Courtyard House: Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) Traded for an Aircraft Carrier, the Whole Count

The night was as dark as ink, enveloping the city of Beijing.

It was already 11 p.m., and the steel rolling mill office building was pitch black except for a dim desk lamp in the office of the technical research team on the third floor.

"Knock knock knock".

A very light, very careful knocking sounded on the door.

"Enter."

The door was pushed open a crack, and Xu Damao's long, thin face peeked in. He first glanced furtively at both ends of the corridor to make sure no one was there, then shrank back and slipped into the room, gently closing the door behind him.

"Hey, Mr. Jiang... oh no, Team Leader Jiang! You're still up so late?"

Xu Damao's face was plastered with a fawning smile, his back bent so low he almost touched the ground. Ever since he was terrified by Jiang Chen's ruthless methods when he caught the spy last time, and then tasted the sweetness of victory in the subsequent battle against Liu Haizhong, Xu Damao was now like a dog tethered to Jiang Chen's waistband, biting whoever he was told to bite.

Jiang Chen sat behind his desk, toying with the Parker pen he had swiped from the Soviet expert, without looking up.

"Da Mao, have a seat."

"Hey, hey! I won't sit, I'll just stand here and listen to your instructions." Xu Damao didn't dare to sit, and stood obediently in front of the table, fidgeting with the hem of his clothes with both hands.

"I called you here so late because I have an important task for you." Jiang Chen stopped what he was doing, looked up, and stared at Xu Damao with his eyes that seemed particularly deep under the light. "If you do this well, you'll get a good cut of the profits from the technical team's material procurement in the future."

Upon hearing the word "profitable," Xu Damao's eyes lit up instantly, like a light bulb that had been switched on: "Give me your orders! I'd go through fire and water for you, I, Xu Damao, would be inhuman if I even blinked!"

"It's not that serious." Jiang Chen took out a stack of 200 yuan bills from the drawer and gently patted it on the table. "Here, take this. Tomorrow night, go to the 'Pigeon Market' in the West City, which is also known as the Ghost Market."

Xu Damao was taken aback, staring at the money and swallowing hard: "Going to the ghost market? What are you going to buy?"

"Buying information, and spreading information."

Jiang Chen lowered his voice, his tone becoming mysterious and unpredictable, "Just say that a high-ranking leader likes to collect old books and notebooks from the Soviet Union. Especially those with pictures or about mechanics. No matter what kind of junk it is, as long as it's in Russian, we'll buy it at a high price. The bigger the fuss, the better, so that those speculators know that we're rich and gullible."

Xu Damao was a smart man. His eyes darted around, and although he didn't fully understand Jiang Chen's intentions, he guessed a bit: "Are you trying to... fish for me?"

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask." Jiang Chen glanced at him coldly.

"Yes, yes, yes! I was too talkative!" Xu Damao took this as a warning and slapped himself hard across the face. "Don't worry, I know this stuff! I'll get on with it right away, and I guarantee the news will be all over Beijing's underground circles by tomorrow morning!"

After seeing Xu Damao off, Jiang Chen did not leave.

He locked the door, drew the curtains tightly, and after confirming that there were no prying eyes, he opened the system interface.

[Activate Feature: Item Counterfeiting/Distressing.]

Jiang Chen took out several sheets of paper from his canvas bag, their whiteness and smoothness seeming excessive for this era. These were core structural diagrams of a machine tool, which he had redeemed from the system shop and subsequently abridged and modified. Although the technical principles were universal, the paper and printing process were so poor that even a fool would know there was something wrong with them.

"System, change the material of this drawing. Target material: Soviet letter paper from the 1950s."

"Add distressed effect: 70% new, with worn edges and corners, and a slight musty smell."

"Handwriting simulation: Rewritten based on scanned Soviet expert handwriting, with the addition of a few coffee stains and cigarette ash burn marks."

[Command received. Estimated transaction points consumed: 30. Executing...]

A faint light, visible only to Jiang Chen, flashed by.

The brand-new blueprints on the table underwent a miraculous transformation. The paper turned yellow, became brittle, curled at the edges, and even emitted a musty smell and a faint odor of tobacco. The handwriting changed from standard printed font to a messy, unrestrained Russian handwriting, with several key data points circled in red and marked with question marks, as if they were notes left by an expert during a late-night deep contemplation.

Jiang Chen picked up a sheet, brought it to his nose, smelled it, and nodded in satisfaction.

This isn't some cutting-edge technology from the future; it's clearly a precious private notebook belonging to a Soviet expert that has been lost to the public!

He casually scattered these "notes" on his desk, next to which were several original Russian copies of "How the Steel Was Tempered" that he had salvaged from a junkyard, and a few crumpled draft papers, creating the impression of someone studying diligently all night long.

This is called a logical closed loop.

From now on, whenever anyone asks about the source of his skills, this will be irrefutable proof—his genius-level self-learning ability, coupled with an incredible stroke of luck in finding a rare notebook.

The next morning, the first rays of sunlight streamed into the office through the gaps in the curtains.

Chief Engineer Wang pushed open the door carrying a stack of documents, intending to report on his work, but was stunned by the scene before him.

The office was filled with smoke, and crumpled papers were scattered all over the floor. Jiang Chen was slumped over the desk, seemingly having just fallen asleep, with several yellowed old papers covered in Russian writing lying beside him.

Chief Engineer Wang tiptoed over and glanced at the contents of the paper unintentionally.

"This...this is..."

His eyes widened instantly. Although his Russian wasn't very good, he could understand those complex mechanical diagrams! This was clearly an improved version of the T-34 machine tool's transmission system! And judging from the handwriting and the quality of the paper, it was definitely a handwritten manuscript by Soviet experts from back then!

That's it!

Chief Engineer Wang suddenly realized what was happening. Looking at the sleeping Jiang Chen, his eyes were filled with admiration and shame.

No wonder Jiang Chen could fix the machine. It turns out that he didn't just rely on talent, but also on his tireless research and perseverance in searching for information like looking for a needle in a haystack! Behind every "genius" lies unimaginable sweat and toil!

He didn't dare disturb Jiang Chen, and quietly withdrew, secretly vowing to keep this secret for Team Leader Jiang, and also to promote this spirit of hard work and dedication in the factory.

Once the door closed, Jiang Chen, who had been "sound asleep," slowly opened his eyes, a barely perceptible smile appearing on his lips.

The fish has taken the bait.

Just then, there was another gentle knock on the door. This time, it was Xu Damao who entered.

He had dark circles under his eyes, clearly indicating he hadn't slept all night, but he was full of energy.

"Master Jiang, the matter is settled! The news has spread, and it's all over the ghost market now. They're saying that a big leader at the steel mill is buying Russian waste paper at high prices."

Xu Damao leaned closer to the table, lowered his voice, and reported to his supervisor with a mysterious expression, "However, when I was wandering around the ghost market yesterday, I saw an acquaintance."

"Who?" Jiang Chen asked casually.

"Liu Haizhong's second son, Liu Guangtian!" Xu Damao chuckled. "That kid was acting suspiciously, with a bag tucked into his pocket, haggling with a scrap collector. I leaned closer and listened, and wow, it was copper! And judging by the quality, it looked like it was from the cables in our factory..."

Jiang Chen's fingers, which were twirling the pen, suddenly stopped, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

Liu Haizhong was dismissed from his post and was sulking at home, but his son wasn't idle either. Stealing and selling copper from the factory? That's a serious crime of stealing state property.

"Oh?" Jiang Chen leaned forward slightly, his smile turning sinister. "This is a good handle. Da Mao, you've done a great job this time."