Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

"Xiao Yao, come here for a moment."

The old leader raised his hand and beckoned gently.

Xiao Yao strode forward and stood still.

"The things you've developed have indeed helped us earn a huge amount of foreign exchange, just as you said. But now a new problem has arisen—industry is developing rapidly, but the power supply is lagging behind. Solar energy? It can't support the 24/7 operation of an industrial city. And those high-energy-consuming devices abroad are all 'power-hungry' by a ton. Do you have any solutions?"

The veteran leader pointed out the crux of the matter: a leap in power supply capacity is urgently needed.

"There are only five types of power generation: hydropower, wind power, solar power, nuclear power, and thermal power. In terms of safety, hydropower, wind power, and solar power are the most reliable; in terms of output intensity, nuclear power is far ahead. But at present, we have only tapped 15% of the potential of nuclear energy, while foreign countries have only reached 20%. If we can push the utilization rate to 45%, a single nuclear power plant can steadily support two major industrial cities."

Xiao Yao spoke in a simple and unassuming manner, yet every word carried immense weight.

Today, nuclear energy is mostly confined to weapons applications, but it is far more than that—it can shine in energy, medicine, materials, and many other fields.

Although the senior leader didn't quite understand the technical jargon, he immediately grasped the key point: "You mean, our technology for extracting nuclear energy is far from being fully developed?"

"That's right. What we lack most right now is a safe, efficient, and sustainable path for releasing nuclear energy." Xiao Yao nodded. "Wind, solar, and hydropower are all being rolled out at an accelerated pace, but nuclear power plants... I completely understand your concerns about their risks."

The old leader didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly. He knew that if things got out of control, the consequences wouldn't be as simple as a power outage; they would be a cataclysmic event.

"Safety is always the first line of defense," Xiao Yao said calmly. "But its power generation capacity is unmatched by all other clean energy sources combined. As long as it is fully controllable, nuclear power plants are the most worthwhile energy foundation to bet on."

"Okay, I believe you."

The old leader stared intently at Xiao Yao. This young man had never touched nuclear physics before, but his gaze was more reassuring than any academic paper.

Ten days later, a team of top nuclear scientists quietly moved into Xiao Yao's laboratory with core materials; stacks of top-secret documents silently filled the long table in the team's studio.

Xiao Yao quickly confirmed that only heavy atomic nuclei like uranium-235, with their extremely large mass and highly unstable structure, possess the potential for efficient fission. When it captures a neutron, it violently splits into two medium-mass nuclei, simultaneously ejecting two to three new neutrons and an astonishing amount of energy—these newly formed neutrons can then trigger more nuclear fission, forming a self-sustaining chain reaction. The immense energy released in this process is nuclear energy, commonly known as "atomic energy."

The fission process not only releases neutrons but also generates high temperatures; these high temperatures boil water, the steam drives a turbine, and the turbine drives a generator to rotate at high speed—and electricity is thus continuously generated.

However, if the temperature gets out of control, the reactor may melt through the vessel, causing a catastrophic accident. Therefore, control rods have become an indispensable "brake" – made of strong neutron-absorbing material, they are inserted into the reactor core to precisely control the intensity of the reaction.

Heavy nuclear fission is divided into two categories: one is spontaneous decay without human intervention, which is a natural phenomenon; the other requires an external particle to "ignite" it, i.e., induced fission. The former is docile, while the latter is powerful, but also more difficult to tame.

The problem is precisely this: a large number of neutrons are still outside of control—this is the last hurdle that Xiao Yao must overcome.

A month later, Xiao Yao's team, together with nuclear scientists, launched the first field test. The atomic-level energy supply scheme he extracted from space technology was finally put into practice and verified: after purifying uranium fuel to critical purity and loading it into the reactor, the risk of explosion dropped by 90%, and the whole process became clear, stable, and predictable.

After three months of arduous work, the research mission has finally come to a successful conclusion. Thanks to the team's tireless efforts day and night, they successfully verified that the energy released from the complete fission of 1 ton of uranium-235 is as high as 20,000 megawatt-hours—enough for a 20-megawatt nuclear power plant to operate at full capacity for nearly 2,300 hours continuously. Its energy equivalent is equivalent to the complete combustion of 6.3 million tons of high-quality coal.

This is not only a milestone leap forward in my country's nuclear power technology, but also a new record for global nuclear energy utilization efficiency, with fuel utilization far exceeding that of similar power plants overseas, making it a major leap forward in the field of atomic energy application.

Having successfully completed the mission, Xiao Yao was finally allowed to rest. He and his entire core team remained in complete secrecy, never appearing in the public eye; the subsequent implementation of the nuclear power plant project was handed over to another professional team. Xiao Yao and his team received only a bonus of 2,500 yuan, plus a full month of mandatory leave.

Xiao Yao's parents had been transferred back to Kyoto with their official positions. As soon as they settled into their new home, Xiao Zhiyuan noticed something unusual: many unfamiliar faces had quietly appeared in the stairwell, on the street corner, and in front of the shops across the street, their eyes frequently scanning his own doors and windows.

Having served in the military for many years, Xiao Zhiyuan's nerves were as taut as a bowstring, and he sensed something was amiss almost the moment those people appeared.

"Has Xiao Yao gotten into some trouble lately?" He immediately dialed the hotline of his old unit, asking his former comrade to find out the details.

The phone rang that evening.

"Zhiyuan, don't be nervous. They're from the guard regiment. Who they're protecting and why—we have no right to ask. You know their job is off-limits even for questions."

Xiao Zhiyuan put down the receiver, a jolt running through him: the timing of the guard regiment's appearance perfectly coincided with his son's return to Beijing. Could it be... that these people were really after Xiao Yao?

But what exactly is this child doing? Even I can't find out the truth, I only heard that he is doing cutting-edge scientific research.

Having spent half his life in the military, how could he not know the significance of the guard regiment? They were an "iron wall" closely protecting the central command, usually only appearing at the highest-level security events. Xiao Yao had only graduated two years prior; what merit did he possess to have twelve elite sentries on both overt and covert posts deployed around the clock? And who knew how many more were lurking in the shadows…

Despite his doubts, Xiao Zhiyuan would never ask. His son's silence only proved that the matter was extremely confidential—the less one knew, the safer it was.

Lin Wan, however, had already plunged into the kitchen and started bustling about. Having not seen her son for half a year, she had lost weight. She dug out several home-style dishes that Xiao Yao had loved to eat since childhood. The stove crackled, the spatula flew, and a steaming aroma filled the air, carrying her longing into every dish.

……

Xiao Yao only managed a short nap at home. Before dawn, her mother was already making noise in the kitchen.

After he finished washing up, he strolled into the living room, where a table was already set with three soft-boiled eggs, a glass of warm milk, and four fluffy meat buns.

"Son, how many days off can you take this time?" Lin Wan asked while wiping her hands.

"Half a month." Xiao Yao took the steamed bun. "Has Chunming come by recently?"

Whenever Han Chunming couldn't find him, he would always stake out the Xiao family's place, hoping to catch him as soon as he saw him.

"I left you a cell phone with his number saved. He said you should call him as soon as you're on vacation if there's an emergency." Lin Wan turned around, opened a living room drawer, and handed over a brand-new black candybar phone.

Xiao Yao certainly had no shortage of communication tools, but he accepted this weighty sentiment with extra care.

As soon as the familiar number was dialed, Han Chunming's loud voice immediately boomed from the receiver:

"Xiao Yao! You've been gone for two years without a word! Coincidentally, Su Meng is graduating today, so I'm treating everyone to dinner at that restaurant I took over near Zhengyang Gate—now called Dezheng Restaurant! You could find the address with your eyes closed. Get over here right now, let me take a good look and see if you've lost any weight!"

The person on the other end of the phone had clearly saved his name; as soon as the call connected, they bombarded him with questions like beans being poured out.

The work bell rang, and Mr. and Mrs. Xiao hurriedly packed up and left. Before leaving, they both turned back, their gazes lingering on Xiao Yao—last night, Lin Wan had asked her husband in a low voice, "Why are so many strangers suddenly appearing downstairs? What's going on?"

"Who else could have recruited them? Your precious son, of course." Xiao Zhiyuan said in a low voice, "The guard regiment! I've been carrying a gun for so many years, and I've hardly ever seen their shadows. There are twelve of them openly this time, but there are probably many more in plainclothes keeping watch. The leader told me not to worry about them and just go to work as usual."

Although Lin Wan was a military doctor, she knew better than anyone the weight of the words "Guard Regiment." This morning, while cooking porridge, she glanced up and saw two young men leaning against the stairwell entrance, peering into the kitchen. Her heart skipped a beat. She steadily stirred the rice porridge in the pot, and while getting the seasonings, she circled the room—sure enough, at least seven or eight pairs of eyes were silently watching her from all sides. Fortunately, Xiao Zhiyuan was home, so she dared to ask him what was going on that night.

Both husband and wife were from the military, so how could they not understand what this commotion meant? As they left, they exchanged a glance, then looked at Xiao Yao together, their eyes filled with astonishment, pride, and a hint of unfamiliarity—this child had already quietly grown into someone they looked up to.

The two pushed their bikes out the door, ignoring the tall, imposing figures across the street, and rode straight to their respective posts.

Knowing that Xiao Yun was off duty today, Xiao Yao didn't disturb him. He went out alone and planned to walk to Han Chunming's Dezheng Hotel.

As soon as I stepped out of the building, four figures surrounded me like shadows.

"Good morning, sir. From now on, your travel will be handled by our dedicated car."

One of them deftly flashed his badge, the metal emblem gleaming in the morning light.

Xiao Yao was genuinely startled—leaving home early in the morning and suddenly being surrounded by four people would make anyone's heart skip a beat.

He had no choice but to nod in agreement. In fact, his former boss had already given instructions that a few people would be sent to follow up closely "as friends," but he hadn't expected them to arrive so quickly and in such a concrete manner.

These four young guards were dressed in a very vibrant way: bell-bottoms paired with tie-dye shirts, sunglasses perched on their noses, and digital watches on their wrists gleaming with blue light—they looked every bit the trendsetter among Beijing's young people.

Xiao Yao got into the car, and the man in the lead explained with a smile:

"Boss, from now on we'll be working with you. Please bear with us as there may be some inconvenience in how we address each other."