The entire courtyard is full of villains

However, Li Huaide changed the subject: "Xiao Wang, is it true that Zhang Erhe used to trade in Pigeon Market?"

“Absolutely true!” Wang Chao quickly replied, “My second uncle’s family lives in the same alley as Zhang Erhe, there’s no mistake.”

"I see..." Li Huaide pondered thoughtfully. Since Zhang Erhe had this experience, he might actually have some connections. If he could get in touch with him, he could get some meat from Pigeon Market, even if the price was higher—the steel mill wasn't short of money right now, it was short of supplies!

He pondered for a moment, then instructed, "Xiao Wang, during the lunch break, go and invite Zhang Erhe over for me. I want to have a chat with him."

"Understood, Factory Director!" Wang Chao replied and left.

Inside the workshop, Zhang Erhe was hunched over in his office, staring blankly at a kettle of water boiling on a tin stove. "Knock, knock, knock—" A knock sounded on the door.

He quickly sat up straight: "Who is it?"

"Deputy Director Zhang, I am Wang Chao, Director Li's secretary."

Li Huaide? Zhang Erhe wondered to himself, he had never had any dealings with this deputy factory director before, so why was he suddenly looking for him? He got up and opened the door: "Hello, Secretary Wang."

"Deputy Director Zhang, are you available now? Factory Director Li would like to invite you to his office."

"Alright then." Although Zhang Erhe was full of doubts, he still followed Wang Chao.

As soon as I reached the office door, I heard Li Huaide yelling into the phone inside: "How can you do this? You agreed on 1,000 jin, then you cut it down to 500, and now you want to reduce it again? Damn it! Who do you take me for? Let me tell you, 500 jin, if you lose even an ounce, our friendship is over!"

With a bang, Wang Chao hung up the phone and quickly knocked on the door: "Factory manager, Deputy Director Zhang is here."

Li Huaide took a sip of water to calm his temper, then turned around and said, "Director Zhang, please sit down! Xiao Wang, quickly make some tea."

"Yes," Wang Chao replied and withdrew.

Li Huaide walked around from behind his desk and pulled out a chair with enthusiasm: "Come, come, Director Zhang, would you like a smoke?"

"Thank you, Director Li." Zhang Erhe nodded.

Li Huaide hurriedly pulled out a box of special-supply cigarettes from the drawer and said with a smile, "This belongs to my father-in-law. My wife took it from her parents' home."

Zhang Erhe couldn't help but smile; Li Huaide was quite frank!

Li Huaide took out a cigarette and handed it over. Zhang Erhe had barely taken the cigarette when Li Huaide lit a match and leaned closer.

“Comrade Zhang Erhe, if I may ask a question,” Li Huaide lit a cigarette for him and asked casually, “how did you design that well-drilling equipment?”

Zhang Erhe had been wondering why Li Huaide had suddenly contacted him. But after overhearing the phone call at the door, he immediately understood—this deputy factory director was desperate because of the shortage of supplies. He had somehow found out that Zhang Erhe had once been involved in trading in the pigeon market, and had come to him out of desperation.

He knew perfectly well what was going on, but he still explained respectfully, "Director Li, as you know, I joined the factory as a replacement. My father used to be a veteran maintenance worker in the factory, and I've been exposed to these kinds of machines since I was a child, so I'm particularly interested in them. The design of that well-drilling equipment was actually based on a book I read in the library of the Imperial University of Peking a few years ago, and I later simplified it myself. I heard recently that there was a severe drought in various places, so I tried to make one to see if it could be of any use."

"Wow! This is truly amazing..." Li Huaide exclaimed repeatedly, "Such a clever design, how come no one else thought of it? Yet you managed to make it work. What does that mean? It means you have completely mastered this technology! Comrade Erhe, you're amazing! I've always admired comrades like you with strong learning abilities since I was a child!"

"Factory manager, you flatter me!"

