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

The meeting room was completely silent. Several veteran generals, who had survived the war, had tears in their eyes.

He gently removed his glasses and rubbed his tired brow. He stood up, placed his hands on the table, and scanned the room.

"Comrades, the situation reported by Comrade Lin Yang is heartbreaking."

The man's voice was somewhat hoarse, but it carried an iron will. "Khrushchev mocked us, saying we wouldn't be able to build an atomic bomb in twenty years. They wanted to use a stranglehold to force us to submit. If we back down now, our country will never stand tall again!"

She turned to look at Lin Yang, her eyes resolute.

"Comrade Lin Yang, rest assured, even if we have to sacrifice our pants, we will develop the atomic bomb! The Party Central Committee has made its decision. Today at this meeting, I formally announce the establishment of a Central Special Committee. I will personally serve as its director, with all major ministries cooperating in its efforts. This is our nation's 'Grand Coordination' plan!"

The man slammed his large hand heavily on the table.

"The whole nation is one! We must mobilize the entire nation's resources to support the Northwest! The Ministry of Food, prioritize allocating your stockpiled soybeans and sugar to the 211 Base. The Ministry of Railways, arrange special trains with expedited processing. The General Logistics Department, distribute all canned meat and dehydrated vegetables to the core research personnel. Anyone who tries to negotiate or compromise on this matter will be court-martialed!"

Lin Yang stood at attention and gave a sharp, standard military salute.

He knew that with the Special Committee, the highest authority, the formidable barrier that had blocked the door to nuclear weapons had finally been completely broken through.

Three days after the report ended, Lin Yang finally had two days of private vacation.

He returned to Building No. 6, Jiazi, Yuquanshan Military Region Compound.

As I opened the door, the long-awaited aroma of food wafted out.

Tian Yu was wearing an apron and busy in the kitchen. Hearing the noise, she came out with a spatula. When she saw the tall, handsome man in casual clothes standing in the entryway, her eyes instantly welled up with tears.

"You're back..." Tian Yu put down the spatula and quickly walked forward.

She looked at Lin Yang's face, roughened and bronzed by the northwest winds and sand, and gently touched the spot on his left chest where the fatal wound had once been only two centimeters from his heart. Even through his sweater, she could almost feel the raised scar.

"You've lost weight and gotten darker," Tian Yu said, her voice filled with heartache.

Lin Yang took his wife's hand, kissed it, and the coldness he showed when facing enemies and subordinates faded from his eyes, replaced by boundless tenderness.

"They're exposed to the wind and sun over there, how could they not get tanned? What about Weidong?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a little boy of about seven years old came running down the stairs. Lin Weidong was dressed neatly, with a chubby face and features that resembled Lin Yang's.

"Dad!" Lin Weidong threw himself into Lin Yang's arms.

Lin Yang picked up his son and tossed him in the air twice, making the little guy giggle.

"You've grown strong. Have you been naughty at school?" Lin Yang asked with a smile.

"No! I got perfect scores on both tests yesterday! The teacher said I have good handwriting!" Lin Weidong proudly puffed out his chest.

That evening, the family of three enjoyed a rare reunion dinner. On the table was a braised ribbonfish, a special ration from the military, and a plate of stir-fried mutton with scallions. In those days of scarcity, this was like a dream come true.

After dinner, Wei Dong went to bed, and Lin Yang and Tian Yu lay on the bed in the bedroom. Moonlight streamed in through the gaps in the curtains.

Tian Yu leaned on Lin Yang's broad shoulder, listening to his steady heartbeat.

"I've already visited Brother Lin Fan. He's been reinstated and his spirits have returned. As for Ma Yue, he's been sentenced to life imprisonment and will never get out." Tian Yu reported softly on the complicated family matters. "I've had the guards at the courtyard house give them a few warnings, and now those people are as docile as quails, avoiding our family members whenever they see them."

"Yes, thank you for your hard work. I feel at ease with you here at home." Lin Yang stroked his wife's long hair.

"Yangzi, how long will it take to finish that project? I'm not complaining, I'm just... I'm just listening to the rumors every night, afraid that something might happen to you over there." Tian Yu's voice trembled slightly.

Lin Yang hugged his wife tighter, his tone firm: "Soon. Once that light appears on the horizon, I'll be able to go home for good."

The next day, the weather was perfect; the city was sunny and warm, though cold.

Lin Yang changed into an ordinary black woolen overcoat, and Tian Yu put on the beige Lenin suit. The family of three rode the military sidecar motorcycle and roared out of the military compound.

They first went to the Wangfujing Department Store. Although the goods on the counters were scarce due to the famine, and many items were rationed with coupons, Lin Yang, holding a special supply coupon, directly bought Wei Dong a large bag of White Rabbit milk candy and two jin of steamed rice cakes. The little guy hugged the paper bag, his eyes narrowing into slits with laughter.

Afterwards, they went to Dongfeng Cinema.

A huge hand-painted poster hung at the entrance of the cinema, and rousing music was playing from the loudspeakers. Today's screening was "The Red Detachment of Women," a film that had just been released.

After buying tickets and entering the theater, I found it packed with people. The sounds of sunflower seed shells falling to the ground and children crying mingled together, creating a rich atmosphere of everyday life.

When the movie screen lit up and Wu Qionghua's stubborn and hateful eyes appeared, the entire audience fell silent. Lin Yang sat in a wooden folding chair, holding Tian Yu's hand with his left hand and protecting Wei Dong, who sat between them, with his right hand.

Watching the battle scenes on the screen, Lin Yang's thoughts drifted back to the Ten Thousand Mountains of Southwest China, and to the icy wasteland of Changjin Lake in North Korea. How wonderful it would be if his comrades who fell in the hail of bullets could see this peaceful movie theater today, if they could see the smiles on the children's faces.

The two-day holiday passed in the blink of an eye.

Snow and wind once again enveloped the train station in Beijing.

An unmarked green special train stood silently on a secret platform. Behind the train were eight fully enclosed freight cars.

Lin Yang stood on the platform, while Chen Feng and several guards had already loaded the luggage onto the car.

"Minister Lin, all the supplies allocated by various ministries have been loaded onto the trucks. Five tons of soybeans, two tons of sugar, fifty boxes of canned pork, and the latest high-precision lathes from Shanghai." Chen Feng held the list, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement.

"Okay." Lin Yang nodded, glanced at the gray sky, and strode onto the train.

With a long whistle, the special train slowly started moving, like a giant steel dragon speeding towards the vast Gobi Desert in the northwest.