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

Each person had a blank notebook open in their hand.

All eyes were focused on the conference table, on the report about the Red Star Factory.

Liu Guangqi, sitting in the back, noticed that the corners of the materials booklet in Wang Jianguo's hand were slightly curled, a testament to his tension and anticipation.

"Everyone's here, let's begin."

The Minister of the First Ministry of Machine Building put down his teacup, his gaze slowly sweeping across the room, finally settling on Wang Jianguo:

"Comrade Jianguo!"

"Before the meeting officially begins, please give a brief report to everyone present on the situation of Hongxing Chuanghui Machinery Factory."

"Focus on explaining the actual results after the reorganization with the Third Electrical Factory."

"yes!"

Wang Jianguo took a deep breath and answered in response.

Wang Jianguo stood up, the paper rustling softly between his trembling fingers. The newly printed booklet cover bore the words "Hongxing Chuanghui Machinery Factory"—the ink was still wet, and the smell was distinct.

His voice still had a slight fluctuation when he spoke:

"Reporting to the Minister and other leaders—"

Last year, following instructions from higher authorities, our factory completed its merger and reorganization with the Third Electrical Factory.

"The newly established factory covers an area of ​​330,000 square meters and currently has 5,261 employees."

He paused briefly.

Her voice suddenly rose, and the slight tremor from before had vanished without a trace.

Instead, there was an irrepressible surge of emotion:

"Among them, there are a total of 1,873 skilled workers with professional qualifications!"

"More than double the growth rate before the merger!"

A quiet murmur rippled through the conference room. The leaders exchanged silent glances.

With a workforce of over 5,000, more than a third of whom are skilled workers—a number that is breathtaking in itself.

As expected of a long-established manufacturer that was among the first to introduce CNC machine tools and complete its transformation.

The skilled workers here are not ordinary technicians, but intermediate to senior operators who are proficient in operating CNC machine tools.

Taking advantage of the situation, Wang Jianguo opened the cover.

The fingertips landed on the clearly defined table on the inner page, the voice growing deeper and louder:

"The production data for the first quarter of 1962 is as follows—"

He raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping across the entire room before finally settling on Liu Guangqi's face.

"In January, the total output value of the entire factory was 48 million yuan."

The moment the number was uttered, Director Lin's back straightened instantly.

Previously, the understanding of the ministerial leaders regarding Hongxing Chuanghui Machinery Factory was mostly limited to a vague impression of it as a "major force in foreign exchange earnings".

Therefore, when the monthly output value was clearly announced, everyone present was taken aback.

Forty-eight million.

Some factories don't even produce that much in a year, but Hongxing Factory did it in just one month.

Wang Jianguo gave them no chance to catch their breath.

The following was announced:

"In February, the total output value of the entire factory was 51 million yuan."

The conference room fell completely silent, with only his voice echoing.

He paused deliberately for a moment, watching the expressions on their faces gradually freeze, his heart pounding with emotion that almost burst forth.

"March—"

He took a deep breath.

"Fifty-three million yuan!"

As the last syllable fell, even the sound of breathing disappeared in the room.

A frozen silence.

Someone was quickly calculating in their mind: forty-eight million, fifty-one million, fifty-three million—

The total for the single quarter was 152 million yuan.

The number swirled in my mind, causing waves of dizziness.

This goes beyond the scope of a so-called "major foreign exchange earner"—it is more like a roaring machine, a sophisticated machine dedicated to printing foreign exchange.

merge.

Further mergers are necessary.

This idea almost simultaneously exploded in the minds of several core leaders.

Given the astonishing production capacity of the Red Star Factory, it was clearly inappropriate for it to be managed by only two departments.

We must expedite the upgrading of the factory to a department-level administrative unit.

Otherwise, other ministries would likely consider them derelict in their duties.

"Comrade Jian Guo."

The Minister of the First Ministry of Machine Building finally broke free from **.

He suddenly looked up, his gaze sharp as a hawk, locking onto Wang Jianguo, his voice deep and compelling:

"I'll ask you one more time—can you guarantee that this quarterly report is completely free of any inaccuracies?"

The air in the conference room suddenly froze.

All eyes were on her.

Wang Jianguo stood tall, meeting the minister's gaze, and spoke with firm conviction:

"Please rest assured, sir!"

