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

Just then, Liu Guangqi's gaze swept across the crowd and landed precisely on him. The young man's eyes lit up slightly, and he walked straight out of the glamorous circle of people towards him.

"Dad, are you busy?"

Liu Hai's heart skipped a beat, and a surge of hot, sour feeling welled up in her nose. All her worries crumbled instantly. "Guangqi, you... how did you get here?"

He looked at his son, who walked up to him with his still clear and gentle eyes, and that familiar, slightly boastful spirit returned. He turned to his still-stunned coworker beside him, his voice unconsciously rising, revealing an irrepressible sense of triumph:

"Old Zhao, Master Hu, this is my son, Liu Guangqi. He works at the First Ministry of Machine Building." He paused, puffed out his chest, and added, word by word, "He's now the chief technical officer of Hongxing Chuanghui Machinery Factory!"

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a moment of silence, followed by a low gasp and a buzz of discussion.

"The person in charge? Good heavens..."

"Master Liu, you really have... a lot of good karma from your ancestors!"

"Incredible, truly incredible..."

As those words, a mixture of envy, amazement, and even a touch of bitterness, entered his ears, Liu Haizhong felt every pore on his body relax, and even his back unconsciously straightened a bit. The glory he felt years ago when he was awarded the seventh-level blacksmith seemed insignificant compared to this moment.

Liu Guangqi took in his father's expression and understood. His father had come today with a research mission, but since they had met, there was no reason to avoid him. Following Liu Haizhong's words, he nodded slightly to the veteran workers.

At this moment, Director Yang and his entourage approached and asked gently, "Chief Engineer Liu, did you run into someone you know?"

Liu Guangqi turned around and explained with a smile.

Factory Director Yang was talking quietly with several cadres about the workshop's production situation when he suddenly heard a screeching sound of metal falling, and he stopped talking.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw an old master craftsman standing blankly beside his workbench, a file lying at his feet. That old master craftsman was none other than Yi Zhonghai from the fitter's workshop.

Yi Zhonghai was clearly unprepared for such a scene and was momentarily at a loss. His gaze first fell on Director Yang, who was at the head of the group, and then involuntarily shifted to the young face next to Director Yang.

That face... the more he looked at it, the more familiar it seemed.

Before he could even search his memory for the corresponding name, Li Huaide, the factory office director who was accompanying him, spoke first, his tone familiar and warm: "Master Yi, busy? Perfect timing, Chief Engineer Liu from the ministry is here today to conduct research at our factory, and Factory Director Yang is personally accompanying you to see the actual situation in each workshop."

The name "Chief Engineer Liu" was like a key, instantly unlocking Yi Zhonghai's memory. He suddenly remembered—wasn't that the eldest son of Old Liu's family in the backyard? Liu Guangqi! He seemed to have met him last year during the Spring Festival; he'd heard he'd been assigned to a ministry. He never expected…

Yi Zhonghai's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily, and his hand, which was about to pick up the tools, froze in mid-air. He composed himself, forced a smile, and bowed slightly in the direction of Factory Director Yang: "Hello, Factory Director Yang, hello, leaders." His gaze eventually returned to Liu Guangqi's face, his tone carrying a hint of probing and emotion: "Guangqi... really, he's made something of himself."

Liu Guangqi nodded calmly at him, saying, "Master Yi." His tone was as ordinary as greeting someone in the courtyard, revealing no particular emotion.

Seeing this, Director Yang smiled and took over the conversation, introducing Yi Zhonghai to Liu Guangqi: "Comrade Yi Zhonghai is one of our factory's veteran fitters. He has solid skills and is also good at training apprentices." He then turned to Yi Zhonghai and said in a kind tone: "Master Yi, Chief Engineer Liu came here this time mainly to gain an in-depth understanding of the real situation and technical difficulties in the front-line production process. Your fitter workshop is a key focus. If you have any practical difficulties or good suggestions, please feel free to talk about them."

