The door of the courtyard house has been welded dead

Summer has passed, but the lingering heat of late summer still lingers in Beijing.

In the early years of economic reform, everything was geared towards economic development.

At the exit of Beijing Railway Station, the number of street vendors is increasing at a visible rate, and the number of passengers is experiencing an explosive growth.

After several years of promotion, individual businesses are no longer hiding themselves as they used to be; they have emerged one by one and are showing vigorous vitality.

Money, everything revolves around money. This applies to ordinary people watching their wealth gradually accumulate, and even to the national level, where everyone is trying to secure their precious foreign exchange reserves.

As China gradually opened its doors, the number of foreigners curious about the mysterious Eastern culture began to increase. In the streets and alleys of Beijing, there were many foreigners with cameras hanging around their necks, taking pictures everywhere.

At first, the elderly people in the communities were quite wary of the blond, blue-eyed foreigner who liked to take pictures everywhere. Their deep-rooted anti-spy mentality led to quite a few funny incidents.

In order to improve the city's image and appearance, leave a good impression on foreign tourists, and attract more visitors, urban construction and management teams have been established one after another.

"Workers' Stadium, is there one more? We're just one short, one more, we'll leave as soon as we're one short!"

"Haidian, Haidian! People who have arrived in Haidian, look this way!"

"Accommodation, accommodation, it's two yuan a night, two yuan!"

"Candied hawthorn berries! Crispy and sweet candied hawthorn berries!"

As Jin Kailai stepped out of the station, his ears were immediately filled with countless shouts from the square, as if he had entered a vegetable market.

Jin Kailai, with his neatly shaved short hair, froze on the spot, almost dropping the bag he was carrying to the ground.

"Soda, ice-cold soda!"

"Popsicle, creamy popsicle, it's three mao (30 cents) now!"

The station square was packed with people, so many that it was no exaggeration to say that people were packed together.

The square in front of the station was completely filled with hawkers shouting their wares, individual vendors soliciting customers, and other miscellaneous popsicle stalls.

"What's wrong, Jin Ying...!"

The young men following behind looked at the battalion commander, who was leading the team on official business, and asked him curiously.

"Is this still the capital? Why are there so many street vendors here...!"

Jin Kailai couldn't remember how many years he had been away from Beijing. He joined the army in 1962 and was promoted to officer in 1967 to study at the Jinling Artillery School.

I never imagined that more than a decade later, Beijing would look like this.

It's not because there are too many people. It's normal for Beijing train stations to be crowded; it would be strange if there weren't many people. But the commercial atmosphere outside is just...

Jin Kailai shrugged, unable to suppress a laugh, and touched his short hair. After so many years, revisiting this place was still quite visually impactful for him.

To be honest, Beijing Railway Station hasn't changed much. Even the plaza in front of the station still retains some traces of its former self. But those shouts and calls were nowhere to be heard back then.

At most, it's just a few porters asking if you need help with your luggage.

"Isn't that how it is now? The train station in my hometown is the same. You can't come here without connections!"

"That's because I'm so naive. When I left, there weren't nearly as many vendors in this square!"

Jin Kailai let out a long sigh. After his family moved to the military base in the south, he hadn't been back to his hometown much. He hadn't realized that the changes in the outside world were much greater than he had imagined.

"There are plenty of them. In Hangzhou, when people enlisted in the army, some would sneak onto the platform to sell melon seeds and peanuts!"

"Isn't anyone going to arrest them?"

"The city management officers are here!"

Jin Kailai looked puzzled, and before anyone could answer, a gust of wind seemed to blow through the square in front of the station.

As soon as a shout rang out, the vendors in the square in front of the station scattered in the blink of an eye.

The middle-aged man on the bicycle carrying a box of popsicles, the old woman pushing a cart selling soda, and the young man carrying candied hawthorns all scattered in an instant.

"It really needs to be addressed, otherwise, the roads will be so congested you won't be able to move!"

With the touts gone, both passengers entering and exiting the station felt that things were much smoother.

"Hey guys, you look like soldiers. Need a taxi? There are five of you, and it's hard to even squeeze onto a bus, let alone here where it's cool!"

On a tricycle parked outside the square, Liu Lei leaned out of the window with his elbows resting on it, asking a few people who had just exited the station a question.

"How did you tell?"

"The presence is different. Just by standing there, I can tell you're from the military at a glance. Come on up, I know the military guesthouse like the back of my hand!"

Minivans have begun to appear on the streets of Beijing, but their numbers still can't compare to those of three-wheeled motorcycles. Jin Kailai, carrying luggage, glanced at the crowded bus stop and decided to lead the group onto a three-wheeled vehicle. "Which guesthouse?"

Having received another order, Liu Lei stood up, kicked his right leg, and turned around to ask.

