Courtyard House: In this life, I have a new home!

29

"Sign up to go to the countryside and leave this wretched place. The people in the countryside are honest. He Yuzhu is tall, skilled, and seems honest. If he's willing to work hard, it won't be difficult for him to find a local woman to marry."

"By then, when we have a wife and kids, we can find a way to go back to the city."

"What a pity, no matter how well you plan, you can't escape running into a fool. He just keeps pushing himself to his doom."

Fang Chengxuan's words were full of sarcasm.

Yang Yuande curled his lip: "The deaf old lady really dotes on Shazhu like her own grandson, she's planned so meticulously for him."

"I'm afraid that won't happen again."

Fang Chengxuan glanced in the direction of the room where the deaf old lady lived.

"With that brain of a fool, the deaf old lady never fell out with him before, so she couldn't see through his true nature."

"This guy is really stubborn, he's single-minded to the end."

"Now that she's stood up for He Yuzhu time and time again, how could the deaf old lady, who's so shrewd, not see through his tricks?"

"You're kneeling and begging me today, firstly because you're leaving yourself no way out, and secondly..."

Fang Chengxuan raised the corner of his mouth, his smile carrying a thorn.

"In the past, everyone thought that the deaf old lady had donated all the property in the courtyard house, and that she had nothing left."

"But the country will never let down those who are truly devoted to serving the country."

"Everything the old lady left behind was legitimate."

"Jade, emeralds, gold bracelets, silver bracelets—do you think that's all the old lady has?"

Fang Chengxuan's eyes were filled with sarcasm.

"From now on, even without He Yuzhu, Xu Damao, and you and me present, how many people in this compound will be lacking in respect for the deaf old lady?"

Yang Yuande, Zhang Yangde, and even Leng Si all widened their eyes upon hearing this.

His mouth moved, and after a long pause, he managed to squeeze out, "You...you were still hiding this trick?"

"Just wait and see? Tomorrow, there will definitely be a lot of people going to the old lady's room. But this old lady of ours is quite cunning."

"It's still uncertain who will end up with those things."

After Fang Chengxuan finished speaking, he felt much better.

The three people, who were stunned by his outburst, fell silent, feeling that this was too outrageous.

Was there another layer of meaning behind the deaf old lady's move?

That night.

Apart from Leng Si, Zhang Yangde and Yang Yuande went home and sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), where they chatted about this with their daughters-in-law.

He couldn't help but sigh, "Now I understand why some people become managers as soon as they enter a steel rolling mill, and can also marry a wife who comes from a good family, is good-looking, and has a good background."

"With that kind of brain, the whole compound couldn't match it even if they were tied together."

Early the next morning.

Fang Chengxuan got up to wash up. The family was having breakfast when they saw the neighbors in the front and middle courtyards, whom they weren't very familiar with, carrying bowls and chopsticks into the deaf old lady's house.

Seeing this scene, Zhang Yangde gasped: "Damn it, Fang Chengxuan was right."

A group of people were rushing to work.

The kitchen of the steel rolling mill was quiet and peaceful, nothing was happening.

It's time to get off work.

Fang Chengxuan was about to leave when Ma Hua caught up with him and called out, "Manager Fang."

"What's up?"

Fang Chengxuan turned his face away, his expression blank.

Ma Hua bit his lip, hesitated for a long time, and then forced himself to say, "Manager Fang, this is my mentor, He Yuzhu..."

"...He wants to go back to the kitchen. He injured his arm, and the doctor said he needs three months to recover."

Ma Hua twisted the hem of his clothes with his fingers and spoke haltingly.

"How about that? Let my master come to the kitchen, and I'll go to the production line, for three months!"

MCA blurted out everything in one breath, his teeth clenched tightly.

After he finished speaking, he stared intently at Fang Chengxuan, waiting for a reply.

Fang Chengxuan looked at the usually obedient guy in front of him and slightly raised his eyelids: "Ma Hua, He Yuzhu's hand is injured, what can he do in the kitchen?"

"Everyone in the kitchen has manual labor skills. Why should He Yuzhu, with his injured hand, be forced to join in and drag everyone down?"

Fang Chengxuan asked the question slowly and deliberately, but his voice was cold.

"Just because he's your master? You want to be filial to him, that's not wrong, respecting your teacher is indeed a good virtue."

"But then again—"

"Why should others pay for your respect for your teacher? Who will do the work he can't do?"

Fang Chengxuan spoke one sentence after another.

Ma Hua lowered his head and kept his mouth tightly shut.

The others in the kitchen, seeing this, also started chattering.

"Ma Hua, Manager Fang is right. What are you thinking? If we bring in someone with an injured hand who can't do anything, then we'll have to do all the work. So, you're fulfilling your filial duty to your master while we do the heavy lifting?"

"What were you thinking? You're swapping a perfectly healthy person for a wounded one? You're going to do that?"

Liu Lan walked over and patted Ma Hua on the shoulder: "Ma Hua, who in the whole factory doesn't know about Sha Zhu's feud with Manager Fang? Manager Fang's decision not to hold it against you is because he's magnanimous, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen."

"You are indeed Sha Zhu's apprentice, but don't you know how Manager Fang treats you? If someone else were the manager, would you still be able to stay in the kitchen? Would you still be able to learn the skills?"

"What's wrong? How much did Sha Zhu teach you? How much did Manager Fang teach you? Even without the formal master-disciple relationship, you don't remember any of the kindness?"

The MCA was so embarrassed by what they heard that they felt ashamed and their faces burned with embarrassment.

Fang Chengxuan glanced at Liu Lan, waved his hand, and interrupted her.

"MCA, you can't just change your workstation in the steel rolling mill whenever you want."

"Even if we could replace her, the kitchen wouldn't hire someone with an injured hand who can't do any work. I'll pretend I never heard about this and move on. You can focus on cooking from now on."

"Of course, if you really don't want to work in the kitchen, you can find another place to leave, and I won't stop you."

Fang Chengxuan spoke casually.

Ma Hua quickly shook his head: "I didn't want to leave! Manager Fang, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought this up."

"Alright, the kitchen is all cleaned up. Check it over, everyone go home and get some rest."

Fang Chengxuan smiled at everyone, then turned and left.

As soon as he left, the people in the fourth kitchen surrounded him, shaking their heads at Ma Hua.

"MCA, what are you really thinking?"

"It's true that Sha Zhu is your mentor, but Manager Fang has also taught you a lot. How could you suggest bringing He Yuzhu over to disgust Manager Fang?"

MCA was surrounded and berated by the crowd, feeling embarrassed, and lowered his head so low he almost buried it in his chest.

"Exactly, his hand is ruined. What's the point of bringing him in? Just taking up space for nothing?"

"That's absolutely right. If Sha Zhu were handy, it would be understandable if he were brought in to do the work. But as he is now, he's just a nuisance."

One after another, the MCA couldn't refute a single word.

After the kitchen was cleaned up and most people had left, a chubby figure deliberately spat as he passed by Ma Hua, then sauntered out of the steel mill gate and headed towards the courtyard house.

As soon as the fat man entered the courtyard, he saw He Yuzhu sitting at the entrance.

"Master!"

The fat man greeted him with a smile, "With your hand injured, it must be inconvenient for you to do anything. As your apprentice, I was worried, so I came to check on you. I'll cook you a meal and do your laundry. Have you eaten? If not, I'll go get it right away."

He Yuzhu waved his hand: "I haven't eaten yet, you've come at the perfect time."

The fat man's lips twitched slightly, but his smile didn't fade: "Alright, let me see what you have in your room and make something simple. My cooking skills aren't great, so you'll have to give me some pointers."

"no problem."

He Yuzhu readily agreed.

Just as the rice was being cooked, Ma Hua walked in from the courtyard gate, carrying rice, noodles, and vegetables.

"Master, I brought you something."

"Um."

He Yuzhu casually agreed, and after Ma Hua put the things down, he went straight to the point, "Ma Hua, what did Fang Chengxuan say? Does he agree to switch places?"

Ma Hua shook his head.

He Yuzhu slammed his hand on the table, his left hand trembling with anger: "This Fang Chengxuan, he's deliberately trying to make things difficult for me!"

The fat man, watching from the side, seized the opportunity to add fuel to the fire: "Ma Hua, in all these years with my mentor, he's never asked us for anything. Now that he's finally asked, you can't even handle this little thing? I bet you never even intended to do it!"

He paused, his tone becoming even more sarcastic: "Or are you afraid that if Master goes back to the kitchen, you won't be able to go back?"

MCA quickly shook his head: "I didn't."

"No, that's not true. Master's hand is injured right now, so even if he's transferred back to the kitchen, he can't do any work. Nobody else is willing to accept it, and no matter how much I plead, it won't make a difference."

He Yuzhu's face darkened: "No way? You don't want to have a way, do you?"

"When I had a falling out with Fang Chengxuan and left the kitchen, Fatty sided with me without a word. And you? You didn't utter a single word. I also heard that Fang Chengxuan taught you guys how to cook. Are you no longer planning to acknowledge me as your master?"

"I don't!"

Ma Hua's voice became urgent.

He Yuzhu and the fat man kept talking back and forth, like two knives stabbing at Ma Hua. Ma Hua lowered his head, his face turning pale and then red, his lips trembling, wanting to say something but unable to get it out of his throat.

Yang Yuande, who lived in the same courtyard, peeked out, then quietly crouched down at the door with a plate of peanuts, and listened intently.

Inside the room, He Yuzhu's voice suddenly rose: "Ma Hua, I'll ask you one question—do you still acknowledge me as your master? If you do, come with me now to find Fang Chengxuan and explain your meaning!"

"I refuse to believe that if you're determined to leave, Fang Chengxuan can stop you!"

Yang Yuande was standing outside when he heard He Yuzhu shout loudly. The door opened, and he was already dragging Ma Hua out.

Upon looking up and seeing Yang Yuande, He Yuzhu paused for a moment, glared at him fiercely, and then pulled Ma Hua along. The fat man followed behind, unable to hide his smile, looking like he was looking forward to a good show.

"Yuande, what's wrong?"

Hearing the commotion outside, Qin Jingru pushed open the door and saw He Yuzhu pulling Ma Hua and Fatty behind her. She walked over and touched Yang Yuande's arm.

Yang Yuande glanced at his wife: "What else could it be?"

"He Yuzhu is up to his old tricks again."

The couple walked to the backyard, where He Yuzhu had already dragged Ma Hua in front of Fang Chengxuan, his voice booming: "Fang Chengxuan, why won't you let us switch shifts?"

Neighbors in the courtyard peeked in, others gathered to watch, dozens of eyes were fixed on him. Ma Hua buried his head almost in his chest, his whole body tense like a stone.

"On what grounds?"

Fang Chengxuan's gaze swept indifferently over Ma Hua and the fat man, his eyes darkening slightly as he retorted, "Which rule in the steel rolling mill allowed you two to switch positions?"

He Yuzhu was speechless after hearing those two sentences.

After going through the first question, a surge of anger rose in his chest: "Fang Chengxuan, aren't you just relying on your position as kitchen manager and the factory manager's favor towards you?"

"There are precedents for rotating shifts, what right do you have to stop me?"

He Yuzhu puffed out his chest, exuding an aggressive aura.