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

To many, this speed is faster than a rocket taking off.

Of course, most people in the building had no objection to his exceptional promotion.

However, wherever there are people, there are always whispers.

Occasionally, a few muttered words would drift over:

"He's already a deputy director... Isn't the process a bit too fast?"

"Procedures? The director and deputy director of the research department have both been transferred to support the Northwest project; they don't have time to worry about those rules and regulations."

The position was indeed vacant; it was merely that Director Lin was temporarily asked to take charge of it.

The man's ears burned from the sting of those words, but he still tried to save face.

Even so…

"Even if what? Could it be that Comrade Liu Guangqi's promotion was just due to luck?"

"They rely on their genuine skills, which are on full display!"

"Leaving aside the inventions and creations that earned foreign exchange, the amount of foreign currency that the Red Star Factory earned was staggering."

"The newly developed electric oven is poised to enter the European market..."

"If you pile up all these achievements, who wouldn't be qualified for a promotion?"

"You only focus on their exceptional promotion, but you can't see their solid achievements. Isn't that a bit short-sighted?"

The young cadre next to him recounted Liu Guangqi's achievements, his voice filled with undisguised admiration.

That attitude was nothing like gossiping about a colleague; it was clearly as if they regarded the other person as a guiding light on their path forward.

***

Inside the office building of the Ministry of Machine Building.

Several section chiefs, who rarely meet, gathered together with enamel mugs, and the conversation inevitably circled back to that name.

"How many years has it been since our department has produced such a young deputy director?"

The head of a department took a sip of tea, his eyes filled with emotion: "People with a proper technical background can both immerse themselves in research and manage practical production; they are proficient in both."

"It's not just solid, it's practically a solid block of iron!"

Another section chief chimed in: "I don't know all the technical details, but I do know one thing—he can sell the things we make abroad and earn stacks of foreign exchange. That's real skill."

"That makes sense. I've heard that the commerce and foreign trade departments have tried many times to send people over to provide guidance, but Director Lin has turned them all down."

"That's right! We can't let our own talents, cultivated by the First Ministry of Machine Building, be easily poached!"

"He is capable and competent to hold this deputy director position."

Several veterans who had been working in the system for many years looked at each other and smiled; many things no longer needed to be said explicitly.

This young man is reliable.

Perhaps he will be the one to hold up half the sky of the Ministry of Machine Building in the future.

***

At the same time, Hongxing Chuanghui Machinery Factory.

The factory's loudspeakers were broadcasting Liu Guangqi's appointment announcement on a loop.

The busy workers on the assembly line stopped what they were doing and looked up to listen to the broadcast.

"Chief Engineer Liu got promoted again?"

"Administrative level 15, and he's the deputy director of the research department within the ministry!"

"Chief Engineer Liu is really great!" a young welder shouted, forgetting to turn off his welding torch, sparks crackling and scattering all over the ground.

"He should have been promoted a long time ago! Our factory is living such a good life now, isn't it all thanks to Chief Engineer Liu leading the development of foreign exchange products?"

The workers' voices were filled with pride.

They didn't care about age or seniority, nor did they care about any exceptional promotions. They only knew that the factory could do without other leaders, but it couldn't do without Chief Engineer Liu.

Good job, that position should have been his!

The young technicians in the technical department who had come from their alma mater were even more excited.

Not long after graduation, my senior has already become the deputy director of the research department.

It's amazing!

***

The machines in the main workshop were roaring.

Wang Jianguo was bending over to inspect the newly installed production line, holding an adjustable wrench in his hand, carefully adjusting the fixing bolts on the outer shell of the electric oven.

When the broadcast reached his ears, he paused in his actions.

He raised his head and looked in the direction of the office building. His lips first tightened, then gradually relaxed, and finally turned into a relieved smile.

That smile carried the weight of an immense burden.

Ministry of Machine Building, Research Division, Deputy Director.

There was a time when these words were a knot in his heart that he pondered repeatedly.

When the Northwest Project was launched, almost all the key personnel of the Ministry's research department were transferred to the front line, and even the director and deputy director personally led teams to the west.

