Courtyard House: In times of famine, my hamster became a spirit.

In the old man's house, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Qin Huairu leaned against the door, her eyes constantly peeking through the crack in the door, barely daring to breathe.

At the foot of the wall in the inner room, Yi Zhonghai knelt on the ground, his screwdriver being inserted into the crack of the blue bricks with a "creak," a sound that was particularly jarring in the quiet morning.

The bricks were loose and were forcibly pried out.

A musty smell wafted over.

Yi Zhonghai's hands trembled slightly as he groped around in the dark hole for a long time before pulling out a rusty biscuit tin.

"An old man..." Qin Huairu's throat tightened, and she couldn't help but turn around to look.

"Don't make a sound!" Yi Zhonghai didn't even turn his head, and pressed his thumb hard against the edge of the metal box.

"Clatter".

The lid was lifted slightly.

The golden light illuminated their faces, and the sight of the large 100-yuan bills wrapped tightly in oil paper nearby made Qin Huairu's eyes redden.

This is the money Yi Zhonghai saved for his coffin, scrimped and saved his whole life.

Yi Zhonghai moved swiftly, tearing off a tattered piece of work cloth and wrapping the iron box layer upon layer until the gold color completely disappeared, before standing up, panting heavily.

"Remember this: if even a single word of this gets out, I'll kill you before Zhou Jianguo even lifts a finger."

Yi Zhonghai threw down these harsh words, stuffed the heavy cloth bag into his arms, and pushed open the door to leave.

……

Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, Administration Building.

The corridor was quiet.

Yi Zhonghai deliberately avoided the morning rush hour and sneaked to the door of the deputy factory director's office.

Inside the room, Deputy Factory Director Li was pacing around in frustration.

"Useless! What are they doing in the logistics department?!"

With a loud "thud," the enamel mug slammed heavily onto the table.

Deputy Factory Director Li tugged at the top button of his collar, his face turning a deep purplish-red.

The top leader of the Ministry of Metallurgy specifically requested authentic Sichuan-style Tan Family Cuisine. These chefs are alright at cooking large meals, but when it comes to hosting banquets, it's practically feeding pigs!

If he can't get past this hurdle, forget about promoting him to factory director; it's questionable whether he can even clean up this mess.

"Knock knock knock".

There was a knock on the door.

"Get out! I won't see anyone!" Deputy Factory Director Li was furious, his voice so loud it seemed to penetrate the door.

The door wasn't open, but the person hadn't left either.

A few seconds later, there were three more "thump-thump-thump" sounds, very steady.

Deputy Factory Director Li's brows were furrowed deeply; few in the factory dared to provoke him like that.

He suppressed his anger: "Go in!"

The door was pushed open, and Yi Zhonghai's old face peeked in, wearing that humble yet ingratiating smile: "Director Li, busy, huh?"

"Old Yi?" Deputy Factory Director Li was taken aback, and his anger subsided slightly.

After all, he's a top-level engineer; we have to give him this much face.

But his tone was still sharp: "Speak quickly if you have something to say, I have a headache right now."

Yi Zhonghai didn't respond, but instead closed the door and locked it.

The commotion made Deputy Factory Director Li narrow his eyes warily: "Old Yi, what are you doing...?"

Yi Zhonghai walked a few steps to the desk, and pushed the cloth bag, still warm from his body, across with both hands.

Deputy Factory Director Li glanced at the rustic cloth bag and was about to reprimand him for practicing feudal superstition.

Yi Zhonghai flicked his finger lightly.

The corner of the fabric slipped off.

Two bright yellow croakers lay quietly on a stack of ten-yuan bills.

Deputy Factory Director Li's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and his Adam's apple bobbed violently.

Those were greedy eyes.

In an era of scarcity, these two hard currencies, plus that wad of cash, were enough to make people throw their principles down the drain.

"Director Li, this is a small token of my appreciation, to help you recover." Yi Zhonghai said softly, "You work day and night, it breaks our hearts to see you like this."

Deputy Factory Director Li's eyes were glued to the gold bars, and he couldn't pull them away.

But he was a cunning old fox after all. He didn't move his hand, but merely raised his eyelids to glance at Yi Zhonghai, and said in a pretentious tone, "Old Yi, this is a mistake. Take it back."

He said he would take it back, but his hand inadvertently picked up a document and gently covered the pile of things with it.

It was covered completely.

Yi Zhonghai understood immediately and bowed even lower: "Factory Director, I heard that a big leader is coming to inspect the factory. This is a big deal for our factory. My good-for-nothing apprentice, Sha Zhu, although he's a bit of a muddle-headed guy, his family's Tan family cuisine... hey, that's the big leader's favorite hometown flavor."

"Tan Family Cuisine..." Deputy Factory Director Li's eyes lit up.

The allure of money and the crisis of career advancement weigh heavily on the same side of the scale.

"Silly Zhu..." Deputy Factory Director Li tapped the document stamped with gold bars lightly with his fingers, his tone becoming earnest, "Actually, Comrade He Yuzhu's problem is mainly ideological. As long as his thinking is correct, for the sake of collective honor and political tasks, we can make an exception."

Yi Zhonghai smiled.

That smile concealed a deep, agonizing pain: "Factory manager, you're brilliant. If Sha Zhu knew you were nurturing him like this, he would have cooked this meal perfectly."

Two hands clasped together above the desk.

A sordid deal was made, witnessed by two gold bars.

……

Noon, canteen.

Zhou Jianguo was carrying a lunchbox containing cabbage stewed with vermicelli, a simple and watery soup.

"Hey, did you hear? Sha Zhu's coming back!"

