Courtyard Houses: The Great Masters of a Nation Hidden Within

Everyone watched with bated breath, their enthusiasm growing.

As Deputy Section Chief Zhao and Gao Jianguo came out of General Manager Chen's room, Deputy Section Chief Zhao looked quite excited in the corridor: "Jianguo, I've really benefited from your help this time. I won't say anything more about gratitude, it's too empty. I'll just say this: from now on, I'll definitely do whatever I can to help with matters in the section."

Gao Jianguo knew perfectly well that there was some exaggeration in those words.

For example, if Gao Jianguo had seven or eight more years of seniority and held a nominal title like section chief, Deputy Section Chief Zhao might have to be wary of him.

But the fact that they're willing to say this now means they won't cause trouble in ordinary matters.

Gao Jianguo smiled and said politely, "Section Chief, you're too kind. If I needed anything, I would really have to swallow my pride and ask you for help."

Back in the office, Xiao Yu had already gone to her own room.

Sister Fang, Liu Qiang, and Mr. Liang, who had moved offices here, all crowded around: "What's going on? What did General Manager Chen say about that project?"

Gao Jianguo dropped a bombshell on them: "When we went over there, Director Yang was sitting right there. After listening to our presentation, he raved about our project team to the skies, and then said that the factory would give us a reward."

Liu Qiang had been working at the factory for two years, but he still hadn't quite grasped the ins and outs of the technical aspects. His question was down-to-earth: "What kind of reward is it? Cash? Industrial coupons? Meat coupons?"

Gao Jianguo waved his hand: "Who knows? We'll have to go to the factory to find out before making a decision."

Master Liang knew the ropes perfectly well, and upon hearing this, he became incredibly excited: "Going to the factory meeting? That's probably just a title; the factory manager can practically rip off General Manager Chen for all the money and tickets on the spot."

Although the return air furnace wasn't his job, by using it as a benchmark, Master Liang could estimate what he could gain if the thermocouple project succeeded.

That project has much more to offer than the return air furnace; its foundation is much stronger.

Looking at it now, it seems like I have a good chance of becoming an eighth-grade worker.

Liu Qiang curled his lip: "What's so great about the title? I'm just hoping to get a bicycle voucher so I can buy a bike."

Even old men would go weak in the knees at the sight of luxury cars and fine horses.

Sister Fang poked his forehead: "Rongguo, you're really too green."

She didn't nag much; she was quite pleased with herself.

The people in the office were feeling incredibly frustrated, but there was nothing they could do. It was all because President Chen had hesitated when he publicly called for people in the first place.

There's a saying that goes, "Hesitation leads to defeat."

Just as things were getting lively, Section Chief Wang of the Security Department's Training Section, carrying a book, stepped into the room.

Upon seeing someone arrive, everyone dispersed and went about their own business.

Section Chief Wang walked over to Gao Jianguo's seat, pulled up a chair for himself, handed Gao Jianguo a cigarette, and placed the book on the table: "Jianguo, the book is here. It's really a good thing, but there's something else I need your advice on."

Section Chief Wang wasn't afraid of others seeing him asking Gao Jianguo for advice.

Is it shameful to ask a combat hero for advice on matters concerning the militia?

It's not shameful; it's about putting work first, seizing good opportunities, and completing the tasks assigned by the organization thoroughly.

Gao Jianguo flipped through the "Militia Military Training Manual," his eyes shining.

Back in his past life, when he was a military enthusiast, he had read this book carefully, but it wasn't the original; it was a pirated copy he bought from some platform, and it was even the March 1960 edition.

The original March 1959 edition is already very rare. It's not something you can usually get your hands on, and if you want to buy it, you can't find a place to buy it. If you do get your hands on it, you treat it like a treasure and don't want to look at it every day.

When Gao Jianguo first transmigrated, he was able to quickly get into the rhythm of battle, and this book also played a part in that. Now, he has finally seen the earliest original version from March 1959.

While flipping through a book, Gao Jianguo said to Section Chief Wang, "Section Chief Wang, what's the matter? Tell me about it."

Section Chief Wang turned to the table of contents and pointed, "Look, there's so much stuff in here. The militiamen are all factory workers, and they don't have much time. They can't learn all of this at once. We need to prioritize. That's why I came to you. You know this stuff inside and out. Can you help me sort it out?"

Gao Jianguo hummed in agreement: "Yes, that makes sense. Don't rush me, let me flip through it first. Just so you know, this one's mine. It's the first time I've seen this book, and it's brought back memories of those old days; it's really getting on my nerves."

Gao Jianguo didn't stand on ceremony and simply took the textbook into his pocket, not even worried that Section Chief Wang wouldn't agree.

Owe others small favors, which can actually help strengthen relationships.

Section Chief Wang pulled out a pen and notebook: "Okay, read it aloud after you're done, I'll take notes."

Although he doesn't have a strong cultural background, he can still manage to take notes easily.

Gao Jianguo flipped through the catalog for a while, then pointed to the training subjects and began circling them: "We need to get started with nuclear, biological, and chemical engineering first; that's our specialty."

Section Chief Wang wrote down the chapter number in his notebook as instructed, and Gao Jianguo then circled it.

"Go through the entire shooting training chapter, and also cover the techniques for using commonly used weapons in this booklet. In the combat maneuvers chapter, leave the sections on terrain, orientation, and distance for now, and practice everything else, paying particular attention to nighttime operations."

"Practice the entire chapter on combat duties, especially the sections on reconnaissance, guard duty, and observation. We'll cover the remaining sections on marching and encampment during field training."

Section Chief Wang's pen flew across the page: "Good, good, good, that makes things much clearer. Jianguo, when it comes to fighting the war, we really need you. If it weren't for the brighter future in the technical department, I would have transferred you there, haha."

Of course, this is just talk; everyone knows it's unreliable.

Gao Jianguo chuckled, "Haha, even if he didn't go, I'm always at Section Chief Wang's beck and call."

Section Chief Wang meticulously noted everything down, closed his notebook, stood up, and with a mysterious and self-satisfied air on his face, lowered his voice and said to Gao Jianguo, "Tomorrow morning, keep an eye on the notice board when you enter the factory."

He left without explaining, and turned and walked away.

Gao Jianguo was so pleased with himself that he kept rubbing the book in his hand.

These days, he's not very enthusiastic about searching for old things in other people's old houses, but he gets all excited about collecting books.

Thinking about this, Gao Jianguo's mouth was practically watering, but some of them weren't due for publication yet, so there was no point in rushing.

Wiping away the non-existent drool from the corner of his mouth, Gao Jianguo turned back to his work.

Driven by the success of the blast furnace research group, the project team members worked incredibly hard, voluntarily working longer hours. To use a phrase from those wartime days, they were "all yelling and rushing forward."

Gao Jianguo, who was in charge of the project, also stayed up late, and Jia Dongxu would bring everyone dinner from the canteen.

Tomorrow, it should be about time to light the fire and heat the electrodes.

After working until almost 9 p.m., Gao Jianguo and his apprentice Yi Zhonghai rode a tricycle borrowed from the factory, one pedaling and the other on their legs, taking turns pedaling back to the courtyard house.

Why? There was a return air furnace squatting on the truck, with four steel plates welded vertically onto its body. And you know what? The welder in the factory was quite skilled; the welds were surprisingly pleasing to the eye.