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

The envelope made a crisp tearing sound as it was opened. A brand-new stack of "big black ten" bills slid out, neatly stacked with edges as sharp as if cut with a knife. Counting them, it was one hundred and fifty-eight yuan and fifty cents—fourteenth-level administrative salary plus sixth-level engineer allowance, not a penny less.

Beneath the money lay a small stack of coupons: light brown grain coupons, pink meat coupons, sugar coupons printed with pastry patterns... all the credentials for making a living. But then, his gaze suddenly stopped.

Several palm-sized pieces of paper, noticeably different in texture, with a fine gear pattern printed around the edge. The top one bore three bold characters: "Industrial Coupon." Below that was the prominent "One Coupon," followed by two more "Three Coupons" denominations. The faint smell of new paper ink wafted through the air, mixed with a slightly metallic, mechanical feel.

They arrived as expected.

Liu Guangqi pulled out a coupon, his fingertips tracing the rough surface of the paper, his mind already racing with calculations: twenty yuan a month for one coupon, one hundred and fifty-eight yuan and fifty cents would give him exactly seven coupons. Any extra change would roll over to the next month, every penny recorded in his account.

To outsiders, these few pieces of paper might just be small subsidies on top of their wages, but Liu Guangqi knew they meant much more—sewing machines, bicycles, watches, radios—items that were once labeled "planned supply" now had the possibility of reaching ordinary people's lives. And further afield, more products labeled "industrial manufacturing" were gradually taking shape on the assembly line.

He clutched the coupon and looked out the window. The autumn sun was slowly setting, and the outline of the tenement building gradually blurred in the twilight.

The era of rationing goods is quietly coming to an end.

Inside the office, technician Xiao Li leaned closer to discuss the details of the blueprints. His gaze inadvertently swept over the stack of light blue coupons on the corner of the table, and he couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Director Liu, you got seven industrial coupons this time? I only got three, and I'll have to wait a while before I can buy a fan for my house."

Liu Guangqi smiled and put the vouchers into the drawer: "With these vouchers, it will be more convenient to buy big items in the future, and I won't have to ask for help everywhere."

Old Zhou, standing nearby, echoed, "That makes sense! If it weren't for you leading us to develop those exportable machine tools and washing machines, where would such policies come from? It's all thanks to you."

Liu Guangqi didn't say much, instead steer the conversation back to the seven-axis linkage technology they were working on. Time slipped away quietly amidst the blueprints and discussions, and two months of hard work passed in the blink of an eye.

At this moment, the assembly of the seven-axis, five-linkage machine tool was more than 80% complete, with only the installation of the CNC panel and system debugging remaining to be finished. As for the CNC core, Liu Guangqi had no other choice but to send the relevant modules to the Computer Research Institute for collaborative processing.

Just as he was deep in thought, a cheerful greeting rang out from outside the door: "Guangqi! I've come to trouble you with your writing again!"

Wang Jianguo burst in, radiating heat, clutching the monthly production report in his hand. His work shirt was already soaked with sweat, but his expression was full of exuberant enthusiasm. "Look at this month's numbers!" he slammed the report on the table. "We're just waiting for your signature!"

As the factory's nominal chief technical officer and one of its founding members, Liu Guangqi was assigned a technical review process by the department—each batch of products had to be inspected and signed off by a designated person, and any problems would be traced back to the individual responsible. Liu Guangqi was in charge of this technical oversight, so the factory's monthly production plan also required his review.

On the unfolded paper, the ink on the handwritten numbers was still fresh. Liu Guangqi's gaze swept over it, and a faint smile appeared in his eyes: the production of washing machines had increased from 8,200 units in May to over 10,000 in June, and had now firmly reached 12,000 units.

"Didn't I embarrass you, the technical leader?" Wang Jianguo was completely unfazed. He picked up the water bottle on his desk, poured himself a drink, gulped down half a cup, wiped his mouth, and pointed to the report with great enthusiasm, saying, "The washing machine workshop has now expanded to three! It's almost catching up to the four workshops of the rice cooker workshop. Just these two items alone earn the country nearly this much foreign exchange each month—" He held up two fingers and emphasized, "Twenty million!"

