Siheyuan (traditional courtyard house): Starting with the Korean War, returning home to take charge

The car was parked at the foot of the mountain; the rest of the way, we had to walk ourselves.

He Yuzhu jumped out of the jeep, his feet sinking into the gravel that crunched underfoot. He looked up—the mountain wasn't high, but it was steep. The shrubs hadn't sprouted leaves yet, their bare branches poking at the gray sky.

The man who brought him there was surnamed Zhou, in his early forties, wearing an old military uniform. He said it was the garrison of the army. He pointed to a row of gray houses halfway up the mountain: "Over there, it used to be an ammunition depot. It was vacated in 53 and remained empty for five years."

He Yuzhu followed him uphill. The path was difficult, with slippery gravel, and the old injury in his left leg tightened slightly with every step. He didn't say anything, but slowed his pace, making sure each step was firm.

Once you've climbed halfway up the mountain, the row of gray houses comes into view.

Six brick houses and a row of warehouses. Most of the white plaster on the walls has peeled off, revealing the bluish-gray stone underneath. Many of the window panes are broken; some are open, some are crooked, and the wind howls through them.

Comrade Zhou stood to the side, waiting for him to speak.

"This is it." He Yuzhu walked in.

The room had been empty lately, with piles of rotten wood on the floor and a thick layer of cobwebs in the corner. He walked to the window and looked out.

At the foot of the mountain, there was a small, shallow, and crystal-clear river. In the distance were farmlands, patch by patch, unplanted, their dark brown soil exposed. Further still, there were endless mountains, one after another, stretching as far as the eye could see.

He turned around.

"Okay. This is it."

Two weeks later, the first batch of equipment arrived.

Three trucks drove in along the newly paved dirt road, the wooden crates on them rattling loudly as they were jostled around. He Yuzhu stood at the warehouse entrance, watching the workers unload the crates and carry them inside.

He redeemed the items from the system.

[Basic Materials Science Experimental Equipment] One set, 80 points.

Two metallurgical microscopes, 30 dots each.

[Small Smelting Furnace] One unit, 40 points.

Various consumables, reagents, and tools, totaling 25 points.

The total is 175 million.

He stood there, watching the workers carry the last box inside. A number flashed through his mind.

Current points: 45,840,000 - 1,750,000 = 44,090,000

No time to think about that. The person has arrived.

The first batch of trainees arrived on the third day.

Six young men, drawn from various factories. The youngest was nineteen, the oldest twenty-six. They stood at the warehouse entrance, carrying their bedding rolls, looking at He Yuzhu with curiosity, nervousness, and a hint of barely concealed suspicion in their eyes.

Just in time for unloading.

Wang Erzhu was the first to rush forward to help, single-handedly lifting the wooden crate weighing over a hundred pounds without even breaking a sweat. Sun Fulai followed behind, his eyes shining, glancing at the labels on the crates as he lifted them, muttering to himself, "Metallurgy...microscope? Director He, what's this for?"

Li Chunsheng squatted to one side, holding an electrician's knife, staring at the crooked utility pole outside the warehouse, his brow furrowed so deeply it could trap a fly. Zhao Dayong, the quietest of them all, put his bedding down in the corner and began helping to tidy up the things, very steady and methodical.

Zhou Guoqiang pulled a book from his pocket, neatly wrapped in newspaper, the cover bearing the title "Principles of Mechanics." He found a bright spot to sit down and began reading. Wang Erzhu, carrying a box, passed by and accidentally bumped into him, causing the book to fall to the ground and get dusty. Zhou Guoqiang paused, silently picked it up, wiped it with his sleeve, and said nothing.

Ma Yuejin stood at the back, neither in a hurry to act nor to speak, but instead surveyed the room and its surroundings with his eyes. Seeing He Yuzhu looking at him, he grinned.

He Yuzhu went through the six names in his mind.

"The accommodations are at the back, two people per room, you can choose for yourself," he said. "You cook your own meals, food is rationed. You get one day off a week, you can go down the mountain if you want, and come back on time."

No one spoke.

He Yuzhu looked at them.

"Ask your questions now."

Zhao Dayong spoke up.

"Director He, what are we learning here?"

He Yuzhu thought for a moment.

"Learn how to make things better."

Zhao Dayong paused for a moment, then didn't ask any more questions.

The first class was on the morning of the second day.

There were six long tables in the room, with a stool for each person. On the tables were paper and pens, as well as several thin handouts—copied by He Yuzhu himself, in traditional Chinese characters, stroke by stroke.

He stood at the front, holding a piece of iron in his hand.

"What is this?"

The people below were watching him.

"Iron," someone said.

He Yuzhu nodded.

"Iron. But why is some iron hard and some iron soft? Why can some iron be bent, while some iron breaks with a single tap?"

No one answered.

He began to speak. He talked about atoms, crystal structures, and how iron and carbon are combined. Some of the terms he used were learned on the spot, taking the knowledge package he had exchanged from the system, breaking it down into terms that could be understood in this era, and slowly revealing them to the public.

The people below listened. Some frowned, some nodded, and some took notes.

Halfway through his speech, Ma Yuejin raised his hand.

He Yuzhu stopped.

"explain."

Ma Yuejin stood up and pointed to the picture on the blackboard.

"Director He, you said that the crystal lattice size affects the hardness. If we could control the crystal lattice size, wouldn't we be able to make the kind of steel we want?"

He Yuzhu was stunned for a moment.

He stared at Ma Yuejin for a few seconds. His gaze wasn't fierce, but it was deep, making Ma Yuejin feel a little uneasy. He thought he had asked the wrong question, and the smile on his face slowly disappeared.

The room fell silent.

He Yuzhu didn't answer directly. He walked up to Ma Yuejin.

What do you think?

Ma Yuejin didn't expect him to ask a question in return, and opened his mouth.

"I... I was just thinking wildly. If I could heat the iron to the perfect temperature, without going overboard or underboard, maybe I could..."

"What can I do?"

"They can listen to us." Ma Yuejin finished speaking, a little sweat beading on his forehead.

He Yuzhu looked at him, and the corners of his mouth twitched. It wasn't a smile, but something deeper than a smile.

He turned back to the blackboard, picked up the chalk, and drew a heavy circle on the lattice diagram.

"What you asked about is the first thing we need to do here."

Ma Yuejin stood there, stunned, unable to sit down for a long time.

After class, He Yuzhu stood alone in the warehouse. The newly arrived microscope was still in its wooden crate; he hadn't allowed it to be unpacked. He stared at the words on the crate for a long time.

The number was still stuck in my head—forty-four million.

He exhaled and spat out the contents.

There's no time to feel sorry for myself. The person has arrived, the things have arrived, and the real work has just begun.

When He Yuzhu returned home on the weekend, it was already dark.

He Yushui sat on the threshold, holding a book in her hand, and looked up when she heard footsteps.

"Brother, where have you been these past few days?"

He Yuzhu took off his coat and draped it over his arm.

"work overtime."

He Yushui leaned closer and sniffed.

"Brother, you have a strange smell. It's like... burnt coal, or like the rusty smell of a hospital."

He Yuzhu was taken aback. He didn't explain, but simply raised his hand and pressed it on his sister's head.

"I'll make you braised pork tomorrow."

He Yushui looked at him and didn't ask any more questions.

When the lights came on inside, He Yuzhu sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), looking out at the dark courtyard. He mentally reviewed the six people from the mountains.

He needs to go back and check the system regarding Ma Yuejin's question.

Let's see if there's an answer.