The entire courtyard is full of villains

Sun Xiangdong picked up his teacup and took a big gulp, panting as he asked Ma Qianli, "Fourth brother, where did you meet this woman? She's got the taste! She can hold her liquor better than any of us. If she keeps drinking, she could drink all four of us to death!"

"You two will probably die from drinking, but my second brother and I can manage." Ma Qianli joked with a smile, but didn't mention the embarrassing incident of being drunk into bed for the first time. Instead, he talked about Qiqige's background: "She's from Khorchin. She used to marry a man from Shanxi who was in the fur business. Around 1953, her husband went to the grasslands to collect furs, but they encountered a pack of wolves on the way, and they never even found his remains. Later, she came to Beijing to take over the business, but the company merged, and the fur shop couldn't stay open. So she found an acquaintance in the Ethnic Affairs Commission and opened this small shop here. I only became acquainted with her because I helped her out a little by chance."

The water in the copper pot was already boiling, and the bubbling steam carrying the savory aroma of mutton filled the room. "Everyone, pick up your chopsticks!" Ma Qianli called out, picking up his chopsticks. "This mutton is just as good as Donglaishun's!"

Sun Xiangdong, still somewhat skeptical, picked up a slice of meat, dipped it in the pot twice, then scooped it out, coated it in sesame sauce, and popped it into his mouth—the tenderness of the meat mixed with the rich flavor of the sesame sauce spread across his tongue, and he immediately gave a thumbs up: "Not bad, not bad! This tastes amazing!"

These were rough-and-tumble men, not given to formalities. With wine and hot pot, three plates of lamb legs were quickly emptied, and even the cabbage and potato slices were gone. As the alcohol took effect, Wu Qian's eyes began to glaze over. Sun Xiangdong, his face flushed, suddenly picked up his glass, his voice hoarse: "Brothers, I, Sun Xiangdong, am a scoundrel!"

He paused, his fingers clenching so tightly they turned white: "We used to do business together, and I secretly pocketed some money..." He finished his sentence, downed his glass in one gulp, and then slapped himself three times, the sound echoing loudly. "I'm so sorry! We swore brotherhood, promising to share both good times and bad, but I did this despicable thing!"

"Everyone sees me as the deputy factory director's son-in-law, a factory worker, but who knows I'm just a piece of cake—all show and no substance!" Sun Xiangdong's voice trembled, and his eyes reddened. "My mother and wife argue every day because I can't have children; I feel so stifled at home, only when I'm with you all do I feel at ease. Last time, my fourth brother asked me why I sold bicycles, it's because I was scammed, they had something on me, but I didn't dare tell you, afraid you'd look down on me..."

Two more slaps landed on his face. He lowered his head and said, "My three brothers, I'm so sorry!"

"Boss, it's good that you've talked it out." Zhang Erhe pressed his hand down and turned to ask Wu Qian, "Qian'er, what did you say?"

Wu Qian shook his head, his voice a little unsteady but very sincere: "Brother, taking the money is nothing, but you shouldn't have distrusted us..."

"Yes, yes, yes! I was wrong!" Sun Xiangdong nodded quickly.

“Alright,” Zhang Erhe said, “Boss, you punish yourself with three drinks, and we’ll call it a day.”

Without saying a word, Sun Xiangdong poured three glasses of wine, tilted his head back and downed them in one gulp, then turned the glasses upside down to show them off, his movements bold and unrestrained.

Zhang Erhe looked at him and said in a deep voice, "This matter is over. If anyone brings it up again, they are slapping Zhang Erhe in the face!"

Chapter 65 Second Brother, No Need to See You Off

As soon as Sun Xiangdong sat down, Wu Qian stood up unsteadily, holding a wine glass, his cheeks flushed.

"Qian'er, is there something you need too?" Zhang Erhe asked.

"Yes! Second Brother, I'm so sorry!" Wu Qian slammed down a glass of wine, put it down, and slapped himself several times, his voice trembling with tears. "Last time you got the grain, I was jealous of you and even tried to secretly get your access to the supply chain and go it alone behind your backs... I'm not human!"

"So, was it you who caused my injury before?" Zhang Erhe picked up a peanut, slowly put it in his mouth, his tone calm but weighty.

