Courtyard House: She got anxious when He Yushui wasn't licked.

Based on this analysis, Yi Zhonghai concluded that the incident was committed by someone in the courtyard. After eliminating suspects one by one, he found that He Yuzhu was the most likely suspect.

And coincidentally, He Yuzhu is not home right now either.

Yi Zhonghai stepped forward and patted Yan Bugui on the shoulder to comfort him, saying, "Old Yan, go to work first, we'll investigate again when you get back from get off work."

Yan Bugui grabbed Yi Zhonghai's hand and said, "Old Yi! You must stand up for me!"

He scrimped and saved, calculating and scheming, and finally managed to buy a bicycle to save face. Now that his face has been ripped off, how could he not be furious?

Yi Zhonghai assured Yan Bugui, "Don't worry, we will definitely investigate and deal with this seriously."

Yan Bugui sighed and had no choice but to walk to school.

After leaving the courtyard, Yi Zhonghai did not go to the factory immediately, but instead wandered around the nearby bicycle shop, looking for wheels similar to those on Yan Bugui's bicycle.

In front of a bicycle shop, a young man is repairing a bicycle.

Yi Zhonghai saw a similar wheel, pointed at it, and asked, "How much does that wheel cost?"

The young man, without even looking up, called out the price: "Sixteen yuan and fifty cents."

Bicycle wheels are indeed expensive.

No wonder He Yuzhu didn't forget to sell the wheels after dismantling the bicycle.

"That idiot Zhu! Couldn't he think before he caused trouble? Now we have to clean up his messes again. He never learns his lesson!"

Yi Zhonghai didn't know where He Yuzhu had sold the wheels, so he could only pay out of his own pocket to buy the similar wheels and take them back to Yan Bugui after get off work that evening.

Chapter 74 Qin Huairu disrupts Xu Damao's scheme

In the canteen of the Third Steel Rolling Mill, He Yuzhu was sipping tea, smugly thinking about how he had sold Uncle Yan Bugui's bicycle wheel for fifteen yuan.

If Yi Zhonghai knew that He Yuzhu, that idiot, sold two wheels for fifteen yuan, wouldn't he be so angry that he would slap He Yuzhu across the face?

Of course, if Uncle Yan Bugui knew that his two bicycle wheels were worth fifteen yuan, wouldn't he feel a sense of superiority, since he was very good at maintaining bicycles?

Ma Hua noticed early this morning that his mentor, He Yuzhu, was in an exceptionally good mood. He was even humming a tune while drinking tea, so something good must have happened to him.

Only He Yuzhu himself knew that tonight he would usher in a turning point in his life, meeting Ran Qiuye, Bang Geng's homeroom teacher.

He Yuzhu put down his teacup and said to Ma Hua, "Ma Hua, I have to leave first tonight, so I'll leave the kitchen cleaning to you."

Upon hearing this, Ma Hua, despite being physically exhausted, enthusiastically agreed, saying, "Don't worry, Master, you go ahead with your work. I'll take care of the canteen's sanitation."

He Yuzhu nodded. Ma Hua was reliable and capable, especially in the kitchen. He had never had to worry about her. However, the speed at which her cooking skills improved was too slow, which made him very dissatisfied.

The MCA members also wanted to become master chefs as soon as possible, but He Yuzhu always used various trivial matters to brush them off. It was always something like cleaning today and doing something else tomorrow, teaching only sporadically.

The other kitchen helpers arrived at the kitchen right on time to start working.

He Yuzhu was engrossed in his own world, fantasizing about seeing Ran Qiuye that evening.

"Stupid column!"

Yi Zhonghai, wearing a military overcoat, went directly to the canteen and found He Yuzhu.

"Uncle! What brings you here?" He Yuzhu was a little surprised. Under normal circumstances, Yi Zhonghai would not come to the canteen kitchen unless there was something particularly urgent.

Yi Zhonghai led He Yuzhu to a secluded corner outside the cafeteria, and with his back to He Yuzhu, he asked, "Where did you sell Uncle San's bicycle wheels?"

He Yuzhu feigned surprise, using his clumsy acting skills to say, "What? Uncle San's bicycle wheel is missing? What does that have to do with me! I came to the factory canteen first thing this morning."

Looking at He Yuzhu's clumsy acting, Yi Zhonghai pointed at He Yuzhu with his left finger, wanting to curse but unable to utter the words.

He Yuzhu saw that Yi Zhonghai seemed to have guessed it, but as long as he didn't admit it, everything would be fine, and Yi Zhonghai wouldn't do anything to him.

