Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

After a while, Qin Huairu slowly returned with an empty kettle, put it on the table, turned around and unbuttoned her clothes, intending to go to bed on the kang (heated brick bed) to rest.

The lights had just gone out, and she had barely touched the sheets when Jia Dongxu abruptly spoke up: "Why are you taking so long to bring me some water?"

Qin Huairu casually replied, "I also mixed some foot bath water for the old man."

"Shouldn't this be the master's wife's job?"

She lowered her voice and said, "I heard the two of them haven't recovered yet... The old lady only shows up around dinner time; she hardly ever steps into the old man's main room during the day..."

They haven't made up yet? How long has this been going on?

Jia Dongxu, too lazy to delve deeper, changed the subject, his tone hard as he warned, "From now on, stay out of these kinds of things! Tomorrow I'll have Mom serve Master!"

"Why, Dongxu...?"

"Why so many whys? Just take care of things at home!"

Qin Huairu felt a tightness in her heart at his low growl, and tears of grievance welled up in her eyes. She opened her mouth to defend herself, but Jia Dongxu's aloof demeanor was like a bucket of ice water poured over her, chilling her to the bone. She silently turned over, pulled the blanket tighter, and didn't utter another sound.

As soon as Jia Dongxu finished speaking, he reached out his hand towards her, wanting to embrace her and find some long-lost tenderness between husband and wife.

Since he became disabled, this matter has been interrupted for two whole months. It's not that he doesn't want to, but both legs are completely unresponsive. If he wants to get things done, he has to rely entirely on Qin Huairu to help him move and support him; if he exerts any effort and makes too much noise, the neighbors Banggeng, Xiaodang, and Jia Zhangshi will surely be awakened.

But as soon as he reached out, Qin Huairu grabbed his wrist, forcefully shook him off, then wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, turned to the side, and pretended to be extremely sleepy.

"You worthless bastard!"

Seeing that she was unyielding, Jia Dongxu was so angry that he spat inwardly, turned his back to her, closed his eyes, and went to sleep.

In the morning, Academician Lu strolled into the steel rolling mill again, specifically to see He Yuzhu. This time, it wasn't to urge him to join the project, but rather because last night, based on several key issues raised by He Yuzhu, he had completely redrawn the entire set of drawings, and today he specifically brought them to ask for his approval.

But such patching and repairing is not as good as starting from scratch. He Yuzhu was blunt, pointing out several more fatal flaws on the drawings, which made Academician Lu nod and shake his head repeatedly. After a moment of silence, he decisively tore up the hard work he had spent all night working on.

"Director He, to be honest, I still hope you can join us—with you in charge, the project will take off, and we can build the new transistor computer sooner. Then, we can make the next few moves without any regrets..."

Academician Lu couldn't help but earnestly invite him again. Academician Zhu, who was traveling with him, had advised him not to rush, but having witnessed He Yuzhu's abilities firsthand, he ultimately couldn't resist.

"Academician Lu, I was just about to talk to you about this—my family isn't against me going to Heilongjiang Province, but I wanted to ask about the specific arrangements once I get there?"

He Yuzhu scratched the back of his head and laughed as he continued, "And then there's my job—when I come back from this mission, should I go back to the steel rolling mill as the logistics director, or find another way out? After all, I'm now a formally employed cadre in the factory."

"Director He, you've agreed?"

Upon hearing this, Academician Lu's face immediately lit up with a smile, and he quickly replied, "That's wonderful! With you at the helm, the transistor computer might be able to be rolled out six months ahead of schedule..."

"As for your position and affiliation... I can't make that decision on my end, but I'll communicate with the project leader and the Ministry of Industry leadership immediately, so you can rest assured about that."

He Yuzhu is now a level 16 cadre, a rank that even Director Yang doesn't have the authority to transfer without authorization. His previous two trips to Hong Kong Island were only granted such long leave after the Ministry of Foreign Trade issued formal secondment letters.

As soon as He Yuzhu agreed, Academician Lu immediately took him to meet the head of the transistor computer research group—who was also the overall person in charge of the project.

After listening to Academician Lu's introduction, the team leader immediately dropped his casual attitude and became serious.

Logically, the list of team members had already been finalized, making it difficult for outsiders to interfere. However, the joint recommendation from several academicians carried enough weight to override the established rules.

To get the project off the ground as soon as possible, it's not a big deal to just squeeze someone in; the real problem is He Yuzhu's identity and official position.

Without saying a word, the team leader grabbed Academician Lu and headed straight to the Ministry of Industry.

Coincidentally, the leader who received them was Li Huaide's father-in-law!

The Third Steel Rolling Mill was a key unit directly under the Ministry of Industry, with a large scale and stable profits. Director Yang and Secretary Wang had to go to the Ministry to report in person every half month.

Upon hearing that they had come to demand someone, and specifically He Yuzhu, Li Huaide's father-in-law's first reaction was to frown and shake his head.

This isn't the first time. The first time was with the Ministry of Agriculture, where it dragged on for almost a year before ultimately fizzling out—the hybrid wheat and hybrid rice that He Yuzhu personally selected and promoted back then are now flourishing everywhere; he also summarized a set of localized farming methods, which, when distributed to various regions, have become tangible achievements. Because of this, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Industry argued for a long time over who would get the talent, almost taking it all the way to the State Council.

