Era: A college student came to the courtyard house

"Square and round?"

"Square and Circle!"

Suddenly a shout came from outside the door, and in no time, the already rickety wooden door was ruthlessly pushed open by a greasy young man.

Fang Yuan sized up the newcomer.

Thick eyebrows and big eyes, messy hair, large pores and pitted face, clothes and trousers covered in oil stains that couldn't be washed off, and most noticeably, his left arm was thicker than his right arm.

Memories related to this person instantly flooded Fang Yuan's mind.

He Yuzhu is a resident of the middle courtyard of the tenement building and also a chef at Hongxing Steel Plant. He has excellent cooking skills and is proficient in many cuisines, especially Tan family cuisine and Sichuan cuisine. He often cooks special meals for the leaders of the steel plant.

In my memory, this person was good in every way, except for his mouth.

"Hey kid, what are you dawdling for? Hurry up and get going. You've only been working for a few days, and you're already getting less motivated."

Ever since He Yuzhu saw Fang Yuan getting food in the canteen on the day he reported for duty, and learned that Fang Yuan was already working in the Hongxing Factory Office, He Yuzhu started asking him to eat with him on the second day.

Fang Yuan remained motionless and said helplessly, "Brother Zhu, it's still early."

"You're a college student, if you're not proactive enough I'll have to criticize you." He Yuzhu urged with a "I'm doing this for your own good" expression, "Stop talking nonsense, we two don't have bicycles, we can only walk. Going early will leave a good impression on the leaders."

This script is wrong.

Fang Yuan was puzzled; he had been studying books even before his rebirth.

Even after being reborn, I'm still being taken advantage of.

Is this a complete waste of my rebirth?

He Yuzhu had a loud voice and even greater strength. Before Fang Yuan could speak, he grabbed him and lifted him up.

Fang Yuan had no choice but to pick up the military green satchel from the shelf and pull up his pants. He had to, because the "giant pendulum" underneath was swinging back and forth, making it difficult to walk.

Once outside the room, since doors don't need to be locked these days, Fang Yuan casually put his arm around the door and walked out without worry.

The two chatted and laughed as they walked through the covered walkway and arrived at the central courtyard of the tenement.

The central courtyard is the largest and has the most residents. At this time, adults are busy and children are making noise, making it very lively.

As Fang Yuan walked, he looked around. Suddenly, a pretty figure came into his view.

The person was wearing a floral short-sleeved shirt, and their fair arms were particularly eye-catching.

Fang Yuan also noticed that the skin on her palms was very different from that on her arms, and her hands were unusually rough.

As far as I can remember, her husband died a few years ago, and now she lives with her widowed mother-in-law, Jia Zhangshi, and takes care of three children.

Watching Qin Huairu scrubbing clothes back and forth, Fang Yuan thought to himself that although the widow's looks were average, her figure was quite impressive.

He glanced at the two large lights that swayed up and down as he rubbed his arm back and forth. They were quite large, and especially with those watery, alluring peach blossom eyes, he had an indescribable charm.

Qin Huairu naturally noticed that someone was watching her. She looked up and found that it was Fang Yuan. As for He Yuzhu, who was not good-looking, she naturally ignored him since she had no need for him.

Although the original owner had excellent academic performance, he was taciturn and often walked with his hands in front of him, his head down, and his back slightly hunched. He never took the initiative to greet people.

At this moment, Fang Yuan stood tall and straight, his gaze upright, a stark contrast to his previous demeanor.

Driven by curiosity, Qin Huairu's eyes lit up, and she greeted him, "Xiao Fang, I heard you graduated from university?"

Before Fang Yuan could speak, He Yuzhu blurted out, "Comrade Qin Huairu, your information is outdated. Xiao Fang has been working at our steel plant for three days now."

As He Yuzhu spoke, he exuded a sense of pride stemming from the information gap.

With a mouth substitute, Fang Yuan saved himself the trouble; he only needed to nod beside her.

Qin Huairu naturally stopped what she was doing and straightened up, and the two bright incandescent lamps immediately went out.

Ignoring He Yuzhu, Qin Huairu said enthusiastically to Fang Yuan, "That's great! We'll have to see each other often from now on. If you need any help, just tell me, don't hesitate to ask."

Fang Yuan wanted to call out to Sister Qin, but he inadvertently noticed that Jia Zhangshi from her family was squatting at the door, so he didn't call out. Instead, he said, "Thank you in advance, sister-in-law."

