The Courtyard House: Xu Damao's Aunt is the Queen of Women

Sha Zhu was stunned. The large tumor on his shoulder was filled with thoughts of seducing Sister Qin, marrying Ye Juan, and how to smuggle things from the factory to give to Sister Qin, taking the opportunity to touch her soft and smooth hands, and then using those hands to do... well, happy things at night.

Where would one think about such complex questions?

He can't figure it out, and he's too lazy to think about it. He thinks the factory can't do without his cooking skills, so what if he flips the wok? If you're not happy about it, just keep it to yourself! If you don't like me, just put up with it!

Chefs aren't like fitters; there are plenty of them. He's the only level eight chef in the factory.

Hey, I, He Yuzhu, am just someone who can be arrogant and do whatever I want.

But this time Yang Xingguo has made his point very clear: Director Jiang has ordered the punishment and will not allow it to be revoked.

Sha Zhu, his face contorted with grief, tears streaming down his face, pleaded, choking back sobs, "Factory Manager, I... maybe..."

"There's no room for negotiation. Do you believe that if I withdraw or reduce your punishment, Li Huaide will be the first to write a whistleblower letter to target me?"

Yang Xingguo grew angrier the more he thought about it, slammed his hand on the table, and pointed at Sha Zhu, cursing.

"I've spoiled you too much, indulged you too much, and that's why you've become so unruly. You even dare to make so many workers flip the wok! Who gave you the guts? Is your head full of shit?"

"What's even more stupid is that I'll send you to the foundry workshop to reflect on your mistakes for a month. You just need to obediently admit your mistakes and accept the punishment. At most, you'll be there for a week or two, and then I'll transfer you back."

"And you, you dared to throw things and give the boss a hard time in front of them! Now you're getting severely punished, and you're crying now?"

"Crying won't help. Go back to the foundry workshop and reflect on your actions. Hopefully, this lesson will teach you a lesson: arrogance brings disaster, and arrogance brings rain!"

After Yang Xingguo finished cursing, he pointed to the door.

"Get out! Don't whine and cry here, you shameful fool!"

When has Sha Zhu ever suffered such injustice?

With her neck stiff and head held high, she said defiantly, "Fine, I'm leaving. Don't come begging me!"

You dare threaten me?

Ha, even without you, Zhang the butcher, I wouldn't eat a hairy pig!

"roll!"

Sha Zhu was tough; he turned and left without hesitation.

Yang Xingguo sat back in his chair, picked up a Daqianmen cigarette from the table, lit it, and continued reading Liu Hao's information.

"He's indeed a talented person. We can give him some pointers and have him become Weimin's assistant!"

……

Meanwhile, in the deputy factory director's office.

Li Huaide sent someone to call Liu Hao over to inquire about his talent for mental arithmetic. He also specially invited Qiu Zhongbei, the director of the second canteen who was an accountant and quite good at using an abacus.

Helpless, Liu Hao showed Li Huaide another demonstration.

As a result, whenever Li Huaide posed a question, Qiu Zhongbei would just be about to fumble with the abacus when Liu Hao would casually provide the answer.

Both of them were dumbfounded. What kind of monster was this?

Qiu Zhongbei reluctantly put down his abacus and said with a wry smile, "Director Li, if I had even a tenth of Xiao Liu's ability, I would have already gotten into the audit department of the ministry."

"Look at what you're saying! I wish I had a brain that useful!"

Li Huaide asked with a smile, "Xiao Liu, our factory's accounts are very simple for you, right?"

Liu Hao nodded: "Yes, it's not difficult!"

"See, you're being humble again, but I like young people like you who are neither arrogant nor conceited, who can focus on their work. That's the kind of person who can handle things and achieve great things!"

Li Huaide showered Liu Hao with compliments, making Liu Hao blush slightly.

"Factory manager, you flatter me. I still have a long way to go. With your guidance, I can work more diligently and dare not be arrogant in the slightest."

Hearing this, Li Huaide's smile widened, his eyes full of approval. It was so comfortable chatting with smart people.

