Courtyard House: I fish in the heavens, a professional bird abuser.

The "secret project" that He Yuanchao was working on in the technical department spread like wildfire throughout the entire Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill at an astonishing speed.

The news initially leaked from within the technical department, stating that Deputy Factory Director Lou had personally approved the transfer of He Yuanchao from the fitter's workshop to oversee an important technical upgrade project. However, once the news left that small building and spread throughout the vast workshops and factory area, it snowballed, embellished with countless details and speculations.

The versions became varied and numerous, filled with the workers' simple yet bold guesses.

The first version, the most "reliable" and the most popular, was that Deputy Factory Director Lou was using the guise of technological upgrading to actually admire He Yuanchao's astonishing calligraphy and wanted to transfer him to be his personal secretary, solely responsible for writing and drawing to enhance the company's image. This claim was very popular among the staff in the administration building, who felt it best reflected the leader's style.

The second version takes on a more legendary hue. Some say that He Yuanchao had struck it incredibly lucky; while sifting through parts in a scrap yard a while ago, he stumbled upon a technical manual left behind by a Soviet expert from the early 1950s, containing secret, previously unknown techniques. Now, he's locked himself in a small, dark room, studying it diligently, preparing to soar to new heights and become the factory's rising technical star.

The third version, however, is completely mythologized. It's embellished with fantastical details, claiming that He Yuanchao was no ordinary mortal, but rather a celestial being, the God of Literature, descended to earth to undergo tribulation. This "God of Literature" not only possessed the ability to write but also to build machines, especially excelling at turning lead into gold. The old compressor in the factory, half-buried in the ground, noisy like thunder and consuming electricity like flowing water, was on the verge of breaking down. But in He Yuanchao's hands, it was immediately transformed into a precious machine that continuously laid golden eggs.

These rumors, when they reached the fitter's workshop, caused a huge uproar of amazement and envy. Those who had once worked in the same shift as He Yuanchao discussed it animatedly, wiping the machine oil off their hands.

"I told you Yuan Chao wasn't an ordinary person! Have you ever seen a level-five fitter use a file like a needle?"

"Absolutely! Last time he helped me grind those calipers, wow, the precision was amazing! Even the experienced workers in the workshop gave him a thumbs up!"

"Getting into the technical department is great! That's the best treatment for technicians, the most secure job ever! This kid, he's really made something of himself!"

Rumors drifted into the canteen, stirring mixed feelings in the cooks who used to laugh at Sha Zhu every day. Especially the fat cook who had argued with Sha Zhu before, who was now holding a large ladle, staring blankly at the empty corner of the back kitchen, which used to be Sha Zhu's territory.

"This is really weird... That blockhead Zhu fell into a cesspool, how did he actually turn misfortune into a blessing?"

"That's right. I heard that He Yuanchao personally requested him to be his assistant. My God, what kind of good fortune did this idiot have?"

"Don't talk nonsense. I don't think this is simple. Haven't you heard what the people in the compound are saying? He Yuanchao and Sha Zhu are mortal enemies. This might be He Yuanchao's doing, getting that guy over there to be dealt with slowly!"

"Hiss—if it's true, then He Yuanchao is far too cunning!"

Regardless, the former colleague they had once despised and ridiculed had now transformed himself and was associated with the prestigious "Technical Department," which stirred up a strange sense of jealousy and resentment in the chefs' hearts.

When these rumors finally converged on that courtyard house in Nanluoguxiang, they fermented at a deeper level, giving rise to more complex and intense emotions.

The Intermediate People's Court, at the home of Liu Haizhong, the second uncle.

"Bang!"

A rough porcelain teacup was slammed onto the octagonal table, splashing tea everywhere. Liu Haizhong's fat face turned a liverish color with anger, and his two small mustaches trembled with his heavy breathing.

"The technical department? They even gave him a dedicated office? And they wanted that ex-convict, Sha Zhu, to be his assistant? What gives them the right?!"

He glared with his bull-like eyes and growled in a low voice at his submissive wife, "Who does He Yuanchao think he is? A greenhorn! A fifth-grade fitter, what right does he have to bypass us veterans and go straight into the technical department? And what's with this independent renovation project? This isn't the rule! This is completely against the promotion process in our steel rolling mill!"