"Really? It's only been a few days! They haven't even figured out how to clean up the mess yet!"

"Why would I lie to you! I just passed by the kitchen, and all the security guards had left. They said it was a note personally approved by Deputy Factory Director Li, specially assigning Sha Zhu to cook in order to entertain a big leader!"

"Wow! This silly Zhu is really tough. Is he about to turn his life around?"

The whispers of his fellow workers reached Zhou Jianguo's ears.

He paused in his eating, his chopsticks hovering in mid-air.

Is Sha Zhu back?

Zhou Jianguo chewed on his steamed bun, his eyes turning cold.

This is definitely not a matter of being tough.

That idiot Zhu, if he had that kind of ability, he wouldn't be sitting in the toilet all this time.

If he really goes back to the cafeteria, not only will we lose a source of amusement, but that old dog Yi Zhonghai will be able to stand tall and bite people again in the yard.

"Since you want to play, then I'll play with you to the very end."

Zhou Jianguo got up, casually threw his lunchbox into the sink, wiped his mouth, and strode towards the administration building.

He was a meritorious employee of the factory, and he didn't believe that Deputy Factory Director Li would embarrass him for the sake of a simpleton like Sha Zhu who shovels latrines.

The third-floor corridor of the administration building.

Zhou Jianguo straightened his work clothes and walked with his head held high to the door of Deputy Factory Director Li's office.

There was a person standing at the door; it was Wu, the secretary of Deputy Factory Director Li.

Normally, when Officer Wu saw Zhou Jianguo, he would call him "Master Zhou" and "Hero Zhou" in a very affectionate manner, and would offer him a cigarette before he even took it out.

But today, Officer Wu stood like a door god, expressionless, blocking the doorknob.

Zhou Jianguo's heart skipped a beat, but he remained outwardly calm.

He skillfully pulled out a freshly opened pack of Daqianmen cigarettes, tossed one out, and handed it over with a smile: "Hey, Officer Wu, busy? I'm here to report some ideological work to Director Li."

The smoke drifted into the air.

Officer Wu did not answer.

He didn't even raise his hand, looking at Zhou Jianguo with a scrutinizing gaze: "Master Zhou, please put the cigarettes away. Director Li is on lunch break and won't be receiving guests."

Zhou Jianguo's smile froze for a moment.

Lunch break?

Even at midday, the sound of an erhu could be clearly heard coming from the office, with Deputy Factory Director Li humming a tune; it even drifted out through the crack in the door.

What kind of lunch break is this?

The wind direction has changed.

Zhou Jianguo put away his cigarette, lowered his voice, and leaned forward slightly: "Brother Wu, please make an exception. I have a major report about safety hazards in the factory."

He's gambling.

They were betting that their own contributions still carried weight.

However, Officer Wu merely glanced at him indifferently, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes.

"Comrade Zhou Jianguo," Officer Wu emphasized, no longer addressing him as "Master," "Safety hazards are under the jurisdiction of the Security Department. This is the administration building. Director Li said that the factory has a heavy workload these days, so unauthorized personnel should not disturb us."

Officer Wu stood on a higher step, looking down at him.

"Director Li asked me to pass on a message to you."

Zhou Jianguo narrowed his eyes: "What did you say?"

Officer Wu brushed non-existent dust off his sleeves and said slowly, "Workers, you should focus on production. Don't keep an eye on the leaders' affairs, and don't think that just because you're a little clever and caught a couple of petty thieves, you can influence the factory's decisions. The top leaders are in charge of this steel rolling mill; it's not your place to interfere."

boom--!

These words were like a slap in the face, landing hard on Zhou Jianguo's cheek.

It didn't hurt, but it was really loud.

Several passing clerks stopped and whispered among themselves, their eyes filled with schadenfreude.

"Listen to that, isn't that just saying he's overestimating himself?"

"Does she really think she's something special..."

Zhou Jianguo stood still, his hands hanging by his sides slowly clenching, his nails digging into his flesh.

His prized system resources and brute strength seemed so unattainable in the face of this power.

A single dinner party hosted by a high-ranking leader can crush all his hard work.

At that moment, Zhou Jianguo regained consciousness.

In this era, without real power, relying solely on fire hooks and braised pork, he was merely a slightly stronger ant.

If Deputy Factory Director Li were willing, he wouldn't even need to lift a finger; a single glance would be enough for a watchdog like Officer Wu to keep him out.

"Oh."

Zhou Jianguo suddenly laughed.

The laughter was cold, devoid of anger, and instead sounded like self-mockery.

"Thank you for your guidance, Director Li. I will remember your words."

Zhou Jianguo gave Officer Wu a deep look.

Then he turned and walked away, his steps steady.

As Zhou Jianguo stepped out of the administration building, a gust of cold wind blew, and he let out a long breath.

In the distance, at the entrance of the workshop, Yi Zhonghai stood with his hands behind his back.

The old man had clearly been waiting for this moment.

When Yi Zhonghai saw Zhou Jianguo come out, his old face was full of smiles.

That's the posture of a victor.

It was as if silently declaring: "Kid, experience counts." In this courtyard house, in this steel mill, your grandpa is still your grandpa.

Zhou Jianguo did not rush up to question him, nor did he display any impotent rage.

He merely exchanged a glance with Yi Zhonghai, then walked past him expressionlessly.

Just then, the system notification sound that had been dormant in my mind suddenly rang out without warning.

[Ding! Host detected being suppressed by a powerful authority. Special mission module activated...]

[Quest generated: Game of Thrones.]

[Mission Objective: Crush the trade of "money and privilege" and let the host's voice resound throughout the steel mill!]