All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

He began to think about his next move, but unfortunately, his brain couldn't come up with any solutions; he just stubbornly refused to admit it.

Xu Damao, who had been Lou Xiao'e's son-in-law for seven years, knew the amount of gold and jewelry in the situation. It was all over, completely over!

Liu Haizhong stood up and paced back and forth in the house. He glanced at his watch and realized that half an hour had passed. If he didn't go soon, Xu Damao would probably get really angry. With a determined look, Liu Haizhong stormed out the door!

Hesitantly approaching Xu Damao's door, Liu Haizhong's face was full of worry. Finally, he made up his mind and pushed open the door.

Xu Damao was sitting at the table. There were no preserved meats on the table, just a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) and a plate of fried soybeans. Xu Damao drank by himself, without any sign of tension. Instead, when he saw Liu Haizhong come in, he showed a half-smile and pointed to the seat opposite him.

As soon as Liu Haizhong entered the house, he saw broken glass shards and frowned.

Xu Damao, however, said casually.

"It was that old woman who smashed it, to get revenge for Lou Xiao'e. Let her smash it, anyway, glass isn't worth much. She's an old hag, I can't afford to mess with her, I can just avoid her!"

Liu Haizhong nodded awkwardly. The reason why no one in the courtyard dared to provoke the deaf old lady was not only because of her age, but also because she was no ordinary person.

Her family has three generations of loyal martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the country. Even she herself has made contributions to the country. Now she is supported by the country. Do you think you would dare to mess with such an old lady?

"Let's not talk about that anymore. Come on, sit down. Team Leader Liu, let's talk about what you're concerned about!"

The relief that had just settled in Liu Haizhong's heart was immediately jolted back up, as if his bottom was on fire.

"Um... Da Mao, actually I didn't take much gold, please let me go! I really didn't take much."

Xu Damao looked at this clueless fool who had confessed without being asked and couldn't help but sneer inwardly. He poured himself a glass of wine, took a sip, and paid no attention to the fearful and uneasy look on Liu Haizhong's face.

Xu Damao deliberately left his bangs exposed for a while before slowly saying...

"I remember there were sixty or seventy small yellow croakers, and also those jade and jewelry..."

Upon hearing the number Xu Damao announced, Liu Haizhong immediately stood up and said urgently.

"Wait...wait a minute, Xu Damao, don't talk nonsense. There aren't that many. I only saw thirty small yellow croakers, and jade..."

Before Liu Haizhong could finish speaking, he suddenly snapped back to reality. Seeing Xu Damao's cunning and smug smile again, Liu Haizhong felt a chill run through his body and slumped into his chair.

"A good-for-nothing is a good-for-nothing!"

Xu Damao snorted and, without saying another word, took a piece of paper and a pen from the counter next to him and addressed Liu Haizhong.

"Team Leader Liu, write a receipt! Sign it, write down all the gold and jewelry you took from my house, and then put your fingerprint on it."

Liu Haizhong was completely exhausted and stunned. His face was flushed and pale, and he didn't care about the sweat pouring down his face. He sat there, motionless.

Seeing this, Xu Damao was extremely pleased with himself. However, he clearly knew what kind of person Liu Hai was and had nothing to fear. He then pointed to the paper on the table.

“Team Leader Liu, we’re all neighbors, so I won’t make things difficult for you. Deliver the gold and jewelry to my house a little later tonight, and I won’t report you. You can continue being Team Leader Liu. This statement you wrote is just a precaution; you understand what I mean?”

Liu Haizhong then snapped out of his daze, quickly wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve, and nodded hastily.

Seeing Liu Haizhong write on the paper that he had taken thirty gold bars and five pieces of jade and jewelry from Lou Xiao'e's house, Xu Damao finally revealed a victorious smile.

This night, many people are destined to be unable to sleep.

Before He Yuzhu left work, the factory manager called him in and gave him a dressing down, saying that he couldn't be saved this time either. He, the canteen manager, was dismissed, and the factory would issue a notice tomorrow.

Lou Xiao'e slept in the room of the deaf old lady, and the old lady told her about her past all night long, and Lou Xiao'e's tears never stopped.

That night, Xu Damao cuddled thirty small yellow croakers, and slept soundly, accompanied by sweet dreams.

He didn't intend to keep these small yellow croakers; he planned to use them as bait. Before long, they would belong to someone else. These small yellow croakers could pave a glittering path to promotion for him!

Liu Haizhong was sweating profusely that night, plagued by nightmares. He didn't sit up until midnight, feeling increasingly resentful. He couldn't accept being tricked by Xu Damao like that, and he was determined to get revenge, preferably by killing Xu Damao.

Unfortunately, even after thinking all night, he couldn't come up with a solution that would satisfy both sides.

