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

Li Weidong sneered, "Isn't it clear enough? When my mother was alive, we covered most of your family's expenses. After she passed away, my father remarried, and you lost contact. What I'm giving you now is already more than enough."

Meng Guangshan glared at him: "Li Weidong, don't be ungrateful! I'm your uncle. Your mother's gone, if I want to discipline you, well..."

"Give it a try."

Li Weidong's tone was calm, but his eyes showed no sign of backing down. "Don't bring your country ways here, or you'll be going to jail."

"I have done more than enough for you."

Li Weidong's voice grew even colder, "If I don't give you this spot, if I don't give you this car, I'll simply ignore you. What can you do about it then?"

Meng Guangshan and Meng Jianguo were completely speechless. No matter how unwilling they were, they couldn't utter a single word.

"Hurry up and go. Come report for duty tomorrow. Meng Jianguo, just take your luggage."

Li Weidong waved his hand.

Meng Guangshan was still somewhat unwilling to give up: "Weidong, we're family, a little conflict is nothing..."

"Walk."

Li Weidong interrupted him with a single word.

The father and son turned and left, their faces full of displeasure.

Li Weidong shook his head and walked towards the office area, where he bumped into Director Yang, Secretary Zhang, and Li Huaide leading a group of office staff out.

"Chief Engineer Li, let's wait at the main gate."

Factory Director Yang greeted him with a smile.

Li Weidong followed. There were still a few people registering at the main entrance, much quieter than before.

He stood between Director Yang and Li Huaide, when he suddenly saw a familiar figure—Yu Li.

She also signed up.

Yu Li's eyes lit up the moment she saw Li Weidong.

After running away from Yan Jiecheng's house that day, she inquired everywhere about who that young and handsome man was. When she finally found out, she was completely deflated.

Li Weidong's conditions were clear; she knew in her heart that she was far above him. Those inappropriate thoughts could only remain buried deep inside.

But now that she saw Li Weidong standing there, Yu Li couldn't help but want to go over and say hello. After hesitating for a moment, she felt unworthy and could only quietly turn around, intending to leave.

Yu Li knew perfectly well that in small factories like this, those without connections were basically just running for the job. But she was unwilling to give up and decided to bite the bullet and try her luck.

Li Weidong's eyes lit up the moment he saw Yu Li. A thought suddenly flashed through his mind—history has a remarkable ability to self-correct. He had ruined Yu Li's marriage to Yan Jiecheng, but who could guarantee that the two wouldn't get together again in the future?

Such a capable girl, if she really went with Yan Jiecheng, it would be like a beautiful flower stuck in cow dung. If Li Weidong hadn't already gotten together with Lin Yurou, he might have really tried to get Yu Li.

He waved to Yu Li: "Your name is Yu Li, right? Come here for a moment."

Yu Li was just about to leave when she saw Li Weidong waving at her and walking towards her. Her face flushed instantly, and her heart pounded like a drum.

"You, you, you..."

Yu Li stammered, unable to speak a single coherent sentence.

This girl is only eighteen years old and hasn't been schemed against by Yan Bugui's family yet.

"There was nothing I could do about what happened last time."

Li Weidong smiled and said, "That's just how the Yan family is. Even though it has nothing to do with me, I still feel pretty bad about it."

"Are you here to register?"

Yu Li blushed and said in a voice so low it was barely audible, "It's not your fault. In fact, I should thank you. If it weren't for you, I might have jumped into a fire pit."

"I came to register, but I guess I have no chance."

Yu Li's family wasn't well-off, which is why her parents were in a hurry to marry her off. If she had a job, that would be a different story.

"It's okay, I'll fill in for you."

Li Weidong chuckled in a low voice, "Come with me."

Yu Li's heart was pounding; she knew her job was secure.

With a job, she won't be in a rush to get married. She can be more selective!

"Director Wang, this is Yu Li. The last spot is reserved for her."

Li Weidong pulled Director Wang aside and whispered something in front of Yu Li.

"Alright, alright, Yu Li, you can just come and report for duty tomorrow."

Director Wang said with a smile, "Go back and prepare today. Remember, don't go around telling everyone. You should thank Chief Engineer Li!"

Yu Li is such a shrewd girl, how could she not understand the ins and outs of this?

"Chief Engineer Li, thank you very much."

Yu Li's big eyes were full of gratitude.

"Alright, go back now."

Li Weidong waved his hand, "Don't be late for reporting tomorrow. Go to the personnel department and find Director Wang first."

Yu Li left in a daze, knowing that her fate had completely changed.

When it came to the work, Yu Li only said thank you, but she knew in her heart that this kindness could not be repaid with just a few words.

She took the bus home, and when she entered the door, she felt like she was walking on clouds.

The moment she stepped across the threshold, her mother, Shao Hongmei, said with a livid face, "Where have you been? I just picked up a bunch of cardboard boxes from the packaging factory to glue. Your sister is busy working on them, and you've vanished without a trace!"

Yu Li rushed into the house and shouted, "Mom, I signed up! I've already been to the steel mill."

Shao Hongmei looked up, her face full of bitterness: "What's the use of you signing up? Do you think they'll want you? If you don't have connections, don't even think about it."

She sighed and continued, "Right now you only have two options: either find someone to marry, or pack your things and go to the countryside."