"You're such a fool!" Yi Zhonghai waved his hand in disappointment and left.

"Grandpa! You still haven't told me where Grandpa San's bicycle wheel is?" He Yuzhu didn't forget to ask Yi Zhonghai a question, making people think that this matter really had nothing to do with him, He Yuzhu.

Yi Zhonghai knew he wouldn't get anything out of He Yuzhu, so he decided to find another time to interrogate him properly when he got back that night.

After watching Yi Zhonghai leave, He Yuzhu returned to the cafeteria and continued to daydream. Anyway, there were kitchen helpers to handle the ingredients, so he only needed to be the head chef when cooking large batches of food.

Yi Zhonghai had only been back in the workshop for a few minutes when his apprentice, Qin Huairu, approached him.

Qin Huairu said pitifully to Yi Zhonghai, "Uncle! I want to exchange for some grain coupons."

Yi Zhonghai nodded, gave Qin Huairu a time and place, and then continued with his work.

Although Liu Haizhong was not far from Yi Zhonghai, he did not hear a single word of their conversation.

Lunch break arrived quickly, and the factory workers rushed to the canteen where Sha Zhu worked, carrying their lunchboxes. There was no other way; Sha Zhu's cooking was better.

In the crowd heading to the cafeteria, a pretty girl was searching for someone.

Xu Damao, carrying his lunchbox, followed the army to the second canteen. While looking around in the crowd, he suddenly spotted a light. He squeezed through the people and leaned closer, saying, "Comrade Yu Haitang! Who are you looking for?"

Yu Haitang, who was searching for Wang Lin in the crowd, turned around and saw a long face appear before her, which startled her. She patted her chest and said irritably, "Xu Damao, it's you!"

Xu Damao said jokingly, "Comrade Yu Haitang, judging from your appearance, you're waiting for Wang Lin, aren't you? Do you want to know where he is?"

Upon hearing the name Wang Lin, Yu Haitang immediately perked up and asked, "Where is Wang Lin?"

Xu Damao was jealous. He turned his back to Yu Haitang and walked towards the cafeteria, saying as he went, "Wang Lin is at home."

Upon hearing this, Yu Haitang was speechless. Xu Damao's suspense made her instantly not want to talk to him anymore.

Seeing that Yu Haitang was unhappy, Xu Damao quickly said, "Wang Lin has done a great service for the factory this time. The grain we eat in the canteen was brought back by him. The factory gave him several days off as a reward. I reckon he will only come back to work later and will definitely not come back early."

Yu Haitang, of course, knew about this. She felt that Xu Damao's information was a bit outdated and said, "That's it? You don't know that Wang Lin has been promoted to the group leader of the purchasing department, do you?"

"Really? Wang Lin has only been at the factory for a short time and he's already been promoted to team leader." Xu Damao said with envy.

There were a few people in the projection department, but Xu Damao was just an ordinary projectionist, and the group leader was someone else.

Few people knew about Wang Lin's promotion and raise; it wasn't mentioned in the factory's commendation letter, so Xu Damao certainly didn't know. Moreover, only a few factory leaders knew about it for the time being, and the official appointment hadn't been issued yet.

Holding the lunchbox with an admiring look, Yu Haitang said affectionately, "Wang Lin truly deserves to be the man I admire! He's so outstanding."

Upon hearing this, Xu Damao immediately became agitated and began spreading rumors: "Comrade Yu Haitang, you probably don't know this, but Wang Lin has a younger female student who has been living and eating at his house all this time."

Yu Haitang knew this person, and she didn't think it was a big deal, saying, "The person you're talking about is Fang Yue, right?"

Xu Damao realized that Yu Haitang had met Fang Yue. He opened his mouth and said incoherently, "That little girl is just a bit young. Otherwise, none of you could compare to her. If she were to develop for another two years, Wang Lin would basically have no chance with you."

This statement is partly true and partly false. Fang Yue is indeed a beauty, but Wang Lin is not so inhuman as to engage in any kind of "raising" or "developing" behavior.

Yu Haitang was initially quite confident, but after listening to Xu Damao's words and recalling the plot points in the novel, she started to panic. What if Fang Yue really beat her to it? Should she go to Wang Lin's house tonight?

For a moment, Yu Haitang's mind was no longer on the factory.

