Courtyard House: In this life, I have a new home!

"Okay, thank you, Director Li."

He said with a smile.

"Don't thank me, don't thank me. We should be thanking you."

Li Huaide remarked with admiration, "A talent like yours, instead of going to a big hospital, has come to our factory..."

"My parents both work at the steel rolling mill; their workstations are still there."

Li Weidong said, "Of course I want to come and serve my fellow workers."

"Well said, well said!"

Li Huaide laughed, "Your parents' workstations are reserved for you. Whenever you want to fill in, just have someone come and handle it."

Li Weidong's point in bringing this up was very clear—he wasn't there to fill in, so his workstation had to be reserved for him.

Li Huaide helped him complete the onboarding procedures in no time. Li Weidong carefully put away his documents.

"Come on, let me take you to the infirmary."

Li Huaide laughed and said, "There are only two barefoot doctors and three nurses over there. It's really a bit..."

He said, shaking his head.

The clinic wasn't small, and surprisingly, there was an empty operating room covered in dust.

Li Weidong pointed to the door: "Director Li, can this operating room be renovated? It will be very useful in case of an emergency."

"Just clean it up, and add some medicine and equipment."

The two barefoot doctors and three nurses standing nearby were all stunned, staring wide-eyed at the young man in his early twenties—this was actually the attending physician?

Li Huaide quickly nodded: "No problem, I'll have someone get it done within three days."

Li Weidong touched his nose: "Then I'll go back to work in three days. I still have some things to take care of at home these few days."

"Okay, okay, it's settled in three days."

Factory Director Li readily agreed.

"Director Li, I'll get you some medicine tonight."

Li Weidong looked him up and down. "The effect is good."

Li Huaide was taken aback: "Me? What's wrong with me...?"

The two had already left the clinic, and a nurse was tidying up the department head's office nearby.

Li Weidong smiled and said, "When a man reaches your age, there are some problems he's embarrassed to talk about. I'll prescribe some medicine for you, to treat both the symptoms and the root cause."

Li Huaide was taken aback: "You could tell that? Wait a minute, aren't you a Western medicine student? How do you know the four diagnostic methods of traditional Chinese medicine: observation, auscultation, inquiry, and palpation?"

"I've studied them a little."

Li Weidong's tone exuded confidence. "By the way, do you have any scrapped motors in the factory?"

Factory Manager Li was caught off guard by the question: "Yes, of course we have them. What do you need them for?"

"I want to make two electric fans."

Li Weidong said, "All we need is a motor; the other materials are easy to find."

"Make an electric fan?"

Factory Manager Li shook his head. "We don't have anyone like that in our factory. How about I get you a ticket for an electric fan? But I don't have any on hand right now..."

"No need for tickets, I'll do it myself."

Li Weidong spoke with certainty.

With his background as a senior mechanical engineer and his hands-on skills, making an electric fan was really not a difficult task for him.

Factory Director Li looked incredulous: "You think you can handle that by yourself? That kind of thing requires the cooperation of an engineer and a senior fitter."

"You'll see it with your own eyes in a bit, won't you?"

Li Weidong smiled.

"Okay, let's go to the first workshop then."

Factory manager Li said, "There are a lot of old, discarded motors piled up in the corner; feel free to use them. Use the tools as well."

"Just give me a token amount of money, whatever materials you need."

He pondered this over and over in his mind—if Li Weidong could really make an electric fan, even if he only needed a few fitters to help him, he would at least be at the level of an engineer.

Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill only had a few technicians and one level-eight engineer. Even that engineer couldn't make an electric fan. If Li Weidong could, he would definitely be a big shot in the factory.

As soon as the two entered the first workshop, they saw Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu blocking the entrance.

Yi Zhonghai glanced at Li Weidong and curled his lip: "Oh ho, Li Weidong, you're just an apprentice, and you even had Factory Director Li personally bring you here? This... won't do. I'll have to teach you a lesson later."

Jia Dongxu chimed in, "Exactly! Dressed all high and mighty, thinking they're some kind of official? Hurry up and get the work done!"

Li Huaide frowned: "What are you doing? Master Yi, don't you have anything to do so early in the morning?"

Yi Zhonghai's usually dignified face was now beaming with smiles: "Factory Director, I'm waiting for Li Weidong. He lives in our compound, is a descendant of a hero, and is my apprentice. I'm sure—"

"etc."

Li Huaide interrupted him, "Who said he was your apprentice?"

Yi Zhonghai was stunned: "Didn't I go to you this morning to talk about this? I'm an eighth-grade worker, so taking him on as an apprentice is considered—"

He was emphasizing his rank in every word he said.

Li Huaide waved his hand: "Alright, alright. Comrade Li Weidong is the head of the medical department, you all go back to what you were doing."

"What?"

Yi Zhonghai's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "Is he a section chief? Or a doctor?"

"Yes, Dr. Li is a talent I specially invited."

Li Huaide didn't forget to pat himself on the back, saying, "He has an attending physician's license, graduated from Yangcheng Medical University, and has a master's degree."

"impossible!"

Jia Dongxu's face flushed red. "How could he—"

Yi Zhonghai grabbed him and said, "Stop yelling and get to work."

He then smiled apologetically at Li Huaide, "Factory Director, I'm sorry, I didn't know Weidong was so promising."

He clicked his tongue and said, "Hey, you've brought honor to our compound."

After saying that, she grabbed Jia Dongxu and left.