He emphasized the last three words, as if they were not just a sum of money, but a medal adorning his chest.

In fact, rice cookers have always been the mainstay of Hongxing Factory's foreign exchange earnings, with 80% of orders coming from Japan and Southeast Asian countries. Although that island nation is small, it has deeply absorbed the culinary culture originating from the mainland—rice is their foundation, and cooking utensils are naturally necessities. As a result, the local market is incredibly large. In the past, when its local brands were at their peak, monthly production of rice cookers could reach 200,000 units, demonstrating the strong demand. Today, Hongxing Factory is gradually carving out a share of this lucrative market.

Liu Guangqi smiled slightly, his fingertips lightly tracing the production figures of the fourteen workshops on the report. Before Labor Day, the monthly output of washing machines had just exceeded five thousand, but unexpectedly, it had more than doubled in just a few months. Behind this was the leap in production efficiency brought about by five-axis machine tools—and the current layout adjustment of the workshops in Hongxing Factory also silently records the different growth trajectories of this export-oriented enterprise year by year.

In the early days of the factory, there were only six workshops, each dedicated to one of the export products. Later, rice cookers became popular, expanding from one workshop to three. Now, including the temporarily added production lines for immersion heaters and electric blankets, there are five workshops specializing in these products. Currently, washing machines are also catching up quickly. As a result, the factory's foreign exchange earnings are soaring like sesame flowers, each generation surpassing the last.

This doesn't even include the "killer weapon"—the CNC machine tool. If the monthly output of twelve units were also factored in, the output value of the Hongxing Factory would be incalculable. Of course, if this calculation were made in this way, other sister units at the same level would probably be the first to question: Why are they the only ones being calculated this way?

Initially, Hongxing Machine Tool Factory focused on the research and development and manufacturing of industrial-grade CNC equipment.

Due to its close ties with the foreign trade sector, a single production task adjustment order was issued, and the entire production line was redirected to the export market.

In the blink of an eye, the export-specific model codenamed "Seagull" officially went into production.

Yes, with the support of the foreign trade system, it was perfectly reasonable for Hongxing Factory to transform into an export-oriented enterprise.

However, a single export version of a CNC machine tool can generate three million yuan in output value. How can factories that rely on traditional foreign trade channels and struggle to earn foreign exchange cope with this?

Which family can remain calm?

Currently, there are no similar machine tools available in the Western market, so there is no question of competing for orders.

In the end, it seems that all the foreign exchange earnings targets and policy benefits ended up in the pocket of the Red Star Factory?

Now, including all kinds of orders, the monthly output value of Hongxing Factory has accumulated to an astonishing amount.

This is equivalent to a height that other state-owned factories could hardly reach even if they worked their hardest all year round.

Monthly revenue reaches 50-60 million, with annual cumulative revenue approaching 600-700 million.

Let alone in this current period, even if we push it back to 10 or 20 years from now, which state-owned factory would dare to report such figures?

This is hardly the kind of performance a factory at the division level would dare to mention.

It's simply like a fantasy.

---

"Well done."

A brief compliment brought a wide smile to Wang Jianguo's face. Boasting to others had become tiresome, but only in front of his longtime partner, Liu Guangqi, did his pride feel truly genuine.

"By the way, Guangqi," Wang Jianguo turned to leave, but then suddenly remembered something, a look of undisguised delight appearing on his face. He leaned closer and whispered, "There's another merger plan for the factory."

"So fast?" Liu Guangqi was slightly surprised.

"Fast?" Wang Jianguo stood ramrod straight, holding up two fingers. "These two ministries are treating us like their own flesh and blood! Orders are pouring in like snowflakes, and our production lines can barely keep up!"

He counted on his fingers, his words brimming with boastfulness:

"Those sixteen workshops you planned before have all been equipped with CNC machine tools, and production capacity has increased exponentially!"

"Once production increases, the number of assembly workers can't keep up. Ultimately, it's a shortage of manpower."

Undoubtedly, the merger is timely for Hongxing Factory, and also a turning point for those directly affiliated factories that are struggling financially and have redundant staff.

