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

Liu Guangqi's suspicions deepened—this procedure was unusual. For a director to go to the minister's office first and then come to see him, it couldn't be a trivial matter.

He nodded slightly.

Unable to glean any further clues from Director Lin's special envoy, Liu Guangqi tidied up the documents and turned to walk towards the minister's office.

The atmosphere in the Minister's office at the Ministry of Machine Building was much more somber than usual. Liu Guangqi had barely stepped inside when he sensed the tense silence. Before he could speak, the Minister of Machine Building raised his eyes, his voice low and deep: "Comrade Guangqi, you've arrived."

The minister held a worn-out document in his hand, the paper slightly fuzzy from repeated rubbing. He paused for a moment, then said, "Bad news has come from the northwest."

Liu Guangqi's expression hardened. He quickly scanned his surroundings—the minister and Director Lin both looked solemn, clearly indicating the seriousness of the situation. His first thought was of the top-secret "Great Northwest Sword Forging" project, but he immediately dismissed the idea. If something went wrong with that project, the news would surely reach the highest levels directly, not just the Ministry of Machine Building.

The fact that this matter has reached the minister's desk indicates that it is closely related to the responsibilities of the First Ministry of Machine Building.

A chilling guess suddenly flashed through Liu Guangqi's mind. His voice was slightly hoarse: "Boss, is it... related to the five-axis CNC center?"

The minister sighed heavily, pushed the document in front of him, and tapped a line of text with his fingertips.

"The transport convoy encountered an accident while crossing the Qilian Mountains." The minister's tone was weary. "The leader was a veteran who had been driving on the Northwest route for over a decade; his experience was invaluable. But suddenly, the mountain road became covered in black ice, causing the brakes to slip. The trucks carrying the parts lost control, overturned, and plunged into a deep ditch."

"Are the personnel safe?" Liu Guangqi quickly scanned the contents of the document.

"The person is alright," the minister replied, but Liu Guangqi's newly relieved heart jumped again. "But the equipment is severely damaged. The casing is deformed, precision parts are broken, the motor connectors are loose... the situation is terrible."

He took a stack of photos from the drawer and spread them on the table. In the images, a twisted metal casing bulged out menacingly, a grating ruler was broken in two, and the precision joints were covered in dirt, snow, and sludge, a scene of utter devastation.

"The soldiers in the transport team burst into tears on the spot, saying they would rather be injured themselves than have the equipment damaged." The minister shook his head. "Now is not the time to assign blame; the issue is how to remedy the situation. That's why I've called you here to discuss it."

Liu Guangqi flipped through the photos one by one, his brow furrowed. "Did the engineers over there attempt to disassemble and repair it?"

Director Lin shook his head. "No one dares to touch it. This CNC system was designed by you, and too many parts are damaged. For now, it can only be sealed in place until we send new parts over." He turned to Liu Guangqi, his tone serious. "The Northwest side hopes we can re-ship a set of damaged parts. We need to hear your opinion on this matter."

Liu Guangqi remained silent, his fingertips gently tracing the outlines of the damaged parts in the photograph, his gaze focused and calm. After a long while, he raised his head, his tone steady:

"Minister, I have enough newly assembled spare parts in my lab to assemble all the damaged parts, and they can be retrieved soon."

"You have them all?" The minister seemed slightly surprised, his tense expression easing a little. "Finally, some good news. I thought it would take a long time to wait for you to give birth again."

At this moment, Director Lin leaned forward and raised the crucial question:

"Minister, Comrade Guangqi, even if the parts arrive—is there anyone there who can reassemble it? I have some understanding of how complex this equipment is."

The air in the office suddenly tightened.

Someone whispered the question that had been hanging over everyone's throat: "The parts are damaged; can the subsequent calibration and assembly still proceed as planned?"

Silence fell again in the room.

Yes, replacing parts means starting all over again—who will take on this tricky debugging?

Liu Guangqi did not answer immediately.

