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

The laboratory lights were dim, casting a long shadow of Su Zheng onto the mottled wall.

On the workbench, the once pristine white drawing was now densely covered with lines and data.

From the time he returned at noon until now, a full three hours, Su Zheng has been like a statue, almost motionless except for the pen in his hand.

"Master, have some water."

Zhao Ming tiptoed in and placed an enamel mug on the corner of the table.

He looked at the complex structures on the blueprints, his eyes filled with both awe and confusion.

"Master, are we really going to build this... a vegetable cutter?"

Zhao Ming was still a little incredulous. "If the workshop foreman saw this, wouldn't he say we're not doing our job properly?"

After all, they are fitters who make machine parts, but now they are trying to take over the work of cooks. This is quite a big leap across industries.

Su Zheng put down his pen, rubbed his slightly sore wrist, picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"Zhao Ming, what is a legitimate job?"

Su Zheng countered, "Making machine tools is our legitimate business, making guns and cannons is our legitimate business, but isn't feeding the workers and ensuring they have enough to eat a good meal also our legitimate business?"

He pointed out the window.

It was already four o'clock in the afternoon. The machines were roaring in the workshop, and the workers were sweating profusely.

"Everyone works all day, their backs ache, and when they get to the canteen, they have to put up with the cooks' attitudes and endure their arbitrary 'spoon-shaking'. If they're not full, they have no energy; if they're upset, they're in no mood. This directly affects the entire factory's morale."

Su Zheng's voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable firmness: "We technicians not only have to solve the bottlenecks on the production line, but also the bottlenecks in our lives. He Yuzhu's trembling hands are like a thorn stuck in the throats of thousands of workers in the factory."

"What I need to do is to pull this thorn out by the roots."

Zhao Ming was thrilled.

The master is truly a master; even making a vegetable cutter can elevate him to this level!

"Okay! Master, whatever you say, I'll do!"

Zhao Ming rolled up his sleeves. "What materials do you need? I'll rummage through the scrap yard!"

Su Zheng put down his teacup, picked up his pen again, and pointed to the core structure on the drawing.

"Don't rush to move things; understand the principles first."

[The Eye of Truth activates the structural analysis teaching mode.]

In Su Zheng's eyes, He Yuzhu's actions of chopping and serving vegetables were broken down into countless vector lines.

"He Yuzhu cuts vegetables by relying on wrist movements and experience. This method is infrequent, prone to error, and highly dependent on personal mood. When he's in a good mood, he cuts them finely; when he's in a bad mood, he cuts them into strips."

Su Zheng pointed to the feeding mechanism on the left side of the drawing, "We will use a planetary gear reduction mechanism in conjunction with a rotary cutter head. The motor drives the cutter head to rotate at high speed, using centrifugal force for cutting. As long as the rotation speed is constant, the thickness error of each slice of potato and each radish will not exceed 0.1 millimeters."

This is called "standardization".

Su Zheng's finger slid to the right side of the drawing, where a device that looked like a funnel but was connected by complex linkages was drawn.

"This is the key point—the quantitative dispensing mechanism."

"He Yuzhu serves food using that big ladle and his 'Parkinson's' hand. The ladle is also non-standard, and his hand is unsteady. We need to use a 'volumetric metering valve'."

Su Zheng quickly drew a cross-sectional diagram next to it.

"Look here. This is a fixed-volume chamber, like a standard measuring cup. After the vegetables are chopped and cooked, they are put into this chamber. When the chamber is full, the upper valve closes and the lower valve opens. No matter who operates it, no matter how shaky their hands are, it's like a 'mold,' and the amount of vegetables poured out will always be a fixed 250 milliliters."

"This is called 'unalterable'."

Zhao Ming was dumbfounded.

Although he was only at the first-level worker level, he could still appreciate the ingenuity of the design.

This is no vegetable cutter; it's clearly a sophisticated "industrial dispenser"!

"Master, I understand the principle. But..."

Zhao Ming frowned. "This requires a motor, a gearbox, and stainless steel plates... We probably don't have that kind of good stuff in our workshop's scrap yard."

This is indeed a difficult problem.

In this era, resources were extremely scarce.

