Courtyard House: I'm an engineer, and a fairy godmother transferred me to a different position.

The two were about to clash again, exchanging sharp words, but today's argument had an inexplicable dullness to it. Anyone with eyes could hear the barely suppressed envy and a lingering sense of melancholy hidden in their words.

Yan Bugui, standing to the side, adjusted his glasses, his eyes darting slightly behind the lenses as he mentally calculated. The General Affairs Department's finest wine, a special car to assist with the relocation, housing allocated by the Ministry of Machinery Industry… With Liu Guangqi gone, he would likely never again be someone Yan Bugui could easily reach.

In the corner, Qin Huairu gazed in the direction the truck had disappeared at the alley entrance, her expression complex and unreadable. With Liu Guangqi gone, it seemed unlikely she would ever again encounter such an outstanding person in this courtyard for a conversation. She gently shook her head, banishing that unrealistic thought from her mind.

Liu Guangqi's leather shoes made a crisp, echoing sound on the cement floor, completely different from the sound in the alley. Not long after, several clerks from the general affairs office came panting as they carried the last piece of luggage into the room, beads of sweat on their foreheads.

"Team Leader Liu, everything is settled. Is there anything else you need?"

The clerk, trying to catch his breath, smiled respectfully. They knew that this man was the youngest engineer in the Ministry of Machine Building, with a limitless future. Especially the furniture blueprints he'd recently delivered; even their department head had praised them repeatedly.

After listening, Liu Guangqi handed each person a pack of "Dashengchan" brand cigarettes, poured a few glasses of water, and said gently, "Thank you all for your hard work, Comrade Zhang. Please sit down and rest for a while."

The people in the general affairs department accepted the cigarettes and water with some trepidation, but their eyes couldn't help but wander around the room. The more they looked, the more surprised they became.

"Team Leader Liu, your room is so bright and spacious!"

"Especially this set of furniture, even the veteran carpenters in our department praised it, saying that your drawings are more professional than some professional designers!"

"The master craftsmen are skilled and their work is meticulous." Liu Guangqi simply smiled and didn't say anything more.

Afterwards, because the general affairs department had other delivery tasks, the group did not stay long. After seeing them off, Liu Guangqi closed the door, and the whole room immediately became quiet. The room was full of originality, and every detail showed traces of his personal planning.

The solid wood bookcase standing against the east wall was specially designed by him to store his professional books. A faint, fresh scent of turpentine wafts from the dark brown wood grain—the unique aroma of new wood.

He ran his hand lightly over the edges of the bookcase; the surface was smooth and delicate, the joints tight and flawless. He opened the desk drawer; the mortise and tenon joints were exquisitely crafted, moving silently as he pushed it open. This craftsmanship pleased him greatly.

Liu Guangqi smiled, took a deep breath, and began packing his luggage. The first thing he opened was the heaviest suitcase, carefully taking out the thick professional books and arranging them neatly on the shelves of the new bookcase.

"Principles of Machinery", "Drawing Management in Machine Manufacturing", "Practical Handbook of Machinery"...

These books are valuable materials he studied diligently and annotated during his university years. Although he was a PhD in mechanical engineering in his previous life, the times are ultimately different. After arriving in this era, he also needs to systematically learn the professional knowledge of this era.

If we compare the era he lived in before his time travel to a mature mechanical giant, then this vibrant era is like the giant's adolescence. Many mechanical principles that will be considered common sense in the future are currently limited by materials and processes, and must be repeatedly deduced, tried, and verified with alternative solutions before they can be realized.

What Liu Guangqi wanted to do was not to simply transplant the mechanical technology of later generations—that would be nothing short of building castles in the air. Instead, he wanted to be down-to-earth and retrace the development path of the mechanical industry of this era, and then, guided by his advanced knowledge system and relying on the existing conditions, find the most precise and efficient path.

Therefore, the importance of these professional books is self-evident. To paraphrase his time travel experience—they are both the signposts of his journey here and the guiding light for his future path.

Previously, in that cramped and dilapidated room in the courtyard house, these books could only be crammed under the bed. Now, they finally have a safe and secure home.

