The entire courtyard is full of villains

Yang Ruihua rolled her eyes: "Sister-in-law Yi, I want to live a few more years! This is your home!"

"I'm alive?"

"Of course you're still alive! What happened? You were screaming so loudly and then you fainted."

"I...I...I!" Tan Saihua took a deep breath and calmed herself down: "As soon as I opened the door, I saw a bloody mess smiling at me, and I fainted on the spot!"

"A bloody mess? Is that it?" Yang Ruihua pointed towards Qin Huairu's arms.

Tan Saihua looked over, and her heart immediately started pounding again: "What is that?"

"It's a 'bang geng'! Don't you recognize it?" Yang Ruihua asked, somewhat surprised.

"Bang Geng?" Tan Saihua was even more confused. "What's he doing at my house? Lao Yi and I haven't been home for the past two days. How did he end up here, and in this state?"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room was stunned—yes, Tan Saihua and her husband weren't home, so how could Bang Geng be at the Yi family's house?

Qin Huairu also realized what was happening and slapped Banggeng's bottom: "Banggeng! Tell me honestly, why have you been at Grandpa Yi's house these past two days?"

Banggeng's eyes darted around quickly, and a lie came out of his mouth: "Mom, Grandma... I saw Grandpa Yi's door was open the other day and wanted to go in and see him, but he wasn't home. When I tried to leave, the door was locked! I haven't eaten or drunk anything in there for the past two days, so I had no choice but to eat the chicken that Grandma Yi bought, and it was raw..."

"My dear grandson!" Madam Jia immediately hugged Banggeng tightly, then turned and glared at Tan Saihua. "Tan Saihua! What right do you have to lock my grandson in the house?"

Tan Saihua also panicked: "I didn't see him in the house at all!"

Zhang Erhe, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Zhang Erhe, what are you laughing at?" Jia Zhangshi glared angrily.

Zhang Erhe stopped laughing: "I think Xiao Banggeng is young, but he's quite good at making up lies. Does he have the filial piety to come see Yi Zhonghai? He's probably just trying to steal a chicken when no one's home, and then he got locked out and beaten. We've been looking for him everywhere these past two days. If he heard us, why didn't he come out and shout? Isn't he afraid of being caught red-handed!"

These words jolted everyone awake, and the way they looked at Bang Geng suddenly became amused—how old is this kid, and he already has so many thoughts? Those with children at home secretly reminded themselves that they should keep their children away from Bang Geng in the future.

Chapter 58 Blueprints

"Aunt Yi, my Banggeng is a good boy, he would never steal anything from your house!" Qin Huairu saw that everyone's eyes were not right, so she quickly stepped forward to explain, and tugged at Banggeng's arm, "Banggeng, quickly apologize to your Grandma Yi!"

Tan Saihua glanced at Qin Huairu and her son, but didn't reply. She turned and went into the inner room. She moved a stool over, stood on it, reached the top of the cabinet, opened the door, and took out a small locked box. Only when her fingertips touched the cold lock did she breathe a sigh of relief, patting her chest and muttering, "Luckily it was placed high; the little brat hasn't been found."

As soon as she came out of the inner room, Qin Huairu immediately moved closer to her.

"Aunt Yi, about this matter..."

"Alright, I understand," Tan Saihua interrupted her. "Let's talk about the follow-up after Lao Yi comes out of the hospital."

"Thank you, Aunt Yi!" Qin Huairu's face flushed, and she quickly added, "This room is a mess, let me clean it up for you—Bang Geng has made quite a mess here these past few days."

Seeing that there was no more excitement to be seen, the others gradually dispersed. As soon as Zhang Erhe returned home, Guan Xue came up to him and asked, "Erhe, what happened in the courtyard just now? It was so noisy."

"What else could it be? Just the petty squabbles of those families." Zhang Erhe took off his shoes, his tone disdainful. "Bang Geng didn't disappear. He went to Yi Zhonghai's house to steal things, but Tan Saihua caught him red-handed when she came back. It's like 'closing the door to beat the dog.' He hasn't had anything to eat at Yi's house for the past two days, so he's been eating raw chicken and got his face covered in blood. Just now, when Tan Saihua opened the door, she was so scared that she fainted."