In the end, He Yuzhu himself expressed his unwillingness to leave, and the matter was finally settled.

Later, the Ministry of Foreign Trade repeatedly seconded him to the factory. If he hadn't insisted on staying at the steel rolling mill for the convenience of being close to home, they would have poached him long ago.

The Ministry of Industry's decision to grant him nearly a year of leave in the previous two instances resulted in a large supply of in-demand pork—for two consecutive holidays, the staff canteen had meat at every meal, making life exceptionally comfortable.

This time, an academician from the Chinese Academy of Sciences came again, along with the transistor computer project team, and came to our door specifically asking for people.

Anyone else would have let it go. But He Yuzhu was a top talent cultivated by the Ministry of Industry—he was the one who managed to import the most advanced Class III machine tools in the country; washing machines, electric kettles, and the complete technology for the scrap steel recycling and smelting plant were all his creations. Every penny that the Third Steel Rolling Mill earned more than its sister mills had his shadow behind it.

At first, Li Huaide's father-in-law gritted his teeth and kept shaking his head. It wasn't until he heard that it was only a one- or two-year secondment and that his personnel file would remain with the steel rolling mill that he relented and reluctantly nodded in agreement.

After all, He Yuzhu is young, but he is already recognized by the Ministry of Industry as a "key backbone"; if he is let go easily, Li Huaide's father-in-law will probably feel the pain for a long time.

Ultimately, Li Huaide's father-in-law personally invited He Yuzhu into the Ministry of Industry building. After the three parties sat down and discussed the matter, they finalized a plan: He Yuzhu would remain in his original position, and his salary would continue to be paid by the steel rolling mill. However, the transistor computer research group would allocate a special subsidy each month, which would be directly deposited into the factory to offset expenses.

As for how to fill vacancies and make transitions within the steel rolling mill, Li Huaide's father-in-law had already asked someone to communicate with Director Yang and Secretary Wang and made arrangements—the position of logistics director was clearly left vacant for him, and no one could touch it.

If this position is really removed, several departments will probably rush to submit transfer orders, and behind the scenes they will laugh at the Ministry of Industry for being out of their minds and not knowing what's good for them.

"Xiao He, from today onwards, you're part of our team. We're leaving for Heilongjiang Province next week. Before you leave, make sure you get everything sorted out at home."

Wang, the leader of the transistor computer group, patted He Yuzhu on the shoulder and smiled.

He Yuzhu nodded in agreement, then paused and asked, "Sir, if I may ask—are family members allowed to visit us on this project?"

"Of course!" Leader Wang readily replied. "Most local employees live nearby and can go home every day; for those from out of town, there are guesthouses to accommodate their families, but it's a bit far, so they'll have to make their own arrangements."

He smiled and added, "Don't worry, with your salary as a level 16 deputy director, you'll earn over a hundred yuan a month. It'll be more than enough to bring your wife and kids to stay for ten days or half a month."

He was also taken aback when he first heard He Yuzhu's administrative rank—level sixteen. It was rare for someone so young to take on the role of deputy director.

He Yuzhu breathed a sigh of relief: "Then I feel relieved. The baby was born not long ago, and my wife was always worried that I wouldn't be able to come home for two or three years. She said that if I really couldn't get away, she would bring the baby and come find me..."

"Xiao He, you've married a good wife!"

Leader Wang sighed sincerely, "If there are any difficulties with the hospitality department in the future, just come to me directly."

After all, this was a highly valuable talent they had gone to great lengths to acquire.

"Okay! Don't worry!"

He Yuzhu smiled and agreed, then confirmed once more that someone would personally deliver the ticket to him before taking his leave.

Back at the steel rolling mill, he went straight to his office to wait for news. Director Yang left a little later than him, guessing he wouldn't be back for a while.

Sure enough, not long after, Director Yang and Secretary Wang entered the factory gate one after the other, and then had their secretary call He Yuzhu and several logistics supervisors to the conference room.

He Yuzhu pushed open the door and saw that Deputy Factory Director Jiang Shouqin was also sitting there. He immediately understood that Jiang was in charge of logistics and that this matter could not be bypassed.

After everyone had gathered, Director Yang got straight to the point: "The main reason I called everyone here today is to discuss one thing: Director He has been transferred to a top-secret project, for at least a year, and possibly longer... To be honest, even I didn't expect that."

Jiang Shouqin felt a surge of warmth in his heart and almost burst out laughing. He had long disliked He Yuzhu and couldn't wait for him to leave; now his wish had finally come true.

But Director Yang's next sentence immediately poured cold water on his enthusiasm:

"However, it's a temporary transfer—his position remains the same, but he's temporarily away from his post. So we've invited everyone here today to discuss how to take over and stabilize the logistics after he leaves."

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Shouqin couldn't hold back any longer: "Factory Director, this is illogical! Someone who's been away from their post for over a year still occupies a position? Forgive my ignorance, but I've never seen such a rule before!"

"Old Jiang, this is a special approval." Director Yang's tone was calm, but it left no room for doubt. "Wang Shuji and I just finished the formalities at the Ministry of Industry this morning, and the higher authorities have already stamped and approved it."

He knew in his heart that Deputy Factory Director Jiang was furious, but there was nothing he could do—he had witnessed He Yuzhu's abilities firsthand and couldn't deny them.

Otherwise, why would he be chosen for a project that even he wouldn't dare to ask a single question about?