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

"That's true." "The other day, a young guy who just joined our workshop had an uncle who was a section chief at the machine factory, but he still had to start as an apprentice here." "Exactly! How could the machine factory possibly extend its reach into the steel rolling mill? Besides, I heard his relative's factory is a department-level unit; how much influence can the leaders there really have?"

The chatter gradually resumed, but the tone of the conversation had already completely changed in just a few words from Liu Haizhong.

Yi Zhonghai held the teacup, his face turning slightly pale—all this effort tonight had been for nothing.

As night fell, people gradually dispersed from the courtyard. Some were indifferent, thinking that if the sky fell, there would be tall people to hold it up; some looked worried, secretly planning their future; but many more couldn't help but glance at Liu Haizhong's door again and again, their eyes filled with envy and sourness, flickering in the dim light.

However, it must be admitted that Liu Guangqi's CNC machine tool design was truly extraordinary. It not only stirred up a wave of technological innovation in the factory area, but also caused ripples in the delicate relationships between the neighbors in their small courtyard. Liu Guangqi himself was unaware that his father, Liu Dahai, had already thwarted several troublesome matchmakers in the courtyard for him.

Time flies, and it's already June in the blink of an eye.

Inside a research lab under the First Ministry of Machine Building, as the last screw was tightened, a soft "click" sounded, and the previously noisy space suddenly fell silent, so quiet that one could hear their own breathing.

All eyes—

They were all firmly locked onto the brand-new CNC lathe in front of them.

"Chief, installation complete."

The technician in charge of final assembly spoke with barely suppressed excitement, his voice trembling slightly.

He didn't dare to raise his voice, but his flushed face and clenched fists, which had turned white, had already betrayed his feelings.

This sentence seemed to open a floodgate, and the surrounding researchers and technicians immediately became lively.

"It really happened? And it's only June!"

"One month! Three general-purpose machine tools made in one month? Who would believe that?"

"We were quicker!"

"Come on, stop patting yourself on the back. Which part's tolerance didn't you have to ask the section chief seven or eight times before you finally understood it?"

"Wasn't it the section chief leading us forward!"

"You're talking about me? Wasn't it the section chief who ultimately corrected the circuit diagram you drew?"

……

A burst of laughter erupted, filling the research room with a joyful atmosphere.

Sunlight streamed in through the tall glass windows, casting a faint golden hue over the three new machine tools that stood silently. The spindles of the CNC lathes, the grinding wheels of the CNC grinders, and the mirror-smooth worktables of the CNC milling machines—every part exuded the cool, gleaming sheen characteristic of industrial creations.

Liu Guangqi held the rolled-up technical drawings, which were already a bit rough, in his hand. After months of tension, a smile finally appeared on his face.

It became.

The technicians in the lab were amazed by the miracle of completing three general-purpose machine tools in a month, but only he knew the truth in his heart—

Before these three machines, he had spent three whole months drawing blueprints, expending immeasurable effort.

It has been four months since the project was initiated after the Lunar New Year.

Not a month.

Even if it takes only four months to develop and manufacture three CNC general-purpose machine tools with different functions from scratch, this speed is enough to make any industrial power in the world feel pressured.

For Liu Guangqi, the beginning was always the hardest. After the first CNC machine tool was successfully completed, the subsequent lathes, milling machines, and grinding machines did not actually have very high barriers to entry.

Not to mention, he also spent three whole months drawing up technical blueprints.

……

Thinking of this, Liu Guangqi ignored the commotion behind him, his gaze sweeping over the excited faces, and he smiled as he spoke:

"Go to the warehouse and get those special steel materials from the Ministry of Metallurgy. We'll test the knife today, using their most complex set of blueprints."

"good!"

The technician ran off immediately, afraid of being a step too slow.

In less than ten minutes, several pieces of special steel billets with a dark metallic luster, along with a stack of extremely complex parts drawings, were carefully presented to Liu Guangqi.