"Metal Heat Treatment", "Tolerances and Technical Measurement"...

One by one, these heavy professional books were carefully taken out of Liu Guangqi's luggage and placed steadily on the brand-new shelves of the bookshelf. When the last book was on the shelf, the entire bookshelf was completely filled.

It was at this moment that Liu Guangqi suddenly felt a long-standing emptiness in his heart being quietly filled. He leaned back in the newly made chair, his whole body gradually relaxing.

When he lived in the courtyard house, he was always on edge, having to both delve into technical skills and deal with all sorts of trivial calculations and disturbances in the courtyard, sometimes unable to escape them even if he wanted to. Now, he can finally have complete peace and quiet.

He no longer needed to listen to Jia Zhangshi's boasting and nagging every day, nor did he need to constantly guard against the various schemes of his elders in the name of morality. Only now did his new life truly begin.

Liu Guangqi walked to the balcony and leaned against the railing to look out.

The view outside was of neat holly bushes and whitewashed building walls. The stone-paved path was flat, and there was no smell of coal smoke in the air. Everything was clean, simple, and carried the solemnity and orderliness unique to that era.

He suddenly realized that a true home doesn't necessarily need to be noisy, nor does it require dealing with the neighbors in the old courtyard. Moving to a place where one can live alone and have one's own space seems quite nice too.

Just as I was pondering this, there was a knock on the door behind me. The rhythm was steady, restrained, and clear.

Liu Guangqi was somewhat surprised. They had only just settled in; who would be visiting?

He opened the door and paused slightly.

Director Lin stood outside the door, accompanied by his secretary, Xiao Li. Xiao Li carried a net bag containing two aluminum lunchboxes.

"Director? What brings you here...?"

Liu Guangqi was truly taken aback. Even after experiencing two lifetimes, this was the first time he had encountered such a situation. For a moment, he was at a loss for how to react.

The first guest in his new home turned out to be his superior.

This courtesy was truly beyond my expectations.

Before he could speak, Xiao Li explained with a smile, "Comrade Guangqi, the director heard that you moved in today, so he specially brought some food to warm you up in your new place."

As soon as he finished speaking, the aroma of scallion oil and egg noodles wafted out from the gaps in the lunchbox, mixed with a hint of lard, subtly whetting the appetite.

Liu Guangqi quickly stepped aside to invite the person into the house: "Please come in. We just moved in, and things are still a bit messy, please don't mind."

Director Lin strolled in, his gaze sweeping over the brand-new furniture in the room.

"That's good." He walked to the table with his hands behind his back and tapped the tabletop twice, producing a solid sound.

"No wonder the comrades in the General Affairs Department always praise you in front of me, saying that the furniture designs you provided solved their problem of rigid styles."

"Now that I've seen the actual piece, it's definitely much cleaner than those bulky Suzhou-style furniture pieces. Placing it in this room makes the whole space brighter."

Liu Guangqi smiled.

Furniture designs are no more complex than mechanical drawings; they simply involve more ingenuity in structural design. The evolution of design over the following decades naturally has its reasons.

He was about to reply when Director Lin raised his hand to stop him, saying gently, "It's a day off now, and this isn't the Ministry of Machine Building, so there's no need to address me as Director."

"Let's eat something first."

Xiao Li, who was standing to the side, had already deftly taken out the lunchbox and placed it on the table.

"Comrade Guangqi, eat it while it's hot. This was brought from home by the director; noodles tend to clump together if left out for too long."

"Brought from home"—these words warmed Liu Guangqi's heart. The meaning behind them was different.

He didn't refuse any longer, thanked them, and picked up his chopsticks. The noodles were smooth and springy, the broth was clear and fresh, and the scallions were bright green. Taking a steaming hot bite, warmth spread from his stomach, and he felt relaxed all over.

The dough wasn't soggy yet; it was brought from home...

Liu Guangqi suddenly realized something and looked up at Director Lin.

Does the director also live in this ministry compound?

Are we neighbors?

