Courtyard House: Primordial Chaos Pearl

The morning after driving off the man in black jacket, Lin Dong had just finished storing the purified germanium transistors from the chaotic space when He Yuzhu came running over with two steamed buns in his pocket, his excitement still radiant: "Lin Dong, Boss Li from the radio factory sent someone to say he wants to talk to you about OEM manufacturing. He'll be here this afternoon!"

Lin Dong's eyes lit up. The radio factory behind Boss Li was a collective enterprise in the district. If he could get their OEM orders, he could not only produce openly but also avoid the risks of private transactions. "Great, Brother Zhu, go to the hardware market in the south of the city this morning and buy the parts on this list for me. Remember to pick the state-owned factory's goods." He handed over a list of resistors and capacitors, and stuffed in twenty yuan and a few kilograms of grain coupons. "Eat something outside while you're at it, don't skimp on it."

He Yuzhu clutched the money and thumped his chest loudly: "Don't worry, I guarantee I'll handle it perfectly for you!" He now completely took Lin Dong's matter as his own, walking with a swagger—when he stood next to Lin Dong while fighting the thugs yesterday, the people in the compound looked at him with more awe. This feeling of being valued was much more comfortable than being a cook in the cafeteria.

No sooner had He Yuzhu left than Uncle Yan Bugui, the third uncle, approached with a chipped enamel bowl filled with a thin, watery corn porridge. "Lin Dong, busy?" he asked, adjusting his glasses and glancing at the transistors on Lin Dong's desk. "I heard you're getting into making radios? My nephew manages the warehouse at a hardware factory; he can get parts for 20% less than market price. Want me to help you get in touch?"

Lin Dong knew perfectly well that Yan Bugui wasn't trying to save him money; he was clearly trying to take a cut under the guise of "contacting" and might even use substandard parts. "Thank you for your trouble, Uncle. I've already asked Brother Zhu to buy them. They're all ordered from state-owned factories, so the quality is guaranteed," he said with a smile, but his tone left no room for argument.

Yan Bugui's smile froze for a moment, then he said, still unwilling to give up, "What about assembly? My brothers Jie Cheng and Jie Kuang are both clever and can help you. They'll only pay you 50 cents a day, much cheaper than hiring outsiders." "No need to bother, I can manage myself," Lin Dong directly shut him down. Yan Bugui was rebuffed, picked up his bowl, and left dejectedly, muttering, "They don't understand cooperation."

Having just seen Yan Bugui off, Qin Huairu stood at the doorway, holding the child and a mended old garment in her hand. "Brother Lin Dong, I've mended the clothes you took off last time. See if they fit." She smiled gently, but her eyes kept glancing into the house.

Lin Dong took the clothes and casually thanked her. He had deliberately left the clothes outside to see if Qin Huairu would try to get closer to him again. "If Sister Qin has nothing else to do, I still need to pack up some parts, so I won't keep you any longer," he said, giving her the hint that she should leave.

Qin Huairu's smile faded slightly, and she hesitated before saying, "Brother Lin Dong, I heard that the parts for your radio are valuable. Your brother Dongxu used to learn welding in the factory. If you're too busy, he..." "No need," Lin Dong interrupted her directly. "Brother Jia's leg injury hasn't healed yet, he should take good care of himself." Qin Huairu's plan was too clever; she pretended to want Jia Dongxu to learn the technology, but her real intention was to steal the parts.

Qin Huairu, having been rebuffed, turned and walked away with her child in her arms. As she reached the courtyard gate, she bumped into He Yuzhu, who was returning home. Her eyes lit up, and she grabbed He Yuzhu's arm, saying, "Brother Zhu, could you talk to Lin Dong for me and ask Dongxu to help him out? Even if he doesn't pay me, I'll just let him learn a skill."

"Sister Qin, I can't make that decision." He Yuzhu withdrew his hand, his tone stiff. "Last time you asked me to help you inquire about the copper, I couldn't help you. Don't make things difficult for me this time. Besides, if Brother Dongxu really wants to go, wouldn't he tell Lin Dong himself?" He had now completely seen through the Jia family's true colors and no longer wanted to be used as a pawn. Qin Huairu's face turned pale and then red, and she could only watch helplessly as He Yuzhu went into Lin Dong's room.

He Yuzhu unloaded the parts onto the table and said excitedly, "Lin Dong, I haggled with the salesman at the state-owned factory for ages, and not only did I get the goods at the wholesale price, but I also got ten extra capacitors as free gifts!" Lin Dong picked up the parts to check, and they were all genuine high-quality goods. He couldn't help but look at He Yuzhu with new respect—this kid looks rough, but he's quite clever when it comes to getting things done.

Just as the two finished sorting the parts, Liu Haizhong's loud voice came from outside the courtyard gate: "Is Lin Dong home? The comrades from the Industry and Commerce Bureau are here to inspect!" Lin Dong's heart sank. At this time, the inspection was most likely because someone had tipped him off.

