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

Some things had to be made clear. He raised his eyes, his tone calm as still water, yet carrying an unyielding strength: "Dad, there are many people in the compound who will gossip. When we get back, please don't mention a single word about my accommodation assignment or my involvement in the project."

Liu Haizhong paused, his initial excitement deflated like a balloon punctured by a needle. He understood the deeper meaning in his son's eyes—keep a low profile and avoid ostentation. It was a reminder, and also a warning.

"Don't worry, I understand," Liu Haizhong replied, puffing out his chest, but secretly wiping his palm along the seam of his trousers. The scales in his heart were beginning to tip: on one side was his son's future, on the other was his own family's desire to hold their heads high. If he couldn't find a way to satisfy both, he might actually be able to keep his mouth shut.

It's unclear when exactly, but the power dynamic in this family has subtly shifted. Not only Liu Haizhong, but also his wife and two young children unconsciously take Liu Guangqi's decisions as their standard.

In the afternoon, the family walked out of the solemn compound. Liu Haizhong clutched the thin entry pass tightly, his knuckles turning white from the pressure. The piece of paper, light as a feather, now weighed heavily on his heart. He repeatedly recalled the scene of registration—the staff taking the household registration book, checking, stamping, and returning it. Every detail was bathed in a halo of honor.

From then on, Liu Haizhong was also someone who could enter and leave this compound with his credentials. Even if he didn't come often in the future, this qualification itself was enough to make him stand tall. Thinking of this, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes rippled outwards, and his whole face relaxed.

Liu Guangqi caught a glimpse of his father's expression, a faint smile playing on his lips. He knew this old man all too well—he didn't crave tobacco or alcohol, nor did he seek high positions; his only concern was maintaining his dignity. The spiritual satisfaction derived from a mere certificate far surpassed any material gift, enough to keep his father reminiscing for years to come.

It was still early when Liu Guangqi led his family for a stroll along the long street. Red flags fluttered in the square, and Liu Guangqi subconsciously straightened his collar and straightened his back, as if he were walking past a reviewing stand. That solemnity quietly infected everyone around him.

The sun was rising higher, and their stomachs were rumbling. Liu Guangqi pushed open the heavy wooden door of the state-run restaurant, and the family filed in. His mother looked up at the price list on the wall, her eyes widening suddenly. She gently tugged at her son's sleeve: "This is too expensive… Shall we cook at home?"

"It's a rare reunion, so let's celebrate." Liu Guangqi gently pressed his mother's hand and turned to signal to the waiter. He spoke calmly and composedly when ordering, and even the girl behind the counter couldn't help but glance at him a few more times.

The braised pork belly was glistening with oil, the liver tips were tender and smooth, the shredded pork with garlic sauce was perfectly sweet and sour, the four-happiness meatballs were plump and full, and it was served with a plate of crisp cucumber salad. The aroma of the food rose up, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere.

The morning light once again streamed through the window.

A new week has begun.

As dawn broke, Liu Guangqi stepped into the government building, but instead of heading to his research lab, he turned and went straight into the general affairs office.

Director Wang was holding a teacup when she looked up and saw him. Her face immediately lit up with a smile, and she hurriedly stood up to greet him. Her enthusiasm was completely different from how she usually greeted others: "Oh, Engineer Liu! What brings you here today? Is it about buying something for your home?"

"You guessed right." Liu Guangqi smiled slightly, took out a roll of blueprints from his briefcase and handed it over. "I just scribbled a few lines myself and wanted to trouble you to take a look and see if you could make a set based on the pattern."

"You designed it yourself?" Director Wang took the blueprints, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

The unfolded paper depicted a set of bookshelves, clearly structured with drawers on the lower level and neatly arranged shelves on the upper level, saving space while maintaining an elegant style. Director Wang examined it for a long time, then couldn't help but nod: "No wonder you're a tech person! This design is clean and practical, much better than those bulky styles piled up in our warehouse—"

"That's right!" Several other staff members also came over to take a look, and they all whispered their admiration.

Director Wang carefully rolled up the blueprints and tucked them into his pocket as if he had found a treasure. Then he waved his hand and said, "Come on, Engineer Liu, I'll take you to the warehouse to pick out some timber! Given your dedication, we have to use the best materials."

