Courtyard House: Starting as a mediocre engineer

This should be Zhuang Zhongchen's first paper. It certainly needs to be substantial and original. But it also can't be divorced from reality and produce some kind of castle in the air.

After some thought, Zhuang Zhongchen decided to write a paper on the classification standards for bulletproof vests, following the later GB standards: How many levels should bulletproof vests be classified into? Why should they be classified in this way? Is there any merit to this classification?

These outline-style papers might seem difficult, right? Actually, they're not that hard. They're just explanations of principles and theoretical calculations, aren't they?

But to say it has no scientific research value? Not necessarily. It's like an article with a pre-existing outline. Future researchers can follow this outline to develop new materials, essentially filling in the blanks as they go.

In any case, that was the later GB standard, which had been reviewed and approved by an expert group. The formulation of national standards is also a very important research achievement.

To put it bluntly, getting published in top journals might be a bit difficult. But if you submit to a regular journal, you'll almost certainly get some space.

Of course, some mediocre engineer, inspired by ancient armor, conducted research on bulletproof vests. This research approach is quite reasonable, isn't it?

It should be said that this type of paper is relatively simple. Therefore, Zhuang Zhongchen completed the paper a few days later.

However, after sending it out, Zhuang Zhongchen suddenly had a new idea—since it's armor, and bulletproof vests are like armor on a person, why not "wear armor" on armored vehicles as well?

Isn't this just reactive armor? The principle is also incredibly simple. Furthermore, reactive armor played a crucial role in later wars. In other words, this invention withstood the test of war.

Then I might as well write another paper; maybe I can get two royalties. You guys have no idea how much fun research people have with low-quality papers!

……

And so, Zhuang Zhongchen became healthier, and he sent out two papers before forgetting about the matter.

Just these past few days, another joyous occasion has occurred in the courtyard: Wu Xiaoya gave birth to a son, named He Xiaojun. In any case, the original plot has already been completely altered beyond recognition.

Inside the room, Zhuang Zhongchen held Huaihua and happily fed her a piece of milk candy. The little girl danced with joy.

Qin Huairu glared at him, annoyed. "Chenzi, why is Shazhu acting like this? He's not home to take care of Xiaoya again today."

"Isn't there rainwater in the house? You all know that Zhu Zi works outside as a cook; he hasn't even paid off the debts from his wedding yet."

"You should spend more time with your wives. You men are all the same, all you know is how to have fun in bed, you don't care about the children after they're born. Humph!"

Zhuang Zhongchen was amused; it turned out the pretty widow was using this as an excuse to make a fuss. Ever since Wen Yumei started visiting frequently, Bai Lianhua had become a little restless.

"There are eggs and brown sugar in the drawer. Please deliver them to Zhu Zi's wife."

"Why should I run errands?"

"Are you expecting me, a grown man, to deliver them? Oh, there are quite a few; you can keep some for yourself."

"Hmph, don't try to bribe me. I won't fall for that."

"Oh, right! There's another 20 yuan underneath. Five yuan is for the little girl's New Year's money, and 15 yuan is for the older girl."

Qin Huairu chuckled: "You're talking nonsense. I won't be bought off with money!"

"I understand, I understand, our love is stronger than gold."

"Pah! Who said we're 'us'? How could I have been so blinded by your sweet talk back then? Hmph, you'd better not betray me and Huaihua in the future!"

"I know, I know."

After a while of coaxing, Qin Huairu stopped when she saw she was getting the better of her: "Chenzi, I heard you're planning to start decorating your new house?"

Zhuang Zhongchen smiled and nodded: "After spring! I've already spoken to the housing management office, and they'll arrange a few experienced workers to build a few kitchens and storage rooms on the porch, and then expand the backyard with a cellar."

"Oh? You must have a lot of work to do?"

"It's alright. It's just that the backyard wall will be widened a bit. They'll probably also add a small gate, which will make it much easier for us to meet up."

"Pah! You shameless bastard, who would have a secret rendezvous with you!"

"..."

However, just after the Spring Festival, Zhuang Zhongchen received a notice from his superiors that he would be sent to the cadre training team for full-time study.

Actually, the cadre training team, whose later name should be quite familiar—the Party School's section-level class—has a very military connotation in its current form, which is a rather unique characteristic of its era.

In those days, cadres at the section chief level like Zhuang Zhongchen typically had to rotate through cadre training programs. As mentioned before, unlike later junior section chiefs, there were also sub-section-level cadres at this time. Therefore, the section chief rank held a relatively high status, just one step away from the division chief rank—a near-perfect peak.

Furthermore, to be promoted to the division-level cadre position, one must have attended a cadre training course. In other words, promotion to the division-level is not guaranteed, but one must be qualified.

As everyone should know, division-level cadres are now considered senior cadres. They are completely different from ordinary cadres at the lower levels, and their appointments are not simply made on a whim by superiors. They require qualifications, diplomas, professional skills, work performance, and so on, including further education and training.

Don't be misled by TV dramas and movies, which portray cadres of that era as uncultured and uneducated. In reality, there were plenty of training classes, guaranteed to keep you studying until you're exhausted.

Another point is the distinction between ordinary and senior cadres. Some might wonder, how could a junior section chief become a senior cadre?

That's true; a division-level cadre is the lowest level among senior cadres. But what can you do? There's no such thing as a "middle-level cadre" designation.

Furthermore, in Beijing, which local hadn't squeezed into the market, drunk and chatted with officials at the division level? Otherwise, they'd be too embarrassed to go out and greet them.

However, in other places, the level of a division chief is equivalent to that of a county or regimental commander. If you encounter a county head or regimental commander, aren't they high-ranking officials?

Without a doubt, since it was a cadre training team, it would be under military-style management. Zhuang Zhongchen needed to take two months off from work to study, and his schedule was packed with courses.

"Hello students, today I will be giving a report on the latest international situation..."

It's quite interesting. The retired cadre giving the report was indeed very informative and captivating. However, he spoke entirely in a local dialect and couldn't speak Mandarin at all, requiring his secretary to translate.

Holy crap! This is the first time I've ever seen someone bring a translator when giving a report for domestic audiences?

Fortunately, Zhuang Zhongchen was already at language level 2, so he could understand the dialect quite well. Therefore, he didn't have any difficulty listening to the lecture.

However, Zhuang Zhongchen didn't realize that his attentive listening immediately stood out amidst the bewildered expressions of almost all the other students. This quickly caught the attention of the older cadre…