The entire courtyard is full of villains

Upon arriving at the steel rolling mill, before the security guards could even begin interrogation, the man surnamed Bai had already confessed everything. It turned out that the man surnamed Wu was a fourth-level worker at the lumber mill, whose wife had died last year. Some time ago, he passed by Qiqige's courtyard, saw her, and became infatuated. He learned she was a widow, and although she had two children, he couldn't bear to leave her. However, Qiqige rarely left her home, and he searched for her for several days without success. Later, through an introduction, he met the man surnamed Bai.

Hearing that a man surnamed Bai was in charge of marriage and family matters at the neighborhood office, Old Wu got an idea. He gave Bai 10 yuan, promising to give him another 20 yuan after the matter was settled. Bai had joined the neighborhood office as an activist during the military control period. He thought that Qiqige, a "widow who had caused the deaths of two men," wouldn't dare to speak out, so he brought people to her door, only to run into a tough nut to crack.

There was absolutely no need for Zhang Erhe to get involved; Section Chief Zhou volunteered and made a phone call to the lumber mill. The security guard there was a former subordinate of Section Chief Zhou, and upon hearing the news, he was furious and patted his chest, saying he would send the person over.

Sure enough, less than an hour later, the security guards from the lumber mill brought Old Wu over. He was completely bewildered, but when he saw Aunt Bai, whose mouth was covered in blood, he instantly understood.

Section Chief Zhou had him taken inside and instructed, "Have him sign the charge, and send it to the East City Branch first thing tomorrow morning. Remember, 'treat him well' tonight, but don't let him be injured when you send him there, understand?"

Those below, who had been waiting impatiently, responded in unison, "Understood!"

Seeing that Section Chief Zhou had taken care of things properly, Zhang Erhe stood up and said, "Old Zhou, thank you so much this time. I'll treat the brothers to a meal later."

Section Chief Zhou, however, became unusually serious: "Erhe, it's true that Qiqige is your brother's wife, but she's also a family member of the security department of our steel rolling mill. This is our fault—the deputy section chief in charge of internal affairs in the security department is on leave, and it's inconvenient for a few of us men to come over. It's already embarrassing enough that you had to come, let alone make you treat us to a meal."

Zhang Erhe didn't stand on ceremony. He turned around and took ten packs of cigarettes from the car: "Share these cigarettes with the brothers, as a way to share in the joy of Ma Qianli's son's full moon celebration."

“That’s fine.” Section Chief Zhou took it. “Erhe, don’t let Qiqige go to logistics anymore, let her come directly to the security section.”

Zhang Erhe was somewhat surprised: "Can it work?"

"Why not?" Section Chief Zhou laughed. "The security department isn't all about fighting and killing. Let her come to the office to organize documents and manage internal affairs. She's a single mother with two children. When she puts on her uniform, she'll definitely be able to keep those thugs in check."

Zhang Erhe thought for a moment and said, "That's fine, but the child is still young. Let's wait until he's older."

"Okay, have her come directly then." Section Chief Zhou nodded.

After chatting for a few minutes, Zhang Erhe thought that since he was already at the factory, he should go and ask Li Huaide about the grain arrangements. As soon as he entered Li Huaide's office, he saw him making a phone call with red eyes, his tone furious: "No way! We went through so much trouble to get it back, and you want 20,000 jin right off the bat? Do you think I'm some kind of rich landlord? Get out!" He then slammed down the phone.

Seeing Zhang Erhe enter, Li Huaide greeted him, "Erhe, come and sit down."

"What's wrong, Lao Li?"

Li Huaide said angrily, "I don't know who planted a thorn in the factory. As soon as they found out I brought back the grain, they swarmed around me like flies to meat. Of the 20 jin of grain, my father-in-law took 10 jin, leaving me with only 10 jin to guard. But these bastards kept calling me!"

Before he could finish speaking, the phone rang again. Li Huaide immediately unplugged the phone: "I'll let you call again, you son of a bitch!"