Li Huaide waved his hand: "No, no, this praise is not excessive at all. Comrade Erhe, don't call me factory director anymore. I think we get along well. From now on, just call me Brother Li."

“Brother Li,” Zhang Erhe readily agreed, “I’m embarrassed by your praise.”

"Comrade Erhe, you may not know this, but Director Yang didn't say it, but this equipment has really made our factory look good in the Ministry of Metallurgy. This morning at the meeting, Director Yang even said that we should take this opportunity to try to get more supplies for the New Year from the Ministry."

"Here it comes!" Zhang Erhe thought to himself. Li Huaide had finally steered the conversation to the point, saving him the trouble of maneuvering.

Sure enough, Li Huaide frowned, and his tone became more sincere: "Erhe—is it alright if I call you that?"

"Brother Li, that's what my master calls me in the workshop too, so please feel free to call me whatever you like!"

"Erhe, you have no idea how tight the supplies are this year." He sighed heavily. "To be honest, the factory hasn't even finished preparing for the New Year. This morning, Secretary Su specifically emphasized that the workers who have worked hard all year must be able to eat dumplings on New Year's Eve. This is really putting me in a difficult position!"

He spread his hands, looking helpless: "To be honest, I've been sitting here since this morning, and my phone has been ringing off the hook. I finally managed to scrape together 500 jin of meat. And with so little meat, they almost backed out just now. Being the deputy factory director... is tough!"

Zhang Erhe knew Li Huaide was acting, but seeing his worried face and sincere expression, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly: they are all good actors.

Li Huaide paused, deliberately softening his tone: "I heard... you used to do business in Pigeon Market?"

Zhang Erhe waved his hand dismissively, saying, "Hey, I was just messing around, nothing serious. Later, my master gave me a good scolding, and that's when I turned over a new leaf and started working honestly in the factory."

"I see..." Li Huaide hadn't expected Zhang Erhe to push it away so cleanly, but he still wasn't giving up. He continued tentatively, "Erhe, could you... try contacting those old connections again and see if you could get a batch of supplies from Pigeon City?" He leaned forward and lowered his voice, "Price is negotiable, the key is to have the goods. You know, I just started working at the factory this year. If I don't do a good job with logistics, the workers in the workshop will probably be cursing me. You can't bear to see your brother being talked about behind his back during the New Year, can you?"

Zhang Erhe looked troubled. "This..."

Li Huaide was overjoyed—if it was difficult, it meant there was hope! He quickly took out another whole carton of special-supply cigarettes from the drawer, grabbed Zhang Erhe's hand, and forced the cigarettes into his arms: "Erhe, for your brother's sake, give me a hand! Any amount of supplies is fine, as for the price... as long as it's not too much higher than the black market price, I can accept it!"

Zhang Erhe, unable to push away the man's hand, could only grit his teeth and feign reluctance: "Well... alright then, I'll ask my friends. Meat, noodles... we need them all, right?"

"I want it all! I want everything that can be sent!"

“Okay,” Zhang Erhe said, looking like he was ready to go all out. “Then I’ll try my best to find out.”

Li Huaide was overjoyed and patted him on the shoulder forcefully: "Then I'll leave it to you! Erhe, don't worry, as long as your brother's position is secure, we'll get along well from now on!"

At this time, Li Huaide had just become the deputy factory director. Although his methods were still clumsy, Zhang Erhe had already clearly understood the meaning behind his words.

Chapter 73 It's so damn difficult!

As soon as Zhang Erhe left Li Huaide's office, he began to make plans.

Firstly, Li Huaide had offended both the deaf old woman and Yi Zhonghai in the courtyard, making him inherently at odds with Yang Liming. Judging from the original drama, Li Huaide was both capable and had powerful connections; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to rival Yang Liming at the steel rolling mill. When the tide turned, he rose rapidly to become the factory's top leader, demonstrating his foresight and skill.