He felt that the authority he had painstakingly built up as the "second uncle" and the dignity of the "bureaucrat" in the courtyard and factory had been shattered into pieces and turned into a huge joke in the face of He Yuanchao's rocket-like rise.

"This is absolutely Lou Zhenhua abusing his power for personal gain! He's just using Lou Xiao'e's connections to his advantage! I'm going to report him! Yes, I'm going to the factory committee, to the trade union, to expose this malpractice!" Liu Haizhong said through gritted teeth, but his voice betrayed a weak, impotent rage. He knew better than anyone that Lou Zhenhua held absolute power in the factory, and his report was futile, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

In the backyard, at the home of the third uncle, Yan Bugui, the scene was quite different.

Under the dim light, Yan Bugui, wearing reading glasses, sat upright, his abacus clicking away as if he were calculating a groundbreaking deal.

"Shazhu used to be a level-two chef, earning thirty-seven yuan and fifty cents a month. Now, although he's under investigation, he's working on projects with He Yuanchao, nominally as a 'specialized assistant in the technical department,' so his salary definitely won't be low; he'll probably still be paid at the level of a level-two chef. So, all things considered, he fell into the cesspool, not only without loss but actually rising to the top, from chef to assistant to a technician… This kid, could it be considered a blessing in disguise?"

He pushed up his glasses, and a calculating glint flashed in his eyes behind the lenses.

"No, no." He shook his head, rejecting his initial conclusion. "This isn't just Sha Zhu's good fortune; it's He Yuanchao's extraordinary connections! That kid is brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"

The more he thought about it, the more alarmed he became. He couldn't help but analyze it to Yu Li, who was preparing her lesson next to him: "Think about it, you openly bring your biggest enemy to your side, make him do the dirtiest and hardest work, and rightfully torment and torment him. Not only will he not dare to resist, but he'll also be grateful and remember your kindness. What's that called? That's called a 'public scheme'! It's aboveboard, leaving you with no room for criticism! This kid's cunning and shrewdness are simply unbelievable for a young man!"

Yan Bugui put down his abacus and made a resolute decision: "From now on, our family's attitude towards He Yuanchao must be elevated even further. He's a true beacon of support, and we must cling to him tightly! If we can't offer help in times of need, isn't it easy to add to his existing success?"

Compared to the complex feelings of the two old men, Xu Damao in the front yard was completely and purely sour.

He's been having a tough time lately, arguing with Lou Xiao'e and the two have been giving each other the cold shoulder for almost half a month. As a result, the Lou family's attitude towards him has also changed drastically, becoming lukewarm. He's tried several times to go to the Lou family to plead with Lou Zhenhua on his behalf, but he's been turned away each time.

Now that he heard that He Yuanchao had been entrusted with an important task by Lou Zhenhua and given such great authority, he knew even with his toes that there must be something going on behind the scenes! Nine times out of ten, it was Lou Xiao'e who was whispering in his ear!

"You bastard He Yuanchao! Not content with stealing my projectionist's thunder, now you want to steal my wife?!" Xu Damao was furious, pacing back and forth at home, kicking an enamel basin so hard it clattered, his eyes practically spitting fire with jealousy. "I knew you were up to no good! Back at the movie theater, I could tell your thieving eyes never left Xiao'e! Now you're using your lousy calligraphy to hook up with my father-in-law… You just wait! Don't let me catch you red-handed!"

As for Qin Huairu in the Intermediate People's Court, she had long been numb to the various "myths" about He Yuanchao that she heard about in the court and factory every day.

In the first few days, a tide of regret nearly overwhelmed her. Every time she heard He Yuanchao's name, her heart ached as if pierced by needles. If only... if only she hadn't chosen the Jia family...

But now, the tide has receded, leaving behind only a bottomless, resigned despair. The gap between them has widened to the point that she no longer has the strength to even feel jealous.

She sat silently on the edge of the bed, mending old clothes by the dim light. The sounds of Uncle San's abacus and Xu Damao's curses in the courtyard seemed far away. Her life was like a wrecked ship that had lost all its sails and rudder in a storm, helplessly tossed about by the waves of fate.

She counted down the days, hoping that Jia Zhangshi could return from the labor camp soon so she could help her share some of the burden. But she was also afraid of her return, afraid that her foul mouth would bring new disasters to this already troubled family. She hoped that Bang Geng's leg would heal quickly, but she was also afraid that after he recovered, he would be idle and cause some terrible trouble again.

