Chapter 51

Su Qing left, Zhao Jianguo didn't touch that notebook again, and the smile vanished from his face. He merely used his fingertip to trace the deeply carved "Qing" character on the bottom of the enamel basin; after a long while, he turned and headed toward the factory's scrap warehouse.

But we must be faithful, not add extra. Let's translate precisely.

After Su Qing left, Zhao Jianguo no longer touched that notebook, and the smile faded from his face. He silently traced the deeply engraved "Qing" character on the enamel basin's bottom with his fingertip, then after a moment turned and headed toward the factory's scrap yard.

Translation: After Su Qing left, Zhao Jianguo didn't touch that notebook again, and the smile disappeared from his face. He simply used his fingertip to trace the deeply etched "Qing" character on the bottom of the enamel basin; after a while, he turned and headed straight for the factory's scrap warehouse.

We need to keep meaning but not add. Let's produce concise but faithful.

We'll do: 【1】 After Su Qing left, Zhao Jianguo didn't touch that notebook again, and the smile faded from his face. He simply traced the deeply etched "Qing" character on the enamel basin's bottom with his fingertip; after a moment, he turned and headed for the factory's scrap warehouse.

Check: we added "the" etc but that's fine.

Early the next morning, a sheet of paper hung on the clothesline in the courtyard. It wasn't a notice or a self‑criticism, but a pencil sketch of a neat little house with a small yard, the door facing south and the window opposite the well, with the words "Newlywed Dwelling Concept" written stroke by stroke at the top.

Translation: Early the next morning, a sheet of paper hung on the clothesline of the Siheyuan. It was neither a notice nor a self-criticism, but a pencil‑sketched plan: a neat little house with a small yard, the door facing south and the window opposite the well, with the words "Newlywed Dwelling Concept" written stroke by stroke at the top.

We need to keep "Siheyuan" as per glossary. Use that.

Qin Huiru caught a glimpse of it while hanging laundry, and the clip in her hand almost slipped.

Translation: When Qin Huairu was hanging clothes, she caught a glimpse of it, and the clip in her hand almost slipped.

"Oh, Jianguo, are you planning to start a family?"

Translation: "Oh, Jianguo, are you planning to start a family?"

Jia Dongxu, passing by, came over to look: "Hey, this drawing looks quite proper, the door and window proportions are right—who did you learn it from?"

Translation: Jia Dongxu, passing by, also came over to look: "Hey, this drawing looks quite proper, the door‑window proportions are right—who did you learn it from?"

"I practiced on factory drafting paper," Zhao Jianguo said, just returning from fetching water at the wellhead and setting his bucket down. "Su Qing said that to start a family you need your own nest; you can't spend your whole life crammed in a collective dormitory."

Translation: "I practiced drawing on factory blueprints," Zhao Jianguo said, just returning from fetching water at the well platform, setting his bucket down. "Su Qing said that starting a family means having your own nest—you can't spend your whole life crammed in a communal dorm."

Yan Butou leaned on his cane, glanced sideways, and sneered: "A nest? You make it sound easy, as if you're building a chicken coop. Where would you get cement and bricks? Nowadays you need a third‑level permit just to get a ton of sand, and you still want three tons of cement?"

Translation: Yanbugui hobbled out on his cane, gave a sideways glance, and sneered: "A nest? You make it sound easy—do you think you're building a chicken coop? Where would you get cement and bricks? Nowadays you need a third‑level permit for even a ton of sand, and you still want three tons of cement?"

"I won't use public property," Zhao Jianguo said, wringing out a rag and wiping his hands. "There's an abandoned tool shed in the factory with a collapsed iron roof; I've applied to rebuild it. The land is public, but I'll procure the materials myself."

Translation: "I won't use public funds," Zhao Jianguo said, wringing out the rag and wiping his hands. "There's a disused tool shed in the factory with a collapsed iron roof; I'll apply to rebuild it. The land counts as public property, but I'll procure the materials myself."

"Self‑funded?" Yan Butou rolled his eyes so far they almost disappeared. "I can count the few coins in your pocket—where are you going to raise the money? Scavenge coal slag to plaster walls?"

Translation: "Self‑funded?" Yanbugui rolled his eyes almost to the ceiling. "I can count the few steel pennies in your pocket—where would you raise the money? Scavenge coal slag to plaster walls?"

Zhao Jianguo wasn't annoyed; instead he laughed: "Old Master Yan, don't say that—coal slag really can be used."

Translation: Zhao Jianguo wasn't annoyed; instead he laughed: "San Daye, don't say that—coal slag really can be used."