"Huh? How old is Bang Geng? How could he do something like this?" Guan Xue asked, her face full of surprise.

“It has nothing to do with age, it’s rotten at its core—the Jia family’s roots are crooked.” Zhang Erhe snorted. Guan Xue turned and called her daughter Zhang Jiao, “Jiaojiao, remember, never play with Banggeng again.”

"Mom, I don't like playing with him! He always calls me a money-loser!" Zhang Jiao said, pouting.

Zhang Erhe glared at him: "If he dares to make you pay up again next time, hit him back! Don't spoil him, understand?"

"Got it, Dad!"

After chatting for a few minutes, Zhang Erhe walked to the table and took out a piece of white paper, a ruler, and a pencil from the drawer. Seeing this, Guan Xue asked, "Erhe, what are you doing?"

"Men should get down to business, don't ask any more questions." Zhang Erhe didn't even look up. "Stop asking questions, don't act like a nagging old woman." Seeing this, Guan Xue had no choice but to take Zhang Jiao into the inner room.

These past two days at the factory, Wu Liqun has been spending almost every day teaching Zhang Erhe maintenance knowledge without reservation. Zhang Erhe combined these practical skills with his professional knowledge from before his transmigration, and felt confident—with his current abilities, as long as he became more familiar with the machines, passing the Level 4 maintenance worker exam would be a piece of cake.

That's why he understood even more how good Wu Liqun was to him. Unlike other masters who held back some skills when passing on their knowledge, Wu Liqun taught him everything he knew. This sincerity moved Zhang Erhe deeply, and he felt a greater sense of respect for his master. He noticed that Wu Liqun had been frowning these past few days; he was probably still troubled by his son's situation.

So Zhang Erhe had an idea: the weather had already started to dry this year, and he remembered the design of an old-fashioned well drilling machine and water pump. If he drew up the blueprints and had Wu Liqun sign his name, once the factory built it, this achievement would be enough to help Wu Liqun suppress Zhang Dagang, who wanted to take over the position, and maybe he could even take over the position of deputy section chief.

Once Wu Liqun's position is secure, the troubles at home will naturally be resolved; and as his apprentice, I will also be able to establish myself in the department, as a way of repaying him for not giving up on me these past few years.

But as soon as Zhang Erhe got home and picked up a pencil and ruler to draw, he ran into trouble. Before his time travel, he was used to CAD drafting, and now hand-drawing was not only slow but also prone to errors. After working until midnight and ruining three drawings in a row, he slammed down his pen and cursed, "Whoever wants to draw can draw! I'm a dog if I keep drawing!"

But after finishing his cigarette, he silently picked up his pencil again—"Forget it, even dogs won't draw, so I will." Fortunately, he was a proper engineering graduate, and his body had been modified after transmigrating. Although he was slow to get the hang of it, he gradually found his footing, and the outline of the drawing gradually became clear on the paper.

When Guan Xue woke up, she found that the person next to her was not there. She put on her clothes and came out of the inner room, where she saw Zhang Erhe still busy at the table.

"Erhe, you didn't sleep all night?"

"I'm not asleep." Zhang Erhe didn't even look up.

Guan Xue walked over, picked up the drawing on the table, and asked in surprise, "Did you draw this?"

"Who else could it be but me?" Zhang Erhe glanced at her irritably. "Put it down quickly after you're done reading, don't get the order mixed up."

"Oh, oh." Guan Xue, having at least some education, couldn't help but praise as she looked at the lines on the blueprint, "Erhe, when did you become so skilled? You're amazing!"

"I always will." Zhang Erhe's tone remained impetuous, but with a hint of smugness.

Guan Xue then glanced at the clock and exclaimed, "Oh my! It's almost 6 o'clock! What do you want to eat for breakfast?"

"Just make something quick, I have to go to the factory after I eat."

Guan Xue quickly got dressed and went to the kitchen. After Zhang Erhe finished eating, she hurriedly headed to the factory with the well-drilling machine blueprints she had drawn.

