Courtyard Houses: Starting with Li Yunlong's Comrades-in-Arms

Liu Erhe was taken aback by being called "Brother Erhe". He looked down at Li Huaide's hands that were tightly gripping his, then looked up at Li Huaide's face that was smiling so broadly it was almost bursting with joy. He couldn't suppress the strange feeling in his heart.

He was just a lowly worker in a steel rolling mill, a level six fitter, not even a team leader. When did it become Li Huaide's place to call him "Brother Erhe"? And "Brother Li"? What kind of logic is that?

But Liu Erhe wasn't stupid. He had worked in the steel rolling mill for so many years, and although he wasn't as worldly-wise as Liu Yuheng, he still had the shrewdness to back it up.

His mind raced, and he immediately thought of Liu Yuheng.

Li Huaide, a deputy factory director, lowered himself to come down to the workshop and befriend an ordinary worker. What other reason could there be besides him being after his brother?

The thought crossed his mind, but he didn't mince words. Liu Erhe withdrew his hand from Li Huaide's palm, forced a polite but measured smile, and said, "Director Li, everything is fine here, no difficulties at all. Thank you for your concern."

When Li Huaide heard Liu Erhe call him "Director Li" without the "Deputy," the smile in his eyes deepened even more.

He reached out and patted Liu Erhe on the shoulder, his tone carrying a sense of intimacy that said, "Brother Erhe, why call me Director Li? From now on, just call me Brother Li, don't be shy. If you need anything at the factory, just tell Brother Li, and Brother Li will definitely help if he can."

Just as Liu Erhe was about to say something, Li Huaide took half a step closer, a smile on his face: "I haven't congratulated Brother Erhe yet. Congratulations to Vice Minister Liu on your promotion to Minister."

Liu Erhe was stunned for a moment, his expression changing from polite to confused, then to bewildered: "Promoted to minister? What, promoted to minister?"

Li Huaide was even more surprised than him, and was stunned for a moment before realizing what he meant. His smile carried a hint of realization, as if to say, "So you didn't know?" He continued, "Brother Erhe, you didn't know? Your brother, Liu Yuheng, the vice minister, has been officially promoted to minister of the Second Ministry of Machine Building, at the fifth administrative level. I thought you already knew."

Liu Erhe exclaimed "Ah!" and froze on the spot, his mind racing. Yesterday, he went straight home after work to eat and take care of the kids; he didn't go to the North City Compound at all, and no one told him about it.

He opened his mouth, his voice carrying a belated surprise and a hint of undisguised pride: "Promoted? My brother got promoted? I really didn't know."

Just then, Li Huaide caught a glimpse of another figure walking towards them from the other end of the corridor. The figure was tall, and his expression showed a mixture of urgency and unease. It was Factory Director Yang.

Factory Director Yang also saw Li Huaide and Liu Erhe standing together at the same time. Li Huaide's hand was on Liu Erhe's shoulder, and the two were so close that they were obviously talking about something private. He cursed inwardly, thinking that Li Huaide was a slippery old man who was shameless and tried to curry favor with him before he could.

He'd been the factory manager for several years, and he was used to putting on airs. Asking him to lower himself and befriend an ordinary worker like Li Huaide was something he couldn't do. But if he didn't go, he worried that Li Huaide would take over the entire road for Liu Er and the others.

Factory Director Yang gritted his teeth, strode over, and forced a slightly more reserved smile than Li Huaide's. He nodded to Liu Erhe: "Comrade Erhe, your skills have improved quite a bit lately. I heard from the workshop director that you've been doing a great job mentoring Master Liang's apprentices these past few months. Have you considered having the technical department train with you? They're short of people with practical experience. If you're willing, I can arrange something for you."

Upon hearing this, Liu Erhe quickly waved his hand, his tone conveying a sense of reluctance to cause trouble: "Director Yang, thank you for your kindness. I'm just a worker; I can't do things like sitting in an office looking at blueprints and writing reports. I'm perfectly fine working in the workshop, mentoring a few junior colleagues, and helping them pass their certification exams. It's a down-to-earth job."

Upon hearing this, Director Yang's expression changed slightly, but he didn't press the matter. He nodded, said a couple of things like "Then do a good job," and then turned and left. He walked a few steps slower than when he came, his hands behind his back, and no one could clearly see the expression on his face.

Seeing that Director Yang had left, Li Huaide's smile widened. He patted Liu Erhe on the shoulder and said something like, "If you have any difficulties, just come to Brother Li anytime," before turning and walking in another direction at a leisurely pace, as if he had already achieved his purpose for coming.

After the two factory managers had walked away, Yi Zhonghai finally recovered from the silence. He stood next to Liu Erhe's workstation, his expression a mix of emotions. He had originally intended to reprimand Liu Erhe, but before he could speak, Li Huaide and Factory Manager Yang had both cut him off.

The two factory managers were vying to curry favor with Liu Erhe. His authority as an "old man" was nothing but a fart in front of these two men.

Yi Zhonghai opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't say anything. He just snorted and turned to walk towards his workstation. Jia Dongxu followed behind him, head down, clutching the vernier caliper tightly in his hand, without uttering a single word.

After Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu disappeared behind the lathe, their three junior brothers immediately surrounded them. The round-faced one spoke first, his voice filled with barely concealed excitement and pride: "Senior brother! Congratulations! Your brother has been promoted to minister! This is incredibly joyous news!"

The tall, thin man nodded in agreement, his tone tinged with a hint of感慨 (gan3kai3, a complex emotion encompassing both admiration and a sense of awe): "The Minister of the Second Ministry of Machine Building, a fifth-level administrative official, that's a really high-ranking position. Senior brother, no one will dare to mess with you in the factory from now on."

The youngest of the junior disciples, less reserved in his speech, took a half-step closer, his eyes sparkling: "Senior brother, how much does eldest brother earn a month? Three hundred? Four hundred?"

Before Liu Erhe could reply, a slightly mocking "tsk tsk" sound came from the side.

Master Zhao walked over from his workstation, carrying his ever-present enamel mug. His expression held a mix of感慨 (gan3kai3, deep emotion) and sarcasm unique to someone with experience: "Erhe, I remember Lao Liang telling me before that your brother is only thirty-four this year, right? Thirty-four years old, administrative level five, his salary must be at least three hundred and seventy or eighty yuan a month, right? I've been doing this for over thirty years, a level seven worker, and I only make a little over eighty yuan a month, not even a fraction of what your brother makes."

He paused, then gestured with his lip in the direction where Li Huaide and Factory Director Yang had just left: "Besides, look at the attitude of Factory Director Yang and Deputy Factory Director Li just now. One called you 'Brother Erhe,' and the other wanted to transfer you to the technical department. This is unprecedented. From now on, you won't be able to walk around the factory with your head held high, but at least no one will dare to trip you up."

After listening, Liu Erhe shook his head with a smile: "Master Zhao, please don't tease me. You know my brother; he never talks about work-related matters with his family. I only heard about his promotion to department head from Deputy Factory Director Li today; I hadn't heard a word about it before. Besides, I'm just a lowly worker, a level six fitter. I should just do my job and take my certification exams. I can't get involved in his affairs. He doesn't let me get involved either, always telling me to just do my job well at the factory and not worry about anything else."

Hearing this, Master Zhao picked up his mug, took a sip, and nodded: "Your brother is right. Don't take on a job you're not qualified for. Your brother's position looks glamorous, but he has a lot of worries behind the scenes. Just stay in the workshop and do your job as a fitter well, hone your skills, and pass the exams—that's better than anything else. Stay as far away from those official matters as possible; getting involved won't do you any good."