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

Liu Guangqi's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable weight: "You are fully responsible for the production technology issues over there. All production processes must be strictly executed according to the standard data..."

"Every part must be inspected by you. If there's a mistake, I'll only hold you accountable."

Upon hearing this, Old Zhang not only did not flinch, but instead straightened his back even more and a confident smile appeared on his lips.

"Director, don't worry!"

Liu Guangqi had already discussed the temporary transfer arrangement with everyone beforehand.

No one objected to this; on the contrary, they saw it as a new responsibility.

Liu Guangqi then clearly and quickly assigned tasks one by one. The research department's massive and sophisticated machine soon returned to full-speed operation.

A new chapter begins—

A comprehensive R&D project for general-purpose machine tools.

Officially launched!

From the beginning of spring until now, it is already May. Three months of intense struggle have just begun.

The technical backbone under Liu Guangqi was indeed a great help, as most of the complicated drawing and calculation work was taken care of.

Otherwise, simply translating the industrial technologies from his memory, which spanned eras, into blueprints that could be understood in this era would have taken him nearly a year. Not to mention launching multiple general-purpose machine tool development projects within such a tight timeframe.

Even so, Liu Guangqi still felt that time was being torn into fragments. He had to repeatedly analyze and explain many fundamental architectural issues—such as modular design and standardized interfaces—concepts that were decades ahead of their time, in order for the team members to barely understand them.

But such progress is already considered incredibly fast by today's standards.

When the news reached Director Lin, who heard that the R&D department had mobilized manpower to begin trial production of general-purpose machine tools, he came to visit in person. Although Director Lin did not understand the technical details, he grasped the core conclusion: if everything went smoothly, general-purpose machine tools such as CNC lathes and CNC grinding machines would be launched around June.

***

In the courtyard, a number of people gathered at dusk.

It was still early, and the courtyard was bustling with activity. Everyone had brought their own small stools and sat in a circle. Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, Yan Bugui, Jia Dongxu, Xu Damao, He Yuzhu, and several neighbors who often saw each other at the steel rolling mill were all present.

The men held cigarettes between their fingers, the red glow flickering; or they held palm-leaf fans, slowly waving them.

It's unclear who started the conversation, but after some rambling, the topic eventually circled back to the "big iron block" that the steel rolling mill had recently acquired—a CNC machine tool.

As a large-scale, department-level factory directly under the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry, the steel rolling mill was well-known in some commissions, and naturally, it was among the first to be allocated such cutting-edge equipment to increase production capacity. After a few days, even those who hadn't operated it themselves had heard all about its power through rumors.

"Hey, you old masters, you've all heard, haven't you?" He Yuzhu's voice was loud and clear, with the characteristic booming tone of a kitchen chef. "That new lump of iron we got at the factory, wow, it's all the rage now!"

He knew nothing about the technology in the workshop, but listened to it as if it were just for fun, his face full of curiosity.

"I heard...that guy works faster than a master craftsman of the eighth grade!" He got more and more excited as he spoke, gesturing with his hands. "Especially those special steel parts, they come out as smooth as porcelain, saving you the trouble of polishing!"

"He Yuzhu, you've been single for too long, and everything looks like a young woman's face to you, right?" Xu Damao seized the opportunity to laugh at him, then added with a hint of boasting, "That's called a CNC machine tool! It's programmed inside, just like how our film projection team arranges film reels—once the machine is set up, the work is done by itself, fast and accurate!"

Finally, he glanced casually at Yi Zhonghai and said, "The amount he does in a day is probably equivalent to ten or eight level-eight workers."

His tone carried a hint of mockery, as if he wanted to stir up trouble.

Everyone in the workshop knew that Yi Zhonghai was determined to become an eighth-grade fitter, but he was currently stuck at the seventh grade. With the arrival of CNC machine tools, the value of an eighth-grade fitter was about to plummet—how could he not feel frustrated?

Sure enough, Xu Damao's words were like a needle, pricking people with a dull pain.

Yi Zhonghai had certainly seen that machine tool. He was standing in the crowd when the factory organized a tour for the veteran workers. Its precision was even more astonishing than the parts he had honed with decades of experience and feel.

"I've already gone to see it."