These special steels are hard and tough, making them suitable for manufacturing fighter jets. Even the most skilled master craftsmen in steel rolling mills, who treat the parts on the blueprints like treasures, would spend half a day smoking and carefully studying them before daring to start working on them.

But now, Liu Guangqi calmly clamped the billet onto the fixture, his fingers rapidly moving across the buttons on the control panel, inputting a series of parameter commands.

"Buzz—"

A low, rumbling electrical hum filled the air as the machine tool began to operate.

There was no harsh noise, only a steady and powerful turning sound. The jig disc rotated at high speed with the workpiece, and the turret precisely delivered the corresponding tool, cutting smoothly.

Sparks flew and debris scattered.

Everyone present held their breath, their eyes fixed on the spot.

They weren't watching cold, mechanical processing, but rather a fluid, captivating performance. The originally heavy special steel billet transformed visibly under the dance of the cutting tools, revealing intricate curves and precise grooves one by one.

The whole process took only a dozen minutes.

As the spindle slowly came to a stop, a uniquely shaped finished part lay there quietly.

The cold gleam of the metal flowed silently under the fluorescent lights, like the scales of some sleeping behemoth. The intricate component that would make even the most seasoned craftsmen hold their breath for half a day was silently "spit out" amidst the low hum of the machine tool, as lightly as if it had just taken a breath.

The first to rush forward was the technician who had gone to fetch the materials. He grabbed the calipers and micrometer, his fingertips trembling slightly, as if touching some fragile sacred object. Point by point, then point by point, the data was checked repeatedly. When the last graduation perfectly matched the drawing, he suddenly looked up, his cheeks flushed with excitement, his voice breaking out of his throat:

"Director Liu! Absolutely right!... We did it! We really did it!"

The silence lasted only a moment. Then, something tense suddenly exploded in the research room.

"It's done!"

"Good heavens... how long has it been?"

"Director Liu led us, and we really managed to build all three machines!"

"Are you praising Director Liu, or are you praising ourselves?"

"Who cares! If it works, it works!"

Cheers and applause erupted suddenly, almost lifting the roof off. No one cared about the commotion; immense joy gripped everyone. High-precision components that once required the painstaking efforts and sweat of an eighth-level craftsman to barely assemble could now be produced in just over ten minutes by the steady rhythm of the machines. They couldn't find a more fitting word than "powerful."

Amidst the jubilant cheers, the hinges of the research lab door creaked slightly.

A calm yet authoritative voice pierced through the noise, instantly cooling down the fervor in the room.

"Guangqi".

"I could hear the noise you were making from the other end of the corridor."

Everyone turned to look at the sound. At the doorway, Director Lin and Director Tian from the Ministry of Metallurgy stood side by side, their gazes sweeping across every inch of the room like searchlights, finally settling on the three brand-new machine tools.

Director Lin certainly knew that Liu Guangqi was working on developing a new machine tool. But only a month had passed. His lingering doubts were shattered by the scene before him.

"Guangqi, did you really... succeed?" Director Lin practically jogged through the crowd, his voice barely registering the barely suppressed urgency he himself was unaware of.

His steps abruptly halted when his gaze fell upon the three steel structures gleaming with a deep blue light. He strode forward, reached out, and gently placed his palm on the cold spindle box of the CNC lathe; the touch was so real it sent a shiver down his spine.

"Good lad..." He turned his head, his gaze fixed on Liu Guangqi, as if he were seeing this subordinate for the first time. "Last time you said you could finish by the end of June, I just thought you were being a braggart... Who would have thought you'd actually pull this 'ox' out!"

It's no wonder he lost his composure. Anyone who heard that three CNC general-purpose machine tools had been developed in a single month would probably think it was a fantasy.

Liu Guangqi simply smiled, picked up a part that had just been cut and was still slightly warm from the workbench next to him, and handed it over:

"Leaders, don't just look at the machines. Take a look at how this 'child' is doing."

Just as Director Lin was about to reach out, an even faster hand reached out from the side.

