Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

He Yuzhu calmly replied, "I was the one who did it. They said, 'Let's try again,' so I did. The one who led the attack probably broke two ribs, while the other two likely only suffered minor injuries."

"This is the result of your indulgence, Deputy Director Yu!"

After Zhao Zhengwei finished speaking sternly, he turned around and softened his tone: "Send him to the hospital for an X-ray first, with someone to take care of him. We'll have a more detailed examination tomorrow morning. Director He, what do you think of this approach?"

He Yuzhu waved his hand, smiling frankly: "Commissioner Zhao, you can make the decision. I'm just an outsider, how dare I interfere? To be honest, I haven't even had time to recover from my mistake, I should reflect on it properly..."

"Then it's settled." Director Xu made the final decision. "Director He, the factory's security department will be here soon. You can go back and rest with them. Come to the bureau tomorrow morning to cooperate with the investigation. We won't bother you tonight."

He Yuzhu nodded in agreement—he knew perfectly well that this matter was now closed.

He casually pulled out his cigarette case: "Director Xu, Committee Member Zhao, I'll call the leaders right now to let them know I'm safe."

"Well, Director He, you've finally arrived—Minister Wang was just making fun of me!" Zhao Zhengwei replied with a smile.

"It's my fault, I was too impulsive and made the leaders worry." He Yuzhu apologized, but his face had cleared up.

The call connected, and Li Huaide's father-in-law's voice was crisp and decisive: "It's alright, go home with peace of mind. This is a small matter, our Ministry of Industry will handle it ourselves. It was a mistake, but it has to be dealt with within the system, it's not for outsiders to interfere."

Now, in his eyes, He Yuzhu is no longer just a highly skilled chef, but also a pragmatic and reliable figure whom the Ministry of Industry truly relies on. In recent years, the ministry has undertaken several technological upgrades and equipment breakthroughs, and every single one of these projects has relied on He Yuzhu's ideas and skillful methods. Having just returned from a successful mission, he is now generally well-behaved and rarely causes trouble.

As for disciplining those kids from the compound? The old leader understood immediately upon hearing the details—his father abandoned his family seven years ago, leaving He Yuzhu to raise his younger sister alone; now that his sister had been admitted to university, those guys had chased him to the gate of the courtyard, shouting and humiliating him. Anyone would be outraged. To be a little harsh? It was understandable, no need to be overly critical.

"Okay, thank you for your understanding, boss!"

After hanging up the phone, He Yuzhu turned around and smiled at the two leaders: "Then I'll go back with the factory's security department now?"

"Go ahead, thank you for your factory's help today." Director Xu said amiably, but before leaving, he gave Deputy Director Yu a fierce glare—this unlucky fellow not only got him criticized, but also had to make a trip to the city tomorrow to explain. He was really taking the blame for someone else's mistake, swallowing bitterness in silence.

After saying goodbye, He Yuzhu left with the security personnel. Once inside their own circle, he became more open and frank. He briefly explained the whole story, which infuriated the security personnel: How dare the family members of the steel mill come to their door like this?

Someone immediately patted their chest and said, "Director He, don't worry. Next time we run into each other, just give us a piece of your mind! We'll make sure they know that our steel rolling mill isn't to be trifled with!"

He Yuzhu thanked him with a smile. When they arrived at the courtyard gate, he asked the security guard to wait a moment, then turned around and went inside to bring out a carton of Daqianmen cigarettes, half a pound of braised beef, and a small bag of roasted peanuts. He then handed them to Captain Yu, who was leading the team.

Captain Yu waved his hands repeatedly, "No, no, this is too much of a waste..."

A pack of Daqianmen cigarettes costs several yuan, plus cigarette coupons, so I usually can't bear to smoke them.

"Oh, we're family, no need to be so polite!" He Yuzhu pulled him into her arms without saying a word. "Thank you all for making this trip for me today. I know you can't drink while on duty, so I didn't bring any alcohol. These snacks will keep you company and warm your hearts."

There was enough cigarettes for each person, and although the food was not much, it was a genuine expression of goodwill.

The other security department colleagues felt much warmer when they saw how generous He Yuzhu was, especially since he was the director of logistics, a truly powerful cadre in the steel rolling mill.

"Director He, could you please come to our department tomorrow when you have some free time? Just take a statement, and we'll handle the rest directly with them."

"Alright, thank you all very much."

"Oh, don't be so polite!"

Captain Yu quickly waved his hand, a smile on his face—it was just his duty, a simple errand, and he even brought back a pack of cigarettes, a jar of braised beef, and a few packets of peanuts. These days, beef is precious, even harder to find than pork; who wouldn't be secretly thrilled to get this kind of job?

"Okay, Director He, you should get some rest. We'll head out now."

As soon as he finished speaking, the security guards turned and left. He Yuzhu also strolled back to his own house in the courtyard.

Many people in the compound had been watching him closely. Seeing him taken away by the police and then return unharmed, those who secretly hated him were filled with resentment and felt a tightness in their chests, especially Yi Zhonghai.

He had thought He Yuzhu was definitely going to be in deep trouble this time, and even took out his wine bottle to have a couple of drinks to calm his nerves, but the man came back in the blink of an eye—now, Yi Zhonghai will probably be up until dawn again.

