Courtyard House: From Deputy Division Commander to Civilian, Progressing All the Way

"Yangzi has already made the arrangements. The annex building next to Building No. 6 in the military compound has been cleared out. That's an absolute military restricted area, patrolled by a guard company 24 hours a day."

"You all pack your things tonight. Take Jianguo with you and move into the military compound with me right now!"

Lin Fan was stunned for a moment after hearing this.

He looked around the house that held countless sweet memories for him and his wife, a hint of reluctance flashing in his eyes.

But he knew that Tian Yu was right.

When faced with the test of survival, humanity cannot withstand the pressure. He couldn't gamble with the lives of his wife and son.

"good!"

Lin Fan nodded heavily, without any hesitation.

"Qiu Nan, pack your things! We'll only take our personal clothes and valuables. All the food and leftovers, take them all. Don't leave a single grain of rice for these ungrateful bastards!"

With the help of He Yuzhu, Xiao Li, and others, Lin Fan's family packed their things very quickly.

After half an hour.

Several large canvas bags were thrown into the trunk of the jeep.

Lin Fan carried the sleeping Lin Jianguo, while Ding Qiunan carried a small leather suitcase, and followed Tian Yu out of the main house.

"Click".

A heavy brass padlock firmly locked the main door of the Lin family's house.

Lin Fan stood on the steps and took one last look at the courtyard house where he had lived for more than ten years.

Not a single light was on in any of the surrounding rooms.

But Lin Fan knew that behind those dark windows, countless eyes filled with jealousy, regret, and despair were staring intently at them.

They knew the Lin family was leaving.

They knew even better that the Lin family's departure meant taking away the last vestige of life from this courtyard house.

It was also the only lifeline they could cling to in this era of famine.

From then on, they could only fend for themselves in this cold courtyard.

"Let's go, brother. We're not staying in this quagmire."

Tian Yu opened the door of the Jeep.

"Um."

Lin Fan turned and got into the car.

"boom--"

Escorted by the guards, the jeep rolled over the fallen leaves in the alley and sped away.

The night wind swept through the empty courtyard, making a mournful howling sound.

All that remained were a group of beasts, slowly awaiting judgment in hunger and fear.

boom.

The jeep doors closed, completely shutting out all evil and despair from the outside.

End of 1960.

Northwest China, Qinghai's Golden Beach. 211 Nuclear Weapons Research and Development Base.

A fierce wind whipped up coarse yellow sand, like countless steel files, relentlessly scraping against the low mud-brick houses and military tents in the base. Although the sun overhead was blindingly white, the air was filled with a bone-chilling cold.

In this isolated, forbidden zone, the atmosphere was extremely oppressive.

Lin Yang, wearing a faded old military overcoat, stood outside the base's No. 1 laboratory with his hands behind his back, like an iron tower. His cheeks were tanned bronze by the high-altitude ultraviolet rays, and his lips were cracked and bleeding, but his deep eyes were like unsheathed swords, staring intently ahead.

Three Soviet-made jeeps were parked opposite him.

A dozen Soviet nuclear physics experts, wearing woolen overcoats, were hurriedly loading boxes of top-secret documents, drawings, and calculation data onto a car, their heads bowed.

Antonov, the Soviet chief nuclear expert who was leading the group, walked up to Lin Yang and stopped.

This veteran expert, who had worked alongside Chinese scientists in this Gobi Desert for over a year,

His eyes were filled with guilt, helplessness, and even a hint of embarrassment.

"General Lin."

Antonov spoke through the translator beside him, his voice hoarse.

"I am a physicist, and I only understand neutrons and the fission of uranium nuclei. I don't understand politics."

Antonov removed his leather cap and sighed deeply: "The order from Moscow is the highest directive. Comrade Khrushchev requires us to withdraw all experts from China within three days, destroy all nuclear weapons training model blueprints that we were unable to take, and take all core data with us."

"I'm sorry. We must obey orders."

Lin Yang looked at Antonov quietly, his face showing no anger, pleading, or the hysteria one would expect after being betrayed.

He was so calm. So calm that Antonov felt a chill run down his spine.

"Comrade Antonov."

Lin Yang's voice was deep and calm, and it was exceptionally clear amidst the howling yellow sand.

"Between nations, there are only interests. As the commander-in-chief of the base, I have no right to interfere with Moscow's decision, nor will I force them to stay."

"When you come, we treat you with the courtesy due to a state guest; when you leave, we Chinese soldiers will never abandon our hospitality."

Lin Yang turned his head and looked at his secretary Chen Feng, who was standing behind him with red eyes.

"Chen Feng!"

"Here!" Chen Feng gritted his teeth and shouted, trying to hold back his tears.

"Go to the logistics department! Bring out all the canned beef we've stored for winter, and all the Erguotou liquor we brought from Beijing!"

Lin Yang's gaze was cold and stern as he issued the order, word by word.

"Let's set up a farewell dinner in the canteen! Invite all the Chinese experts from our base! Our big brother is leaving, so even if we have to sell everything we own, we have to make sure he has a hot meal before he goes!"

Antonov was jolted awake after hearing the translation.

Looking at the Chinese general standing ramrod straight before him, his eyes instantly welled up with tears.

He knew how scarce supplies were at the base; those canned beef were reserved for the sick and manual laborers to keep them alive!

"General Lin, you..." Antonov lowered his head in shame.

"No need to say anything more." Lin Yang waved his hand. "After we finish this drink and leave this room, we'll each be working for our own masters."

That noon.

In the makeshift canteen of Base 211, tables were filled with sumptuous "farewell feasts".

No one spoke; the atmosphere was so heavy it seemed to freeze.

China's top nuclear physicists and engineers looked at their departing Soviet counterparts with eyes filled with reluctance, anger, and deep helplessness.

After several rounds of drinks...

Antonov stood up, raised his glass, bowed deeply to Lin Yang and the Chinese scientists present, and then drank it all in one gulp.

3 PM.

The Soviet experts' convoy roared out of the gates of the Jinyintan base, kicking up clouds of yellow sand as it sped away.

Just half an hour after the convoy left.

A raging fire broke out on the open ground behind Laboratory No. 1.

That was a bonfire where Soviet experts, before leaving, followed Moscow's instructions to burn the teaching model drawings and discarded parameter drafts about the internal structure of the atomic bomb that they could not take with them.

Black ash drifted everywhere in the wind.

Dozens of Chinese nuclear physics experts stood by the fire, watching the blueprints they had studied day and night and treasured turn to ashes. Many of them could no longer control their emotions and squatted on the ground, wailing and crying.