Zhang Erhe clicked his tongue in surprise—he had expected the grain to be in high demand, but he hadn't anticipated it would be this desperate.

Li Huaide sat down at his desk and rubbed his face vigorously: "Normally, I can beg and plead with everyone and no one will listen to me. But now that I've brought back some grain, everyone's all all smiles, calling me 'brother' and 'buddy.' Damn it, not a single one of them is any good!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Secretary Su's voice came from outside: "Huai De!"

Li Huaide quickly stood up and opened the door: "Secretary Su."

Secretary Su entered and saw Zhang Erhe, looking slightly embarrassed: "Huai De..."

"Secretary Su, you wouldn't happen to be here for that batch of grain, would you?" Li Huaide asked bluntly.

Secretary Su was a little embarrassed, but he still forced himself to say, "I have an old comrade-in-arms who heard that our factory got a batch of grain and wants to share some with us."

Upon hearing that it was grain again, Li Huaide's tone immediately became aggrieved: "Secretary Su, as you know, we only got this batch of grain through Erhe's connections to secure that military production job. If we distribute it, our own workers..."

“Huai De, I know, but I don’t dare to ask for more than 5000 jin. That’s just a small research institute,” Secretary Su said quickly.

Li Huaide sighed, "Secretary Su, it's only because you're here that I would agree to this. If it were anyone else, I definitely wouldn't agree."

"Thank you so much, Huaide." Secretary Su breathed a sigh of relief, then patted Zhang Erhe on the shoulder. "Erhe, you've really gone to a lot of trouble this time. You've worked so hard."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Yang Liming's voice came from outside again: "Director Huai De! Is Director Huai De here?" His voice was much warmer than usual.

Anyone with eyes could see that "no one comes to the temple without a reason," and Yang Liming probably didn't have any good ideas up his sleeve. Secretary Su and Zhang Erhe both looked at Li Huaide, who was seething with hatred, his face full of helplessness.

P.S.: I spent another whole day revising today!

Chapter 215 Sharing the Same Misfortune

In Li Huaide's office, Yang Liming pleaded with him until he finally received 3000 jin of grain—after all, Secretary Su, a high-ranking official, had only asked for 5000 jin, so how could he possibly ask for more?

After Yang Liming left, Li Huaide slammed his fist on the table angrily: "Secretary Su, if it weren't for you, I really wouldn't have wanted to give out this grain!"

“Alright, Huaide,” Secretary Su advised, “the most urgent thing now is to get those parts out of the army. Yang Liming is in charge of production. If we get angry with him now, he might cause trouble. Let’s just consider it money to buy peace of mind.”

"Alright." Li Huaide nodded, then suddenly remembered something. "Since everyone is eyeing this batch of grain, I'll distribute it now. If anyone comes asking for it again, I'll just shrug and say it's all gone." The more he thought about it, the more reliable the idea seemed. He quickly pulled Zhang Erhe and Secretary Su aside to discuss it for a while, had his secretary write a notice and submit it to the broadcasting department, and then directly called the workshop directors to count the number of people.

In the workshop, Yi Zhonghai put down his tools and turned to look at Qin Huairu—she was slowly grinding an iron rod. A thought suddenly occurred to him: was it a mistake to have kept Qin Huairu in the workshop in the first place?

Ever since Qin Huairu arrived, he's been in charge of almost all the work in the workshop. Before, at least he had a few apprentices to share the workload, but since Qin Huairu took him on, they've all applied to transfer to other workshops, leaving him all alone. Which senior worker in the factory is like him, without even an apprentice? Fortunately, Qin Huairu can help with getting meals and water; otherwise, it would be truly embarrassing for a senior worker to do all that himself.

"Sigh, it's all my own doing." Yi Zhonghai sighed, then thought about how Tiehua was about to give birth to his child. If it was a son, he would have to find a way to slowly sever ties with the Jia family—with his own son to support him in his old age, the Jia family would probably be no longer needed.

Just as they were pondering this, a "whoosh" sounded, and everyone in the workshop stopped what they were doing and looked at the loudspeaker at the door.