But he was really unwilling to let Xu Damao trick him like this, mainly because Xu Damao still had dirt on him.

Suddenly, a terrible thought occurred to him: he had written a receipt for Xu Damao, but he had already given Xu Damao the gold. What if Xu Damao denied it later?

Liu Haizhong became increasingly frightened as he thought about it. This night was extremely difficult and painful for him!

Chapter 31: Wang Datou

By morning, with bangs still wet from not sleeping all night and a face full of exhaustion, he still couldn't find a way to both protect himself and make Xu Damao suffer, so he had to give up for the time being!

However, he found it difficult to calm down. He now had something on Xu Damao, and Liu Haizhong was helpless, so he could only take it one step at a time.

Xu Damao pushed his bicycle, looking radiant as he prepared to go to work. As he passed the Intermediate People's Court, he glanced at He Yuzhu's room, snorted, and strode out with a smug look.

He Yuzhu and he were mortal enemies. He knew that He Yuzhu had been dismissed as the cafeteria director yesterday because of the chicken leg incident. He was happy about it for a while. It was just a pity that he went out to run some errands yesterday noon and didn't get to eat chicken legs.

The whole steel mill was talking about this yesterday. Xu Damao has no interest in it yet. He Yuzhu deserves it. Once he gets the chance, he'll definitely make that idiot Yuzhu pay!

Xu Damao rode his bicycle to work. Qin Huairu, who had just finished washing clothes, kept an eye on Xu Damao, mainly because of her cousin Qin Jingru's matter.

She knew about He Yuzhu's situation and had originally planned to take the opportunity to comfort him last night, but He Yuzhu refused to open the door, so she had to give up.

He Yuzhu had to get up early again in the morning, but she couldn't see anyone. She finally understood that this silly Zhu was completely trying to get rid of her.

However, Qin Huairu had no choice for the time being. Once a man's heart hardens, it is harder than iron, as could be seen from his attitude toward his children in recent months.

Besides He Yuzhu, Qin Huairu is also worried about another matter: her cousin Qin Jingru and Xu Damao's affair.

Qin Huairu originally planned to arrange for Qin Jingru to marry Xu Damao as soon as Xu Damao and Lou Xiao'e divorced, but Qin Huairu also heard about Lou Xiao'e's family situation.

Qin Huairu never expected Lou Xiao'e's family to be in such a terrible state. Moreover, Lou Xiao'e has now been kicked out of her home by Xu Damao and is living in the house of the deaf old lady across the street.

If Qin Jingru and Xu Damao were to get married at this time, who knows what kind of rumors would spread, since Lou Xiao'e is quite popular in this courtyard.

The person who framed Lou Xiao'e's parents was Liu Haizhong, and everyone at the steel plant knew about it.

This incident has made everyone somewhat fearful of Uncle Liu Haizhong, though many more people are now flattering and fawning over him.

Now, Liu Haizhong exudes an aura of power and influence. He can easily take down anyone he wants with just a word. He's definitely a force to be reckoned with.

What the people in the courtyard didn't know was that the mastermind behind it all was Xu Damao.

Xu Damao, that old schemer, only reveals his true colors when he's drunk. Otherwise, he's an absolute schemer. In this courtyard, the only people who truly know how ruthless he is are Lou Xiao'e and Liu Haizhong.

Qin Huairu's main concern was that having Qin Jingru marry Xu Damao now would damage her reputation, especially since he had just divorced. She was so eager for her cousin to marry into the family.

What will the people in the courtyard say about her?

But she had to hurry. She planned to have Jingru come over this Sunday and urge Xu Damao to at least get the two of them to get their marriage certificate, so that things wouldn't get complicated if things dragged on!

When He Yuzhu returned to the steel mill kitchen, he could clearly sense that the atmosphere was not quite right. Everyone was working with their heads down, and they were careful not to talk to He Yuzhu, for fear of triggering his stubborn temper.

He Yuzhu used to be like this; if he was unhappy, he would argue with anyone who spoke to him. But now, he's just a cafeteria director, so let him go.

The newly appointed cafeteria director is about to arrive, but He Yuzhu, as always, poured himself a cup of tea and slowly savored it. "If you're so capable, then you do it. I'll just continue living my lazy life."

The newly appointed canteen manager is a middle-aged bald man who used to be an ordinary worker in the workshop. His nickname is Wang Datou, and he is usually a boastful scoundrel. I don't know what happened, but he was suddenly appointed as the canteen manager by Deputy Factory Director Li.

Wang Datou, newly appointed as the new head of the household, wore a brand-new Zhongshan suit with a pen hanging on his chest, exuding an air of "I'm not an ordinary worker." As he entered the kitchen, the first thing he saw was He Yuzhu leisurely drinking tea.

