Courtyard House: Starting as an eighth-grade worker, with too many wives.

He forgot about it.

Then, his face darkened. The blackness spread across his face like ink.

"From today onwards, neither of you is allowed to touch steel!"

His voice was as cold as ice, like the wind in the dead of winter.

"I'm really afraid that if you touch it again, our factory won't even have any usable steel left! You've ruined it all!"

He paused, as if he was thinking.

"From now on, the two of you will carry stones."

"From now on, you can work over there! Take it or leave it!"

"What?"

Yi Zhonghai was startled, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"Carrying stones?"

He stared at Director Yang in disbelief, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

"What's wrong?"

Factory Director Yang's voice was laced with sarcasm, sharp as a knife.

"Now that I'm the factory manager, can't I even assign you two jobs? Or do you have some kind of objection?"

Sha Zhu quickly tugged at Yi Zhonghai. His hand tugged at Yi Zhonghai's sleeve.

"Let's get to work now. We'll go right now."

The two of them walked away without looking back. Their steps were hurried, as if they were fleeing.

Walking down the street, Sha Zhu couldn't help but speak.

"Grandpa, don't you see what the situation is? Talking back to him? That's practically suicide!"

Yi Zhonghai sighed. The sigh was long and drawn out, like a thread.

"Tell me, how did we end up like this? How did things get to this point?"

"Who told us we were incompetent?"

Sha Zhu's voice was muffled, as if it were coming from a jar.

"We've just inadvertently offended that petty Li Jianguo. Right now, the factory director is trying to curry favor with him, so if we go up there now, we'll be asking for trouble. We'll be walking into the line of fire."

"We can't keep carrying stones forever, can we?"

Yi Zhonghai muttered to himself, as if asking himself, or perhaps asking Sha Zhu.

A fierce glint flashed in Sha Zhu's eyes. That fierce glint was like lightning, flashing in his eyes for a moment.

"It's okay, there will always be another chance."

He looked at Yi Zhonghai, his gaze fixed on him.

"I refuse to believe he can stay in that position forever without any problems. Can he really sit there forever?"

Yi Zhonghai met his gaze.

They both understood each other's meaning. The meaning was communicated through their eyes, without needing to speak.

They nodded.

That's right.

As long as there is time, there will always be another opportunity.

They absolutely had to stay in the factory.

Only then will there be an opportunity. Only then can we keep an eye on things and wait.

In the future, they might be able to bring Li Jianguo down. As long as they seize the opportunity, they can turn things around.

Because of Li Jianguo, the two of them are now in such a sorry state.

This grudge must be avenged.

We can't just let it go like this.

The two arrived at the stone warehouse.

This is a large open-air plaza. The sun is shining brightly, making one's scalp tingle.

There were many stones piled on the ground, of various sizes and with sharp edges.

Some workers saw them coming and curiously gathered around. The man tilted his head and looked them up and down.

"What are you two doing here? This isn't a place for you!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Xu Damao appeared out of nowhere. He seemed to have crawled out from underground, appearing suddenly.

"Those two will be workers here from now on!"

His voice was filled with undisguised schadenfreude, as if he had found a treasure.

"Make them do whatever work you're supposed to do. Don't hold back, use them like crazy."

Most of the workers here are temporary laborers doing manual labor. They're all people with no connections or skills.

Seeing that the two of them had actually been sent here, they burst into laughter. Their laughter sounded like ducks quacking.

"Okay, got it!"

Sha Zhu glared angrily at Xu Damao. His gaze was like a knife, as if he wanted to slice Xu Damao to pieces.

"Where did you come from? Why are you everywhere? Are you some kind of leech?"

"Factory Director Yang was worried that you two would slack off, so he specifically sent me here to keep an eye on you. He's afraid you'll be dragging your feet."

Xu Damao smiled even more broadly. His smile bloomed like a flower on his face.

"Is that not allowed? I'd be happy to watch you all."

He took a step closer and leaned forward.

"Silly Zhu, I never thought you'd end up like this. You used to be so powerful in the yard, huh? And now?"

His eyes narrowed, becoming just slits.

"Tell me, why am I so happy? It's sweeter than honey."

Hearing the gloating laughter, Sha Zhu's spirits plummeted to rock bottom. That bottom was unfathomable, pitch black.

"Xu Damao".

His voice was as cold as ice, like the wind in the dead of winter.

"You'll just be Li Jianguo's dog. Look how smug you are. In his eyes, you're probably nothing more than a fart. He can summon you at will and dismiss you at will."

Xu Damao chuckled. His laughter sounded like a duck's quack.

"I do what I want, so what? I want to be a dog, is it any of your business?"

He took a step forward, looking down at Sha Zhu. His gaze was like that of someone looking at an ant.

"At least I'm living a better life than you. At least I don't have to carry stones anymore. You don't have to be his dog, but you just love going against Director Li. Now look what's happened! You're reaping the consequences!"

He watched the two men begin carrying stones before humming a little tune as he left. The tune was cheerful, as if celebrating something.

Sha Zhu, watching from behind, was itching to get his teeth down. He was grinding his teeth so hard they were making a grinding sound.

"There's no point in getting angry at such a despicable person."

