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

Everyone in the courtyard held their breath and listened intently.

Liu Guangqi stopped in his tracks, a gentle yet distant smile playing on his lips.

He nodded slightly: "Let him learn some skills."

His tone was as light as a night breeze, offering neither explanations nor mentions of job benefits, leaving only a blank space of nonchalance.

After saying that, he grasped Zhao Mengyun's hand tightly and walked straight towards the door.

The low hum of an engine came from outside the courtyard. A black sedan rolled through the moonlight and quietly disappeared into the depths of the alley.

The neighbors watched the car turn out of the alley before gathering in twos and threes and talking in hushed tones.

"That's incredible! You all heard that, didn't you?"

"Look at Guangqi's calm and collected demeanor; no matter how big the problem is, it seems like it's nothing to him!"

"Red Star Factory..."

"The place we'd fight tooth and nail to get into, they just settled it with a single word from Qi."

"Of course. Don't you think about the weight Guang Qi carries in the Ministry of Machine Building? He's in charge of the directly affiliated factories within the ministry; it's just a matter of a word for him."

As they were talking, a young worker in the yard who had been feeling stifled working in the steel rolling mill for a long time suddenly had a fervent light in his eyes.

He lowered his voice, as if he had discovered some incredible method:

"Hey, what do you guys think... if I also beg Guangqi, could he get me a job at the Red Star Factory?"

These words were like a stone thrown into still water, immediately creating ripples. Many people were tempted, thinking the idea might be feasible. It was rare for someone from the institute to have such influence within a ministry; who wouldn't want to cultivate a connection and benefit from it? In today's climate, who didn't know that the Hongxing Foreign Exchange Machinery Factory was a highly sought-after property? It was raking in foreign exchange profits, and its benefits and subsidies were the envy of everyone. Compared to that, the steel rolling mill's conditions were indeed inadequate.

Let alone the ordinary workers, even the usually composed Yi Zhonghai felt a slight ripple in his heart. Anyone with eyes could see that his future at the steel rolling mill was nearing its peak. After that incident, achieving the eighth-grade worker certification was practically a pipe dream. If he could transfer to the Hongxing Factory, with his seniority as the manager of this compound, he might actually find a second spring and fight for his future again.

But this idea had barely surfaced when Jia Zhangshi poured cold water on it.

"I said..." Her narrow, triangular eyes darted around, and her voice rose sharply, barbed, "What are you all dreaming of in broad daylight?"

She stood in the middle of the courtyard, her gaze sweeping over the expectant faces, her spittle almost splashing onto their faces:

"Who do you take Guangqi for? Is he a relative of yours, or someone you owed them from a past life?"

"When someone helps their own younger brother, it's a matter of blood ties, it's the eldest brother's duty! Who are you? You all rush in and cause trouble for him, do you really think favors are like roadside weeds that you can just pluck at will?"

Jia Zhangshi's rapid-fire retort left everyone stunned. No one expected that this usually calculating and profit-driven old woman would suddenly speak up for Liu Guangqi, and that her words were so reasonable that no one could refute them.

Some people were unconvinced and muttered under their breath, "I was just... asking casually, maybe it'll work?"

"Ask?" Jia Zhangshi, with her sharp ears, immediately glared at her. "You call that asking? Do you think no one can see through your little scheme?"

She put her hands on her hips, her tone even more forceful: "Your workers are all employed by the steel rolling mill, which is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry. Guang Qi works for the Ministry of Machine Building; how could he possibly overstep his bounds and interfere in other people's business?"

After these words, the courtyard fell silent. Even Yi Zhonghai remained silent, the spark of righteous indignation he had just ignited extinguished completely by this bucket of cold water. Yes, the steel rolling mill was under the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry, a completely different system from the Ministry of Machine Building where Guangqi worked. This transfer was no trivial matter. Procedures, connections—which hurdle was easy to overcome?

Ironically, Liu Guangqi probably never expected that after he left, someone in the courtyard would shield him from all the trouble. And Jia Zhangshi became his most unexpected "supporter".

