Courtyard Houses: The Great Masters of a Nation Hidden Within

The next morning, when Gao Jianguo arrived at the militia training ground, it was still early.

The team wasn't all there, but Section Chief Wang was already there. This was his livelihood, so naturally he was keeping a close eye on it.

After chatting with Section Chief Wang and Director Liu for a while, Deputy Factory Director Li also strolled over, and the group nodded at him from a distance.

Upon seeing Gao Jianguo, Deputy Factory Director Li half-jokingly asked, "Jianguo, would it be convenient for you to show off your skills during the performance later?"

Gao Jianguo didn't mince words: "Okay, individual combat skills, but let's add a round of target practice. Let's skip hand-to-hand combat and bayonet fighting, that's too disrespectful, haha."

People outside the factory are watching closely. If another one manages to kill ten people on a day like this, the training department staff will lose face.

Almost everyone present knew that he had taken on twelve opponents unscathed on the day training began, and no one disagreed with him after hearing him say that.

Before long, Minister Zhao arrived with the people from the People's Armed Forces Department.

Gao Jianguo, who held the title of deputy captain of the militia team, marched in formation with Section Chief Wang and the others, and he did a pretty good job of it.

Although he had been rusty for a while, those skills were already ingrained in his bones. When he stepped forward, he was a cut above the militiamen who had only been training for a few days. After all, the militiamen only had so many hours of training, and they had to divide those hours among other subjects.

When it was time for the performance, Gao Jianguo really showed off his individual combat skills and did another round of shooting.

Minister Zhao and his group were practically glued to him.

After the performance concluded, Minister Zhao stood up and gave a speech, full of enthusiasm. He praised the militia members of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill repeatedly, saying that they had achieved real results in their training, closely followed the current struggle, and meticulously implemented NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) defense training. They had integrated combat skills and combat duties into their daily field training, and had successfully built a backbone team that could be deployed, withstand pressure, capture enemies, and win tough battles.

The faces of those in the Security Department and the Training Section were so smooth they could reflect light; that was all the credit they had earned.

From the perspective of the People's Armed Forces Department, responding to the directives from above and leading the Third Rolling Mill to build such a formidable force demonstrates that their work has not been in vain and has been carried out diligently and effectively.

Deputy Factory Director Li even pulled Gao Jianguo aside, pushed him in front of Minister Zhao, and introduced him.

Upon hearing that this man had served on the battlefield several times before, and after retiring, he went on to university, where he worked diligently in the factory doing technical work and was doing very well, while still not forgetting his old profession and putting in a lot of effort to help train the militia, Minister Zhao felt both admiration and satisfaction for his dedication.

As soon as Deputy Factory Director Li finished speaking, Minister Zhao turned to Gao Jianguo and said, "Comrade Jianguo, what we need right now is someone like you. You can handle a gun, you can wield a pen, you can defend the country in war, and you can help your fellow villagers in peacetime. Factory Director Li, we need to make full use of talents like him who can shoulder heavy responsibilities in both the military and civilian sectors. Although he is currently working on local development, Comrade Jianguo's physique is a pillar of strength in the militia, and we must use him when the time comes."

Dual-use talent (military and civilian)?

The words drifted into Gao Jianguo's ears, and his mind immediately turned to a set of books.

Gao Jianguo kept declining, while Deputy Factory Director Li nodded in agreement. Minister Zhao's laughter was hearty, and the room was filled with lively chatter.

-

Before you know it, it's Sunday morning.

After Gao Jianguo finished stretching, eating, and washing his hands and face, before he could even draw a prize, someone knocked on the door. He didn't even need to look to know that Lou Xiao'e had arrived.

Gao Jianguo could tell the rhythm of her footsteps even with his eyes closed.

They opened the door and brought the person in.

It was already freezing cold. Lou Xiao'e buried her head in his arms and, as usual, warmed herself for a long time before finally freeing her hands to untie the scarf around her neck.

