Courtyard Houses: The Great Masters of a Nation Hidden Within

Gao Jianguo pointed to a shallow metal dish in the corner of the south room, with a layer of dusty metal still clinging to the bottom.

"I made a disposable soldering device, and I use a thermocouple to monitor the solder temperature. It's very convenient."

He stubbed out his cigarette and continued speaking.

"When you use it, just insert each component onto the circuit board, check that everything is correct, apply flux, and then run the pin side of the board through the solder—cut off any excess pins, and then you can do a simple soldering. It's several times faster than soldering bit by bit."

The chief engineer of the Institute of Computing Technology's eyes lit up when he heard this.

If this thing can really save that much time, that would be amazing.

He took half a step forward and asked, "Can this equipment be mass-produced?"

Gao Jianguo dared not actually hand over this thing.

He made this thing just to make it sound like he could assemble a computer all by himself quickly. It sounded good, but it was incredibly difficult to use. He melted the solder the first time he assembled it and never touched it again.

He waved his hand, making no attempt to be ambiguous.

"This won't do. I'm just making do with what I have; it's not automated enough and has a ton of problems. If you really want to get an automated soldering system, or make it a practical tool, I'll draw up a schematic later, and you guys can try wave soldering it."

Wave soldering technology was only developed in China in the mid-1960s.

To put it simply, it's not complicated. After melting the solder, just use a suitable pump to create the wave peaks.

Gao Jianguo worked in an electronics factory during his junior year of college, saw the actual products, and found them quite interesting. He even went online to look up the working principle diagrams. Now, relying on his memory, he can recreate them a few years ahead of time without any problem.

He spoke so casually, but the leaders of the 17th Ministry of Machine Building and the two people from the Computing Institute were completely dumbfounded.

New devices were being pulled out one after another, as if they were free. The two of them were itching to crack open his skull to see what was inside.

The two people from the Computing Institute glanced at the transistor computer, then at the stack of documents in their hands, their eyes practically screaming that they wanted to take the stuff back to the institute immediately.

The leaders of the 17th Ministry of Machine Building were well aware of the situation.

This thing can't be used to its full potential here. Only when it goes to the Institute of Computing Technology, thoroughly understands Gao Jianguo's design, and starts mass production, can it truly be put to great use.

Such an affordable, easy-to-use, and high-performance computer would be a waste not to mass-produce it.

If dozens of these were deployed over the desert, the sight would be exhilarating just to imagine.

Several people came out of the south room and closed the door behind them.

The leader turned to Gao Jianguo, his tone firm: "This still needs to be sent to the Institute of Computing Technology. Zhendong, you also need to set aside time to teach this design from beginning to end to the Institute of Computing Technology. This matter cannot be delayed."

The people from the No. 3 rolling mill looked troubled when they heard this.

Factory Director Yang poured out his grievances to his superiors: "Sir, Zhendong is also in charge of the design of the factory's ESR process. The progress is going smoothly, and it's at a crucial stage. We can't do without him. Besides, the department has also notified him to prepare for that training on the project management system, and the time is all set."

The leader remembered this time.

The No. 3 Rolling Mill did mention this matter to the Ministry, but it was unexpected that it had been pushed to this point.

He personally approved the training program, which put him in a bit of a bind now.

The two people from the Institute of Computing Technology panicked when they saw this.

This young man was handling so many demanding tasks while working on the computer; I never would have imagined that someone so capable would take on so much work.

But despite their thoughts, in their eyes, the transistor computer was the top priority, and there was no room for discussion.

The two men, with all four eyes fixed on the leader of the 17th Ministry of Machine Building, spoke up: "Leader, the sooner this is done, the better."

Upon hearing this, and thinking of the people in the desert working themselves to the bone by hand, and the people in various institutes across the country who couldn't get a chance to do calculations and had to do them manually, the leader gritted his teeth.

"Put ESR on hold for now, postpone the training, but this computer stuff can't be delayed!"

After listening, Gao Jianguo pondered for a while and reported to his superior: "I'll spend a day or two arranging the ESR work; it shouldn't cause any major delays. The division of labor was clear in the early stages, and I've submitted the principles and design. Now, only some manufacturing and testing work remains. The factory staff are following my plan, so there shouldn't be any major problems. If anything goes wrong, I can step in temporarily to help. As for the training, the department will set a time; I'll follow the arrangements."

The two people from the Institute of Computing Technology were finally relieved to hear this.

Gao Jianguo and the two from the Institute of Computing Technology discussed the relocation.

The two still had a lot of questions they wanted to ask, but they couldn't worry about them right now. They had to get the things back safely first. As for the questions, the designer was here, and they could ask them later.

Actually, it's not difficult to move.

This thing is really small; it can fit in a jeep.

However, the Institute of Computing Technology clearly felt that it would be unfair to use a jeep to transport the machine back.

They planned to bring in people to carefully wrap the package, ensuring it was fully protected against shocks, water, impacts, and static electricity, before having it escorted back by militia from the Third Steel Rolling Mill.

Gao Jianguo said that transistor computers are not that delicate.

But the two of them still felt that they couldn't afford to make even the slightest mistake.

This set is the only one available right now, it's incredibly precious, and we absolutely cannot allow anything to go wrong.

Come to think of it, we have always been extremely cautious about high-tech equipment.

In the 1990s, all the computer rooms in universities were covered with raised anti-static floors, and some computer rooms were even equipped with electromagnetic shielding nets. You had to change into slippers or put on shoe covers before entering.

When Gao Jianguo was in college in his previous life, he heard his classmates talk about these things and they all treated it as a joke.

Upon closer examination, this reveals our inherent respect for knowledge; we'd rather be overly cautious than let our equipment suffer even the slightest loss.

Everything was settled, and it was almost early the next morning.

Xiao Li, who was on duty, went out to buy breakfast and brought it back. At the same time, he sent someone to the Institute of Computing Technology to arrange for manpower and materials to be transferred there.

Everyone ate while waiting for others. The leader had also stayed up all night, so he decided to have breakfast there before returning to the office.

Everyone was in high spirits during the meal, chatting and laughing, and had a great time.

While they were eating, Lou Xiao'e rode her bicycle into the yard, carrying a lunchbox in her hand.

She glanced up and was stunned by the scene at Gao Jianguo's door.

She turned her head and looked around again and again, confirming that this was indeed Gao Jianguo.

She approached and asked Zhang, a militiaman on guard duty, "Hello comrade, I'm looking for Gao Jianguo. Is he home?"

Upon hearing that the person was looking for Gao Jianguo, militia member Xiao Zhang told her to wait a moment while he went inside to inform the family: "Captain Gao, someone is looking for you outside."

The militia members addressed Gao Jianguo by his rank within the team.

Gao Jianguo glanced at Lou Xiao'e and quickly went out to greet her.

He had barely left when the leader lowered his voice and asked Factory Director Yang, "Is Gao Jianguo some kind of team leader?"

Factory Director Yang replied quietly, "Deputy captain of the militia, deputy head of the training department."

The manager frowned slightly: "Isn't the workload a bit too much?"

Factory Director Yang quietly explained, "The deputy section chief of the security department can carry a gun."

The leader understood and nodded.