As expected, upon hearing the noise, Madam Jia looked up alertly.

Upon discovering that the targets were Fang Yuan and He Yuzhu, he immediately calmed down, said nothing, and continued sewing the shoe soles.

In her eyes, Fang Yuan was just a novice.

What Jia Zhangshi didn't know was that Fang Yuan was now a child in body but not in mind.

In other words, there's always trouble around a widow's door, and he's not planning to drink this cup of tea yet.

If the opportunity arises in the future, it's not impossible to try it out.

Even if you do drink, you must do it in a planned and step-by-step manner, slowly and carefully, and only after careful consideration and preparation.

"Hey, you! I'm trying to be nice and you're ignoring me." Seeing Qin Huairu ignoring him, He Yuzhu pretended to get angry: "Fang Yuan, let's go, let's not talk to her either."

Upon learning that the two were going to work, Qin Huairu quickened her pace and even asked He Yuzhu to help her hang up the clothes.

He Yuzhu was very defiant when he heard the summons, but after Qin Huairu gave him a sharp look in her eyes, he immediately went up to her with a cheeky smile and offered his help without saying a word.

A short while later, Qin Huairu hurriedly grabbed her things from the house, intending to go to the steel mill with them.

The three of them turned out of the alley and onto the street.

People selling breakfast, going to the market, going to work, and going to school—it was a bustling scene with crowds of people.

Fang Yuan discovered that there were still small, unassuming restaurants at the entrances of several alleys.

It's just that there are a lot of people today, otherwise I would definitely go and get a bowl of douzhi (fermented mung bean juice) with jiaoquan (deep-fried dough rings) to see if it's really authentic.

And so, the three of them chatted and laughed as they followed the crowd northwards. After turning right at Dongzhimen, they continued walking for another half hour.

It's often said that working together as a team makes the work easier.

What used to be a journey of more than forty minutes only took half an hour this time.

When they stood at the south gate of Hongxing Steel Plant, it was still early, only 7:40.

Standing at the gate, Fang Yuan stopped and said goodbye to He Yuzhu and Qin Huairu.

They still had to walk a bit to get from the entrance to the canteen and the steel rolling mill.

Watching He Yuzhu and Qin Huairu's retreating figures, Fang Yuan couldn't help but chuckle.

It's said that a man is in his prime at thirty, while a woman is past her prime at thirty.

These two, however, seem to have done the opposite.

In terms of appearance, He Yuzhu was rather unattractive. Not only was he a bachelor for many years, but he also neither groomed himself nor paid attention to hygiene.

For so many years, I've been single, relying entirely on my own efforts to make a living.

Qin Huairu, though already in her early thirties, still retains her charm and allure, perhaps possessing an innate allure.

However, from what I remember, these past few years have been quite difficult for both of them.

One struggles to survive in the cracks, the other begs for a living under the stick.

Pulling herself out of her thoughts, Fang Yuan glanced at the sky, where no poplar or willow catkins were yet floating. After greeting Grandpa Jiang at the gatehouse, she continued walking north alone.

After three days, he had gained a basic understanding of the Hongxing Steel Plant.

Hongxing Steel Plant is a standard department-level unit with a total of 12345 employees. The plant area is mainly divided into four areas: east, west, south, and north, separated by two main roads.

The southeast, southwest, and northwest regions mainly consist of subordinate coking plants, steelmaking plants, steel rolling mills, several independent workshops and laboratories, as well as an independent mine in Hebei Province.

On weekdays, the east, south, and west gates are used for employees to enter and exit get off work, while the north gate is mainly used for trains and freight trucks.

In addition to the main branch factories mentioned above, Hongxing Steel Plant also has a food factory, a soft drink factory, a hospital, a nursery, a primary school, a middle school, a bathhouse, a barbershop, a restaurant, a supply and marketing cooperative...

It can be said that all aspects of life, from clothing, food, housing, and transportation to birth, aging, illness, and death, are missing a crematorium.

A large factory with tens of thousands of employees, along with their families, is self-sufficient and has completed a closed ecological loop.

Fangyuan's office is located in the administration building of the main factory, on the northernmost side of the factory area, facing south.

Before long, I looked at the standard Soviet-style building in front of me.

Fang Yuan knew that this was the center of power in the entire Hongxing Steel Plant.

It was also the starting point of his career.