Jia family

Madam Jia, peering through the window frame, caught a glimpse of He Yuzhu pushing open the door and entering the room. Enraged, she muttered in a low voice, "That dim-witted fool, how did he manage to come back unharmed? He should have been locked up more securely! Not even the neighbors offered a helping hand..."

"Mom, stop looking there. Why don't you sew me a couple of clothes instead... ugh..."

Before Qin Huairu could finish speaking, her stomach churned violently, and she began to dry heave.

Jia Zhangshi's face immediately fell down—she was talking and then vomited halfway through; what kind of manners was that?

"Qin Huairu! You gagged halfway through your conversation with me, what do you mean? Do you think I smell bad?"

Qin Huairu wiped her mouth and said softly, "Mom, what are you talking about... I've been feeling nauseous and weak all over these past few days, I think I should go to the hospital to get checked out."

"What's the point of investigating? It's just a waste of money..."

Before Jia Zhangshi could finish speaking, Qin Huairu sighed and said softly, "Mom, I'm checking my stomach... I've been vomiting everything I eat lately, I'm afraid it might be..."

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongxu and Jia Zhangshi immediately perked up their ears and asked in unison, "Huairu, you mean...?"

Qin Huairu lowered her eyes, her voice as soft as a feather: "I dare not be sure, but I feel there is a glimmer of a possibility."

"Okay! Go check it out quickly! And once you've found the right diagnosis, give me a big, healthy son!"

Jia Dongxu's usually tense face relaxed for once, and wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes—the addition of a son was the most reassuring good news for him at the moment.

Madam Jia slapped her thigh, her face beaming with joy: "Yes, yes, yes! Hurry up! If she's really pregnant, she must take good care of herself and not tire out my grandson!"

Qin Huairu felt a pang of bitterness in her heart upon hearing this—her mother-in-law was concerned about her grandson, but she hadn't asked her a single question about whether she was tired or hungry.

"Yuzhu, are you alright?"

As soon as He Yuzhu stepped into the house, Lou Xiao'e, He Yushui, and Yu Li surrounded him, asking him a barrage of questions.

He waved his hand and smiled, "What could possibly happen? A few kids, what can they do to me? Have I been working for the factory all these years for nothing?"

"Rain, if they dare to cause you trouble at school again, just say the word—if they break your ribs this time, I'll break their arms next time. They dare to touch my sister, they've gone too far."

He Yushui quickly grabbed his sleeve: "Brother, please spare me! With you yelling like that, who would dare come near me?"

"It's good that we don't dare to mess with them. Stay away from this kind of person in the future. Just because their ancestors had some influence, they act arrogantly. No need to ask, their grades are definitely at the bottom. They're the kind of people who just coast through life."

After saying that, he patted Lou Xiao'e and He Yushui on the shoulder one by one, and then ruffled Yu Li's hair before turning around and going back to the house to rest.

As night deepened and the lights went out, He Yuzhu's hand slowly roamed over Lou Xiao'e's waist and back. Soon, suppressed and long gasps filled the room.

Yu Li, who was still half asleep next door, heard that muffled, labored, heavy breathing and immediately perked up her ears.

While muttering "Here we go again" to herself, her fingers involuntarily slid towards her lower abdomen, her breathing gradually quickened, and her body felt slightly hot...

The next morning, Yu Li got out of bed with dark circles under her eyes.

The first thing I did was find a clean set of clothes to change into, then, blushing, I took a basin of water outside to fetch hot water, and went back inside to carefully wipe myself down.

I fell asleep in a daze last night, and I can't go to work feeling all sticky and uncomfortable today.

However, she had already made up her mind—she had to move out. Living under someone else's roof was not a long-term solution, especially since those two had terrifyingly fiery tempers. She listened to the rustling and intermittent noises from the other side of the wall six nights a week, and her ears were about to calluses.

He Yuzhu got up early and made a hot breakfast. After the family finished eating, he pushed his cart out the door.

He arrived at the steel rolling mill shortly after, and went to the security department first, only to be told that the deputy head of the department had just led a team to the police station to coordinate. He had no choice but to give up and plan to come back in the afternoon.

Then he went to see Secretary Wang and briefly recounted what had happened the previous night. Secretary Wang, presumably having already overheard some rumors, didn't ask any further questions and simply nodded, "Understood, go back to your work."

He was indeed quite free: checking purchase orders, verifying warehouse accounts, touring the greenhouses, and strolling around the canteen—and that was how his day's work was completed smoothly.

To be honest, he's not lazy. Back when Li Huaide was the canteen manager, he would take on most of the work outside of the purchasing department.

The Third People's Hospital of the City

A middle-aged couple rushed to the hospital and stood in front of a ward where police officers were guarding the door. Only after the nurse confirmed their identities did they gently push open the door.

Inside the room, the son lay stiffly on the hospital bed, his right hand still handcuffed to the bed rail. The mother of the man from the compound whose ribs had been broken by He Yuzhu collapsed to the floor upon seeing him, weeping uncontrollably: "My son! My son! Tell your mother, who did this to you?!"

The man was so angry that veins throbbed on his forehead. Pointing at the young man on the hospital bed, he cursed, "Do you even need to ask? You brought this all on yourself! We went to so much trouble to send you to university, and you've turned out to be such a mess—you're asking for a beating!"

"He's injured like this, and you're still yelling?!" The woman suddenly turned her head, screamed, and then rushed to the bedside, her hands trembling as she touched her son's forehead: "Son, does it hurt? Tell Mom, what happened?"