Fusion System: Rebirth in a Courtyard - Bird Fighting Chronicles

Chapter 55: Returning Home from Labor Camp Harbors Resentment and Unraveling the Mystery of an Old W

The November north wind whipped up sand and dust, lashing against the gray walls of the Hongxing Courtyard. Lin Chen had just finished drawing the preliminary plan for the improvement of the stamping equipment when he heard a series of hurried footsteps coming from the courtyard gate. Looking up, he saw two street office staff members accompanying a woman in faded work clothes as she walked in—it was Jia Zhangshi, whose month-long labor reform had finally come to an end.

Jia Zhangshi's face was much darker and thinner than before, her hair disheveled and plastered to her scalp. She clutched a tattered cloth bag in her hand, her eyes filled with resentment. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she stared intently in the direction of Lin Chen's house, spitting as she cursed, "Which damned, childless bastard reported me? I've been digging sweet potatoes on the farm for a month now, my back is practically broken!"

Qin Huairu, who was picking vegetables in the yard, quickly stood up and walked over: "Mom, you're back! Come in and rest. I made you some millet porridge and steamed a cornbread." Jia Zhangshi shoved her away, spitting in her face: "You useless thing! I'm suffering in there, and you don't even dare to fart! That little brat Lin Chen got me sent to a labor camp, why didn't you fight him?"

Lin Chen, who was returning with his toolbox, overheard this. He put down his toolbox and walked over with a half-smile: "Aunt Jia, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. You stole Aunt Liu's chicken, Uncle Zhang's cornmeal, and two pounds of sweet potatoes from my house. The neighbors all saw it and reported it to me. What does it have to do with me?"

Speechless, Jia Zhangshi pointed at Lin Chen's nose and finally managed to stammer, "You...you must have been instigating this behind my back! Otherwise, how dare they report me? Let me tell you, Lin Chen, you just wait, I'm not finished with you!" Lin Chen's face darkened. "Aunt Jia, I advise you to behave yourself. Hasn't the labor reform taught you a lesson? If you steal again, next time it won't be as simple as digging sweet potatoes at the farm."

At this moment, Liu Haizhong came out of the house, arms crossed, watching the commotion: "Old Jia, don't blame Xiao Lin. If you hadn't stolen so much, no one would have reported you. Besides, Xiao Lin is now a key technical worker in the workshop and has even joined the city's Technological Innovation Committee. Don't mess with him." Jia Zhangshi hated it most when others were better than her. Hearing Liu Haizhong say this, she was even more furious, trembling all over. However, she didn't dare to actually fight Lin Chen, so she could only stomp her feet and curse as she went into the house.

Lin Chen watched Jia Zhangshi's retreating figure, a cold smile playing on his lips. He knew that Jia Zhangshi was the kind of person who held grudges and forgot kindness, and would definitely seek revenge at any opportunity. However, he was prepared. He had previously used the system to create an "anti-theft alarm device" by combining "iron wire, bell, and thin thread," which he installed on his doors, windows, and gate. Whenever someone approached, it would emit a clear bell sound.

At lunchtime, Lin Chen deliberately carried his bowl to the central courtyard and chatted with Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui, who were eating. "Master Liu, Teacher Yan, do you remember the day Jia Dongxu had his accident?" Lin Chen asked casually, picking up a bite of pickled vegetables. Liu Haizhong put down his chopsticks and thought for a moment, "Yes, I remember. It was three years ago, in winter. Jia Dongxu was operating a punch press in the workshop when a part fell on his leg and injured it. Later, it became infected and he couldn't be saved."

Yan Bugui adjusted his reading glasses and added, "That day I happened to be delivering a cotton-padded coat to my eldest son at the steel rolling mill. I heard that Jia Dongxu had left work early to go home, then rushed back to the workshop to relieve himself. He got distracted while operating the equipment and that's when the accident happened. Yi Zhonghai even helped the Qin family get a lot of compensation from the factory." Lin Chen sighed, "It's a pity. Jia Dongxu was an honest man. If he hadn't died, the Qin family wouldn't be in this situation now."

His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for Qin Huairu inside the room to hear. Sure enough, Qin Huairu came out carrying a bowl, her eyes full of doubt: "Junior Brother Lin, you just said... Dongxu left work early to go home, then rushed back to the workshop to change shifts before the accident happened? How come I didn't know about this? My master told me that Dongxu had an accident while he was working normally."

Lin Chen feigned surprise: "You didn't know? I heard it from my old colleagues in the workshop. They said that Jia Dongxu could have left work normally that day, but Aunt Jia asked him to go home early to fix the windows, saying that the windows at home were drafty and the children were too cold to sleep. Jia Dongxu was filial, so he left early. As a result, after fixing the windows, he rushed to relieve his shift and was too tired, which led to the accident."