He thought his chance had finally come.

To everyone's surprise, the transfer order came down and Director Lin was temporarily put in charge.

My feelings at that time were truly complex and hard to describe.

But he also understood that with both the director and deputy director positions vacant, whoever could take the deputy director position first would be the future leader of the research department.

He even considered visiting his former boss and trying to pull some strings.

However, it was at this moment that Liu Guangqi came into everyone's view.

This young man, fresh out of school, was like a star that suddenly shone in the night sky, so dazzling that it was hard to look directly at him.

Wang Jianguo still remembers it clearly.

On his very first day at the factory, the young man earned unanimous praise from everyone at the Second Machinery Plant.

Then came the thorny problem at the First Heavy Machinery Plant!

Liu Guangqi resolved the situation in just one afternoon with a skill that impressed everyone present.

From that day onwards.

Wang Jianguo then realized that some gaps cannot be bridged simply by seniority or personal connections.

as predicted.

Not long after, Liu Guangqi developed a new type of heating element, and then launched a series of heating and cooking appliances such as fast heaters, electric blankets, induction cookers, and electric cookers!

So he made a decision that astonished all his colleagues—

He voluntarily requested a transfer from the relevant ministry.

I applied to take up the position of deputy factory director in the newly established department-level unit.

He never revealed his true feelings to outsiders.

But deep down, I know this isn't admitting defeat, but rather choosing a different path.

They followed in the footsteps of geniuses like Liu Guangqi and devoted themselves to industry.

It's far more realistic than waiting for a bleak future in a ministry.

The years that followed proved it true.

He bet on the right direction; this new path was chosen flawlessly.

When the appointment announcement came over the radio, he felt no jealousy whatsoever. Instead, he felt as if he had won a game of chess, experiencing a sense of clarity, exhilaration, and liberation.

Days passed by like flowing water.

Before we knew it, it was the sixth day of the seventh lunar month.

The first day of the lunar month.

The almanac indicates auspicious activities for marriage, long journeys, purchasing vehicles, installing beds, assembling machines, opening businesses, moving stoves, etc.

The morning light had not yet broken.

The home of Zhao Mengyun in the General Logistics Department compound was already bustling with activity.

Zhao's father was dressed in a crisp military uniform.

Who would have thought that this usually decisive and efficient general would be repeatedly adjusting his collar in front of the mirror?

His expression was a mixture of solemnity and melancholy.

Obviously.

On this joyous day, everyone was happy, but he alone could not show a smile.

Today, his precious daughter is getting married!

at this time.

Wu Shuang, the shrewd and worldly-wise mother-in-law, approached with a bowl of millet porridge, jokingly saying with a smile, "If you keep pulling like that, you'll tear the collar off."

"Those who don't know the situation might think you don't like this son-in-law."

Zhao Jianjun came to his senses.

He cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly, took the bowl of porridge but didn't eat it.

He let out a long sigh.

"Back then, when shells whizzed past my ears on the battlefield, my legs didn't tremble even a little."

"Now, even though I'm just seeing my daughter off, I feel uneasy and extremely anxious."

The steam rising from the porridge was hazy.

The tears moistened the corners of his slightly reddened eyes.

"The treasure I've held in my palm for over twenty years now belongs to someone else."

That brings us to this point.

Zhao Jianjun could no longer hide the knot in his heart.

His voice started to ramble on and on.

"You know, even if my father-in-law is busy with official business, surely he can answer the phone?"

"Couldn't he have just made a phone call and asked me to send a car to help with the wedding procession?"

In conversation.

Between Zhao's father's brows.

A subtle resentment towards her son-in-law surfaced:

"I don't think young people are impolite, I just feel..."

"Our daughter works in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is so beautiful. What kind of behavior is it for this guy to come to pick her up on a bicycle? I just feel that it's a disservice to the child."

Unlike her husband's sullenness.

That shrewd and perceptive mother-in-law was clearly much more reasonable.

She first glanced at Zhao's father.

He pushed the bowl of porridge closer: "You're just worrying about nothing."

"Is your pride as a leader more important, or your daughter's happiness?"