For her, life was nothing but a bleak wait.

……

A month passed quietly amidst the hustle and bustle of the steel rolling mill and the chaos of the courtyard house.

The small meeting room in the technical department, which had been temporarily requisitioned, had already changed its appearance.

The corner was piled high with parts, bearings, and pipes of various sizes, and tools and blueprints stained with oil were scattered all over the floor. The air was thick with the pungent smell of machine oil, kerosene, and metal.

He Yuanchao, dressed in a slightly worn blue overall, put down his pen, let out a long sigh, and rubbed his aching neck.

In front of him, on a huge drafting table, were more than a dozen huge A0-sized drawings.

The diagram above uses the most standard engineering drawing specifications and fine, smooth lines to depict a completely new and thoroughly optimized air compressor structure.

The new piston ring design changes the original three rings to four, adding an oil ring, which greatly improves airtightness.

The needle roller bearing valve, with its ingenious structure, replaces the old valve plate and fundamentally solves the problem of metal fatigue fracture.

The forced circulation lubrication system is designed with a miniature oil pump that delivers lubricating oil precisely to every node that needs lubrication through a precise oil circuit, instead of relying on crankshaft splashing like in older machines.

He even went so far as to design a small cooling water circulation device, intending to connect an external water tank to cool down the cylinders, which are most prone to overheating...

Any one of these designs, taken out individually, would be enough to leave the factory's experienced master craftsmen speechless and exclaim "Bold!"

Now, He Yuanchao has integrated them together in a near-perfect way, seamlessly.

This is no longer "remodeling", this is "reconstruction"!

It is based on an old body from the 1950s, grafted with a powerful heart from the 1980s or even the 1990s!

"It's done."

Looking at the culmination of his hard work, He Yuanchao revealed a relieved and satisfied smile. For the past month, he had practically lived here, sleeping less than five hours a day, his mind filled with data, lines, and structures.

Beside him, Sha Zhu was squatting on the ground, meticulously polishing a crankshaft connecting rod that had just been cleaned with a piece of fine sandpaper soaked in kerosene.

He has completely changed.

He had lost a significant amount of weight and become much darker. The puffiness on his face and the smell of alcohol left by years of heavy drinking had long since disappeared, replaced by a lean and focused demeanor honed by high-intensity labor and rigorous technical procedures.

His work clothes were covered in oil stains, dirtier than those of the hardest-working workers in the workshop, but his eyes were brighter and clearer than ever before.

This past month has been nothing short of a transformative rebirth for him. He has witnessed far too many things that are beyond his comprehension and even shatter his understanding of the world.

He watched as He Yuanchao, as if performing magic, used a bunch of T-squares, set squares, and compasses whose names he didn't even know, to draw lines on a piece of white paper that were more complex than a spider web, yet incredibly neat.

He watched as He Yuanchao casually picked up a part that he considered scrap metal, glanced at it, touched it, and pointed out its fatal flaws in just a few words, proposing an unbelievable yet reasonable improvement plan.

He even watched with his own eyes how He Yuanchao, lacking precision instruments, used the most ordinary bench vise and a file to manually grind a rough piece of steel into a precision part with an accuracy comparable to machine-made parts. When He Yuanchao measured it with vernier calipers and told him that the error was no more than two micrometers (0.02 millimeters), Sha Zhu felt his worldview was shattered.

What was that? That was incredible skill!

That was a genuine skill that instilled awe and admiration in him from the bottom of his heart!

Only now did he finally realize how insignificant and utterly unworthy his so-called "culinary skills" were compared to the art of "technique."

Therefore, he no longer hated He Yuanchao. The resentment he felt for losing his job and having his sweetheart stolen seemed so ridiculous and insignificant in the face of such awe-inspiring respect. All that remained was pure admiration and... worship.

"Master He... Master He," Sha Zhu slowly stood up, his hands cradling the polished connecting rod, so smooth it reflected a mirror, as if it were a priceless treasure. His voice held a hint of...admiration he himself didn't realize. "Look, is this...is this alright?"