Yi Zhonghai said in a muffled voice. The voice was muffled, as if it were coming from a jar.

"He will definitely not have a good ending. People like him won't be smug for long."

He was furious. The anger burned like fire in his chest.

Xu Damao.

This is someone I once looked down on. This is someone I once humbly defered before.

Now, all because of Li Jianguo, he's actually doing quite well in the factory. He's living the high life.

"I know."

Sha Zhu's voice was muffled, as if it came from underground.

"I'm just a little resentful. Why can Xu Damao live like this, while we have to stay here carrying stones?! Who does he think he is?"

"Aren't you two going to do any work?"

In the distance, the person in charge of the quarry roared. The sound was like thunder, so loud it hurt people's ears.

The two of them started working diligently.

After working for only a short while, he was already panting heavily. The breath he exhaled was rough and heavy.

I spread out my hands, and several blisters were on them. The blisters were shiny, like tiny beads. They hurt terribly to the touch.

If making them move ore and steel was already considered bullying them—

This job is incomparable.

The stone was large and heavy, with sharp edges that pricked my hand painfully.

Xu Damao rushed off to Li Jianguo's workshop.

"Director Li!"

His voice carried a fawning laugh, like a dog wagging its tail.

"I just went to check. They've already started moving the stones obediently and honestly. They're in for a rough time this time. Those stones are big and heavy; they'll be exhausted."

Li Jianguo didn't even look up. He was busy looking at the blueprints and didn't even lift his eyelids.

"Alright, I understand. There's no need to report on their dealings at the stone warehouse anymore. It's unnecessary."

Xu Damao thought about it and realized that was indeed the case.

The work there is incredibly tough. It's exhausting, dirty, and there's no future in it.

I refuse to believe those two still have the energy to stir up trouble. They're exhausted; they don't have the strength left to cause any more trouble.

As the sun sets in the west, the clouds on the horizon are burned into a whole sheet of flowing molten gold, with orange-red and dark purple intertwined and flowing downwards.

The light in the workshop gradually dimmed, but no one looked up to look out the window.

Li Jianguo stood in front of the workbench, his right hand holding a palm-sized, semi-finished part, his fingertips slowly tracing the metal surface. His eyes were half-closed, as if he were using his fingertips to measure every undulation of the curved surface.

"here."

He handed the part to the young apprentice beside him, and pointed to the curved edge with his other hand.

"Take another three points, keep the feed steady, cut to the end in one go, and don't stop in the middle."

The young apprentice took the part, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he nodded vigorously.

Li Jianguo patted him on the shoulder, his gaze sweeping over the worktable—seven or eight models of varying sizes were already lined up, their metallic luster gleaming coldly white in the dim light.

From the moment the first engine prototype successfully ignited, he never let himself have a moment's rest.

There's too much stuff in my head; I have to empty it out little by little.

It's not given to machines, it's given to these people. It's planted in their palms, in their eyes, and in the muscle memory of every cut and every scrape they make from now on.

You can't rely on yourself for everything.

The long-term solution is to cultivate a group of people who can truly understand blueprints, operate independently, and transform those numbers and lines into steel and flesh.

With the first successful example as a foundation, these people studied it with incredible fervor.

No one complained or said they were tired. The only sound in the workshop was the scraping of files against metal, occasionally punctuated by a few hushed inquiries.

A craftsman in his thirties stood hunched over in front of the vise, sweat streaming down his temples, blurring his vision but he didn't bother to wipe it away. He squinted, muttering to himself as if reciting some important scripture, but his fingers gripped the file firmly, stroke by stroke, the rhythm seeming to grow from his bones.

This is the scene that Director Yang saw when he appeared at the workshop entrance.

He didn't say anything, just stood quietly by the door, his gaze slowly sweeping over each person's face.

Those focused eyes. Those rough yet steady hands. Those brows slightly furrowed from repeated attempts. Those backs soaked with sweat.

Everything fell into his eyes.

After a long pause, he nodded slightly, the gesture so small it was almost imperceptible.

Having an engineer like Li Jianguo is truly a blessing for the factory.

Without alerting anyone, he turned and left. His pace quickened slightly compared to when he arrived, heading towards the cafeteria.

The kitchen was steaming hot, and several master chefs were busy around the cutting board. Hearing footsteps, I looked up and saw Director Yang lift the curtain and rush in.

"Old Zhang."

He walked up to the chef and patted his broad shoulder.

"Add another five jin to today's batch of meat."

Old Zhang paused, holding the knife in his hand, and looked up.

"Factory manager, this is quite a grand affair. Our factory has never held such a lavish celebration banquet before."

"Add two more." Factory Director Yang said decisively, leaving no room for negotiation. "Add two more fish as well, the biggest ones, the fattest ones."

Old Zhang and his apprentices exchanged glances, and their movements with knives and shovels quickened.

"This is the first time we've had a proper celebration since the project team was established so long ago." Director Yang's voice lowered, as if he were talking to himself, or perhaps giving some instructions. "We can't let the heroes think we're stingy."

The flames in the stove leaped high, and the orange-red light reflected on his face, softening the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.

Smoke rose, and the aroma began to swirl in the large pot.

In the workshop, Li Jianguo finally put down his tools and looked out the window.

It was already completely dark.