Siheyuan (courtyard house): My father, Li Yunlong!

She turned around abruptly and gave the three old men, Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui, a severe scolding.

"Yi Zhonghai! Liu Haizhong! Yan Bugui! How can you three act like 'big shots'?! The neighborhood committee trusts you to help manage the compound, and this is how you manage it? Tolerating residents occupying public housing? Holding compound-wide meetings to show favoritism? And trying to force the new cadres to change houses? Do you even respect the neighborhood committee? Do you have any principles?! This is utter nonsense! I think you don't want to be 'big shots' anymore!"

The three old men were scolded until their faces turned red, and they lowered their heads, not daring to utter a sound.

Liu Haizhong wanted to say a few more words in his defense.

"Director Wang, we just want to maintain unity within the hospital..."

"Unity? You're undermining unity!"

Director Wang interrupted him without any politeness.

"You can't distinguish right from wrong, and you just try to smooth things over. Is this how you maintain unity? I think your institute is in trouble in this year's advanced institute evaluation!"

These words struck a nerve with Yi Zhonghai, and his expression turned even more unpleasant.

After venting his anger, Director Wang turned to Li Zhenhua, his tone softening considerably, even carrying a hint of barely perceptible politeness.

"Section Chief Li, look at the mess this has made, you've been wronged. You're the victim, and also a cadre in the factory. Look at this, how do you want the neighborhood committee to handle this internally? We need to give you an explanation."

All eyes were on Li Zhenhua.

The Jia family mother and son were even more anxious, wondering what kind of demands this jinx would make.

Li Zhenhua sneered inwardly, knowing that Director Wang wanted to quell the matter as quickly as possible and smooth things over.

He never expected to do anything to the Jia family or Yi Zhonghai in one go; there's plenty of time.

His most important task right now is to establish a firm foothold, not to get bogged down in endless wrangling.

So, he put on a seemingly magnanimous but actually distant expression and said indifferently.

"Director Wang, you are a street leader, so please handle this according to the rules. My personal grievances are a small matter; the main thing is that this kind of unhealthy trend must not be encouraged. My request is very simple: I want them to learn a lesson and stop taking over public property and throwing tantrums in the future."

When Director Wang heard that Li Zhenhua wasn't pressing the issue, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief and readily agreed to the suggestion.

"Section Chief Li is highly conscious and considerate of the overall situation! He's right, they must learn their lesson!"

She turned to look at Jia Zhangshi and Jia Dongxu, and said sternly.

"Jia Zhangshi, Jia Dongxu! Did you hear me? Given the seriousness of your mistake this time, the neighborhood committee has decided to punish you two by making you clean the public toilet at the west end of our street for a month! You must keep it clean every day, and the neighborhood committee will send someone to inspect it! If you dare to slack off or fail to meet the standards, the time will be doubled! Do you understand?"

Cleaning public toilets for a month?

In an era that valued face, this punishment was extremely humiliating.

Jia Zhangshi's vision went black, and she almost fainted.

Jia Dongxu was also filled with humiliation, but under Director Wang's stern gaze and Yi Zhonghai's subtle wink, he could only grit his teeth, lower his head, and squeeze out two words from his throat.

"I...I understand."

"Speak louder! Haven't you eaten?"

Director Wang shouted.

"Understood!"

Jia Dongxu had no choice but to raise his voice.

"good!"

Director Wang nodded in satisfaction, then warned the three old men.

"The three of you must also reflect deeply on your actions! From now on, all matters within the hospital must be handled impartially. If a similar situation occurs again, I will hold you all accountable!"

After saying this, Director Wang offered a few more words of comfort to Li Zhenhua before leaving in a hurry, as if staying even a second longer would taint him with the bad luck of the place.

The farce ended with the Jia family mother and son being punished.

The neighbors dispersed, their chatter mingling, their gazes towards Li Zhenhua now tinged with awe, while their looks towards the Jia family and the three old men held a hint of amusement.

And so, the night passed quietly.

At 5:30 a.m. sharp, Li Zhenhua's biological clock woke him up.

He got up quickly, opened the window, and found the courtyard still quiet, with only a few sparrows chirping on the branches.

The air was filled with the coolness of the early morning.

He had no intention of cooking, partly because he was too lazy to clean up, and partly because he didn't want to attract attention too soon.

I tidied up the room a bit.

Seeing that it was still early, Li Zhenhua pushed his brand-new Forever brand 28-inch motorcycle, which he had bought the previous afternoon, out of the No. 95 courtyard.

At a state-run breakfast stall at the alley entrance, he ordered a bowl of douzhi (fermented mung bean juice), jiaoquan (fried dough rings), and two steamed buns. He sat down and ate slowly, savoring the lively atmosphere of the morning in this era.

The price was indeed cheap, but in this day and age, money and tickets are both indispensable. Fortunately, his mother was well-prepared and gave Li Zhenhua a lot of tickets when he left home.

After finishing breakfast, it was just time to go to work.

Nanluoguxiang instantly became lively. Doors of every household opened, and workers wearing blue-gray overalls, carrying canvas bags or lunch boxes, poured out of the alley in groups of three or five, joining the torrent of people going to work.

Li Zhenhua slowly pedaled his bicycle, the gleaming wheels making a light, tinkling sound as they rolled over the cobblestones.

As he approached the alley entrance, he saw Yi Zhonghai, Sha Zhu, and Jia Dongxu walking side by side.

Yi Zhonghai's face was gloomy. Sha Zhu seemed not to have fully recovered from the fall last night, and his walking posture was a bit awkward. Jia Dongxu looked sullen and his eyes were evasive.

Li Zhenhua smiled slightly and gently flicked his wrist.

"Ring ring..."

The clear sound of the bicycle bell attracted the attention of the three people.

Under the gazes of the three men, some angry, some resentful, and some fearful, Li Zhenhua pushed off with his foot, and the bicycle swiftly passed by them, leaving behind a gust of wind and a tall, upright figure.

"Pah! What are you showing off for!"

Sha Zhu spat at Li Zhenhua's back, which aggravated his injuries, causing him to grimace in pain.

Yi Zhonghai snorted heavily, his face darkening further.

Jia Dongxu lowered his head, not daring to speak, only wanting to get to the factory as soon as possible.

The gates of the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill are visible in the distance, with towering chimneys already emitting smoke and the faint roar of machinery emanating from them.

The gate was bustling with people, and workers entered in an orderly fashion by showing their work permits.

Li Zhenhua rode his bicycle to the gate and was about to go in when a young security guard stopped him.

"Comrade, please show your identification."

The security guard was fairly polite, but his eyes held a wary look.

Li Zhenhua then realized that he was riding a bicycle, unlike the pedestrians.

He stopped the car, took out the brand-new red work ID from the pocket of his Zhongshan suit jacket, and handed it over.

The gatekeeper took the ID and opened it. When he saw the words "Security Section" and "Section Chief", he was obviously stunned for a moment. He looked up again and carefully examined Li Zhenhua, seemingly finding it hard to believe that such a young comrade was actually the section chief.

He quickly stood at attention, gave a somewhat imperfect salute, and handed back the documents with both hands, his tone becoming much more respectful.

"Section Chief Li! Hello! Are you new here? Should I take you to the security office to report for duty?"