Yi Zhonghai quickly responded, suppressing his momentary lapse in composure and regaining his calm demeanor as a seasoned master craftsman. While gesturing for his apprentice Jia Dongxu to continue his work, he carefully chose his words and began to introduce common process bottlenecks in the workshop and some of the experienced masters' insights.

Liu Guangqi listened attentively, occasionally interjecting with a question or two about a detail or two, always focusing on the key points, demonstrating that he was not an outsider to production. Factory Director Yang and Director Li, among others, supplemented or explained the factory's relevant arrangements as needed.

The group stayed for about fifteen minutes before heading to the next work section. As they left, the noise in the workshop gradually returned to its original rhythm, but the buzzing discussions, like ripples on the water, subtly spread through the gaps in the machine's roar.

Yi Zhonghai picked up the file again, his fingertips feeling cold. Looking at his apprentice Jia Dongxu's somewhat distracted expression, he muttered a reprimand, "What are you looking at? Don't you care about the precision in your hands?" But deep down, he wasn't as calm as he appeared. That quiet, unassuming eldest son of Old Liu's family in the backyard had actually reached this point, becoming the "chief engineer" whom even Factory Director Yang had to politely accompany… This world had truly become incomprehensible.

He shook his head, drawing his attention back to the part in front of him, but the sound of the file hitting the metal surface seemed clearer than usual.

Yi Zhonghai hurriedly wiped his palms on his apron, a forced smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

But his attempt to curry favor seemed to fall into a deep abyss; Director Yang glanced at him once and then looked away without even pausing in his steps.

This coldness made Yi Zhonghai's heart tighten.

Before he could think it through, the composed young man next to him spoke first, his voice steady and his manners impeccable.

"Master Yi, it's been a long time."

That voice—

Yi Zhonghai's eyelids twitched suddenly, and he finally overlapped the composed young man in front of him with Liu Guangqi in his memory.

"Guangqi? You... how come you came to the workshop with Factory Director Yang?"

Yi Zhonghai's question was somewhat hesitant.

Liu Guangqi smiled slightly: "Master Yi, I am here on behalf of Hongxing Chuanghui Factory to learn about your factory's steel production situation."

"Red Star Foreign Exchange Factory?"

Yi Zhonghai was even more bewildered. What kind of factory could have such weight that even Director Yang had to accompany him personally?

Ever since Director Yang learned that Liu Haizhong was Liu Guangqi's father, he had already anticipated that he would inevitably run into many old acquaintances from their compound along the way. Enthusiasm—

The first time is the most genuine, but it inevitably fades afterward.

After all, how can you treat your biological father and neighbors the same way?

More importantly, the controversy surrounding Yi Zhonghai's certification exam last time almost implicated him, the factory director. He certainly wasn't in a good mood right now.

Factory Director Yang had no intention of saying much to Yi Zhonghai, but the foreman of the fitter's workshop, being a quick-witted man, saw this and immediately stepped forward, speaking in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for Yi Zhonghai to hear clearly:

"Old Yi, what are you standing there for! This is Chief Engineer Liu from Hongxing Chuanghui Factory. He's come here today specifically to inspect our work!"

"Liu...Chief Engineer?"

These two words were like two heavy iron weights, striking Yi Zhonghai's chest with tremendous force.

Chief Technology Engineer?!

He knew Liu Guangqi had made something of himself, but he never imagined it would come to this.

The chief engineer who could get Director Yang to personally accompany him on the inspection—

What level is that?

Not far away, Jia Dongxu, who had been holding a wrench and pretending to work, was now completely frozen in place.

He stood there, frozen in place, his mind completely blank.

A few days ago, he did hear Sha Zhu and Xu Damao mention that Liu Guangqi was now accompanied by security guards whenever he went out. Last time they tried to greet him, they were almost detained as suspicious persons.

This alone is enough to show that Liu Guangqi's current status is by no means ordinary.

But it wasn't until he saw Director Yang by his side today that Jia Dongxu truly felt the difference.

He took a deep breath.

Sometimes, there really is a huge chasm between people.