"If we don't go to the guesthouse, are you familiar with Factory 787 in Dongzhimen?"

Jin Kailai still remembered the fare for a three-wheeled taxi in Beijing. He took out some banknotes from his pocket, counted out the change, and stuffed it into the fare box.

"One piece is missing, but never mind. Judging from your trip to Factory 787, you're obviously on a mission. I'll send it over to you!"

If they were going to other places, not a single penny could be missing. These guys were clearly from the military, and they were going to Factory 787, so Liu Lei didn't worry too much about it.

"How come you, a taxi driver, know everything and can see everything?"

"Just kidding. To make a living in Beijing, you have to be good at spotting things. Factory 787 is a military factory, and you guys are from the military. You'll be on a mission there!"

"However, I heard that the factory is moving soon. Sigh, in a few years, it won't be Dongzhimen anymore!"

Twisting the accelerator, Liu Lei chatted merrily with the passengers in the carriage. He knew quite a bit about what was going on at the factory.

"Move?"

Jin Kailai was unaware of this news. He never expected that this trip back would be the last time he would see the factory.

Things have changed, people have changed. It really is true that things have changed. When I left the factory back then, although I didn't stay for long, I never thought that there would be a day when we would move away.

"It seems like it's going to be merged into some Norinco industrial company. I don't know the specifics, I just heard it from others. Anyway, the factory's land there is too small. As for where it will be moved, I don't know!"

By observing Jin Kailai's micro-expressions through the rearview mirror above his head, Liu Lei felt that this man must have been to the factory; he couldn't fake that moment of astonishment.

"Tu tu tu tu~!"

The three-wheeled vehicle drove all the way to the gate of Factory 787, dropped the group off, and Liu Lei asked the guard for a glass of cold water. Looking at the huge factory area, he smacked his lips, wondering what his cousin was going to do next.

From its predecessor, the steel rolling mill, to its current size as Factory 787, it can be said that Hongxing Factory was built up single-handedly by his cousin.

As the scale grows, the number of workers also increases, but correspondingly, once it reaches a certain size, there is not enough land.

The red five-pointed star at the top of the factory gate still stands in the same place as before. Jin Kailai, holding his ID, handed it to the guard in the gatehouse and stared blankly at this familiar scene.

Over the years, not only have people's appearances changed, but the factory has also changed, just like people, it has aged.

Compared to the office buildings that have sprung up outside, it looks like a relic of the past.

After the documents were checked, the side door opened, and Jin Kailai led his men into the military factory, which appeared quite mysterious to outsiders.

"There have been some changes, but not many!"

As the factory area came into view, Jin Kailai looked around and felt as if he had returned to the scene when he was studying here. He couldn't help but mutter to himself.

The old factory buildings may look rather unimpressive, but as a modern artilleryman, you should know about this factory.

"Battalion Commander, you studied here back then?"

"This is Factory 787. So all the vehicle-mounted artillery in our regiment must have been produced here. It just looks a bit old, though?"

One question after another, Jin Kailai did not answer. It was this factory that helped him open the door to the world of artillery and enter a new field.

It was this factory that gave wings to the artillery, and it was this factory that earned the nickname "Red Rock Divine Cannon" there.

Of course, in Jin Kailai's view, who had studied in the renovation workshop, the honorary title of "Hongyan Divine Cannon" was a huge advantage that Hongyan Automobile Factory had taken from Hongxing Factory.

The car factory only produced off-road trucks, but the vehicle-mounted artillery was made by the Red Star Factory. It only gained a huge advantage because the truck artillery had the words "Red Rock" on its front.

Li Feng smiled slightly, not caring at all.

"This honor is already too much for our factory. Hongyan Factory has also made contributions. Without their off-road trucks, there would be no vehicle-mounted artillery. Without their supply of production capacity, the artillery's deployment would have been delayed. The two factories complement each other and are inseparable."

Sitting in his office, Li Feng didn't even need to raise his hand. The walls and all around him were covered with various honors, awards, and even photos of Factory 787's products at the military parade.

It's common knowledge in the military industry that the Hongyan Factory couldn't manufacture cannons, so the honor of having a few legendary cannons was simply given to them.

"Director Li, is the factory really moving?"

Jin Kailai was awestruck by the honors displayed on the walls. Facing Secretary Li from back then, he asked in a daze, "Across from the military factory, I share a special and inseparable bond with Jinling Artillery School."

"The reforms are about to begin, gradually deepening. Factories like Hongyan Factory, Factory 447, and our Factory 787 will be merged into a group for unified management, which is not necessarily a bad thing. However, whether we can build a modern new factory in the future depends on you guys!"

"Tomorrow, you will be responsible for receiving some 'special' guests. We need to earn valuable foreign exchange from them!" (End of Chapter)