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

The day Zheng Huaiyuan arrived, the sky was overcast and the clouds hung low.

He Yuzhu stood at the lab entrance, watching the jeep climb up the mountain. The mountain road was bumpy, and the people in the back seat swayed. When the car came to a stop, Zheng Huaiyuan jumped out, a smile on his face—the kind of smile that was flawless but also unappealing.

He stretched out his hand.

"Dean He, I've heard so much about you."

He Yuzhu grasped it. His hand was still soft, well-maintained.

"Advisor Zheng."

A man in his thirties, thin, wearing black-rimmed glasses, and carrying a briefcase, followed behind Zheng Huaiyuan. He stood slightly behind and to the side of Zheng Huaiyuan, nodded to He Yuzhu, and said nothing.

"My assistant, Xiao Zhou," Zheng Huaiyuan said. "I brought him here to learn."

He Yuzhu glanced at the man.

"Please come in."

The laboratory is much larger than when Zheng Huaiyuan last visited.

He didn't see the four underground floors; He Yuzhu only took him around the upper floors. They went into each of the material group, process group, testing group, and equipment group, stopping briefly to look around before leaving.

Zheng Huaiyuan observed carefully. He stopped in front of the hardness tester in the testing group, staring at the high-speed steel sample that had just been tested for several seconds.

"Dean He, is this what you guys came up with?"

He Yuzhu nodded.

Zheng Huaiyuan picked up the steel block and weighed it in his hand.

"Good stuff. Better than the Soviet stuff."

He put down the steel block and glanced down the corridor. There was the stairwell to the underground experimental area; the door was closed, and a sign hung above it: "No Trespassing."

"Dean He, what's that over there?"

He Yuzhu glanced at him.

"Warehouse. A place where miscellaneous items are stored."

Zheng Huaiyuan smiled.

"May I take a look?"

He Yuzhu shook his head.

"It's a mess, there's nothing to see."

Zheng Huaiyuan's smile froze for a moment, then returned to its usual shape.

"I understand, it's about keeping it a secret."

He continued walking forward. He Yuzhu noticed that his gaze had glanced in that direction again.

At noon, He Yuzhu took them to the cafeteria.

There were many people, with people queuing for food and others occupying tables, making a lot of noise. He Yuzhu found a seat by the window for Zheng Huaiyuan to sit down, and went to get his own food.

Zheng Huaiyuan sat down and looked around.

The guy behind him, Xiao Zhou, didn't sit down. He walked to the window, glanced outside, then turned back and scanned the group of people eating.

He Yuzhu returned carrying two lunchboxes, saw it all, and remained silent.

He placed the lunchbox on the table.

"The food in the cafeteria is just okay."

Zheng Huaiyuan took it and picked up a bite of food.

"Dean He, there are quite a few people here."

"More than three hundred."

Zheng Huaiyuan nodded.

"I heard they're working on internal combustion engines lately?"

He Yuzhu stopped using his chopsticks.

"Advisor Zheng is well-informed."

Zheng Huaiyuan smiled.

"I know a little about things in the industrial sector. The higher-ups are paying attention to it, saying that if it's successful, it could solve a major problem."

He Yuzhu picked up a piece of food without looking up.

"Advisor Zheng, Old Wang's family at the street corner sells steamed buns. They can make a basket in three minutes, and everyone praises their speed. But whether the filling is fresh or not, and whether the dough has risen properly, you can only know by eating it. We don't care about speed here; we care about quality. We can't let people get diarrhea from eating them."

After saying that, he raised his eyelids, glanced at Zheng Huaiyuan, and then lowered his head to eat his rice again.

Zheng Huaiyuan's smile froze on his face, and he was speechless for a moment.

The boy next to me, Xiao Zhou, kept his head down and ate without saying a word.

After finishing his meal, Zheng Huaiyuan said he was going to the restroom.

He Yuzhu pointed in a direction and watched him walk over.

Old Lu slipped out from the side and followed along, hugging the wall.

Zheng Huaiyuan went into the restroom, while Lao Lu waited outside. A few minutes later, Zheng Huaiyuan came out, his hands wet. He shook them off and walked back.

Old Lu waited until he was far away before pushing the door open and going in.

The restroom was empty. Old Lu felt around on the windowsill and pulled the briefcase out from a crevice. He opened it, slipped a small item into the compartment, closed it, and put it back.

Less than a minute before and after.

He pushed open the door and walked away as if nothing had happened.

It started to rain when Zheng Huaiyuan left.

He stood beside the jeep and shook hands with He Yuzhu.

"Dean He, today has been very fruitful. Thank you for your hospitality."

He Yuzhu held that well-maintained hand, neither too tightly nor too loosely, and looked into his eyes, saying:

"Advisor Zheng, the mountain road is difficult to walk on, and it's slippery when it rains. You have to watch your step. Some places that look like a road may actually be a cliff."

Zheng Huaiyuan's smile froze for a second, then he nodded.

"Dean He is right to remind you."

He Yuzhu let go.

"No need to see me out."

Zheng Huaiyuan got into the car. The jeep drove down the mountain, splashing mud and water behind it as it bounced.

He Yuzhu stood there, watching the car disappear into the rain.

Old Lu walked over and stood next to him.

"It's done."

He Yuzhu nodded.

"Can you hear me?"

Old Lu smiled.

"It was arranged by Yang Xiaobing, so you can rest assured."

That evening, He Yuzhu waited for news in his office.

It was almost 10 o'clock when Lao Sun called.

"I listened to a segment."

He Yuzhu held the microphone.

"What did you say?"

Old Sun was silent for two seconds.

"After Zheng Huaiyuan returned, he went straight to the old house in the east of the city. He was talking to Old Man Tong inside, and our bugging devices recorded it all."

He Yuzhu waited for him to continue.

Old Sun cleared his throat.

"Zheng Huaiyuan said that the internal combustion engine project needs to be accelerated, as the Americans are pressing hard. Old Man Tong asked what the Americans could offer. Zheng Huaiyuan said, equipment, funding, and legal status after the withdrawal."

He Yuzhu didn't say anything.

His knuckles were white as he gripped the microphone.

Old Sun sighed on the other end of the line.

"Old He, this matter is more complex than we thought. The Americans have gotten involved."

He Yuzhu remained silent.

All that could be heard on the phone was the static of electricity, like rain coming from afar.

A river flashed before his eyes. The murky river on the Sichuan-Yunnan border, from over a decade ago. American planes from the opposite bank dropped bombs, capsizing a wooden boat on the river carrying medicine for the border region hospital. Nothing was left.

Cigarette ash fell on the table.

He looked down and saw that he had lit a cigarette in his hand at some point, and it was half-burnt.

He switched the microphone to his left hand.

"Investigate. No matter how deep the water is, we have to find that 'second brother' for me."

Old Sun grunted in agreement and hung up.

He Yuzhu stubbed out his cigarette and looked out the window.

The rain is heavier than before.