He Yuanchao took the connecting rod from him but didn't answer immediately. He first held it up to the light, squinting as he carefully examined the surface finish. Then he took out calipers and meticulously measured the dimensions at several key points. Finally, with his rough but remarkably steady fingers, he gently felt the smoothness of the journal before nodding and saying in a calm, even tone, "Not bad, you didn't slack off. Put it there and move on to the next one."

Receiving that nonchalant "Not bad," Sha Zhu felt a surge of immense joy, a hundred times greater than when the cafeteria manager used to loudly praise him, "Sha Zhu, you did a great job cooking this!" He grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, nodded emphatically, and turned back to his hard work.

Just then, there was a knock on the office door.

The door was pushed open, and Lou Zhenhua walked in with high spirits. Behind him were several senior technicians from the technical department, and the leader was none other than Chief Engineer Zhang, who had gray hair and was highly respected in the factory's technical field.

As soon as they entered, they were taken aback by the "dirty and messy" state of the room. Then, everyone's attention was drawn to the dozen or so impressive drawings on the drawing table.

"This...this is..." Chief Engineer Zhang stopped in his tracks. He was a discerning person and could tell the extraordinary nature of these drawings at a glance.

He strode to the table, not bothering to be polite with Lou Zhenhua, and with trembling hands carefully picked up the top assembly drawing. He took out his reading glasses from his pocket and put them on, almost pressing his entire face against the drawing.

"Needle roller bearing valve? My God, this design... this idea is so ingenious! It completely solves the problem of old-fashioned valve plates easily fatigue and break! It also greatly reduces intake resistance!" He exclaimed in disbelief.

Another engineer, surnamed Li, picked up a subsystem diagram and exclaimed, "Forced circulation lubrication? My God! This... this is practically giving the machine a heart! With this, the wear rate of machine parts can be reduced by at least half! The overhaul cycle can be extended by 100%!"

"And this cooling system... genius! It's an absolutely brilliant design! By utilizing the blast furnace's circulating cooling water and slightly diverting it, the compressor's biggest overheating problem is solved! How come we didn't think of that!"

Exclamations of amazement echoed throughout the small office.

Several veteran technicians, who were usually arrogant and aloof at the factory, now looked like elementary school students seeing a car for the first time. They surrounded the pile of blueprints, their faces filled with a complex mix of shock, fascination, and disbelief. They stroked the lines of the blueprints as if touching a masterpiece of art.

Lou Zhenhua was overjoyed at the reactions of the crowd, but he tried his best to maintain the calm and dignity that a deputy factory director should have.

He turned his gaze to the young man who had remained calm throughout, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration and praise: "Yuan Chao, is this all you've accomplished in the past month?"

"Yes, it's just a preliminary plan." He Yuanchao pointed to several places marked in red on the drawing. "There are still some details about material strength and processes that need to be discussed with the experienced workers in the workshop."

"This is supposed to be a preliminary plan?!" Chief Engineer Zhang suddenly looked up, his face flushed with excitement. He grabbed He Yuanchao's arm and shook it vigorously. "Comrade He! No! Engineer He! If this drawing of yours can be implemented 100%, it won't just solve our factory's power shortage problem; it will make our factory's power system at least ten years ahead of similar factories nationwide! A whole ten years!"

The word "ten years" exploded in the office like a bombshell, leaving everyone stunned and gasping for breath!

Lou Zhenhua took a deep breath. He knew he had made the right bet! Placing his bet on this young man was the best decision he had ever made in his life!

He slammed his hand on the table, the thick wooden surface making a loud "bang." In a booming, unwavering voice, he announced to everyone:

"Good! Let's proceed with this plan! Chief Engineer Zhang, I order you to immediately organize the best personnel from the technical department, fitter, foundry, and machining workshops to form a 'No. 3 Blast Furnace Compressor Modification Task Force'!"

He paused for a moment, his sharp gaze sweeping across the entire room before finally settling on He Yuanchao.

"He Yuanchao will be in full charge of the team leader position! The technical department, production department, and all relevant departments will unconditionally cooperate with his work! If you need any personnel, just go to the workshop and call them! If you need any materials, I'll have the purchasing department procure them for you, even if they have to search all over the country! If you need any equipment, as long as the factory has it, you can use it! I only have one request!"

Lou Zhenhua held up one finger and said firmly:

"Within a month, I want this brand-new 'heart' to beat powerfully in our No. 3 blast furnace!"