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

Sha Zhu patted his chest and assured him, "Uncle, don't worry, it's just three tables of food, what's the big deal? I'll go to the market first thing tomorrow morning and get all the chicken, duck, fish, and meat for you."

Li Weidong arrived at the factory just after 7:40. The infirmary was already neatly prepared, and everyone had arrived early.

"Dr. Ding, come to my office. I need to talk to you about something."

Li Weidong waved to Ding Qiunan.

Ding Qiunan blushed and followed him into the office.

"Is your dad free right now?"

Li Weidong got straight to the point.

Ding Qiunan felt embarrassed and lowered her voice: "The school only gives him a small living allowance, and he's barely making ends meet..."

"Just let him come to the factory as a consultant, and he can come and go to get off work on time."

Li Weidong said, "Fifty yuan a month, and your family can live a more comfortable life."

"Of course, it also depends on his own willingness."

Ding Qiunan nodded quickly: "Yes! He'll definitely agree!"

"Then go back and tell him."

Li Weidong said, "We also have another person in our medical clinic who can go to the operating table."

Ding Qiunan left excitedly, her eyes red. Li Weidong tidied himself up, glanced at the time—it was almost eight o'clock—and headed towards Director Li's office.

Just as he arrived at the door, he bumped into Li Huaide, who was about to come out.

Upon seeing Li Weidong, Li Huaide immediately pushed open the door: "Hey, I was just saying I was going to look for you, and Chief Engineer Li has come all by himself. Come in and have a seat."

As soon as Li Weidong sat down, Li Huaide closed the door, leaned over and whispered, "I've got the geckos you wanted. They should arrive tonight."

"Okay, that was pretty efficient."

Li Weidong nodded, "I'll make the medicine for you once the goods arrive."

"Okay, I'll deliver it as soon as I get it."

Li Huaide breathed a sigh of relief.

The pills Li Weidong had given him last time were almost gone. He hadn't been taking them all himself; he'd also given some away as a favor, otherwise, no one would have known about these valuable pills.

"There's one more thing."

Li Weidong began, "There's a medical professor whose family background isn't good. In order to get him re-educated by the working class and the poor and lower-middle peasants, I'd like to transfer him to the clinic to serve us workers."

"That's a good idea; it's a perfect opportunity to reform him."

Factory Director Li said with an upright expression, "You can make the arrangements."

Li Huaide nodded: "We're using these people, we can't let them starve, can we? Fifty yuan a month, how about that?"

Li Weidong didn't hesitate: "Okay, no problem. But don't even think about getting a proper workstation."

"Of course."

Li Huaide readily agreed. Li Weidong thought to himself: Workstations? They'll be going to Hong Kong next spring.

Li Huaide's eyes darted around: "You know this person?"

Li Weidong didn't hide it: "Ding Qiunan's father."

"Oh—I understand, I understand."

Li Huaide smiled meaningfully.

Li Weidong stood up and shook his head: "You don't understand anything."

"How could I not understand? I'm very direct when it comes to finding women."

Li Huaide chuckled, "You cultured people, you're all about romance and love. But in the end, isn't it all the same old stuff?"

"You're so vulgar."

Li Weidong rolled his eyes.

Through this back-and-forth interaction, the two actually grew closer.

"So what if I'm common?"

Li Huaide said with a smile, "Then you and Dr. Ding shouldn't just talk the talk but walk the walk."

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

Li Huaide frowned: "Come in."

The door opened, and surprisingly, it was Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu who entered.

They were stunned when they saw Li Weidong.

Li Weidong spoke first: "Yi Zhonghai, what are you doing here during working hours?"

Yi Zhonghai suppressed his anger: "I took leave. It's about Zhu Zi's matter."

"He Yuzhu goes down to the workshop."

Li Huaide's tone turned cold. "You've received a major demerit. You'll be working as an apprentice in the workshop, where you can learn from Master Yi."

"This was decided by the factory leaders, there's nothing more to say."

Sha Zhu was completely dumbfounded. Before, going down to the workshop cost 37.5 yuan, but this time it had dropped to 18.5 yuan.

Li Weidong added, "He Yuzhu, you've been in the factory for quite a while and have worked in the workshop a few times. Work hard, and if you pass the assessment on Monday, you'll be promoted to a higher level, which is 27.5 yuan."

He Yuzhu gritted his teeth so hard he was almost grinding them to powder, and said breathlessly, "Director Li, my cooking skills aren't bad either. Can I stay in the kitchen? I'll work as an apprentice."

The problem of eating in the kitchen is solved, and we don't even have to pay for it.

With his two apprentices in the kitchen, he didn't have to do any odd jobs; at most, he'd just need to pay a little more attention when cooking large batches of dishes.

"Stop dawdling and get to the workshop right now. Otherwise, your punishment won't be over."

Li Huaide said in a curt tone, "Then just fire him!"

"The reason we didn't let you go this time is because of your family's three generations of farm laborers."

Li Huaide then said, "Get out of here!"

"Pillar, let's go, let's go!"

Yi Zhonghai's heart pounded. He glanced at Li Weidong's thoughtful expression and knew something was wrong—Li Weidong must have overheard what the three generations of farmers had said.

Li Weidong's mind raced: "Wait a minute, where did Sha Zhu come from, a third-generation farmhand? His family has been chefs for generations, specializing in Tan family cuisine."

Tan Family Cuisine is the second-best dish, it's for high-ranking officials!

Sha Zhu was selling steamed buns before Liberation, and that's where his nickname came from!