For Hongxing Factory, merging with a sister unit that was struggling financially but had a large workforce not only solved its immediate problem but also provided it with a large number of skilled workers.

For that factory on the verge of bankruptcy, it was a timely help, avoiding the difficult situation of layoffs, and the employees were able to be merged into the Hongxing Factory...

Enjoy better treatment and benefits.

It can be described as having the best of both worlds.

---

The profitability of Hongxing Factory is obvious. Even with mergers and expansions, it is still much better than the situation of large-scale layoffs during the difficult period three years ago.

Moreover, the monthly labor costs of tens of thousands of yuan can bring millions or even tens of millions of yuan in benefits to the factory.

Anyone can do the math.

The factory leadership holds meetings, and higher-level ministries and commissions hold even more.

Thinking of this, Liu Guangqi couldn't help but smile slightly: "Then I'll offer my congratulations in advance, Lao Wang."

"If this merger goes smoothly, it's time for you to be promoted."

These words were exactly what Wang Jianguo was thinking.

He grinned, chuckled a few times, and said "Thank you for your kind words" several times before leaving satisfied, strutting away with a triumphant air.

Watching Wang Jianguo's triumphant figure as he walked away, Liu Guangqi's smile remained.

In recent years, this long-time partner's growth has indeed been remarkable.

Regardless, Wang Jianguo's performance over the years is undeniable—

Although it's obvious to anyone with eyes that Liu Guangqi was largely behind the scenes driving the project, he was indeed a master at managing production.

It's about time for him to get promoted.

The deputy director of a factory at the provincial level naturally has a different administrative rank and real power than before.

Of course, these matters are no longer directly related to Liu Guangqi.

After completing the docking work with Hongxing Factory, he once again immersed himself in tackling the challenges of seven-axis five-linkage CNC machine tools.

---

Soon after, the control system tailored by the Computer Research Institute for seven-axis five-linkage machine tools was officially delivered.

That afternoon, a young technician rushed into the research and development room without even knocking.

He was panting from running so fast:

"Chief! Chief!"

"The control system from the research institute—it's been delivered! It's downstairs!"

Liu Guangqi was bent over in front of the cold machine tool body, repeatedly calibrating the various parameters of the seven-axis mechanism.

Upon hearing this, he slowly straightened up, the focused light in his eyes still lingering.

The others in the room were all taken aback upon hearing this.

The noise in the workshop seemed to be cut off by a knife. Everyone stopped what they were doing, their eyes fixed on the scene.

The gaze was burning hot, with an almost greedy focus—like a beast that had trekked through the wilderness for a long time and finally caught the scent of life.

After Liu Guangqi gave brief instructions, everyone followed his directions and steadily carried the CNC system into the research and development room.

The movements were so gentle as to be almost reverent, as if afraid of making the slightest sound.

Once all parts were confirmed to be intact, assembly officially began.

"Let's do it."

Liu Guangqi rolled up his sleeves, revealing a section of his neatly sculpted forearm.

No one in the entire research department knew the characteristics of this seven-axis, five-linkage machine tool better than him.

He personally stepped forward, took the CNC modules out of the box one by one, and then steadily installed them into the interfaces reserved in the main body of the machine tool.

His movements were not fast, but each one was as steady as a rock.

When the last control panel was perfectly fitted into the main body, the research and development room was so quiet that only the suppressed breathing of the people could be heard.

Next comes the more intricate wiring process.

Liu Guangqi picked up an insulated screwdriver without even glancing at the blueprints—the layout of all the wiring and the number of each interface were already etched into his mind.

The red cable connects to port 1, the yellow cable connects to port 7, and the blue cable connects to the data bus...

His fingers did not tremble at all; each wire was precisely inserted into its corresponding pin, as neatly as a surgical operation.

The researchers around held their breath, some handing over tools, others holding up images to check, afraid that the slightest movement would disturb their concentration.

Click.

The last data cable has been installed.

Liu Guangqi straightened up and wiped the thin layer of sweat from his forehead: "Before turning on the power, check the linkage clearance of each motion axis again."

Two hours later, all the machinery was tested and adjusted.

Liu Guangqi then lightly tapped the button and entered the startup program.

The next moment, he pressed the power switch.