Courtyard House: Passing through the Silly Pillar, Activating the Blessed Cave Heaven

62

A nationwide counter-espionage operation was subsequently launched, with the capital city of Beijing being a key area for this work.

In order to mobilize the masses to participate in the counter-espionage work and to mediate conflicts between neighbors in the courtyard, the subdistrict office implemented the "manager system".

After some investigation, the No. 95 courtyard appointed He Daqing, Yi Zhonghai, and Liu Haizhong as stewards, responsible for conveying relevant policies, mediating disputes between neighbors, and reporting any unusual situations that occurred in the courtyard.

That day, after purchasing seasonings, He Daqing was on his way back to the steel rolling mill when a woman suddenly blocked his path.

He Daqing was stopped by someone and turned to look at the woman in front of him.

The woman had fair skin, a hint of sorrow between her brows, and watery eyes that gave her a pitiful appearance.

Seeing her beautiful face and her sorrowful expression, He Daqing's tone softened.

"Comrade, what can I do for you?"

"Brother, I'm from Baoding, and I'm here in Beijing to visit relatives."

My relative works at a steel rolling mill outside Dongzhimen. He had already asked for directions, but as he walked, he got lost.

"I asked people for directions on the way, but no one was willing to listen to me..." The woman's voice was soft and pleasant, and as she spoke, her eyes reddened.

Looking at her like this, He Daqing felt a strange tremor in his heart and was unexpectedly overcome with the urge to pull her into his arms.

"What a coincidence! I work at the steel rolling mill and was just on my way back to the factory."

"Come with me, I'll take you to find your relatives."

"Thank you so much, brother! You are such a good person. I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't met you." As the woman spoke, tears streamed down her face like beads from a broken string.

Seeing her crying with tears streaming down her face, He Daqing felt even more sorry for her.

"Little sister, please stop crying."

There are so many people coming and going on this street. If someone sees us, they might think I've bullied you.

Seeing his flustered and bewildered state, the woman couldn't help but burst into laughter through her tears.

He Daqing stared at the smile on her face, momentarily stunned.

"Big brother? What's wrong?"

He Daqing then came to his senses, his face showing no sign of distress, and calmly said, "It's nothing, I just suddenly remembered some trivial matters."

"Let's go, I'll take you to find your relatives."

During their casual conversation on the road, He Daqing learned that her surname was Bai, her husband had recently passed away, and she had two sons.

In order to make a living, this white widow had no choice but to come and stay with her cousin who worked in a steel rolling mill.

"What's your cousin's name? What kind of job does he do at the factory? I might even know him." He was secretly pleased to hear that her husband had just passed away, but he asked the question without showing any emotion on his face.

"His name is Wang Dali, I think he works as a porter in the factory..." The white widow's tone was somewhat uncertain.

"There is indeed a guy named Wang Dali in the transport team. I'll go into the factory later and ask him for you."

What used to feel like a very long journey, today went by exceptionally quickly.

Upon arriving at the steel rolling mill gate, He Daqing asked Widow Bai to wait at the gate for a moment while he went inside to look for Wang Dali.

He Daqing put the purchased seasonings into the warehouse, turned around and walked into the first workshop to inquire about Wang Dali's whereabouts.

Upon learning that Wang Dali was working in Workshop 2, he went straight there to find him.