That night, Zhao Jianguo hid in a corner of the scrap yard and opened the system interface.

Translation: That night, Zhao Jianguo hid in a corner of the scrap warehouse and opened the system interface.

【Today's sign‑in successful, reward: ordinary cement × 3 tons (can be split)】

Translation: 【Today's check‑in successful, reward: ordinary cement × 3 tons (can be split)】

He didn't hesitate and chose "Extract All". Several large bags of cement appeared silently in the storeroom's mezzanine—a concealed spot he had discovered while repairing pipes years earlier, unknown even to the factory director.

Translation: He didn't hesitate, directly choosing "Extract All." Several large bags of cement appeared silently in the warehouse mezzanine—a concealed spot he had discovered while repairing pipes years earlier, unknown even to the factory director.

Three tons of cement piled up like a small gray mound, and anyone seeing it would assume it was old stockpiled material from the factory.

Translation: The three tons of cement were piled up like a small gray hill; anyone seeing it would assume it was old stockpiled junk from the factory.

He rolled up his sleeves, dragged two sacks of coal ash from the boiler room, mixed it with the cement at a three‑to‑one ratio, added water and stirred, then pressed the mixture into brick molds using wooden forms. Each brick was half the weight of a regular red brick; he deliberately roughened the surface and chipped a few corners, making them look like defective trial products.

Translation: He rolled up his sleeves, dragged two sacks of coal ash from the boiler room, mixed it into the cement at a three‑to‑one ratio, added water and stirred, then pressed the mixture into brick molds with a wooden frame. Each brick was half the weight of a regular red brick; he deliberately roughened the surface and chipped a few corners, making them look like defective trial products.

After working until the middle of the night, he stacked the first batch of fifty "lightweight bricks" onto a small cart, covered them tightly with a sack, and quietly pushed them back to the courtyard.

Translation: Working until deep into the night, he stacked the first batch of fifty "lightweight bricks" onto a small cart, covered them tightly with a sack, and quietly pushed them back to the Siheyuan.

At dawn, he neatly laid the bricks out to dry at the entrance.

Translation: At dawn, he neatly laid out the bricks to dry at the entrance.

Silly Zhu got up early to go to the cafeteria; as he passed, he squatted down and tapped the bricks twice: "What kind of brick is this? It sounds a bit hollow."

Translation: Sha Zhu rose early to go to the canteen; passing by, he squatted and tapped twice: "What kind of brick is this? It sounds a bit hollow."

"They're new building‑material trial products from the factory," Zhao Jianguo said, coming out with a bowl of congee. "They're called 'lightweight bricks'; I'm involved in the project, so I brought a few back to test."

Translation: "It's a new building‑material trial product from the factory," Zhao Jianguo said, coming out with a bowl of thin porridge. "They're called 'lightweight bricks'; I'm involved in the project, so I brought a few back to test."

"Lightweight?" Silly Zhu hefted one, "It's noticeably lighter than a red brick. If it can really bear weight, building walls will save a lot of effort in the future."

Translation: "Lightweight?" Sha Zhu hefted it, "It's noticeably lighter than a red brick. If it can really bear weight, building walls will save a lot of effort in the future."

"Don't believe me?" Zhao Jianguo turned, went inside, and brought out a ten‑jin iron hammer. "Come on, let's test it right now."

Translation: "Don't believe me?" Zhao Jianguo turned and went inside, pulling out a ten‑jin iron hammer. "Come on, let's test it right here."

He stacked four bricks into a small column and placed the iron hammer on top. The bricks showed no cracks, not even a hairline fracture.

Translation: He stacked four bricks into a small column and placed the iron hammer on top. The brick seams didn't crack, and there was not even a hairline fracture.

More and more people gathered in the courtyard to watch the spectacle.

Translation: More and more people gathered in the courtyard to watch the spectacle.

Jia Dongxu reached out and touched the brick surface: "Really works? If this were promoted, later on nobody in the courtyard would need to hire a mason for repairs."

Translation: Jia Dongxu reached out and touched the brick surface: "Really works? If this catches on, later on nobody in the courtyard will need to hire a mason for repairs."

"Just need to watch out for moisture," Zhao Jianguo said seriously. "This is my 'Zhao Engineer No. 1 trial product'; further improvements will be needed."

Translation: "Just need to watch out for moisture," Zhao Jianguo said solemnly. "This is the 'Zhao Gong No. 1 trial product'; further improvements will be needed."