Upon hearing this, Wu Qian suddenly pulled a knife from his leg, pressed it against his chest, and said fiercely, "Second Brother! I've been drinking, but I'm telling the truth! If I've ever thought of harming you, may I be riddled with arrows and die, and may my grave be trampled to pieces after I die!"

Zhang Erhe put down his chopsticks, stared at him for a long time, and then slowly said, "I believe you."

"Second Brother, I've been investigating these past few days!" Wu put away the knife, his voice still excited. "I've questioned everyone who dared to attack you, but none of them had the opportunity to commit the crime. As for the old man who was sent back from the black market, I went to his hometown, and he was already dead. I dug up his grave overnight to confirm it was him... But I really can't find out who ordered it!"

"This isn't urgent, we can investigate slowly." Zhang Erhe shook his head. "Is there anything else you're hiding from me?"

"That's all! If there's any more concealment, I'll say it again: may I be pierced by a thousand arrows!" Wu Qian swore.

Zhang Erhe turned to Ma Qianli: "Fourth brother, it's your turn."

Ma Qianli jumped to his feet, his face completely open: "Second brother, you know me, I've always been straightforward, how could I..."

“You don’t consider us your brothers,” Zhang Erhe interrupted him. “I’m asking you, what year did you join them?”

"Who is it?" Ma Qianli opened his eyes wide, still trying to play dumb.

"Stop pretending, Fourth Brother," Zhang Erhe said confidently. "Your kung fu skills aren't something you can acquire by just practicing blindly."

Ma Qianli deflated instantly, slumping to the ground and downing a glass of wine: "I knew this day would come sooner or later."

Sun Xiangdong and Wu Qian exchanged a puzzled look.

“I didn’t think much of it at first,” Zhang Erhe explained. “That day, Minister Li brought a group of people to my compound. One of them had a posture and a way of exerting force that looked familiar to me, but I couldn’t figure it out. It wasn’t until I saw you in your work uniform this morning that I realized—he’s your mentor, right?”

Ma Qianli was silent for a moment, then nodded, his voice calm: "I studied under him for a few years, so I was his nominal apprentice."

"If that's the case, you must have joined them quite a while ago." Zhang Erhe looked at him. "May I ask what your position is now?"

"Would you believe me if I said I didn't have a position?" Ma Qianli spread his hands, his tone helpless.

“I believe you.” Zhang Erhe nodded, then changed the subject, “But all these years you’ve been by our side, don’t you have anything to explain?”

"Second Brother, please allow me to call you that one last time." Ma Qianli's voice turned somber. "Over the years, apart from reporting a few times about the black market selling contraband, I really haven't said a word about anything else."

He paused, his gaze drifting into the distance, as if returning to the past: "As for when you joined, Second Brother, do you still remember Zhang Dequan's men at the alley entrance? Back then, Zhang Guowei found you and asked you to spread a message—they have an important list, and the woman on the list has been arrested by Zhang Dequan, who wants to force her to become his concubine."

“I remember,” Zhang Erhe interjected. “Back then, I approached you and asked if you dared to do something big, and you said, ‘As long as you go, I’ll go.’”

“Yes!” Ma Qianli’s eyes reddened and his voice trembled. “Back then, only my second brother was good to me. I grew up without parents and always relied on others. Only my uncle and aunt treated me like family. If you had a bite to eat, I would too. When I grew up, you took care of me and didn’t let me wander around the streets. Back then, I thought, I’ll just follow you for the rest of my life.”

"Later, the two of us killed Zhang Dequan's henchmen that very night and hid the woman in our 'doghouse' with us," Ma Qianli continued. "You went out to the streets to gather information, while I stayed in the doghouse with that woman for a few days. She was a good person; she taught me to read and write, and she also told me about principles of life, saying that what they were doing was a great thing for the country and the people. So I chose to join."

“After the liberation of Beijing, we were all put under Minister Li’s command. I was responsible for gathering information on the streets, monitoring any irregularities in the black market, and reporting any suspicious activity.” He looked at Zhang Erhe with earnest eyes, “Second Brother, I have never done anything to betray my brothers!”

Sun Xiangdong and Wu Qian exchanged a shocked glance—they hadn't expected their seemingly carefree fourth brother to be a government official. Sun Xiangdong was about to say something when Zhang Erhe interrupted him: "Boss, shut up."

Zhang Erhe looked at Ma Qianli, pulled the knife from his leg with a "snap," and slammed it hard on the table. His voice was deep and hoarse: "Fourth brother, what did we say when we swore brotherhood? Betray your brothers, and you'll be stabbed three times and stabbed six times!"

Ma Qianli's face paled, but without hesitation, he got up to grab the knife, sighing, "I've let my brothers down." But just as he raised the knife halfway, Zhang Erhe gripped his wrist tightly.

"Boss, strip him naked." Zhang Erhe didn't look at Ma Qianli, but only said to Sun Xiangdong.

Although Sun Xiangdong was puzzled, he still did as he was told and stripped Ma Qianli of his clothes. Zhang Erhe picked up the clothes and stabbed him three times with a series of "plop, plop, plop," before throwing the clothes back in front of Ma Qianli: "Three cuts and six holes, that's enough."

He looked at Ma Qianli and softened his tone: "Fourth brother, if you still consider us brothers, we'll still be brothers; if you want to be an official, then we'll go our separate ways."

"I admit it! I admit it!" Ma Qianli's eyes instantly reddened, and his voice trembled. "Second Brother, you forgive me?"

“You didn’t collude with the Japanese or the reactionaries, so what’s unforgivable?” Zhang Erhe patted him on the shoulder. “Alright, let’s put this behind us today. Don’t bring it up again, and let’s not make each other uncomfortable. Let’s just live our lives honestly from now on.”

He turned to Sun Xiangdong and asked, "Have you cleaned up the mess from that honey trap? If not, let Lao Si help you—he's an official, so he's good at this kind of thing, and we might as well use him."

Sun Xiangdong was excited for a moment, but then shook his head: "It should be fine now. It's all my fault for being impulsive. Let's just take it as a lesson."

"Come on! Let's have a drink!" Wu Qian raised his glass and shouted, his eyes glazed with drunkenness. The four clinked glasses, and as soon as the wine went down, Wu Qian collapsed onto the kang (a heated brick bed) with a "thud," falling into a deep sleep.

Zhang Erhe, Sun Xiangdong, and Ma Qianli exchanged a glance and laughed—every time they drank, Wu Qian was always the first to pass out.

Ma Qianli completely let his guard down and drank with great relish. Zhang Erhe would have been drunk long ago if he hadn't secretly poured the wine into his spatial storage. He got up and walked to the door, where Qiqige quickly came to greet him: "Are you seeing someone off?"

“Yes, two of them are drunk,” Zhang Erhe nodded.

Qiqige waved towards the alley entrance, and the two hunchbacked girls immediately ran over: "Boss lady, need a car?"

"Help these two gentlemen get home," Qiqige instructed.

Zhang Erhe stepped forward and asked the two men to help Sun Xiangdong and Wu Qian onto the cart. He then gave each of them a dollar and said, "Please make sure you get them home safely."

"Don't worry!" The two men were overjoyed—usually this kind of work would only earn them three cents, but this time they were given one dollar, and they pushed the cart away with great enthusiasm.

Ma Qianli staggered over, stretched out his arm and put it around Zhang Erhe's shoulder, the force so strong that Zhang Erhe staggered: "Second Brother, have you seen the eldest and third brothers off?"

Before Zhang Erhe could respond, he started laughing to himself again, his breath reeking of alcohol as he said in Zhang Erhe's ear, "I'm really happy today! I don't have to hide anything from you guys anymore, I don't have to pretend to be your brother during the day and have my own thoughts at night!"

"Come on, you bastard." Zhang Erhe pushed his arm away and laughed, "You'll get what's coming to you later. Just wait and see how I deal with you!"

As the two were talking, Qiqige walked over carrying an empty wine jug, her eyes sweeping over Ma Qianli with a flirtatious look, her tone teasing: "Little Ma, are you going with your good brother or with me?"