After a long silence, Yi Zhonghai finally spoke in a deep voice, "The precision of machine-made parts is indeed high... the error is much smaller than that of parts controlled by hand."

This is the truth, the truth that an old technician has to admit.

He Yuzhu was stunned. He hadn't expected even an old man to say that: "Good heavens! It can really replace ten level eight workers? If the factory replaces all the machines with these..."

He was too dense to notice the subtle shift in the atmosphere in the courtyard, and the words had already slipped out:

"Uncle, aren't you going to lose your job?"

The courtyard fell silent as soon as he said that.

Yi Zhonghai's face immediately darkened, as dark and gloomy as the sky before a storm.

He'd lived to this age thanks to his exceptional skills as a fitter. His title as a senior technician was renowned not only in the factory but also within the compound, earning him widespread respect. To be publicly threatened with "losing his job" by Sha Zhu felt like a slap in the face, a stinging blow.

"Pillar," he said in a low voice, a barely perceptible tremor in his tone, "what are you saying?"

He took a deep breath, trying to maintain the composure of an elder, but the hand clenched at his side, knuckles white, betrayed the churning anger in his heart. Sha Zhu's words were too venomous, not only puncturing his vague fear of the CNC machine tool—the fear that it might one day take the place of an eighth-grade worker—but also, in front of everyone in the yard, humiliating him.

Unfortunately, he was the elder, so he couldn't lash out at Sha Zhu.

A moment of silence fell over the surroundings. Liu Haizhong, however, stepped in cheerfully to smooth things over. He had long since moved to a management position, and the powerful machine tools were no obstacle to him, so he spoke with remarkable ease: "Shazhu, you're talking nonsense! Your uncle's skills are the result of decades of hard work and practice; how can a machine replace them so easily?"

Jia Dongxu nodded hurriedly, "That's right, no matter how smart a machine is, it still needs someone to operate it. My master is very experienced, so why is there no way to proceed?"

Everyone offered their advice, but a hint of uncertainty lingered in their eyes—who didn't know the truth? The efficiency of CNC machine tools was obvious, and the decline in the status of eighth-grade workers was probably not just wishful thinking.

Only then did Sha Zhu realize his slip of the tongue, his face flushed with embarrassment: "I...I didn't mean that! I just thought that CNC machine tool was amazing, not that I'm saying an old man like me is incompetent!"

Before he could finish speaking, a soft chuckle came from the side.

Xu Damao wasn't about to let this opportunity slip by. His laughter was slow and leisurely, tinged with amusement as he watched the spectacle unfold: "Silly Zhu, you don't need to explain anymore. Actually, what you said isn't entirely wrong—"

He paused deliberately, his gaze sweeping over Sha Zhu, then seemingly casually glancing at Yi Zhonghai, his words laced with sarcasm: "In this compound, your job is the most secure!"

"No matter how powerful a machine tool is, it can't cook for people, right?" He drawled, a mocking glint in his eyes. "I think everyone should just learn to cook from you; at least they won't go hungry!"

This was like pouring oil into a fire.

Xu Damao was ostensibly targeting Sha Zhu, but his words implied that the craftsmanship of Yi Zhonghai and his fellow old workers was worthless, like a broken bowl that could be taken away at any moment.

Sure enough, Yi Zhonghai's face darkened completely, and he gave Xu Damao a cold glare.

One's stupid, the other's wicked, they've both gone mad tonight!

He knew, of course, that Xu Damao was trying to provoke Sha Zhu, but dragging himself into it was just asking for trouble. Those two bastards, what bad luck.

Jia Dongxu also understood the implied meaning and frowned, saying, "Da Mao, shut up! We're neighbors, how can you talk like that?"

He was also seething with anger—he had been learning fitter work from Yi Zhonghai, and if he couldn't even reach the level of an eighth-grade fitter, his future prospects would be limited. Xu Damao's words were like a knife to his heart.

Needless to say, Sha Zhu felt a surge of anger rush to his head, and he kicked the stool he was standing on. The wooden stool crashed to the ground with a loud bang.

"Xu Damao, I'm so angry!"

Sha Zhu pointed at his nose and cursed, "I earn my living with my skills, honestly and uprightly! Unlike you, all you do is gossip and spread rumors behind my back! You try saying another one!"