"Zhao Engineer?" Qin Huiru burst out laughing. "Jianguo, when did you become an engineer?"

Translation: "Zhao Gong?" Qin Huairu burst out laughing. "Jianguo, when did you become an engineer?"

"Just a temporary title," Zhao Jianguo grinned. "Otherwise the Technical Section wouldn't let me handle the materials."

Translation: "Just a temporary title," Zhao Jianguo grinned. "Otherwise the Technical Section wouldn't let me handle materials."

Yan Butou leaned in, squinted, and sniffed: "These bricks… why do they smell of coal ash?"

Translation: Yanbugui leaned in, narrowed his eyes to examine it, then sniffed: "These bricks… why do they smell of coal ash?"

"They contain fly ash, making them energy‑saving and eco‑friendly," Zhao Jianguo said matter‑of‑factly. "Now they're called 'new materials for comprehensive resource utilization,' which the higher-ups encourage."

Translation: "I mixed in fly ash—it's energy‑saving and eco‑friendly," Zhao Jianguo said matter‑of‑factly. "Now this is called a 'new material for comprehensive resource utilization,' which the higher-ups encourage."

Yan Butou snorted, planted his cane on the ground: "No matter how loud you boast, it still has to pass inspection. If you really can build this house, I'll take your surname."

Translation: Yanbugui snorted, planted his cane on the ground: "No matter how loud you boast, it still has to pass inspection. If you really can build this house, I'll take your surname."

Zhao Jianguo didn't respond further, just smiled, carried the bricks back inside, and casually noted two points in his notebook:

Translation: Zhao Jianguo didn't pursue the topic, smiled, carried the bricks back inside, and casually noted two points in his notebook:

"Lightweight brick trial production successful; externally we'll call it a technical trial."

Translation: "Lightweight‑brick trial successful; externally we'll call it a technical trial."

"Next step: apply for renovation permits while stockpiling materials."

Translation: "Next step: apply for renovation permission while stockpiling materials simultaneously."

He had just closed the notebook when a shadow flickered at the courtyard gate.

Translation: Just as he closed the notebook, a shadow flickered at the courtyard gate.

It was Yi Zhonghai.

Translation: It was Yi Zhonghai.

He held a broken broom, just like the previous two days, squatting by the door to sweep the ground. But his gaze kept drifting toward Zhao Jianguo's house, and the broom head dragged deep grooves in the dirt, even more pronounced than yesterday.

Translation: He held a broken broom, just like the previous two days, squatting at the doorway to sweep. But his gaze kept drifting toward Zhao Jianguo's room, and the broom head dragged deep grooves in the ground, even more pronounced than yesterday.

Zhao Jianguo ignored him, continuing to eat and go to work as usual.

Translation: Zhao Jianguo ignored him, continuing to eat and go to work as usual.

But he knew deep down that this man had no intention of letting up.

Translation: But he knew deep down that this person had no intention of giving up.

That night he deliberately returned late, paused at the corner of the lane, and looked back—sure enough, Yi Zhonghai was still lurking by the door, his broom propped under his chin like a door guardian.

Translation: That night he deliberately returned late, paused at the alley corner, and looked back—sure enough, Yi Zhonghai was lurking at the doorway again, broom propped under his chin, resembling a door guardian.

Zhao Jianguo didn't turn on the light; he sat on the edge of the bed for half an hour, then silently slipped out the back window and made his way to the scrap yard.

Translation: Zhao Jianguo didn't light a lamp, sat on the bed's edge for half an hour, then silently slipped out the back window and made his way to the scrap warehouse.

The storeroom door was ajar.

Translation: The warehouse door was left ajar.

He pressed himself against the wall and listened; inside came a soft rustling, as if someone were rummaging through something.

Translation: He pressed himself against the wall and listened; inside came a faint rustling, as if someone were rummaging through something.

He didn't shout or go in; instead he went around to the other side, picked up a half‑brick, and smashed it onto the ground.

Translation: He didn't shout or enter; instead he went to the other side, picked up a half‑brick and slammed it onto the ground.

"Smack!"

Translation: "Pa!"

The noise inside stopped abruptly.

Translation: The noise inside stopped abruptly.

Moments later, a dark figure darted out through the crack in the door, hurrying along, his pant leg brushing a smear of black grime.

Translation: Moments later, a black shadow darted out through the door gap, hurrying, his pant leg brushing a smear of black ash.

After Zhao Jianguo and the others had gone far enough, he pushed the door open and entered.

Translation: After Zhao Jianguo and the others had gone far enough, he pushed the door open and entered.

