I painted an aircraft carrier on the courtyard house for Dongda University.

But before the fat man could finish speaking, he trembled and said, "M-M-Grandpa, spare my life!"

Zhou Weiguo grabbed a kitchen knife from the table and held it to the fat man's neck, looking at him with a half-smile. The fat man's crotch was already soaked. "Weren't you so tough just now? Why are you chickening out now? And didn't you ask who I am? I'm Zhou Weiguo! Tell me again, who are you?"

At this moment, Wang Jianguo led two people into the kitchen, and Zhou Weiguo casually threw down the knife.

Before the fat man could speak, he said directly to Wang Jianguo, "Old Wang, arrest this fat man! I suspect he has something to do with Liu Bentian. He's only been at the factory for a few days and he's already a foreman. There's definitely something wrong with him, and nine times out of ten, it's not a small problem."

Wang Jianguo glanced at the fat man, his eyes seeming to say: You idiot, of all people to mess with, you had to provoke this devil.

Zhou Weiguo then looked at Dasheng: "Dasheng, go and call your dad and the others back to the second canteen. Keep it the same as before; the second canteen is your family's responsibility. As for the other canteens, have your fellow apprentices take turns cooking. The food for the workers can't be bad. Oh, and remember to get some good ingredients. I'm going out for a bit; when I get back, have your dad prepare two tables for us to have a get-together."

Da Sheng, beaming with excitement, exclaimed, "Alright! Brother Guo, I'll get right on it!"

Zhou Weiguo smiled and nodded, then said to Wang Jianguo, "Let's go, Lao Wang."

Wang Jianguo looked puzzled: "Where to?"

"Let's pick up Old Li. Although he suffered some injustice this time, it might not be a bad thing. We can take this opportunity to wipe out all the bad apples under his command."

"Such a big factory! Aren't you going to manage it yourself?"

"I can't be bothered with this run-down factory; I'll need to find a capable helper."

Half an hour later, Zhou Weiguo and Wang Jianguo drove their car and parked in front of a tenement building.

Zhou Weiguo asked curiously, "Old Wang, are you sure Old Li lives here? I thought he'd at least live in a small Western-style house."

Wang Jianguo grinned and scolded, "Don't talk nonsense, kid. With Old Li's rank, how could he live in a villa?"

"Alright then, lead the way!"

"Lead the way? I only know his house is in this building, how am I supposed to know which apartment it is?"

Zhou Weiguo was taken aback. He turned his head and looked around, and saw a woman in her thirties or forties looking at them curiously.

He smiled and stepped forward, asking, "Hello, ma'am, could you tell me if Li Huaide from Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill lives upstairs? Which apartment does he live in?"

The older woman looked at Zhou Weiguo and said enthusiastically, "Oh my, you're looking for Deputy Factory Director Li? His house is on the second floor of that building, in the east unit."

Zhou Weiguo looked in the direction the old lady pointed, quickly thanked her, and then invited Wang Jianguo to go upstairs together.

As soon as I reached the second floor, I could faintly hear the sounds of arguing:

"Li Huaide, don't you think you're shameful? My dad went to great lengths to get you a job at the steel mill, and what did you do? You got sent home in no time! Don't stay silent! Weren't you so tough a while ago? Keep being tough then! If you could keep being tough, I would listen to you completely from now on. Why aren't you tough anymore? Huh?"

Zhou Weiguo and Wang Jianguo looked at each other, both with gossipy expressions.

Zhou Weiguo thought to himself: I'd better get Old Li out of here as soon as possible; this old guy has had a tough time too.

"Bang bang bang, bang bang bang"

Who is it?

The voice softened noticeably, and the door creaked open. A woman in her thirties with delicate features peeked out and asked curiously, "Who are you looking for?"

Zhou Weiguo smiled and said, "Hello, sister-in-law, I'm looking for Lao Li, Li Huaide. I'm Zhou Weiguo, and this is Wang Jianguo."

The woman was taken aback at first, then said with surprise, "You're the Director Zhou Weiguo that Old Li mentioned? Please come in, please come in."

Zhou Weiguo walked into the room, but suddenly froze. He saw Li Huaide kneeling on the washboard, looking aggrieved.

Upon seeing Zhou Weiguo and Wang Jianguo, Li Huaide jumped up from the ground as if he had springs into his body, and hurriedly said with a smile, "Oh, Weiguo, Jianguo, what brings you two here? Please come in, please come in, please sit down! Wife, go and pour two cups of tea for my two brothers, use the best pre-Qingming Longjing tea."

Li Huaide's wife rolled her eyes at him, said nothing, and turned to make tea.

Zhou Weiguo chuckled mischievously and teased, "Brother Li, I didn't realize you had such strict family discipline!"

Li Huaide sighed helplessly, and after a long while said, "Brother, isn't this all thanks to you?"

Zhou Weiguo was completely bewildered: "What does this have to do with me?"

Li Huaide explained, "It's mainly because of that treasure you gave me. You've been gone for months, and even if I use it sparingly, it's not enough."

Zhou Weiguo was both amused and exasperated: "Is it really that realistic? Old Li, you can't use this thing too often, it's bad for your health."

Li Huaide quickly waved his hand: "For the country, I'm not stupid. At first, I used it twice a week at most, then once a week. But these past few months without you, I've run out! Little brother, hurry up and give me some more. Don't worry, I definitely won't do anything reckless."

Zhou Weiguo chuckled, "Old Li, you're quite the comedian! You're almost thirty, is this thing really that important to you? Look how anxious you are."

Li Huaide gave him a meaningful look: "For the sake of the country, you are young and carefree. Men often experience aches and pains in middle age; it's better to concentrate your energy and launch a decisive attack once a week. But you cut off my supplies, forcing me to launch a full-scale assault. Unfortunately, the enemy was too strong, and that's why I suffered a defeat."

Zhou Weiguo listened, completely bewildered, only vaguely understanding.

Li Huaide continued with a look of longing, "Actually, to be honest, I really enjoy seeing that kind of look—from blank stare to heartfelt admiration. Every time I see that look, I feel like a real man."

Wang Jianguo was completely bewildered: "What are you two talking about? You're confusing me."

Li Huaide glanced at him helplessly: "You really feel sorry for your younger siblings."

Zhou Weiguo also glanced at Wang Jianguo. Although he didn't fully understand, he certainly couldn't admit it, and nodded in agreement.

Just then, Li Huaide's wife came over with tea: "Director Zhou, Director Wang, please have some tea."

After thanking him, Zhou Weiguo pretended to take two boxes out of his pocket and placed them on the coffee table: "Brother Li, here, these are the supplements you wanted. But let me make this clear beforehand, this stuff should only be taken once a week. It's good for your health and for your wife, but taking too much will have the opposite effect."

Li Huaide's eyes lit up, and he excitedly grasped Zhou Weiguo's hand: "Brother, you're simply my savior! Thank you so much!"

Zhou Weiguo laughed and said, "Of course. I didn't bring much this time, just two boxes with 40 tablets in total. This stuff is really precious and hard to get. I'll try to get a few more boxes next time."