Courtyard House: The Road to an Industrial Power

The deaf old woman and Widow Li were furious that their plan had been so easily foiled when they returned home.

The deaf old woman, who had just sat down at home, slammed her hand on the table and angrily said, "Useless thing!"

"That idiot Jia Zhangshi is completely useless; she was frightened by Zhao Xiulan so quickly!"

Widow Li sat to one side, also pondering in her heart.

Zhao Xiulan is the deputy director of the subdistrict office, and she wields considerable power. Directly targeting Lin Weidong is indeed somewhat risky.

She thought for a moment and said, "Grandma, Zhao Xiulan is not someone to be trifled with, and Lin Weidong now has military projects backing him up, so we really can't touch him for the time being."

"It would be better to put it aside for now, look for an opportunity slowly, and then deliver a fatal blow when the time is right."

The deaf old woman nodded; she understood this principle as well.

Lin Weidong's mother is the deputy director of the subdistrict office, and this relationship is indeed tricky.

She pondered for a moment and said, "You're right. The most important thing now is my retirement."

"That old bastard He Daqing, although he protects Lin Weidong, is a lecher. As long as we take him down and make him obedient to us, we can influence Shazhu through him in the future."

"Once Sha Zhu starts serving me again, it won't be too late for us to deal with Lin Weidong slowly."

Hearing this, Widow Li breathed a sigh of relief and said, "The old lady is wise."

"He Daqing is now very obedient to me, but he's a bit confused about Lin Weidong's matter."

"But it's okay, I have plenty of ways. We can slowly wear him down and eventually get him to be on our side completely."

She already had a plan in mind. He Daqing was lustful and concerned about his image. As long as she put in a little more effort, she could succeed.

Show him more courtesy, then find an opportunity to sow discord, making him feel that Lin Weidong doesn't respect him. You won't have to worry about him not taking the bait.

Meanwhile, at Yan Bugui's house, his third aunt was sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), scolding Yan Bugui:

"Serves you right for being so talkative! For spreading rumors! Now look what happened, you almost got publicly criticized by Director Zhao in front of the whole hospital. Aren't you ashamed?"

Yan Bugui sat to the side, smoking his pipe in a sullen mood, without saying a word.

The three women sighed and said, "Zhao Xiulan is the deputy director of the subdistrict office; she has power."

"If she's unhappy, she might strip you of your 'big brother' title and make things difficult for you at school. Then you'll know what's what!"

"From now on, mind your own business, stop spreading gossip, and just focus on teaching peacefully, wouldn't that be better?"

Yan Bugui exhaled a smoke ring and sighed, "I understand, I'll never dare to do it again."

"Who knew that Lin Weidong would directly send Zhao Xiulan to deal with him? I originally wanted to make Lin Weidong suffer a setback."

"I never expected it to turn out like this."

"Fortunately, everyone knows that it was Jia Zhangshi who spread the rumor, so this time it was a close call."

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Lin Weidong pushed his bicycle, ready to go to work.

As soon as he stepped out of his house, he saw Yan Bugui standing at the door with a fawning smile on his face.

"Weidong, off to work?" Yan Bugui said, leaning closer.

Squinting her small eyes, she smiled and said, "Don't take yesterday's events to heart. Those rumors were spread by Jia Zhangshi. I was just saying it casually; I meant no harm."

"I absolutely had no intention of ruining your or Technician Su's reputation."

Lin Weidong completely ignored him, not even glancing at him, and pushed his bicycle straight ahead.

He had long since lost all goodwill towards people like Yan Bugui.

Yan Bugui's smile froze as he watched Lin Weidong's retreating figure, feeling both angry and annoyed.

He snorted coldly and muttered under his breath, "What is he! He's just a senior engineer, isn't he?"

"What's so great about you! I taught you before, and you have no respect for your teachers whatsoever!"

Just then, Su Wanqing also came out pushing her bicycle.

"Hey, isn't this Teacher Yan? Who are you talking about behind his back this time? Could it be Lin Weidong?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui saw Su Wanqing, and the anger on his face instantly vanished, replaced by an embarrassed expression.

He hadn't expected that Su Wanqing had overheard what he had just said.

He quickly forced a smile and greeted her, "Technician Su, off to work?"

Su Wanqing glanced at him indifferently and said, "Yes, I have to contribute to the country as soon as possible, and I don't have time to talk bad about others here."

After saying that, she pushed her bicycle and left. In fact, Su Wanqing had been a seasoned yin-yang master since childhood, but she was a little hesitant to use her skills when she first came to the courtyard house.

Now that we've already provoked them, who's going to tolerate whom?

Yan Bugui stood there, utterly embarrassed.

He never expected that Su Wanqing, a girl who seemed so refined, would speak in such a sarcastic and unpleasant way.

As he watched Su Wanqing's retreating figure and recalled Lin Weidong's attitude earlier, he felt increasingly uneasy.

He dared not delay any longer and hurriedly pushed his bicycle toward Hongxing Elementary School, afraid of running into people from the compound, especially the Lin family, and losing even more face.

Su Wanqing rode her bicycle and caught up with Lin Weidong, who was pushing the bicycle and eating a steamed bun in his hand.

"What? You're going to part ways with me because of a little rumor?"

Lin Weidong looked at Su Wanqing with surprise, feeling that the person in front of him was a bit unfamiliar. He even suspected that she was just like him.

"I'm just worried about damaging your reputation."

Su Wanqing pushed her bicycle and walked side by side with Lin Weidong, then said, "Who cares what these people think? Let them think what they want."

"When I first arrived, I thought we should all get along well and not mess with each other, but I never expected they would treat me like an easy target."

"I've come to realize that there aren't any good people in this neighborhood, so from now on, nobody should put up with anyone else."

Lin Weidong turned his head and looked at Su Wanqing, saying, "Imperial Jade Liquor?"

Su Wanqing looked at Lin Weidong with a puzzled expression: "What Jade Liquor? What kind of wine is this?"

"Just saying it casually."

Lin Weidong paused for a moment but couldn't help asking, "You've changed quite a bit, haven't you? Could it be that the rumors have upset you?"

Su Wanqing brushed a stray hair from her forehead and said, "I've always been like this; there's been no change."

"Don't worry, I didn't take those rumors to heart."

Lin Weidong nodded, his appreciation for Su Wanqing growing even stronger.

This girl is not only smart and capable, but also so insightful and open-minded.

After that, the two didn't say anything more, and both got on their bicycles and rode towards the steel mill.