What's even more remarkable is that although he brought down Yang Liming after the storm, he didn't completely eliminate him. Instead, he arranged for Yang to clean the factory, indirectly protecting him. Such a insightful, capable, and tactful person, who ultimately landed safely, is now proactively extending an olive branch to him—

Zhang Erhe didn't have any grand ambitions, so accepting the offer was undoubtedly the wisest choice at the moment.

Back in his office, he carefully considered his options: He could reduce the amount of meat. With over three thousand people in the steel mill, giving each person a pound was too extravagant; half a pound per person would be more than enough for dumplings. Half a pound would be 1500 pounds. Li Huaide had already gotten 500 pounds; he'd give him another 500, leaving the rest to Li Huaide to worry about. He could give more flour, around a thousand pounds; and a little more sugar—this portion would likely be consumed internally by the factory leadership.

By the time he had sorted things out, it was almost time to get off work. Zhang Erhe tidied up and headed home.

Guan Xue hadn't been feeling well for the past two days, and this afternoon while doing laundry, she suddenly started gagging. Having given birth before, she had a vague feeling that she was probably pregnant again.

When Zhang Erhe returned home that evening, after dinner, Guan Xue gently pulled him aside, her cheeks slightly flushed: "Erhe, could you ask for leave tomorrow morning?"

"What's wrong? Are you still feeling unwell?"

"I...I think I'm pregnant," she whispered. "Take a day off tomorrow and take me to the hospital for a checkup."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Erhe immediately bent down and pressed his ear to Guan Xue's stomach, listening carefully for a long time.

Guan Xue blushed and gently pushed him, "Erhe, it's only been a few months... We won't be able to hear any movement until then."

“Okay,” Zhang Erhe straightened up, “I’ll take the day off tomorrow morning to take you to the hospital.”

In the stillness of the night, Guan Xue was fast asleep, but Zhang Erhe was wide awake. After all, this was his first real child since coming into this world. A subtle feeling welled up inside him—had he cheated on the original owner of this body, or had the original owner cheated on him?

He pulled the blanket over his head, deciding to stop worrying about it. Let the reader ponder this philosophical question.

The next morning, Zhang Erhe went to the neighboring courtyard and found a worker in the manufacturing workshop to ask him to pass on his request for leave. Then, he pushed his bicycle and took Guan Xue and Zhang Jiao out the door. Remembering that the medical examination might require fasting, he didn't let the mother and daughter eat breakfast.

After registering and paying at the hospital, Guan Xue was already sitting in front of the doctor around 8:00 AM. The old doctor squinted, his fingers hovering over her wrist for a long while before finally nodding to Zhang Erhe.

"Congratulations, it's a pregnancy test, you're going to be a father again."

"Mom," Zhang Jiao blinked her big eyes, "Do I have a little brother?"

“It could be a younger sister,” Zhang Erhe casually replied.

"No way!" Guan Xue glared at her husband for the first time. "It has to be a younger brother."

“Alright, alright,” Zhang Erhe readily agreed. He himself didn’t care whether he had a son or a daughter, but this era was different—not being able to have a son made one feel inferior. Someone like Yi Zhonghai’s wife, who couldn’t even lay eggs, regardless of the reason, was even more ashamed to face others.

As they left the hospital, Zhang Erhe scooped the excited Zhang Jiao onto the front bar of his bicycle, amused to himself: This little brat, once your younger siblings are born, you won't be an only child anymore. Your mother's slaps and nagging will be shared with you, and you're still here grinning like an idiot.

The family ate breakfast outside, and Zhang Erhe took the mother and daughter back to the courtyard. Guan Xue specifically instructed Zhang Jiao: "Jiaojiao, you must not mention that your mother is pregnant when you go out. Wait until your mother's belly is swollen before you tell her."

"Okay!" Zhang Jiao nodded seriously, then suddenly blinked and asked, "Mom, did Jiao Jiao also come out of your tummy when she was little?"