He was about to pounce on her.

"Hey! Pillar! Silly Pillar! Don't do it!"

Uncle Yan Bugui reacted quickly, grabbing him tightly. He was still worried about his own stools—if they got into a fight and broke, who would be responsible?

The courtyard immediately descended into chaos and commotion.

At this chaotic juncture, Yi Zhonghai slammed the enamel mug in his hand heavily onto the table with a "thud".

"That's enough!"

A deep shout slammed down.

Yi Zhonghai adopted the air of an elder statesman, his imposing moral authority instantly dominating the scene. He first glared, his gaze fixed directly on Sha Zhu's face:

"People in the courtyard should sit and talk properly! Why resort to violence?"

"Zhu Zi, do you even respect us old folks? You're going to hit someone right in front of us?"

Sha Zhu, his neck stiff, was about to speak when he caught a glimpse of Yi Zhonghai's unyielding gaze. He swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue and could only sit down with his head down. This reprimand completely silenced Sha Zhu, and the pent-up anger in Yi Zhonghai's chest finally dissipated.

He then turned to Xu Damao: "Zhu Zi is a stubborn fool, and you're making the same mistake? Why pick this moment to be sarcastic and disruptive, are you just trying to annoy everyone? If everyone in the yard really loses their jobs, what will you, Xu Damao, be left with? Do you think you're some kind of movie projectionist with two extra legs? You think you're so capable?"

Xu Damao shrank back. He had only meant it as a joke, but he hadn't expected the old man to go all out and put him in such a difficult position. Sure enough, Yi Zhonghai's skillful manipulation of alliances and counter-alliances had turned Xu Damao into the target of everyone's criticism in the blink of an eye.

"That old man is right!" "Xu Damao, you just love making trouble!" "Showing two movies and you think you're something special? If we all lose our jobs, you'll be the only one who's safe, huh?"

Accusations came from all sides, and Xu Damao's face turned red and white. He opened his mouth but couldn't utter a single word.

Seeing this scene, Yi's lips curled up almost imperceptibly, feeling incredibly pleased. He raised his hand to gesture for silence, then retook the conversation: "Let's all say less, and don't panic. No matter how powerful that CNC machine tool is, it's still just a machine. Our master craftsmen's skills are genuine—don't forget, even the most intricate things are made by people, bit by bit!"

These words were both a reassurance and a subtle way of elevating the status of the veteran workers in the workshop. At the end, he abruptly changed the subject, habitually throwing out a polite remark: "Besides, Guangqi is now working in a ministry; he's someone who came from our workshop, after all. The decades of camaraderie we've built together still exist. If anything big were to happen, wouldn't he think of the people in the workshop?"

While seemingly comforting, his words carried a hidden meaning: Now that the Liu family has risen in status, everyone needs to know how to cultivate relationships. And this old man of his is, of course, the perfect bridge.

Liu Haizhong remained silent, slowly sipping his tea, barely lifting his eyelids. He knew exactly what Yi Zhonghai was up to—the old man was trying to win people over by using his son's name. He wasn't going to fall for it.

"Ahem, ahem!" Liu Haizhong cleared his throat heavily, drawing everyone's attention. He put down his teacup and spoke slowly, completely ignoring Yi Zhonghai's comment: "Old Yi, I have a different opinion. What is Guangqi's status now? He's a cadre in the Ministry of Machine Building. Our steel rolling mill belongs to the Ministry of Metallurgy! The two ministries aren't separated by a wall, they're separated by a mountain. Can he possibly interfere?"

As he spoke, he adopted a very official demeanor, completely veerging the topic off course: "This is called departmental division of responsibilities, each with its own duties. If you ask the leaders of the steel rolling mill to manage the people in the machinery factory, ask them if they would agree? That's not helping, that's meddling!"

Now that he was the deputy director of the workshop, his words carried a certain authority. The people in the yard gradually quieted down after hearing his explanation, realizing it made sense.

Xu Damao was feeling suffocated by Yi Zhonghai's pressure, and seeing Liu Haizhong step forward was like grasping at a lifeline: "Second Uncle is right! Every factory is a faction, let alone ministries; the rules are paramount!"