly paused.

Two familiar names appeared on the form: Liang Cheng, a level eight worker from Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill; and Yi Zhonghai, a level eight worker from Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill.

He paused for a moment, then reopened the steel rolling mill's file and looked at it again. Liang Cheng and Yi Zhonghai's names were prominently listed, one in the middle of the list and the other further back. Both of them had passed the standard for eighth-grade workers, and Liang Cheng's practical skills score was even a few points higher than Yi Zhonghai's.

Liu Yuheng stared at the two names, remaining silent for a few seconds. He hadn't expected Liang Cheng to actually pass the Level 8 worker exam. This should have been a happy occasion, but seeing his name on the list now filled Liu Yuheng with a complex mix of emotions.

He glanced at Liang Cheng's file again. He was fifty years old, had been a fitter for over twenty years, had received numerous awards and commendations, and had scored nearly full marks in practical skills assessments. Technically speaking, Liang Cheng was fully qualified. In terms of age, while fifty wasn't young, he was more than capable of performing the work of an eighth-grade fitter, and the Northwest region desperately needed experienced veterans like him.

If Liang Cheng is selected, he will be sent to the Northwest, and according to the secrecy requirements of Project 596, he will not be able to return for at least five to six years. During these five or six years, Liang's mother will be left alone in Beijing, and the separation of the elderly couple for five or six years will be a considerable test.

He leaned back in his chair, staring at the name on the list for a long while. A breeze blew in through the open window, slightly lifting a corner of the papers on the table. He tapped his fingers lightly on the edge of the table twice, then slowly shook his head.

Other people's relatives can go, so can Liu Yuheng's relatives. Everyone can remain anonymous and forge swords for the country, so Liang Cheng has no right to be special. This is not something he can decide alone; it is a task for the entire country, a death order from above.

If he were to remove Liang Cheng's name simply because Liang Cheng is his father-in-law, it would be unfair to the other workers who were reassigned, and it would also be a betrayal of his own responsibilities.

Liang Cheng's selection demonstrates his strong skills and excellent performance in the assessment; he earned his place through his own efforts, not through connections. Given the established selection criteria, and Liang Cheng meeting them, he should be selected.

After the entire list was copied, Liu Yuheng organized the lists of the thirty-two eighth-grade workers and the one hundred seventh-grade workers, and put them into three separate file folders. One folder contained the complete information of the eighth-grade workers, and the other two contained the information of the seventh-grade workers.

He tied the three file folders shut with string, wrote numbers and brief titles on the covers, then picked up the phone, dialed the secretary's office number, and asked his secretary, Xiao Wei, and Director Chen from the security department to come to his office.