The repair workshop was a large factory building with a wall in the middle. Shifts one and two each occupied half of it. Wu Liqun had a small office in Shift one. When Zhang Erhe arrived, Wu Liqun was already there.

“Master, I understand what you said yesterday.” Zhang Erhe spoke first, then handed over the blueprints. “Take another look at what this is.”

Wu Liqun took the blueprints, examined them for a long time, and asked uncertainly, "This is... for drilling a well?"

“Yes!” Zhang Erhe nodded. “It’s the well-drilling rig design I came up with. It’s simple in structure and uses less iron. Many places are experiencing drought this year. If this thing is made, Master, the position of deputy head of the maintenance department will definitely be yours!”

“That won’t do. This is your achievement. How can I take credit for it?” Wu Liqun quickly waved his hand.

“Master, isn’t mine yours?” Zhang Erhe said sincerely. “Besides, without your guidance these past two days, I wouldn’t have been able to make this.”

These words completely convinced Wu Liqun—if he could really make this machine, he would have the confidence to compete with Zhang Dagang for the deputy section chief position. He gritted his teeth: "Okay! No more procrastination, let's make this thing first!"

Wu Liqun immediately took the blueprints out and looked at them with several experienced workers in the workshop.

An experienced craftsman approached and asked suspiciously, "Was this really painted by Erhe?"

"Of course! Could it be that I drew it?" Wu Liqun replied irritably.

Another experienced craftsman added without hesitation, "This really isn't your material. We know exactly what you're capable of."

Wu Liqun was momentarily speechless, but did not refute it—right now, the most important thing was whether the blueprints could be turned into a physical object.

"Alright, alright, stop with the nonsense!" Wu Liqun snatched the blueprints from the master craftsman's hands and immediately began assigning tasks. "Old Zhang, you take a few people to make these two parts; Old Li, these two are yours; Old Guo, you're in charge of the remaining two. I'll take care of the last part; I'll work on it with Erhe."

He paused, then added, "Once you've made all the parts, we'll assemble them together. After that, there's an open space in the factory's kitchen, right? We can test the machine there. I'll go talk to Section Chief Huang about this now; you guys get started."

As he spoke, Wu Liqun looked at the veteran workers and said earnestly, "You are all the senior members of the team, and you must know how important this matter is—whether I, Old Wu, can take a step forward depends on your help!"

The veteran workers, who had initially been joking, all dropped their smiles and adopted serious expressions upon hearing Wu Liqun's words. They understood that if Wu Liqun could become the deputy section chief, they, the old colleagues, would suffer less in the workshop, which was better than being oppressed by someone like Zhang Dagang.

Chapter 59 It Emerged from the Water

Zhang Erhe's well-drilling equipment was not complicated to begin with, and it was perfectly suited to the production conditions at the time. By the afternoon, all the parts were finished. Several experienced workers curiously gathered around to look, and Zhang Erhe checked them one by one. Finding no problems, he led everyone to begin assembly, with Wu Liqun also lending a hand. By the time they were almost off work, the entire machine was assembled.

Zhang Erhe originally wanted to wait until the next day to test the machine, but Wu Liqun couldn't wait any longer and directly called several technicians to go to the vegetable garden next to the canteen. Not long after, Section Chief Huang also arrived—to be honest, this was the first time Zhang Erhe had seen this section chief in the past two days; he had heard that Huang had been on sick leave for the past few days.

"Old Wu, is this thing of yours even working?" Section Chief Huang asked with a questioning tone as he examined the equipment.

"It will definitely work!" Wu Liqun was actually a little unsure, but in front of the section chief, he still patted his chest loudly.

"Alright, I'll go tell the security department, so they don't think we're up to something." After saying that, Section Chief Huang turned around to make the arrangements.

Over there, Zhang Erhe selected a spot in the vegetable garden based on his memory. The two apprentices took off their coats, picked up shovels, and started digging. After digging more than half a meter deep, Zhang Erhe jumped down, grabbed a handful of soil, and felt it was wet. He then had them dig another meter or so before setting up the well-drilling equipment.

