Courtyard House: Initial Donation of 50 Million

He Daqing recuperated in the courtyard for a whole month. The gunshot wound on his back finally healed and the swelling subsided. He could walk and carry pots and spoons without any problems. Only the old wound marks remained, which looked heavy on rainy days. He had truly walked through the gates of hell.

For the past month, Sha Zhu would rush to the kitchen every day after work, preparing a variety of nourishing soups and dishes for his father. The bone broth was simmered until it was milky white and thick, and the medicinal dishes were warming without being too hot, with each meal different from the last. He Yushui would stay by his father's bedside after school, bringing him water and medicine, showing her thoughtfulness and care. He Daqing lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), watching his two children running around, feeling as if he had a warm stove in his heart.

Having survived this life-or-death ordeal, he finally understood life completely—fleeting romances and sweet words from others are all illusory; in the end, the only ones you can truly rely on are your own flesh and blood.

As he leaned against the headboard, pondering the days to come, footsteps sounded outside the courtyard gate. Li Huaide followed, carrying two boxes of nourishing pastries, and walked in with a smile.

"Brother Daqing, how's your recovery going? I had some free time today, so I came to see you." Li Huaide put his things down by the bedside, his tone warm and his face showing just the right amount of concern. "You got injured while protecting Yushui this time, and everyone in the factory remembers your contribution."

He Daqing quickly propped himself up to sit up, saying politely, "Thank you for your concern, Deputy Factory Director Li. It's nothing, I'm lucky to have survived."

Li Huaide stepped forward to help him up and sat down. Without beating around the bush, he dropped the bombshell: "Brother, you're a veteran of our Hongxing Factory, a senior chef with undeniable skills. The newly established Hongxing Electronics Factory is in dire need of a canteen manager who can keep things in order. I've spoken to the factory about it, and we're just waiting for you to recover from your injury so you can take on this important role. Your rank and benefits will be the same as the head canteen manager at the main factory, and you can choose your staff and set the canteen rules."

Upon hearing this, He Daqing was stunned.

Hongxing Electronics Factory is a key new factory under Hongxing United Industrial Corporation. It is large in scale and high in standards. The position of canteen director may seem like a logistics post, but it is a very lucrative and coveted position that many people are vying for. It is no surprise that he, an old cook who has just recovered from an injury and is semi-retired, suddenly found himself in such a position.

Little did he know that Li Huaide's move was based on a comprehensive calculation, and was by no means simply a matter of showing consideration for the veteran employees.

As the deputy factory director in charge of the company's logistics, Li Huaide had a clear plan in mind.

The first layer is to win people's hearts and stabilize the team. He Daqing was injured while saving his daughter at a staff member's wedding banquet. It was considered a dangerous situation on the job. The factory arranged a good home for him, which not only comforted He Daqing and his son, but also showed all the staff that Hongxing Factory would not mistreat those who had made contributions. This not only earned them a good reputation for caring for their subordinates, but also made key cooks like Sha Zhu more loyal to them.

The second layer involves building a team and establishing a reputation. Now, the main factory canteen has Sha Zhu in charge of cooking, the automobile factory canteen has Nan Yi managing elaborate banquets, and with He Daqing appointed as the director of the electronics factory canteen, it's like holding three top-tier culinary talents in Beijing. Each of the three has their strengths, forming a complete hierarchy: He Daqing is experienced and skilled, specializing in traditional grand dishes and official cuisine, capable of handling the highest-level receptions; Nan Yi is meticulous and skillful, specializing in exquisite banquets and flavorful stir-fries, responsible for medium-sized receptions and banquets for foreign guests; Sha Zhu is solidly skilled and quick, specializing in large-scale dishes and everyday hearty meals, managing the daily meals of thousands of employees.

From daily staff meals to departmental receptions, and even banquets at the provincial and ministerial levels or higher, the entire supply chain can be handled. At that point, not only will other factories in Beijing be unable to compete, but even the reception offices of ministries will have to consider the Red Star Factory's reputation when looking for top chefs. His achievements in logistics will be truly solid, and his influence as the deputy director of logistics will increase accordingly.

The third and most crucial layer is leveraging connections to curry favor with the core leadership. Everyone knows that Sha Zhu and Wang Huanbo are childhood friends, practically inseparable. Chief Engineer Wang is the factory's pillar of strength, a national hero praised even by the instructors. While he manages logistics and can't directly intervene technically, ensuring He Daqing's well-being and appeasing Sha Zhu's family indirectly provides Wang Huanbo with a way out. In the future, when the factory's logistics department needs resources, approvals, or infrastructure coordination, this connection will make things much smoother.

Moreover, the position of canteen director at the new factory is well-founded—veteran technical backbones are returning to their posts, and the new factory needs experienced personnel to oversee things. No one can find fault with him for favoritism; on the contrary, they should praise him for his ability to recognize and appoint capable people and for his thorough consideration.

This deal is a sure thing, you can't lose money.

Li Huaide had a clear plan in mind, but his face was only amiable. He chatted with He Daqing for a few minutes, telling him to take good care of himself and wait until his injury was completely healed before taking up his post. There was no rush. After saying that, he got up to take his leave. He handled the situation perfectly, without putting any pressure on him.

After Li Huaide left, He Daqing sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), unable to calm down for a long time.

He lowered his head and pondered, feeling more and more hopeful for the future.

With Wang Huanbo's help in tutoring, their daughter He Yushui's grades have been outstanding. At this rate, getting into Tsinghua or Peking University is not a dream. They are definitely from a scholarly family. Their son He Yuzhu is now the director of the factory's canteen, managing dozens of people. His wife, Yu Li, is virtuous, down-to-earth, and good at managing a household. In another year or two, he will be able to hold his big, fat grandson. The He family's culinary skills will have a successor.

Now he has a job as the head of the canteen at an electronics factory, and he can live a respectable and worry-free life in his later years. He never dared to dream of such a life before.

His only worry was the white widow in Baoding.

He Daqing twirled his fingers, secretly making up his mind: once he was fully recovered, he would go back to Baoding and have a frank talk with Widow Bai. He would give her two choices—either he would leave her some money, and they could part amicably and live their own lives; or she could take her two children back to the capital with him, and he would provide for them and support them.

As for how she will ultimately go, that's entirely up to the White Widow's own choice.

In any case, He Daqing's roots were now firmly planted in the capital and by his children's side.