Besides Liu Haizhong, two other officials from the Industry and Commerce Bureau, dressed in Zhongshan suits and carrying notebooks, entered the room. "Comrade, we received a report that you are privately producing and selling semiconductor components, which constitutes speculation and profiteering. Please cooperate with the inspection," the leading official said sternly.

Liu Haizhong stood aside with a gloating smile on his face—he was the one who wrote the whistleblower letter. He was jealous of Lin Dong's growing business and wanted to use the industry and commerce team to teach Lin Dong a lesson. If he could ruin Lin Dong's business, he might even be able to seize the parts distribution channels.

"Comrade, I'm not doing speculation; I'm cooperating with the Chengnan Radio Factory." Lin Dong calmly took out the letter of intent for cooperation that Boss Li had given him earlier, and handed over the completed transistor samples. "These are parts that we manufacture for the factory. We have proper cooperation procedures, and we can sign a contract soon."

The official took the letter of intent and examined it carefully. He then picked up the transistor and tested it with an instrument. His expression softened considerably: "The quality of this part is indeed quite good, even better than some of the products from small factories we inspected. But you must be careful, before a formal contract is signed, you cannot mass-produce and sell it privately."

"I understand, these are all samples. We'll wait for confirmation with the factory before production," Lin Dong quickly replied. Just then, a car horn sounded outside, and Boss Li walked in with two technicians. "Comrade Wang, what are you doing here?" Boss Li was quite familiar with the industry and commerce officials and greeted them with a smile. "This Comrade Lin is a partner of our factory; we're about to sign an OEM contract."

Seeing this, Officer Wang was completely relieved: "Since it's Director Li's partner, then it's a misunderstanding. Comrade Lin, just get the formal contract filed with the Industry and Commerce Bureau as soon as possible, and there won't be any problems." After saying that, he left with his men. Liu Haizhong's smile froze, and he followed behind sheepishly, too embarrassed to even say a word.

"Brother Lin, I'm sorry you had to go through this." Boss Li shook Lin Dong's hand. "I originally wanted to sign the contract directly, but something came up on the way." The technician he brought took the transistor Lin Dong had made, tested it, and exclaimed, "Director Li, the stability of this transistor is even higher than our factory's products. Using it to make a radio set will definitely produce excellent sound quality!"

Boss Li's eyes lit up, and he immediately made a decision: "Brother Lin, we not only need your parts, but we also need you to assemble the whole machine for us! We'll give you eight yuan per unit as a processing fee, and we'll order fifty units for the first batch, how about that?" Fifty units would be four hundred yuan, and Lin Dong immediately agreed: "No problem, I guarantee delivery within ten days."

After signing the contract, Boss Li left a deposit and the radio blueprints, then left with his technician. He Yuzhu rubbed his hands excitedly: "Lin Dong, we're officially connected with a state-owned factory! We don't have to worry about gossip anymore!"

"This is just the beginning," Lin Dong said with a smile. "Brother Zhu, you're in charge of coordinating with the factory, and I'll handle production. Let's get these fifty units up and running first, build up our reputation, and then business will grow." He spread the blueprints on the table, scanned them with the Chaos Bead, and immediately saw the detailed assembly steps in his mind. He even optimized the structure of several parts that were prone to malfunction.

To improve efficiency, Lin Dong entered the Chaos Space and used the Chaos Bead's "mass shaping" function to produce core components. The previously purified lead-zinc ore was used to make the outer shell, and germanium was used to make the transistors. In less than half a day, fifty sets of core components were completed. He moved the components to the yard, where He Yuzhu had already set up a simple assembly table according to his requirements.

The two divided the work: Lin Dong was responsible for soldering the core circuitry, while He Yuzhu was responsible for assembling the casing and debugging. Although He Yuzhu had never learned to assemble a radio before, he was very hands-on and learned after Lin Dong taught him only twice. Seeing how hard they were working, no one dared to come and cause trouble—no one wanted to get involved in a business that even the industry and commerce officials approved.

Standing at her doorstep, Jia Zhangshi looked at the pile of parts in the yard, muttering curses under her breath, but dared not approach. Qin Huairu, holding her child, looked on with envy but could only watch. Uncle Yan Bugui wanted to help, but Lin Dong refused, citing the need for "professional skills," which angered him so much that he went back inside and complained to Yan Jiecheng for a long time.

On the fifth day of assembly, Lin Dong discovered that two transistors were missing. His heart sank; he knew someone had stolen them. He didn't make a fuss. Instead, he placed two marked transistors among the remaining parts, then deliberately said in the yard, "We're short of parts; we need to go to the hardware store to get more," before pretending to leave.

Sure enough, not long after, Jia Dongxu sneaked over to the assembly table, grabbed two transistors, and stuffed them into his pocket. Lin Dong emerged from the shadows and blocked his way. "Brother Jia, here to 'pick up' stuff again?" Lin Dong said coldly.

