After being separated from my family, I became a darling of the military region thanks to my medical

Heishan Village Quarry.

Ye Cheng stood on the high earthen slope in front of the material shed, clutching a chipped old tin horn in his hand.

The dozens of men on the east side stopped hammering early and all stared at him expectantly.

Zhao Shanhe pulled the towel off his shoulder and threw it onto the pile of rubble, then strode down the slope with his head held high.

"Chengzi, are you determined to push things to the extreme today? We've all been trying to persuade you all day yesterday."

Ye Cheng's eyes were red from staying up late, and he vigorously rubbed his cheeks with his calloused hands.

"I understand your feelings, Shanhe."

"But that building was built by my sister to save my life."

"I absolutely cannot let the rumors outside ruin her reputation."

"I've quit, we can take on other jobs."

Ma Zhigang squatted at the base of the earthen wall not far away, looking down at his toes.

He didn't go up with the others to dissuade them today; he just casually drew circles on the ground with a twig.

Ye Cheng took a deep breath and held the tin megaphone to his mouth.

"Everyone, please be quiet."

"I'm making this clear today: starting tomorrow, we will no longer send stones to the North City."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a loud roar of an exhaust pipe suddenly came from the other end of the dirt road.

The sound came from afar, and sounded like something was about to fall apart halfway through its journey.

Everyone's attention was drawn to the commotion.

A 212 Jeep was parked on the dirt curb of the quarry.

Before the car had even come to a complete stop, a round, fat man tumbled off it, using both his hands and feet.

The fat man was wearing a gray jacket covered in yellow mud, and his face was bruised and battered, making him look even more disheveled than a refugee fleeing famine.

Zhao Shanhe squinted and sized him up for a long time before shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Isn't this the same Mr. Zhou who came to our place yesterday and acted all high and mighty?"

"What the hell is wrong with him? Why did he show up like this today?"

Zhou Defa didn't even bother to wipe the mud off his face, and scrambled down the slope to Ye Cheng's feet.

He used both his hands and feet to get there, completely unaware that his knees were scraping against the gravel and drawing blood.

"Boss Ye, please don't cancel the contract."

"Grandpa, please don't terminate the contract!"

Ye Cheng was somewhat stunned by this sudden turn of events and subconsciously took a half step back.

"Boss Zhou, didn't you say yesterday that it would be better for my sister if I stepped down?"

"Now that I'm offering to give it up, you can go and sign the contract with the hospital."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Defa was so frightened that his entire body of fat trembled violently.

He suddenly raised his hand and slapped his greasy, fat face twice across the cheek.

The crisp sound of a slap echoed through the quarry, leaving the workers watching the spectacle dumbfounded.

"I was blinded by greed yesterday, I was out of my mind and spewed nonsense."

"Boss Ye, your stone is the best hard-core granite in the whole province. No one else in the North City General Hospital building can compare to your stone."

Ye Cheng frowned, his thick, dark eyebrows furrowing as he looked at the middle-aged man kneeling at his feet with a puzzled expression.

"That's not what you said yesterday."

"You're saying that if I keep sending stones, I'll be harming my sister."

Zhou Defa cried with snot and tears streaming down his face, and reached out to hug Ye Cheng's leg tightly.

"It was all that bastard surnamed Lin who instigated me behind the scenes."

"He said that as long as you, Ye Cheng, withdraw from the contract, the stone supply for the North City General Hospital building will be transferred to me. Everything I said to you yesterday was taught to me by him—the talk about protecting your sister's reputation—it was all just empty talk!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Shanhe was so angry that his eyes blazed with fury. He raised his fist, which was as big as a sandbag, and was about to rush up and beat the person.

"You heartless bastard, how dare you collude with the people of Beicheng to scheme against our Chengzi."

"I'm going to beat the fat off your body today."

Ma Zhigang quickly stood up and grabbed the enraged Zhao Shanhe.

"Shanhe, don't make a move yet, let him finish speaking."

Zhou Defa was so frightened that he hid behind Ye Cheng's legs, his voice trembling like leaves in the cold wind.

"I'll confess everything, I'll tell you everything."

"My quarry has been leveled by the field army's engineers with sledgehammers."

"Boss Ye, if you terminate the contract today, Commander Li and his men will bury me alive."

Zhou Defa took an envelope out of his pocket, held it with both hands and handed it to Ye Cheng, his hands trembling as he presented it.

"Boss Ye, everything I said yesterday was complete nonsense. Please don't take it seriously, please don't take it seriously!"

Ye Cheng looked down at the envelope but didn't touch it.

"What's in here?"

Zhou Defa wiped his face, his voice hoarse.

"Two hundred yuan. I got into trouble in Beicheng and wanted to ask Boss Ye to make an exception for me as a token of my apology."

Ye Cheng pushed the envelope aside, and the hammer handle in his hand quietly loosened.

"I don't want your money."

Zhao Xiuxiu, who was standing next to him, came out from the direction of the kitchen, stopped next to Ye Cheng, and quietly nudged him with her elbow.

"I knew this guy wasn't right for me."

Ye Cheng didn't reply.

He turned to look at Zhou Defa and said, "You came here to say all this just to get me to continue supplying you?"

Zhou Defa's nose tingled with emotion, and he bent over and swore an oath.

"Boss Ye, I regret it! I'll never covet this land again. I came here today to let you know that someone is pulling strings behind the scenes. Please don't cancel the contract because I'm such a sucker. That building is a lifeline; losing the mortgage is no joke!"

Ye Cheng remained silent for a long while.

Ma Zhigang whispered in his ear, "Brother Cheng, are you still planning to quit?"

Ye Cheng slung the hammer over his shoulder and turned to look at the neatly arranged pile of stone slabs.

"They didn't say they wanted a refund."

His voice was very calm, "It was my mistake that made you all worry."

Ma Zhigang let out a long sigh of relief, turned around and grinned at Zhao Xiuxiu. Zhao Xiuxiu also relaxed her shoulders and turned back to the kitchen.

Zhou De was stunned for a moment, not expecting it to go so smoothly. He stood there for two seconds, then bent down and handed the envelope forward again.

"Boss Ye, this money..."

"Take it back."

Ye Cheng had already walked away, his footsteps landing on the gravel. His voice drifted from behind him, "I don't need your two hundred yuan."

Zhou Defa held the envelope and stood in the wind for a while. The expression on his fat face was a mixture of regret, relief, and a little bit of awkwardness.

Finally, he put the envelope back in his pocket, glanced back at the piles of shattered stone slabs, gritted his teeth, and got into the jeep.

After the car left, the yellow dust rose up again, and it took a while for it to settle down.

Ye Cheng glanced down at the old megaphone in his hand, then turned to look at Ma Zhigang, who was standing to the side smirking.

"Zhigang, tell me honestly, what did you do at the brigade headquarters yesterday?"

Ma Zhigang scratched the back of his head, revealing a set of white teeth.

"I didn't do anything, I just felt something was off, so I called Lao Gu to let him know I was safe."

Ye Zhu ran down the slope and peered out at Ma Zhigang, asking, "That fat guy's gone, are we still going to keep going?"

Ma Zhigang patted the back of his head and pushed him toward the east slope.

"Stop talking nonsense and get to work!"

The sound of hammers striking stone blocks echoed through the quarry again, each strike deep and powerful.