"If she didn't come from my belly, where else could she have come from?" Guan Xue smiled and gently tapped her daughter's forehead with her finger.

"Can't I just come out of Daddy's tummy?" Zhang Jiao asked angrily, her little face puffed out.

Zhang Erhe laughed: "Little brat, you think you can come out of your father's belly? Don't even think about it in this lifetime."

"Can it be in the next life?" Zhang Jiao raised her head, persisting.

"Hey, you poor thing, did you really have to come through my belly?"

"When Sun Wukong came out of Princess Iron Fan's belly, he didn't call her 'Mom' at all!"

Zhang Erhe was both amused and exasperated. "You've even learned to apply what you've learned to other situations? Come on, Dad will take you to the bookstore and buy you a few more books."

Guan Xue quickly pulled him back: "Erhe, Jiaojiao doesn't even know many words yet."

"Then buy her comic books; she'll definitely be able to understand them."

"I want to see! I want to see!" Zhang Jiao immediately jumped up excitedly.

It was nearly noon when Zhang Erhe finished buying the books. He took his wife and daughter home before riding his bicycle to the factory. Wu Liqun had just finished eating and was about to take a nap when he saw Zhang Erhe come in and quickly asked, "Erhe, what did you do this morning?"

"What else could it be? My wife is pregnant."

"Pregnant? That's wonderful!" Wu Liqun beamed. "I used to think Guan Xue was a fallen princess and would be too spoiled, but I didn't expect you to have such good taste. If you live a prosperous life and have a few more sons, your father can rest in peace."

Zhang Erhe simply smiled and didn't reply. People think this way these days; any further explanation from him would seem inappropriate.

So, Zhang Erhe deliberately dragged things out with Li Huaide, not giving him a definite answer for two days. It wasn't until he got off work that day that he strolled over to the deputy factory director's office. Before he even reached the door, he heard Li Huaide yelling into the phone inside.

Wang Chao saw Zhang Erhe and quickly gave him a wink. Zhang Erhe asked in a low voice, "Secretary Wang, what's going on?"

"I'm trying to get meat from the factory. I got 500 jin before, and then I managed to get another 500 jin, but I just can't get the last 500 jin. I've been on the phone all afternoon."

Zhang Erhe clicked his tongue inwardly—he never expected that officials these days would operate in this way: whoever raises their voice the loudest gets the supplies.

After a while, there was a loud "smack" as Li Huaide slammed the phone down.

"Erhe? I see you've arrived. Come in."

Zhang Erhe pushed open the door and went in, giving a heartfelt thumbs up: "Brother Li, I didn't know before, but I've seen it for myself today—it's really not easy for you to get some supplies for the workers."

"Sigh—" Li Huaide sighed deeply, rubbing his throbbing temples. "It's never been this difficult in previous years. This year's situation... you know how tough it is, it's fucking tough!"

Chapter 74 Something Feels Uncomfortable

Li Huaide sighed heavily, his face full of worry: "Erhe, I can only pour out my troubles to you. I've been calling the phone non-stop these past few days, and I even have blisters on my lips, look at that!"

He pointed to his parched lips, "We've only managed to scrape together a thousand catties of meat so far, and we had to beg and plead with everyone we could, using countless favors to get it. Director Yang's side isn't having an easy time either; he had to beg his acquaintances at the Ministry of Agriculture several times before he finally managed to get two thousand catties of flour. Secretary Su was so exhausted from dealing with supplies that he ended up in the hospital yesterday... You tell me, this logistics work is damn hard!"

Zhang Erhe swallowed hard, about to speak, when Li Huaide, thinking he hadn't managed to get it, comforted him instead, saying, "It's alright if you didn't get it. I can't make things difficult for you, how could I let you take the blame?"

"Brother Li, I got it."

"What? You got it?" Li Huaide jumped up. "How much?"