Courtyard House: Starting as a mediocre engineer

From Director Pei's perspective, he certainly wanted to achieve something. After all, the leading group couldn't keep doing such piecemeal work.

In addition, there was Zhuang Zhongchen as a technical advisor. Since the higher-ups had already appointed him, it couldn't be a mere formality. At the very least, they had to trust him. Therefore, they approved 5 yuan in research funding.

You can't expect a horse to run fast without feeding it. If Zhuang Zhongchen is truly incapable, then there will be no future; but if he can produce results, then we can keep increasing the investment.

Of course, this 5 yuan funding also needs to be approved, and it must be for a valuable project!

Returning to the topic of three-wheeled vehicles, do they actually have any value?

After thinking for a while, Director Pei quickly made a judgment.

Firstly, there was indeed a prototype of a motorized tricycle, which Zhuang Zhongchen personally modified. Therefore, this project wasn't just a spur-of-the-moment idea, and the probability of success was relatively high.

Secondly, there's the option of using a gun as a cover. There are precedents and proven successes, making it quite convincing. And the price isn't expensive; it's basically just a sidecar motorcycle.

Finally, the important role of the leading group should be highlighted.

In fact, the leading group didn't have its own factory. They integrated all the factories in Beijing and concentrated their efforts on research and development. The three-wheeled motorcycle project was such a project. If they relied on a single factory to do it alone, they couldn't even guarantee funding and technical capabilities.

That's why we absolutely need our leader!

To put it bluntly, even if the attempt to hijack the vehicle fails, producing a three-wheeled motorcycle wouldn't be bad. After all, isn't it a transport vehicle? With a bit of luck, a new three-wheeled motorcycle factory might even be built in Beijing, rivaling the Beijing Automobile Factory.

Thinking of this, Director Pei smiled and said, "Xiao Zhuang, let's file the record first. You can start the preparatory work; you'll get 1 yuan in funding. If it's not enough to make a prototype, you can apply for more later. Oh, by the way, find someone who can draw. You can forget about it yourself, but please revise these drawings first! What kind of rubbish are these?"

"Okay! Thank you, Director Pei."

"Okay, then you can go ahead and get busy!"

"..."

Every beginning is difficult. Zhuang Zhongchen at least got off to a good start. The most crucial thing wasn't the 1 yuan funding, but that the project had been registered. Of course, project registration doesn't mean formal project approval; there are still many uncertainties involved.

However, as for how to initiate a project? Zhuang Zhongchen was extremely familiar with this kind of thing. Wasn't this just organizing a gathering? That was definitely one of his strengths.

Before his transmigration, Zhuang Zhongchen couldn't possibly be familiar with all the equipment, nor could he have all the connections. He needed a large group of capable people to cooperate and coordinate, with everyone working together to set up the event. Each person had their own role and earned their own money. And because of Zhuang Zhongchen's advantages, he would usually become the head of this temporary organization, playing the role of boss and core member.

Although the historical contexts differ, the principles of organizing a gathering are the same. Undoubtedly, the first step is to paint a grand picture, creating a PowerPoint presentation so beautiful it's blinding... Holy crap!

That's true. It seems it was indeed my oversight; those few exterior design drawings were very important!

After completing the registration procedures, Zhuang Zhongchen returned to the courtyard house. Suddenly seeing the women chatting in the yard, he quickly asked, "Sister Qin, can you paint?"

"Huh?" Qin Huairu's big, bright eyes blinked, revealing a pure and innocent expression.

"Then forget it. What do you ladies think?"

"Chenzi, I can draw shoe patterns, do you want some?" The women laughed heartily.

"No, it's just drawing, and it has to be beautiful. Do you understand art? Oh, rain?"

"Brother Chenzi, don't look for me. I've never gotten a 'good' in art class since I was little. My classmate Yu Haitang, on the other hand, is the class representative for art."

"Isn't she the music class representative?"

"That was after she started junior high school. She had a good voice, so she learned to recite poetry later."

"Chenzi, why don't you go to Sister Cheng in the front yard? Everyone in our alley who does embroidery gets their patterns from her, right? Go over there and flirt with her a bit; with your looks, maybe you won't even have to pay for the patterns!"

"Don't talk nonsense. Do you think I'd need that little bit of drawing fee?"

"Who knows? You can give it a try! Hehehe!"

The moment the topic turned to lewd talk, these women would become excited and their faces would light up, bursting into laughter. What they loved most was teasing "naive young men" like Zhuang Zhongchen.

In the nearby alleys, Sister Cheng was quite a celebrity. Her needlework was exceptional, especially her embroidery skills. She was also frequently helpful, though she would charge a token fee for it. Therefore, she was generally well-liked.

But Sister Cheng's reputation wasn't so good. Rumor had it she was keeping several men on the side.

That said, while moral conduct is highly valued these days, catching someone cheating is extremely difficult. It's essential to catch them in the act; even one person escaping is unacceptable. Furthermore, if the family doesn't pursue the matter, it's very difficult for bystanders to intervene or learn the details. Especially in cases like Cheng's wife's, her husband is an honest man, and they've been married for many years without children… wait a minute?

A sudden inspiration struck Zhuang Zhongchen, as if he had grasped some key point. But then he thought that drawing was still the most important thing right now, so he would put it aside for the time being.

Just then, Banggeng ran over excitedly: "Uncle Chenzi, you were looking for me? I'm really good at drawing!"

Qin Huairu glared at her son and slapped him away: "Stop messing around, your sunrise drawing looks like a salted duck egg."

"Mom, I don't have any. Didn't you say you couldn't find your crayons?"

"Huh? Where did my new crayons go?"

"No... Grandma. Mom's going to hit me."

"Huai Ru, kids are always so forgetful. Don't scare my precious grandson!"

"Mom, just keep spoiling her! Humph."

"..."

Amidst the laughter, Lou Xiao'e smiled shyly: "Chenzi, what do you want to draw? If it's not too complicated, maybe I can help."

"Oh, you studied this before?"

"My family had an art teacher when I was a child."

"That's great. Louzi, you can definitely do it."

"Not necessarily," Lou Xiao'e said with a smile, covering her mouth.

Zhuang Zhongchen almost forgot that there was a young lady living in the courtyard. She might not be very good at formal courses, but she must have been trained in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

……

Inside the room, a man and a woman were having a heated discussion.

"Louzi, the car's shape is indeed like this. But I want to make a change, it's just... I don't know how to describe it, it's just cuter."

"Cute? It's just a tricycle, isn't it?"

"Yes! The colors are brighter, and the design is more exaggerated. The headlights look like big eyes. It looks..."

"Hey, you seem to have a lot of demands! Should we add a few more whiskers and draw it as a little tiger?"

"Hey, that's a good idea. This military version definitely needs to be drawn to look more imposing."

"Hmph. Chenzi, do you know how annoying you are? You nag like a girl."

"It's on me! Two meals! You can also order other dishes."

"Tch. That's more like it. Hehe."

"..."