Yi Zhonghai dragged Sha Zhu out the door, and Li Weidong figured he had finally found a clue. But he couldn't reveal it now, or He Yushui would be implicated.

Li Weidong bid farewell to Li Huaide and strolled around the engine workshop. He gave a few apprentices some technical pointers before heading to Workshop One—he wanted to see Sha Zhu's discomfiture.

As soon as he entered the workshop, workers crowded around him asking technical questions. Li Weidong answered them one by one; Qin Huairu was also among them.

Sha Zhu stood next to Yi Zhonghai, following along and this time taking it seriously. He knew that his chances of returning to the cafeteria were basically slim.

But the pliers and file in his hand were nowhere near as convenient as a wok and a spatula. After fiddling around for a long time, he was still completely baffled.

Li Weidong snorted coldly, turned around and left. Sha Zhu's hand holding the file trembled.

"Zhu Zi, can't you put some effort into this? You can't be worse than Qin Huairu, can you?"

Yi Zhonghai sighed, "They've already reached the level of a first-class fitter."

"If you put in just a little effort, becoming a first-class worker would be a piece of cake."

"I just can't stand Li Weidong's despicable behavior!"

Sha Zhu gritted his teeth and cursed, "Damn it, how could someone like this get into power!"

"They're really skilled."

Yi Zhonghai gave a wry smile, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Cheer up. You have to get promoted by Monday, or you'll only get eighteen yuan and fifty cents a month."

"Get to work quickly, or you'll be in trouble when Director Zhou comes over."

Qin Huairu urged, "If you don't behave yourself once we're in the workshop..."

"What are you afraid of? Who am I, Sha Zhu?"

Sha Zhu curled his lip and started showing off again, "What kind of people haven't I seen in this factory? It's not like I haven't worked in the workshop before."

"Oh? Silly Zhu, you're really something."

Director Zhou's voice suddenly came from behind.

Sha Zhu turned around and saw that Director Zhou's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. He quickly put on a smile: "Oh, Director Zhou, you're just tired and taking a break."

"You still don't understand the situation?"

Director Zhou looked at him with disdain. "Don't you know who you are now? Do you still think you're that silly Zhu from before? If you keep dawdling, I'll send you to clean the toilets in Workshop 130, you believe me?"

"this……"

Sha Zhu was stunned for a moment before realizing that the current situation was different from before.

"Okay, you win. I'll get to work."

Sha Zhu's face turned pale and then red, and he turned and left.

Around noon, Li Weidong asked Dr. Meng to bring him two steamed buns and a vegetable dish. He sat down alone in his office, opened a can of beef, and made do with a simple meal.

Ding Qiunan was anxious, so she borrowed Li Weidong's car during lunchtime to go back and pick up her father.

At 2 p.m., Ding Qiunan knocked on the door of Li Weidong's office.

Her father was a tall, thin man in his fifties, who looked refined and exuded the air of a scholar. Li Weidong could tell at a glance that this man was like him.

"Professor Ding, please have a seat."

Li Weidong stood up to greet them.

"Hello, Section Chief Li."

Professor Ding's smile was somewhat forced. "Qiu Nan told me that you could offer me a job?"

He spoke with a hint of urgency. Ding Qiunan brewed two cups of tea, placing the tea leaves and cups on a wooden tray on the table. Seeing his daughter's familiar and practiced manner, Professor Ding had a guess in his mind.

"With your abilities, it's a waste for you to stay at home."

Li Weidong smiled and said, "You can come and see patients next Monday. I've also set up an operating room here, so you can manage that too. Is that alright?"

"It's not a big problem; we can handle minor surgeries. But for major surgeries, we don't have enough staff or medicine here."

Professor Ding frowned.

Li Weidong knew that Ding Qiunan had already told her father about the situation here.

"It's alright, just send him to a major hospital for major surgeries."

Li Weidong said, "The main concern is that there might be workplace injuries. We just need to be able to handle the situation urgently and prevent anyone from dying."

Only after explaining everything did Li Weidong feel relieved. With Professor Ding overseeing things, the clinic's professional level would improve significantly.

After chatting for a while longer, Professor Ding excitedly got up to take his leave. He knew in his heart that a monthly salary of fifty yuan would be enough to completely change his family's life.

Ding Qiunan greeted Li Weidong and saw her father off at the factory gate.

Professor Ding took his daughter to Ding Qiunan's clinic for a look around and casually gave her a few pointers on her practice.

Li Weidong didn't stay in his office; he went to the lab early. He planned to disassemble an engine to examine its internal structure.

As the father and daughter walked out of the infirmary, Professor Ding lowered his voice and asked, "Xiao Nan, are you and that Section Chief Li together?"

"Dad! What nonsense are you talking about? I'm not good enough for him."

Ding Qiunan's face flushed red, and her voice trailed off, "His monthly salary is four hundred yuan, not counting bonuses and subsidies. He has the skills of an eighth-grade fitter and forger, the abilities of a seventh-grade engineer, and a master's degree in medicine… someone like that, I…"

She sighed.

"But he promised to send me to university next year."

Professor Ding laughed and nodded: "Then it's pretty much true. If he wasn't interested in you, why would he go to all this trouble for you? Even dragging my old face along to play the doctor?"

"Dad, don't talk nonsense!"

Ding Qiunan stomped her foot in embarrassment.

The two walked along the factory's main road, and as they passed the laboratory, they suddenly heard a shout—

"Professor Ding! Professor Ding!"