Liu Guangqi didn't care what Jia Dongxu and the others thought.

He came here today not to show off, but to conduct genuine research and handle matters.

After quickly learning about the situation in the fitter's workshop, Liu Guangqi and Director Yang and their group went to inspect other workshops.

After walking through all the workshops of the steel rolling mill, Liu Guangqi couldn't help but feel a little surprised.

I originally thought that the steel rolling mill, as a large factory directly under the Ministry of Metallurgy with nearly 10,000 employees, should have a solid financial foundation, but the reality was not so.

The steel rolling mill used to be quite prosperous, but in recent years, due to the support for the construction of the Great Northwest, too many of the factory's technical backbones have been transferred to other projects.

After that, very few people passed the Level 8 worker assessment.

Yi Zhonghai previously—

It was under these circumstances that the workshop director wanted to promote him to the position of an eighth-level fitter, in order to give the workshop a better reputation.

Unfortunately, he ran into Liu Guangqi, and the deal fell through.

He is still only a level seven worker.

Returning to the steel rolling mill itself, although it appears to be large in scale and has a large number of workers, this is actually the result of merging several smaller mills.

After the merger, most of the factory workers remained at the junior and intermediate levels.

To be honest, promotion from junior to intermediate level is not difficult.

Start as an apprentice, persevere for many years, and you can gradually rise to level four or five.

In contrast, there are very few Grade 8 workers in the entire steel rolling mill.

Firstly, not everyone is willing to go to the far northwest. They understand their responsibilities to their country and family, but they also have wives, children, and elderly parents to take care of at home.

What will happen to my family if I leave?

Therefore, many people stop studying technology at the seventh level and are unwilling to take further assessments.

Secondly, when master craftsmen teach apprentices, they often impart all their knowledge at the beginner level, but as the skills become more advanced and the level higher, they become less willing to reveal all their best skills.

This has led to a severe shortage of highly skilled workers in steel rolling mills.

The shortage of skilled workers means that the machining of many precision parts has to rely more on machine tools.

Fortunately, the steel rolling mill was a unit directly under the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry. Other department-level factories would not have had so many imported steel rolling equipment to maintain production.

Liu Guangqi stood in the corridor of the steel rolling mill for a long time.

During casual conversations with several factory leaders, he gradually pieced together the factory's structure and formed a clear picture in his mind. After the research visit, the group followed Director Yang back to his spacious office. The sturdy mahogany desk silently spoke of the weight of time. Li Huaide promptly handed him a detailed production task list, the pages crammed with the names and specifications of various types of steel, several lines highlighted in striking red pen—those were special tasks reserved for the Ministry of Metallurgy.

As a directly affiliated enterprise of the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry, the steel rolling mill has a deep foundation, and resource allocation with its sister units is commonplace. Liu Guangqi took the list, his gaze moving quickly. His fingertips lingered briefly on certain items, and finally, the tip of his pen made a few decisive and forceful circles next to the names of "stainless steel" and several other types of special steel, the movements concise and clear, without the slightest hesitation.

The remaining details of the negotiations were naturally left to Director Li and Wang Jianguo, who were working with the company, to communicate and coordinate with the other party, without requiring his personal involvement as the chief engineer. Before long, the basic cooperation framework for the steel rolling mill as a downstream partner was established.

At the same time, Li Huaide's gaze towards Liu Guangqi held a newfound familiarity and eagerness compared to their last encounter. Last time they met, this young man was merely a deputy section-level cadre; now, he had not only been promoted but had also assumed the responsibilities of chief engineer. At such a rapid pace of advancement, the next time they met, he might already be a division-level leader.

"Director Yang, Director Li, and Chief Engineer Liu, now that the business is settled, it's almost lunchtime. Please, have a simple meal at our factory." As soon as Li Huaide finished speaking, Director Yang laughed heartily, "Our factory canteen chefs are quite skilled! Come on, Director Li is right, I'll have someone arrange it at the small canteen right away. Everyone must try the taste of our steel rolling mill today!"