[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-siheyuan-the-salted-fish-s-good-life":3,"chapter-siheyuan-the-salted-fish-s-good-life-siheyuan-the-salted-fish-s-beautiful-life-chapter-799":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Courtyard House: A Salted Fish's Good Life",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},2109986,3398,"Chapter 799: Cutting in line","siheyuan-the-salted-fish-s-beautiful-life-chapter-799",799,"\u003Cp>Municipal Industrial Bureau.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>A breeze blew, cicadas chirped, and the earth was like a furnace radiating heat, causing the leaves to curl up from the heat.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Cao Cao Weiguo, who had returned from slacking off outside, saw two familiar figures in the hallway and walked over, calling out: \"Tong Zhi.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Tong Zhi turned around and looked at Cao Cao Weiguo in surprise: \"Section Chief Cao!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Director Zhou, standing beside Tong Zhi, walked toward Cao Cao Weiguo in pleasant surprise: \"Section Chief Cao, long time no see. You are looking more and more spirited.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Cao Cao Weiguo smiled: \"Director Zhou, your complexion is also very good. Come to my office and sit for a while.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Director Zhou gave Tong Zhi a look, and Tong Zhi understood, saying with a bitter expression: \"Section Chief Cao, could I ask you for a favor? We want to see Section Chief Cheng of the Planning Section.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Cao Cao Weiguo: \"See Section Chief Cheng? Is he not in the bureau?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Tong Zhi said with a bitter face: \"Section Chief Cheng is in the bureau, but there are too many people who want to see him. Director Zhou and I have been waiting since morning, but the clerks under Section Chief Cheng said there are still a dozen people ahead of us.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Cao Cao Weiguo joked: \"Hi, I understand. You want to cut in line, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Director Zhou said awkwardly: \"Section Chief Cao, I'm not afraid of you laughing at us, but our factory has encountered difficulties. If we can't get the quota from the Planning Section, I'm afraid our factory won't be able to complete the production tasks for this quarter.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Tong Zhi pleaded: \"Section Chief Cao, please help.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Cao Cao Weiguo thought for a moment and said: \"Then you come back to my office with me, and I'll call Section Chief Cheng to ask if it's convenient for him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Cutting in line is something that can be done, but it has to be done secretly. Going to cut in line openly is just asking for trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\"Hello, Brother Cheng, it's Cao Weiguo. It's like this, Director Zhou of the Heavy Machinery Factory is here with me...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>After returning to the office, Cao Cao Weiguo invited Director Zhou and Tong Zhi to sit down, then walked to the desk and dialed Section Chief Cheng’s number. After a few words, Director Zhou and Tong Zhi showed joy, and after Cao Cao Weiguo hung up, they thanked him repeatedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>A few minutes later, the busy Section Chief Cheng walked into Cao Cao Weiguo’s office with a folder.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Cao Cao Weiguo welcomed him enthusiastically: \"Brother Cheng, please sit. Come and taste the tea I just got, authentic Wuyi Mountain Dahongpao.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Director Zhou and Tong Zhi hurriedly stood up to greet him: \"Section Chief Cheng.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Section Chief Cheng smiled and said: \"Sit, sit. Old Zhou, Technician Tong, I know your needs, but you also need to understand our difficulties. You should know about our diplomatic relations with the Soviet side. The equipment you need requires me to apply and report to higher-level leaders, and also to communicate with the Soviet side. Every step takes time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Tong Zhi said anxiously: \"Section Chief Cheng, without that set of high-precision gear hobbing machines, it will be very difficult for us to complete the tasks assigned by the higher-level leaders. If the machines cannot arrive, our construction period will inevitably be extended.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Section Chief Cheng said with a straight face: \"Technician Tong, I know you are having a hard time, but the country is also having a hard time, and the country’s industrial development is even harder. But if there are difficulties, we overcome them. Are we going to stop just because there are difficulties? We must carry forward the spirit of meeting difficulties head-on and cannot be defeated by difficulties.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Director Zhou hurriedly said: \"Section Chief Cheng, I represent all the employees of our factory in stating that we will definitely carry forward the spirit of hard work, fearlessness of difficulties, and courage to forge ahead. We have the determination to overcome difficulties and complete the tasks.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Section Chief Cheng nodded: \"Director Zhou, the tasks of your Heavy Machinery Factory are very arduous. I understand your mood at this moment, and I will also try my best to support your work. The quota you applied for has been approved here, and I will also report it to the higher-level leaders. You go back and wait for news.