Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

"Yes," He Yuzhu nodded frankly, "He used to teach me these things a lot back then, and after listening to him a lot, I understood a bit. Now if I were to take the electrician's certificate exam, I'd pass level four without a doubt."

Sharif has long since left, there's no way to verify anything, and he can brag about it without batting an eye. Besides, when Sharif was at the factory, he would even pull aside weekends to discuss technology with He Yuzhu, and before leaving, he would give him a stack of equipment blueprints. Which member of the factory leadership didn't know about that relationship?

So when he said Sharif taught him about electrical appliances, no one doubted it. They just didn't expect him to learn so quickly.

What's even more outrageous is that the drawings clearly show the handwriting of two people, and the supplementary parts are almost entirely in He Yuzhu's handwriting—the more Section Chief Zhou looked at them, the more alarmed he became.

"Okay, let me take a look first." He quickly invited He Yuzhu into the office, put on his glasses, and carefully flipped through the documents.

When they encountered a few Russian terms that stumped them, just as they were about to look them up in the dictionary, He Yuzhu translated them on the spot.

The reason was already prepared: Sharif + radio. Anyway, everyone in the courtyard knew that He Yuzhu spent all day listening to Russian broadcasts in his room, and he could even spout Cyrillic words in his sleep.

"This thing... it can actually work." Section Chief Zhou's brows relaxed. "However, my expertise is in mechanical manufacturing, and I'm not familiar with electrical appliances. I'll have someone take a look."

After saying that, he got up, opened the door, and called in two technicians specializing in electrical appliances.

The two men took the blueprints, glanced at them a few times, and their eyes lit up.

"The structure is clear, the transmission route is reasonable, we can try it out!" one of them blurted out, then frowned, "But... is it for washing clothes? We're a steel rolling mill, shouldn't our focus be on tackling key problems with machine tools?"

Section Chief Zhou quickly explained, "This wasn't drawn by me! It's the posthumous work of Engineer Sheriff from White Bear, which Director He improved upon. Since you all say it works without problems, it means the design is already very mature."

This washing machine has simple functions, with only two settings: washing and spin-drying. However, these two functions alone are already at a world-leading level, and the principle is not complicated.

When the two technicians heard that it was He Yuzhu who completed the work, they were dumbfounded.

"Director He... did you make these changes?"

"Yes," He Yuzhu laughed frankly, "Sherif always wanted to trade his mechanical knowledge for my cooking skills, but he ended up teaching me. He didn't learn any of my dishes."

Sheriff, who was known for his crispy and crunchy taste, always enjoyed munching on a couple of fried, sugar-coated peanuts during class. His greatest treasures, however, were the exquisitely carved wooden gourmet treats that Director He had given him. This had already spread throughout the student community, and everyone envied him.

Section Chief Zhou frowned and asked, "Director He, what are your plans next?"

The technical department—to be honest, they're short-staffed and focusing all their efforts on tackling a new piece of equipment. As for this attack aircraft? Its structure is simple; at most, they'll make a roller bearing. The rest of the work can be outsourced to the plastics factory.

"Section Chief Zhou, my idea is to produce a finished product first," He Yuzhu said in a deep voice. "As long as the functions work, whether we report it to higher authorities or make other arrangements, it will be a respectable achievement for us."

He continued, saying that the technical department has the blueprints and can easily assign some production tasks. For parts like bearings, they can just take the blueprints to the workshop and have them processed.

Section Chief Zhou scanned the blueprints line by line, raising an eyebrow slightly: "The motor and bearings aren't a big problem, but what about the inner and outer drums? We can't just weld steel plates together, can we?"

"I can use solid wood for the outer barrel; the inner barrel can be made of ironwood or all iron." He Yuzhu tapped the blueprint lightly with his finger. "As long as it can rotate, it means the design is fine. The rest will naturally be taken care of by the higher-ups."

The canteen manager and the technical section chief didn't have much say in the factory. But He Yuzhu knew in his heart: if this washing machine was successful, it might be possible to export it and earn foreign exchange in the future.

"Okay, I'll arrange the manpower right away." Section Chief Zhou nodded in agreement. "This kind of small thing can be done in less than a day."

There were many workers in the factory, and the washing machine parts were cheap. Each person was given a piece, and the machine was assembled in a few hours. Moreover, the blueprints were detailed; the only problem was the paper quality.

He Yuzhu smiled: "Then I'll prepare the other materials. By the way, leave the final circuit assembly to me; I have to show off my skills."

"Oh, then I'll save it for you."

After leaving the technical department, He Yuzhu went straight to Li Huaide's office and explained the plan. A washing machine—a large appliance that only became common in the 1990s—was being brought out ahead of schedule by him.

Li Huaide immediately sensed an opportunity, comparing it to the potential of the "three turns and one sound" stocks of yesteryear, with unlimited market potential. After ascertaining the likelihood of success, he immediately approved the leave slip.

He wanted to leave the factory to focus on making the outer casing. After his leave was approved, he hopped on his bicycle and went to buy a high-quality log.

With a master carpenter at his disposal, the outer casing was a piece of cake; he smoothly completed the marking, positioning, grooving, and snap-fitting in one go. When He Yuzhu had the lumber transported to the vicinity of the steel mill's canteen, some people were still confused, wondering what he was up to.

When someone came up to ask questions, he waved them away.

Just after lunch break, Section Chief Zhou arrived as promised. The two of them headed straight for the new workshop with the wooden casing.

The parts were already prepared—wires, sheet metal, bearings—neatly stacked to one side. He Yuzhu glanced at them, rolled up his sleeves, and began assembling.