The thought made him pause. But upon reflection, it made sense. This newly built dormitory building was originally intended for government officials. Apart from a few high-ranking leaders, most of the mid-level cadres of the Ministry of Machine Building were probably living here. Moreover—his apartment was personally approved by Director Lin.

How far apart can they be?

Director Lin did not disturb his meal, but simply walked slowly around the room with his hands behind his back. When his gaze fell on the full bookcase in the corner, he suddenly stopped.

"So many books?"

He walked closer to examine the stacks of books and couldn't help but sigh, "So that's where the foundation of your novel ideas lies."

As he spoke, he pulled out a thick book titled "Principles of Mechanics." The cover was yellowed, and the corners were curled up, indicating that it had been frequently read.

However, upon turning to the inner pages, Director Lin's expression suddenly froze—

The pages of the book are densely covered with neat and slender annotations.

Red and blue ink strokes spread like a spiderweb along the edges of the pages, every gap filled with neat square characters. In some paragraphs, intricate structural sketches are interspersed in the margins, the proposed improvements to existing mechanical parts seemingly leaping off the page. The ink marks, though fine, possess a stubborn strength, almost as if they are about to pierce the paper.

Director Lin's fingertips brushed over the densely packed annotations, and the smile on his lips gradually faded, replaced by a complex expression that blended astonishment and admiration. He had always known that Liu Guangqi was a promising talent, but he always had a vague feeling that this young man knew too much and his thoughts moved too quickly, almost irrationally.

until now.

Until he picked up this old book with worn edges and loose pages.

It wasn't until he saw the weighty nights and painstaking effort behind each annotation that he suddenly realized the truth.

Where do geniuses come from out of thin air in this world?

Beneath every dazzling achievement lies unseen sweat and tireless toil. Director Lin gently closed the book and glanced at the young man across the table, engrossed in eating noodles. The steam from the noodle soup wafted between Liu Guangqi's lowered eyes, and the slurping sounds seemed particularly reassuring.

Director Lin gazed at him, a hint of indescribable admiration flashing in his eyes.

Just then, Liu Guangqi swallowed the last bite of noodles and put down the empty aluminum lunchbox.

"I've come today to congratulate you on your housewarming as a friend," Director Lin suddenly began, his hand landing firmly on the other man's shoulder, "besides..."

He paused briefly, his tone becoming more meaningful.

"There is one more thing I need to formally inform you."

"The ministry has approved the application for the establishment of Hongxing Chuanghui Machinery Factory."

The moment the words left his mouth, Liu Guangqi's breath hitched almost imperceptibly.

So fast?

Although the new factory project was jointly led by the General Machinery Department of the First Ministry of Machine Building and the Comprehensive Department of the Ministry of Foreign Trade, it still needed to go through layers of review and approval.

How long has it been since I submitted the materials?

The lingering smile on Director Lin's face vanished completely, replaced by a solemn expression: "You may not know this, but the efficiency from above this time is exceptionally high. All the approval documents proceeded smoothly without any obstruction."

"The land in the factory area is currently being leveled."

"It won't be long before a new factory built specifically for foreign exchange orders is erected."

"By then, the workshop will be fully equipped and the staff will be in place..."

He paused slightly, his gaze fixed intently on Liu Guangqi.

"The entire production line is waiting for that final product drawing in your hands."

"The factory absolutely cannot be allowed to operate idle. Orders from the Russian side are of paramount importance..."

"The production line needs to be operational, and the core heating products must keep up. Especially the flameless induction cookers and rice cookers you mentioned earlier—the ministry is waiting to see, and the foreign trade department is eagerly anticipating them."

Director Lin slowly let out a breath.

He spoke the last few sentences in a low, deep voice, each word carrying immense weight.

"Countless eyes are now fixed on this place. Can the 'warmth magic' emanating from the east continue, can it create another miracle...?"

He pronounced each syllable with extreme clarity and intensity.

"This entire burden now rests entirely on your shoulders."

Liu Guangqi raised his eyes, his gaze as steady as a mirror.

"Don't worry, Director."

His voice was not loud, but it conveyed a steadfastness like a rock.

"The magic will not stop. The next scene will only be more dazzling."

"good!"