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

The door to the archives opened after three keys were turned simultaneously. He Yuzhu walked in, stopped in front of the innermost cabinet, and pulled open the cabinet labeled "Chemicals - Ammonia Synthesis." Inside, a stack of documents was wrapped in kraft paper, with the words "Ammonia Synthesis Process Improvement" written on it, in pen, each stroke carefully made, the ink faded considerably. He took them out, untied the rope, and turned to the first page. The flow chart started from the raw gas, through desulfurization, conversion, compression, into the synthesis tower, producing ammonia water, and then being made into urea. The lines were dense, like blood vessels, connecting the various squares together.

He looked at it for a long time, then closed it and wrapped it up again.

The rain outside had stopped sometime ago, but the ground was still wet. He walked out of the archives, locked the door, and the key, heavy in his pocket, remained. One of the corridor lights was broken, and the green light from the emergency exit illuminated the water stains on the floor. He stepped over them, his shoes making a slight sticky sound.

The next morning, He Yuzhu went to the Ministry of Chemical Industry.

The Ministry of Chemical Industry's office building was in Liupukang, a few dusty, gray buildings. Two sentries stood at the entrance. He showed his badge, the sentries glanced at it, saluted, and let him in. People came and went in the corridor; some carried documents, others held teacups, their steps hurried. He went up to the third floor and found the deputy minister's office. The door was open, and someone inside was on the phone.

The deputy minister, surnamed Zhou, was in his fifties, plump, with a round face and a loud voice. He saw He Yuzhu, said into the phone, "Let's talk later," put down the receiver, and stood up.

"Where did you grow, and what wind blew you here?"

He Yuzhu placed the brown paper package on the table, untied the string, turned to the first page, and pushed it in front of Minister Zhou.

Minister Zhou looked down for a few seconds, then looked up, his reading glasses sliding down slightly, his eyes fixed on He Yuzhu from above the frames. "Synthetic ammonia?"

He Yuzhu nodded.

Minister Zhou continued flipping through the pages. When he reached the page on cost accounting, he paused, slowly tracing the information with his finger. After a while, he closed the document, placed it on the table, and leaned back in his chair.

"Where did this thing come from?"

He Yuzhu did not answer.

Minister Zhou waited a few seconds, then took off his reading glasses and wiped them with the corner of his shirt. "If you won't tell me, I won't ask. But you have to tell me, is this thing reliable?"

He Yuzhu said, "It's reliable. Production can double, and energy consumption can be reduced by 30%."

"Doubled?" Minister Zhou put on his reading glasses, opened the documents again, and stared at the data on that page for a long time. "Do you know how much it costs to build a synthetic ammonia plant? Several million. Don't you know the current financial situation?"

He Yuzhu knew. That year, the Soviet Union was pressing for repayment of debts, so a batch of gold was donated, foreign exchange was tight, and purchasing equipment required approval, which then took a long time. But he still said, "I know."

"Knowing that you still..." Minister Zhou put down the documents, tapped his fingers twice on the table, and stopped. "Director He, it's not that I don't support you. It's that I don't have the money."

He Yuzhu didn't move. "Take it step by step. Build one first, and then expand once you see the benefits. Develop gradually, don't expand all at once."

Minister Zhou stared at him for several seconds, picked up the phone, paused his finger on the dial pad, then put it down. "Which province?"

"Henan. A major grain-producing province, but it suffers from a severe fertilizer shortage. When Yuan Longping set up experimental fields there, with sufficient fertilizer, the yield could even increase."

Minister Zhou was silent for a moment, then picked up the phone again and dialed. "Old Liu, come over here."

After hanging up the phone, he looked at He Yuzhu. "Let the people in the Technology Department take a look. If they say it's okay, I'll report it to higher authorities."

He Yuzhu nodded. He leaned back in his chair and waited.

Director Liu from the Technology Department arrived quickly. He was in his early forties, thin, wore glasses, and walked with a brisk pace. He picked up the documents and flipped through them, turning to the page with the flowcharts. His finger traced the flow from raw gas to finished fertilizer, going through it once and then again.

"Where is Mr. He? How much more advanced is this technology compared to ours now?"

He Yuzhu said, "Production has doubled, and energy consumption has decreased by 30%."

Director Liu looked up and adjusted his glasses. "Can it land?"

He Yuzhu said, "Yes, we can. The equipment is domestically produced, and the materials are all available in China. What we lack is money."

Director Liu looked at Minister Zhou. Minister Zhou lit a cigarette, took a puff, and flicked the ash off the table. "Old Liu, what's your opinion?"

Director Liu flipped through the documents again, then closed them. "I'm inclined to do it. Let's start with one and see."

Minister Zhou stubbed out his cigarette, picked up the phone, and dialed a number. "Old Zhao, take another look at that fertilizer plant project in Henan. There's a new process that could double the output." He listened for a while, then added, "I'm not asking you to approve it now, I just want you to take a look." After listening for a bit more, he hung up.

"Director He, I've taken note of this. Go back and wait for news."

He Yuzhu stood up and extended his hand. Minister Zhou grasped it and shook it. "Director He, with a brain like yours, it's a pity you're not the Minister of Chemical Industry."

He Yuzhu didn't reply and turned to leave.

In the days that followed, He Yuzhu would go through that list every day before leaving get off work. The Henan column was blank; he circled it and wrote the word "Pending." The phone rang several times, but it wasn't Minister Zhou. One day, Yang Xiaobing came in to deliver some documents and saw him staring blankly at the list. He stood there for a while, then went out without saying a word.

Two weeks later, Minister Zhou called.

"Director He, it's approved. Henan will do it first. As for the funding, the ministry will cover half and the province will cover the other half. I've had your document copied and sent to the design institute."

He Yuzhu held the microphone. "Thank you, Minister Zhou."

Minister Zhou said, "Don't thank me. Building the factory and producing the fertilizer will allow the people to eat more rice. That's better than thanking me."

The phone call ended. He Yuzhu stood by the window, looking at the sky outside. The sun peeked out from behind the clouds, shining on the courtyard wall, making the gray paint gleam with a pale gold. He drew the curtains, walked back to the table, and wrote two words in the Henan column of the list: Approved.

The fertilizer plant was built in the suburbs of Zhengzhou. He Yuzhu didn't go to the site, but Ma Yue went in several times. The first time he came back, he brought photos. The photos were of the construction site; the foundation had just been dug, the steel cages were standing, and workers were pouring concrete inside. He Yuzhu looked at the photos one by one and put them in the drawer.

When Ma Yuejin returned on his second trip, his face was sunburned and his lips were chapped. He immediately looked for water to drink as soon as he entered the door.

"Dean, the equipment has arrived. It was transported from Shanghai, and took three days by train. During unloading, a compressor slid off the crane and almost hit someone."

He Yuzhu pressed his hand on the table. "Was anyone hurt?"

Ma Yuejin shook his head. "No. The machine just got a scratch, and the manufacturer said it can be repaired."