Courtyard House: I'm an engineer, and a fairy godmother transferred me to a different position.

Wang Jianguo waved his hand.

His tone, however, carried a strange sense of satisfaction: "But selling those things to the north is nothing compared to the catharsis of smashing the Japanese stove!"

That's the real reason he was excited.

Making money and generating foreign exchange is important, but if we can use Japan's proudest rice cooker industry as a breakthrough point to seize their market, the exhilarating feeling of triumph is irreplaceable.

"It's only June, and there are still more than half a year left until the end of the year," Wang Jianguo sighed. "If we can maintain this momentum, our factory will have a lot more confidence in front of the ministry leaders this year!"

That's true. Based on current production capacity estimates, barring unforeseen circumstances, rice cooker production will reach at least 200,000 units by the end of the year. With this single foreign exchange earning tool, Hongxing Foreign Exchange Earning Machinery Factory will be able to deliver an impressive report card to the ministry.

Frankly speaking, in the first year before all the supporting factories were fully operational, it was quite impressive that the Hongxing factory could achieve an annual production of 200,000 units. However, compared to Japan's monthly production of 200,000 units, the gap was still significant. This is understandable – China's industrial base is still weak, while many Japanese factories have shifted to producing consumer goods, resulting in naturally high production capacity. The road to catching up is long, but this also precisely illustrates that there is still enormous room for expansion for our rice cookers in the Japanese domestic market.

Liu Guangqi took the report, his eyes quickly scanning the numbers. A slight smile played on his lips. "Increased production is a good thing, but I must remind the workshop that quality cannot be relaxed. Every rice cooker must undergo three inspections before leaving the factory, and there can be no mistakes whatsoever."

"Don't worry, I've already emphasized it to the workshop director repeatedly." Wang Jianguo nodded, then changed the subject, a hint of curiosity in his eyes, "By the way, I heard you went back to your alma mater for your graduation ceremony this weekend... How did it feel to return home in glory? Was it particularly prestigious?" He leaned closer, his tone carrying a friendly teasing tone.

Liu Guangqi simply smiled and didn't respond to that, instead saying, "When I went back this time, I recruited a group of recent graduates from the Mechanical Engineering College to fill vacancies in the technical department. You should talk to the factory manager about this and ask him to help with the job introduction letters. I'll personally train them; they'll fill the vacancies in the technical department."

Wang Jianguo had no objections. He never interfered in the affairs of the technical department, and even if he could, he wouldn't say much. On the contrary, he was actually quite looking forward to Liu Guangqi's offer to personally train new recruits. As a comrade-in-arms who had fought side by side since the heating workshop, Wang Jianguo knew better than anyone that once things stabilized at the Hongxing Factory, Liu Guangqi would eventually be transferred back to the First Ministry of Machine Building. At that time, he would be in a difficult position. Now that Liu Guangqi was taking the initiative to train his juniors, it was a good thing for Wang Jianguo, so how could he possibly object?

"That's great!" Wang Jianguo exclaimed with delight. "The technical department is currently lacking young people with R&D expertise and a solid foundation. Most of the technicians in the factory are transferred from the old factory. They can fix machines and draw old blueprints, but they can't keep up when it comes to new products like rice cookers and induction cookers. With top students from Tsinghua University joining us, our technical department will be much more stable."

After discussing this matter, Wang Jianguo felt a weight lifted from his heart, and his expression relaxed considerably. Just as he was about to get up and leave, his peripheral vision caught the eye of a few scattered drawings on Liu Guangqi's table—he didn't seem to have seen those drawings before; could they be a new product?

"Guangqi, what are you drawing?" Wang Jianguo slowly shuffled over with his hands behind his back, craning his neck like a curious, chubby quail.

"It's nothing, just a little gadget I came up with for the ** and European and American markets." Liu Guangqi didn't intend to hide anything, so he was just giving a heads-up to pave the way for the launch of new products in the future.

Electric ovens – these are similar in principle to induction cookers, but have a wider range of uses and are more in line with people's usage habits.

He spoke casually, but Wang Jianguo immediately perked up. "**Market! European and American markets!" To him, those words were practically synonymous with "foreign exchange earnings."

