Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Wearing a wooden dummy, five meters away, a pistol was fired rapidly—"Bang!" After a crisp sound, everyone gathered around to inspect: the bulletproof vest was as smooth as new, and the bullet lay quietly at the bottom of the stake, without even a trace of indentation.

Yan Xudong clenched his fists, his mouth twisted into a wide grin, but he still managed to suppress a shout. The test had only just begun.

Twenty meters away, a burst of assault rifle fire—three consecutive "rat-a-tat-tat" shots—followed by a final check. The trainees nodded in approval. Zhang Jie, unable to sit still, turned and strode to the military region's hotline: "Report! Breakthrough achievement at the Fifth Institute! The new bulletproof vest has passed all live-fire tests!"

"Upgrade security level immediately! Zero tolerance for the safety of researchers, not a single screw can be lost!" The voice on the other end of the line suddenly rose in volume.

"Yes!" Zhang Jie stood at attention and accepted the order, then turned and waved his hand—the sentry posts were encrypted, the passageways were cleared, and the entire research institute was transformed into an impregnable fortress in the blink of an eye.

The old leader was reviewing documents when he received the call. He looked up and asked, "Youhong, can you guarantee it?"

"Sir, Zhang Jie witnessed the entire process; he even touched his clothes after the bullet was fired!"

"Hahaha! Good! Xiao Yao, that kid, really got it done!" The old leader laughed loudly, grabbed his military cap and walked out, where his car was already waiting downstairs.

As it was a military project, the news quickly reached the ears of several veteran generals.

Within half an hour, seven dark green SUVs pulled up in front of the Fifth Research Institute.

Several generals held the thin, shirt-like bulletproof vest in their hands, weighing it repeatedly and exchanging glances—no one believed that this thing could stop bullets.

"Truth isn't spoken, it's proven by bullets." The old leader took the pistol and walked to the target first.

The dummy was re-dressed and fired seven shots in quick succession. As the smoke cleared, the crowd gathered around—the bullet impacts were as smooth as a mirror, without even a slight dent. The generals' expressions shifted from suspicion to astonishment, then slowly blossomed into smiles, their fingers gently stroking the fabric, their palms slightly warm.

……

"Good! Excellent! I knew you had this kind of tenacity!" The old leader patted Xiao Yao on the shoulder heavily, laughing heartily. "There have been constant small-scale disturbances at the border lately, and this 'soft armor' has provided our brothers on the front lines with a real life-saving skill!"

"Sir, this material has extremely high adaptability." Xiao Yao said calmly, "It can cover the whole body and is as light as a feather; when embedded in the lining of a steel helmet, it increases head protection by 30%; when mixed with aramid fibers, it has entered the engineering verification stage for explosion-proof suits."

"Scientists have such broad thinking; they consider even these details meticulously! Rest assured, I will personally oversee this award ceremony—that our border soldiers can wear this 'armor,' and you, these top scientific researchers, should be at the top of the honor roll!"

The old leader's eyes gleamed, and he slammed his hand heavily on the edge of the table, his excitement undiminished.

"Sir, this bulletproof vest not only stops bullets, but it can also withstand blunt force trauma, slashing, and puncture. Its protection level far exceeds the standard."

Xiao Yao spoke calmly and methodically, explaining the key technical points in detail. Before he finished speaking, three rounds of enthusiastic applause rang out in the conference room.

As soon as the presentation ended, the old leader led a group of leaders and quickly left the venue, taking with them the experimental report, raw data, and three sets of prototype bulletproof vests. Their steps were hurried, as if delaying even a second would hinder combat readiness.

That afternoon, the research institute quickly organized the signing of a confidentiality agreement—this achievement was urgently classified as "Top Secret Level 1," and no one except Xiao Yao himself was allowed to inquire about, access, or ask a single question.

Su Man walked into the conference room carrying two project bonuses, calling out names one by one from the list, and asking each participant to come up on stage to sign and receive the money. With the nation's growing strength, reward standards have risen accordingly: a major achievement earns a bonus of at least 20,000 yuan, plus tangible benefits such as grain and oil supplies and daily necessities.

Xiao Yao was given an additional set of the latest lightweight bulletproof suit—including a shirt, pants, and a helmet. Although it could only protect against close-range pistol fire, it was highly concealed and looked exactly like regular clothes when worn, without any sense of incongruity.

With bonuses distributed, the holiday begins immediately. Xiao Yao decided to temporarily halt the new material development project and give everyone a well-deserved New Year's holiday—after all, with Lunar New Year's Eve approaching, it's time to relax.

People can rest, but the factory never stops. The bulletproof vest production line is operating at full capacity, racing against time to produce the first batch of equipment, which must be delivered to the border before the Spring Festival.

Meanwhile, just three months after entering service, the "Eagle" fighter jet has already been deployed to various war zones with over a thousand aircraft. Pilots who conducted test flights unanimously praised it, saying, "Stable, fast, and agile—truly a sharp blade in the air."

The domestically produced "Shuguang" civil aviation passenger aircraft has also officially entered service, with the first batch of 270 aircraft delivered. Within six months, dozens of new airports have sprung up across the country, and air routes have formed a vast network. For the first time, the silver eagle has truly flown into the lives of thousands of households, carrying ordinary people.

Xu Wenxin and Wu Ruizhe drew inspiration from solar-powered miniature trains and spearheaded the development of a new generation of high-speed trains—based on power configuration, they are divided into electric drive and internal combustion drive; based on layout, there are centralized power and distributed power; and in terms of transmission structure, they cover both electric and hydraulic systems.