As soon as the warehouse door opened, a rich, refreshing scent of pine wafted out.

"Engineer Liu, the bookcase, wardrobe, desk, plus a dining table with four chairs you requested..." Director Wang mentally calculated for a moment, then held up two fingers. "This amount will do for the wood. The department will cover the labor costs; consider it a token of your appreciation for these drawings. We guarantee they'll be perfectly finished within a week, and then we'll have them delivered and installed for you. What do you think?"

The price was much lower than Liu Guangqi had estimated. He had already prepared the funds, but he hadn't expected Director Wang to be so agreeable. Just as he was about to thank him, the other party waved his hand first.

"Engineer Liu, please don't be so polite!" Director Wang said with a hearty smile. "The foreign exchange you earn for the ministry flows in like water; what's a little bit of timber?"

After settling the furniture deal, Liu Guangqi left the General Affairs Office.

Now it's time to fully dedicate myself to work.

Heating Equipment Workshop, First Ministry of Machine Building.

The deafening roar of the machines seemed to threaten to rip the factory's dome off. As soon as Liu Guangqi stepped into the workshop, a wave of heat, mixed with the smell of machine oil and scorching metal, hit him in the face.

Here, time seems to lose its meaning. Workers work in three shifts, day and night, their eyes bloodshot, yet their hands still move with practiced efficiency. Last weekend, the factory was closed for the holiday, and there wasn't enough time to temporarily reassign staff, so the new workshop had to operate with everyone working around the clock.

For this foreign exchange order, which was listed as a key project by the Ministry of Foreign Trade, the entire logistics, canteen, and security departments of the First Ministry of Machine Building were mobilized to provide full support. Although the workers had been working overtime for days, they showed no signs of fatigue; on the contrary, they were all energetic and full of enthusiasm. To an uninformed person, the sheer unity and concerted effort they displayed would make it seem as if money was being printed.

No wonder, with everyone working so hard, it's hard not to improve production efficiency.

"Engineer Liu, you've finally arrived!" Old Zhang, the temporary workshop foreman, rushed over, sweating profusely, his voice louder than the machines. "The ministry just notified us that another hundred intermediate-level workers have been transferred from several factories below. They'll arrive this afternoon! We have more people, but we only have so many machines. How can we arrange them so that the machines run non-stop and the workers can rotate shifts?"

He rubbed his hands together, his eyes shining with anticipation for expanding the production line.

This is an era where everyone thinks and works together towards a common goal.

Liu Guangqi wore a faint smile and said in a calm tone, "Don't worry."

"I have already reported the matter of adding production lines to my superiors, and it will be implemented soon."

"Right now..."

"The principles remain unchanged: machines rotate, personnel change shifts, and workers must be given adequate rest when they need it."

After he finished speaking succinctly, his gaze fell on a stamping machine in the corner of the workshop that was emitting a slight vibration.

He walked a few steps to the machine, pressed his ear close to its cool casing, listened intently for a moment, and then his brows furrowed slightly.

"The sound it makes is a bit abnormal."

Then, he patted a young worker next to him whose face was smeared with oil, and asked in a gentle tone, "Just transferred to the workshop?"

"Reporting to Team Leader Liu, I am a technician transferred from the electrical appliance factory!" the young man replied, straightening his back.

Liu Guangqi had already rolled up his sleeves and started to shut down the machine in preparation for maintenance.

"Pay attention here," he said, pointing to an internal component. "The eccentric shaft of this machine wears out relatively quickly, so you need to add half a spoonful of lubricant every four hours."

As he skillfully disassembled and inspected the equipment, he explained to the technician beside him, "You need to write these key points down in your technical notebook..."

"Remember, just half a spoonful. Adding too much can cause the transmission to slip, while adding too little may cause the bearing to overheat and seize."

"Huh? There's so much to learn here?" The technician from the electronics factory was taken aback, a cold sweat breaking out on his back—had he almost made a mistake earlier?

"Every machine has its own quirks. Only by understanding it thoroughly can you take good care of it and fix its problems," Liu Guangqi explained with a smile, his tone like that of a master patiently imparting his skills.

