Courtyard House: Starting as an eighth-grade worker, with too many wives.

He shivered. The chill ran up his spine and down to the back of his head.

A fawning smile was forced onto her face, a smile more painful than a grimace. Her voice also became obsequious, as if coated with honey: "Director Li... my skills may not be as good as yours, but they're still passable..."

He took half a step forward, like a dog wagging its tail.

"Could I stay in the workshop... and help out? Cleaning parts, passing tools, anything is fine. Just going outside to move steel seems like overkill..."

He dawdled, unwilling to go out. His feet seemed rooted to the ground.

Li Jianguo frowned, and his face instantly darkened. The darkness spread across his face like ink.

"Is revolutionary work something you can be so picky about?"

His voice boomed through the workshop like thunder, making everyone's ears ring.

"I gave you a chance just now, but you refused. Now, you'd better get out there and get to work!"

He pointed at Yi Zhonghai's nose, his finger almost poking the tip. He reprimanded him, each word like a nail driven in.

"If you don't finish today's task, you can forget about getting paid!"

He took a step forward, and Yi Zhonghai shrank back, like a mouse seeing a cat.

"Who among us isn't carrying a heavy workload, working overtime? Who isn't exhausted? Nobody has the time to waste here whining to you!"

His voice grew louder and louder, like waves crashing one after another.

"If you want to do a job outside, go for it. If you don't want to—"

He paused, his gaze as cold as ice, as sharp as a knife, as awl.

"Get out now!"

These words expressed what everyone present was thinking.

"Who says otherwise? Master Yi really has no sense of propriety at all. What time is it, and he's still putting on airs."

"We're all working so hard, and he's still holding us back. Who's going to be responsible for the delays?"

"After being a master chef for so many years, you've really spoiled yourself. You can't handle any hardship, and you can't stand being unhappy. Do you think you're so superior?"

"Useless at everything, but quite adept at whining and slacking off. Can't even move a piece of steel properly, yet still complains and nitpicks?"

Pointing and commenting.

Whisper.

Every word was like a needle, pricking Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu.

Sha Zhu is just a cook, so not many people criticize him. Most of the criticism is directed at Yi Zhonghai.

This sparked public outrage.

The two men dared not stay in the workshop any longer. Their gazes were like knives, piercing them and making them feel extremely uncomfortable.

He walked out of the workshop timidly, his head bowed. His feet felt like they were treading on cotton, each step uneven.

The sun outside was blazing, so bright it hurt my eyes. The glaring sun hung in the sky like a giant fireball.

Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu stood in front of the pile of steel and exchanged a glance.

"Silly Pillar..."

Yi Zhonghai spoke, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

"You'll have to put in more effort."

He rubbed his arm, made a pained expression, and frowned.

"You're young, I'm old. This job is really too tiring for me. My old bones can't take this kind of strain."

Sha Zhu didn't say a word.

Yi Zhonghai took a step closer, his expression becoming even more sincere, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes crinkling together.

"Shazhu, I'm your elder, after all. Over the years, I've helped you out to some extent, haven't I? Whenever anything happens in the courtyard, haven't I always the one who steps in?"

He sighed, and the sigh was drawn out.

"Look how badly I'm injured today... You'll have to help me out a lot... We're like father and son, aren't we?"

Normally, upon hearing this, Sha Zhu would have helped without hesitation. He's a loyal and righteous person, and he doesn't respond well to force.

But so many things have happened recently that have made his mind a bit sharper.

He looked at the mountain of steel piled up in front of him. The steel was piled up like a small mountain, so high that the top could not be seen.

If he moves everything, he'll be exhausted. He'll be as tired as a dead dog.

Sha Zhu was unhappy.

"Uncle, this is a job we do together."

His tone was somewhat harsh, like a stone.

"If you make me do all the work by myself, I won't finish even by nightfall. In the end, we'll both be punished. You can't do this to me."

Yi Zhonghai pretended to move his arm. He raised his arm, then lowered it again, doing it half-heartedly.

That was the most perfunctory imaginable.

"I'm doing it myself... it's not like you're the only one doing it..."

Sha Zhu stared at him for a few seconds. His gaze was direct, as if he wanted to see right through him.

"Uncle Yi."

His voice changed; it became harsh and strained.

"If you continue like this, I'll have to report it to my superiors. Let's just split up our work; I don't want to work for you for free. I may be a bit simple-minded, but I'm not a sucker."

Yi Zhonghai was stunned.

Has Sha Zhu become a little smarter?

He was a little taken aback. When did this silly boy learn to talk back?

"How dare you speak to your elders like that?"

His tone was reproachful, like a teacher scolding a student.

"You're not usually like this, what's wrong with you lately? Have you taken some kind of 'thriller'?"

He sighed and put on a sincere expression. His expression was so genuine it seemed real.

"Shazhu, I have no children of my own, but I've always treated you like my own son. In the compound, when have I ever not sided with you? When have I ever not spoken up for you?"

He shook his head, feigning heartache.

"It's heartless of you to say that now. It's disheartening."

Sha Zhu felt incredibly frustrated. That frustration burned like a fire in his chest.

"Sir, what you're saying makes absolutely no sense!"

His voice rose, like a thunderclap.

"I did most of the physical labor these past two days! Isn't that enough? Honestly, look at yourself!"

He pointed at the pile of steel, his fingers trembling.

"There's so much work to do, I'm only human, how could I possibly finish it all? I'm not made of iron!"

He felt incredibly wronged. His resentment was so intense, it was almost overflowing.