Qin Huairu's face turned deathly pale instantly, and the bowl in her hand fell to the ground with a "clatter," shattering into pieces. "Impossible... My mother never told me about this..." she muttered to herself, distraught, before turning and rushing into the house. Soon, Jia Zhangshi's scolding voice came from inside: "What's wrong with you? Who are you trying to impress by smashing a bowl?" Then came Qin Huairu's crying and arguing.

Liu Haizhong raised an eyebrow and said to Lin Chen, "You little rascal, you did this on purpose, didn't you?" Lin Chen smiled and said, "I just feel sorry for Qin Huairu. She's been kept in the dark for so many years. Jia Dongxu got into trouble because of his family, but Aunt Jia kept it from her and kept pressuring her to ask Sha Zhu for things. It's too much." Yan Bugui shook his head and said, "Old Jia is selfish and capable of anything."

In the afternoon, Lin Chen went to work in the workshop. As soon as he entered the forging workshop, he saw Director Zhou and several engineers from the technical department standing there. "Xiao Lin, you're here just in time," Director Zhou said with a smile and waved. "The colleagues from the technical department came to see your stamping equipment improvement plan. They think your plan is very feasible and would like to discuss it with you in detail."

Lin Chen quickly stepped forward, taking out his drawn blueprints: "Distinguished leaders, my plan mainly involves adding an automatic feeding device to reduce manual operation and improve production efficiency. I've also designed a buffer device to reduce the scrap rate of parts." Engineer Wang from the technical department took the blueprints and examined them carefully, nodding occasionally: "This idea is excellent. The automatic feeding device design is ingenious, and the buffer device is very practical. However, I have a question: what is the power source for this automatic feeding device?"

"I plan to modify a discarded electric motor from the workshop." Lin Chen took out a small model. "This is a model I made using discarded parts. You can take a look. The electric motor has enough power to drive the feeding device, and the modification cost is very low, only about fifty yuan." Engineer Wang picked up the model, fiddled with it for a few moments, and praised it highly: "Great! This model is very well made, and the idea is very clear. The factory has decided to fully support your improvement project. Just let us know what materials and manpower you need."

With the support of the technical department, Lin Chen immediately threw himself into the equipment improvement work. He, along with Liu Haizhong and Liu Guangtian, selected suitable parts from the workshop's scrap heap, using the system's "material analysis" function to test the parts' hardness and toughness, ensuring the stability of the modified equipment's performance. Although Liu Haizhong had previously had conflicts with Lin Chen, Lin Chen was now a key technical member of the workshop, and had even helped his son find a job, so Liu Haizhong's attitude towards Lin Chen had improved considerably, and he worked much harder.

Returning home from get off work that evening, Lin Chen had just stepped into the courtyard when he heard Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu arguing. "You unfilial brat! I raised you all these years, and you've turned against me, believing outsiders but not me!" Jia Zhangshi's voice was shrill and piercing. Qin Huairu's voice was choked with sobs: "Mom, Dongxu was my husband. I have the right to know the truth about how he died! Why have you lied to me for so many years?"

"So what if I lied to you?" Madam Jia retorted righteously. "If I told you the truth, wouldn't you hate me for the rest of your life? Besides, if I hadn't asked him to fix the window, how could he have gotten into this accident? I was doing this for the sake of the family!" These words completely ignited Qin Huairu's anger: "For the sake of the family? You were doing it for yourself! You were afraid that if I knew the truth, you wouldn't support me, so you kept it from me! Dongxu has been so filial to you!"

Lin Chen stood at the courtyard gate, coldly watching this scene. He knew that Qin Huairu's last shred of affection for Jia Zhangshi had completely severed at this moment. Just then, Sha Zhu returned from outside carrying a lunchbox. Seeing the commotion in the courtyard, he hurriedly came in: "What's going on? What's all the noise about?" Qin Huairu saw Sha Zhu and cried even harder: "Sha Zhu, you be the judge! My mother made Dongxu come home early to fix the windows, which led to Dongxu's accident, and she's been keeping it from me all this time!"

Sha Zhu was stunned for a moment, then looked at Jia Zhangshi: "Is that really true?" Jia Zhangshi glared at him: "What's it to you! It's none of your business what happens to our family!" Sha Zhu's temper flared up as well: "I don't care? When Dongxu had that accident, I helped you ask the factory for compensation, and I even helped your family out regularly. Is this how you treat me? Aunt Jia, you're so selfish!"

Speechless after being scolded, Jia Zhangshi could only throw a tantrum, yelling, "I don't care! My husband died young, and my son is dead too! I'm just a miserable person! You all bully me!" She cried as she lay down on the ground, trying to grab Sha Zhu's clothes. Sha Zhu, having been warned by Lin Chen, knew Jia Zhangshi's character and quickly stepped back, preventing her from grabbing him.

Lin Chen stepped forward and said coldly, "Aunt Jia, if you keep throwing a tantrum, I'll call the neighborhood committee and have them come and judge this. Let's see how you, this 'poor woman,' drove your son to his death, and how you bully your daughter-in-law and extort money from your neighbors!" Jia Zhangshi was most afraid of the neighborhood committee people. Hearing Lin Chen say this, she immediately stopped crying and got up from the ground. She glared at Qin Huairu and turned to go into the house.

Qin Huairu wiped away her tears, walked up to Lin Chen, and bowed deeply: "Junior Brother Lin, thank you for telling me the truth. For so many years, I've been kept in the dark, thinking it was just my bad luck. Now I know that Dongxu's death was all because of my mother..." Lin Chen sighed: "Senior Sister Qin, it's all in the past, don't blame yourself too much. From now on, study your skills diligently, support your child with your own hands, and don't rely on others anymore."

Sha Zhu chimed in, "Yes, Qin Huairu, if you ever have any difficulties in the future, I can help you, but I won't let you take advantage of me like before. You should focus on learning your skills, and once you pass the Level 3 worker exam, you can become a full-fledged worker. Life will be much better then." Qin Huairu nodded, a determined glint in her eyes, "I understand, thank you. I will definitely study hard from now on and never do anything crooked again."

In the following days, Qin Huairu seemed like a different person. She went to work in the workshop early every day, diligently learning fitter techniques. Whenever she encountered a problem she didn't understand, she would proactively ask Lin Chen and other experienced technicians for help. When Jia Zhangshi wanted her to ask Sha Zhu for something, she resolutely refused and even had a big argument with Jia Zhangshi, saying that from now on, she would earn her own living expenses and would never ask anyone for money again.

Enraged, Jia Zhangshi smashed things at home, but was helpless. Wanting revenge on Lin Chen, she secretly sneaked to his yard that night, intending to let rats in. However, as soon as she got close, she triggered Lin Chen's anti-theft alarm, which blared loudly. The entire neighborhood was awakened, and Jia Zhangshi, terrified, quickly retreated back into her house. From that moment on, she never dared to provoke Lin Chen again.

Lin Chen devoted himself entirely to improving the stamping equipment. One day, while debugging the automatic feeding device in the workshop, he suddenly discovered that the motor's speed was unstable. He used the system's "material analysis" function to check and found that the motor's bearings were severely worn and needed replacement. However, the workshop's warehouse didn't have suitable bearings; he would have to apply to the Municipal Materials Bureau, which would take at least a week.

"What should we do? If we wait another week, the project will be delayed." Lin Chen frowned and muttered to himself. Liu Haizhong leaned over and said, "Xiao Lin, why don't we go to the black market? Maybe they have suitable bearings there." Lin Chen's eyes lit up: "That's right, why didn't I think of that!" He remembered that he had an acquaintance in the black market, a connection he had received as a reward from a system task, named Old Chen, who specialized in the hardware parts business.

After get off work, Lin Chen changed his clothes, took fifty yuan with him, and went to the black market in the south of the city. The black market was very well hidden, tucked away in a narrow alley, crowded with all sorts of people—selling grain, fabric, hardware parts… Lin Chen quickly found Old Chen's stall. Old Chen saw Lin Chen and greeted him warmly, "Little Lin, long time no see! What are you buying today?"

"Uncle Chen, I need a motor bearing with a diameter of five centimeters, and it needs to be of good quality," Lin Chen said in a low voice. Old Chen took a bearing out of a box under his stall and handed it to Lin Chen: "Take a look at this. It's imported, and the quality is absolutely guaranteed." Lin Chen used the system's "material analysis" function to test it and found that the bearing's hardness and toughness were excellent, perfectly meeting his requirements. "How much?" Lin Chen asked.

"We're old acquaintances, forty yuan will do," Old Chen said with a smile. Lin Chen readily paid and picked up the bearing, ready to leave. Just as he reached the alley entrance, he suddenly heard someone shout, "Stop thief! Someone stole my money!" Lin Chen turned around and saw a man in a black coat carrying a cloth bag running towards him in a panic, followed by a middle-aged woman who was crying and chasing after him.

The man was running towards Lin Chen. Without thinking, Lin Chen tripped him, and the man fell to the ground with a thud, dropping his cloth bag. Lin Chen stepped forward and firmly pinned the man down. At that moment, patrolling police officers arrived and took the man away. The middle-aged woman rushed over, picked up the bag, and thanked Lin Chen profusely, saying, "Thank you so much, comrade! If it weren't for you, my money would have been stolen—it was my child's medical money!"