Jia Dongxu jumped in fright, dropping the transistor to the ground. Hearing the commotion, Jia Zhangshi ran out. Seeing Lin Dong, she was about to throw a tantrum again, but Lin Dong preemptively said, "Aunt Jia, these transistors are parts for a state-owned factory. If one is missing, we have to pay ten yuan. The two your son stole are worth twenty yuan. Either you pay, or I'll tell the factory to call the police."

Twenty yuan was no small sum for the Jia family, and Jia Zhangshi's face changed instantly. Jia Dongxu was so frightened that he quickly begged for forgiveness: "Brother Lin Dong, I was wrong. I was just curious and wanted to see what this thing was. I didn't steal it on purpose."

"Being curious doesn't mean you can steal from a state-owned factory," Lin Dong said. "I'll let it slide this time because we're neighbors, but you have to return the transistors and clean up my assembly station. If this happens again, I'll call the police."

Jia Dongxu nodded hurriedly, picked up the transistor and handed it to Lin Dong, then obediently tidied up the assembly station. Jia Zhangshi stood aside, her face pale with anger, but dared not say another word—she was really afraid that Lin Dong would take the matter to the police station, and then Jia Dongxu would lose his job.

Having resolved the Jia family's troubles, Lin Dong and He Yuzhu sped up the assembly process. Thanks to the optimized parts from the Chaos Pearl, the radio assembly went exceptionally smoothly. On the eighth day, all fifty radios were assembled. Boss Li, accompanied by his technicians, came to inspect them. After testing, they were full of praise: "Brother Lin, the sound quality of these radios is even better than those produced in our factory! From now on, we'll have you manufacture all our radios!"

After settling the final payment, Boss Li signed a contract with Lin Dong to manufacture 100 radios and also recommended Lin Dong's radios to other factories. With the money in hand, Lin Dong felt more confident—he now not only had stable orders but also legitimate cooperation channels, and no longer needed to hide.

That evening, Lin Dong invited He Yuzhu to a small restaurant. After a few rounds of drinks, He Yuzhu said, "Lin Dong, I want to quit my job at the cafeteria and work with you. Following you will give me more prospects than just coasting along in the cafeteria."

Lin Dong paused for a moment, then nodded. "Brother Zhu, I was just about to tell you this. Business is getting bigger and bigger, and I can't handle it all by myself. If you quit your job, you can come and help me manage production and distribution. The monthly salary is sixty yuan, how about it?" Sixty yuan was almost double He Yuzhu's salary in the cafeteria, and He Yuzhu was so excited he almost cried. "Lin Dong, don't worry, I'll be your right-hand man from now on, and I'll never let you down!"

Back in the courtyard house, Lin Dong had just entered when he saw Yi Zhonghai standing at his doorway. "Lin Dong, come here for a moment," Yi Zhonghai said sternly, with a hint of elder's authority. Lin Dong followed him into the house, a little puzzled—Yi Zhonghai rarely approached him first.

"Lin Dong, it's a good thing that your business has grown so much now." Yi Zhonghai poured Lin Dong a cup of tea. "But you must remember that in a courtyard house, you can't be too flamboyant. Although the Jia family and Second Uncle have their flaws, they are all neighbors. You'll see them all the time. Don't let things get too tense."

Lin Dong understood. Yi Zhonghai was afraid that his assertiveness would disrupt the relationships within the compound and affect his plan to provide for Jia Dongxu's retirement. "Uncle, I understand. I've never provoked them; they're always the ones who come looking for trouble. As long as they don't bother me, I definitely won't cause them any trouble."

Yi Zhonghai nodded, his tone softening: "You're a capable kid, better than all the young people in the compound. If you ever have any difficulties, just let me know." Lin Dong knew this was just Yi Zhonghai being polite, so he thanked him politely and went back inside.

Back inside, Lin Dong entered the Chaos Space. With the money he earned, he built a simple production workshop in the space and added some small machine tools—with the help of the Chaos Pearl, he could not only make radios in the future, but also make more hardware products.

He then took out the germanium element he had brought back from the mine, purified it using the Chaos Bead, and made several higher-precision transistors. He knew that the current radio market was just the beginning; in the future, there would be televisions, tape recorders, and other electronic products. Mastering core technologies in advance was essential to gaining a foothold in the market.

After cultivating the "Chaotic Body Refining Technique" for two hours, Lin Dong felt that the chaotic power within his body had become much stronger, and he was getting closer and closer to the third level. He opened his eyes, looked at the lights of the courtyard outside the window, and a smile appeared on his lips.

He's no longer the pushover he once was. With the Chaos Pearl as his cheat code, He Yuzhu as his reliable partner, and the cooperative channels of the state-owned factory, his business will only grow bigger and bigger. The disputes in the courtyard have become minor episodes in his life.

His goal is to build his own business empire in this unique era, so that those who once bullied him can only look up to him. And all of this is just the beginning.