The lightweight bricks were still neatly stacked, except one was missing.

Translation: The lightweight bricks were still neatly stacked, except one was missing.

He bent down and picked up the half‑smoked cigarette butt lying on the ground—a brand that Yi Zhonghai often smoked, from the Daqianmen line.

Translation: He bent down and picked up the half‑cigarette butt lying on the ground—a brand that Yi Zhonghai often smoked, from the Big Front Gate.

The next morning, Silly Zhu squatted by the cafeteria entrance smoking a cigarette; seeing Yi Zhonghai come in, he chuckled: "Hey, Master Yi, did you go scavenging coal slag last night? Your pant leg is black."

Translation: The next morning, Sha Zhu squatted by the canteen entrance smoking a cigarette; seeing Yi Zhonghai come in, he chuckled: "Hey, Master Yi, did you go scavenging coal slag last night? Your trousers are black."

Yi Zhonghai glanced down, his face slightly changed, and quickly brushed off the dust.

Translation: Yi Zhonghai lowered his gaze, his face slightly changed, and hastily brushed off the dust.

"No, I just happened to check whether the boiler room was leaking."

Translation: "No, I just happened to check whether the boiler room was leaking rain."

"Oh—" Silly Zhu drew out the word, "You really are devoted to the collective."

Translation: "Oh—" Sha Zhu drew out the syllable, "You really are devoted to the collective, huh."

Zhao Jianguo passed by with his lunch box, glanced at Yi Zhonghai's pant leg, and said nothing.

Translation: Zhao Jianguo passed by with his lunch box, glanced at Yi Zhonghai's trousers, and said nothing.

At noon he returned home, opened his notebook, and added a sentence under the "House Building Plan":

Translation: At noon he returned to his room, opened the notebook, and added a sentence under "Building Plan":

"Yi Zhonghai sneaked into the scrap yard at night and took a brick."

Translation: "Yi Zhonghai sneaked into the scrap warehouse at night and took a brick."

"Motive: to investigate the source of the building materials."

Translation: "Motive: to investigate the source of the building materials."

"Countermeasure: mix in a sand‑contaminated defective brick, label it 'Zhao Engineer No. 2,' and wait for him to submit it for inspection."

Translation: "Countermeasure: mix a sand‑laden defective brick, label it 'Zhao Gong No. 2,' and wait for him to submit it for testing."

Having written that, he dragged out from under the bed a brick with blackened edges—made with too little cement, it would disintegrate after three days of soaking.

Translation: Having written that, he dragged out from under the bed a brick with blackened edges—low cement content, sure to crumble after three days of soaking.

In the afternoon, he ran into Yan Butou in the courtyard.

Translation: In the afternoon, he ran into Yanbugui in the courtyard.

Now we need to output each line as 【N】 translation.

Make sure each line is a single line, no extra line breaks.

After all lines, output ===TITLE=== then translation of chapter title: Building house turmoil, clever use of the system.

Then

Early the next morning, a sheet of paper was hung on the clothesline of the Siheyuan. It was neither a notice nor a self‑criticism, but a pencil‑sketched rough drawing: a neat little house with a small yard, the door facing south and the window opposite the well, with the words "Concept for a Newlywed's Dwelling" written stroke by stroke at the top.

Qin Huairu caught a glimpse while hanging laundry, and the clip in her hand nearly slipped.

Hey, Zhao Jianguo, are you planning to start a family?

Dong Xu came over to look and said, "Hey, this drawing looks quite proper; the door and window proportions are right—who did you learn from?"

"The factory's drafting paper for practice," Zhao Jianguo said, having just returned from drawing water at the well and setting the bucket down. "Su Qing said, to start a family you need your own nest; you can't spend your whole life crammed in the collective dorm."

Yanbugui leaned on his cane, walked out, glanced sideways, and sneered, "A nest? You say it lightly—you think you're building a chicken coop? Where would cement and bricks come from? Nowadays getting approval for a ton of sand needs a third‑level certificate, and you still want three tons of cement?"

"I won't use public property," Zhao Jianguo said, wringing out the rag and wiping his hands. "There's a disused tool shed in the factory with a collapsed iron roof; I've applied to rebuild it. The land counts as public, but I'll procure the materials myself."

"Self‑funded?" Yanbugui rolled his eyes. "I can count the few pennies in your pocket; where would you get it? Pick up coal slag to plaster the walls?"

Zhao Jianguo wasn't annoyed; instead he laughed and said, "San Daye, you shouldn't say that—coal slag really can be used."