His words prompted several experienced workers around him to nod in agreement.

In fact, everyone knows this.

Making machines run non-stop and roar at full capacity is essentially trading equipment lifespan for production progress...

But no one complained.

Because these two heating products they are working day and night to produce truly meet the urgent needs and reliance of their northern neighbor.

That large northern country, deep down, always carried the arrogance of an older brother, believing that the industrial system of this land was established entirely thanks to its initial guidance and assistance.

Therefore, they have always looked down on the industrial products produced here.

In their eyes, this place is nothing more than a source of raw materials and primary industrial parts, and at most, it exports some canned fruit.

But this time, the situation is different.

The electric kettle and the electric blanket were like two solid slaps in the face, forcing that arrogant neighbor to lower his head.

In particular, the new material used in the core heating element caught the opponent completely off guard.

Winter is fast approaching.

The Siberian cold front doesn't care who claims to be the big brother; it will only arrive on schedule, each year more frigid than the last.

Even if our northern neighbor wanted to build a factory and set up production lines immediately, it would be too late to help in our immediate predicament.

This is precisely the fundamental reason why the foreign trade department urgently hopes that the First Ministry of Machine Building can operate at full capacity and increase production.

We must seize this window of opportunity to generate foreign exchange through exports and gain more initiative in foreign trade.

As it turns out, Liu Guangqi's direction was correct.

In the brand-new workshop, the machines roared day and night.

The workers, working in three shifts, had tired faces, but their eyes shone with a burning passion.

Rows of newly produced, inspected and qualified electric kettles and blankets are piled up in front of the packing table, ready to be packed and sent to the foreign trade department to embark on their export journey.

The current daily output is encouraging.

With all one hundred intermediate-level technicians transferred from the directly affiliated factories in place, the production pace of the entire workshop has accelerated significantly.

The burden on Liu Guangqi's shoulders also gradually increased as the machines continued to operate at high loads.

So he invited Wang Jianguo, the production team leader.

He devoted more of his energy to technical guidance and equipment maintenance, while Wang Jianguo assisted him, taking charge of personnel scheduling and arrangement. With their tacit cooperation and the hard work of all the workers in the workshop, they finally managed to steadily increase the production efficiency of the two heating products to a level sufficient to deliver orders on time.

If this trend continues, we will surely be able to secure this valuable foreign exchange order from our northern neighbor before the end of the year.

First Ministry of Machine Building, General Machinery Division.

The phone in the director's office suddenly rang.

Director Lin had just finished reviewing a document when he picked up the microphone.

"Hey, Lao Chen. Your foreign trade department really knows a lot about things."

A loud laugh came through the receiver: "Director Lin, I'm here especially to give you some good news!"

"Your Ministry of Machine Building really solved a huge problem for our Ministry of Foreign Trade this time!"

"The recently delivered batch of heating products is of excellent quality, with a stable supply, and the customer from the north is extremely satisfied!"

"It's all part of my job to help the country's foreign exchange reserves." Director Lin smiled, leaned back in his chair, and looked relaxed.

"Hey, you can't say that!"

"Old Lin, I have something important to discuss with you. Our department has discussed it and we think it's a waste to keep such a good heating product in a small workshop."

"We'd like to jointly establish a new factory with your Ministry of Machine Building, specifically for the production of these kinds of export goods. What do you think?"

Build a new factory?

Director Lin's smile faded slightly, and his fingertips tapped lightly on the table.

This is no small matter.

He pondered for a moment, then did not respond immediately: "Old Chen, I need time to consider this matter, and I also need to hear the thoughts of the comrade in charge."

After hanging up the phone, Director Lin immediately instructed his secretary to go to the workshop and invite Liu Guangqi over.

It's also interesting to say.

Throughout the entire Ministry of Machine Building, no other deputy section-level cadre frequented the director's office as often as Liu Guangqi.

But he was an exception.

When Liu Guangqi walked into the office again, Director Lin didn't even have time to prepare tea before saying directly, "Comrade Guangqi, please sit down."

He gestured to the chair opposite him, his voice filled with undisguised approval.

"You've been doing an excellent job lately!"

"The Ministry of Foreign Trade just called and highly praised your electric heater and electric blanket."