Governing the country, enriching the people, an unparalleled imperial tutor

When the plane landed, the sky over Beijing was overcast, with low-hanging clouds, as if the layer of gray brought back from Moscow had not yet completely dissipated.

Xiaoya walked along the covered bridge, her pace quickening compared to when she was in Moscow. She had immediately readjusted to her home rhythm and no longer needed to slow down to adapt to the unfamiliar length of the road.

Three bodyguards followed behind them, maintaining their usual distance, until they reached the baggage claim area. Only then did one of them step forward to confirm that the luggage had been sent out via the conveyor belt before stepping aside. They were finally about to complete their mission and be free.

Upon exiting the arrival hall, a dark-colored minivan was already parked outside the exit. The young woman stood at the back of the car, glanced at the pedestrians around her, and then opened the rear door. After the two men were seated in the back, she closed the rear door and went around to the front passenger seat to get in.

The car entered the airport expressway; the road was smooth, and the streetlights outside the window rushed past. Instead of heading straight back to the villa, the car first turned towards the vicinity of the school; Xiaoya had already tacitly accepted this route from the car.

After the car stopped at the school gate, Xiaoya got out. She stood beside the car, bent down and glanced into the window: "You go to Haozi's place first, I can handle it myself." After saying this, she didn't linger and turned to walk towards the school gate.

Lin Yanzhou sat in the back seat watching her back as she passed through the school gate, walked along the main road for a while, stopped by the roadside for a moment to call the teacher to confirm, and then continued walking in.

Once her figure had completely disappeared into the shadows of the side of the teaching building, the car started moving again. Lin Yanzhou turned her head and said to the driver, "Go to my friend's factory, then put your luggage at my house. Thank you for your company and protection these past few days."

The three bodyguards were expressionless, almost like robots, and could only strictly follow orders.

Haozi's factory gate is still the same as before. The tin gate is half open, and several pieces of paint have peeled off the edges of the door frame, revealing the old brown metal underneath.

The lights in the workshop were on, shining through the crack in the door and casting a long, slanted white beam on the cement floor near the entrance. When Lin Yanzhou pushed the door open, Haozi was squatting in front of a farm implement, with a wrench and calipers beside him, and an old piece of cardboard under his knees.

He heard the door open, but didn't stand up immediately. He first finished turning the wrench half a turn, then placed it on the crossbeam on the side of the machine frame, and glanced at Lin Yanzhou: "Damn, you're back already?"

"I'm back."

"How's it going in Russia? Why don't you stay a few more days and have a good time?"

"It's alright, Xiaoya likes it. The main thing is that we got the boat."

Haozi stood up and patted the dust off his knees: "All the farm tools are assembled, ten units. The spare parts were used up before you left." He stepped aside to make room for the back, "Take a look for yourself." The ten prototypes stood side by side against the wall at the back of the workshop, evenly spaced and facing the same direction.

Lin Yanzhou walked over and squatted down, pressing down on the crossbeam on the side of the frame with his palm, then bent down to check the installation angle of the plow teeth. The riveted surfaces on each frame were flat, the ridges of the welds were continuous, and there was no excess weld slag, as if someone had repeatedly checked them using the same set of standards.

He straightened up and glanced at the sky outside the car window: "What time do the workers get off work tonight?"

"There's not much work today, I'll get off work at 5:30."

Lin Yanzhou didn't reply, but let Haozi lead him around.

After 5:30, the workers left one after another. Haozi came out of the office, holding a lock, locked the side door of the workshop, and turned to Lin Yanzhou: "Everyone's gone, and as you requested, the surveillance cameras have been turned off."

Lin Yanzhou walked to the first prototype, squatted down, and touched the crossbeam on the side of the frame. The edge of the silver ring flashed, and the prototype disappeared from its spot, leaving only a shallow mark on the ground where the frame had pressed against it, with neat edges.

He stood up, took a step forward, and bumped into the second machine, which also disappeared. By the time he had walked past all ten machines in the row, the inner part of the workshop was empty. Only a few shallow marks remained on the ground.

Haozi leaned against the doorframe, hands in his work pants pockets, staring blankly, mouth agape, speechless. He stared at the empty space on the ground for a moment, confirming that it was indeed in the same spot as he remembered, without any deviation. Then he turned his head and said, "Holy crap, you...you...how did you do that?? Where's the equipment?"

"If I told you I've already cultivated to immortality, would you believe me? Hehe."

Haozi was still in a state of shock: "Get lost, don't scare me, what happened?"

"Haozi, I trust you. I can tell you simply that I have a special skill: I can store a lot of things. You'll find out the details later." Lin Yanzhou didn't want to deceive his good friend Haozi, so he changed the subject: "That 10,000-square-meter workshop on the west side of the factory area, can we use it?"

"It's usable, but empty. The ground is concrete, and there's no equipment."

"Use it now." Haozi didn't ask any more questions, turned around and walked to the side door of the workshop, unlocked it, pushed the door open, and stepped aside to make way.

The west workshop is higher than the main workshop, and the steel frame structure of the ceiling is clearly visible. The fluorescent lights are not all on; only the row near the door is lit, not reaching the deep corners of the workshop. The floor is covered with thick cement, and the joints are filled with mortar, making it sufficiently flat.

Lin Yanzhou walked to the center of the workshop and stood still. He raised his hand and a thought crossed his mind. The air in the center of the workshop seemed to be stirred by something, and then the first ship appeared in the center of the open space. The hull was dark gray, and the surface was covered with a thin layer of rust, as if it had just been lifted from the water in the harbor and had not yet had time to dry.

With its bow facing north, the timing of its landing was perfect; it didn't exceed the predetermined boundary. Then came the second, the third, and so on, until all ten were placed. The hulls were arranged side by side, laid out sequentially across the width of the workshop, each maintaining a consistent distance between its edges and the adjacent hulls, and were smoothly placed into the designated area in turn.

Haozi was still standing in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe. He looked at the row of ship hulls for a while, his gaze moving from the bow to the stern, then tracing the outline of the hulls as if counting the distribution of rust and the position of the waterline. Then he turned his head and asked, "So, ship repairs will be done in this workshop from now on?"

"Yes. Make a list of what manpower and materials you need and buy them yourself. Do you have enough money in your account? If not, I'll transfer more to you."

"We have enough money. We haven't even spent half of what you gave us. Besides, converting to solar power won't cost much more."

Haozi's gaze returned to the row of ship hulls. He looked at them for a while, then said, "A ventilation system needs to be installed. The iron hulls have been soaking in the sea for a long time; they need to be derusted and a primer applied before we can proceed to the next step."

"You decide what to do. Just tell me how much you need. All I require is that these ships are sturdy enough." After thinking for a while, Lin Yanzhou added, "Also, you need to purchase a batch of pesticides, seeds, and fertilizers for 5000 mu. Also, buy a few drones for spraying pesticides; I need Dajiang drones."