"I guarantee with my position as deputy factory director that all data can withstand any form of verification and is absolutely true."

His voice was not loud, but it was as clear as a stone falling to the ground.

In fact, besides the unparalleled competitiveness of the foreign exchange-earning products developed by Liu Guangqi, the Hongxing Factory was able to generate such astonishing output value due to another key driving force—

The strong support of the foreign trade department.

As a key unit jointly managed by the two ministries, the foreign trade department has devoted no less effort to Hongxing Factory.

After all, this is their flagship factory, a place that allows them to hold their heads high.

Naturally, we must spare no effort and devote everything we have.

No matter how frequently Wang Jianguo visited the Ministry of Machine Building, it couldn't compare to the frequency with which Director Li frequented the Ministry of Foreign Trade. Frankly speaking, the "Hongxing Chuanghui Machinery Factory" was now the Ministry of Foreign Trade's most prized possession—orders were piling up, and output was skyrocketing; even its own son didn't receive such treatment. Resources, targets, and tasks were all given to it without fail, without interruption.

The Minister of the First Ministry of Machine Building closed the thick quarterly report, a rare smile appearing on his lips as his gaze swept across the conference room. "You all heard that," he said steadily, "Hongxing Factory is a model of hard work and dedication! Before the merger, it was just a small, division-level factory; less than a year after the merger, it became the ministry's highest-earning and most productive machinery factory. If we don't support a factory like that, who will?"

After he finished speaking, the conference room became so quiet you could hear someone breathing.

The minister suddenly turned to Wang Jianguo, his eyes sharpening and his tone becoming serious. "The Ministry and the Ministry of Foreign Trade have already decided that we will expedite the merger of the Hongxing Factory and the new factory." He paused, "The new factory after the merger will retain its name, still called 'Hongxing Foreign Exchange Machinery Factory,' and will be directly managed jointly by the Ministry of Machine Building and the Ministry of Foreign Trade."

He stared at Wang Jianguo and asked, enunciating each word clearly, "Comrade Jianguo, do you have confidence?"

At that moment, Wang Jianguo felt a surge of scalding heat rush from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and his blood roared throughout his body.

Straight pipe!

Finally, it's been a long time since we've had direct management from ministries!

What does this mean? It means that from then on, one can skip layers of reporting and tedious approvals, rise to the top in one step, and become the ministry's trump card. A true loyalist.

He jumped to his feet, the chair legs scraping sharply on the floor. "Yes!" Wang Jianguo stood ramrod straight, his voice booming like a bell. "Rest assured, leader, I guarantee the mission will be completed!"

Looking at the flushed face before him, Director Lin smiled silently. The Red Star Factory had been separated from the General Machinery Department under his command and placed directly under the ministry's jurisdiction—someone else would have felt uneasy about it. But for him, it meant nothing.

The reason is as simple as it gets.

Before the meeting, the ministry leaders had spoken with him privately. Transferring such a high-performing enterprise as Hongxing Factory from the General Machinery Division required some compensation. And this compensation was substantial.

"Xiao Lin," the leader patted him on the shoulder, "one of the deputy ministers in the department is approaching retirement age. The organization is planning to give you more responsibilities, so you should be mentally prepared."

There's no need to spell it out; those who understand will understand.

Over the years, as Liu Guangqi's direct superior, Director Lin naturally shared in every achievement Liu Guangqi made outside. Now, with all these achievements piled up, it was finally time to push him from the position of director to a higher level.

Of course, it was precisely because of his full support from above that Liu Guangqi's research and development was able to proceed smoothly, and the merger and direct management of the Hongxing Factory were able to proceed so easily.

This situation is a win-win situation.

No, it's a win-win-win situation.

The department achieved outstanding results, he personally received a promotion, and Wang Jianguo and Hongxing Factory finally made it through. As for Liu Guangqi—no one can erase his contributions, and he himself seems to always be on the road to "winning," so there's no need to force him into this win-win-win situation.

The follow-up arrangements for the meeting were finalized one by one, making Wang Jianguo's trip a complete success. Stepping out of the ministry building, the bright afternoon sun shone down, and he felt somewhat dazed. He looked down at his hands, clenched them, loosened them, and clenched them again—the real sense of strength was undeniable.