"Ahem, can you hear me?" a voice came over the loudspeaker. "Announcement, announcement: Our factory received a batch of special workpieces today, which need to be completed within a limited time. All workshop workers are required to work overtime. Workers selected to work overtime can collect extra food stamps from the logistics department by presenting their work permits. Each person will receive an extra two ounces of food per day..."

Everyone's eyes lit up when they heard there were extra food coupons, and the workshop immediately became lively.

Qin Huairu's eyes lit up—she knew she wouldn't be selected, but with Yi Zhonghai's skills, she was sure she would. She could get the grain coupons then, earning an extra two ounces a day, which would amount to six jin a month, making life a little easier for the family.

She cautiously approached Yi Zhonghai and said, "Master."

"Huai Ru, what's wrong?" Yi Zhonghai asked.

“Master, your skills are top-notch in our workshop, you’ll definitely get an overtime spot.” Qin Huairu looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention, gently tugged at his arm and pulled him closer to her. “When it comes to those grain coupons… you know our family is struggling financially, so please help us out.”

Yi Zhonghai was immediately distracted—Hu Tiehua had been pregnant for so long, and he was indeed getting restless, his heart fluttering: "Huai Ru, it hasn't even been decided whether she'll be selected or not yet."

“Master, please don’t joke around.” Qin Huairu said, gently twisting her body. “Besides you, who else in our workshop has this skill? If you’re not selected, no one else has a chance.”

"That's hard to say," Yi Zhonghai said modestly, but he was secretly quite pleased.

"Master, please help our family." Qin Huairu twisted her head even more when she saw that he wouldn't budge.

"Okay, okay, I got it." Yi Zhonghai had no choice but to give up. "As long as I'm selected, I'll give you the food stamps."

"Thank you, Master!" Qin Huairu, having achieved her goal, subtly stopped what she was doing. Yi Zhonghai unconsciously smacked his lips, feeling somewhat unsatisfied.

The lunch break had just ended when the workshop foreman came over, clapped his hands, and said, "Everyone, stop for a moment and have a meeting. Did you all hear the announcement this morning?"

"We heard that!" The people below were all excited.

"Alright, those whose names I call, come to my office after get off work to collect your food coupons." The director picked up the list. "Hou Dayong!"

"To!"

"Zhang Xiaoquan!"

"To!"

"Wang Shijun!"

A burly man with freckles blushed and replied, "Here."

The director then read out several more names, but Yi Zhonghai, who had been listening intently, didn't hear his own name. Finally, after reading "Gao Shili," the director rolled up the list and said, "You few, come and collect your food coupons after get off work."

Those who were called were beaming with joy, while those who weren't were extremely disappointed. Yi Zhonghai frowned, and after everyone dispersed, he walked up to the director: "Director, why wasn't I called?"

"Oh, it's Master Yi." Guo Da Piezi glanced at him. "There were too many people earlier, so I didn't explain in detail. This overtime work is for the military, and the requirements are very strict. People like you who have been disciplined are not allowed to touch military equipment according to regulations."

Guo Da Piezi was petty and always felt inferior to Yi Zhonghai. This time, he finally got his chance. Yi Zhonghai gritted his teeth, his face grim.

"Master Yi, is there anything else?" Guo Da Piezi pressed.

"That's all." Yi Zhonghai felt his face burning, and left after uttering those two words.

The same situation occurred in the forging workshop. Liu Hai was eagerly waiting for his name to be called, but when the list was finished and his name wasn't on it, he impatiently asked the workshop director directly.

The workshop foreman glared at him: "I was going to give you some face, but since you asked, I'll be blunt. This is military-grade workpiece. You, someone who's been disciplined, still want to get involved? Dream on! Go back and honestly forge your level-two parts!"

A burst of laughter erupted in the workshop. Liu Haizhong's face flushed hotter than the freshly baked workpieces. "So what if I got a little disciplined? What did I do wrong? A level two worker doing the work of a level seven worker, and you, you son of a bitch foreman, are still humiliating me like this! Just you wait, don't let me catch you doing this, or you'll regret it!"