Their commotion drew the attention of many people around them. But no one dared to come closer to watch the spectacle—the factory manager was there.

Jia Dongxu lowered his voice: "Master, do you really believe he's a doctor?"

Yi Zhonghai said with a stern face: "I believe you. That kid studied like a rocket, he finished high school at sixteen and quietly went to the south. I thought he had started working."

He gritted his teeth: "Who knew he'd go back to school? He graduated from university."

Jia Dongxu was bewildered: "Then... what's a master's degree?"

"How would I know? Go back and ask Old Yan."

Yi Zhonghai was furious. "Damn it, it won't be that easy to deal with him."

The two of them looked like they'd eaten shit.

Jia Dongxu's heart ached so much he was sobbing: "I was trying to get the sewing machine back, now it's all over."

Then it occurred to him, "Right, how much does he earn in a month?"

Yi Zhonghai snorted: "A section chief can only earn sixty or seventy yuan at most."

He's an eighth-grade fitter, earning ninety-nine yuan a month.

Jia Dongxu grinned lewdly again: "Exactly, so what if he's a section chief? Back in the institute, he still has to listen to his master, doesn't he?"

He rubbed his hands together: "If you let him stand, would he dare sit?"

Yi Zhonghai's lips curled into a smug smile. He was quite pleased with himself. Yesterday, Li Weidong had caught him off guard. From now on, he would be more careful and, once he caught the kid red-handed, teach him a lesson. It would be a piece of cake.

Factory Director Li led Li Weidong into a room filled with miscellaneous items. It was a long row of makeshift sheds built next to the factory buildings.

It was crammed with old, broken machinery, as well as piles of discarded steel pipes and iron sheets.

These junk items are left here; whenever we need to repair a machine and are missing a part, we just take them off and use them.

Li Weidong glanced around and immediately spotted what he wanted.

"Director Li, that's all. Please name your price. Also, I'd like to bring a set of workshop work clothes."

Li Weidong spoke up.

Li Huaide called over two workers and had them move all the items Li Weidong had selected to an empty fitter's table. Then he smiled and nodded to Li Weidong, "Come on, I'll take you there."

Li Weidong went to the logistics department and bought a set of work clothes, then changed into them directly in Li Huaide's office. After changing, the two of them walked together towards Workshop No. 1.

As soon as he entered the workshop, Li Weidong rolled up his sleeves and got to work. He first cut a steel pipe into sections about one meter high, then added a one-centimeter-thick iron plate and hammered it into a round base.

Li Huaide himself wasn't very skilled at fitter work, but seeing Li Weidong's efficient movements, he knew in his heart that this was at least a level five fitter.

"Tsk, we've really struck gold this time. If we can actually turn this thing into an electric fan, that'll be the work of an eighth-level engineer. Not only can they draw up the blueprints, but they're also incredibly skilled at the practical aspects. The skills of this fitter and welder..."

Li Huaide thought to himself.

"Director Li, do you have any blue or green anti-rust paint here? I'd like to buy some."

Li Weidong turned to Li Huaide and asked, "Could you bring me another welding machine?"

Li Huaide raised his hand and beckoned, and two people next to him immediately ran over to do it.

"Dr. Li, your fitter skills are quite impressive. In my opinion, you must be at least at level five."

Li Huaide looked at Li Weidong with curiosity.

By this time, several cadres had gathered around; they were all idle people who didn't do any work. Li Weidong had just used the machine tool without even marking any lines, but he had already shaped the two iron plates into two circles. He stacked them together and compared them; they were exactly the same size, without the slightest difference.

Next, he drilled a hole in the center of the iron plate and then skillfully threaded it. He then threaded the steel pipe, and with one turn and one spin, it easily screwed onto the iron plate.

Throughout the entire process, no measuring tools were used.

"Level five? Director Li, you're underestimating me. Even an eighth-level fitter might not be able to do what Dr. Li does. Even an eighth-level fitter would have to measure and make adjustments along the way. For Dr. Li to finish it so smoothly and effortlessly, wow..."

A man in his fifties standing nearby looked on in astonishment.

Director Zhou slapped his thigh, his voice rising: "You have no idea, Dr. Li's skills are so good, even an eighth-grade fitter would give him a thumbs up!"

Li Huaide grinned, his expression like he'd just bitten into a sour date: "You mean, he really can be a level eight worker?"

"That's a must! Top-tier, level eight craftsman!"

Director Zhou's eyes lit up, and he added, "Old Yi standing in front of him is nowhere near as good."

Director Zhou is the head of Workshop One.

Li Huaide was overjoyed and quickly waved his hand: "Go, call Lao Yi over here."

Old Yi was Director Yang's man, and he always walked with a swagger. There were seven level eight fitters in the factory, and he was only forty-five or forty-six this year, making him the youngest one, and he was incredibly arrogant.

When Yi Zhonghai walked over, Li Weidong was cutting six pieces of iron with scissors. Then he hammered and shaped them one by one into the shape of fan blades.

The movements were smooth and fluid; the six blades were made to the exact correct size. When Yi Zhonghai saw them, his face changed color instantly, and his lips twitched.

Li Huaide stabbed Yi Zhonghai in the heart: "Old Yi, look at Dr. Li's work, is it up to the standard of an eighth-grade fitter?"

Yi Zhonghai clenched his jaw tightly, and after a long while, he managed to squeeze out, "This...this skill...is...level eight."