Lin Chen smiled and said, "No need to thank me, it's what I should do." Just as he was about to leave, the middle-aged woman suddenly said, "Comrade, I see you're holding a bearing, you must be in the machinery business, right? My husband is an engineer at the Municipal Machinery Research Institute. If you have any technical problems in the future, I can ask him to help you." Lin Chen was overjoyed and quickly said, "That's great! I work at Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, and we're currently improving our stamping equipment. Maybe I really will need your husband's help in the future."

The middle-aged woman handed Lin Chen a slip of paper: "This is my home address and phone number. Please contact us anytime if you need anything." Lin Chen took the slip of paper, carefully put it in his pocket, said goodbye to the woman, and turned to leave the black market. He hadn't expected that this trip to the black market to buy bearings would not only solve his equipment improvement problem but also lead him to meet an engineer from the mechanical research institute—a truly unexpected delight.

Back in the workshop, Lin Chen immediately replaced the motor bearings. After debugging, the automatic feeding device's speed became very stable, production efficiency increased by 60%, and the scrap rate decreased by 80%. Director Zhou and the engineers from the technical department were full of praise after seeing it and decided to promote Lin Chen's improvement plan throughout the factory.

To reward Lin Chen, the factory gave him a 200 yuan bonus and promoted him to deputy technical director of the forging workshop. When the news reached the courtyard, all the neighbors were shocked. Liu Haizhong hurriedly brought a bottle of liquor to Lin Chen's house, beaming, "Director Lin, congratulations! You're a leader in the workshop now, so please take good care of my son and me!"

Yan Bugui also arrived with a brand-new arithmetic book: "Xiao Lin, oh no, Director Lin, this is the latest edition arithmetic book I had someone buy for your child. If you ever have any accounting issues, just come to me, and I guarantee not a penny will be wrong." Lin Chen smiled and accepted their gift, but he knew very well that these people were opportunists. When he had no status, they looked down on him, but now that he had been promoted, they all came to curry favor with him.

That evening, Lin Chen had just finished dinner when he heard a knock at the courtyard gate. Opening the door, he saw Qin Huairu, holding a cloth bag and looking somewhat reserved. "Director Lin," she said, "this is a pair of cotton shoes I made for you. It's getting cold, these will keep you warm. Thank you for all your help. Without you, I'd still be in the dark, living in a daze for who knows how long."

Lin Chen took the cotton shoes, felt them, and noticed they were well-padded and the stitches were fine. "Thank you, Senior Sister Qin," Lin Chen said with a smile. "You've pulled yourself together thanks to yourself. Work hard in the future, and I believe you'll definitely pass the Level 3 worker exam and become a full-fledged worker." Qin Huairu nodded, her eyes full of gratitude: "I will, Director Lin. I've already registered for next month's fitter's assessment; please give me your guidance then."

After Qin Huairu left, Lin Chen opened the system panel, which displayed: "Completed the side quest 'Guide Qin Huairu to completely break free from Jia Zhangshi's control and get on the right path,' reward 3000 points, current points: 87500. Completed the main quest 'Improve stamping equipment and increase workshop production efficiency,' reward 10000 points, current points: 97500. Unlocked new function: Skill Fusion."

Lin Chen nodded in satisfaction. The skill fusion function could combine two basic skills into one advanced skill, which would be very helpful for his future development. He knew that although Jia Zhangshi didn't dare to provoke him for the time being, and Qin Huairu had also gotten back on the right track, the troubles at the courtyard house hadn't been completely resolved. Yi Zhonghai and Xu Damao were still in detention, and once they got out, they would definitely retaliate against him. Moreover, he had heard that Yi Zhonghai's son and daughter-in-law were going back to Beijing soon, and who knew what kind of trouble they might cause.

Just then, light footsteps sounded at the courtyard gate. Lin Chen frowned, walked to the window, and saw a strange man standing at the gate, peering into the courtyard, holding a photograph in his hand. Lin Chen recognized the person in the photo as Yi Zhonghai. A thought struck him; it seemed Yi Zhonghai's son and daughter-in-law had indeed returned, and had found the courtyard house immediately. A new storm was likely about to begin.

Lin Chen kept quiet, instead using the system to create a night-vision camera by combining an old camera with a night-vision lens, and secretly took a picture of the man. He knew that to deal with Yi Zhonghai's son and daughter-in-law, he had to prepare in advance. He opened the system panel and began to study the newly unlocked "Skill Fusion" function. He already had a plan in mind—to fuse his "Basic Forging Skill" and "Basic Fitter Skill" into an "Advanced Mechanical Manufacturing Skill." This would not only improve his technical level but also better prepare him for the upcoming challenges.