Xu Damao, that old scumbag, is indeed a seasoned womanizer. He has a way of dealing with widows, and he also has a way of dealing with young girls like Yu Haitang who are in love. "How about this, I'll help you find out what Wang Lin is doing in the yard. In return, you treat me to dinner at the cafeteria, how about that?"

Xu Damao has quite a bit of experience in understanding and manipulating people's hearts.

How could a naive young girl like Yu Haitang possibly be his match?

Someone was helping to monitor—no, to spy on Wang Lin's every move. This was a good opportunity for Haitang, a chance to seize the initiative. Without thinking, she nodded in agreement, saying, "That's great. If anyone gets close to Wang Lin in the future, Brother Da Mao, you have to tell me immediately."

"Absolutely." Xu Damao's lips curled up; he had successfully built a closer relationship with Yu Haitang.

Once you take this first step, how far away is the second step?

Next, Xu Damao naturally invited Yu Haitang to lunch, even forgetting about Qin Huairu, whom he usually liked to take advantage of.

As soon as Qin Huairu finished work, she took her boxed lunch and followed Dajun to the canteen. On the way, she also saw Xu Damao. She had planned to let Xu Damao take advantage of her and exchange her lunch for five steamed buns, but Xu Damao had his eye on the new factory announcer, and her plan fell through.

"Qin Huairu, would you like to bring some steamed buns back for the children?"

A man with a very lewd appearance approached Qin Huairu, his eyes darting around on her body.

"Guo the scoundrel! Save your breath." Qin Huairu ignored the lewd man and strode forward.

"You don't know what's good for you!" Guo Dapie spat on the ground, looking at Qin Huairu's back with disdain.

Many male employees in the factory would chat and boast about the factory's troubles in private, and Qin Huairu was one of the most talked-about figures.

As soon as Qin Huairu stepped into the cafeteria, she deliberately looked for the window where He Yuzhu was getting his food. This way, she could not only get more food, but also avoid having to pay for meal tickets.

Unfortunately, He Yuzhu wasn't getting food at the window today; only his apprentice, Ma Hua, was there.

When Qin Huairu reached the front of Ma Hua in line, she asked, "Ma Hua, where is your master?"

When Ma Hua saw that the person who came was Qin Huairu, the widow who was closest to He Yuzhu, he replied respectfully, "My master is organizing ingredients in the back of the canteen."

Qin Huairu couldn't let Ma Hua call He Yuzhu out, so she could only have Ma Hua bring her a cabbage and two steamed buns.

After wandering around the cafeteria, Qin Huairu discovered that Xu Damao was quite generous, even preparing a meat stir-fry for Yu Haitang, the factory's most beautiful girl!

There's no harm in comparison; Xu Damao usually only gives her steamed buns.

A woman's competitive spirit instantly made Qin Huairu lose her temper. She swayed over to Xu Damao and deliberately said, "Xu Damao, aren't you afraid your wife will find out?"

"Who is it! Sister Qin! We're just having a meal! What are you thinking?"

Upon hearing Qin Huairu's voice, Xu Damao looked up and saw her looking down at him with a sarcastic and condescending attitude.

Yu Haitang had met Qin Huairu in Wang Lin's courtyard and knew that this woman was very close to He Yuzhu, the brother of her classmate He Yushui.

"I want to eat meat too!" Qin Huairu said with a smile.

"Next time! This meal today is for our factory's most beautiful girl." Xu Damao directly rejected Qin Huairu, and at the same time, he was also unhappy. He was having a meal with Yu Haitang, chatting and laughing, and what was a widow like you doing coming over to join in?

"It's alright, let's eat together, there's still plenty of meat." Yu Haitang warmly invited Qin Huairu to eat with her, thinking it was better to avoid trouble.

Chapter 75 Ran Qiuye's First Visit

Who is Qin Huairu?! She's a mother of three!

What storms haven't I weathered?

Since Yu Haitang had already extended an invitation, Qin Huairu naturally didn't stand on ceremony and sat down to pick up meat from the lunchbox with her chopsticks.

When Xu Damao saw that Qin Huairu had actually sat down, he felt his good mood vanish instantly.

It feels like you're eating meat and suddenly a disgusting fly flies in!

Normally, Xu Damao would have been happy to have dinner with Qin Huairu without Yu Haitang, but things are different now. With a better option, he naturally can't settle for less.

Qin Huairu took a bite of the stir-fried pork and thought it tasted so-so. She thought it was probably because she hadn't controlled her emotions well, and that the stir-fried pork wasn't to blame.

The atmosphere among the three was somewhat awkward.