After get off work that evening, those who were entitled to work overtime were all elated, but Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong walked dejectedly to the courtyard gate. As they approached the gate, they looked at each other, and there was a hint of shared misery in their eyes.

But as soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw Yan Bugui waiting for him. "Old Yi, Old Liu, I heard your factory gives extra food coupons to people who work overtime? How about these food coupons..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yi Zhonghai glared at him and walked inside without looking back. Liu Haizhong stared intently at Yan Bugui—was this guy deliberately trying to make a fool of him?

Yan Bugui, oblivious to the situation, continued, "Old Liu, there are only three people in your family, so what about the grain coupons..."

"Slap!" Liu Haizhong couldn't hold back any longer and went up to give Yan Bugui a hard slap across the face.

Yan Bugui staggered from the blow: "Old Liu, you..."

"Go to hell!" Liu Haizhong cursed. "You cripple, you can't even keep quiet, you deserve it!" He spat in Yan Bugui's face and turned to go to the backyard.

Yan Bugui was paralyzed on the cart, unable to move. He had taken the blow himself, and the bloody smell on his face made him especially angry: "Liu Haizhong, even if I'm paralyzed, it's not your place to bully me!"

But Yang Ruihua, Yan Jiefang, and Yan Jiecheng hadn't returned yet, and there were only two children at home. He could only suppress his anger, wipe the spittle off his face with his sleeve, and mutter, "When Jiecheng and Jiefang come back, I'll see how I deal with you!"

Chapter 216 I Have a Son

Yi Zhonghai returned to the Intermediate People's Court without saying a word; his family had already started dinner.

"Er Gouzi, why are you only just getting back?" Old Yi asked.

Upon hearing the name "Er Gouzi," Yi Zhonghai frowned, remained silent, sat down at the table, and silently began to eat the two cornbread buns in front of him.

"Er Gouzi," said the second aunt across the way, "we're almost out of food."

"Didn't I just buy the grain two days ago?" Yi Zhonghai asked in a muffled voice.

"Oh," Yi Laonian explained, "We can't buy the negotiated grain these days, so we'll eat your ration for now."

Yi Zhonghai could no longer contain his anger and slammed his fist on the table: "Second Uncle, I told you to go back to the village back then, but you wouldn't listen! Now look what's happened, the rations have been drastically reduced, I'm working myself to the bone at the factory and I only get two cornbread buns. Tiehua is pregnant and she's eating the same thing! When the grain runs out, where am I supposed to get more?"

"Then go buy it on the black market," Old Yi said with a sneer.

"The black market?" Yi Zhonghai exclaimed anxiously, "If I, a worker, go to the black market and get caught, I'll be fired! If I'm fired, what will happen to Tiehua and the children?"

"Hey, in this situation, who wouldn't go to the black market? Why did they have to target you?" Old Man Yi snorted. "Er Gouzi, you're being unfilial!"

"Filial piety?" Yi Zhonghai, who had been holding back for days, finally exploded. "Old Yi, you eat and drink my food, and you say I'm unfilial? Back then, when you stole the cow, it was your son who insisted on coming with me. Why are you blaming me?"

"Fine, you've finally said what's on your mind!" Old Man Yi stood up, his face turning ashen. "Er Gouzi, you..."

"Don't fucking call me Er Gouzi! My name is Yi Zhonghai!" Yi Zhonghai roared.

"So what if you're called Er Gouzi? That's the name your parents gave you, and that's the name I raised you with!" Old Yi said, his neck stiff with resignation.

"Say it again!" Yi Zhonghai clenched his fist.

"Go ahead and yell, so what?" Old Man Yi stepped forward. "Come on, Er Gouzi, hit me here, beat my second uncle to death, and see if the authorities arrest you, you unfilial beast!"

"I'll fucking beat you to death!" Yi Zhonghai was furious and raised his hand to strike.