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Director Zhou was overjoyed to hear this; he came here just for this sentence from Section Chief Cheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Director Zhou excitedly shook Section Chief Cheng’s hand: \"Thank you, Section Chief Cheng, thank you very much for your support.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>After Section Chief Cheng left, Director Zhou and Tong Zhi thanked Cao Cao Weiguo again and insisted on taking Cao Cao Weiguo out for a few drinks. They knew too well that without Cao Cao Weiguo’s face, it would have been hard for them to even see Section Chief Cheng today, let alone get the quota so easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>The hospitality was hard to refuse, so Cao Cao Weiguo had to explain the work to the section chief under him, picked up his briefcase, and left the Municipal Industrial Bureau with Director Zhou and Tong Zhi.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>The three of them drank and chatted at Tianxingju, and Tong Zhi’s tongue was already thick from drinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Tong Zhi: \"Section Chief Cao, thanks to your help today, I'll toast you another cup.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Cao Cao Weiguo smiled: \"Technician Tong has a good capacity for liquor, I'll toast you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>\"Cheers!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>The two touched cups and drank them in one gulp.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Director Zhou picked up his chopsticks and began to complain: \"Sigh, the world is truly unpredictable. You tell me, how can the relationship between two countries change just like that? It's like children having a tantrum, it came so unexpectedly. A few years ago, the Soviet big brother was truly sincere, giving equipment when asked, giving technology when asked, giving people when asked... At that time, our technological barriers were broken one today and five tomorrow. But in the blink of an eye, the big brother changed his face, the engineers were withdrawn, the blueprints were destroyed, and even the manuals were torn up. Wanting to add a few pieces of equipment means begging everyone. It's truly infuriating. When can our country catch up with the Soviet Union, catch up with Europe and America, and let them come to beg us to sell them machines and equipment? As long as I can vent this frustration, I would be willing to lose ten years of my life.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Regarding these words from Director Zhou, Cao Cao Weiguo also had deep personal experience, because the Procurement Management Section he was in charge of also often dealt with the Soviet side. In order to buy equipment and raw materials from the Soviet side, he had suffered enough frustration. But given the technological gap, what could you do if you weren't convinced?\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Their equipment was just more advanced than yours, things they could produce you just couldn't, and if they didn't sell to you, you just didn't have it. If they didn't sell, that was fine, but you couldn't not buy.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Catching up with the Soviet Union and Europe and America wasn't enough just by shouting slogans; that required practical action, step by step.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Raising his glass and drinking it in one gulp, Cao Cao Weiguo comforted him: \"Don't worry, Brother Zhou, there will be machines, there will be airplanes, there will be aircraft carriers. Our country will definitely become increasingly powerful, and will definitely be able to catch up with the Soviet Union, catch up with Europe and America, and become a great power standing on the world stage.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>After eating and drinking to their fill, the three parted ways at the entrance of Tianxingju. Watching the backs of Director Zhou and Tong Zhi as they gradually moved away, Cao Cao Weiguo’s heart felt somewhat complicated.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Catch up with the Soviet Union! Catch up with Europe and America!\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Is overtaking on a curve in technology really feasible?\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Even decades later, many people talk about being a great manufacturing country, but manufacturing is also divided into low-end and high-end. Take the high-end equipment and instruments used by many production enterprises, for example; many are imported from abroad. A single machine costs tens of millions, and if there's a slight problem, you have to pay a high salary to invite their engineers from abroad to repair it...\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp>Shaking his head, perhaps he really drank too much. Why think about these far-fetched things? What does it have to do with him? This wasn't something he could decide or influence. Thinking too much just adds unnecessary trouble. In the future, he should just eat and drink, peacefully be a salted fish; lying flat is quite good.\u003C\u002Fp>",1482,"2026-06-16T08:10:16.781Z","2026-06-17T08:52:03.356Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","da44cb08fd813274f0f717f340fa40aa304319fd65ab172aa5d5616e220f6131","siheyuan-the-salted-fish-s-beautiful-life-chapter-800","siheyuan-the-salted-fish-s-beautiful-life-chapter-798",843,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsiheyuan-the-salted-fish-s-good-life-cover.jpg"]