His gaze fell on the distorted metal components in the photograph, and a complete restoration blueprint had already appeared in his mind: the disassembly steps of the core unit, the precision reset parameters of the grating, the connection points of the drive motor... These details were already engraved deep in his mind.

At this point, Director Lin suggested: "To be on the safe side, the ministry should perhaps send a few technical specialists to the site."

"How long will the journey take?" Liu Guangqi asked, looking up at her.

"It will take more than ten days just to get there, plus on-site familiarization, installation guidance, and repeated debugging..." Director Lin estimated, "It will take at least two months to travel back and forth."

"Then I'll go."

Liu Guangqi's voice was calm and clear: "There is no one more suitable than me in the research department. If we send someone else, they will eventually come back to me when they encounter problems, which will only add more trouble."

He gently placed the photo on the table and repeated, "I'll go."

These brief words stunned both the minister and Director Lin.

The two exchanged a glance, both reflecting the same surprise.

They knew this young man all too well—intelligent, diligent, and meticulous in his work, yet always carrying a touch of the leisurely air typical of Beijing youths, as if he were inherently immune to the concept of "hardship." When he was transferred to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, he preferred to stay in the ministry rather than embark on that arduous path of scientific research. His unwillingness to seek out hardship wasn't a fault; having never personally experienced the turbulent years of war, his lack of empathy for deliberately arduous living was perfectly normal.

But what's going on today?

Why did the Chinese Academy of Sciences refuse to go, but instead volunteered to go to the harsh conditions in the Northwest?

"Have you thought it through?" Director Lin leaned forward slightly, his tone inquisitive. "Right now, the Northwest is in the dead of winter, with temperatures dropping to minus twenty degrees Celsius being commonplace. Some areas don't even have proper roads, and you can only travel by jeep, bumping along the Gobi Desert—that's no easy task."

He paused briefly, half-reminding and half-joking, and said, "Don't mistake it for a scenic inspection trip; the actual hardships are far beyond your imagination."

Liu Guangqi simply smiled faintly upon hearing this.

"To forge swords for the nation, I am willing to embark on this journey."

These eight words, like metal and stone falling to the ground, resonated deeply in the hearts of the two leaders.

At that moment, the young man's relaxed demeanor vanished, revealing a sharp and resolute glint. The minister gazed at him, and Director Lin and the other officials also turned their attention to him. The last trace of doubt melted away like ice and snow, transforming into burning approval in their eyes.

"Good! That shows responsibility!"

However, despite the relief, practical considerations still exist.

"Can the R&D lab do without you? The assembly of the new five-axis linkage system is also urgently needed."

At this point, Liu Guangqi's expression suddenly relaxed, and he regained his unique composure.

"Please rest assured, Minister. I have basically completed the preliminary preparations, and all technical files have been archived. My absence during this period will actually allow them to break free from dependence and truly hone their skills."

A gentle smile curved his lips: "Going through the process again is like reviewing what you've learned and applying it to new things."

Liu Guangqi spoke casually, as if it were just a short business trip.

"If they still can't get things back when I get back, then I've really wasted my time as a teacher." A faint smile played on his lips, his tone slightly mocking. "That would be my dereliction of duty."

These words drew knowing smiles from the ministry leaders present. The previously solemn atmosphere in the office instantly became more relaxed. Now that Liu Guangqi was in charge of the research department, these leaders almost unconditionally respected his opinions on technical matters—the ministry's entire foundation in the field of CNC was built by him single-handedly. What more could laymen say besides listen and trust?

"Good!" The minister immediately made the decision. "Since Comrade Guangqi has already made the plans, we naturally have no objections. The transport team will arrive in three days. Be prepared and we will set off together then."

"Yes, sir," Liu Guangqi replied crisply.

Two months, a period of time that is neither long nor short. But... how to explain this to his wife and family back home seems to be a more perplexing question than the journey to the Gobi Desert itself.

After discussing the matter with the leaders for a while, Liu Guangqi took his leave.

Leaving the minister's office, he didn't linger, heading straight back to the research and development lab. Pushing open the door, a wave of intense heat hit him. Dozens of researchers were gathered among the scattered parts, completely absorbed.

