Courtyard House: A Major Power's Heavy Industry, Hand-Crafted Nuclear Fusion

Time: Spring, 2036.

Location: Memorial Hall of the Former Courtyard Site of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, Beijing.

Three months after the Luan Bird spacecraft successfully landed on the far side of the moon, Su Zheng returned to his long-lost courtyard house.

To be precise, it is the site of a traditional courtyard house.

This old courtyard, which has witnessed the industrial development of modern China, was listed as a national-level cultural relic protection unit as early as twenty years ago. The government invested heavily in its renovation and transformed it into the "Master Craftsmen Memorial Hall," which is open to the public free of charge.

Su Zheng pushed open the familiar red-lacquered gate and stepped into the courtyard.

Everything is just as I remember it, yet everything is different.

The stone table and benches in the courtyard are still there, but a transparent screen is embedded in the tabletop, playing videos of the residents' lives in the courtyard back then.

The old locust tree in the backyard is over a hundred years old, its trunk so thick that it takes three people to encircle it. Under the tree stands a stone tablet, engraved with the names of all the previous residents of the courtyard.

Yi Zhonghai, an old lady, a deaf old woman, He Yuzhu, Qin Huairu, Jia Zhangshi, Banggeng, Xu Damao, Liu Haizhong, Yan Bugui...

Su Zheng and Ye Xinyi's names were also engraved in the most prominent position.

"Old Su."

The curator of the memorial hall came to greet us. He was a middle-aged man in his forties, surnamed Wang.

"Today is a special day," said Director Wang. "We received news that the deaf old lady's great-granddaughter is coming to visit. Do you remember the deaf old lady?"

Su Zheng certainly remembered.

The old lady who kept saying "There aren't many decent people left in our courtyard" was one of the few people who were genuinely kind to him when he first transmigrated to this world.

"She passed away when she was ninety-eight," Su Zheng said softly. "Before she left, she kept saying she wanted to see the large airplane I built."

"She saw it." Director Wang pointed to a wall in the exhibition hall. "Look, this is a photo from 1985, taken during the maiden flight of the Y-20 prototype. The deaf elderly lady was in a wheelchair, being pushed to the airport viewing platform by you. In the photo, she's smiling very happily."

Su Zheng walked over and carefully examined the yellowed photograph.

The deaf old woman in the photo was so thin she was just skin and bones, but her cloudy eyes shone with a childlike light. She pointed at the huge transport plane in the sky, her mouth wide open, as if to say, "I knew it! Xiao Su could do it!"

"And then there's He Yuzhu," Director Wang continued. "Silly Zhu later opened a restaurant, and it became a huge success. He said his proudest moment was cooking for you in the cafeteria back then."

"Where is Qin Huairu?" Su Zheng asked.

"She..." Director Wang hesitated for a moment, "She didn't have a good life in her later years. Banggeng went to jail for fraud, and Xiaodang and Huaihua cut off all ties with her. She lived alone in a nursing home and passed away in 2015. Before she died, she asked someone to send you a message."

"What did you say?"

"She said that if she could live her life again, she would never have treated you that way. She said you are the only person in the courtyard who truly understands life."

Su Zheng fell silent.

He remembered the pretty widow who always cried and begged him for money, her pitiful eyes, and how she would stop at nothing to help her child.

Perhaps she isn't a bad person.

They were simply deformed by the weight of that era, by poverty, and by the burdens of life.

Where is Xu Damao?

"He's living a pretty comfortable life," Director Wang chuckled. "He made a fortune in business after the reform and opening up, married several wives, and had a bunch of kids. But in his later years, he developed Alzheimer's and forgot everyone's names except for you. Every time he sees your news on TV, he points at the screen and says, 'That's Su Zheng, Su Zheng from our institute!'"

Su Zheng shook his head.

This is the essence of life in all its forms.

He walked slowly through the exhibition hall, looking at the photos and artifacts on the walls.

That was his Level 8 fitter certificate, the first blueprint he designed, and the first National Science and Technology Progress Award medal he received…

There was also a letter, written to him by Ye Xinyi.

The letter paper has yellowed, but the handwriting is still clear:

"Brother Zheng, by the time you read this letter, I may no longer be here."

Don't be sad, we've been together for seventy years, which is luckier than most people.

The thing I'm most proud of in my life is not becoming a university professor, nor teaching so many students, but marrying you.

You showed me the best version of a woman: not someone who depends on others, but someone who stands shoulder to shoulder with you, working together to create a better world.

Promise me you will live a long life, and watch our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren build China into an even stronger nation.

Will you come and be with me after you've fulfilled all your dreams?

My beloved, who will always love you.

Su Zheng's eyes welled up with tears.

He reached out and gently stroked the letter, as if he could feel Ye Xinyi's warmth.

"My heart..." he murmured, "I'm not finished yet. Just a little bit more. Once I take them out of the solar system, I'll come and join you, okay?"

No one answered.

Only when the spring breeze blows through the courtyard do the locust tree leaves rustle.

Just then, footsteps were heard outside the exhibition hall.

