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

White light burst out from the crack in the furnace door.

Wearing asbestos gloves, Ma Yuejin used long tongs to remove the steel ingot. The object had been burning in the furnace for six hours; when it emerged, it was translucent, as if just pulled from the core of the sun. The air swirled around it, and waves of heat assaulted one's face; it was impossible to stand three or four meters away.

The steel ingot slowly changed color in the air. Bright white faded to orange-red, orange-red turned to dark red, and finally covered with a layer of gray-black. Ma Yuejin placed it on the testing table, and the sound of metal clashing was crisp, echoing back and forth in the quiet workshop.

"Cool for forty minutes," he said.

No one answered. A dozen pairs of eyes were fixed on the steel ingot, watching it slowly lose its color.

He Yuzhu stood at the back of the crowd, scrutinizing each face. Ma Yuejin gripped his long pliers, his knuckles white, his eyes glued to the steel ingots. Li Zhiming clutched his notebook tightly to his chest. Sun Fulai squatted against the wall, a cigarette tucked between his fingers, forgotten to light it. The newly arrived college students craned their necks, practically glued their eyes to the ingots.

The only thing ticking in the workshop was the old grandfather clock. Click. Click.

Forty minutes felt like four years.

Inspector Lao Wu walked over with the hardness tester, clamped the steel ingot, and began taking the reading.

"Sixty-nine point five."

The room fell silent for a second.

"Seventy-one."

There was another second of silence.

"72.3"

Ma Yuejin took a step forward, his knee slamming into the corner of the testing table with a dull thud. He seemed not to feel any pain.

"How many?"

Old Wu turned around, his face trembling.

"72.3. That's 7.3 points higher than the Soviet Union's 65."

The house exploded.

Li Zhiming threw the notebook in his hand into the air, the pages scattering and falling down with a rustling sound. Sun Fulai, who was squatting there, suddenly let out a howl, covered his face and started crying, cursing as he cried, "Damn Soviet experts, see if we can live without you!" Zhou Guoqiang spun around twice, not knowing what to do, and finally hugged the college student next to him, making the boy cough.

Ma Yuejin stood motionless in front of the testing table.

He Yuzhu walked over and patted him on the shoulder.

"It's done."

Ma Yuejin slowly turned his head. His eyes were red, and something seemed to be swirling inside, but he managed to keep them from falling.

He opened his mouth, but his throat felt like it was blocked by something.

"Dean, are we... really together?"

He Yuzhu nodded.

"It really worked."

That night, He Yuzhu came out of the office and saw the lights on in the workshop.

He walked over and pushed open the door. Ma Yuejin was sitting alone at the testing table, facing the steel ingot. He had polished the ingot until it gleamed, and it sat on a piece of velvet cloth as if it were some precious treasure. He took a piece of cotton yarn and kept wiping it, back and forth.

He Yuzhu sat down next to him.

Ma Yuejin didn't look up.

"Dean, I can't sleep."

He Yuzhu didn't say anything.

Ma Yuejin pointed at the steel ingots with cotton yarn: "This stuff burned for me for over a year. In the first three months, the furnace exploded twice. One time, it splattered my face with slag and almost blinded me in one eye. My wife was holding the child and crying, telling me to quit. I didn't listen."

He paused.

"It's all done today, but I don't know what to do next."

He Yuzhu looked at the steel ingot, which gleamed faintly under the lamplight.

I have something to do tomorrow.

Ma Yuejin raised his head.

He Yuzhu didn't explain, but stood up and patted him on the shoulder.

Go to bed early.

Three days later, Yang Deming arrived with a group of people.

There were people from the steel rolling mill, the machine shop, and a few unfamiliar faces. A group of people surrounded the steel ingot, turning it this way and that, touching and examining it, marveling at it. The steel ingot was polished to a gleaming shine, reflecting one's image.

Yang Deming picked up the steel ingot and weighed it in his hand.

"Old He, how much better is this thing than the Soviet one?"

He Yuzhu glanced at Ma Yuejin.

Ma Yuejin stepped forward, his back straight.

"The hardness is 7.3 points higher, the wear resistance is 30% higher, and the thermal stability is also good. All the data from the three furnaces are in this notebook." He handed over the notebook.

A middle-aged man wearing glasses approached and reached out to touch the steel ingot. Ma Yuejin shoved a notebook into his hand, and he had no choice but to take it and flip through it. As he flipped through it, his expression changed, and he fell silent.

Yang Deming put down the steel ingot and looked at He Yuzhu.

"Old He, what are you planning to do with this?"

"Rolls. We'll test them at the steel mill first. If other mills need them, we'll provide them too."

The man with glasses looked up: "Given? Just like that?"

He Yuzhu glanced at him.

"Formulations and process routes are shared. Key parameters and operational details are retained by the laboratory."

The man opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

Yang Deming smiled.

"Old He, that's a great move."

That night, Yang Deming came again.

The two sat in the office, and Yang Deming lit a cigarette.

"Old He, the higher-ups know about your high-speed steel."

He Yuzhu did not respond.

Yang Deming took a drag of his cigarette: "I'm happy. You've made us proud." He paused, "But some people can't sleep."

"Who?"

"Who else could it be?" Yang Deming stubbed out his cigarette. "Change the lock on the lab door over there. I heard there have been a lot of unfamiliar faces loitering around the factory area lately."

He Yuzhu nodded.

"It's already under investigation."

Yang Deming looked at him, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

He Yuzhu waited.

Yang Deming stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to him.

"Zheng Huaiyuan, that technical consultant, he has applied to visit your laboratory."

"When?"

"Next week. They said it's for technical exchange." Yang Deming turned around. "I originally wanted to refuse, but he said it was the higher-ups' order for him to come and learn."

He Yuzhu didn't say anything.

Yang Deming looked at him.

"Is it convenient for you?"

He Yuzhu thought for a moment.

"That's convenient. Let him come."

Yang Deming was taken aback for a moment, then smiled, pointed at him, and gestured in the air.

"Okay. As long as you understand."

Yang Deming left. He Yuzhu sat in a chair, looking out the window.

It was pitch black outside. The factory lights were far away, just a few dim yellow lights that couldn't illuminate very far. The darker areas were even darker.

He stood up and walked to the wall. A map of the eastern part of the city was pasted on the wall, with the locations of the old house, the steel mill, and the laboratory circled in red. He stretched out his hand and drew a line from the laboratory to the old house, then to the steel mill. The three lines formed a circle.

He picked up the phone and dialed Lao Sun's number.

The call was connected on the other end.

"Zheng Huaiyuan will be here next week."

Old Sun was silent for two seconds.

"You agreed?"

"I agree."

Old Sun laughed on the other end of the line, a laugh that was somewhat eerie.

"Sure. Let him come. I just got a few new wolfhounds here, good for guarding, they're really fierce. We'll take them out for a walk and have Consultant Zheng give us his opinion, see how well we're raising them."

He Yuzhu didn't say anything and hung up the phone.

Outside the window, it was pitch black; I couldn't see anything.