Courtyard Houses: Starting with Li Yunlong's Comrades-in-Arms

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Liu Yuheng woke up. He lay in bed with his eyes open for a while; the light filtering through the curtains was still a pale grayish-blue, indicating it was still early. He quietly sat up, glanced at Yao Qingwan who was still fast asleep beside him, and without waking her, got out of bed to go to the bathroom to wash up.

After breakfast, Liu Yuheng changed into a dark gray Zhongshan suit, straightened his collar and cuffs in front of the mirror, and then smoothed his hair with his hand. The person in the mirror looked energetic and neat; the general's star was no longer on his shoulders, but his back was still ramrod straight.

He picked up the briefcase he had prepared the night before, went out, got into the car, and told the driver, "To the Ministry of Heavy Industry."

The car drove through the quiet city streets in the early morning and stopped in front of the Ministry of Heavy Industry building. It was a gray, three-story office building with clean, swept steps and a white sign with black lettering hanging at the entrance. Liu Yuheng got out of the car, took a deep breath, and stepped inside.

People were already moving around in the building, the crisp sound of leather shoes clicking on the terrazzo floor echoing in the corridor. He walked down the corridor to the minister's office. A row of wooden benches stood in the corridor outside the door, and a young colleague from the secretariat was sitting behind a table organizing documents.

Liu Yuheng walked over, nodded to the young secretary, and introduced himself: "Hello comrade, I am Liu Yuheng, transferred from the Central Military Commission, and I am here today to report for duty. Please inform Minister Chen."

The young secretary looked up, sized him up, and immediately stood up, speaking politely: "Minister Liu? Minister Chen has already given instructions. Please wait a moment while I go in and report." He turned and knocked on the door behind him, then went inside. A moment later, he came out again, gesturing for him to come in. "Minister Liu, Minister Chen invites you in."

Liu Yuheng thanked him, pushed open the door, and went inside.

The office was more spacious than he had imagined, with light streaming in from the south-facing windows, casting bright patches of light on the dark wooden floor.

Old Chen was already standing next to his desk. When he saw Liu Yuheng come in, he took a few steps to greet him.

Liu Yuheng quickly stepped forward and extended his hand, saying, "Hello, Elder Chen! Liu Yuheng is here to report for duty!"

Old Chen grasped his hand and shook it vigorously, smiling as he looked him over a few times: "Good, good. Come, come, don't stand, sit down."

The two sat down on the sofa. Old Chen personally poured Liu Yuheng a cup of tea and placed it in front of him, then took his own teacup and sat down on the single sofa next to him.

He leaned back on the sofa, looking at Liu Yuheng, his tone casual yet serious: "Yuheng, to tell you the truth, I was supposed to go downstairs for a meeting today, but I stayed until you arrived."

Liu Yuheng quickly put down his teacup: "Minister Chen, you flatter me too much. I've just transferred to civilian life, and there are many things I'm not familiar with yet. I have to learn from scratch. I'll need your guidance in the future."

Old Chen waved his hand, a smile on his face: "Alright, alright, let's not waste time with pleasantries. Let's get down to business. You should already know that the Ministry of Heavy Industry is about to be split up, right?"

Liu Yuheng nodded, sitting up straight with a serious expression: "I know a little. I looked into the relevant situation before coming."

Old Chen picked up his teacup, took a sip, and put it down. His tone became more serious than before: "Next, the Ministry of Heavy Industry will be split into several ministries, including the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry, the Ministry of Chemical Industry, and the Ministry of Construction Engineering. The subordinate industrial bureaus will also undergo corresponding adjustments and splits. Your task is very clear: to assist Old Song in working at the soon-to-be-established Second Ministry of Machine Building."

Liu Yuheng nodded solemnly: "Please rest assured, Elder Chen, I will fully cooperate with Minister Song's work."

Old Chen waved his hand and continued, "The first thing you need to do is to quickly familiarize yourself with the factories under the Second Ministry of Machine Building. These factories are located all over the country, some in the Northeast, some in the Southwest, some are old factories, and some are newly built. They are all different. You need to know what each factory can and cannot do."

He paused, as if considering his words, then looked at Liu Yuheng and asked, "At the beginning of the year, the central government approved a plan to vigorously develop atomic energy, you know about that, right?"

Liu Yuheng nodded without hesitation: "I know. I also understand that many scientists who have been abroad have returned in the past few months, all of them working on cutting-edge technologies."

Upon hearing this, Old Chen raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of surprise and approval in his eyes. "It seems you've prepared quite thoroughly." He pondered for a moment, as if weighing something, before speaking, "With your current level of authority, you should have a general idea of ​​the specific plan. I won't hide it from you today; we are definitely going to develop our own nuclear weapons. All preparations are already underway, from talent selection and technology reserves to equipment imports and base site selection—all are proceeding simultaneously."

"Besides nuclear weapons, the Second Ministry of Machine Building's responsibilities also include the production of various firearms, tanks, and aircraft. Basically, anything related to military equipment falls under your purview. Big Brother has provided a number of aid projects, many of which are related to your Second Ministry of Machine Building. Some have already been implemented, while others are still in the negotiation stage. Old Song will arrange the specific work for you once you arrive."

After listening, Liu Yuheng nodded solemnly: "I understand. Thank you, Elder Chen, for telling me all this in person."

Old Chen waved his hand, his tone returning to its usual amiable tone: "Alright, I've said what I needed to say. Go report to the Second Ministry of Machine Building now; Old Song should be waiting." As he spoke, he stood up, and Liu Yuheng followed suit.

Liu Yuheng took a half step back, straightened his back, and raised his hand to give Old Chen a standard military salute. This was a habit ingrained in his bones from more than ten years of military service. Even though he had changed into a Zhongshan suit, he still performed the action cleanly and neatly.

Old Chen paused for a moment, then smiled and nodded. He didn't return the greeting, but simply patted him on the shoulder: "Go on, do a good job."

Liu Yuheng lowered his hand, turned, and walked out of the office. The door closed softly behind him. He stood in the corridor, glanced down at the registration document in his hand that he hadn't had time to examine closely, and then strode towards the stairwell, his footsteps echoing steadily and powerfully in the empty corridor.

He left the Ministry of Heavy Industry building, got into the car, and said to the driver, "To the Second Ministry of Machine Building." The car started and drove steadily toward the next destination.