"Do you even need to ask?" Ma Qianli shoved Zhang Erhe aside, rushed over in three strides, pulled Qiqige into his arms, and rubbed his chin against her hair. "He doesn't smell as good as you. Second brother, see you out!"

Chapter 66 Some are happy, some are sad

On Monday, Yi Zhonghai got up early to go to work at the factory. Tan Saihua had prepared breakfast for him, but he only ate a few bites before putting down his chopsticks—his stomach wasn't very good these days, and he was afraid of having to go to the toilet too often at work, so he simply ate less. After finishing breakfast, he took his bag from Tan Saihua, walked out of the east wing, and stood in the middle of the courtyard.

Just then, the curtain of the west wing across the way was lifted, and Qin Huairu came out of the room.

"Master, off to work?"

"Correct."

The two left the front yard one after the other and headed straight into the factory. As soon as they entered, people kept greeting Yi Zhonghai, but after the greeting, they immediately turned their faces away, their shoulders twitching as if they were suppressing laughter. Yi Zhonghai knew perfectly well—he had become a laughingstock in other people's eyes.

“Master,” Qin Huairu said cautiously, “I heard the female workers in the logistics department gossiping about you… It was probably Xu Damao who told them.”

"Didn't Zhang Erhe send a message?"

Qin Huairu shook her head, but thought to herself: Zhang Erhe said it in front of everyone, there's no need to specifically ask a woman to relay the message.

"Hmph!" Yi Zhonghai snorted coldly and strode into the workshop.

After a while, Guo Da Piezi finally opened the door. Yi Zhonghai quickly led Qin Huairu over.

"Director Guo, I'm back."

"Hey, Lao Yi, have a seat," Guo Da Piezi said, putting down his bag as he greeted him.

"Director Guo, Dongxu is my apprentice. Now that his wife has joined the factory, I'd like to continue mentoring her. What do you think?"

"Sure, why not!" Guo Da Piezi was overjoyed. Master Li hadn't wanted to take Qin Huairu along anyway, and he'd been worried about how to decline. Now that Yi Zhonghai had volunteered, it solved a real problem. He couldn't help but think: Yi Zhonghai is indeed a good comrade.

"Then Qin Huairu, you should learn from Lao Yi from now on."

"Yes, Director Guo, I will definitely learn from my mentor."

"Alright, Lao Yi, do a good job!"

Seeing Guo Da Piezi suddenly become enthusiastic, Yi Zhonghai was a little confused: What's going on?

Just as I stepped out of Guo Da Piezi's office, I heard the loudspeaker at the workshop entrance crackle twice, followed by a sweet female voice:

Good news!

To all factory workers:

Now, we will broadcast a notice of commendation and appointment.

While our factory was fully committed to ensuring production targets were met, maintenance staff members Wu Liqun and Zhang Erhe, in their spare time after completing their regular duties, actively leveraged their technical expertise and innovative spirit to successfully develop a new type of well-drilling equipment. This equipment is simple to manufacture and highly efficient in water extraction, making it significant in alleviating the recent drought in rural areas.

In order to quickly transform this innovative achievement into actual productivity and help farmers fight drought and ensure a good harvest, the factory leadership has decided, after deliberation:

I. Effective immediately, a “Drought-Resistant Well-Drilling Equipment Specialized Workshop” will be established to be specifically responsible for the manufacturing and promotion of this equipment.

II. Wu Liqun is appointed as the workshop director and Zhang Erhe as the deputy director, to take full charge of the workshop's establishment and production management.

In recognition of the outstanding contributions made by the two comrades, the factory has awarded them the following prizes:

• A bicycle ticket worth fifty yuan was awarded to Comrade Wu Liqun;

• A watch ticket and RMB 50 are awarded to Comrade Zhang Erhe.

We hope that all employees will take Wu Liqun and Zhang Erhe as role models, be dedicated to their duties, be innovative, and make positive contributions! We also hope that under the leadership of these two comrades, the new workshop will quickly go into production, achieve results as soon as possible, and make our steel rolling mill's due contribution to supporting agricultural development!

Qin Huairu and Yi Zhonghai turned their heads stiffly and looked at each other blankly.

"Did I hear that right? The radio was talking about... Zhang Erhe?"