We made it through.

We've finally made it through.

……

The aroma of tea lingered in the meeting room after the meeting. The merger and direct management of the Hongxing Factory was now a done deal. The wrinkles on the faces of the factory leaders at the back of the room were beaming with joy. Their steps were light as if they were walking on clouds, and they muttered to themselves, their minds racing with calculations: now that the factory had been upgraded to a department-level position, how much higher would their own chairs be? One of them, so happy he wasn't watching where he was going, nearly tripped, eliciting a few good-natured chuckles.

Amidst the joyous clamor, Wang Jianguo quietly slowed his pace and distanced himself from the crowd. Instead of leaving immediately, he turned and walked towards a young figure who had been silent in the corner.

That's Liu Guangqi.

Throughout the entire meeting, he did not utter a single word; he simply stood there silently, like a detached bystander.

But everyone present knew that—

From the heads of ministries to the heads of major state-owned factories, everyone knew one fact: the current status of Hongxing Machinery Factory was inextricably linked to the young man standing at the end of the corridor. His presence at this high-level meeting was itself a silent declaration—in the record of Hongxing Factory's achievements, there was a name that no one could erase.

Liu Guangqi.

"Old Wang."

Seeing that familiar figure approaching, Liu Guangqi's lips curled into a gentle smile, and he spoke first: "We've finally waited for this day, it's worth celebrating."

Unusually, Wang Jianguo didn't respond immediately. He silently took out an unopened pack of Daqianmen cigarettes from the pocket of his Zhongshan suit, awkwardly tore open the foil, and tapped out two cigarettes with trembling fingers. Just as he was about to hand them over, he suddenly stopped—he remembered that Liu Guangqi almost never touched tobacco.

He chuckled softly, almost self-deprecatingly, put one cigarette back into the pack, and held the other between his lips. He struck the match three times on the side of the pack before a small, trembling orange flame flickered to life. As he lit the cigarette in that dim light, his fingers still trembled slightly.

"Yes...we've finally waited for this moment."

Wang Jianguo took a deep drag, the familiar pungent aroma filling his chest, then dissipating into a wisp of smoke that slowly escaped from his nostrils. It was as if, with that puff of smoke, the weight that had accumulated in his heart for years was exhaled as well. Undisguised gratitude welled in his eyes, and his voice deepened:

"Guangqi, without you, Hongxing Factory wouldn't be where it is today. The revitalization of my business is all thanks to the path you paved."

These words were spoken bluntly, without a trace of bureaucratic pretense. Occasionally, officials from other ministries would pass by at the other end of the corridor, and upon seeing the two of them, they would stop and exchange a few words of greeting with smiles: "Director Liu, Factory Director Wang, double happiness!"

Normally, Wang Jianguo would rarely receive such attention. But now he merely nodded hastily, his gaze fixed on Liu Guangqi. Liu Guangqi responded to the greetings with only a nod. Leaning against the cold wrought iron railing, his gaze swept over Wang Jianguo's face, slightly reddened by smoke, and he suddenly chuckled softly:

"Old Wang, I remember you. When I first joined the ministry, you were my mentor and taught me a lot of things."

The words, tinged with a friendly teasing, made Wang Jianguo pause for a moment. Then he chuckled absentmindedly, "That's right... Thinking back to when you first arrived, it feels like it was just yesterday."

He flicked off his cigarette ash, and fine lines appeared at the corners of his eyes:

"But then again, the thing I'm most grateful for in my life, Wang Jianguo, is the time I spent mentoring you. Otherwise, how would I have had the chance to climb up to your pedestal?"

Laughter echoed softly in the empty corridor, and the invisible barrier that had been there before seemed to dissipate somewhat. Liu Guangqi also smiled and turned to look out the window—the old pine tree in the courtyard spread its verdant canopy in the twilight, its branches stretching out like splashed ink.

"Time flies." His voice held a touch of wistful emotion. "In the blink of an eye, the Red Star Factory is about to be upgraded to a department-level unit directly under the ministry."

Wang Jianguo nodded vigorously, the sparks from his cigarette flickering with his movements: "You paved the way step by step for all of this."

Liu Guangqi shook his head. He turned to look at the old factory director beside him, his eyes clear and calm: