Chapter 146: Engineer Certificate: Jia Dongxu

Zhao Jianguo this morning just lifted the twins out of the nest, and the two kids immediately shouted they wanted to wear work pants. Su Qing, while buttoning them, laughed, "You haven't even entered the factory yet, learning from your dad, you have to be drenched in oil to feel solid?"

He was squatting, tying the younger one's shoelace, when he heard a rapid footstep at the Courtyard Gate. Looking up, Jia Dongxu was practically running in, sweat on his forehead, clutching a red booklet tightly, not even pausing to catch his breath.

"Old Zhao! It's done! Really done!" his voice trembled a bit as he shoved the red leather certificate into Zhao Jianguo's hand, "Look, the seal is stamped, Mechanical Engineer, nationally certified!"

Zhao Jianguo took it, opened it; the number was clear, the photo showed Jia Dongxu in a white shirt, hair meticulously combed, more formal than New Year's. He closed the booklet, patted Jia Dongxu's shoulder, "Alright, this time you're not just our Siheyuan's tech ace, you're a city‑wide named expert."

Jia Dongxu grinned, then rubbed his hands a bit embarrassed, "I didn't sleep last night, stared at the ceiling, wondering if this was a dream. This morning when I got the certificate my hand kept shaking, almost dropped it."

"Who told you you were 'just a machine fixer' all the time?" Zhao Jianguo stood, handing the certificate back, "Now you're not. You can take apprentices, draw blueprints, sign responsibility documents—a proper engineer."

As soon as he finished, the East Room door creaked open, a few apprentices peeked out. The leader shouted, "Master! Is that really you? Got the rating?"

Jia Dongxu turned, straightened his back, "What, don't believe it? Come see yourself!"

A group of youngsters swarmed around, scrambling to see the certificate, daring only to touch the corner lightly. Someone read aloud, "People's Republic of China… Mechanical Engineer Qualification Certificate… Oh my god, this is a gold‑edged iron rice bowl!"

"Of course." Zhao Jianguo interjected, "Before we earned a living by muscle, now we get a post with our brains. If you're willing to learn, you'll get this red booklet too someday."

The crowd erupted in chatter. Someone shouted, "Teacher Zhao, we also want to sign up for the exam! Show us the way!"

"The road's already paved." Zhao Jianguo pointed at the stone desk under the locust tree, "Night School courses are up to intermediate, I've collected a pile of textbooks. Engineer Jia starts the class officially today; anyone who's finished the basic course can apply to join the 'Mechanical Design Advanced Group'."

Everyone turned to look at Jia Dongxu. He blinked, then nodded heavily, "Fine! Today we set it: six people, all top six in the graduation scores, study with me for three months, master transmission structures and material strength calculations, graduate and receive certificates—written by me, sealed!"

"Really?" a bespectacled youngster exclaimed, voice trembling, "That's your signed graduation certificate! More valuable than the factory's assessment!"

"It's precious because of the care." Zhao Jianguo smiled at him, "How much can a piece of paper be worth? It's the nights you've burned, the faulty drawings, the revised plans behind it. When you someday stand on the podium handing out certificates, you'll know how heavy this thing is."

While speaking, light Footsteps came from the West Room. He Yushui entered the Courtyard carrying a Cloth Bundle, a grin she couldn't hide, eyes shining like polished glass.

She didn't speak first; she walked to Zhao Jianguo, handed him the graduation certificate, "Brother Zhao, I've finished the last Night School subject, I got first place."

Zhao Jianguo took it, saw the grade column read "Mechanical Drafting", with a red stamp beside the score. Before he could speak, she pulled a letter from the bundle, handed it, "Also this… university admission notice, Provincial Institute of Technology, Mechanical Engineering Department."

The Courtyard fell silent for a half‑second, then erupted.

"He Yushui got into university?!"

"Heavens! That's a proper bachelor's degree!"

"Wow, our mutual‑aid group just produced a big shot!"

Jia Dongxu snatched the notice, read it twice, slapped his thigh with joy, "Great! Fantastic! Here we produce engineers by day and college students by night! Did the Courtyard's feng shui shift?"

He Yushui blushed, lowered her head and smiled, "Isn't it because you all taught well? If Night School hadn't started with arithmetic for me, I wouldn't even understand the registration form."

Zhao Jianguo returned the notice, his tone casual yet firm, "That's right. Knowledge isn't afraid of being late, it fears being cut off. How far each of you can go determines how long this Night School must run."

As soon as he finished, the Terminal in his pocket gave a slight buzz. He pulled it out, glanced; a new prompt floated on the Screen: 【Technical inheritance +10%, unlock "Advanced Materials" blueprint, applicable to high‑temperature alloy component development】.

He didn't make a scene, just pressed the Screen off and slipped it back into his pocket.

Over there, Jia Dongxu had already had a table moved out, bearing six handwritten graduation certificates, neat script, the heading uniformly reading "Siheyuan Technical Mutual‑Aid Society·Basic Course Qualification Certificate". He read each name aloud, handing each certificate personally.

When it came to the last one, he paused, looking at the youngest apprentice before him, "Remember, this certificate isn't the end, it's a threshold. Cross it, and new problems lie ahead. In technology, never think you've mastered it."

The youngster nodded hard, eyes a bit red, "Master, I won't disgrace you."

"I don't care about disgrace." Jia Dongxu shoved the certificate into his hand, "What I care about is that when a machine breaks in the factory, you'll be the first to rush in and fix it, not waiting for others to rescue."

Applause rang out, uneven but loud enough. The twins clapped beside them, shouting "Master's awesome! Master's great!", making everyone laugh.

Zhao Jianguo stood under the locust tree, watching the group chat and joke, some flipping over the new certificates repeatedly, some already asking Jia Dongxu what the next lesson would be, while He Yushui was surrounded by a few girls asking about university enrollment.

Sunlight warmed the Courtyard. A breeze lifted a corner of the bamboo‑pole‑hung banner, revealing gold characters underneath: "National Technical Innovation Advanced Unit".

He reached into his pocket, the Terminal buzzed again. This time he took it out, glanced, saw nothing, and let it stay lit.

The Screen displayed a new message: 【Knowledge Reserve Plan Progress: 2.1%】.

He twitched his mouth, about to tuck it away, when He Yushui shouted from behind, "Brother Zhao! I have something to ask you!"

He turned, "Speak."

"I want to compile the three years of Night School notes, print them, and give them to the next batch of learners." Her eyes were serious, "Especially the Mathematics and Drafting basics; many get stuck there at first. Could it count as official material for the Mutual‑Aid Society?"

Zhao Jianguo looked at her, then at the apprentices still passing around certificates, nodded, "Not only can you, you must. We'll start printing tomorrow; I'll write the title—'Starting from Zero as a Technologist'."

The crowd burst into cheers. Jia Dongxu laughed heartily, "Alright, from now on we'll not only produce engineers, we'll also publish books!"

Amid the laughter, Zhao Jianguo took the twins' hands, about to go inside, when the Terminal vibrated a third time.

He looked down; a new prompt floated: 【Detected high‑intensity cognitive resonance, recommend immediate deployment of Spacetime Stabilizer to the top floor of the Tech Building】.

He stared at the line, unmoved.

The wind made the banner rustle loudly.

His fingers hovered above the confirm key.