The workers watching were initially puzzled: Was Director He from the canteen personally taking charge? Did he even know anything about electrical appliances?

As the components precisely meshed together and the wires were smoothly and cleanly soldered, the scene gradually quieted down. The experienced technicians and workshop workers were all stunned, and even Section Chief Zhou was speechless.

No one expected that He Yuzhu wasn't just bragging. His electrical skills were probably at least at least at level five, let alone level four!

After all, he designed the washing machine himself, so assembling it was a natural and smooth process.

Just then, several key leaders, including Factory Director Yang, Wang Shushu, and Deputy Factory Director Li, arrived together and saw He Yuzhu finishing up the work as soon as they opened the door.

At that very moment, the last screw was tightened.

"It's done. Power it on and test it!"

He Yuzhu took a half step back, his gaze fixed intently on the semi-automatic washing machine before him. Though it lacked a lid and the buttons were merely simple sheets of metal, its core functions were complete. His confidence in its operation remained unwavering.

He turned his head and immediately called out, "Wang Shushu, Factory Director Yang, Deputy Factory Director Li, you're here? Perfect timing, the machine is installed."

Wang Shushu stroked his chin, squinting as he examined the washing machine: "Director He, why is this washing machine like this..."

He Yuzhu immediately saw through Wang Shushu's question and said directly, "It's a bit rudimentary, but this is a first-generation machine that was rushed out in half a day—not for aesthetics, but just for testing! If it can rotate and wash, it's a success! Buttons and covers? Welding them on later is a piece of cake!"

Factory Director Yang's eyes lit up; he couldn't wait any longer: "Stop dawdling, Director He, turn on the power! Let's try it!"

"Alright!"

He Yuzhu waved his hand, pushing aside the crowd, plugged in the wires, and turned to shout, "Does anyone have dirty clothes? One! Quickly!"

Use mine!

"Use mine! I haven't changed my work clothes in two weeks!!"

The stinky blue cloth jacket almost smeared his face. He took two steps back, raised his hand, and shouted, "Stop! Just stuff one in!"

One worker, quicker than he thought, flung his greasy work clothes into the roller—the others immediately deflated and sheepishly withdrew their hands.

He Yuzhu picked up the half-bucket of water and poured it into the container with a splash, then flicked the rusty iron sheet with his finger—

hum! ! !

With a hissing and exploding sound, the drum roared to life! Waves surged, crashing against the metal casing and making it vibrate violently!

He glanced at it, then turned around deftly: "It's done! It works!"

Before the words were even finished, a group of people swarmed around, staring at the water churning wildly left and right in the tube, and exclaimed in amazement:

"Wow! It spins like crazy as soon as it's plugged in? This thing is awesome!"

"Is it clean?"

"Nonsense! You could scrub by hand for three hours, and it'd be done in ten minutes! This is a machine, not a washboard!"

What do workers believe in these days? They believe that a loudspeaker can travel a thousand miles, and that a bicycle can travel ten miles in a single pedal stroke—electric appliances are synonymous with superpowers!

He Yuzhu casually turned the metal plate and switched it to the spin cycle: "Listen carefully—the maximum time is forty minutes. The metal plate will stop automatically when it's turned this way! But just adding water isn't enough; you also need to add soap shavings or soap powder!"

"And look at this—spin-dry!"

With a click, the roller suddenly shot up! The rotation speed was so fast it was almost blinding, as if it would fly out sparks at any moment!

Two minutes later, the tube stopped. He reached in and pulled out the clothes—wrung out like a pretzel, stiff and knotted. He figured if he left them in the sun for two hours, they'd be dry!

Wang Shushu slapped his thigh and nodded: "Incredible! This function is so satisfying! Before, it took two strong men to wring out the clothes, now one machine does it all!"

Others might not care—they could easily wring it out like that with a swing of their arms. But this thing does it all in one go: wash, spin, and hang to dry! Looking across the country, this is probably the number one fully automatic machine!

But Wang Shushu and Factory Director Yang were already in a state of turmoil: a steel rolling mill? They couldn't handle it! The production line, the molds, the factory buildings, and the qualifications would all have to be built from scratch!

How should the new factory be built? How should the shares be distributed? Who will have the final say? These questions alone are enough to keep them scheming all night long, cigarette in hand.

Look at bicycle factories, radio factories, sewing machine factories—aren't they all making money hand over fist? "Three turns and one sound" (referring to a series of small appliances, a sewing machine, a radio, and a sewing machine) are standard features for a wedding room! Jia Dongxu was dirt poor back then, but he gritted his teeth and carried home a sewing machine!

He Yuzhu unfurled the blueprints and waved them at the leaders: "Leaders, this is the 'basic' version, it's truly ugly. If you build it according to this blueprint, its appearance will be off the charts—even a polar bear would bow down and call it 'Master!'"

"Oh my! Isn't this the original drawing that Sharif left for you?"

"I redraw it! He gave me a half-finished skeleton, and he taught me the mechanical design process step by step."

Who would believe that under normal circumstances? But the guy had just assembled the whole machine by hand, and the circuit started working as soon as it was connected. He knew the capacitors and resistors better than he knew his own pockets—the old hands in the technical department all fell silent, and no one dared to say a word.

"Director Zhang, seal it up first! Director He, Section Chief Zhou, let's head to the conference room!"

Factory Director Yang made a decision and dragged He Yuzhu and Section Chief Zhou straight to the conference room—the matter of the washing machine had to be set before anyone else!

Should I hand it in? I'm not willing to do that.