"Didn't you see how happy Meng Yun was last night? Her eyes were practically crinkled with laughter. Let alone a bicycle, I bet even if Guang Qi came to pick her up on foot, she'd still be overjoyed. What are you thinking about here, wondering if she's wronged or not?"

"Besides, didn't you hear Xiaoyun mention it?"

"Guangqi is busy earning foreign exchange for the country and expanding into the European market right now, how could he have time to call you?"

"That's fighting for the country's interests!"

"What about you? Where's your sense of perspective? With your supposedly high-ranking official status, all you're doing is worrying about how your daughter was wronged because they didn't ask you to send a car to pick her up?"

Sure enough.

The more a mother-in-law looks at her son-in-law, the more pleased she becomes, and this clever and refined lady is no exception.

At this moment, she...

He was very satisfied with his son-in-law, Liu Guangqi.

These words left Zhao's father speechless.

Zhao Jianjun picked up the bowl and swallowed the last mouthful of porridge.

He wiped his mouth, his tone still stiff:

"I'd like to see what tricks that kid can pull to pick up my daughter..."

Although the words were harsh, everyone in the room understood that the nameless fire that had been burning in the father-in-law's heart because of his daughter's marriage had quietly been extinguished by more than half.

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps echoed in the courtyard.

Zhao Mengsheng darted in like a nimble sparrow. Before he could even stand still, the red ribbon ball in his hand drew an arc in the air.

"Dad! Mom! There's a good show to watch outside!"

He leaned closer, lowered his voice, and his eyes gleamed with mischief:

"Zhou and the others are all blocking the post, saying they're going to give my brother-in-law a '**'."

"They bought a ton of firecrackers, saying it was to send my sister off—but I arrived early, and they secretly agreed that if my brother-in-law came on a beat-up bicycle today, he wouldn't even get near the gate!"

Zhao Mengsheng knew perfectly well that most of these young men had harbored feelings for his sister in the past, and now, taking advantage of the wedding, they were deliberately trying to cause trouble for Liu Guangqi.

As he spoke, he secretly glanced into the inner room.

Zhao Mengyun had already finished packing.

She wore a brand-new crimson dress, her hair was neatly combed, and a small begonia flower was pinned to her temple.

Hearing her brother's words, a faint blush rose to her cheeks:

"Mengsheng, go and tell them to stop making trouble. No matter what Guangqi does, they are not allowed to make things difficult for him."

At the end of his voice, there was a barely perceptible tremor.

Her gaze drifted involuntarily to the window, as if waiting for a familiar figure to catch her eye.

Looking at his daughter's expectant expression, Zhao Jianjun's last bit of bitterness gradually faded.

As long as her daughter is happy, and as long as Liu Guangqi treats her sincerely, what do those formalities matter?

He put down the bowl, and his voice rang out steadily:

"Come on, let's go to the door to greet him. We can't let my son-in-law arrive and no one will be there to greet him."

"I'd like to see who dares to stop my son-in-law, Zhao Jianjun!"

As soon as the family reached the gate, they saw a large group of young people gathered at the guard post, all craning their necks to look outside.

The leaders were indeed carrying strings of red firecrackers, their faces beaming with smiles, but their smiles contained a hint of mockery, as if they were waiting to see a good show.

Just as Zhao Mengsheng was about to speak, a clear and loud horn blare suddenly pierced the noise in the courtyard—

"Beep—!"

The voice wasn't deep like that of a military jeep; instead, it was clear, crisp, and even had a slightly sophisticated ending.

Everyone froze, turning their heads in unison to look at the entrance to the compound.

The soldier on guard duty raised his hand in salute, and the horizontal bar slowly rose.

Immediately afterwards, a gleaming black sedan smoothly glided into everyone's view.

The morning light fell on the car, reflecting a dark, jade-like luster.

Against the backdrop of the yard full of military green jeeps, this Volga stands out conspicuously.

The noisy young people suddenly fell silent, their mouths agape, forgetting even to light their firecrackers.

Quiet murmurs seeped from the crowd:

"Who is this? Such a grand entrance!"

"I must say... this car is really impressive."