With the soles of his feet still hitting the ground, he kept saying, "I'm freezing to death, I'm freezing to death."

Gao Jianguo ruffled her hair at the back of her head: "Why don't you just take a key from this door and take it with you? Next time you come, you can open the door yourself, instead of standing there in the wind. If you come over one day and I have an emergency and I'm not here, you won't be out in the cold."

Lou Xiao'e abruptly stopped stomping her feet, her eyes slightly reddening, but a drawn-out tone escaped her throat: "Okay~~~".

Gao Jianguo didn't hesitate. He turned around, went into the inner room, took out the key, and placed it in her palm.

Lou Xiao'e held the key in her hand, her eyes fixed on his face: "Jianguo, I've missed you these past few days."

Gao Jianguo placed his palm on her hand: "I've been thinking about it too."

After the two cuddled for a while, Lou Xiao'e suddenly slapped her forehead: "Oh right, Jianguo, my dad said that the thing we were discussing will definitely show some progress within half a month. What are you two up to, acting all mysterious?"

Gao Jianguo patted the top of her head: "You can't explain this in a few words now, but you'll understand when the time comes."

Lou Xiao'e wrinkled her nose: "You're quite tight-lipped? Stingy."

Gao Jianguo laughed out loud: "Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's go out for a drive today. I happen to have some free time. We'll just grab a quick lunch out and eat again in the afternoon. I just got promoted again. I already invited Brother Wang and his family over for a chat after work yesterday."

"Wow, you jumped another level? It's only been a few days! Come here, let me touch your head to see how it's structured." Lou Xiao'e was both surprised and delighted. She hadn't even recovered from hearing that he had been promoted to level 9 engineer last time, and now he was level 8 in the blink of an eye.

"Two eyes and a nose, that's how long it is. Let's go out for a stroll."

Hearing about his promotion, Lou Xiao'e also got excited and followed Gao Jianguo outside.

Before leaving the courtyard, Gao Jianguo turned to Sha Zhu's door and handed him the key to his door. Sha Zhu would be cooking soon, so it would be easier to hand over the key beforehand.

He had already stored away the important, clandestine items in his storage room, and he wasn't worried that Sha Zhu would find anything that people of this age shouldn't see.

Gao Jianguo and Lou Xiao'e went out the door. Lou Xiao'e turned around and asked, "Where are you going?"

Gao Jianguo didn't care at all: "Whatever, you're an old Beijinger, give me some pointers."

Lou Xiao'e pondered for a moment and then suggested a place: "Let's go to Liulichang. It's full of strange and unusual things. My dad took me there before, and it was quite fun."

Upon hearing this, Gao Jianguo realized he was familiar with the place. It had become incredibly famous and frequently appeared in online articles. However, he wasn't particularly interested in it. The reason was simple: he didn't understand it and his mind wasn't on it.

If Lou Xiao'e wants to go, then let her go.

The two cycled for a little over ten kilometers and arrived at Liulichang. Lou Xiao'e's eyes lit up, and Gao Jianguo followed along, enjoying the stroll. He didn't actually buy anything, though he found it quite amusing.

The two wandered around Liulichang for most of the day, even grabbing a quick bite at a random spot there for lunch.

Finally, Lou Xiao'e brought back a sandalwood dressing box that was said to be from the Ming Dynasty. It looked quite old, and the bronze parts were also well made. As for whether it was genuine, who knows? Anyway, Lou Xiao'e was happy, so she paid five yuan for it.

Perhaps it was the usefulness of this box that stirred up a lot of thoughts in her mind, and she didn't even blink when she took out the money.

Gao Jianguo didn't come empty-handed. Although he wasn't interested in the other items, Liulichang was a place where all sorts of strange things could be found. He bought a few sets of ancient books. The seller said they were old items, and they looked old-fashioned. But were they really that old?

I can't figure it out.

Timed their journey, the two of them, carrying their newfound possessions, pedaled back to the yard, their breathing laborious.