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

He opened the folder, which contained several pages of neatly organized information.

His gaze swept quickly across Li Zhenhua's age, place of origin, education, work experience... When his eyes landed on the "family relationships" section, his brows suddenly furrowed and his face instantly darkened.

"Father: Li Yunlong, currently the commander of the Xth Army, stationed in North China, with the rank of Major General."

"Mother: Xiuqin, Executive Committee Member and Deputy Director of the Office of the All-China Women's Federation."

The Xth Army? Li Yunlong?

Lin's father frowned instantly, and his knuckles struck the three characters "Li Yunlong" heavily, producing a dull sound.

For the next few days, Li Zhenhua lived a very uneventful life, even somewhat leisurely.

In the steel rolling mill, the "economic problems" of the former logistics director Sun Xiangqian and the outcome of the investigation were only circulated within a very small circle, and were quickly overshadowed by new production tasks and daily trivial matters.

Most people in the factory were still busy making a living and getting food, completely unaware of the storm that nearly overturned the factory's leadership.

Li Zhenhua, the biggest contributor to this storm, has once again returned to his "slacking off" state.

The Intelligence and Security Section remained a haven for retirees, with Old Zhou reading the newspaper, Old Liu dozing off, and Old Chen wiping the table.

With the weighty "hidden" credit of cracking an enemy spy case (though not made public), Director Yang and Section Chief Sun Weimin turned a blind eye to his "lack of ambition," letting him do as he pleased as long as he didn't cause any major trouble.

Li Zhenhua was happy to have a leisurely life. He went to work on time every day, had a cup of tea and a newspaper, and then rode his bicycle back to his courtyard at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang when the bell rang to end the workday.

During this time, Lin Taotao called once, in a businesslike tone, informing them that the case had been taken over by the higher authorities, and routinely thanked the steel mill's security department for their cooperation. Everything sounded normal, but the two of them tacitly avoided mentioning what happened after the hot pot dinner that night.

Li Zhenhua wisely refrained from going to the police station to "play with her," though he still vividly remembered the intimidating feeling he had experienced during that fleeting glimpse.

However, beneath this seemingly leisurely exterior, Li Zhenhua harbored another worry in his heart.

His Pinduoduo system warehouse is already overflowing with goods!

Since activating the system, he has participated in the "Daily Flash Sale" without fail. With incredible luck and low prices, he has stockpiled a considerable amount of scarce goods in his warehouse: barrels of soybean oil, whole hams of pork, bags of white sugar, exquisite candies, and even a few Shanghai brand watches and brand-new transistor radios.

In 1960, any one of these items would have been coveted hard currency.

The problem is that he can't find a safe and reliable way to monetize his assets.

After that terrifying night, he had completely blocked the black market route; the risk was too high.

A small exchange in private?

Leaving aside the question of whether he could find a trustworthy and capable partner, piecemeal efforts would not be enough to digest the massive inventory in his warehouse, and would only arouse suspicion.

"Having mountains of gold and silver, yet almost starving to death?"

Sometimes, looking at the dazzling array of goods in the system space, Li Zhenhua couldn't help but laugh at himself.

It feels like a modern person has traveled back to the primitive society, with a smartphone and a power bank, but can't find a single power outlet.

His biggest challenge right now is how to legally and legitimately transform these outdated resources into wealth and resources that can circulate in this era.

Just when he was racking his brains over this matter but felt helpless, a turning point quietly arrived.

That afternoon, Li Zhenhua was leaning back in his chair, pondering whether he should risk going to the more distant black market to try his luck, when the internal phone on his desk rang.

"Hello, this is Li Zhenhua from the Intelligence Section."

He answered the phone lazily.

"Zhenhua, it's me, Yang Jianguo."

The kind voice of Factory Director Yang came from the other end of the phone.

"Are you busy right now? If not, come to my office. I have something to discuss with you."

"Yes, factory manager, I'll be right there."

Li Zhenhua immediately sat up straight, a slight thought stirring in his heart.

The fact that Director Yang made the call personally, and in such a polite tone, suggests that this is no small matter.

After hanging up the phone, he straightened his clothes and strode towards the factory office building.

Upon entering the factory director's office, Director Yang, beaming with health, sat behind his large desk. Upon seeing Li Zhenhua, he warmly invited him to sit down and personally poured him a glass of water.

"Zhenhua, come, come, have a seat. We called you here today not for anything else, but mainly to express the factory's gratitude once again!"

Factory Director Yang was all smiles, clearly in a very good mood.

"You handled that 'economic issue' case very well and promptly! When the higher-ups found out, they highly praised our factory's ability to quickly eliminate hidden dangers and stabilize the overall situation! And look, our factory is on the list of outstanding employees in the recent quarterly evaluation! You deserve the most credit for this!"

Li Zhenhua quickly replied modestly.

"Factory manager, you flatter me. This is all thanks to your excellent leadership. I was just doing my job."

"Ah, credit is credit, there's no need to be so modest."

Factory Director Yang waved his hand, lowered his voice, and spoke with even greater sincerity.

"Zhenhua, you're a sensible man. Some contributions can't be publicized, but the factory will never mistreat those who have made contributions. I've always remembered that."

He paused, leaned forward slightly, looked at Li Zhenhua, and then changed the subject.

"Zhenhua, you're young and promising, with outstanding abilities. It's a bit of a waste of your talents to stay in that lowly intelligence department. What do you think? Have you considered moving to a position where you can better utilize your abilities?"

Li Zhenhua's heart skipped a beat; he knew the main event was about to begin, and he appropriately showed an expectant and serious expression on his face.

"Factory manager, I will follow the organization's arrangements. I am willing to work hard in any position as long as it can contribute to the factory."

"Great! That's the attitude I wanted!"

Factory Director Yang nodded in satisfaction, tapping his fingers lightly on the table.

"Right now, the two deputy directors of the security department are both underage, so there aren't any suitable positions available. However, there are several deputy director positions vacant in other departments of the factory. I've considered it and think you'd be a suitable candidate. I'd like to hear your thoughts."

Deputy Director?

Li Zhenhua's heart skipped a beat.

This is far beyond what a section chief can achieve; he has truly entered the ranks of middle-level managers in the factory, and his power and resources are incomparable to what they used to be.

He suppressed his excitement and asked cautiously.

"Factory manager, which department is it?"

Factory Director Yang smiled slightly, as if he could see through his thoughts.

"Several departments have vacancies, such as the labor union and the publicity department... However, I guess you might be more interested in the logistics department?"

Logistics Department!

Li Zhenhua's pupils contracted slightly; this was exactly the place he had been dreaming of!

Especially the department in charge of material procurement!