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

After reviewing Liang Cheng's materials, Liu Yuheng put them back in the "qualified" stack, then picked up the telephone on the table, shook the handset twice, and dialed a number. The call was transferred twice before being answered. He said into the receiver, "This is Liu Yuheng from the Second Ministry of Machine Building. Please put Deputy Commander Sun on the phone."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end, then a deep, steady male voice came through: "Old Liu? What's up with the call?"

Liu Yuheng leaned back in his chair, his tone more relaxed than before: "Old Sun, how's the construction of your base going? Are the conditions for the first batch of senior workers and scientists to move in ready?"

Old Sun chuckled on the other end of the phone: "Whether we have the equipment or not, you'll know once we send the people over. Three barracks have already been built, and a batch of machinery and equipment has arrived. The installation and debugging team is working on it, and everything will be in place in ten to fifteen days. We're just waiting for the people; once they arrive, they can start working immediately."

Liu Yuheng nodded: "Okay. The first batch of personnel should arrive within ten days. You should prepare the barracks and streamline the reception and accommodation procedures so that things don't fall apart when they arrive."

Old Sun immediately agreed: "Don't worry, I'm personally overseeing the barracks, and the reception arrangements have already been made. By the way, would you like to come over in person? The first batch of personnel will be moving in, and as the deputy minister in charge, you should come and see for yourself, and give everyone a boost."

Liu Yuheng pondered for a moment, then tapped his fingers lightly on the table twice. "I'll see. If I can manage my current tasks, I'll personally escort the first batch of workers and scientists there. I'll call you in advance."

"Okay, I'll wait for your news." After saying that, Old Sun added, "It's very windy and dusty here, so bring a few warm clothes with you when you come. The temperature difference between day and night is huge."

Liu Yuheng responded, and the two exchanged a few more words before hanging up the phone.

After hanging up, Liu Yuheng sat in his chair for a while, mentally reviewing the stack of materials he had just received. Then he picked up the phone and dialed the secretary's office number. Xiao Wei arrived quickly, holding a notebook and pen, and stood in front of the desk waiting.

Liu Yuheng tidied up the stack of materials on the coffee table, took out the list of Grade 8 workers and the results of their political background checks, and handed them to Xiao Wei: "Have the General Office notify all factories that the people on the list should bring them to the Second Ministry of Machine Building tomorrow morning. Reporting time starts at 8:00 AM tomorrow, and the General Office will coordinate the specific arrangements."

Xiao Wei took the list and materials, quickly flipped through them, confirmed the contents, and nodded: "Understood, Minister Liu. I'll get on it right away."

After the door closed, Liu Yuheng sat back down in his chair and looked at the list again. His gaze lingered on the "Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill" column. Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill only had five Grade 8 workers in total, including Liang Cheng and Yi Zhonghai, who were newly recruited this time.

When finalizing the list, he specifically selected three people from these five: Liang Cheng, Yi Zhonghai, and an eighth-grade welder named Fang Tie. He reasoned that choosing three out of five wasn't a high ratio, but reserving two eighth-grade welders for the steel rolling mill to maintain daily production should be sufficient. He also had a vague premonition that Yi Zhonghai might not pass the political vetting, so he selected an extra person just in case.

As expected, Yi Zhonghai failed the political review. His past deeds before liberation, as well as his schemes against Jia Dongxu over the past two years, were thoroughly investigated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Liu Yuheng crossed out Yi Zhonghai's name on the list, wrote "No" next to it, and then drew a circle next to Liang Cheng and Fang Tie's names.

Choosing two out of five, although one less than expected, is still acceptable. Liang Cheng is a fitter, and Fang Tie is a welder; both are among the most skilled workers in the steel rolling mill, which is enough.

........

The next morning, Liang Cheng got up early, put on the clean blue work clothes he had washed the day before, and tidied his hair in front of the mirror to make sure he looked neat and tidy before going out.

He arranged to meet Fang Tie at the factory gate. When he arrived, Fang Tie was already waiting there, wearing a dark gray work uniform with the cuffs neatly rolled up.

The two men exchanged a glance, and Fang Tie spoke first: "Master Liang, what a mess this is. Yesterday afternoon, the factory sent a notice saying that we two should report to the Second Ministry of Machine Building this morning, without saying anything else. I asked the people in the factory office, and they said they didn't know either, only that it was an order from above. Aren't we under the jurisdiction of the First Ministry of Machine Building? How did we suddenly end up at the Second Ministry of Machine Building?"

As he spoke, he lifted his foot and walked towards the bus stop, with Fang Tie following behind, muttering something under his breath.

Fang Tie took a few steps, then suddenly remembered something, turned his head to look at Liang Cheng, and said in a tone that was both teasing and inquisitive, "Master Liang, you're not in a hurry at all. I heard that your son-in-law's brother is the vice minister of the Second Ministry of Machine Building, isn't he? Aren't you related by marriage? Did you know something about this beforehand? Tell me about it."

Liang Cheng's smile faded, and he waved his hand: "It's true that Erhe and his brother are vice ministers, but I'm just a fitter at a steel rolling mill. I hardly ever see him. What would I know? Don't guess. Let's go. You'll understand when we get there."

The two took a bus for more than half an hour and then walked for about ten minutes before finally arriving at the entrance of the Second Ministry of Machine Building.

Liang Cheng and Fang Tie walked to the door, took out their work IDs from their pockets, and handed them over. The guard took them, carefully checked them, looked up at their faces, and after confirming that everything was correct, waved them inside.

Soon, a young staff member in a dark gray cadre uniform came out of the building and nodded to the two men: "Comrade Liang Cheng, Comrade Fang Tie, please follow me. The meeting room is on the second floor."

The two followed the staff member through the lobby on the first floor and up the stairs to the second floor. The staff member stopped in front of a double wooden door at the end of the corridor, pushed the door open, and stepped aside to let the two in.

The conference room was large, with a long conference table in the center, covered with a dark green velvet cloth, and chairs arranged around it. The room was already quite full, filled with middle-aged and older men. The wrinkles on their faces and the calluses on their hands spoke volumes: these were veteran workers who had toiled on the front lines for years.

Liang Cheng glanced around and roughly counted; there were about twenty people, scattered on both sides of the conference table.

After Fang Tie went inside, he looked around and sat down in a chair against the wall. Liang Cheng sat down next to him. The two of them didn't speak, but waited quietly.