Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

"Understood, Director Zhang!"

Wang Aiying quickly packed up her tools and beckoned to Qin Huairu: "Come on, let's go to the materials department to get two sets of work clothes and a month's worth of meal tickets—did you bring your lunchbox?"

Qin Huairu nodded: "Yes, I brought it. Master Liu specifically told me to bring it before I left."

Wang Aiying was slightly taken aback: "Master Liu?"

"Our old manager of the courtyard house, the blacksmith, was named Liu Haizhong."

Qin Huairu explained, "He brought me here today, and he went back to the forging workshop to start work right after the handover."

"Oh, Liu Haizhong, a level six blacksmith! That's truly rare. The blacksmith grading exams are much stricter than our fitter grading exams, so there are naturally far fewer advanced blacksmiths..."

As Wang Aiying walked, she explained the ins and outs of the steel rolling mill, the taboos in the workshop, and the rules of the foremen, detailing everything to Qin Huairu. Qin Huairu listened intently—this wasn't just a job change; it was a turning point in her life.

After receiving the supplies and returning to the workshop, Wang Aiying immediately threw herself into production, only able to teach a few things whenever she had a spare moment; Qin Huairu also put in a lot of effort to memorize and eagerly took on the work. The young woman who had just joined the company was driven by a strong desire to improve herself – her current monthly salary was less than half of what Jia Dongxu used to earn, and if she didn't learn some real skills, how could she earn more?

She had just quietly asked Wang Aiying about her salary, and the other party didn't hide anything: a fourth-level fitter with ten years of experience, earning a monthly income of just over fifty.

If she can make it to the second-level worker level, she can earn 42.5 yuan.

For Wang Aiying, taking on apprentices also brings real benefits: once an apprentice becomes a full-fledged employee, she can receive a mentorship allowance; and she can also naturally hand over the odd jobs such as running errands, handing over tools, and cleaning tables to her apprentices.

Just as she finished one of her work processes, she realized that yesterday's work hadn't been completed yet. She immediately pulled out a slip of paper and handed it to Qin Huairu: "Go to the warehouse and bring back a basket of unfinished products."

Each part weighed nearly a pound, and the basket weighed thirty or forty pounds, pressing heavily against Qin Huairu's arm. When she carried it back, her forehead was damp with sweat and her breathing was slightly rapid, but this was just the beginning.

At the same moment, Zhao, the head of the publicity department, had just sat down when he called Xu Damao into his office.

"Da Mao, you've been doing really well lately—how did your chat with your dad go yesterday?"

Xu Damao immediately understood: he had already memorized Jiang's explanation perfectly.

He immediately broke into a smile, bowing just the right angle: "Don't worry, Section Chief, every word has been carefully considered!"

"Okay, you're quick-witted. You can take this document to Deputy Factory Director Jiang for me."

Section Chief Zhao pulled a thin document from his desk—it was just a confirmation form for this week's publicity plan, and as usual, asked Jiang Shouqin to sign it. Normally, anyone could make the trip, but this time, it was a stepping stone handed to Xu Damao.

"Thank you, Section Chief! Thank you, Section Chief!"

Xu Damao accepted the gift with both hands, bowed deeply, and only left the room lightly after Section Chief Zhao waved his hand.

He was humming a little tune as he walked toward the office building when he bumped into an acquaintance halfway there.

"Oh, Sister Qin? You've come to the steel rolling mill to report for duty?"

Qin Huairu was squatting down arranging materials when she heard the sound. She looked up, saw it was Xu Damao, and smiled, "Of course! Starting today, you're officially taking over Dongxu's post! Are you rushing to do something important?"

"Hehe, delivering documents to Deputy Factory Director Jiang—and while we're at it, let's expose Sha Zhu's tyrannical ways in the courtyard!"

Xu Damao couldn't help but show off, his eyes glancing at Qin Huairu: her brand-new work clothes accentuated her exquisite figure, and her face was dazzlingly beautiful.

"Sha Zhu? Just a canteen manager! I'm about to get in touch with the deputy factory director!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu immediately put on a smile that was three parts admiration and seven parts flattery: "Da Mao, you're really something! You'll have to give your older sister a hand at the factory in the future!"

"Oh dear, this is no small matter! Sister Qin, how about we meet up at the cafeteria for lunch? It's on me!"

Seeing that He Yuzhu's thorn could finally be removed, Xu Damao felt a weight lift from his heart. When he looked up and met Qin Huairu's gentle, smiling face, he felt a wave of tenderness wash over him.

Before, in the courtyard, Yu Li's eyes seemed to be welded to his back; now that he's been transferred to the factory, with no one watching him, he can even breathe more easily.

Who knows... I might actually get the chance to put my arm around her shoulder or brush against her sleeve!

He knew perfectly well that Qin Huairu's family was struggling to make ends meet, and Jia Dongxu, that spineless coward, probably couldn't even warm her heart, let alone support a family.

"Cheng, Damao, I'll be waiting for you at the entrance of the first canteen at noon."

Qin Huairu raised her eyelids slightly and readily agreed—only a fool would refuse a free meal with meat; she heard that they also stewed braised pork hock today, oil droplets were practically jumping onto the meal ticket.

"Da Mao, I'm going back to the workshop first. The material order form is still piled up on the table waiting to be stamped."

"Okay, Sister Qin, you're busy. I'll be at the door to meet you on time!"

Xu Damao grinned, turned around and took a step with his back straight, his feet feeling light as if he had just carried a note for a raise.

Upon entering Jiang Shouqin's office, he immediately slumped his shoulders slightly, his words laced with sarcasm: "Director Jiang, it's quite a coincidence, He Yuzhu and I grew up in the same courtyard. The other day, he almost embarrassed me in public..."