Wang Datou opened his eyes wide, strode forward, glared at He Yuzhu, and pointed at He Yuzhu's nose while cursing!

"Silly Zhu, do you think I don't exist? Do you still want to work here? I'm ordering you, get up and get to work right now!"

He Yuzhu glanced at him sideways, took a leisurely sip of tea, and then said casually.

"What kind of stray dog ​​is this, calling me to do things so early in the morning? I don't need you to teach me. Just be a good cafeteria manager and stop causing trouble. What do you know about the kitchen?"

Wang Datou was so angry that his eyes were blazing. He wanted to rush up and slap He Yuzhu twice, but then he remembered He Yuzhu's amazing fighting ability in the past. In the end, he waved his hand, pointed at He Yuzhu, and roared.

"You just wait, Sha Zhu! I'm going to report to Director Li right now and have you kicked out of the kitchen!"

After saying that, he stormed off in a huff.

He Yuzhu, however, didn't take it seriously. Seeing everyone watching the spectacle, he said seriously.

"Hurry up, all of you!"

Ma Hua quickly sped up the kneading of the dough, but in his heart he was thinking about the vegetarian dish his master had made yesterday. It was absolutely amazing. If he could learn that skill, he could eat chicken every day. Just thinking about it made his mouth water.

Several people in the kitchen shared the same idea as Ma Hua: these days, being an apprentice isn't like paying money to learn a skill in later generations.

Take MCA for example. First, you have to work as a kitchen helper for three years, then as an apprentice for three years, and finally start learning to cook. By the time you've mastered a good cooking skill, at least another three years have passed. So it takes about ten years to truly become a master chef. Most people can't endure that kind of hardship.

He Yuzhu nodded as he watched Ma Hua's diligent work. This young man had good character; he should teach him more skills in the future.

As for Wang Datou's complaint, He Yuzhu wasn't worried at all. These days, even the factory director couldn't fire a worker unless the worker's family background was problematic or he had committed some kind of treason. But no matter what, He Yuzhu knew that the other party couldn't find any fault with him.

Moreover, He Yuzhu was well aware that with his cooking skills, as long as he didn't go too far, Deputy Factory Director Li wouldn't be able to really do anything to him!

So he continued to drift through life, since he was just living a lazy life anyway. He Yuzhu also began to seriously study the four cooking recipes left by Old Man Yi. In addition to vegetarian chicken and vegetarian meat, there were several other recipes that he needed to study.

He Yuzhu actually had a little expectation in his heart: what if he could inherit the cooking skills he learned in his dream after he woke up? That would be so awesome.

The truth will only come when I come to my senses.

As expected, Wang Datou's complaint ended abruptly. Deputy Factory Director Li ignored Wang Datou's complaint. In Deputy Factory Director Li's eyes, Sha Zhu was just a personal cook.

Keep this kind of person in the kitchen, and once you've taken over that guy, you'll be in control of the factory. That's when Sha Zhu will have his moment to shine.

Because He Yuzhu had read the original novel, he knew who Deputy Factory Director Li was, so he wasn't worried at all about losing his job as a cook.

He Yuzhu was enjoying his laid-back life, but Xu Damao felt that his identity as a projectionist was an insult to his brilliant mind, and he was already impatient to get started.

Chapter 32: Intrigue and Warmth

Xu Damao's three-step plan has only completed the first step so far.

The first step was to successfully divorce Lou Xiao'e and get rid of the issue of Lou Xiao'e's family background, so that he could have a chance to climb up the social ladder.

As for the second step of the plan, it was naturally to replace Liu Haizhong in the eyes of Deputy Factory Director Li and successfully take over the position.

This step is now halfway complete. There were about ten minutes left before the end of the workday when he knocked on the door of Deputy Factory Director Li's office.

As Deputy Factory Director Li was packing up his documents, preparing to leave work, a somewhat familiar-looking man walked in. The man was all smiles, his face displaying seven parts flattery and three parts respect, much like a lapdog eager to please its master.

The visitor was naturally Xu Damao, who entered the office with a beaming smile and a respectful bow.

As a projectionist, Xu Damao used to occasionally have a drink with the leaders, but in the past two months, given the atmosphere at the steel plant, no one dared to eat or drink. So it's normal that Deputy Director Li didn't recognize Xu Damao.

"Director Li, hello! I'm Xu Damao from the film projection team. Do you remember me?"

Deputy Factory Director Li, with a stern face, nodded and said in a deep voice, "I do remember this after being reminded of it."

"Xu Damao, is something the matter?"

Xu Damao nodded hurriedly, bowing even lower. He glanced at the door and then stepped forward to approach Deputy Factory Director Li. Deputy Factory Director Li quickly waved his hand and said seriously.