By the front gate, Uncle Yan Bugui leaned against the doorframe, taking in the entire commotion in the middle courtyard. His lips curled slightly downwards; he didn't move closer. He was a primary school teacher, not a worker, and his son, Yan Jiecheng, had already gotten a job at the Red Star Factory, so he was settled. He gazed in the direction the Volga sedan had disappeared, and smiled silently—just as expected, as long as Liu Guangqi intervened, nothing was impossible.

The next morning, Liu Guangqi followed his usual routine and took a car to the Institute of Computing Technology.

He knew that Li Huaide would go to the Ministry of Machine Building to complete the handover procedures today, but he never took his assigned work lightly and did it meticulously.

The atmosphere at the Institute of Computing Technology was vastly different from usual. A barely suppressed excitement permeated the air; even the buzzing of the old oscilloscopes seemed to possess a cheerful rhythm. Liu Guangqi had been on secondment for nearly six months. Currently, the most challenging technical hurdles of the second-generation transistor computer project had been overcome one by one. And these breakthroughs were almost entirely achieved under Liu Guangqi's leadership and impetus. The other researchers in the institute mostly followed his blueprints and ideas, like skilled craftsmen turning ideas into reality according to a master's blueprints. Liu Guangqi was the one who drew up the blueprints.

The Institute of Computing Technology's research and development work is progressing steadily, with each step on the right track.

Day after day, the results are clearly visible.

At this moment, the second-generation transistor computer, which embodies the hard work of everyone, has begun to take shape.

With Liu Guangqi's technical support, its computing power is sufficient to stably handle complex logic problems.

Such progress has left the computer research institute in Shanghai far behind.

In the laboratory, large circuit diagrams are spread out on a long table, with parameters and symbols left by pencils densely covering them.

As soon as Liu Guangqi entered the room, Professor Lu Hai quickly came to greet him, clutching a test report tightly in his hand, the edges of the paper slightly curled.

The old professor had deep smile lines, and his eyes were full of light:

"Guangqi! You did it!"

"We tested it all night last night, and the complex calculation part is now running stably—a full two weeks ahead of schedule!"

Before the words were even finished, a young researcher beside him held up a brand-new circuit board, his voice trembling slightly with excitement:

"Deputy Team Leader Liu! We've successfully prototyped the transistor layout optimization scheme you proposed last time! Energy consumption has been reduced by 10%, while computing speed has increased by 5%!"

"At this rate, producing a prototype by the end of the year is absolutely no problem!"

A joyful atmosphere filled the entire laboratory. Some had already begun to envision that once the prototype was completed, it would compete with the Shanghai Institute of Computing Technology.

After all, the other side had once been in the lead, but is now stuck with the challenge of logic circuits; while they have already mastered complex calculations—all thanks to Liu Guangqi's guidance.

Liu Guangqi took the still-warm report and calmly scanned its pages. The excitement of the crowd seemed to have little effect on him.

"There is still room for optimization in the quiescent current here."

"Let's readjust the matching with the capacitor and see if we can reduce the power consumption by another three percent."

He walked to the oscilloscope, stared at the fluctuating curve, and then said:

"The second-generation computer is ultimately just a transition. Once the prototype is completed, we can begin preparations for the development of the third-generation computer."

"That's the machine that can truly support the computing era."

These words silenced the bustling laboratory for a moment. Professor Lu Hai was the first to recover, his eyes filled with astonishment:

"Guangqi, are you already designing the third generation of computers?"

He couldn't help but exclaim, "We're still rejoicing over the second-generation aircraft, but you're already looking towards a much more distant future!"

Other researchers also spoke up:

"As expected of Deputy Team Leader Liu, his vision is always ahead of its time."

"Yes, we can't just stay where we are; we have to follow in Deputy Team Leader Liu's footsteps and move forward."

Liu Guangqi simply smiled and did not say much, nor did he reveal his ideas about the third-generation integrated circuit computer in advance.