Motors are precious items; even if they break, they need to be repaired and kept in use. How can they just be thrown into the scrap yard?

As for stainless steel, forget about it; it's only used for medical devices and military applications.

Su Zheng smiled slightly, a sly glint in his eyes.

"Who says you have to use the best? We tech people are good at turning waste into treasure."

"The motor, I remember there was a scrapped Soviet-made lathe in the corner of the scrap yard. The coolant pump motor on it had its coil burned out, but the casing was still there, right? That power was just right."

"We can replace the gearbox with a belt pulley and chain drive, which is perfect for using the sprockets from old bicycles."

"As for stainless steel..."

Su Zheng paused for a moment, "Aren't there a few large, broken rice steamers piled up behind the cafeteria? They're made of aluminum alloy. They're a bit soft, but they're hygienic and corrosion-resistant. Take them apart, remelt them, or reshape them with sheet metal, and they'll be the best hoppers."

"This is allowed?!"

Zhao Ming was completely convinced.

The master was so thoughtful, he even took care of the dilapidated area behind the canteen!

"Go ahead." Su Zheng waved his hand. "Call Wang Tiezhu and the others. Be quick. Remember, don't alert the security department. Just say I'm doing a 'technical innovation experiment' and need to borrow some scrap materials."

"Alright!"

……

Waste storage.

Zhao Ming, along with Wang Tiezhu and two other young workers, scurried in and out of the mountains of scrap metal like a group of treasure-hunting groundhogs.

"Found it! The cooling pump motor!"

Wang Tiezhu emerged from a pile of iron filings, covered in dust and dirt, carrying a dark, lumpy iron lump in his arms. "But this thing is incredibly heavy, and the bearing seems to be stuck."

"It's alright, Master can fix it." Zhao Ming waved his hand dismissively. "Move it!"

"Brother Zhao, there's a bicycle chain here, two sections are broken."

"Move it! Go back and pick it up!"

"There's a broken fan blade here..."

"Move it! It'll help cool the motor!"

Just as the group was working enthusiastically, a somewhat timid voice rang out from the doorway.

"Um... excuse me, are you Master Su Zheng's apprentice?"

Zhao Ming turned around and saw a young man in a white work uniform and an apron standing at the door.

Judging from their attire, they're from the cafeteria.

Zhao Ming immediately became alert: "Who are you? Were you sent by Sha Zhu?"

"No, no, no!" The young man waved his hands in fright and quickly took off his hat. "My name is Liu Guangtian, and I'm the second son of Uncle Er (Liu Haizhong). I'm currently working as an assistant to Sha Zhu in the cafeteria."

"Liu Guangtian?" Zhao Ming frowned. "What are you doing here? Don't you want your master to know you're working?"

Liu Guangtian, with a bitter expression, looked around and lowered his voice, saying, "Brother Zhao, I heard that Master Su is going to build a machine to cure Sha Zhu. I'm here... I'm here to surrender!"

"Surrender?" Zhao Ming chuckled. "Aren't you one of Sha Zhu's men?"

"What do you mean, 'his people'?"

Liu Guangtian gritted his teeth as he mentioned it, "I've worked in the kitchen for two years, and he yells at me like I'm his grandson every day. He yells at me if I'm slow at chopping vegetables, he yells at me if I'm slow at washing dishes. What's most infuriating is that every time he steals leftovers from the cafeteria to take home, he makes us cover for him. And when something goes wrong, we're the ones who have to take the blame!"

"I saw what happened at noon today. That braised pork... actually, he served us the same thing. He gave all the good meat to Widow Qin, and we apprentices didn't even get any soup!"

Liu Guangtian became more and more agitated as he spoke, and his eyes even reddened.

"Brother Zhao, I just want to ask, can Master Su's machine really push Sha Zhu down? If it really works, I want to learn! I want to be a worker too! I don't want to serve that bastard anymore!"

Looking at Liu Guangtian's aggrieved appearance, Zhao Ming began to believe him a little.

Everyone in this courtyard knows that Liu Haizhong is obsessed with officialdom, but he's incredibly ruthless towards his son, constantly beating and scolding him. Liu Guangtian has no status at home and suffers mistreatment in the canteen, so it's understandable that he wants to rebel.

"Alright, since you want to help, then show some sincerity." Zhao Ming pointed to a pile of aluminum sheets next to him. "Master Su said he needs clean aluminum sheets to make a hopper. Can you get some?"

"Yes!" Liu Guangtian's eyes lit up. "There are several rotten aluminum steamers in that abandoned warehouse behind the cafeteria. They've been unusable for a long time, but nobody's cleaned them out. I have the key! I'll go steal them for you right now... no, move them out!"

"Good lad, count me in!" Zhao Ming patted him on the shoulder.

With Liu Guangtian's involvement, the material collection work went exceptionally smoothly. In less than an hour, a large pile of all sorts of "junk" was transported to Su Zheng's laboratory.

……

In the laboratory, sparks flew as the flames illuminated several young and focused faces.

Su Zheng didn't just give orders; he took matters into his own hands.

He first disassembled the burnt-out motor and quickly rewound the coil.

Those slender hands moved swiftly through the copper wires, their speed dazzling.

"The stator was rewound and connected in a delta configuration to improve starting torque."

While working, Su Zheng explained, "Remember, although this old-fashioned motor is bulky, it is sturdy and durable. As long as the bearings don't break, it can run for fifty years."

Next is the transmission mechanism.

Lacking a precision gearbox, Su Zheng combined several sets of sprockets of different sizes and used chain drive to achieve speed reduction.

"This is a 'multi-stage chain drive'."

Su Zheng pointed to the somewhat rudimentary structure, "Although its precision is not as good as gears, it has one major advantage—flexibility. If a stone or hard object gets stuck while cutting vegetables, the chain will skip teeth or slip, protecting the motor from burning out."

This is true practical wisdom.

In an era without overload protection electronic components, this mechanical protection was more reliable.

The most difficult parts are the cutter head and the dividing valve.

Su Zheng took the aluminum plate that Liu Guangtian had brought over, and with a pair of tin-cutting scissors in his hand, he painstakingly cut the thick aluminum plate into the required shape.

The scissors in his hand seemed to be cutting paper, not metal.

"Is this the strength of an eighth-grade craftsman...?"

Liu Guangtian watched from the side, swallowing hard. He usually felt wrist pain when chopping vegetables, but compared to Su Zheng, he was practically a pretty face with no substance.

"Guangtian, since you've worked in the cafeteria, you should know what kind of vegetables are the hardest to cut?" Su Zheng suddenly asked.

Liu Guangtian paused for a moment, then quickly replied, "Master Su, the hardest ones to cut are those slightly wilted radishes or old pumpkins with fibrous roots. The skin is tough and the flesh is soft, so it's easy to get stuck when you cut into them, and the slices won't be even."

"Very good." Su Zheng nodded. "It shows you've observed."

He picked up a file and actually filed a row of fine, tiny serrations on the cutting edge of the blade.

"This is to deal with those kinds of dishes that are 'tough on the outside but soft on the inside'."

Su Zheng explained, "The straight blade is for pressing and cutting, while the serrated blade is for 'sawing.' Just like a carpenter sawing wood, with these micro-teeth, even the toughest pumpkin fibers can be cut in two with one stroke."

As time went by, the strange-looking machine gradually took shape.

It doesn't have a streamlined exterior or a pretty paint job.

The exposed chains, the mottled aluminum plates, and the dark motor make it look like a monster made of industrial waste.

But every joint and every bite of this monster is perfectly aligned, exuding a rugged and cold beauty.

"alright."

Su Zheng tightened the last screw, straightened up, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Connect the power."

Zhao Ming took a deep breath and turned off the power.

Om-!

The motor emitted a deep, powerful roar.

The chain began to turn, making a clanging metallic sound. Although it was a bit noisy, the rhythm was steady and there was no extraneous noise.

The cutter head transformed into a silver halo as it rotated at high speed.

"Test run!"

Su Zheng casually picked up a piece of rotten wood that hadn't been peeled yet—something they'd salvaged from the scrap heap for firewood—and threw it directly into the feed chute.

Click, click, click!

Before I could even see what happened, the hard piece of wood vanished in an instant.

Immediately afterwards, a pile of thin, evenly sized wood chips sprayed out of the discharge port, falling like snowflakes.