At that time, it was still voluntary for educated youth to go to the countryside, but Shao Hongmei knew in her heart that it wouldn't be long before it became mandatory. Those without jobs would all be sent to the countryside for re-education.

Just as Yu Li was about to say something, she looked up and saw a head peeking out from behind the pile of cardboard boxes. It was her younger sister, Yu Haitang.

Yu Haitang was only fifteen years old, but her face was already showing, as beautiful as a flower.

Yu Li knew this girl was quick-witted, like a loudmouth. She swallowed the words that were about to come out.

"Tell me, what happened? You're driving me crazy!"

Shao Hongmei urged her on.

"Anyway, I've got the job, I'll go to work tomorrow morning."

Yu Li said, "An apprentice earns 18.5 yuan a month."

Eighteen yuan and fifty cents is enough for two people to live on quite well.

"real?"

Shao Hongmei immediately perked up, "That's great! You can work at home for a few more years, and your salary will even increase. It'll be a good opportunity to help your brother."

Yu Li's heart sank. She wasn't stupid; she knew her younger brother was a bottomless pit. She wouldn't sacrifice her life for anyone.

At 10:15, four jeeps arrived at the gate of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill.

The car came to a stop, and a group of people got out. The person who got out of the second car made Li Weidong's eyes widen.

Among the dozen or so people, the leader was an old man. Li Weidong recognized him.

When we were fishing, this old man looked like an ordinary old man. Who would have thought he had such a big background?

Factory Director Yang and Secretary Zhang had already gone to greet him. Seeing Li Weidong standing there in a daze, Li Huaide quickly pulled him up.

"Chief Engineer Li, stop daydreaming and keep up."

Li Huaide took good care of Li Weidong.

That's just how he is; if you're capable, he'll tolerate you. In the original story, Sha Zhu beat him up, but he didn't do anything to Sha Zhu, just because Sha Zhu was skilled. Not to mention someone as powerful as Li Weidong.

Old Li exchanged a few polite words with Factory Director Yang and Secretary Zhang, and was just saying that they shouldn't have made such a big fuss when he turned his head and saw Li Weidong walking over.

Old Li was no longer as leisurely as he was when fishing by the river. He was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt, black trousers, and black leather shoes.

Li Weidong glanced around; almost everyone present was dressed similarly. Even the few sharp-looking young men were dressed the same. He knew they were bodyguards.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

Old Man Li looked at Li Weidong with a face full of surprise.

Factory Director Yang, Secretary Zhang, Li Huaide, and Li Weidong stepped forward together. The office staff standing at a distance didn't dare get too close. It was clear that Li Weidong held a different status among this group.

"Uncle Li, I never imagined you were that high-ranking leader."

Li Weidong stepped forward and greeted him with a smile.

Director Yang and the other two were stunned—who would have thought that Li Weidong had such a deep relationship with the top leader?

"Big Boss, this is Li Weidong, the one I mentioned to you!"

Li Huaide quickly chimed in, "He personally tinkered with both the electric fan and the small engine."

"Hey, it's you!"

Old Li's eyes lit up, and his tone was filled with excitement, "I thought you were just an ordinary apprentice."

"Not bad, not bad, quite promising."

Old Li nodded in satisfaction.

Factory Director Yang and Secretary Zhang exchanged a glance. Factory Director Yang smiled and said, "Old leader, let's go inside and sit down to talk. We can also have Chief Engineer Li report on the work progress."

"Alright, then let's walk in slowly."

Old Li nodded, then casually asked, "Are you hiring new workers here?"

"Yes, the new workshop needs to add a hundred people."

Secretary Zhang explained, "We need to transfer skilled workers from various workshops, and fill the vacant positions."

"Yes, that's good."

Old Li smiled, then changed the subject, "However, there's something I need to apologize to you about first."

Factory Director Yang's heart skipped a beat.

Suddenly, I had a vague feeling that something was wrong.

"The fan factory is yours, no problem."

Old Li paused for a moment, then said, "But that small engine can't be left to you. Come to think of it, how can a steel rolling mill do everything?"

He waved to the side: "Director Meng, come here. This is Meng Baoguo from Dongshan Machinery Factory."

Factory Director Yang's face fell immediately, his voice pleading, "Old leader, you can't do this! This is our steel rolling mill's work!"

After saying that, he turned and glared at Meng Baoguo, his face flushed with anger: "Meng Baoguo, you bastard! You're trying to steal my things again!"

Meng Baoguo was about the same age as Factory Director Yang, except he was completely bald. He wore a smug, forced smile: "Old Yang, don't be so loud. What do you mean 'your stuff'? This belongs to the organization!"

His gaze shifted and landed on Li Weidong: "This must be Chief Engineer Li? He's truly young and promising! You're wasting your talents working in the steel rolling mill. With your mechanical expertise, you should be in a machine factory!"

"How about this, you come work for us. The salary is higher than here, and we can even introduce you to potential partners. What do you think?"

"I'll give you the position of deputy factory director as soon as you arrive, in charge of technology. If you want to be the factory director, that's fine too. In two years at most, once you've gained enough experience, I'll give you the position."

Factory Director Yang was so angry that his face turned red and his neck bulged, and he could barely speak.