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

The silence was so profound you could hear a pin drop.

Lin Fan was so shocked he couldn't speak. He never expected that his hot-tempered nephew, who grew up in a military compound, would harbor such unfathomable political ambitions.

Lin Yang sat in the armchair, quietly watching Lin Weidong.

A hint of undisguised admiration and satisfaction gradually emerged in those deep eyes.

No wonder he's Lin Yang's son. He's able to step outside the comfort zone of military uniform and see the deepest logic of how the state apparatus operates. This strategic vision far exceeds the comprehension of a twenty-eight-year-old.

"There are no bullets in officialdom, but every cut draws blood." Lin Yang's voice was low and cold. "If you go to a local post, I won't provide you with any preferential treatment in terms of political resources. You can't act in my name. Local clan forces and corrupt groups will surround you like a pack of wolves. They will use money, women, and all sorts of fabricated charges to strangle you."

"Can you handle it?"

Lin Weidong's lips curled into a cold smile identical to his father's.

"In the muddy swamps of northern Jiangsu, I can beat a bunch of thugs to their knees and beg for mercy. In officialdom, if anyone dares to lay a hand on me, I'll chop off their claws at the root. If I can't take it, I'll die in that poor county town and never come back to the city to embarrass you!"

"good!"

Lin Yang slammed his hand on the table, making a dull thud.

"With this kind of do-or-die spirit, you can hold your position securely!" Lin Yang made the decision without hesitation. "In the Central Plains region, on the southern border, there is a place called Lin'nan County. It is a notoriously poor county with barren land. Clan forces control all the coal resources. Three county governors have come up, but they have all been sidelined by them."

Lin Yang stared into Lin Weidong's eyes: "Tomorrow, you'll report to the Organization Department of the Central Committee. Your file will be directly transferred to Lin'nan County. You'll be a deputy town mayor. Within three years, I want to see Lin'nan County's GDP double, and see the local criminal gangs eradicated. If you can't do that, you'll spend the rest of your life retiring in the town!"

"I've made a solemn pledge, and I will never turn back!" Lin Weidong stood with his feet together, his eyes burning with a fierce ambition.

After making arrangements for Lin Weidong, Lin Yang's gaze slowly shifted and landed on Lin Jianguo, who had remained silent to the side.

This top student from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Tsinghua University pushed up his black-rimmed glasses, took a deep breath, as if he had made an extremely difficult, even rebellious, decision.

"Second Uncle." Lin Jianguo met Lin Yang's gaze, his voice a little strained but his words exceptionally clear, "I don't want to go to the military research institute in the Northwest either."

boom!

Lin Fan couldn't hold back any longer and slammed his hand on the table, making the bone china spoon in front of him jump.

"Jianguo! What nonsense are you spouting!" Lin Fan's face turned ashen with anger. "Wei Dong went into politics to govern the country and ensure its stability. You, a mechanical engineering student, don't go to a research institute to do research and development, or to a military factory to build machines. What do you want to do? Do you want to fly to the moon?!"

Lin Fan has spent his entire life dealing with blast furnaces and special steel.

In the eyes of this older generation of industrial workers, being able to enter the country's top military research institute and secure that prestigious job was the highest honor, bringing glory to their ancestors.

He absolutely would not allow his son to act recklessly at this time.

"Big brother, let him finish what he has to say." Lin Yang raised his hand and pressed down on Lin Fan, who was on the verge of exploding, while his gaze remained calm as he looked at Lin Jianguo.

Lin Jianguo swallowed hard, took out a roll of blueprints filled with densely packed mechanical structures from his canvas bag, and slowly unfolded it on the dining table.

That wasn't a blueprint for tank tracks, nor was it a hydraulic system for a large-caliber cannon.

That's a cross-sectional view of the drive shaft of a twin-tub washing machine with an ingenious structure and full of modern industrial design aesthetics, and a small, silent compressor of a household refrigerator!

"Dad, Second Uncle." Lin Jianguo pointed to the lines on the blueprint, his eyes flashing with an almost obsessive fervor.

"During my four years at Tsinghua University, I came into contact with a large number of industry journals and market data imported from overseas. I discovered a very alarming phenomenon."

Lin Jianguo raised his head, his gaze intense.

"With the opening of our country's doors, a large number of overseas home appliances flooded into our market like a tidal wave. Color TVs, refrigerators, and washing machines bearing foreign trademarks were being sold at exorbitant prices in department stores, with ordinary people lining up in long queues, using their hard-earned savings to snap them up!"

"And what about our domestic state-owned factories? Their systems are rigid, and approval processes are cumbersome. Upgrading a single production line requires dozens of official stamps. By the time our products are manufactured, second- and third-generation foreign products have already swept up the market!"

Lin Jianguo became more and more excited as he spoke, his voice trembling slightly.

"Second Uncle, the military industry is the backbone of the nation, that's true. But in recent years, you've been carrying out reforms in the Southern Special Economic Zone, bringing in so much capital and equipment. If there isn't a strong national consumer brand to take over these technologies and earn the circulating funds from ordinary people, then we're still just working for foreigners!"

Lin Jianguo clenched his fist tightly.

"I'm not going to research institutes. I'm going to start a business!"

boom!

Upon hearing the words "go to sea," Lin Fan felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, and he almost couldn't catch his breath.

In this era, although the idea of ​​"going into business" has begun to emerge, in the mainstream society's mindset, it is seen as a way to engage in unethical business or as a self-employed individual tainted by the stench of money!

A top student from Tsinghua University, giving up a top national research institute to become a self-employed individual? This is blatantly disrespecting the Lin family!

"You...you good-for-nothing!" Lin Fan trembled with rage, pointing at Lin Jianguo and cursing, "Our Lin family has shed blood and sweat for generations to achieve our family's integrity today. And you go and become a profit-driven businessman? How can you face the country that nurtured you!"

As Lin Fan spoke, he grabbed an empty wine glass from the table and made a move to smash it at Lin Jianguo.

"lay down."

Lin Yang's deep and penetrating voice instantly froze Lin Fan's movements.

Lin Yang sat in the armchair, his hands clasped together. His deep eyes showed no anger, but rather an extreme clarity that revealed his understanding of the laws governing the development of the times.

"Brother, you're out of touch."

Lin Yang looked at the furious Lin Fan, his tone revealing an undeniable grand vision.

"The wheels of time keep rolling forward. The great power competition of the future will not only be within the range of artillery on the border, but also in terms of market share in the economy."

Lin Yang stood up, walked to the spread-out blueprint, and gently tapped the design drawing of the small compressor with his fingers.

"Jianguo is right. We've poured enormous amounts of foreign exchange into heavy industry. If we can't translate that into real profits in the civilian consumer market, this national machine will eventually be dragged down by the massive military spending. We need private capital, we need flexible private enterprises that aren't bound by the bureaucratic system, to compete head-to-head with those multinational giants in the market!"