Everyone held their breath.

Zhao Ming picked up a piece of wood and measured it with calipers.

"1.5 millimeters... 1.5 millimeters... all 1.5 millimeters!"

Zhao Ming's voice trembled. "He can even cut wood so accurately?!"

Liu Guangtian was so frightened that his legs went weak.

He imagined what it would be like if Sha Zhu's hand reached in... or if Sha Zhu was cutting this kind of wood... He couldn't even bear to think about it.

"This is just cutting."

Su Zheng remained calm, as if he had already anticipated the outcome. "Let's try dividing it into portions again."

He poured a basin of sand into the funnel-shaped hopper to simulate the cooked dish.

"Let's assume this is braised pork with potatoes. Open the dispensing valve."

Su Zheng then turned a simple lever.

Click.

The valve at the bottom of the hopper opened, and a stream of sand fell into the tray below.

Click.

The valve closes automatically.

Su Zheng picked up the tray and placed it on the scale.

250 grams.

He turned the dial again.

Click.

It's just another pile of sand.

250 grams.

Ten times in a row.

The error was less than 2 grams!

"It's done! It really worked!"

Wang Tiezhu jumped up excitedly, "With this thing, we'll never have to put up with Sha Zhu's temper again!"

"It's more than just being mistreated."

Zhao Ming stared at the machine, his eyes gleaming with vengeance. "This is practically going to smash Sha Zhu's livelihood to pieces!"

Looking at the machine, Liu Guangtian felt a mix of emotions.

As someone who worked in the cafeteria, he knew what this thing meant.

This is not just technological progress; it's a devastating blow to the old order of the cafeteria.

The days of "master chefs cooking and apprentices watching their step" may truly be coming to an end.

"Master, shall we give this machine a name?" Zhao Ming suggested.

Su Zheng stared at the menacing steel structure, his gaze passing through the window towards the cafeteria.

By this time, it was completely dark.

The cafeteria lights went out, and Sha Zhu should have already gone home with his lunchbox, probably drinking some wine and dreaming of continuing to bully others tomorrow.

"Let's call it..."

Su Zheng gently patted the machine's cold aluminum alloy casing.

"The Honest Man No. 1"

"It doesn't discriminate based on personal relationships, pleasing others, or favoritism. It only recognizes standards and fairness."

Su Zheng turned around, looked at the group of young faces, and a smile of extreme confidence curled at the corners of his mouth.

"Cover this big thing up. Tomorrow morning, carry it to the cafeteria entrance."

"I want to show Sha Zhu how his face fell to the ground."

"And I guarantee that once he falls, he'll never be able to get up again."

……

Meanwhile, the courtyard house.

Sha Zhu was sitting in his house, eating a plate of peanuts and drinking Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor).

Qin Huairu pushed open the door and walked in, holding an empty bowl in her hand.

"Zhu Zi, I'm out of cornmeal at home, do you have any...?"

"Yes! Absolutely!"

Upon seeing Qin Huairu, Sha Zhu immediately beamed with joy, got up to scoop flour from the rice bin, and said, "Sister Qin, why are you being so polite with me? Just tell me if you need anything in the future!"

"That's right, I know you're the best."

Qin Huairu's eyes flickered as she took the bowl of noodles and casually asked, "By the way, Zhu Zi, I heard you had a pretty big argument with that Su Zheng in the cafeteria at noon today? Are you alright?"

"Hey! What's up?"

Sha Zhu waved his hand dismissively. "That kid's just a bookworm, what does he know about the cafeteria! He actually used a scale to weigh my food? That's hilarious! I'm a cook, not a butcher! I can give whoever I want more or less, that's my job!"

He took a sip of wine, his face beaming with smug satisfaction.

"Don't worry, Sister Qin, as long as I'm in the cafeteria, I'll make sure you and Banggeng can eat meat! That Su Zheng? Hmph, I'll deal with him tomorrow! Let's see what he can do to me!"

Sha Zhu had no idea that just a few kilometers away in the steel rolling mill workshop, a steel monster named "Honest One" had already sharpened its fangs and was quietly waiting for the dawn to arrive.

At that time, not only his reputation, but also the "skills" he relied on for survival will be crushed into dust.