That night, Zhao Jianguo hid in the corner of the scrap warehouse and opened the system interface.

【Check‑in Successful, reward: ordinary cement ×3 tons (can be split)】

He didn't hesitate, chose "Extract All", and several large bags of cement appeared silently in the warehouse mezzanine—a hidden spot he had figured out while repairing pipes years ago, unknown even to the factory director.

Three tons of cement piled up like a little gray mound; anyone seeing it would think it was old stockpiled material from the factory.

He rolled up his sleeves, dragged two sacks of coal ash from the boiler room, mixed it into the cement at a three‑to‑one ratio, added water and stirred, then used a wooden mold to press into brick blanks. Each brick is half the weight of a red brick; he deliberately roughed up the surface and chipped a few corners, making them look like defective trial‑run products.

Working until late night, he stacked the first batch of fifty "lightweight bricks" onto a small cart, covered them tightly with a sack, and quietly pushed them back to the Siheyuan.

At dawn, he neatly laid out the bricks to dry at the entrance.

Sha Zhu got up early to go to the canteen, passed by, squatted and tapped twice: "What kind of brick is this? It sounds a bit hollow."

"It's a new building‑material trial item from the factory," Zhao Jianguo said, coming out holding a bowl of congee. "Called 'lightweight brick'; I'm involved in the project, I brought a few back to test."

Sha Zhu hefted it and said, "Lightweight? It's much lighter than a red brick. If it can really bear weight, building walls later will save a lot of effort."

"Don't believe me?" Zhao Jianguo turned, went inside, and pulled out a ten‑jin iron hammer. "Come, let's test it right here."

He stacked four bricks into a small column, placed the iron hammer on top. The brick grain didn't crack, not even a seam.

More and more people gathered in the courtyard to watch.

Dong Xu reached out and touched the brick surface: "Really works? If this gets promoted, later on anyone in the courtyard doing repairs won't need to hire a mason."

"Just need to watch out for dampness," Zhao Jianguo said solemnly. "This is the 'Zhao Gong No. 1 trial product'; further improvements will be needed."

Qin Huairu burst out laughing: "Zhao Gong? Zhao Jianguo, when did you become an engineer?"

"Just a temporary title," Zhao Jianguo grinned. "Otherwise the Technical Section wouldn't let me touch the materials."

Yanbugui leaned in, narrowed his eyes, took a sniff, and said, "This brick… why does it smell of coal ash?"

"It's mixed with fly ash, energy‑saving and eco‑friendly," Zhao Jianguo said with authority. "Now this is called 'new material for comprehensive resource utilization', which the higher‑ups encourage."

Yanbugui snorted, planted his cane on the ground, and said, "No matter how loud you boast, it still has to pass inspection. If you can really build this house, I'll take your surname."

Zhao Jianguo didn't respond further, just smiled and carried the bricks back inside, casually noting two points in his notebook:

"Lightweight brick trial production successful; externally called a technical trial."

"Next step: apply for renovation permit, meanwhile stockpile materials."

Just as he closed the notebook, a shadow flickered at the courtyard gate.

It was Yi Zhonghai.

He held a broken broom, just like the previous two days, squatting at the gate to sweep. But his gaze kept drifting toward Zhao Jianguo's house, the broom head dragging deep grooves in the ground, even more pronounced than yesterday.

Zhao Jianguo ignored him, continuing to eat and go to work as usual.

But he knew deep down that this person had no intention of letting up.

That night he deliberately came home late, paused at the alley corner, looked back—and sure enough, Yi Zhonghai was lurking at the gate again, broom propped under his chin, like a door god.

Zhao Jianguo didn't light a lamp, sat on the bed edge for half an hour, then quietly slipped out the back window and made his way to the scrap warehouse.

The warehouse door was ajar.

He pressed himself against the wall and listened; inside came a faint rustling, as if someone was rummaging through something.

He didn't shout or go in; instead he went around to the other side, picked up a half‑brick and slammed it onto the ground.

"Smack!"

The noise inside stopped abruptly.

Moments later, a black shadow darted out through the door gap, hurrying, his pant leg brushing a smear of black ash.

After Zhao Jianguo and the others had gone far enough, he pushed the door open and entered.

The lightweight bricks were still neatly stacked, just missing one.

He bent down and picked up the half‑smoked cigarette butt lying on the ground—the brand that Yi Zhonghai often smoked, from the front gate.