He calmly stated, "Everyone should first focus on developing the second-generation aircraft and laying a solid foundation. Only then can we proceed steadily when developing the third-generation aircraft."

The atmosphere in the lab became lively again, but this time, it carried a sense of composure and confidence. With Liu Guangqi at the helm, they would not only surpass research institutes in Shanghai, but also pave the way for the next stage of the nation's computing endeavors.

Looking at the busy figures before him, Liu Guangqi understood: the breakthrough of the second-generation transistor computer was just the beginning. The true computing era would be ushered in by the integrated circuits of the third-generation machine.

And he stands at this starting point, steadily pushing everything forward.

Afternoon, office building of the First Ministry of Machine Building.

Liu Guangqi left the Institute of Computing Technology on time and returned to the ministry compound with a calm and composed gait.

In the corridor, the cadres carrying documents hurried along, but as soon as they saw Liu Guangqi approaching, they all slowed down and smiled.

"Hello, Director Liu!"

"Director Liu, you're back from the Institute of Computing Technology?"

Today, Liu Guangqi is no longer the simple technical manager he once was.

With his promotion to administrative level 10, he has become the youngest senior cadre in the department.

Moreover, it is obvious to anyone with discerning eyes that Liu Guangqi is highly valued by the leaders of the ministries and even the ministers.

It can almost be said that he is the benchmark that the ministry is focusing on establishing.

Liu Guangqi had just nodded to his colleague at the end of the corridor when a series of urgent shouts came from behind him: "Director!"

He turned around and saw his department technician rushing in from outside the door, beads of sweat on his forehead, still out of breath. The technician steadied himself against the doorframe before hurriedly saying, "Director Lin called twice, urging you to go to his office immediately upon your return. It sounds like it's urgent."

Liu Guangqi's expression remained unchanged; he merely nodded slightly and turned towards the stairs. "Did the director mention anything about it?"

"They didn't say anything specific, they just repeatedly told you to come over immediately."

Upon hearing this, Liu Guangqi already had some guesses in his mind. He walked steadily, his face expressionless, and simply replied in a calm voice, "I'll go right away."

When he pushed open the door to the director's office, Director Lin was holding a telephone receiver. Seeing him come in, he smiled and waved, "Guangqi, it's the minister on the phone." He handed him the receiver, but then walked to the sofa by the window, picked up a teacup, and sat down.

Liu Guangqi answered the phone, his voice steady: "Boss, this is Liu Guangqi."

The minister's deep voice came through the receiver, tinged with a hint of teasing: "Comrade Guangqi, your quiet and unassuming nature is really something—such a big commotion with the four-roll mill, I was stumped when questioned about it during the committee meeting! And you, you didn't even let a whisper of it into the ministry?"

Although his words carried a hint of reproach, his tone revealed undisguised praise. Liu Guangqi immediately understood—the metallurgical system must have passed the message up.

He calmly replied, "Sir, it's really not that I deliberately hid it. The drawings were only finalized yesterday, and the report hasn't been prepared yet. Besides, I just lent a hand because I saw they were encountering a bottleneck in their work."

These words highlighted the achievements while also demonstrating humility and thoughtfulness. The minister chuckled twice on the other end of the phone before getting to the point: "Alright, enough with the pleasantries. How confident are you about the four-roll mill project? It's not just me asking; the leadership of the institute is also waiting for a definite answer—it's related to the progress of subsequent defense production."

Liu Guangqi unconsciously straightened his back, his tone resolute: "Boss, you know me. I never speak up about things I'm not sure about. All the technical data provided by the steel mill has been repeatedly verified. The core roll system and transmission system design of the four-high mill have undergone three rounds of calculations, and the data is reliable. As long as the supply of materials and equipment keeps up, we can fine-tune the process parameters during the trial production phase—"

He paused briefly, then said, word by word, "I can guarantee that the steel rolling mill will be able to produce a prototype within two months, and mass production will be achieved before the end of the year."