He used to be the head chef in the kitchen, living a very comfortable life. The work was easy, and he ate well, with oily and flavorful food at every meal.

But now?

Who can he turn to for justice in this situation?

When I feel uneasy, I tend to be a bit rough with my hands. That resentment rises from my heart, seeps into my hands, and then into my feet.

Sha Zhu hoisted a steel pipe onto his back and walked forward with his head down. The steel pipe weighed heavily on his shoulder.

Yi Zhonghai quickly followed behind, pretending to support him. He placed one hand on the steel pipe as if scratching an itch.

Two people are carrying it.

suddenly--

Sha Zhu, who was walking at the very front, suddenly felt his legs buckle.

He stepped on a rock, his ankle twisted, and he fell face-first to the ground with a thud.

The steel pipe on his back was suddenly flung out. It tumbled through the air, tracing an arc.

Yi Zhonghai was startled and reached out to steady the steel pipe beneath his hand.

But he also felt unsteady on his feet. It felt like he was walking on cotton, soft and yielding.

The two men watched helplessly as the steel pipe crashed into the pile of steel below.

Boom—

crackling-

Clang clang—

The neatly stacked steel bars collapsed one after another like dominoes. One chipped onto another, one smashed into another.

A tremendous noise exploded in the open space outside the workshop. The sound was like thunder, making people's ears ring.

Dust rose up, obscuring the sky and the sun. Everything was shrouded in a hazy gray, and nothing could be seen clearly.

Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu scrambled backward, using both hands and feet like two dogs.

They were just a hair's breadth away from being buried.

When the dust settled, the two of them were completely dumbfounded by the scene before them.

The steel, which had been neatly stacked, was now lying scattered haphazardly on the ground, as if it had been bombed.

The steel pipe is twisted.

The steel plate is deformed.

Some were broken in two. The cuts were jagged, like torn cloth.

more importantly--

This contains not only the steel needed for Li Jianguo's project.

There are also other production tasks required by the factory. Some make car frames, some make parts, and some make tools.

Each type of steel has a different texture. There is carbon steel, alloy steel, and tool steel.

Now everything is mixed together. It's like a big pot of stew, impossible to separate.

Yi Zhonghai's mind was blank. The blankness was like a snowy field, devoid of anything.

He'd done this his whole life, and he knew all too well what it meant.

These steel materials are unusable. At least, they can't be used directly.

It needs to be categorized and re-inspected to ensure there are no problems before it can be used. How much effort will that take? How much time will it waste?

But those that are twisted and deformed—

It's just scrap.

It's completely useless; there's no need to even rework it.

The two people stood before the mess, like two clay sculptures. They were motionless, even forgetting to breathe.

Upon hearing the commotion, Director Yang and his colleagues rushed out of the workshop. Their footsteps were chaotic, like the thunder of galloping hooves.

Upon seeing this scene, Director Yang's face instantly turned a deep liver color. The color surged up his neck and all the way to his forehead.

His finger trembled as he pointed to the mess. His finger shook like a withered branch in the wind.

"What...what on earth is going on?!"

His voice became shrill and distorted, like a chicken being choked.

"What's going on?! What's going on?!"

He paced back and forth, like an ant on a hot plate. Looking at the nearly destroyed steel, he was furious, his anger practically radiating outwards. The smoke was visible as it billowed from his head.

This is truly bizarre!

I've never seen anything like this in all these years!

Almost every piece of steel was ruined. Some were twisted, some were broken, and some were deformed.

Even the most coincidences can't be this coincidental!

Li Jianguo stood in the crowd, watching this scene unfold.

He knew exactly what was going on.

Sha Zhu and Yi Zhonghai's attack on him triggered the Divine Aura.

This ultimately led to this situation.

"Really—"

Factory Director Yang was so angry that he stomped his feet on the ground several times. He pointed at Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu, his fingers trembling.

"A good-for-nothing who only causes trouble!"

As angry as I am, the deed is done.

There is no way to remedy this.

Just then, a sudden inspiration struck Sha Zhu. The flash of inspiration was like lightning in his mind.

He took a step forward, forcing a fawning smile. The smile was more painful than a grimace.

"Director Yang..."

His voice carried a cautious, tentative tone, as if he were stepping on thin ice.

"I really can't do this job..."

He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

"How about... you transfer me to the canteen? I promise I'll work diligently there and make sure you and your fellow workers get the most delicious meals! You know my cooking skills; they're a family recipe!"

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai's eyes lit up.

Yup!

This is an opportunity!

Factory Director Yang stared at Sha Zhu, stunned for two seconds.

Then he smiled.

That smile sent a chill down Sha Zhu's spine. It was like a wolf seeing a sheep, carrying an indescribable undertone.

"Oh--"

Factory Director Yang chuckled.

"You're quite good at choosing the right moment to say that. The steel was just smashed, and you're already thinking of running away?"

Sha Zhu thought things were settled.

He had a silly grin on his face and turned to leave. His feet felt light as if he were walking on clouds.

"I'll go to the cafeteria right now! I promise the food I make will be absolutely delicious! Braised pork belly, stewed ribs, all you can eat!"

"Stop right there!"

Director Yang roared, which made Sha Zhu stumble and almost fall.

He turned around and saw Director Yang's face, contorted with rage. His face was like a crumpled piece of paper, all his features squeezed together.

"How dare you go to the cafeteria?!"

Director Yang's voice was like a thunderclap, making people's ears ring.

"With your current state, you still want to be a master chef? What are you dreaming of?!"

Sha Zhu was completely dumbfounded.