Next morning, Sha Zhu squatted at the canteen entrance smoking, saw Yi Zhonghai come in and laughed: "Hey, Master Yi, did you go pick up coal slag last night? Your trousers are black."

Yi Zhonghai lowered his gaze, his face twitched slightly, and quickly brushed off the dust.

"No, just happened to check if the boiler room was leaking."

"Oh—" Sha Zhu deliberately drew out the word, "You really are devoted to the collective, huh."

Zhao Jianguo passed by holding his lunch box, glanced at Yi Zhonghai's trouser leg, and said nothing.

At noon he returned to his room, opened the notebook, and added a line under "House Building Plan":

"Yi Zhonghai sneaked into the scrap warehouse at night, took one brick."

"Motive: investigate the source of the building materials."

"Countermeasure: mix a sand‑laden defective brick, label it 'Zhao Gong No. 2', and wait for him to submit it for testing."

Having written that, he dragged out from under the bed a brick with blackened edges—low cement content, it would disintegrate after three days of soaking.

In the afternoon, he ran into Yanbugui in the courtyard.

San Daye, Su Qing over there…… Have you mentioned my house-building matter to her?

He had," Yanbugui lowered his voice, "she said she supports your technological innovation, but you must follow proper procedure and cannot illegally occupy land.

The procedure will definitely be followed," Zhao Jianguo nodded, "tomorrow I'll go to the factory to file a report and apply to rebuild that tool shed.

Then what about these materials……

The lightweight bricks are enough," Zhao Jianguo patted his shoulder, "once the house is really built, please come for a housewarming drink.

Yanbugui grinned: "Fine, then I'll wait. However, Yi Zhonghai came to ask me yesterday where these bricks came from; he suspects they're black market goods.

Let him check," Zhao Jianguo chuckled, "this is a legitimate technical trial; we welcome supervision.

At night, he moved all the remaining lightweight bricks inside, bolted the door and shut the windows tightly.

Then he drew another half ton of cement from the system, planning to make the next batch.

As he was mixing the mud, a knocking sound came from outside.

Jianguo? Are you asleep?

It was Su Qing.

He hurriedly wiped his hands and opened the door.

Su Qing stood outside the door, holding a lunch box.

My mother steamed some vegetable dumplings and asked me to bring you one." She handed over the lunch box, paused, then added, "Also… I looked at the draft of your house construction application; the format is fine, but you need to add a sentence: promising to use new eco-friendly material, in line with the factory's technology promotion direction.

Zhao Jianguo took the lunch box: "So late, still bothering you to change the materials?

Just a small thing," she said after a moment of silence, then suddenly asked, "Those lightweight bricks… are they really something you were involved in making?

Of course," Zhao Jianguo straightened his back, "I also plan to apply for an 'Engineer Zhao series new material'.

Su Qing stared at him for a few seconds, then spoke softly: "Yi Zhonghai went to the Technology Section today, asking if there are any trial records for 'Engineer Zhao No. 1'.

Zhao Jianguo didn't even move his eyebrows: "He said there aren't any, right?

There aren't any," Su Qing's voice dropped even lower, "but he took a brick, saying he wants to send it to the lab.

Let him send it," Zhao Jianguo's smile unchanged, "this material fears no inspection.

Su Qing didn't leave right away, stood at the doorway for a moment, then said: "Jianguo, if you really have the ability, I'm not afraid of others investigating. But if you took some backdoor… it will eventually be exposed.

I'm going through the main gate," Zhao Jianguo looked at her, "and I even brought a lock.

Su Qing looked at him for a while, then finally nodded: "Well… I'll wait for your news.

She turned and left.

Zhao Jianguo closed the door, returned to the desk, opened his notebook, picked up his pen, and wrote:

Su Qing's warning, Yi Zhonghai has launched an investigation.

Countermeasure: expand the influence of the 'technical trial', apply for public testing.

Goal: turn the system's supplies into an official project.

He closed the notebook and blew out the oil lamp.

Outside the window, moonlight shone on the empty clothesline. The "newlywed residence concept" drawing had been put away, leaving only a rope swaying gently in the night breeze.

Zhao Jianguo lay in bed, hearing the sound of a broom scraping the ground again from the courtyard gate.

Once, then again.

He closed his eyes but couldn't fall asleep.

Early the next morning, he went to the factory department to submit the application.

At noon, returning, he found the pile of lightweight bricks at the entrance gone.

He frowned, entered the room, and saw a note left on the table:

Engineer Zhao, borrowed five bricks for load-bearing testing, to be returned in three days. —Director Li of the Technology Section