Sure enough, as soon as Jiang Shouqin heard the name "He Yuzhu," his eyebrows shot up, and he immediately stopped him, saying, "Tell me more about it?"

Xu Damao lowered his voice and, embellishing the story, repeated He Yuzhu's original words of "get him out of here." Jiang Shouqin's face grew increasingly grim as he listened, finally slamming his hand on the edge of the table: "No wonder his father calls him 'Silly Zhu'! He acts all high and mighty just because he has some skills, even daring to openly threaten his coworkers—does this kind of person deserve to be in the cadre ranks?"

"Comrade Xu Damao, don't worry. If he dares to lay a finger on you, I, the deputy factory director, will be the first to stand up for you!"

Xu Damao felt a surge of warmth in his heart and immediately bowed deeply: "Thank you, Director Jiang! With someone like you as our pillar of strength, we workers have the confidence to work! If everyone were like He Yuzhu, throwing a tantrum and shirking their responsibilities, who would be willing to put in the effort?"

A compliment, though seemingly gentle, was delivered, and Jiang Shouqin couldn't help but smile, but he still corrected her with a straight face: "Deputy Factory Director."

"Oh dear, I misspoke! But if you ask me, with your upright spirit, being promoted to factory manager is only a matter of time!"

A few sweet and affectionate words made Jiang Shouqin feel completely at ease. Xu Damao then added a couple more compliments, praising him for being "efficient" and having "foresight," before smiling and leaving.

As soon as the door closed, he straightened his back even more, and even his back exuded a sense of triumph.

On the first day back to work, everyone in the factory was working with full force. The canteen was no exception; the sound of iron pots sizzling filled the air with the aroma of braised pork—a single meal ticket could fill a bowl, a way to boost morale.

The logistics department is now quite large: the canteen alone has more than 40 people, the procurement of nearly 30 greenhouses has been completed, and there are seven or eight people in charge of the keys in the warehouse.

It's no wonder Jiang Shouqin disliked He Yuzhu—nominally, he was in charge of logistics, but in reality, his subordinates only listened to He Yuzhu. If He Yuzhu were to quit, Jiang Shouqin, the deputy factory director, wouldn't even have anyone to serve him tea.

So when Director Yang saw that the two had completely fallen out, he simply assigned the propaganda department to Jiang Shouqin. He couldn't let the deputy director spend his days drinking tea and reading newspapers; if word got out, the director would lose face.

"Okay, I'll make the arrangements right away."

He Yuzhu put down the phone, picked up a pen and wrote a note: "The canteen is permitted to collect ingredients from the special kitchen upon presentation of a receipt."

Nowadays, when leaders from other factories come to the steel rolling mill for research, he doesn't even need to show his face—if a factory director comes, his senior colleague Zhang Deliang will take care of serving tea and water; only when a high-ranking leader from the Ministry of Industry arrives will he personally take charge.

As soon as he handed over the note, he took out the skill book he had brought back from Hong Kong and started flipping through it. Of the entire set of radar manufacturing skills, only one was at the maximum level; the rest he had accumulated experience bit by bit.

The deeper you learn, the faster you level up. Right now, ginseng is sprouting in large quantities, with twenty-year-old ginseng filling the cold storage; after a few more years of aging, century-old ginseng can be sold by the kilogram.

This thing is hotter than gold. He Yuzhu had already planned it out—it's exclusively for wealthy overseas Chinese. There's no worry about no one scrambling to pay for it. Who doesn't want to live past 100 and have plenty of energy?

In the afternoon, he had just finished reviewing a few pages of skills when Section Chief Zhou from the Purchasing Department knocked on the door and came in.

The procurement task for the new year needs to be finalized, and although it's similar to previous years, the rules still require his approval.

He Yuzhu glanced at the list, his gaze lingering on the last few remote cooperatives. A smirk appeared on his lips. "Old Zhou, these locations... we're practically 'missing persons' now, aren't we?"

"Director, it's really not that we're being lazy!" Section Chief Zhou said with a bitter face. "It's over twenty miles of mountain road, and it takes half a day to make a trip by bike. They don't even accept grain coupons; they insist on exchanging enamel mugs and old cotton-padded coats for mountain goods. And they're so fussy—you can't fit much on a bike, and the ride back is so bumpy we're practically falling apart!"

"Since it's been assigned to our procurement area, it's to ensure we pave the way and build the bridges." He Yuzhu's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority. "In this way, the subsidies will be doubled; whoever makes the most trips will have their transportation arranged directly by the factory—but, don't bother the driver with loads of two or three hundred pounds, and for loads under eight hundred pounds, carry them back yourselves!"

Section Chief Zhou's eyes lit up, and he immediately started calculating: "Double the subsidies + a special car to pick up the goods... those young lads will probably be scrambling to sign up! Besides, we haven't been there for three years, and the wild ginseng and monkey head mushrooms that the old farmers have been hoarding are probably piling up like mountains..."

"Director, I'm fine here!"

He Yuzhu waved his hand dismissively, his tone crisp: "Old Zhou, you're really holding things up there—the villagers in the remote mountains have no fun, so their spirits aren't high, and naturally, the purchasing quota won't go through. If you could send a few movies over, the villagers would be so happy that they'd be handing you grain coupons, eggs, and mountain produce!"

"Oh my...yes, yes, yes! If we do that, our purchasing department will exceed our targets, all thanks to the publicity department's help!"

Section Chief Zhou immediately chimed in, a smile plastered on his face. He didn't even bother to figure out why He Yuzhu was targeting the projectionist—it had nothing to do with him anyway, and it would make the acquisition process smoother, so why not? He'd tried it once the year before last, and the villagers had packed the place up in layers, even handing over two extra baskets of corn. If he weren't afraid of angering the propaganda department, he would have wanted to add more performances every year.