"A new gadget? Tell me quickly, what's it called?" Wang Jianguo's Adam's apple bobbed, and he leaned closer, his eyes gleaming. Liu Guangqi didn't need to explain further; the success of the induction cooker and rice cooker had already instilled in him an almost unconditional trust in Liu Guangqi.

Anything that Liu Guangqi comes up with is no longer an ordinary object; it is a phoenix that lays golden eggs and a treasure trove that can be exchanged for foreign exchange!

"Electric oven".

Liu Guangqi smiled slightly and calmly explained to Wang Jianguo.

"An electric oven?"

Wang Jianguo's eyes suddenly lit up.

Just from the name, you know it's related to cooking. Unfortunately, the drawings spread out on the table are still quite messy—scattered sketches of parts, various heating elements, bent heating tubes, a prototype of the thermostat, and several unfinished structural design drawings.

"cough……"

Wang Jianguo examined the paper for a moment, then sheepishly put it down.

"I don't understand it, it's too profound."

He walked over to Liu Guangqi and patted him hard on the shoulder:

"You just focus on mastering the technology; leave everything else to me!"

Having said that, he stopped bothering them and turned to leave.

The office fell silent again.

Liu Guangqi picked up the pencil and looked back at the drawing.

Wang Jianguo is right. The structure of this electric oven is far more complex than that of the previous induction cooker and rice cooker. The number of parts and the technical challenges have increased exponentially.

This object will be the last tool he leaves behind for the Red Star Foreign Exchange Machinery Factory before he leaves to help the factory expand its foreign exchange reserves.

Once it is successfully developed, it will be able to compete with induction cookers and rice cookers. These three powerful products will be enough to allow Hongxing Factory to establish a firm foothold in the international market and enjoy its glory for several years.

By then—

The technical department had the core members of Tsinghua University whom he had trained, and the factory held a firm grip on these valuable assets that could be exchanged for foreign exchange. And he, the chief engineer, had reached the point where he could retire with his achievements.

Indeed, Liu Guangqi never intended to stay in the light industry sector for long. For him, home appliance research and development was merely a stage to test his skills.

In his previous life, as a PhD in mechanical engineering, what he truly longed for was the vast and boundless world of the mechanical industry.

Days pass by one after another. For those immersed in their work, time always flies by.

As June draws to a close and the summer heat intensifies, the Hongxing Chuanghui Machinery Factory remains a hive of activity, with production tasks coming one after another and orders seemingly never-ending.

Although Liu Guangqi is not directly involved in the manufacturing, he still enjoys a rare period of leisure.

It's worth mentioning that Wang Jianguo has already spoken with the factory director in the past two days and will soon be going to Tsinghua University to discuss job openings with the college. For this, Liu Guangqi even received a thank-you call from the department head himself.

For him, this was not a big deal; but in the current situation, this action was like sending charcoal in snowy weather.

When the get off work bell rang, Zhao Mengyun gently knocked on the office door. Only after hearing a response did she push the door open and enter.

"Are you getting impatient?" Liu Guangqi looked up and smiled. "When you get busy, you forget about the time. Let me pack up and we'll be off."

"I was afraid of disturbing your work," Zhao Mengyun said with a smile as she approached, glancing at the blueprints on his desk. "Is this a machine that the factory hasn't finished yet?"

"No, it's a new product I designed myself."

As Liu Guangqi tidied up his paper and pen, he replied, "I don't know when my secondment will end. Since I'm still here, I'll do my part as much as I can."

"Judging from your tone, it sounds like you're planning to settle down here?" Zhao Mengyun teased. "Didn't you say you were just borrowing it temporarily? I thought you were just doing it for the day."

"There are monks who strike the bell and monks who build temples," Liu Guangqi said with a smile. "I probably belong to the latter—even if I leave, I must leave behind a golden bell in this temple to keep the incense burning."

These words made Zhao Mengyun laugh out loud.

"Alright, master craftsman who built the temple, what exactly is the name of this golden bell?"

"Electric oven".

Liu Guangqi spoke each word clearly and firmly.

"An electric oven?"

Zhao Mengyun repeated softly, trying to visualize its appearance in her mind. She had been to Old Mo's restaurant quite often and had seen its heavy, dark ovens, so she asked with a smile, "Like the kind in Old Mo's kitchen?"