The biggest advantage of high-speed trains lies in their "flexibility": when passenger flow is low, the number of trains can be reduced and the number can be quickly expanded during peak hours; no need to turn around, high safety redundancy, doubled transport capacity, zero emissions, low energy consumption, self-powered... Once launched, it quickly swept across the national railway network and was hailed by the industry as "the most dazzling land revolution of the 20th century".

As the power grid expands its coverage, clean and efficient electric locomotives are rapidly replacing the cumbersome old steam locomotives.

Zhang Jie parked the car steadily in the underground garage of the Xiao family's current residence. After getting out of the car, he calmly looked around—this was a professional instinct he had developed over many years: when entering any new environment, he would first find out the entrances and exits, high points, blind spots, and escape routes.

As Xiao Yao and Su Man stepped out of the car, Xiao Yao stumbled and nearly lost his footing. Nothing of the old scene remained. The dilapidated old buildings were gone, replaced by towering glass-walled skyscrapers; the streets were spotless, cars flowing quietly like a stream; the neighborhoods were lush and green, children playing, elderly people sitting idly—everywhere exuding a vibrant, modern atmosphere.

The island nation is already on edge. China's air transport capacity has leaped to parity with theirs in just two years, and now high-speed trains have suddenly appeared—they finally understand that this isn't catching up, but overtaking. That unstoppable momentum is chilling and makes them hesitate to follow.

Xiao Yao and Su Man returned home to a quiet house; their parents had not yet returned. They put down their luggage and decided to walk hand-in-hand into the street. The city was filled with towering cranes, steel and concrete reshaping the city's structure inch by inch.

"Give Chunming a call and ask him to have a meal with you."

Xiao Yao blurted it out, then froze – only then did she realize that Su Man had long since stopped managing her daily life, and even her phone was something Su Man had casually handed over.

Su Man smiled, took out her phone, dialed Han Chunming's number, and handed him the receiver.

"Hey? Xiao Yao? Oh, what a rare guest! I hardly ever answer your call, where are you right now?"

Han Chunming's voice was loud and clear, tinged with familiar teasing. He often called Xiao Yao, and nine times out of ten, Su Man answered; Su Man always just remembered things without revealing her whereabouts, only saying "I'll pass it on," never saying a word more. This time, the call was undoubtedly from him.

"Just landed, and I'm completely lost, I don't even know which way your door faces. Busy? Want to grab a drink?"

Xiao Yao spoke in a relaxed tone.

"Where are you, kid? I'm coming right now! You haven't been back for over a year, I'm afraid you don't even recognize your own building anymore—in another two years, you might need GPS to find your dad!"

Han Chunming laughed heartily.

"Okay, I'll wait for you at the entrance of my dad's apartment complex. Call me when we get there."

Xiao Yao was certain that he often came to visit Xiao Zhiyuan; this place was so well-known that one could find their way even with their eyes closed.

Less than ten minutes later, a black luxury sedan, the Longxia, slowly drove into the gate of the residential compound. Xiao Yao's cell phone rang, and as soon as he stepped out of the gate, he saw Han Chunming, dressed in a well-tailored dark gray suit, leaning against the car and waving vigorously at him.

Xiao Yao strode forward, and Han Chunming pulled him into his arms, holding him tightly. Zhang Jie subconsciously tensed his shoulders, his right hand quietly sliding to his waist, but seeing the expressions of the two, he suppressed his reaction, only lowering his head to adjust his cufflinks, continuing to pretend to be that carefree playboy.

"Goodness, your shoulders have broadened and your arms have gotten thicker. I thought you were going to 'disappear' again until the New Year!"

Han Chunming released his grip, his eyes and brows beaming with a smile. Zhang Jie quietly exhaled, chuckling to himself for being overly sensitive, then leaned against the wall and lit a cigarette.

"This car... looks unfamiliar?"

Xiao Yao stared at the streamlined car body, frowning slightly—he couldn't recall ever seeing this brand. Had he really been stuck in the mountains for too long and fallen behind?

"Longxia Haojue Edition! You didn't actually go off to some remote mountain village to cultivate immortality, did you?" Han Chunming laughed, patting the car body. "No gasoline, no electricity, powered by nano-energy storage panels, it can go 3000 kilometers on a single charge! Orders from overseas are piling up, we're prioritizing domestic orders, we haven't even got enough for our own people yet! I reserved one for you a while ago, but I can't get in touch with you no matter what—Uncle Xiao said we have enough for official use, and Aunt Lin is used to taking the company shuttle, so that new car is just gathering dust in my garage! What do you think, like it?"

Xiao Yao shook his head, completely baffled. He had only submitted the core motor and energy storage solution; he hadn't bothered with what it would be called, what label it would have, or what price it would be sold at.

The car he drove himself didn't even have a logo, just a blue license plate with white lettering—so naturally he didn't think about that.

"Get in the car quickly. The wind outside is like a knife. I have the heater on full blast in the car. Su Man's belly is so big, she can't be exposed to any cold."

Han Chunming pushed open the passenger door and reached out to help her as he spoke.

Xiao Yao led Su Man into the car, and Zhang Jie followed closely behind, starting the engine and trailing steadily behind. Han Chunming turned the steering wheel and drove straight into the underground parking garage of a restaurant, the wheels jolting slightly as they went over a speed bump.

"Hello, boss!"

As soon as I stepped into the hall, the hostess immediately straightened her back and bowed to greet me in a clear voice.