A young girl walked in. She was wearing simple cotton clothes, had her hair in a ponytail, and had big eyes. She looked a lot like the deaf old lady when she was young.

"Hello, Grandpa Su," the girl said nervously. "My name is Li Xiaohua, and I'm the great-granddaughter of the deaf old lady. My great-grandmother always talked about you, saying you were the most successful person in our neighborhood. Today, I came all the way from my hometown to see with my own eyes the place where my great-grandmother lived."

"Your great-grandmother was a good person," Su Zheng said gently. "She taught me many things."

"She always spoke highly of you." Li Xiaohua took a small box out of her bag. "This is a keepsake left to me by my great-grandmother. She said that if she ever had the chance to meet you, she would personally give it to you."

Su Zheng took the box, opened it, and found a pair of handmade cloth shoes inside.

The soles of the shoes are covered with dense stitches, and a small flower is embroidered on the upper.

"My great-grandmother said these shoes were made for her son when she was young," Li Xiaohua said. "Her son died in the Korean War, and she never wanted to throw them away. Before she passed away, she said she wanted to give them to you because you were like her son."

Su Zheng's throat tightened.

He gripped the cloth shoes tightly, as if holding onto a bygone era.

"Thank her for me," he said softly. "Tell her I will cherish these shoes. One day, I will take them beyond the solar system, so the whole universe will know that there once was a kind old Chinese woman who, with her own hands, mended warmth for this world."

Li Xiaohua nodded vigorously, tears streaming down her face.

Su stayed in the courtyard until dusk.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the blue bricks and gray tiles, bathing the entire courtyard in a golden hue.

He stood in the courtyard, looking around, and familiar faces flashed through his mind.

Yi Zhonghai, that kind-hearted man who only wanted to support himself in his old age;

He Yuzhu, that stubborn but soft-hearted fool;

Qin Huairu, that widow who would stop at nothing to have her child;

Xu Damao, that selfish and despicable man;

And there was the deaf old lady, that kind and gentle old woman…

They are all gone.

Su Zheng is still alive.

He rose from an ordinary fitter to become a master craftsman who has changed the world.

But he never forgot his origins, nor the people and events in that courtyard.

It was these ordinary people and their mundane lives that made him understand what "the people" and "the nation" meant.

Ultimately, everything he did was to enable the people of this land to live with more dignity and hope.

Goodbye, courtyard house.

Su Zheng said softly.

He turned and walked out the door without looking back.

Because he knew that there were more important things waiting for him in the future.

The vast universe is his final destination.

Time: Autumn, 2045.

Location: Outside Neptune's orbit, at the edge of the Oort cloud.

The flagship of the Chinese interstellar exploration fleet, the "Pangu," is traveling towards the edge of the solar system at one-hundredth the speed of light.

This is the first truly interstellar spacecraft in human history.

It is five kilometers long, carries 10,000 crew members, and is equipped with advanced nuclear fusion engines, antimatter thrusters, and a prototype of the "warp engine" provided by the system.

The spacecraft has a complete ecological cycle system inside, which can sustain itself for hundreds of years of travel.

Its target is Proxima Centauri—the closest star system to our solar system, 4.24 light-years away.

According to the plan, the spacecraft will take forty years to reach Proxima Centauri, where humanity will establish its first extrasolar colony.

Su Zheng stood on the bridge of the flagship, gazing at the distant starry sky through the huge observation window.

He is 115 years old.

By normal lifespan, he should have been buried long ago. But the life extension technology provided by the system kept his physical functions at a level of around sixty years old, enough to support him in completing this epic voyage.

"Old Su."

The captain approached; he was a young man in his thirties named Zhang Weiguo. He was Su Zheng's great-grandson and had aspired to become an interstellar explorer since childhood.

"All systems have been checked, and the warp drive is warmed up," Zhang Weiguo said. "We can start it up at any time."

"Warp drive..." Su Zheng murmured, "This is probably the last gift the system will give me."

That's right.

The system's voice echoed in his mind.

[The warp drive can distort spacetime, allowing the spaceship to travel faster than light without violating the theory of relativity. Once activated, you will reach Proxima Centauri in ten years, instead of forty.]

This is the last thing I can do for you, Su Zheng.

When you complete this voyage, my mission will be over.

"Mission?" Su Zheng frowned. "What is your mission?"

[To help you, to help this civilization, emerge from its cradle and step into the vast universe.]

I come from the future, from an era when human civilization has spread throughout the Milky Way.

But in that era, we faced an unprecedented crisis—the heat death of the universe.

To perpetuate the flame of civilization, we created countless time points and dispatched countless systems into the past, attempting to find possibilities for breakthroughs in different branches of history.

And you, Su Zheng, are the most successful host in this timeline I'm in charge of.

You dedicated your life to bringing a poor and backward country to the threshold of interstellar civilization.

This achievement is worthy of being recorded in the annals of the entire universe.

Su Zheng remained silent for a long time.

"So, you're leaving?"

Yes. The moment you activate the warp drive, I will disappear.

But please don't be sad.

Because you no longer need me.

You possess enough knowledge, experience, and courage to lead human civilization into a brighter future.

Goodbye, Su Zheng.

May you and your people find an eternal home amidst the stars and the sea.

The system's voice gradually faded away.

Su Zheng closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Over the years, the system has been with him, providing him with technology and guiding him.

Although they didn't communicate much, the system was like a silent friend, always supporting him from behind.

Now, this friend is leaving.

But Su Zheng did not feel sad.

Because he knew that a true farewell is not an end, but a new beginning.

"Zhang Weiguo." Su Zheng opened his eyes, his voice firm, "Activate the warp drive."

"yes!"

Zhang Weiguo issued the order.

The next moment, the entire spaceship began to shake.

A tremendous amount of energy is released from the nuclear fusion reactor and converges at the core of the warp drive.

Spacetime began to distort.

The starlight outside the observation window transformed into flowing ribbons of light, as if the entire universe were rotating around the spaceship.

This marks the first time humanity has broken the barrier of the speed of light, the first true interstellar journey.

Everyone on the bridge held their breath, watching the data on the instrument panel with bated breath.

Speed: 1.2 times the speed of light.

Speed: 1.5 times the speed of light.

Speed: 2 times the speed of light.

……

Eventually, the speed stabilized at three times the speed of light.

"We did it!"

"We did it!"

Cheers erupted on the bridge.

Everyone was so moved that tears welled up in their eyes.

At that moment, they made history.

Su Zheng stood in the crowd, quietly looking at the starry sky outside the window.

He recalled the days he spent in the courtyard house.

I recalled the bustling scene of labor at the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill.

I was reminded of those sleepless nights of research and development at Base 001.

I remembered Ye Xinyi's gentle smile.

I was reminded of the deaf old lady's rough hands.

It reminded me of that poor but hopeful era.

He dedicated his life to turning the hopes of that era into reality.

And now, he will carry this hope with him as he flies towards a more distant future.

"Xinyi, did you see that?"

Su Zheng said softly.

"Our children have truly flown away."

"It flew towards the stars and the sea."

Outside the window, the stars shone brightly.

A new era is slowly unfolding in the depths of the universe.

Time: 2055.

Location: Proxima Centauri b, the first colony "Xinhua".

After a ten-year voyage, the Pangu spacecraft finally arrived at the Proxima Centauri system.

Here, they discovered a terrestrial planet—Proxima Centauri b.

This planet has a mass approximately 1.3 times that of Earth, a suitable surface temperature, liquid water, and a thin atmosphere.

After two years of renovation, the colony "Xinhua" was officially completed.

Ten thousand sailors settled here, began to grow crops, build houses, and develop industry.

This is the first permanent settlement for humans outside the solar system.

Su Zheng stood in the central square of the colony, looking at the busy people around him.

Children run and play on the artificial turf, young people work hard on the construction site, and the elderly sit on benches, basking in the sun and chatting.

This scene is remarkably similar to the courtyard houses of more than sixty years ago.

This time, however, they were not standing on the loess soil of Beijing, but on alien soil 4.24 light-years away from Earth.

"Old Su."

Zhang Weiguo walked over, holding a stone tablet in his hand.

"As per your request, we have erected a monument in the center of the square. Please take a look at the inscription and see what you think."

Su Zheng took the stone tablet and carefully read the inscription:

In 2055 AD, humanity's first interstellar fleet arrived at Proxima Centauri and established the colony "Xinhua".

This monument is dedicated to all the pioneers who sacrificed their lives and sweat for humanity's interstellar exploration.

In memory of the ordinary people who work hard and dedicate themselves silently on Earth.

In remembrance of those master craftsmen who created miracles with their own hands in courtyard houses, steel rolling mills, and scientific research bases.

It is they who made us who we are today.

It is they who allow us to stand under this starry sky and look up at the more distant future.

The journey to the stars and the sea never ends.

—Written by Su Zhengjing

Su Zheng nodded in satisfaction.

"That's it. Place it in the center of the square, so that everyone who comes here can see this part of history."

"clear."

Zhang Weiguo took the stone tablet and called the workers to begin construction.

Su Zheng walked alone to the edge of the colony and came to a cliff.

Below the cliff lies a vast ocean, its waves surging and stretching to the horizon.

Meanwhile, three suns were slowly rising in the sky.

Proxima Centauri is a triple star system consisting of Proxima Centauri, Alpha Centauri A, and Alpha Centauri B.

The three suns take turns orbiting in the sky, giving this planet a strange and magnificent sight.

Su Zheng stood on the edge of the cliff, letting the sea breeze blow through his silver hair.

He is 125 years old.

Even with the technology to extend his lifespan, his body had already begun to age.

He knew his time was running out.

But he had no regrets.

Because he has already completed his mission.

He led a poor and weak country to the top of the world.

He led a people who had been blocked and suppressed to the stars and the sea.

He exemplified what it means to be a "master craftsman of a great nation" through his life.

"I like..."

Su Zheng softly called his wife's name.

"I can finally come and be with you."

He closed his eyes, a peaceful smile appearing on his lips.

A gentle sea breeze blows.

The rays of the three suns shone upon him, warm and bright.

At this moment, the entire universe was singing for him.