Qiu Zhongbei picked up the abacus, stood up and said, "Then I'll head back first, Factory Director. Sha Zhu has been demoted to the foundry workshop, and there's no one to cook for him. I need to discuss with Lao Zhao about finding a cook."

Speaking of this, Li Huaide's mood instantly soured.

Sha Zhu was happy to be severely punished, but he was also troubled by the lack of special treatment for him!

Liu Hao was also quite puzzled. How could such a large steel rolling mill not find a chef who could replace Sha Zhu?

If there aren't any steel mills, look elsewhere. Are chefs really that scarce in the capital?

Oh, right, in a world filled with warmth and affection, there must be people who are as hard as iron and steel.

Nan Yi, one of the three biggest sycophants in the period drama and one of the biggest victims, is a better cook than Sha Zhu. He can persuade Li Huaide to bring Nan Yi over so that Sha Zhu can spend his life in the foundry workshop.

"Factory manager, I heard that there's a chef named Nan Yi in one of the machine repair shops under our steel rolling mill. He's a genuine descendant of the imperial chefs. Why don't we bring Nan Yi in to cook for us?"

Nan Yi? A descendant of the imperial chefs?

Li Huaide and Qiu Zhongbei looked at each other, wondering if such a person existed.

Qiu Zhongbei exclaimed "Huh?" as if he had just remembered something, and said with delight, "I remember now, yes, yes, yes, there really is!"

Li Huaide's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly asked, "Is he really a descendant of the imperial chefs?"

"Indeed, you've probably heard of the South Manager of Yaheju Restaurant, right?"

Li Huaide nodded: "This restaurant used to be quite famous, of course I've heard of it... Manager Nan... Nan?"

When the name Nan Zhanggui was mentioned, Li Huaide immediately recognized him.

"Nan Yi is Manager Nan's son? The young master of Yaheju?"

"Yes, Nan Yi's father used to run this restaurant. He also had a chef who used to cook for the imperial banquets, but because of his family background, he could only work at the Fifth Machine Repair Plant under our steel rolling mill!"

I don't care about the quality of the ingredients; good cooking skills are what truly matter.

Li Huaide immediately made the decision to transfer Nan Yi to the steel rolling mill—right now!

"Hurry up and bring them here. Let Nan Yi be in charge of the reception on Friday. Let's see his skills."

Qiu Zhongbei was also a man of action; he picked up his abacus and left in a flurry.

"Okay, I'll go to the Fifth Repair Shop now."

Li Huaide stood up, patted Liu Hao's shoulder forcefully, and praised, "Little Liu, you really are a lucky charm! You easily resolved this problem that was giving me a headache."

"No, no, I have to give you a reward."

Li Huaide turned around and went back behind his desk, opened a drawer and started taking things out.

Liu Hao knew that this was the classic plot of a courtyard house fanfiction, "Li Huaide Feeding Cakes," which he was very familiar with.

"I have a bicycle voucher here, a Phoenix brand one. Xiao Liu, you can take it and buy a bike; it'll be convenient for commuting!"

Li Huaide was indeed very generous, giving out bicycle tickets directly.

"This is too expensive..."

Without giving Liu Hao a chance to refuse, Li Huaide shoved the ticket into his hand and waved it away.

"What's so valuable about it! In my hands, it's just a piece of waste paper. Giving it to you is making the best use of it!"

After saying that, Li Huaide said in a low voice, "Work harder. Your section chief, Jin Xianzhe, will retire next year. The wife of the deputy section chief, Zhong Chunli, is a deputy director-general. She will probably be transferred this year as well. Build a good relationship with her, and I will try my best to help you get promoted to deputy section chief. Once Lao Jin retires, you can take over directly."

Look, who wouldn't like Old Li like this?

"Thank you for your guidance, Factory Director. I will do my utmost to live up to your expectations!"

Li Huaide laughed heartily, waved his hand, and spoke in a relaxed yet meaningful tone.

"Xiao Liu, remember this: your hard work and dedication are building your own skills and paving the way for others, not making things difficult for them!"