"Let me see!" Director Tian from the Ministry of Metallurgy snatched the part away, his movements hurried. He examined it thoroughly, his gaze shifting from initial scrutiny to astonishment, and then to a focused, almost awe-inspiring intensity. He practically "snatched" the micrometer from the technician beside him, held his breath, carefully positioned the measuring jaws at several key points, and brought it close to his eyes, meticulously reading the scale.

"Hmm..."

A clear gasp escaped. Director Tian's hand, holding the part, trembled almost imperceptibly.

"This surface...this precision..." He looked up, his eyes sharp, "It's exactly the same as the design drawings! Excellent! Superb!"

He was a veteran of the metallurgical system, having worked his way up from the factory floor. The quality of a single component was almost impossible to miss. He was intimately familiar with this special steel component—it was a critical part of a major project that had been stalled by the ministry's stringent requirements, resulting in a dismal yield rate. That's why it had been entrusted to the First Ministry of Machinery Industry, hoping they could find a solution. But now… it had been so easily "reproduced" in this newly manufactured machine.

This is no longer a surprise, it's almost a miracle.

Director Tian's burning gaze fell on Liu Guangqi, his tone filled with an earnest plea that brooked no refusal: "Comrade Guangqi, could you... let this treasure 'move' one more time? Let us open our eyes."

"Of course." Liu Guangqi nodded and gave the young technician beside him a look.

The technician understood, suppressing his excitement, and quickly walked to the control panel. He picked up another rough piece of special steel blank, carefully clamped it in place, and then skillfully entered a series of commands on the keyboard. Finally, his finger hovered above the start button for a moment, as if performing some kind of ritual, and then pressed it down steadily.

The deep hum resumed, steady and powerful, like the first deep heartbeat of a beast awakening.

The main shaft roared, like the low growl of an awakened beast. The sharp drill bit cleaved through the metal surface, sending scorching fragments flying like sparks, tracing brief golden arcs in the air. Every movement was precise and swift, exuding a cold, mechanical beauty.

Ten minutes later, the rotation stopped.

A finely crafted gear lay quietly on the workbench. Director Tian leaned closer, almost touching its smooth surface—the teeth were as smooth as a mirror, the meshing was so tight that there wasn't a single gap, not even the slightest roughness could be found.

"Excellent!" Director Lin, rarely flustered, blurted out, "Comrade Guangqi, you are truly...a genius!"

Director Tian was even more excited, grasping Liu Guangqi's hand tightly, his voice filled with long-suppressed emotions: "Comrade Guangqi, you don't know... In recent years, to support the Northwest, almost all the best master craftsmen in the Ministry of Metallurgy were transferred away. The eighth-grade workers who came in later were far from skilled, and couldn't handle many delicate tasks at all. I was so worried about this that I couldn't sleep at night." He took a deep breath, his eyes shining, "Now with this machine tool, we finally see a way out."

As he spoke, he exchanged a glance with Director Lin.

The three then went into the director's office.

The door closed, and the atmosphere inside subtly shifted. Director Tian stopped beating around the bush, his gaze fixed directly on Liu Guangqi's face, his smile carrying a solemn tone: "Comrade Guangqi, I've come here today specifically for you."

Liu Guangqi was slightly taken aback.

"Yes, I'd like to temporarily transfer you to the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry." Director Tian leaned forward, his tone earnest. "The First Ministry of Machine Building recently assisted the Second Ministry of Machine Building in solving a technical problem with fighter jets, and the production line for the new generation of fighter jets is about to be fully operational. The higher-ups have assigned our steel rolling mill the task of producing special steel for several key engine components." He paused, his expression grave. "If this matter is delayed in the hands of the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry, we will be traitors to the country. Therefore, I would like to ask you to serve as the chief technical advisor at the steel rolling mill, to drive technological innovation throughout the plant using CNC machine tools—time is of the essence."

He raised his hand to his chest: "Whatever support you need, just ask. We'll provide manpower and funds; the Ministry of Metallurgy will not hesitate."