Some people knelt beside the lathe, holding calipers, squinting as they repeatedly measured the guide rails, striving to control the assembly precision; others had most of their bodies under the machine tool base, only their legs showing, the click-clack of wrenches tightening screws clearly audible. On the workbench, the tea in a row of enamel cups had long since lost its color and gone cold.

"Everyone, please pause for a moment. I have something to announce."

Liu Guangqi clapped his hands, his voice low but like an invisible command. Instantly, the hum of the lathe and the clanging of the tools ceased, and all eyes turned to him.

He didn't mention his mission to the Northwest, but simply said in a casual tone, as if announcing he would be taking a day off tomorrow, "I probably won't be in the ministry for the next two months. You'll all have to take on the work yourselves."

Before he could finish speaking, a burst of good-natured laughter erupted in the quiet room.

"Director! Which unit has invited you to be their 'external help' this time?"

"Yes, last time you went to the steel rolling mill, you helped them achieve technological innovation. Which factory will be fortunate enough to have that opportunity this time?"

The people in the R&D department were already used to their director's occasional "disappearances." In their view, each of Director Liu's temporary departures and returns was often accompanied by a technological leap or the birth of a novel idea. Therefore, no one felt uneasy; on the contrary, everyone's eyes shone with anticipation.

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask!" Liu Guangqi said with a laugh, walked to the blackboard in the room, picked up a piece of chalk, and drew a heavy circle on the words "617 spindle calibration point".

"Old Zhou, you'll lead the assembly. The two parameters that were wrong last time during the spindle's dynamic balance calibration absolutely cannot have the slightest deviation again. Practice the linkage calibration method I taught you a few more times."

Upon being called upon, Old Zhou immediately straightened his back and loudly replied, "Don't worry, Director! I guarantee nothing will go wrong!"

Another burst of laughter followed.

Liu Guangqi didn't take it seriously and turned his gaze to another person: "Old Fang! If you're short of parts, don't just go through the usual procedures, it's too slow. Contact Wang Jianguo at Hongxing Factory directly, mention my name, he'll make things easier for you."

His gaze swept across the room, and with a few words, he clearly outlined the work for the next two months. Each person's responsibilities, potential challenges, and corresponding solutions were all clearly explained. Those assigned tasks straightened their backs and pledged their commitment.

"Don't worry, Director!"

"Leave the assembly to me. When you return, I guarantee you'll see a complete, smoothly operating five-axis CNC center!"

Looking at the technical backbone who had fought side by side with him for so long, Liu Guangqi felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

A smile crept across his face: "Alright, you said it yourselves."

"When I return, if you can truly manage the situation and successfully build the CNC center—"

"I'd like to invite everyone to try some Da Hong Pao tea!"

As soon as he finished speaking, laughter filled the research and development room.

Everyone knew the origin of this tea—it was a precious tea that Liu Guangqi had painstakingly obtained from the minister.

Amidst laughter and conversation, Liu Guangqi said no more, only waved to everyone, called his guards, and left the office on time.

He paused and looked back outside the ministry's gate.

The building was brightly lit, like stars scattered in the deep twilight.

In three days, he will set off for the Northwest.

That would be a completely different path.

The sandstorms there were far more intense than the smell of engine oil in the research lab.

The black Volga came to a quiet stop in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Zhao Mengyun opened the car door and got in. Seeing Liu Guangqi staring out the window in a daze, she chuckled softly, "What are you daydreaming about? Still thinking about work after you're off work?"

"Okay." Liu Guangqi snapped out of his reverie and said to the guard, "Let's not go to the ministry compound today, let's go back to my parents' place for dinner."

Zhao Mengyun's eyes flickered slightly.

The vague unease in my heart gradually became clearer.

At this time of day, Liu Guangqi would usually ask her where she wanted to eat, or suggest which state-run restaurant to try.

Going straight back to the courtyard house on a weekday like this is really not like him.