"They're not exactly the same." Liu Guangqi shook his head, but his gaze remained fixed on the blueprint, as if he could already see it taking shape.

Liu Guangqi waved his hand, a look of eager anticipation flashing in his eyes: "The ones at Lao Mo's restaurant are huge and bulky. What I'm thinking of is something that can fit in your own kitchen."

"Just imagine, from now on, you can bake fluffy bread, sweet cakes, and even a whole sizzling, juicy, crispy-skinned, tender chicken at home without ever leaving the house!"

Bread? Cake?

Zhao Mengyun's eyes suddenly lit up.

These items are rare treasures that ordinary people wouldn't even dare to dream of; you can only find them in grand hotels or specialty pastry shops.

She steadied herself and pulled her wandering thoughts back to reality.

He asked the most practical question: "This thing...the cost of making it must be quite high, right?"

"I've roughly calculated that the price is roughly equivalent to two or three rice cookers."

Liu Guangqi nodded, a knowing smile playing on his lips.

Anyway, this item wasn't meant for ordinary people: "It doesn't matter, its first destination is the north, where the people are wealthy and won't care about this..."

As he spoke, he deftly rolled up the spread-out drawings and tidied up the scattered papers on the table.

"Alright, pack up and go home."

Zhao Mengyun responded, her gaze falling on his busy profile, and the corners of her lips unconsciously curved into a smile.

The way a man focuses on his work is always particularly attractive.

** Dusk was falling.

In a neat courtyard house, wisps of smoke rise from the rooftops in different directions, mingling with the clanging sounds of spatulas and woks clattering against each other in the kitchens.

The sounds of children playing and chasing each other drifted from near and far in the alleyways...

The air was filled with a genuine and warm sense of life.

After Liu Guangqi dropped Zhao Mengyun off at her residence, he did not return to the dormitory building in the ministry compound.

He went straight to the courtyard house.

He had just pushed his bicycle into the courtyard when he bumped into the third auntie carrying a vegetable basin on her way to the well. The third auntie's face immediately lit up with a smile when she saw him:

"Guangqi's back? What brings you back to the hospital today?"

"Auntie, I just got off work. I'm here to discuss something with my parents," Liu Guangqi said with a smile as she stopped.

Not long after, Sha Zhu also entered the courtyard carrying an empty net bag.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that these days, even a cook in a cafeteria can hardly expect to bring home any decent leftovers every day.

Hearing Liu Guangqi's movement, he turned around and looked over, his voice booming, "Hey! Guangqi? You're back in the yard?"

His shout was full of confidence, and his voice echoed in the courtyard. Several households quietly lifted a crack in their cotton curtains, and some heads peeked out.

Sure enough, this courtyard house is still the same old thing.

In this tiny place, people come and go all day long, and any noise from any household can spread to every corner in an instant.

Liu Guangqi smiled somewhat helplessly.

He had no choice but to repeat himself: "Yes, I came back to visit, and also to talk to my parents about something..."

He exchanged a few casual words with Sha Zhu, then pushed his cart toward the backyard.

Before even reaching the front door of his house, he heard his father Liu Haizhong's loud and clear voice scolding him, which was directed at Liu Guangtian and kept bringing up the upcoming high school entrance examination.

The meaning couldn't be clearer.

He never expected his second son to be as successful as his eldest.

But since he's studied for so many years, we still hope he can prove himself, even if it's just getting into a vocational school, so he can have some hope of getting a job in the future.

Familiar houses, familiar atmosphere.

Listening to his father's almost-memorized nagging, Liu Guangqi's lips curled up slightly.

He propped the bicycle up against the wall.

He called out into the house in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft: "Dad, Mom, I'm home."

The voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to have a magical power, instantly silencing the Liu family's house and bringing the continuous lecturing to an abrupt halt.

A moment later, a round face, flushed red with anger, peeked out from behind the door.

When he saw that it was his eldest son standing in the courtyard, the stern lines on his face instantly relaxed, his anger vanished without a trace, and smile lines appeared at the corners of his eyes: "Guangqi is back!"

The speed at which he switched emotions was truly remarkable.

Liu Haizhong rushed into the yard, patting Liu Guangqi's arm warmly, and at the same time turned his head and started shouting towards the kitchen: