Era: A college student came to the courtyard house

On a dark and windy night, while riding a horse on the road.

By the time Fang Yuan drove the carriage back to the Red Star Steel Plant, it was already dark.

"Uncle Jiang, what time is it?"

As Fang Yuan passed the gatehouse, he called out to the inside.

Grandpa Jiang, who worked at the gatehouse, opened the small window, peeked out, and recognized Fang Yuan. He knew he was a college student who had just arrived a few days ago. He immediately replied, "Eight-thirty, and it's pitch black. Where are you planning to go, kid?"

"The logistics department returned the carriage."

After Fang Yuan finished speaking, he gently patted the big yellow horse's rump with his hand, and soon they arrived at the stable under the jurisdiction of the logistics department.

The stable gate was opened, and the big yellow horse walked in very conscientiously.

Fang Yuan patted its head as a farewell, then walked to a small house with lights on not far away.

This is the duty room used by the logistics department to guard the logistics warehouse, public bicycles, and stables.

Hearing a noise from inside the room, Fang Yuan knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" the person inside asked impatiently.

"Fang Yuan, General Affairs Section, Factory Office," Fang Yuan replied, introducing himself.

"Wait a minute."

After he finished speaking, there was immediate silence in the room, followed by a series of hurried footsteps.

As Fang Yuan heard the sound of metal pins being turned behind the door, the door was then forcefully pulled open.

"Square and round?"

"Fourth Brother, I'm back. I've come to sign this document."

The person on duty happened to be the same person who had processed his paperwork that day; his full name was Huang Si, and he was the fourth child in his family.

"Let's go inside first and talk."

Upon seeing an acquaintance, Huang Si greeted him and immediately hurried into the house.

"Come on, it's alright, let's continue."

Fang Yuan followed him inside and found that Huang Si was playing chess with another person.

He walked up behind the two men and tossed each of them a cigarette.

"In a hurry?" Huang Si took the cigarette, turned around and asked him, instantly revealing a mouthful of yellowed tetracycline teeth as he spoke.

Fang Yuan, trying to ignite his anger, shook his head and said, "No rush, you guys take over."

"You're going to suffer a lot this time, aren't you? Didn't they say it would take half a month?" Huang Si replied without turning his head, scratching his head as he spoke, his eyes fixed on the chessboard.

"After receiving Director Li's notification, I rushed back in a hurry."

"That old bastard, he's always meddling in everything."

Fang Yuan didn't respond. Huang Si, a logistics guy, could say such things, but Fang Yuan couldn't say them carelessly. Who knows, if he said it casually now, Huang Si might turn around and make trouble for him tomorrow.

After all, he wasn't that close to Huang Si, so who knew if this guy was telling the truth or not, or maybe he was just trying to trick him into talking.

Five minutes later.

"Haha, checkmate, it's a dead end."

Huang Si won the game with great effort, and while happily introducing the person sitting opposite him to Fang Yuan: "Kang Jing, deputy head of the security department of the steel plant."

Fang Yuan, a college graduate cadre, works in the Second Comprehensive Section of the Factory Office.

Kang Jing was initially unhappy about losing the game, but upon hearing Fang Yuan's identity, she immediately stood up from her stool, shook hands with him, and then pulled out a pack of cigarettes from her pocket, placing it on the chessboard: "I'm going to check what those bastards down there are doing. I'll be back later. Don't you dare sneak off."

When Kang Jing got up from the stool, Fang Yuan realized that Kang Jing was actually taller than him, at least 1.85 meters tall.

This height might not seem like much in later generations, but nowadays it would definitely be considered extremely tall.

Huang Si, who was in high spirits, waved his hand and said with a smile, "Go and come back quickly. I'm not going anywhere tonight. I'm just waiting to kill you."

Seeing the pack of cigarettes that Huang Si had put away on the table, Fang Yuan finally realized that the two of them were playing chess with a wager.

No wonder they were so focused just now.

Seeing Fang Yuan staring at Kang Jing's back, Huang Si, who was obese and sweating profusely, casually lifted his shirt to reveal his "five-month pregnant" belly, wiped the sweat from his face, and said, "This kid is taller than you, right?"

Fang Yuan replied, "He is quite tall. There aren't many people as tall as Section Chief Kang in our steel plant."

"That's..." Huang Si took out the carriage rental slip Fang Yuan had used that day from the drawer, opened it, put it on the table, and then gave a thumbs up, saying, "His ancestors ate well, either cow's milk or goat's milk."

Fang Yuan understood that it was highly likely that Kang Jing's ancestors came from outside Shanhaiguan. This was strange, as someone with such a background could actually hold the position of deputy section chief at Hongxing Steel Plant.

Shaking his head and not caring about it, Fang Yuan casually signed his name on the notebook.

As Huang Si put the notebook back in the drawer, Fang Yuan glanced at it unintentionally and thought, "Good heavens, this drawer is full of cigarettes and Daqianmen cigarettes."

"Thank you for your trouble, Fourth Brother. It's getting late, so I'll head over now."

"Alright, I'll come visit more often when I have free time tomorrow."

Seeing that Fang Yuan lacked the arrogance often associated with college student cadres, Huang Si naturally became much more friendly towards him.

When Fang Yuan hurried back to the courtyard, it was almost ten o'clock.

He walked past the back house, and just as he crossed the threshold, he heard a noise from the Third Uncle's house, and the lights came on inside.

As expected of the "gatekeeper" of the tenement, his vigilance is still on point.

"Uncle, this is Fang Yuan from the backyard. I just got back from the steel mill. You can go back to sleep now." Fang Yuan walked to Uncle's house and called out softly to the window.

"Little Fang..."

The third uncle replied, then muttered something unintelligible. Fang Yuan didn't hear it clearly, shook his head, and walked towards the backyard.

As soon as he got home, while no one was in the yard, Fang Yuan took his toiletries from the room wearing only shorts and monopolized the faucet in the yard, taking a comfortable shower all by himself.

To Fang Yuan's surprise, Xu Damao was not home today, so Lou Xiao'e was sleeping very lightly. Hearing the sound of water in the yard, she couldn't help but peek through the window a few times.

I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't looked, but the sight of Fang Yuan's wet underwear immediately caught my eye.

"My goodness."

"That's a donkey."

"How could it be even more exaggerated than Da Mao's?"

Lou Xiao'e murmured a few words, and only after Fang Yuan returned to the room did she finally manage to draw the curtains.

That night, she tossed and turned in bed for half the night before finally falling asleep. The next day, she hurriedly changed into a new pair of underwear, her face flushed.

Fang Yuan, on the other hand, had no dreams all night.

He hung the mosquito repellent bag that Grandpa Cheng had given him by the head of his bed and fell asleep within minutes.

The next day.

Fang Yuan got up very early, ate breakfast, and set off alone for the steel rolling mill.

As he was leaving, he glanced at He Yuzhu, but before he even reached the door, he heard deafening snoring coming from inside the room, so he immediately turned and left without looking back.

I reckon this girl must have been busy preparing extra meals for some factory leader until midnight last night, otherwise she wouldn't be sleeping so soundly.

When they arrived at Hongxing Steel Plant, seeing that it was still early, Fang Yuan did not go in directly, but turned to the mailroom on the left side of the gate.

As Fang Yuan reached the door, he peeked inside and, seeing no movement, shouted, "Uncle Jiang, wake up! Stop drowsiness!"