Chapter 227: The Great Steel Forging Campaign

The fleeting strange sound on New Year's Eve, like a stone tossed into a deep pool, rippled in Li Ping'an's heart and then sank into the depths of daily life.

After the festival, the Siheyuan, amid lazy New Year greetings and the gradually thinning firecracker sounds, slowly returned to its former rhythm.

Yet within that rhythm, some deeper, larger change seemed to be brewing.

As ice and snow melted, dampness spread to the wall corner; on the brown branches of the crabapple tree in the Xi Kua Yuan, plump buds the size of rice grains could already be seen.

Li Ping'an watched his sister Li Pingle, bustling in and out of the courtyard with quick hands, and felt a stir in his heart.

His sister, growing older, had become increasingly upright and neat, no longer the little girl who needed him to shield her at all times.

With their parents long dead, he, as the elder brother acting as father, should now consider her lifelong matters, which would also serve as a reckoning to their parents beneath the nine springs.

That evening, after dinner, Li Pingle was washing dishes by the stove; Li Ping'an walked over, leaned against the doorframe, and casually said, "Pingle, the New Year has passed, you've grown another year."

Li Pingle didn't look up, swiftly scrubbing the bowl: "Yeah, brother, what's up?"

Li Ping'an paused, his tone gentle yet serious: "Do you have any thoughts on your personal matters? Do you want to find a partner yourself, or… shall I help you find a reliable matchmaker and arrange things?"

Li Pingle's dishwashing halted, her cheeks flushing slightly as she lowered her head, her voice softer: "Brother… I… I haven't decided yet."

"It's fine, just wanted to ask your thoughts first."

Li Ping'an, seeing his sister's shy demeanor, softened his tone further: "Then tell me, if you want to look, what kind of family are you looking for? That way I have an idea."

Li Pingle was silent for a moment, her fingers unconsciously twisting the rag, then she whispered: "I… I don't have high demands. The person… the person should be upright, honest and diligent. Whether the family is poor or rich doesn't matter; the key is… they must be reasonable, not like some families in the courtyard…"

She didn't say it outright, but Li Ping'an understood; she had witnessed the troubles of the Jia family and the Xu family, leaving a shadow in her heart.

"Ideally… ideally someone who can read a few characters and understand reason," she added softly at the end, with a vague yearning for culture.

Li Ping'an nodded, having a rough picture in his mind. His sister's request was practical, not extravagant, which was good.

"Alright, I understand. Keep an eye out yourself; if you meet someone suitable, let me know. If not, after this busy period, I'll go ask Wang Meipo."

He didn't make grand promises, but gave his sister ample respect and freedom of choice.

Li Pingle blushed, gave a "mm" sound, feeling warm inside, with a faint hope and unease about the future.

Soon after this brief warm conversation, an unprecedented, scorching storm swept the entire nation and, unsurprisingly, surged into the Siheyuan.

In early March, the weather not yet fully warm, Director Wang of the street office arrived at Courtyard No. 95 with a few officials, hurrying.

She didn't first seek the three elders as usual, but instead had someone strike the abandoned plowhead hanging in the courtyard—a signal for emergency assembly.

"Meeting! Meeting! Everyone in the courtyard, those who can come out, come out! Important announcement!" the official shouted, hoarse.

People from each household were startled, dropping their tasks and gathering at the Central Courtyard.

Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bu Gui, the three elders, also stepped out, their faces showing confusion and a barely perceptible tension.

Director Wang stood on the steps, expression solemn, voice resonant, bearing undeniable authority: "Comrades! Neighbors! The higher-ups have issued a great call—nationwide steel forging, surpassing Britain and catching up with America, to contribute to building our powerful socialist motherland!"

She waved her arms, eyes blazing: "Our street, each courtyard, each person must not fall behind! Now I announce the street's decision: First, every household, within five days, must turn in twenty jin of scrap iron! Pots, shovels, old farm tools, broken copper and rusted iron—any iron item counts! Second, besides turning in scrap iron, our courtyard must send five strong youths to the district‑designated steel‑forging site for voluntary labor, working through the night, shedding sweat for the construction of small blast furnaces!"

These words thundered like a sudden strike, exploding through the crowd!

"Twenty jin? My house doesn't have that much scrap iron!"

"If we hand over the pots, what will we cook with?"

"Go work at the site? Will that shift still be available?"

"This… can this work?"

Voices of discussion and doubt buzzed instantly. Jia Zhangshi was the first to jump up: "Director Wang! This won't do! Our family has only one pot; if we hand it over, the whole family will be left to drink the northwest wind! And Dongxu has to work; how can he go do that?"

Liu Haizhong also tried to adopt a leadership stance, attempting to say something like "we need coordinated arrangements," but Director Wang shot him a glare, silencing him.

Director Wang raised her voice, suppressing the clamor: "This is a political task! If conditions are lacking, we must create them and still go! Once the pots are handed over, the street will allocate replacements! For those at work, the units will coordinate! Anyone who dares to lag behind is sabotaging the nation's construction! Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, Yan Bu Gui, you three are responsible for tallying each household's submissions and the list of personnel to be sent! Report to the street first thing tomorrow morning!"

Her words were decisive, leaving no room for discussion. The three elders exchanged glances, forced to bite the bullet and comply.

After the meeting, the Siheyuan fell into complete chaos.

Every household began rummaging through boxes and cabinets, searching for anything containing iron. Washbasin racks, old lock bolts, broken tin toys, even certain iron fittings on doors were taken down.

Yan Bu Gui sighed at the large iron pot at home, used for over a decade and now with a thin bottom, and finally gritted his teeth, letting his son move it out.

Jia Zhangshi clung to that pot for dear life, cursing and swearing, until Yi Zhonghai approached with a grim face, saying it was a non‑negotiable task; only then did she finally let go, wailing.

In the Central Courtyard, a small, chaotic pile of ironware quickly accumulated, emitting a mixed scent of old rust and oil smoke.

Li Ping'an returned to the Xi Kua Yuan, his expression calm. He had long heard rumors from the factory and was prepared. He gathered some truly unusable old iron items, reaching fifty jin, and proactively offered that the factory could coordinate, sending young officials from the Security Section to take turns participating in the steel‑forging labor.

Lin Xueqing looked at him with some worry: "Ping'an, this campaign… is its momentum perhaps too great? Can it forge good steel?"

Li Ping'an patted her hand: "It's the tide of the times. We just do our part."

His gaze was deep as he watched the bustling yet slightly frantic scene outside the Central Courtyard. This torrent of steel, sweeping everyone's enthusiasm and blind obedience, surged forward with great force; no one could stay out of it.

He didn't know where this torrent would ultimately flow, but he knew that as a guardian he must stay clear‑headed within it, keeping his footing.

The prologue of a new era brazenly opened in this fiery, slightly coarse manner.

The Siheyuan's tranquility was utterly shattered, and everyone's fate would become tightly linked to this nation‑wide steel storm.

And on Li Ping'an's shoulders, besides safeguarding his small family and courtyard's peace, a new responsibility grew: to discern direction in the tide of the times and protect those around him from being blindly crushed.