The machine started, drilling to 2 meters, no water; 5 meters, still no water; 10 meters, still no water. Zhang Erhe's expression slowly turned serious—had he chosen the wrong spot? But he clearly chose it from memory, and besides, there wasn't a lack of groundwater in Beijing these days, it shouldn't be like this. The experienced workers watching nearby also began to whisper among themselves, the atmosphere becoming a little tense.

“Shoot down another 10 meters!” Wu Liqun walked over, his tone resolute.

They drilled another 10 meters, but still no water—it was almost 20 meters deep. "Drill another 5 meters! If we still can't reach it, we'll move to another spot!" Wu Liqun said through gritted teeth.

This time, Zhang Erhe personally took over the operation. As darkness fell, he suddenly felt the machine hit something hard and quickly increased the pressure. With a "thud," it broke through, and a stream of mud gushed out from the well pipe!

"We hit it! We got water!" Wu Liqun shouted excitedly, like a child.

Several experienced workers immediately gathered around, their faces beaming with surprise: "Hey, you guys actually managed to do it!"

Wu Liqun proudly raised his head: "Of course! Look who trained this apprentice!"

The noise of the drilling machine spewing out mud soon attracted Section Chief Huang and the security personnel.

"We did it! Old Wu, we did it!" someone shouted, pointing to the still-splashing mud.

Wu Liqun beamed and quickly explained, "What's spraying out now is mud. Once this is drained, the water will be clear by tomorrow morning!"

Section Chief Huang approached the equipment, looked at the turning machine, and exclaimed with delight, "Did we really make this ourselves?"

“Of course! All the materials are from the factory!” Wu Liqun quickly replied.

Section Chief Huang grew increasingly pleased as he looked at the equipment. Although he was nearing retirement and hadn't personally built it, he was still in charge of the maintenance department. Even if it wasn't a major achievement, he was still proud to have made something like this. He immediately decided, "Let's go! Old Wu, Erhe, come with me to find Director Yang. We have to tell him this good news tonight!"

At this moment, Yang Liming was at his home on the second floor of the steel rolling mill's staff quarters. The house wasn't large; the elderly couple lived there with their daughter—their eldest son worked in Tangshan, and their second son worked at the Xicheng District Materials Security Bureau, but it was enough for them. After dinner, he was reading the Ministry of Metallurgy's internal newspaper, as usual.

"Knock knock knock," someone suddenly knocked on the door.

His wife came out from the inner room: "Old Yang, go open the door."

Yang Liming raised his eyes: "Can't you go drive it?" Even though he said that, he still put down the newspaper and stood up.

Standing outside the door was Section Chief Huang of the Maintenance Department, followed by Wu Liqun and Zhang Erhe—Wu Liqun was dressed fairly neatly, but Zhang Erhe was covered in mud splatters. Yang Liming saw them and unconsciously frowned slightly. This subtle movement went unnoticed by others, but Zhang Erhe noticed it: it seemed this Factory Director Yang wasn't as consistent as he appeared.

"Old Huang, what's up so late?" Yang Liming's tone was somewhat distant.

Section Chief Huang didn't realize what was going on and was still excited: "Factory Director, we're here to report some good news! Comrades Wu Liqun and Zhang Erhe from the maintenance workshop have developed a well-drilling machine that can help solve the drought problem in rural areas!"

"Oh? It can alleviate the drought in rural areas?"

Yang Liming hadn't paid much attention to what was said before, but the words "rural drought" immediately struck him. He turned to the side, his tone softening considerably: "Old Huang, come in and sit down, don't stand at the door."

Section Chief Huang readily agreed and led Wu Liqun and Zhang Erhe into the house. As soon as they sat down, Yang Liming called out to the inner room, "Yujie! Come out and pour tea for the three masters!"

"Oh, they're here!" came the reply from the inner room. A moment later, Madam Yang came out with hot tea, smiled at the three of them, and then quietly retreated back into the inner room.

Yang Liming took out his cigarette case and handed a cigarette to each of the three men. His gaze returned to Section Chief Huang: "Old Huang, you just said that this well-drilling equipment can really solve the drought. Is that true?"

"Absolutely true!" Section Chief Huang nodded quickly. "I've looked at it carefully. This thing uses little material, is easy to operate, and can be made by just a few people. It's especially suitable for rural areas!"